CHAPTER SEVEN:

Reunion

"…The worlds occupied by the Hegemony were ripe for rebellion, especially Tirol. The Tirolians could still recall how they had been spreading into the stars, before the Haydonites had ruthlessly crushed and destroyed their colonies and fleets, finally conquering and occupying Tirol. Rather than give up hope and submit completely to their occupiers, they spent literally generations gathering information and intelligence about their enemy, studying and preparing for the day they could rise up in rebellion. They had even managed to establish a rudimentary underground communication system with the other species under Haydonite rule to share information and co-ordinate plans, but all this was useless in the face against the mecha and space fleets that the Hegemony had in place. It seemed that the Tirolians and others would languish forever under Haydonite domination. This was the situation that the Arcadia and her group found themselves encountering when they arrived in the Tirol system. It was during those crucial first moments when both the human and Haydonite fleets were trying to determine who the other was that the Invid Carrier commander Tashe raised the alarm to the threat posed by the Haydonites. The REF vessels didn't hesitate or waste any time in opening fire and launching their Veritechs to take on the ships garrisoning the system. It was as if the arrival of the Arcadia had lit a match and flung it into a pool of gasoline. As the REF fought and destroyed the Haydonite ships in orbit, the Tirolians rose up quickly implementing plans drawn up long ago and bringing out long hidden weapons. The Tirolians suffered major casualties but overwhelmed and destroyed the planet garrison (with assistance from the REF in the later stages). It didn't take long for both sides to establish contact and prepare for the expected counter-attack…"

— excerpt from "A Galaxy at War: The Haydonite-Alliance War"

oOoOo

It was all just flashes… She remembered the desperation as the Captain ordered the fold… She remembered looking at the computer console and seeing the word…Tirol and then everything going white and feeling nothing. She recalled just becoming aware of her surroundings… She was the only one still standing as everyone had collapsed. She started to call out for Sam when the console in front of her exploded in a huge geyser of sparks and flames. After that all her memories became even more disjointed…she heard voices…speaking English and in other languages she couldn't even recognized. She saw a blur of faces. She thought she saw a giant bear and a giant fox carrying weapons and wearing body armor talking to each other. Before everything finally went black, she caught a glimpse of a human-looking face looking her over…

She could almost smell the ocean as the sound of the sea felt soothing. She rolled over in bed taking in the sunlit bedroom looking at the pile of clothes lying on the floor beside the bed. She suddenly was aware that she was naked, but she couldn't remember how she got here. She looked around again and she suddenly remembered where she was. Just before Kennedy had left with the Arcadia, they had taken a trip to Mexico together, staying at a quiet beach-side resort. It had been the best five days of her life as Kennedy and her had spent the days walking the beach or swimming in the ocean, followed by quiet romantic dinners and following up with passionate lovemaking that seemed to last for hours. She recalled this exact moment as this was the morning of the last day, they would be returning home that evening and Kennedy would be going back to the Arcadia to rejoin her squadron for training. She recalled the happiness and sadness she'd felt as they had spent the day in bed just holding each other not knowing what the future would bring. She was surprised as she heard the sound of feet on a bare floor coming closer. She tensed up not knowing what to expect, her eyes went wide as she instantly recognized the person coming into the bedroom only wearing a t-shirt and carrying two glasses of orange juice.

"Morning sleepyhead…thought you could use this."

"K-Kennedy? I-Is that you?"

The other woman looked at her strangely and then laughed, "It was the last time I looked in the mirror."

"W-What? W-What's going on?"

The other woman's face changed quickly to a concerned look as she put down the glasses and came closer to sit on the bed beside her, "Willow, you okay? Is something wrong?"

Willow shook her head, "I-I don't know? This? All this?" she looked at Kennedy again and felt the wave of pain and loss grab at her, "Kennedy… I've missed you so much. Is this a dream? I don't care! I just want to be with you again. I don't want you to leave again!"

"I'm right here with you… I've always been with you. You just need to do one thing now."

Willow looked at her confused, "W-What? What do I need to do?" she asked.

"You just have to open your eyes and wake up, Red…"

oOoOo

Willow struggled to open her eyes, as they focused she could make out that it looked like she was in a hospital room or something similar. It reminded her of the Arcadia's sickbay from the colors and the feel of it. As she became more aware of her surroundings and her senses returned, she realized that she wasn't alone in the room. Her eyes shifted as her head and neck still felt stiff and sore. She saw that someone was sitting in a chair with their feet propped up and they were snoring quietly. Willow struggled to focus on the person and it took her a moment as she didn't immediately recognize them because of her short haircut and that it had been years since she'd last seen her.

