T-MINUS 242 YEARS: (ORBSyndicate, Nano Soldier2016)

EARTH SECTOR:

Frisk loved Atlantis - the city was a place of legend, and she found it amazing that this thing was so old it predated the lockup of Monsters beneath Mt Ebott- she could even see how the architecture of this building influenced some of the buildings beneath the ground.

Frisk was now a teenager - she didn't know her exact age, due to certain timey-wmey reasons - but she was approaching adult age. Apparently most of her friends hadn't even known she was really a kid, just thinking that she was what all humans looked like. That was interesting.

Currently, she was sitting on a beach chair at Atlantis' edge, watching the waves of Earth's ocean. She had to admit, she was a little proud of herself and her friends - they had managed to come out into the open of human society, and not be rejected. Most of the Monster race was already at Midgard, happy that they were getting a home with a nice blue sky and a sun.

Plus, she had a lot of new friends now. O'Neill and Daniel were some of her favorites. Considering that most of her interactions with her own race were… less than pleasant… prior to her encounter in the Underground, people had been very mean. But the Underground had opened her eyes, and she was going to see the best in everyone - and so far that had worked wonders - she was doing so much in the world.

And now that she was a teenager there were a lot less strange glances at the negotiation table.

"Hey kid!" O'Neill said, coming in. "Apparently the horses are playing something called Buckball. Let's go see what they're up to and root for the losers!"

"YEAH!"

—

Gaster grinned. "So, shall the tests begin? I'm sure you're all eager to get a piece of me." He sat back. "Better get to it while you can, I'll be out of this place soon."

Dr Gears scribbled a note on his clipboard. Arrogant. But probably knows what he's talking about.

"Mister Wing Din Gaster, would you like to describe yourself to us?"

"I am what was removed. I am what was lost. I was the dual fall of Justice. I was the creator of the Core of the Underground. I was a father. I was a scientist. I did what needed to be done." His eyes focused on Dr Gears through the special enchanted glass. "And I will create a new age once again."

Possible clairvoyance. "What would this be…?"

"One of your 'false' SCP-001 documents is closer to the truth than you can imagine. You just lack the evidence to prove it in any way." Gaster grinned. "I am connected to that Truth which you cannot see, and will give you much more than you can possibly tell."

Gears' face didn't change. "We'll consider this, Gaster."

"You dismiss me now. You won't forever…"

—

The Fires of Celestis were reignited. The Doci smiled, glancing to Tomin and smiling. The two leaders of the Reform turned to the crowd that had gathered.

"Proof!" The Doci yelled. "Proof that we do not need the Ori to lead us to Origin! We can light the fires of Celestis ourselves!"

Tomin nodded in agreement. "Our people have worked together to once more bring our great capital to the way it once was - the fires will spread through the city once more, giving us all the luxuries we need. And it will no longer be just the domain of the Priors, we will share in it. We will build new buildings. The Fires will be fore all!"

The Doci and Tomin raised their fists into the air, and the crowd cheered - both Priors and regular Reform celebrating.

Tomin and the Doci shook hands. "It's been a lot of work…" Tomin said. "But finally, finally, we have overcome our old masters…"

The Doci simply nodded. Then his warm expression faltered. "GET DOWN!" He said, raising one of his shields.

The other Priors tried to do the same, but their powers were not strong enough - only the Doci managed to keep his up as the Fires of Celestis exploded around them. The entire hall was engulfed in liquid plasma.

From inside the shield, the Doci and Tomin watched in horror as their work to restart the capital crumbled around them.

But it was worse than that…

They didn't notice at the time, but a third of all the Priors in existence were attending that meeting.

Their numbers had just been decimated.

—

The Doci was furious, and the inhabitants of Coalition Central Station were concerned he was going to blow a fuse and destroy the entire station.

"I WANT TO KNOW WHO DID THIS AND WHY."

A Vulcan by the name a Sarek stood up. "Logic dictates that it would not be one of the Coalition members - risking your position here at this table would be far too much. In addition, many respect the protection your Priors offer us. So naturally it is either an extremist group or one outside the Coalition."

"The explosion was triggered using a hashed-together magical bomb…" A Tellarite noted.

"Romulans…" The Doci growled.

"Most likely." Sarek said. "The Priors are the most tangible threat to them, and since they cannot fight us directly, they are resorting to underhanded tactics."

The Doci slammed his fists into the table, turning the area around him to ash in a burst of light. "The Reform are declaring official war on the Romulans. There will be no peace."

