From: Anton_Sanderfoot@qms1.life.uiuc.edu (Anton Sanderfoot)
Subject: STORY: Wisdom of the Ancients 5
Followup-To: alt.startrek.creative
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 22:41:31 GMT

Remember: Critiques and comments are welcome, requests for missing parts
are not, if necessary, all parts will be reposted later.

_____________________________________
Wisdom of the Ancients, part 5

On the bridge of the Gregarious. Lt. Rild is standing at mid-bridge. Wesley
is at the Helm. A vulcanoid, Lieutenant Mirok, in yellow uniform, sits at
Ops. A yellow uniformed Lt. Rimpole stands at Tactical.

Riker: [voice over] Four to beam up...

Rild: Four, Sir?

Riker: [vo] Yes, Lieutenant.

Rild: Yes, Sir. [walking off towards turbolift] Inform Transporter Room 3
to prepare for arrival. You have the bridge Mr. Mirok.

Cut to hall outside Transporter Room 3. Rild is approaching the door as
Chief Engineer Elsa Thomas, a Lieutenant Commander, nears from the other
direction.

Rild: How are repairs going?

Thomas: Not as fast as I'd like. I was hoping to speak with the Captain
about slowing us down a bit so I could get things in order.

They enter into the transporter room as Riker and company are materializing
on the pad.

Riker: [stepping off the pad] Permission to come aboard?

Rild: Granted, Sir. Welcome to the Gregarious. This is Chief Engineer Elsa
Thomas.

Riker: Nice to meet you Chief. This in Lt. Commander Worf, Guinan, and our
guest Qiti. Lieutenant, will you escort Mr. Qiti to quarters.

Thomas: Captain, I was hoping to speak to you about repairs to the ship.

Riker: We can talk on the way to the bridge, let's go.

They exit. Rild and Qiti turn away from the group as the rest proceed to
the bridge. Cut to the bridge. Riker, Thomas, Worf and Guinan exit from
lift.

Riker: It comes down to this Chief, we need to get out there as fast as
possible, and I need a functioning vessel. 

Thomas:You're asking the impossible!

Riker: [smiling] Its the job of the Captain to ask the impossible, and
it's your job to give it to me... [looking to Wesely at the Helm] Mr.
Crusher, set course at the best possible speed.

Thomas: I've only got a skeleton crew, Riker! I need more people!

Riker: This whole ship is running on a skeleton crew, I'm not sure there
are any spare crew...

While Riker speaks, Rild enters the bridge and relieves Wesely at the Helm.
Wesely walks to the relief position at the back of the bridge. Riker
watches him...

Riker: Actually, I think I can spare Mr. Crusher. Ensign, would you care to
give Commander Thomas a hand in Engineering.

Wesley: Yes, Sir.

Riker: Excellent. I want a meeting with senior officers at 1900 hours. I'll
be in my Ready Room, Mr. Worf, you have the bridge.

Riker enters his Ready Room. After walking around, examining every aspect
of the room, he sits at the desk and leans back in the chair putting his
feet up. The door chimes.

Riker: Come...

Guinan enters and walks to the front of the desk.

Riker: I could get used to this...

Guinan: The benefits of the big chair...I think we need to speak with Qiti,
again...

Riker: Is their something else he can tell us? We pick him up, deliver him
to the Zenrabi, they kill him, they leave. Seems like a simple enough plan.

Guinan: You know, as well as I, that it's not that simple. Last I heard,
you weren't very high on this plan of his. Frankly, I was surprised you
brought him on the ship.

Riker: On the ship, I can keep my eye on him. I have a feeling that if we
hadn't taken him, he would have gotten out there on his own. He seems quite
resourceful. But, you're right, we should speak with him. [to ceiling]
Computer, locate Qiti.

Computer: [neutral male voice] That name does not correspond to any on the
ship's crew.

Riker: Right, I knew that...

The door chimes.

Riker: Come...

Qiti enters from hall entrace to ready room.

Riker: We were just looking for you. Actually, before I forget. Would you
please state your name for the computer. [to ceiling] Computer, recognise
the voice of Qiti. Record and save.

Qiti: [to ceiling] Computer, I am Qiti.

Computer: Recognise: Qiti.

Qiti: Keeping an eye on me?

Riker: Are you saying that's a bad idea?

