The Defiant hurdled through space around flaming debris and wreckage. The planet below was on fire, with nuclear detonations blooming from dozens of points on the surface.
"Engage the cloak!" Sisko ordered.
"Cloaking device is offline, however I have configured our deflectors to mask our energy signature." O'Brien replied.
"The cloaking device would be of minimal help Captain. Worf stated. "there are thousands of missiles being fired at over a dozen ships in our immediate vicinity, even cloaked we would likely to be hit."
"Keep flying old man." Sisko said as her hands flew over the controls, "get us clear of this"
"Captain, I am unable to get a fix on our position, I'm not sure what quadrant we are in." Kira reported. "The anomaly did a lot more then send us through time, it threw us in the middle of someone else's fight."
"This is a one sided fight." Sisko said. A colossal ship sporting two massive nacelles was being pummelled sideways into the upper atmosphere, its engines flickering, while a line of star shaped craft fired missiles in the distance, and if the mass of twisted wreckage were any indication, it had lost a great many siblings in this battle before they had arrived.
"Confirmed Captain, " Worf announced, "Logging two distinct fleet classes. Carriers, scouts and attack craft closer to the planet match readings from orbital and ground installations, with a second attacking force, light carrier, missile platforn- Sir, tracking faster than light capability!"
"Confirm that?" Sisko commanded. Worf fed an image to the main screen. a squadron of winged craft appeared with a burst of light.
"We were picking these craft up on short range sensors near a neighboring moon, they dissappeared suddenly, and reappeared here." his voice soured, "They destroyed a number of eebeny sigbals before doing so."
"Can we confirm that the ships being attacked gave interstellar capability?" Sisko asked.
"I believe so." Now that they had cleared the immediate vicinity of the battle, Dax spared a moment, "I saw sone civillians ships dissapear and- there they are, three quarters of an AU, moving towards a group of others."
"So the prime directive may not apply." Kira commented. Sisko appreciated the insight because the decision he was about to make was unthinkable, yet necessary.
"Chief, what's our status." he asked.
"Shields regenerating at eighty percent. Impulse and warp online, but something is wrong with the phaser emitters, possibly hull damage." O'Brien replied.
"Worf, tactical assessment"
"Our weapons are superior." Worf assured him, "both in range and yield, even at reduced capacity, our sheilds were drained more by our arrival than their weapons."
"We are much faster on impulse." Dax informed him, I wouldn't risk warp without some serious mapping, considering we don't know where we are, and this is an extensive battlefield."
"It's a killing field." Sisko growled." He was looking at the smoldering world below. "Are we detecting any communications?"
"I've been tracking what seems to be comm traffic, visual and audio as well as some unusual data transmissions." Said Kira.
"Very well, can the translator interpret?" Kira nodded. Sisko made his decision.
"Major, open a channel to the attacking fleet." Sisko rose.
"Channel open sir, audio only ."
"To the attacking fleet. This is Captain Benjamin Sisko, of the Federation Starship Defiant. We have arrived in this combat zone by accident and wish no hostilities. we ask you to break off your attack, to allow for an opportunity to discuss your grievances with your, clearly defeated enemy. We would be happy to act as a neutral party in these negotiations."
There was a pause, and then an irate voice answered.
"Nice try meatbags, creative but desperate. Your President tried to surrender, we nuked his ass to Hades."
"I beg your pardon?" Sisko blinked, "Sir, we are representatives of an interstellar federation, we are not part of this conflict, we simply wish to help end this senseless killing."
"Oh don't worry, it'll end." the voice replied, "As soon as we run out of targets to exterminate."
"Captain we detected a data stream accompanying that." Kira announced, "attempted viral intrusion, the ship's computer has neutralized it."
"You have attempted to breach our security, you have admitted to perpetuating a slaughter after your enemy's surrender, by the authority of the United Federation of Planets, I order you to cease hostilities!" Sisko thundered.
"Yeah you and what army pal." the voice snarked back at him.
"Benjamin we are reading dozens of carriers in this system, thousands of fighters." Dax observed. "most of the carriers read as automated, with maybe a dozen lifesigns on each."
"The ships they are destroying are crewed by thousands, to say nothing of the cities below." said Kira " I'm reading very heavy casualties and fatal levels of radiation."
Suddebly there was a growl and a crack and Worf smashed his console.
"We must strike hard." Worf announced. everyone look at at him. "We have tactical superiority within our range, but we cannot defend an entire system. we must shock them, and allow their opponents to tend their wounded." He was uncharacteristically furious
"This is like Khitomer." Dax realized.
"I will not preside over a massacre." Sisko growled. He turned back to the screen. "Very well, we have given you your warning. You are ordered to withdraw. Mr Worf, target the nearest formation of enemy carriers, with a full spread of torpedoes."
"Aye sir." Worf growled.
"Captain I think I have someone from the other side, " Kira stated, "A womab identifying herself as Laura Roslin, Secretary of education? She is calling for all civillian ships nearby to form a convoy and proceed out of the battle zone."
"Torpedoes ready." Worf announced.
"Lieutenant Dax, set course for the enemy formation, and accelerate to attack speed, Mr. Worf, fire." Sisko announced.