Daniel nodded. "I don't think they want peace anyway. I am fairly certain the rest of the Coalition will follow your lead. Though at the moment we don't have the slightest idea where they are."

The Doci's eyes lit up with fire in them. "I will personally see to it that they are found."

—

O'Neill and Frisk were taking a nap on the bridge of the Enterprise while they explored out into yet another unknown territory. The problem was they were sleeping in Archer's chair. Which wouldn't normally be a problem - that is, if O'Neill was actually giving any orders from that chair.

As it was, sleep, and nothing but sleep. The General often irked Archer. And even though the man was a hero and a tactical genius (and he was great and lightening up the mood in the room) sometimes Archer found him… insufferable.

For instance, this entire trip he had decided to bring his kid along. (Well, Archer knew Frisk wasn't his kid, but she might as well be.) She was young - smart, but young. And Archer couldn't bring himself to see a kid as an ambassador. It didn't help that Frisk acted like a kid - goofing off, asking 'innocent' questions, etcetera…

Then Archer reminded himself that O'Neill was basically a man child anyway. He sighed.

"Captain! Unidentified ship coming up on the sensors!"

A strange prism-shaped ship appeared on the screen. O'Neill and Frisk shook awake as Archer ordered the hail to be sent out.

"This the Tau'ri starship Enterprise. We are on a peaceful exploration mission and come in peace."

A response came in - on the screen appeared a strange crystalline creature with two eyes. "WE ARE THE THOLIANS. YOU ARE NEAR OUR BORDERS. TURN BACK OR BE FIRED UPON!"

Frisk stood up. "I am Ambassador Frisk. We will honor your request. But would you like to open a dialogue between our races after these proceedings?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

Frisk took on a friendly posture. "I mean our two races can talk to each other, discuss trade, share information and culture, that sort of thing."

The Tholian looked to the side as if someone else was talking to him. Then he turned back. "STANDBY. WE MAY CONSIDER THIS."

The connection was severed. There was silence on the bridge.

Archer blinked - the kid knew what she was doing. Wow. So there really wasn't any exaggeration in the tales told about her. A minute of silence passed.

"Sir, several other ships have been detected dropping out of warp-type-translation." An officer said. "They're taking up positions around the Enterprise."

O'Neill sighed. "Fire the Asgard Beam to disable a ship or two…"

The beam fired, incapacitating one of the Tholian ships. However, the dozen or so others started weaving beams of energy between them in quick succession. The Enterprise got off two more shots before a field of energy surrounded them, locking the ship in a well of gravity.

"Hyperdrive error!"

"We can't move!"

O'Neill blinked. "What the hell did they do?"

"They've locked us in some kind of tractor field, and are carrying us away… Space is beginning to warp. Sir, they're towing us!"

Archer frowned. "Blow them out of the sky!"

The Asgard Beam fired, only to have the field intercept it. Rail guns and plasma weapons were no better. The Drones fared a little better - the managed to pass through the barrier - but the destroyed Tholian ships did not cause the web to disengage, and the other ships retreated to a safe distance as they dragged the Enterprise across space."

"Damnit." O'Neill slammed a fist into the wall. "They're smart. And have weird tech."

"They're probably going to cannibalize our technology." Archer said. "We need a way out of here."

Frisk sighed. Well…

•RELOAD

"STANDBY. WE MAY CONSIDER THIS."

The connection was cut, and Frisk sighed. "They're planning to capture us."

"How do you know that?" Archer demanded.

"She's just a genius." O'Neill responded. "Arm weapons, first sign of trouble-"

"They're dropping out of warp! Multiple ships!"

"Blow them out of the sky."

This time, it went differently. The Tholians had no web spun, they were not able to retreat to a safe distance. The ships were all disabled or destroyed by a flurry of drones, masters, and bullets.

O'Neill cleared his throat. "If you want to talk later, you can find the Coalition on this channel. Until then, go crawling back to your superiors and tell them how dumb of an idea it is to attack us."

Archer blinked.

That kid was good.

Frisk let out a sigh of relief. All was fine once again…

—

Archer walked back into his quarters, deciding that he needed a nap this time..

He sat down on his bed, rubbing his face.

"You are wondering how it was possible for her to discern that from an alien race she had just met seconds before."

Archer looked up to see a man in a strange black suit. He sat bolt upright. "Who are you?"

"Temporal Agent Daniels. You were wondering were you?"

"Yes, but I'm even more curious about who you are! Temporal agent? What on earth-"

"Can't tell you. I'm skitting the Temporal Prime directive simply by being here. But needless to say I'm from the future, and this is a dark time."