"K-Kennedy…" Willow managed to say in a low hoarse voice.

Kennedy's eyes immediately shot open and she was alert and moving towards the bed in a flash, "Jesus Red! You gave me a scare! I didn't think you were ever going to wake up!" she said as she kneeled beside the bed, stroking Willow's hair gently.

Willow was feeling confused and unsure if this was real, but she could feel Kennedy's touch and she started becoming more conscious and aware. She saw Kennedy's blood-shot red eyes and could feel her warm breath.

"W-Where? H-How?" Willow croaked.

Kennedy grabbed for a glass of water and held it as the other woman took a drink from it through a straw, "I don't know how you managed to pull it off and that you and everyone else on the Valley Forge managed to survive that fold was nothing less than a miracle… You've got engineers still scratching their heads over that jump," she said smiling with tears forming in her eyes.

"W-Where? Where are we?" Willow asked getting more of her voice back.

Kennedy leaned in, kissing Willow gently on the forehead, letting her lips linger to feel the warmth as this all felt like a dream to her, "Tirol, my sweet wiccan. You made it to Tirol."

oOoOo

Samantha and Captain Lynch were getting to see the sights after getting cleared by the medical staff. They were currently passengers in an all-terrain jeep-like vehicle being driven around a massive base that was on the outskirts of a massive alien city. They watched in awe as waves of shuttles, fighters and other spacecraft passed over head as they drove past other vehicles and troops training.

They had been among the first ones to regain consciousness after the Valley Forge's emergency space fold. They were surprised to be greeted by a mix of humans and what were definitely aliens that had boarded the drifting spaceship that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the Tirolian system. There had been a moment of concern on their part that they had failed to escape and had been captured by the attacking enemy fleet. It didn't take long for them to be convinced that they had made a space-fold to the other side of the galaxy and had actually made contact with the Arcadia Expedition.

Upon learning that news, they had immediately released a barrage of questions, which were met with the response that they would be able to get their answers during their debriefing. Samantha had asked about General Coulson and was relieved to hear that he was still alive and that he was being contacted to inform him about the situation. Until the General arrived, they had nothing to do but wait. Samantha spent a lot of time checking in on Willow as she was still unconscious as a result of the engineering console exploding beside her. She had been concerned, but had been quickly reassured that Willow would make a full recovery. She'd also had to deal with some personal matters as she'd run into Kennedy, who happened to be on Tirol at the same time as their arrival. That had been a tense and awkward encounter for her, but to her relief it had ended amicably. Captain Lynch had spent the time checking in on his crew, bringing them up to speed on their situation.

As they were being driven around, they both admitted to each other that they were each still having a hard time believing that all this was real as the "person" assigned as their escort that was driving them and conducting the tour was a human-looking alien speaking perfect English and wearing an REF-styled uniform.

"So you're a Marine, Lieutenant Na-Na… Nam…" Samantha said trying to remember the young Tirolian officer's name.

"Namol and yes, ma'am I'm a Marine," the young man said with a polite smile as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Sorry," she said somewhat embarrassed.

"It's okay, ma'am. I still have problems with some of the human names, especially those Russian ones," Namol replied still smiling.

"How long have you been a Marine, Lieutenant?" Captain Lynch asked.

Namol immediately switched modes when he was addressed by the Captain, "Almost four years, sir! Proud to serve with the 1/5 of the 6th Marine Division for most of that time until I got assigned to duties in Alliance HQ, sir!"

Samantha had to fight to keep herself from laughing as she leaned in and whispered to Lynch, "He would fit right in at Pendleton or Quantico."

Lynch smiled while nodding in agreement with her observation, "So where are we headed to today?" he asked.

"Sir, I received word that the Arcadia's Battle Group has just jumped into the system. They were already scheduled to come back here for a rest and refit, but once General Coulson was notified of your arrival, he returned as soon as he could. He will be shuttling down to Alliance HQ, he wants to meet with you there… We have some time, so I thought we could take the scenic route, so you could see the Veritech training base… It's pretty impressive even if they are Navy," Namol said with a slight smirk on his face.

Samantha couldn't help herself this time as she laughed out loud as Lynch shook his head, wondering if it hadn't been a mistake to send Marines with the Arcadia and spread their mindset across the galaxy.

