Chapter 2

The TARDIS floated in the middle of space, spinning in place. The Doctor read through volumes upon volumes of information trying to figure out more about this Intergalactic Empire and their allies. Nothing in the TARDIS' information banks had anything on the Empire, Romulans, Borg, or Dominion. The only information found was on the Daleks, being the only race the Doctor was familiar with in the Empire. The Doctor removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sat back and looked up at the ceiling of the TARDIS. Just then, he heard a faint beeping sound coming from the central control panel. He stood up and approached the small screen that had a flashing red light. It was a distress signal. He keyed for the channel to be open. The message was only static. The Doctor boosted his signal in the reception of the message and could just barely made out what it said.

"This is the Federation Starship Atlantis. We are under heavy attack from Imperial forces at sector 025, near the Romulan Neutral Zone. Any ships in range please assist. We are in no-" The message became jammed midway through the message. "Looks like it's time to experiment the new transformation capabilities of the TARDIS." The Doctor started to pull various levers and turn various knobs around the TARDIS' central control panel. On the outer part o the TARDIS, parts started to move round and change positions. The TARDIS transformed into a small Federation craft, a Defiant-class starship. "Time to get out of here". The TARDIS turned slightly to the left and warped out, preparing for battle.

The Atlantis fired a phaser spread, taking out half a TIE fighter squadron and damaging two Romulan Defenders. Three Star Destroyers fired barrage after barrage of laser cannon fire at the Atlantis.

"Shields down to thirty-seven percent. The primary hull is taking damage. We have just lost warp capabilities and impulse power is badly damaged." yelled Lieutenant Forge over the sounds of laser fire. With each hit, the ship shook. Camilla held onto the armrests of her chair, trying not to be thrown out by the impacts on the Atlantis. "Divert power to shields. Leave auxiliary power with life support. What is the situation with communications?" Camilla looked over at the com-station and saw the young officer trying his best to reconfigure the channel they were currently on. "We're still being jammed, but I think I can get us on a secure channel. I just need-" The Atlantis took another hit and the com-station erupted in a shower of sparks and sent the ensign flying backward. The impact killed him instantly, blood trickling from his left temple. "Wells, put all remaining engine power to full reverse. Joanna, can you some how make a temporary energy shield using the main sensor dish with the remaining warp power we have?" The young woman looked extremely nervous and thought for a moment. "Only if somehow I can get some auxiliary power. Then I can make an energy barrier that would be able to hold for a minute, maybe two depending on how much energy there is in the warp core." Joanna looked hopefully at Camilla. "Make it so, ensign." Camilla opened a channel to engineering. "Commander T'Vor, I want you to divert all remaining power in the warp core to the sensor dish, can you do that?" "Aye, captain," T'Vor responded, "give me a few minutes." "Make it fast, commander, I don't know how much more the ship can take."

The Atlantis started to move back from the Imperial fleet slowly and the sensor dish glowed a bright red. The Star Destroyers continued slamming the Atlantis with laser fire, breaking through it's outer shielding. Mere seconds later, a bluish-purple semi-sphere erupted from the dish at the bottom of the body of the Atlantis, protecting it from the constant laser fire from the fleet.

"Captain, I'm picking up several ships entering the sector."

A look of hope crossed over Camilla's face. "Finally" she whispered to herself.

The Enterprise, two Defiant-class ships, the TARDIS, and a Mon Calamari star cruiser all entered the sector in a battle ready formation. The heavy guns on the Calamari ship pounded the two intercepting Star Destroyers and disabled them. A Romulan warbird and two Borg tactical cubes approached the squadron of ships. The Enterprise and the TARDIS in Defiant-class form pressed forward and attacked the Borg cubes. Moments later, the USS Voyager and USS Concord warped into the sector, firing phasers and torpedoes at the Romulan ship and the Star Destroyer coming to it's side. Communications returned to the Atlantis and they immediately hailed the Enterprise. Picard came up on the viewscreen and before Camilla could say anything, he said "Captain Heartfelt, prepare to be towed to Starbase Two, stand-by." The screen turned off and the ship shook slightly from the activation of the tractor beam on the Atlantis. The Enterprise made a sharp 180 degree turn and warped out of the sector, along with the rest of the attack ships, all suffering very minor damage to outer shielding.

Aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Raven, General Troy Rex looked out the large viewport and gazed at the spot where the Federation ships had been. His second-in-command looked hesitantly over at him. Rex spoke without looking over at his commander, "I shall go and inform Lord Revan about this...minor inconvenience. Be prepared to take my role as general, Commander Drell." Drell looked over at his general, mentor and long time friend who probably wouldn't live through his report to the sinister Sith lord who had somehow survived a lightsaber wound on the Star Forge. And he also wondered why the Darth Revan had seemed more...merciful ever since his encounter on the Star Forge with that pitiful Jedi.