"That sentence made no sense."

Daniels frowned. "An event has occurred. In this timeline, something from the outside has entered, threatening all stable futures with it's presence. You are not aware of it now, but you will be. Time itself is changing, and your bright future may be no more."

"Bright future?"

"I've said too much… I am here simply to answer your first concern. The girl, Frisk, is one of those superheroes. She has an extremely powerful ability - the ability to shift time backwards. She knew what was going to happen because she'd done it before."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because all of time is at war. The Second Great Time War… and unfortunately your time is the apex of it. I expect we will meet again." And then Daniels was gone.

Archer blinked. "WHAT?"

Then he thought about it. This information about Frisk.. it made sense. And if it made sense, and he was told for a reason… What if that reason was that he was supposed to watch Frisk? But then, could he watch her if she knew everything he was going to do? If she knew he knew?

He would think about it for a while… but he expected he wouldn't tell Frisk he knew.

And he just remembered - there was some kind of rule about not corrupting the timeline in the document he signed. So he wasn't sure he could say anything…

…He'd just watch…

—

Daniel looked at the sheaf of papers in front of him.

Two movements caught his eye.

Proposal for Single Earth Nation. It was still in the early stages, but in several years, it might become a reality.

But there was something else of a more upcoming variety…

Proposal for a Galactic Olympiad. And in big green letters under it Approved, to be held in seven years on Atlantis when they return from Pegasus.

He smiled. The galaxy was changing for the better…

—

On a planet soon to be visited by the Enterprise, something stirred.

A three meter tall being of chrome and thorns stood up, time flowing around it in rivers.

The time had come.

The Shrike moved.

WARP SECTOR:

The Emperor of Man stood. All in his presence instantly bowed - and the Emperor paid them no mind. He strode out of the Golden Throne's chamber, his gigantic posture casting shadows over everyone he passed. There were no questions, no questioning the Emperor - everyone just knew it was him, and that their Emperor was back from the brink of death.

The very ground seemed to shake with every one of his steps as he walked the halls of his home, feeling the very fabric of existence bend around him. He could feel the entirety of Holy Terra below him, as well as the majority of the System. All the ships, all his subjects, all the life…

…He sighed. His subjects had known nothing but war for the longest time, and even with his return that was not to change. He knew about the Black Crusade, about the Tyranids, and about the Ori. And he did not have the power to protect them all…

He spoke, and all within the System heard him.

"Your Emperor has returned to you, Imperium! Your struggles are over! At long last you have the strength to show the galaxy what you truly are! Let us bring our enemies to their knees! All will be vanquished!"

He could feel their cheers. It felt good - but inwardly he sighed. There was going to be so much death, and his children were all going to continue in their violent ways for the time being…

But sacrifices needed to be made. Survival came first. After the fighting ended he could worry about the mental wellbeing of his subjects.

"We go at once to the Supergate. Ready Armada One. I will be coming personally. These Ori need to realize they cannot turn our citizens against us!"

—

Madeline was overseeing Crystal Outpost Warp Alpha, the seeds of a Crystalline Colony on a dead world just outside Imperium space. Already the entire planet was covered in a thin coat of Crystal, with several large tendrils spiraling off into space, already beginning to engulf the world's small moon in its grasp. Eventually, this outpost would reconnect with the Crawling Crystal, though that was centuries away.

Madeline honestly wished they were connected to the Crawling Crystal - for having the full might of the Crystalline Ones would help a lot in this wartorn world. The Ork intelligence received at Remnant didn't cover the half of it - giant warships and multiple sides all locked in an eternal deathmatch that showed no signs of lessening - and in fact looked like it was just about to blow up even more - with the introduction of whatever that magical surge was, there was likely to be new kinds of chaos.

Crystalline shift-scout probe shards had been sent out across the cosmos, landing themselves on multiple planets to observe and possibly guide the inhabitants. Such was standard procedure for all worlds that the Crystalline Ones came into contact with. It wasn't so much an invasion as it was a reconnaissance mission, a way to get information and perhaps help the inhabitants of the world.

Reactions to the Crystalline Ones' presence had been the most negative in recorded history. Even though this was the largest seeding in their records, it was still absurd how negative it was.

