Palimpsest
U.S.S. ENTERPRISE NCC-1701-E
STARDATE 58582.5
The yellow lines of the graviton grid grew faintly luminescent as the light dimmed in the holodeck. Usually, Kirk was impatient with holographic reconstructions; why relive something of the past when there was so much of the present and the future still to experience?
But McCoy had convinced him that this reconstruction was worth his time. As had Jean-Luc.
The doctor and the captain both stood with Kirk now, as did Doctor Crusher, Spock and Scott, Admiral Janeway, and the holographic doctor.
The black walls and floor and ceiling of the holodeck remained unchanged, marked only by the glowing grid, no artificial backdrop required for what it was to display.
And then the reconstruction took shape. A humanoid figure. Female. Clothed in a simple white robe. Her scalp hairless, her features vaguely unformed, yet somehow complete.
Kirk glanced at Jean-Luc, saw his friend smile in recognition. This was a reconstruction he knew well.
“You are wondering who we are,” the humanoid began. The voice was artificial, Kirk knew. In its original form, it spoke in the language of whatever computer system it found itself in, so it could be understood by any suitably advanced species. “Why we have done this; how it has come that I stand before you, the image of a being from so long ago.”
For all that he had heard about this message, Kirk was still surprised by the clarity of it, and by the understatement: “so long ago.”
The humanoid continued. “Life evolved on my planet before all others in this part of the galaxy. We left our world, explored the stars, and found none like ourselves.
“We were alone.
“Our civilization thrived for ages. But what is the life of one race, compared to the vast stretches of cosmic time? We knew that someday we would be gone, and that nothing of us would survive. So we left you.”
Picard had told Kirk the story, how twelve years ago a human archaeologist had put enough of the puzzle pieces together that Picard had been unable to resist completing it.
The end result had been a momentous chase across the quadrant, vying with Cardassians, Romulans, and Klingons to be the first to uncover this message from what was now called, by some, the Progenitor race.
“Our scientists seeded the primordial oceans of many worlds,” the humanoid said, “where life was in its infancy. These seed codes directed your evolution toward a physical form resembling ours-this body you see before you. Which is, of course, shaped as yours is shaped. For you are the end result. The seed codes also contained this message, which we scattered in fragments on many different worlds.”
Kirk knew that just this part of the message had offered a solution to one of the great mysteries of extraterrestrial life that had arisen from Zefram Cochrane’s first voyages of exploration-why nature seemed to favor the humanoid form. In a galaxy where Tholians and Medusans and Horta had all evolved and succeeded as intelligent yet wildly divergent species, why were their forms not echoed on other worlds, while humanoids seemed to have evolved independently on hundreds?
The answer, this message had revealed, was that most if not all humanoid species shared a common origin.
The humanoid was nearing the end of her message. “It was our hope that you would have to come together in cooperation and fellowship in order to activate this message. And if you can see and hear me, our hope has been fulfilled.
“You are a monument. Not to our greatness, but to our existence. That was our wish. That you, too, would know life, and would keep alive our memory. There is something of us in each of you, and so, something of you in each other.”
The humanoid paused, and Kirk saw in her face an expression of joy and of sadness.
Joseph’s face.
The weight of his loss struck him anew. But seeing this memory, thinking that this might hold a clue to the mystery and the wonder of Joseph’s existence, he also felt a thrill of happiness.
Joy and sadness both together. Was there anything more human?
Then the humanoid said her final words.
“Remember us….”
She faded then. As if in respect, the lighting in the holodeck remained subdued.
“A message from four billion years ago,” Picard said.
“Just about the time life was showing up on Earth,” McCoy added.
“And the approximate time frame in which the galactic barrier was established,” Spock said.
“Do you really think it’s possible?” Scott asked. “That such a thing could actually be built?”
Janeway kept her gaze on the empty space where the humanoid had been. “What’s always troubled me about this is that they were so incredibly advanced, yet they knew they were dying.” She looked at the others. “How do you know that you’re dying as a species, and yet be unable to take any action to prevent extinction?”
“Unless,” Kirk said, “they knew why they were dying, and that the only defense would take too long to complete.”
The holographic doctor made a show of stroking his chin. “You’re suggesting that the Progenitor race we’ve seen here was attacked by the Totality, and built the galactic barrier to save not themselves, but… their children.”
“That’s what parents do,” Kirk said.
“Unfortunately,” Janeway countered, “there’s not enough evidence to support that theory.”
“I suppose not,” Kirk said. It wasn’t a point to argue.
Janeway started toward the holodeck’s arch. “As fascinating as all this is, I have to get back to Command. Doctor.”
The holographic doctor said his good-byes.
Janeway turned before she passed through the arch. “And Captain Kirk, the new modifications you wanted on the Belle Reve-they’ll be finished tomorrow. We’ve got something we need you to do on Andor. They’ve found something interesting buried in the ice.”
Kirk smiled in acknowledgment, but said nothing.
In time, they had all gone on to their other duties and other lives, until only three remained. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.
“So what do you say, gentlemen,” Kirk began. “In the absence of evidence, was everything that happened destiny?”
Spock was unconvinced. “Destiny would imply an intelligence capable of interpreting an almost infinite number of facts in order to predict the likely outcome of events.”
McCoy scowled. “Or just a damn good guesser, Spock. Don’t make it harder than it has to be.”
“Or was it just chance?” Kirk asked. “Joseph, Teilani, that Ferengi on Halkan… for that matter, my whole career in Starfleet?”
“You’ve got to admit all those things worked out pretty well,” McCoy said.
“If they hadn’t, Doctor,” Spock added gravely, “then I doubt we’d be gathered here to discuss their advantageous results.”
Kirk thought that over. “So you’re saying things only make sense in hindsight?”
Spock tilted his head in thought. “I’m suggesting you’ve asked a question that cannot be answered.”
“That’s a depressing thought for the day,” McCoy complained.
Kirk smiled, glad of the company of his friends. “Look at it this way, Bones: As long as there’re unanswered questions, there’ll always be something new to find out. Can you think of a better reason to get out of bed in the morning?”
Neither Spock nor McCoy could argue with that.
“So are you going to find out what the admiral has in mind for us next?” McCoy asked.
Kirk grinned, threw his arms around his friends, started walking with them to the arch and all the