General Rex slowly approached the main door into Revan's personal quarters. He took a deep breath and raised his hand to press the entry button. Before he did anything, "Come in, general," Revan called him in and the door slid open. Rex stood as upright as he could, walking into the dimly lit room. Revan was sitting on the floor, in a meditative state, facing the viewport that looked out into open space. Revan stood up and the general expected to be face to face with his death any moment now. "You know general, I've always been a devout believer in the concept of time travel. All the theories about sub-space rifts and wormholes and so on. But there is one untested hypothesis that a former friend of mine came up with. At maximum speed, if you were to build up enough power and somehow slingshot around the sun, you could be sent back to any time period you want, depending of course on how fast you go. Any way, the reason I bring this up to you, general, is because I wish to experiment with this hypothesis. Of course, only if you were to accept the offer. It is, after all, your Star Destroyer."

Revan faced Rex and looked at him sternly. Rex thought for a moment, not about the thought of the time travel or the fact that the Star Destroyer's shields wouldn't withstand the intensity of the sun at that close range, but was thinking about why Revan was asking to use his Star Destroyer. "Of course, my lord. You have my full consent to use the ship, but only one question, sir. How-" Revan put a hand up to stop him. "I assume your question will be how the shields will stand up to the sun at that close range. Quite simply, if were to be in a very tight formation with three or four other Star Destroyers, all the shields would overlap, therefore re-enforcing the protection for each ship." Rex looked at Revan amazed. He knew how powerful the man was and knew his reputation for the number of Jedi he had killed, but he never was aware of his military tactics. Especially when it came to ships. "That's an ingenious plan, sir. I can begin the preparations immediately." "Not so fast, Rex. I don't want to use this tactic just yet. Save it, rather, for a special occasion. For if we need it." Rex nodded and began to leave, but one more thought crossed his mind. "Sir, what exactly do you plan on using the time travel for?" "A special course of action, general, that may just turn the tide of this war. A course of action that could alter history just enough for us to have a distinct advantage over the Federation."

Camilla stood in Captain Picard's ready room aboard the Enterprise, looking at Picard who was sitting at his desk. He put the datapad he was reading down and looked sternly at Camilla. "Now tell me, Camilla, what the hell were you doing in middle of an Imperial armada when you were supposed to rendezvous with the fleet at Jupiter Station!"

"I had...a hunch, sir."

"A hunch. Starfleet captains don't follow hunches. Especially when in the middle of a war! I can't believe that an officer of your poten-"

"I know how to get Jim back."

Picard just looked at Camilla. "Jim is dead, there isn't any-wait, are you thinking about..."

"Yes, captain. Time travel. I think if we used the same method that James Kirk used, we can pull it off. Especially with a ship that has he speed off the Atlantis. If we were to upgrade the shields, we should be able to pull it off."

"No. There is no way Starfleet Command will allow it. It goes against every regulation Starfleet has concerning temporal activity."

"Sir, you should understand that weather I have permission or not, I am going to go back and bring Jim back."

Picard sighed and looked out the viewport. "Do you understand the consequences there could be i you were to change something like that!"

"Captain, you don't understand he pain I've had to endure these past three months! Every night I've re-envisioned his death, and I'm done with it! Save your 'temporal prime directive' speech for someone that cares!"

Camilla stormed out of his office and entered the first turbolift she could find. She went to the transporter room and beamed back aboard the Atlantis.

Camilla went on the bridge and sat in the center chair. "Lieutenant Commander Wells, set a course for the Sun. Maximum warp."

"Ma'am?"

"You have a problem with your orders, mister?"

"N-no, ma'am." Wells began working on his console and the Atlantis pulled out of the repair dock and warped out.

"Mister Forge, divert auxiliary and weapon power to shields. We need all the power we can get. Wells, when we get to our destination prepare to use the Sun's gravity to slingshot back three months ago. The exact time of the Battle of the Alpha Quadrant."

"Aye, captain"

The Atlantis carried out its designated course to the sun for its slingshot around the sun. "Ma'am, we are approaching the sun now. Shields are holding."

"Excellent. Mister Wells, maintain present course."

The Atlantis was now in orbit around the sun, revolving around it at a speed of warp nine point nine and increasing.

"Now, Mister Wells, stop our revolution and take us back!" Camilla ordered over the overpowering sound of the warp core, exceeding any speed it was meant to withstand. The Atlantis broke the revolution and warped forward, away from the sun. A temporal rift opened up in front of the ship and the Atlantis was thrown back into what they thought was three months prior. What they didn't realize was with the maximum speed of the Atlantis combined with the increased speed of the slingshot around the sun sent them back many more years before. So many that it predated Starfleet, the beginnings of space travel, even the Old Republic that was in place according to their New Republic allies. They went back to a time where space travel by other races was just beginning and hyperspace, used by the New Republic, was just discovered by an ancient race. A race fueled by the Force and a lust for war.