All Imperium worlds instantly shattered any Crystalline ones they found - even when the Crystals displayed the army-destroying power they wielded. Many ships had been destroyed, but the Crystals were overwhelmed. The Ori didn't do much better. The Priors came to take care of the Crystalline Ones and were completely decimated until a physical Ori came along to destroy the Crystalline One itself. The Necrons took to using the Crystalline Ones as power sources and ignoring everything they said. The Dark Eldar found ways to cause pain to the crystal lifeforms, and the Eldar proper had ignored the Crystalline Ones entirely. The Orks sometimes worshipped the Crystalline Ones as gods, or just forgot entirely about them… It was sad really.

Then there were the CHAOS-world planted Crystals. They discovered that the magic was toxic to their very being - most destroying themselves before they could become a threat to their brethren. Most. A few Chaos Crystalline ones had been recorded.

The only successful communication had been with worlds cut off from the rest - one particular world where all the races seemed to be living together showed some promise - and the Tau…

—

You are planning to leave? The Crystalline One asked.

"Yes." The Tau Ethereal responded. "We cannot stay here any longer. Our scouts have reported habitable worlds to the galactic south - we must perform a Mass Exodus immediately."

I am sorry to hear that. You have been the only race to actively open dialogues with us. Without you this sector is rather… dark.

"Hence why we're leaving. There's too much death…"

We must stay here - all life is sacred and must be protected. We will try to enlighten the rest of the races to that fact.

"Good luck. We've been trying to preach the Greater Good to them for centuries…"

Perhaps you simply lacked the strength and superiority to pull it off. We have immense power and exponentially increasing reserves.

"I wish you luck in your endeavors, but the Tau have already made their decision."

In that case, Some of my brethren wish to come with you.

The Ethereal blinked. "Do you want to join the Greater Good?"

Not our race as a whole, but we see no conflict between our ideals and yours. You strive towards a greater good. We hold all life as sacred, though we also hold the progress of the Crystal in high regard as well. We simply would like to serve as ambassadors of a kind to the next sector.

"They likely won't react well to your 'seeding' ritual…"

Few do, though the negative response here has been much more than most. But it is our way. We do not harm any of the individuals we come in contact with.

"…I shall discuss this with my brothers, but you will at the very least be allowed to come with us."

—

Armada One arrived at the Ori Supergate. For the last few weeks they had been ploughing a straight line through Ori controlled worlds in a beeline for the gate - and so far only three of their ships had been destroyed.

The Ori didn't know what exactly was coming at them, but whatever it was had resisted all forms of attack, and all Ori sent to fight it directly had failed to report back.

Ifrit was the unlucky Ori told to wait with the fleet on the warp side of the gate - the other Ori were all safe at home in their cluster, ready to shoot beams of energy through the open supergate at whatever was coming.

They were prepared for an attack from their lost brethren, the Alterans.

They had no idea that what was coming was WORSE.

The Emperor's ships dropped out of system. The Emperor himself wasted no time. He clenched his fist, bringing Ifrit right to him.

"What the-?" The Ori said, barely able to get anything out before the Emperor squelched the pathetic spirit beneath his impressive might.

"Destroy the ships." He ordered. "Save the gate."

The Ori ships stood no chance without their guardian, wiped out within minutes. However, at the tail end of the fight, a beam of pure Ori energy shot from the Gate and engulfed the entire Armada One.

The Emperor let out a gasp - he actually felt strained as he kept the impressive force back. But he was stronger. He gritted his teeth and summoned his power to resist the onslaught. A few ships on the edge of the Armada were disintegrated, but it was a small number.

The Emperor reached out with his powers and deactivated the Supergate. Exactly one second later he dialed out, connecting the other way with the Ori cluster.

"I will be back. Do not follow me - it is far too dangerous for you on the other side."

He floated out of the ship - entering the vacuum of space for the first time. It was an… unusual feeling, but not uncomfortable. He kept his human visage and armor as he floated through the gate.

On the other side, he wasted no time letting all of his energy explode, vanquishing most of the Ori on the other side instantly.

"That's that." He said. It was honestly a little sad how pathetic they had become…

"You know nothing." A voice said - a powerful voice. Orin, leader of the Ori cluster, descended on the Emperor of Mankind with all he had - both deities clashing in a burst of glory that could be felt across the sector. Above their heads, the disc of the Galaxy could be seen, playing witness to their clash.

Energies the like of which mortal beings could not understand were at play - reality itself warped and shifted around them, tearing space into shreds.

Any psychic being in the entire Galaxy felt the clash of titans. To some it was just an itch. Others instantly knew beings of untold power were fighting directly.

"You are a disgrace!" The Emperor yelled. "Your kind were once men! And now you force others to worship you to satisfy your own taste for power! You sicken me!"

"We are not all that unlike…" And then Orin spoke the Emperor's name. This gave the Emperor pause. "You let your followers worship you - and it gives them power."

