Refocus and Revelation

Samji listened patiently to the debate going on as he marveled at the insights and discussion on both sides. Truly these were not only the best soldiers and fighters of the Federation, but the best minds and diplomats as well. However, he had not expected the morality discussion to come up quite yet, and unfortunately some of the officers were making assumptions based off of incomplete information.

Therefore, he took the opportunity of a pause in the debate brought on mostly by Commander Lire's firm, deeply thought-provoking statement and Doctor Nasaro-Myth's equally profound argument to interject.

"It is clear that there are emotions on both sides of this discussion," Samji started. "How could we not be emotional when we learn of the possibility of the destruction of either our entire universe or another one? Faced with that prospect, although the best-equipped, I find it difficult to believe even a Vulcan could fully contain it."

"To answer Mister O'Conner's question definitively, he is right that it is indeed a wormhole or gateway to the other Universe, not the Universe itself. The Artemis has been through it to the other side, and by all our studies we can be certain that even the incorporeal beings encountered by the Spectre could not even live there."

His voice became firmer and more confident as he spoke in an attempt to demonstrate his authority on the matter that even the best minds of Lotus Fleet was still uncertain of. "While it is true that we do not know that destroying the Azimuth Horizon would necessarily destroy the other universe, we also do not know that there wouldn't be ripple effects extending through and possibly causing the same kind of anomaly to form on the other side. If that happens, we are forcing it on a universe that may be less technologically equipped to contain it than we are."

He shook his head and paused because the next thing he was about to say was something he could hardly stand to utter. But it had to be said. "As Starfleet Officers our oath tells us we must preserve life at all costs, only second to our Prime Directive. We absolutely cannot sacrifice an entire universe to save our own."

He looked out into the faces of his officers and saw anger, frustration, and sadness from those who could not control their emotions the way a Vulcan or Andorian could. "I'm sorry Mister Lire, but you are wrong. I don't mean to single you out, as I'm sure we all thought it at one point or another... but you are the one who spoke up. But I fault myself. I did not fully explain the Azimuth Horizon yet, as I was not expecting this discussion while going through a list of potential enemies. You and many others here may not be aware, but this is definitively our fault."

He let the realization sink in before moving to an explanation. "The anomaly itself appears to be natural and it is also theorized that it has actually been around for centuries. It is only our constant high warp travel over centuries that has given it the ability to spread beyond the mere speck of space it had previously inhabited. The Federation, Romulans, Klingons... we have all contributed to this problem. This is our doing and we cannot force it on another universe and make them pay for our mistake."

After a pause to let some people consider that revelation, he moved on. "While this discussion is meaningful in that it allows us to discuss our potential problems, our solutions, and reveals the opinions on both sides, it is also meaningless. What I mean by that, is it's not going to change anything. Our orders are clear and they come from the Federation President and Starfleet Joint Chiefs themselves."

He then listed the priorities he was given from those highest sources. "Our first priority is to find a way to contain the Anomaly. Failing that, our second priority is to find a way to collapse and disperse the Anomaly, but only if we are absolutely, one-hundred percent certain that it will not affect the other universe."

Now came the revelation that no one was expecting. They were sure he'd say the last resort would be to use force or firepower to try to destroy it. However, he said, "Our final and last resort is to begin and coordinate mass evacuations... through the Azimuth Horizon."

He knew this would cause an uproar even in such a well-ordered and highly trained crowd. He himself had a negative, emotional, knee-jerk reaction when he first heard it. However, he also knew all the repercussions that such an order would cause, and didn't need to hear them shouted back at him from his officers. If things got out of hand, he would order silence, but for now he waited for the inevitable response, silently hoping it would be a thoughtful and respectful one.