Qiti: [smiling] Regardless, I have a feeling you wish to speak with me
further.

Riker: I'd like you to speak at a meeting I have set for 1900 hours. I'd
like you to give us any information you have concerning the Zenrabi:
tactics, capabilities, etc.

Qiti: I'd be happy to.

Riker: Perhaps I could have a preview?

Guinan: I think I'll wait for the meeting. I have some unpacking to do.

Follow Guinan into the hall as Riker and Qiti continue speaking in the
background. In the hall, Guinan meets with Wesley as she walks along.

Guinan: Hello, Wesley. How are things going for you on your first
assignment?

Wesley: Until Captain Riker sent me down to Engineering, I've really been
doing nothing but relief duty on the bridge. But, I guess everyone must
start somewhere.

Guinan: That's a good attitude. By the way, your Mother sends her love.

Wesley: Thank you. [pause] What's with this Qiti? He's a strange guy.

Guinan: Strange? Yes, I suppose he is. He's an old friend. I knew him while
I was a child.

Wesley: Is he one of your people?

Guinan: No, he came to my people from [pause] ...somewhere else.

Wesley: That's a bit vague.

Guinan: He's a very old soul, even by my people's standards. He knows
things that we can only imagine. It's amazing. He knew that Balthazar 6 had
been destroyed before we did.

Wesley: How could he know that?

Guinan: He said he felt them die.... But, I think I've spoke out of turn.
You should get back to work, Ensign. I should get to my unpacking.

Cut to Conference Room. Riker, Worf, Guinan, Rild, Thomas, Mirok and Qiti
are present.

Riker: Thank you all for comming. I'd like to introduce you to Qiti. He has
some knowledge of the Zenrabi vessel that I think will be helpful. I know
you have all received the background information in the briefing file, I
would like Qiti to now fill us in on the vessels specifications.

Qiti: Well, you know their past. Their present is not much different. Their
weaponry is primative, yet effective. Basically, they throw huge amounts of
"flak" at their target: metal projectiles, fusion bombs, antimatter, even
small asteroids. Accelerated to relativistic speeds and discharged in every
direction, any target is unlikely to survive for long. Even after surviving
such a pounding, energy weapons carve up the unfortunate vessel, or planet.
The Zenrabi vessel itself is mainly just a storehouse for the projectiles,
which is the reason for the large size. Only a small fraction of the space
is used for the bridge, engines and crew. Speed-wise, the vessel is not to
quick. Due to the size and presence of many gravity wells, the craft can go
no faster than your Warp 4.

Mirok: That velocity is consistant with the time between the two attacks.

Riker: Thomas, how long could our shields hold versus such an onslaught?

Thomas: Its difficult to tell. Its unlikely we could hold out for more
than a few minutes.

Worf: If we judge their speed to be Warp 4, they will arrive at the next
civilized planet in [reading from computer screen] 42 hours. Since we have
the time, I recommend we travel to ZetaOmega and determine if Qiti's data
is still relevant.

Qiti: It's unlikely. The Zenrabi were never one to change something that
had worked so well in the past. Yet, I do think it would be wise to make
sure.

Riker: I agree. We will divert to ZetaOmega and examine the planet.
Anything further?

Rild: I have one question for Qiti. If these vessels were so unstopable,
how did your people possible stop them. The briefing file said that you
had, at one time, destroyed most of their fleet. Were your vessels
stronger?

Qiti: No, my people had nothing of this scale. Instead, our methods were
much simpler. We simply boarded and took over their vessels, then turned
them against their own.

Rild: Surely the losses in such a boarding were heavy.

Worf: It would be an honorable way to meet death.

Qiti: Yes, on both counts. Of the 100 warriors sent to each vessel, on
average, only 18 would survive.

Rild: 82% losses, thats unbelievable.

Qiti: When it means the death or survival of your race, such rates become
acceptible.

Riker: I hope that it never comes to such a point for us. Let's get under
way for Zeta Omega. Dissmissed.

All file out, Worf stays somewhat behind to speak with Qiti, who has
remained seated at the table.

Worf: I am impressed. 100 men against a vessel of that size. Truly, you
must have been effective warriors.

Qiti: It scares me. How after so many years of peace we could degenerate
into such weapons of destruction...

Worf scowls, then exits, as Qiti remains seated.

END PART 5