The Defiant turned from its orbit of the stricken planet, banked around the remains of its defensing fleet, and unleashed half a dozen torpedoes on a trio of enemy carriers. travelling at a high percentage of light speed, the enemy ships accepted the volley with no time to react. a pair of torpedoes each annihalated the whole group.
"THAT got their attention!" Dax reported, and indeed several more ships blinked into space around them, "They don't seem to be able to get a lock on us-" explosions erupted around the ship"
They're making up for it, with enthusiasm." O'Brien said grimly.
"Mr. Worf, fire at will." Sisko ordered, "try to use the phasers to intercept those missiles. Major Kira, put ne on with the secretary"
"Hello? This is Laura Roslin, to whom am I speaking."
"This is Benjamin Sisko, Captain of the Federation Starship Defiant. we have engaged hostile forces in defense of civillians, but we arrived here by accident ans we don't know what is goinc on. Are you authorized to speak for your government?"
"Where are you?" Roslin asked bluntly. Sisko sighed.
"We are engaged in battle with hostile forces, above a planet .3 AU from your location." Sisko said patiently, "We are trying to help."
"You're attacking the Cylons?" Laura asked confused.
"The Cylons are the attacking force in this region?" Sisko asked.
"Yes, these systems are the territory of the 12 colonies of Kobol, the Cylons staged a sneak attack this morning, we havent heard from them in 40 years." Roslin answered.
"Captain, we are communicating through in system relays, but I think they are trianglulating her location." Kira warned.
"Mr. Worf?" Sisko asked
"We have destroyed or neutralized ten enemy carriers, our shields are holding at sixty percent. an additional eight ships have arrived, but are maintaining distance." On the screen, clouds of fighters were winking in and out.
"They can't match our speed but those fighters are making micro ftl jumps to keep pace." Dax announced. "They are trying to screen the larger ships. phasers are ineffective against this many."
"Mr. Worf target the base ships with pulse phasers, thry'll have to interpose with their fighters." Sisko ordered, he turned to O'Brien "Chief can you modify the phaser beam weapons to sweep on a general arc?"
"We could but will reduce phaser output."
"We do NOT need full power." Worf said with some disdain.
"Do it." Sisko ordered, "Madam Secretary are you monitoring?"
"I'm trying- did you say you destroyed ten ships?" Roslin asked.
"Fourteen" Worf clarified. Sisko shot him a look. "They are without honor." he clariified to Sisko. Sisko shared a look with Kira. she shrugged.
"We have their attention." She announced, "I'm reading ships within range converging on our location."
"Captain, my people have been slaughtered, our worlds shattered, and we have no idea how many ships the Cylons can throw at us. They are robots that rebelled against us sixty years ago, they tried to wioe us out. it took the scrafice of an entire generation and all our worlds united, to drive them away.You are our only hope." Roslin informed him.
"We are positioned away from the planet." Sisko assured her, "every missile they fire is one not hitting you, every ship they send is one less attacking civillians."
"We should destroy as many as we can." Worf announced, "They are machines."
"How many Torpedoes do we have left Mr. Worf." Sisko asked, "And what is our present location?"
"We are not in our galaxy." Dax commented, "Most likely not even our quantum subset of universes if my theory is correct, we are a long way from home"
"We have not used any of our Quantum torpedoes, we have used 26 of our compliment of sixty." Worf acknowledged.
"Between us, we could probably manufacture more." Said Chief O'Brien.
"Not quite the point chief." Sisko replied.
"It may not need to be." said Kira, "I think the Cylons are hailing us."
"Put them on." Sisko ordered.
"I see your switching to your fancy ray guns, are you running of missiles?" asked the same voice as before.
"Yiu've switched to sending fighters, are you running out of carriers?" Sisko asked in return, "We can end this now, or keep right on shooting."
"Who are you people?" the voice demanded.
"I am Captain Benjamin Sisko, of the federation starship, Defiant." Sisko replied evenly, "and who are you."
"We are the sword of God." a female voice answered, avenging the injustice that hunanity visited upon us."
"as I understand it, humanity created you." Sisko answered, "and no justice excuses the slaughter of the innocent. Stand down, and we will offer an opportunity to discuss your grievances, with the survivors of this atrocity, once they are abel to count the bodies."
"We will not cede control of this system, it is ours now, but you can have the civillians." the first man answered "however many you can get onto that tiny ship."
"Mr Worf, continue firing." Sisko ordered. He spotted a message from Kira on his console, "But target that ship hanging back on the fringes, the one with all the life signs."
"Thats on the far side of the planet" snorted the man.
"Dax, full impulse, and prepare for warp speed, estimate time for arrival."
Dax raises an eyebrow, "we could make a low warp jump in there three seconds."
"Sir the vessel just jumped to orbit around the fourth planet." Kira announced
"You can see that??" the male said.
"Alter course, prepare for warp." Sisko declared.
"Wait!" said the female. "we will agree to a ceasefire."
"Your ground forces as well." Sisko replied, "pull back from this system until we can assemble representatives of its former government."
"We will need some time to recharge our jump engines and recall our troops. " the woman said. "And the colonials will probably keep attacking."
"Your ceasefire is with us." Sisko replied, "best get a move on, before they regroup.