"I never declared myself a god. They did that themselves."

"As was the same with the first Ori…" Orin paused. "Do you know what you truly are?"

"I am the savior of mankind! I am their voice against the chaos and darkness!"

"No. You are a result of colliding variables reaching critical mass. Humanity is nothing more than the second phase of our race, and you are nothing more than the culmination of our own design. You are one of us. Without us you would not exist."

"You lie."

"I do not. You are the result of conflicting Ori and Alteran interests in the Galaxy. Your planet was the scene of a war long ago - a war the likes of which you do not know. You are simply a byprouct-"

The Emperor reached out and grabbed Orin - realizing how inferior the being truly was. The Ancient Ori was simply more tactical in his energy usage. The being spasmed, causing all the stars within a dozen light years to explode. The ancient being Orin - the son of Ori himself - roared in anger as his life was squished out of him.

"You should watch your experiments." The Emperor growled.

Orin was no more…

The Emperor spent next few days extinguishing every Ori within the cluster, then returning to his home. He then deactivated the supergate manually - though he could activate it himself should the need ever arise.

"There. They are done with. Time to focus on more important threats…"

—

Ori himself felt the death of his son.

It was the only being he had any connection to in existence.

He roared in rage, the other Ori around him shaking in fear.

"ONE DAY, YOU WILL PAY." He said.

The last remaining Ori cluster feared for their lives - for the greatest of the Ori was mad.

Ori himself began to plan. He was patient- he could wait. But the time for revenge would come…

—

The Tyranid hive-mind thought.

New Primary Target. Emperor Of Mankind. Seek Out And Absorb Material.

All Other Targets Take Secondary Precedence. Including Chaos Structures.

—

The Black Crusade was progressing wonderfully. The Emperor of Man hadn't met the Chaos Armies directly yet, so they were progressing more or less unhindered. The Imperium, Neuron and Dark Eldar Alliance, Eldar, and Orks found that they were more or less powerless against the sudden surge of chaotic powers.

The Chaos Sorcerer laughed - the sector would fall! They had not lost a single major battle yet! There was nothing to stand in their way-

He sense a shadow cross the Warp. His confidence vanished in an instant.

Ah, so THEY finally decided to show up…

The Sorcerer heard a lot of chatter - the Tyranids had arrived, and apparently this Chaos fleet was their feeding ground.

"Show these bugs what true Chaos is!" The Sorcerer roared.

The Chaotic ships warped the very space around them and launched quasi-magical beams at the swarm blotting out most of the sky. To the Chaos Sorcerer's surprise, several glowing Tyranid ship-bugs moved to the front and generated a shield not unlike the ones the Priors used.

"Damn." He muttered. "That's a cheap trick."

The Tyranids descended on the Chaos Fleet, literally eating the ships from the inside out, only to find a nasty surprise inside - there were more than a few grand daemons along for the ride, and they were more than capable of smashing through any Prior-Tyranid hybrid. Deamons the size of small cities reached out and destroyed bug after bug.

But it was soon discovered that the Tyranids kept coming - seemingly without end. And as the fight dragged on - from minutes to hours, hours to days - the bugs began to show signs of adapting Chaos into their own makeup, and somehow doing it without falling under the influences of the Warp.

The Chaos sorcerer hadn't slept since the battle started, and he was trying his absolute best to summon another tear in the Warp to add reinforcements - for the seventh time since the battle began. Neither side would back down from the confrontation, and neither side seemed to be running out of soldiers to throw at each other.

It was a deadlock.

The days were an ever continuing hell - daemons and alien bugs clashed day in and day out, never ceasing. None got any rest, and there were now more dead bodies floating around then there had been combatants to begin with.

Neither side gave up. Both were apparently determined to continue the fight until one side won.

It was on day five that the Chaos Sorcerer realized something - the Tyranids were explicitly targeting things that were unique and different. And then adapting it into themselves.

"By Tzeentch's Feet! They're only fighting because the more they fight the more they improve! The more soldiers we feed them the stronger they get!" Then he quickly realize what this meant.

He'd have to call a retreat so they'd stop feeding the Tyranid war-machine.

75% of the Chaos United fleet was not going to be happy about that.

He rushed into his chambers, ignoring the shuddering as a nearby ship exploded from one of those new exploding Tyranids.

"Tzeentch…" He called out. "My Master… We must withdraw… I seek your wisdom in seeking how to do so…"

"PROVIDE THE FLEET WITH ANOTHER WORTHWHILE TARGET."