"Is Captain Coleiro with General Coulson?" Lynch asked.

Namol got a confused look on his face, "Captain Coleiro? Sorry, sir but I think you must be referring to Admiral Coleiro and no, he's not with General Coulson. The Admiral is currently with the 1st Fleet mopping up Haydonite forces in the Leonis Prime system," he said with a little bit of pride and awe in his voice as he spoke.

Samantha and Lynch looked at each other with raised eyebrows in surprise at the Lieutenant's response and tone as they sat back and took in the sights of their tour.

oOoOo

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Kennedy asked with concern in her voice and on her face.

"Yeah, I need to be there when they brief the General. He needs to know everything that has gone on for the last five years," Willow replied as she got dressed slowly still feeling some pain and stiffness.

"I still can't believe how bad it is back home," Kennedy said shaking her head as she tried to digest the just the major highlights that Willow had told her, "I mean, we knew that something had happened because…"

"Because of what?" Willow asked.

"Well…we figured that something major must have happened back at home, because me and all the other Potentials here are now Slayers."

Willow looked at her in disbelief, "My Goddess, I didn't even think that the Slayer activation spell would reach this far!"

"Well it did and ta da, I'm now a Slayer as well as a fighter pilot," she said with a smirk as she helped her stand up.

Willow shook her head still not believing where she was and what was going on. It still felt like a dream to her, but feeling Kennedy's hands touching her, she didn't care if she was awake or still unconscious, "I'm still trying to get a handle on all this and what's going on. Why didn't any of you ever come back? We waited and prayed for all…any of you to return," she said in a frustrated voice.

Kennedy sighed, "That's way above my pay-grade. I'm just a lowly First Lieutenant and my world is focused around my flight section and squadron."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you," Willow said taking Kennedy's hand in hers and feeling happy in a way she hadn't in years.

"No…you have every right to ask the question. It's just that is…um…a touchy subject with some people," Kennedy said getting an uncomfortable look on her face.

Willow was still feeling confused by what Kennedy was telling her, "I'm still trying to figure out why you never came home or even tried to send word to us?"

Again Kennedy looked uncomfortable with the question, "I think that General Coulson would be a better person to explain it all."

Kennedy tried to change the topic, "With the Arcadia back in system, you'll get a chance to see Dawn and Xander… They're probably bouncing off the bulkheads to see you once they got word," she said with a smile.

Willow's face lit up, "Dawnie and Xander! It will be great to see them! How are they doing?" she asked excitedly.

"Kennedy tried not to laugh, but the other woman's excitement was infectious, "Last I heard they were fine… We'll try and catch up with them after the meeting," she said with a big smile.

"I still can't believe you're here," Willow said as they left the hospital room and made their way down the corridor.

"It's just luck that my squadron was back on Tirol for some rest and refitting. Normally we're with the 1st Fleet on the Admiral's flagship, but we're getting ready for a big push and they need their best ready for that," Kennedy said with a grin.

"I still can't believe that Captain Coleiro is now Admiral Coleiro," Willow said shaking her head.

"Well…there has been a lot of changes over the years and with the size of fleet that the Alliance now has and his experience…it was due."

"Still…Faith would be doing handstands if she knew that he was alive," Willow said excitedly.

Kennedy's expression took on a somber look, "Will…it has been a long hard war against the Haydonites. He's changed… Everyone has changed," she said quietly.

Willow nodded, "I understand that… I've changed too," she paused as she found it difficult to tell Kennedy about her relationship with Samantha, "I-I want to tell you… I-I was—"

"You want to tell me about you and Samantha," Kennedy said with a smirk.

"H-How d-did you know?" Willow replied in shock and surprise.

Kennedy shrugged, "She stopped by a number of times while you were unconscious. I saw the look on her face and put two and two together…"

Willow stopped causing Kennedy to stop and turn around to look at her, "I'm so sorry… I-I didn't want you to find out that way… I-I wanted to tell you…"

Moving back towards her, Kennedy took Willow's hand in hers, "You don't have to apologize for anything… Samantha and I had a good long talk… It's okay…we're good," she said softly with a small smile.

Willow found herself exhaling a deep sigh in relief as the smile returned to her face. She grabbed Kennedy, hugging her tightly. Willow moved her head to look into Kennedy's eyes and then kissed her. She sighed as she felt Kennedy return the kiss with the same intensity. After what felt like a long time they pulled apart, each woman smiling at each other.

