On board Far Hunter Catherine Nebulart was looking over the factories on board. She had activated some of the smaller robots to run the machines. Rabby entered the factory area and shook her head.
"Those remind me of Ail and Toil," Rabby said softly.
Catherine turned and faced the woman who had fouled up so many plans of hers.
"I take it you want to talk to me about why we I conspired to do that. The simple answer is that both races would destroy themselves if something wasn't done. Instead of creating that third race, you actions restored half of our race and allowed us to continue."
"So many people of the Star Leaf died because of that project," Rabby growled, as she clenched her fist.
"They would have died any way at Sigma Narse. The way it played out ensured that our race would survive in some form. Now, we have to help humanity survive the Minbari. Before you ask, I did volunteer for the process, but my Paranoid counterpart said that I was needed to keep the cybernetic copies of me organized and they couldn't take the chance of me rejecting the implant point."
Rabby took several deep breaths and unclenched her fist. "I think I understand. It's just so hard to know everything we had fought for was futile."
"Futile? No. Our race survived," Nebulart stated softly.
"Captain? This is Catty? I have found some information you need to see. I think we should talk to EarthDome as well."
"Very well. We'll meet you there," Nebulart stated.
Nebulart turned to Rabby and smiled. "Coming?"
"Why are you asking me?" Rabby asked.
"You will argue with me, but you also know when to obey orders and when to disobey them. Do you not wish to see what you have wrought?"
Rabby took a deep shuddering breath and nodded. The two women left the factory portion of the ship and headed for the shuttle. They quickly met up with the Catty robot and the trio headed towards the meeting satellite. Once they docked, they quickly disembarked and headed for the meeting room.
"President Levy, this is Rabby the woman responsible for all of you being here through her choices. Patty, is still on the ship. The girl that looks like me is a cybernetic copy of me with my memories and knowledge and uses my old nickname of Catty. Catty found something that she felt that we should know," Catherine Nebualart said.
Everyone introduced themselves and sat down. Rabby felt a bit uneasy with the respect she was being given by these strangers, but she sat there and didn't complain. Catty opened up one of the Solinoid portable computers and started typing on the keyboard.
"I have been going through the legends and myths of Earth. I also managed to get some DNA samples and compared them with those of the Paranoid and Solinoid samples on board the ship. There is a third genetic structure that is not Paranoid or Solinoid and is having a detrimental affect on the powers humans should have. I have checked the genetic samples of other races that you have accumulated and that same third structure is in every one of them," Catty explained. "The most logical deduction is that someone placed that in to control the races. The beneficial side effect is telepathic powers, but that interferes with the powers humans should have."
"What is the power we are supposed to have?" Alfred Bester asked in a haughty tone.
"I don't know what magic is, but the art of disguise as used by Taliesn and those of magical ability around his time is what humans should have. That's probably where werewolf stories come from. The power humanity is supposed to have is being suppressed by psionic powers and comes to forefront in what looks to be a bite transmitted disease. I'm not sure if turning into any animal or even a rock or gun would be better than telepathy, but that is the power you are supposed to have. That is the ability you gained from the Paranoids. Your current form is your rest form, instead of a blob of protoplasm, and you gained that from the Solinoids."
Bester sat back in shock and thought hard about what had just been revealed.
"That third structure should be removed from children below age six. Those older than six will just have to accept that nothing can be done. I estimate that it will take three generations after that structure is removed for the dame it has caused to be healed and five generations after that before we start seeing shape-shifters being born."
"Thank you,... Catty," President Levy stated. "What is you rank?"
Catherine Nebulart rubbed her forehead as if she had a headached and then gave a quick shake of her head. Catty looked on in concern, as she felt knowledge of Nebulart talking to Rabby enter her mind. Catty turned to President Levy and gave a sad smile.
"My rank varies and I'm outside the chain of command normally," Catty replied.
"She's a repository of all the Solinoid and Paranoid history and technology. She will also do her best to gather up all human history and technology and add it to her memory banks," Catherine Nebulart stated. "She's sort of a fall back plan in case we are wiped out. She will ensure that we will not fade into obscurity."
"Right. We treat her with respect then," President Levy stated. "We will take the information that has been brought and discuss in great length what we should do. As to getting the Solinoid tech into production, we have full crews working on getting planetary activators, weapons and improved targeting systems into production."
"Targeting systems?" Nebulart asked.
"If our ships can hit the Minbari ships, we can hurt them," General Leftcourt stated. "We're still going to proceed with the planetary activators and new FTL drives, just in case we have to run. "Right. Well, I'll talk to you later," Nebulart said.
Catty placed a metal box on the table along with a read. "There are Solinoid and Paranoid genetic samples in the box and that reader has the information that I had discovered and how I discovered it."
Catty and Rabby quickly followed Nebulart out of room and the trio made their way to the shuttle. Nebulart sat and down and rubbed her head and then looked at Catty.
"It looks like it is more than a chance, doesn't it?" Nebulart said.
"Er? What's going on?" Rabby asked.
Catty looked at Nebulart, who nodded, and then explained about what Nebulart had done and what might happen to her. Rabby shook her head in disgust.
"Why didn't you do and the Paranoids do that in the first place? That metal shell created by a Paranoid with a Solinoid soul guiding it would have qualified for that third race," Rabby stated.
"I think humanity has something about overly complicated plans being used when an obvious and simple one is right there and ignored," Catty stated. "Both sides were also desperate and blinded because of it."
"I've made some adjustments to this Catty and some alterations in her programming if and when that time comes," Nebulart said.
"You do realize that you will have to obey that programming," Rabby said.
"Of course. That's why I'm doing it now."
Rabby shook her head and sighed. 'I still don't like her, but I do respect her.'
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(Posted Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:27)
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