"Such as?"

"I HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND…"

—

The Four Chaos Gods were meeting for the first time in eons.

"There is actually a threat to our existence." Nurgle said, gurgling. "The Tyranids have forces beyond what all the other races have combined."

Slaanesh giggled. "I'm sure we can find some use for them…"

"Have you not been paying attention? They are immune to our corruption - something is controlling them that keeps them form falling. We can't use them for our purposes!"

"That's not what I meant…"

"You're disturbing."

"You are a being who prolongs life by making your followers suffer. I fail to see the difference."

"BLOOD!" Khorne shouted.

"Yes dear you want blood shush now Nurgy and Slanny are busy talking about which of us is more disturbing."

"Such a discussion is pointless." Nurgle grunted. "We need a plan for these Tyranids. We need to take care of them."

"THE BUGS ARE NO THREAT WE MUST DESTROY THE EMPEROR OF MAN!"

"Thorne, dear…" Slaanesh sighed. "Pleeeeease stop this incessant violence- just relax…"

"RELAXING IS FOR WIMPS!"

"If you wish to take care of the Emperor of man so much, go face him yourself." Gurgle grunted.

"I WILL THEN!"

The "room" fell silent. No Chaos God had actually left the warp in… well ever.

"Then by all means, Khorne, go face the Emperor of Mankind in combat. It surly will serve to rally our troops." Tzeentch said, speaking for the first time.

"I SHALL!"

There was silence once more.

Nurgle spoke first. "Exactly who do you want to win this confrontation, Tzeentch?"

"It's a win-win situation." Was all Tzeentch said. "And you can all be rest assured I have plans for the Tyranids. Just do what you can."

"I don't trust you."

"And you shouldn't, but you don't have much of a choice do you?" Tzeentch chuckled. "I have plans for everything."

Tzeentch turned his focus to the now-unmanned Supergate's shadow in the warp. "Many plans…"

—

The Tyranids worked fast. Already, the majority of Eldar and Dark Eldar space was infested.

Commoragh was one of the only strongholds remaining, and it was the site of quite a tense meeting.

Necrons, Dark Eldar, and Eldar were all standing in the same room. To their side were a few Ori followers and Iris.

And they weren't shooting at each other.

"We must put our differences behind us." The Eldar Farseer spoke, his voice booming across the room. "We have been enemies for longer than almost all of us have been alive, but we are surrounded by threats much larger than we ever could have imagined - Chaos and the Tyranids have launched their greatest attacks yet, and we can no longer afford to bicker amongst ourselves. What we have suggested here is a truce — we stop the fighting amongst ourselves so we can fight against the true enemies of existence itself." He sighed. "I have seen great terror in the future… but maybe, if we do something none of us thought possible and band together, we can fight back."

To everyone's surprise, applause began to erupt.

Iris smiled - this… this was actually something worthwhile. Something perhaps better than what her dead brethren had been attempting.

She spoke next. "Those of us who survived the onslaught of the Emperor of Mankind pledge ourselves to this cause - the Tyranids are a threat to us all. And with our powers we will direct the Ork WAAAGH to serve our purposes - essentially we are an alliance for defending the Warp sector from it's own death.

The Crystalline Ones will provide as much assistance as we can - such beings as Chaos and the Tyranids cannot be allowed to roam free. A Crystalline One spoke.

"Yeah." Gradient said, standing at the side of the crystal. "Our guys may not be able to help much… But we will be your allies."

The Eldar Farseer looked at what was below him - there was tension. Lots of tension. The next few years were going to be very difficult.

But, for the first time in decades, he felt… Hope.

Hope.

Tears streamed down his face as he smiled.

—

The following day the Stability was formed, an alliance for the sake of protecting the Warp Sector from destruction.

The Emperor of Mankind sat in his new throne. That development was unexpected.

"We do not fight the new Stability." The Emperor told his soldiers. "They can be useful to us for now. At the moment, we must face Chaos and Tyranids, the true threats."

And with that, the Warp Sector suddenly became a lot simpler -

With the Tau quickly getting the heck out of dodge, there were now only four obvious sides in the Warp Sector: Chaos, Tyranid, Imperium, and Stability.

A great change had come.

PEGASUS SECTOR:

Minuette the unicorn and Yerin the Prior had been with the Romulans for months- the painful experiments had stopped, but they were still being observed closely, and there was no sign they were going to be released.

"What's going to happen to us…?" Minuette asked, staring into space.

Yerin sighed. "They aren't going to let us go… Our only hope is to wait for rescue."