"I missed that," Willow said as she took Kennedy's hand in hers and they started walking again. The other woman smiled, nodding in agreement.

A thought struck Willow, "Oh! If Dawn and Xander are coming down from the Arcadia will Anya be with them as well? It would be good to see her to!" she said feeling literally the happiest she had in years.

She was caught off guard as she saw the expression on Kennedy's face change from one of happiness to a neutral one which sent an unexpected chill down her spine, "No… Anya won't be with them," Kennedy said in a voice devoid of emotion.

oOoOo

Willow, Samantha and Captain Lynch stood as General Coulson entered the briefing room. Even with the exposure they'd had so far, they were still surprised to see the General followed in by two bipedal creatures, which were definitely not human. There were raised eyebrows between them as they saw a man-sized fox-like looking creature wearing a breathing mask and another creature that looked as if he was made of stone or crystal.

"Please be seated, everyone," Coulson said as he waved his hand and took his seat at the conference table across from the others. He quickly noted the looks of surprise on the new arrivals' faces as he could easily recall his first time when he'd meet aliens, "I want to quickly introduce my aides… This is my Chief-of-Staff, Captain Tami of Garuda," he said gesturing towards the fox-like looking person, "And this is Commander Savino of Spheris, he is my Intelligence Officer."

Both officers nodded towards the new arrivals as they took their seats beside the General. Coulson studied the faces on the other side of the table from him. He'd only received a brief report summary of their arrival and the current situation on Earth. He was going to use this meeting to get more detailed information before he decided what he was going to do.

"I had hoped that we could be having this reunion under happier circumstances, but we deal with the hand we're dealt," Coulson said looking at Samantha, Willow and Captain Lynch sitting across the table from him, "I've only had a chance to just look at the report highlights. I want to hear from each of your own mouths about the current situation on Earth. Samantha…Willow, you can start first to bring me up to speed on the situation planet-side and what's been going on there for the last five years. Captain Lynch can then brief me about the Haydonite invasion and battle."

Samantha nodded as she started her report…

oOoOo

Coulson was having a hard time keeping his emotions in control as he listened to the reports from Samantha and Willow. He had expected bad news, but nothing like he was hearing.

The White House attacked! The President and SECDEF dead! Boston blown up and that bastard Kinsey President!

He could hear the desperation, frustration and pain in both women's voices as they outlined what they'd had to endure over the last few years and the losses that had been incurred. Samantha explained that they had been on the Valley Forge as part of a last ditch mission to seize control of the space fleet and force Kinsey from power. It was an outlandish attempt and there wasn't any assurance of success, but that was how desperate the situation had become for them.

"And both of you were aboard when the Haydonite fleet arrived?" Coulson asked.

"Yes, sir." Samantha and Willow both said simultaneously.

Couslon turned to Lynch, "It's your turn now, Captain," he said with a nod.

"Yes, sir," Lynch said as he started recounting the events leading up to the arrival and battle with the Haydonites. Coulson tried to hold back his shock at hearing that two of the cruisers had apparently been manned by vampires. When Lynch finished his report, it was the stone-looking man, Commander Savino that spoke first.

"General, we have downloaded and reviewed the sensor data from the Valley Forge. Considering the size of force that the Valley Forge and the rest of her group was facing and that their ship-class hadn't been upgraded, it is a minor miracle that Captain Lynch or any of the others survived. He should be commended for his actions and handling of his ship and force," Savino said nodding towards Lynch.

"There you go Captain, you just got your first battle commendation," Coulson said smiling for the first time since the meeting started.

"T-Thank you, sir? About my ship and my crew?" Lynch asked feeling a little surprised and shocked by the turn of events.

Savino spoke to answer the question, "Your crew is going through the standard debriefing process by Alliance Intelligence after they've been cleared by medical staff. Captain Tami is better positioned to answer your questions about your ship."

"Thank you, Commander," Tami said nodding to the Spherisian, her voice surprisingly coming through the breathing mask clearly. The fox-looking creature pulled out a tablet and started swiping at the screen to bring up information, "The Valley Forge suffered extensive damage from the battle and the space fold it conducted. The main particle turret was completely destroyed and along with damage to the hull and power systems, the main Reflex furnace will have to be rebuilt..."

Lynch couldn't help himself as he let out an audible sigh at hearing how much damage his ship had suffered.

Tami heard the human Captain, luckily her experience of working with humans these last few years allowed her to interpret his frustration which she could sympathize with all too well, "Captain, your ship is already in space dock and is priority for repairs and upgrades…"

"Upgrades?" Lynch asked curiously.