Minuette frowned. "But… We've already been here forever… You think they'd have come by now…"

"Have hope, my little unicorn, they know we are missing. They must be looking for us."

Minuette frowned. She wasn't sure she believed that…

—

The Romulan bird of prey dropped out of warp, cloaked, around a random planet they hadn't scanned yet.

They were detected instantly and dozens of Vanir ships surrounded them, demanding to know who they were and what they were doing here.

The Captain, Razak, was already tense from secretly prowling around the Pegasus sector. This was just too much.

So he decided to try something somewhat unconventional.

"We are the Romulans, representatives of the Romulan Star Empire, we come in peace-"

"We know who you are." The voice said, not letting any face show up on the screen. "And we know you do not come in peace."

"Perhaps not against our enemies." Razak said. "But you are not our enemy. And if your intelligence is correct, your enemy is the Tau'ri and the Coalition."

"Merely annoyances." The voice responded.

"So you are the Vanir?"

"There is no point in denying it." A small grey alien appeared on the screen. "We are the Vanir. And unless you can provide us something worthwhile, your ship will be destroyed. We do not need alliances with lower races that have nothing to offer."

Razak thought quickly. "We have on board a Reform Prior and Equestrian Unicorn prisoner. Perhaps they could be of some use to you."

The Vanir narrowed his eyes. "While that is use-"

"If you board the ship with force they die. However, if you accept an alliance, you can have them. And we could provide intel to you about the "Earth" Sector."

The Vanir paused. "Terms accepted. We will keep some of your men as assurance you will follow your word, of course."

"Of course."

—

Atlantis dropped into space, flanked by ships from every member of the Coalition - even Equis' new battleship the Starswirl and Todd's Rebel Wraith ships.

Before them stood the last major wraith outpost - a world surrounded by a dozen hives.

Shepard grinned. "Let the battle begin!" He roared. Wraith Hives and Coalition Ships began firing at the same time, drones coming from the banks of ships on both sides of the conflict. Shields meant nothing in this fight - drones passed right through every last one of them, impacting ships directly. This meant the Tau'ri ships didn't have their superiority with their shields- but it also meant that less advanced ships like the Jaffa Ha'taks could damage the shieldless Wraith hives.

Drones were released from the hive, thousands streaking towards the fleet. Aboard the Starswirl, two equines grinned.

"They have no idea." Rainbow Dash said.

Starlight smirked. "Well, to be fair, their intelligence gathering skills are poor."

"Can we push the button already?"

"Fine." They pressed their hooves down on the magitech interface, and Starlight lit her horn, working her magic into the matrix of the Starswirl's experimental weapon.

A ball of blue energy shot towards a single drone, making it explode. Then more energy balls shot out of the explosion, seeking out other drones. Then more balls of energy, and more drones destroyed. The recursive cycle kept going until there were thousands of blue energy spheres heading back towards the hives - they did minimal damage upon impact, but almost all the drones had been completely wiped out.

"Gotta hand it to those horses." Shepard said, impressed. "They sure know how to get creative."

The weapons of over a dozen different species flew left and right, impacting ships far and wide.

The Wraith were outnumbered, outgunned, and had been fighting a losing war for the last few years. They fought hard, but it was obvious they were loosing.

"TODD!" The Last Queen yelled, calling the rebellious Wraith. "YOU ARE CAUSING THE DEATH OF YOUR RACE!"

"I am saving our race." He said, before arming his ship's drones and firing.

The Last Queen roared as her hive was destroyed.

The battle was completed - decidedly a coalition victory. Sure, there were losses…

But at that moment, the Wraith Wars were over.

—

"So… what's the future of your race Todd?" Twilight Sparkle asked a few days later.

"A few Queens joined our rebel side - we are not completely doomed." He said. "However, we will be moving to the Earth sector, since the peoples of Pegasus will not accept us."

Twilight Sparkle smiled. "I want you to know that I really appreciate what you've done- you're from a race that everyone thought had no hope to change. That everyone viewed as evil and completely destructive. You put yourself on the line multiple times to change your race for the better - and now you have succeeded."

"Sparkle, I am far from as altruistic as you suggest I am…"

Twilight smiled at him warmly. "You lie to yourself. You have a heart in you - a heart that felt every human you fed upon. That felt the suffering you caused. You had to deny that part of yourself into recently, but when it counted, you found it."

Todd was speechless.

"It must've been extremely hard to go against your nature… Yet you did it. That is more of a victory than the battle we won today. You have turned not only yourself, but your entire race around. It will serve as a model to all of us that anyone can change - even those we thought were our enemies."

"I… Thank you."

"You're welcome. Pinkie's throwing a victory party tonight, you should come."

"I'm not welcome in social settings with humans-"

"Come." Twilight said. "You can be my personal guest if it makes you feel better."

"…Fine."

—

Todd had to admit, the party actually was pretty fun. Aside from the initial silence falling on the room as he entered, everyone ended up having a good time. O'Neill even dropped by with Frisk - they were seeing the Pegasus sector before they boarded the Enterprise to the unknowns of space.

Todd spent a lot of time talking with the various powerful peoples in the room - military individuals and politicians he had worked with closely over the war. A few mentioned that he could possibly have the Wraith join the coalition in a few years should they desire.

He found the whole thing… surreal.

Everything seemed to be working well. There was a way to escape the Wraith hate, and there was places where they were welcome.

There was no more endless fighting and death, or feeding.

He finally admitted it to himself - he didn't really like the feeding. He never had, really. That alicorn was right - he'd been forced to change.

He felt… Well he actually felt happy.

Such an unusual feeling.

—

We are the Vanir.

We are claiming several abandoned Wraith worlds as our own.

Do not trespass on these worlds. We are not open to negotiations on this.

Leave us to our devices.

Shepard, Todd, and Twilight Sparkle stared at the message.

"Huh." Shepard said. "Well, we know where they are now."

"I think we just leave them alone." Twilight offered. "They've had enough problems."

The Coalition council held later agreed not to declare war on the Vanir - it was time for peace. Just let them be.

EEZO SECTOR:

Tau combat log 1: Tau advance through Turian space

The war with the Turians was going well by Tau standards. Mostly due to two factors: the technology gap between Tau and Turians, and the lack of allies the Turians required to make a decent attempt at war. The Tau held space superiority in almost every battle and their advanced suits easily countered Turian military stubbornness.

"Ethereal, we're within range of the Turian orbital fleet." Aun'shi nodded calmly to the statement and spoke: "Fire the forward Railguns before following up with several bursts of of Ion Cannons 1 through 4. Once the enemy fleet is destroyed, begin the take over of the planet." The crew of the ship obeyed the Ethereal's command and unleashed the weaponry of their vessel.

The Railgun projectiles slammed into the kinetic barriers of the Turian ships, swiftly destroying the shields of each ship through raw power. This left the ships vulnerable to the volley of Ions that dealt significant damage to each vessel, leaving many destroyed - few functional ships remained.

-

Recovered Turian Personal Recorder

Turian Commander Markus Victus, second cousin of Adrian Victus, had built his career on being as loyal and brilliant as possible during battle, but not ever did he risk his men's lives unnecessarily. Those under his command were only prevented from worshipping the ground he walked on through Turian training and willpower. Which was why what he was about to do was the hardest thing he'd ever done.

Markus wasn't blind or stupid, he could clearly see that the war with the Tau was one that the Turians just couldn't win no matter what the higher ups believed. Markus also knew that he wasn't the only Turian who knew the war was unwinnable. Some Turans had formed a small group in which they collectively decided that the safety of themselves and the soldiers under their command was more important than dying for utterly futile reasons. Thus, the plan to break off from the rest of the Turian forces and surrender to the Tau at the first possible opportunity was born; that plan would now be implemented as the Tau invaders began to land upon the planet.

When the general in charge of Invictus' defenses ordered his unit to engage a squadron of Tau Fire Caste, Markus sent the signal to the rest of the Turian commanders that the time was now. As soon as he saw the Tau soldiers he ordered his men to lay down their arms in surrender and across the planet other Turian commanders repeated this action. The events of this day became known to the loyalist survivors as "The Betrayal at Invictus." It would mark the point in the war where even the most stubborn of Turians began to realize just how big a hole they'd dug themselves into.

-

Archived Council Recording: Turian coup and surrender

As the war wore on and more surrenders similar to the ones orchestrated on Invictus occurred, Palaven Command was divided into two groups: those more than willing to drive the Turian race to extinction to preserve Turian honour and those who valued life over tradition; the latter camp had been increasing in popularity and support as the war grew more bleak. Soon, overwhelming public support for surrender to the Tau broke the back of the old Turian way of life and government. A coup was instigated by a combination force of miltary and civilian who wanted the slaughter to end. After several days of intense and bloody fighting not seen since the Unification Wars, the old government was toppled. Mere hours after the coup, a message was sent out across the stars: "We surrender. The Tau are the victors of the war."