"Yes, with the new particle beam turret being installed, your ship is being retrofitted with a new power generator which will increase the beam energy output considerably. The range and firing capability will not be impacted…this will give you more firepower to burn through any Haydonite defensive shields," Tami said.

Lynch smiled, "Anything else?"

"Yes, we are doubling your missile launcher storage capacity. We are also adding Haydonite shield emitters and eight point defense turrets to give your ship added defensive capability. These additions will cost you just over half of your hanger capacity."

"I think I can live with the sacrifice," Lynch said as his smile got bigger at the thought of all the new additions his ship was getting. He found himself eager to try out the new weapons and systems, "How long for the repairs and upgrades?"

"We understand the urgency, so as I said we have put your ship as a priority. We are looking at ten to fourteen standard days for all repairs and upgrades to be completed," Tami replied.

"Damn, that's too long! We have to get back sooner! God knows what those bastards could do in two weeks!" Lynch replied.

"Sir?" Tami asked in a slightly confused voice.

Lynch and the others suddenly got a bad feeling. Samantha voiced the question looking at Coulson, "Sir, you are going to send a force to take back Earth? Aren't you?"

Coulson sighed as he knew that this question was going to be asked, "The retaking of Earth is currently not a priority," he saw the looks of shock and disbelief on the others' faces as he said it.

"N-Not a-a p-priority?" Willow said barely able to believe what she'd heard.

"The Haydonite attack on Earth and your arrival here couldn't have come at a most delicate time. This war has been going on for over four years for us humans. The other races in the Alliance have in some cases been occupied by the Haydonite Hegemony for hundreds of years. The first year of the war we were able to liberate Tirol, Optera and Carbonara and then we had to hang-on by our fingernails as the Haydonites threw everything at us… We were finally able to bring on-line our new classes of battleships and battle-fortresses expanding our fleet and armed forces immensely in the last two years. We've been slowly pushing the bastards back into their core worlds and liberating other worlds as well and incorporating them into our Alliance. We're going to win this war…we're projecting that at our current progress we should defeat the Hegemony in two to three years," Coulson answered in a firm voice.

"But, sir! Those Haydonites could be—" Samantha started to say.

"Agent Finn! I'm well aware of what the Haydonites are capable of as are Captain Tami and Commander Savino," Coulson said in a sharp voice.

Samantha closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to get herself under control. Coulson saw the look on her face and the others. He nodded to Commander Savino. The Spherisian took his cue, "From the Valley Forge's sensor data, we were able to identify some of the enemy ships and that they belong to the 12th Grand Fleet under the command of Prelate Dejan…everyone in the Alliance is well aware of what the Prelate is capable of."

"Is there nothing you can do to help Earth? Why didn't you come back and warn us about the threat?" Willow pleaded in a quiet voice.

Coulson took a deep breath. The first question was easy to answer compared to the second question. He found himself debating whether he should tell them why the Arcadia never returned home. He'd questioned and had doubts over the years about Paul's decision, but with the Alliance pushing back the Haydonites and victory starting to look possible he'd pushed away those questions and doubts until today where they came roaring back as he looked at the three people sitting across from him and had heard their stories.

We could have stopped Kinsey and all that from happening if we'd gone home, Coulson thought as memories of the old arguments and debates came back.

They need to know the truth… They deserve to know the truth, Coulson thought with a sigh.

"I will discuss the matter with Admiral Coleiro, but even with the size of our fleet we are working within constraints of our operational commitments to offensive operations, training, ships being repaired and refitted and protecting Alliance planets and bases…" Coulson paused for a second before answering the second question, "The reason we didn't return home or send word is complicated, but it was decided that it was in Earth's best interests to avoid potentially leading the enemy home…"

Samantha studied the General as he spoke as she picked up on the tension in his voice and found herself trying to read between the lines as he spoke to get to the real meat of the issue, "That doesn't make much sense, sir? When you started winning, you could have sent one ship back," she asked.

Coulson sighed again as he replayed the fateful decision in his mind again. During those desperate uncertain times it had made sense, but in retrospect it was now looking like a huge mistake and Earth would pay the price, "We couldn't send any ships back home, it wasn't a matter of numbers or availability. As a security precaution we deleted all references to Earth from our computers…all space co-ordinates related to Earth…all the space-fold co-ordinates that would get us home, so there was no way for us to send anyone home," he replied.