Disclaimer: The characters of Star Trek belong to Paramount. The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own. The characters of Stargate belong to MGM but the words are mine.

AU/DS9/TNG/SGC: The war with the Dominion takes a turn for the worse. The sudden cry for help from the Q Continuum diverts the Federation's attention to investigate a mystery buried deep into Earth's past. A secret so dangerous, that it threatens to divide the Earth in two and reshape the galaxy.

Chapter 10

Elected by the people for the people…

The news of Starfleet Command's attack on the city of legends - Atlantis spread like fire on Earth. The fragile balance that Colonel Sheppard and Stargate Command had managed to establish ever since they took Starfleet Headquarters by force was now in shambles. Public opinion had gone down the drain. Sides were drawn. Tension was escalating with uncontrollable speed.

Starfleet Command was in total disarray. If before they were in disarray now it was absolute anarchy. The Federation council shared the same fate caused by the sudden appearance of sixteen class destroyer ships of Vulcan and Andorian design mounted with the terrifying Xindi weapon that once ago threaten to destroy the Earth.

Xenophobic groups popped again and their propaganda pamphlets covered the streets of every major city on Earth. Dozens of embassies bombed hundreds of aliens killed in the uproar riots that followed. The most popular group was once more Terra Prime. They spread the word that their true savior Grand Admiral Benson has delivered them from the lies of the Federation and Stargate Command.

Supporting their claims they showed the public the destruction of eight Starfleet vessels, six that had openly joined Stargate Command and were destroyed in the first volley. And then the other two the USS Crazy Horse, command ship of the disgraced Admiral Nechev and the most advanced ship in Starfleet USS Enterprise, along four of Stargate Command's ships – USS Triple Star, CSRS San Tzu, HMS Dauntless and Valliant. Each of the latter had survived the first eight shots before falling.

The mighty city of Atlantis however with its terrible weapons had managed to destroy six of the sixteen vessels before diving into the sun and unleashing a terrible wave of coronal mass ejection that could have easily wiped out all life in the Solar System. Only the ship of Grand Admiral Benson had survived the onslaught. Of course, they were conveniently omitting the part of Atlantis saving the solar system from the dangerous wave they had unleashed.

Stargate Command consolidated its forces at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado Springs protecting it with a massive shield grid spread on over four hundred kilometers. Inside, many of their ground troops had gathered. Twelve more ships baring the insignia of the Young Alliance had arrived in orbit and faced the ships gathered by Terra Prime, comprised of twelve Iron Birds class cruisers and two Iron Fist class destroyers.

Jean-Luc and Beverly were given quarters on the premises of the old Stargate Command base inside Cheyenne Mountains. They were both still mourning the loss of their ship and crew. Commanders Laforge and Data shared quarters just a few doors away, Deana Troi and William Riker a floor beneath and close by Commander Worf and Lieutenant Crusher.

Jean-Luc had become very silent and very distant, coldly so. This loss was affecting him most. After he had pleaded with the self appointed Grand Admiral he had witness the destruction of his beloved ship helplessly. He did not blame the staff of Atlantis though. He knew they did everything in their power to prevent it.

His thoughts dwelled in the Xindi weapon. He wondered possibly for the nth time why the Vulcans and the Andorians, which were among the first members of the Federation, betrayed their trust like this. A more reasonable thought and explanation was that they were building this fleet to combat the Dominion but it still did not explain why they had handed it to Section 31. Section 31 was responsible for many attempts to destroy peace throughout Federation history.

One of their first appearances was at the time of Captain Jonathan Archer when they handed to the Klingon Empire the keys to the Augments. Then they reappeared when the Klingon Empire was dying and almost instigated a war between the Federation and the Empire. Only the diligence of James Kirk and the crew of the Excelsior managed to prevent it. And this was just the beginning. The Enterprise had dealt with them on many occasions as did the crew of DS9.

Speaking of DS9, Jean-Luc felt more sadness. The severely pissed Grand Admiral Benson after losing the battle with Atlantis had headed to DS9 and without any provocation had destroyed the USS Defiant and its crew, and then he had turned on Bajor. Numerous temples were leveled. The death toll was in the thousands.

DS9 though Bajoran space station had fallen to Section 31, the new Starfleet and thus Keiko O'Brien and her young daughter, Ensign Nog and his father Rom, Jake Sisko, Captain Kasidy Yates, and many Starfleet and Bajor Militia officers were killed in the ensued fights aboard. Chief O'Brien, Dr. Julian Bashir, Quark, Lieutenant Ezri Dax, Colonel Nerys and Captain Sisko left with no choice succeeded in fleeing the station using a Ferengi ship transporting when the Grand Nagus Zek and his wife Ishka. They were on route to the Ferengi home world.

'Yes,' Jean-Luc exhaled deeply. 'Much suffering had Section 31 brought'. He kept muttering such phrases under breath. The Xindi, the Xindi weapon, how did they get their hands on it? It was a question he could not stop asking himself night and day. Why did the Andorians and Vulcans keep it a secret for this long? They could have helped when the Borg invaded but no they kept their silence. Why? Were they afraid or overly arrogant as usual? But there were no answers immediate or easy.

"Jean-Luc," Beverly called him softly but he ignored her. He has done that lately and she was here only to help him through this difficult time. It was not the first time they lost people but this time it was different, much different. They didn't just lose a few people they lost the entire ship – over a thousand faithful Starfleet officers. Major Mayborne and Admiral Ross's son were among the losses.

'Section 31' Jean-Luc muttered silently again under breath and his flashed with anger. They should have gotten rid of them a long time ago. He should have pursued them after the Pegasus incident but no he let Starfleet Command deal with them softly. Well, now, here was the result – ruins and shambles. Earth was standing on the threshold of war, once again.

Jean-Luc turned in his bed his eyes fixed blankly into the ceiling. Questions will make a good lead. He snorted. Yeah, right, he should have learnt by now never to trust the Q again. Speaking of them he still wondered that too. Why the Q did not use their so-called omnipotent powers to deal with this new threat? They did use it quite often to terrorize them so why not now.

He sensed Beverly leaving their quarters as the door shut. The quarters were not the Ritz but then again he could not have possibly expected them to be either. It was a former military base after all. His thoughts moved to his hosts. Descendants of the Stargate Command, they have come across the galaxies to stop the deadliest enemies of the galaxy from taking over and protect the Earth. Protect the Earth, how ironic it sounded now as they were close to destroying each other.

Signing, he sat up. Sleeping was out of the question. His mind was far too occupied with the past events for him to have a decent night sleep anyway. He feared closing his eyes will lead only to nightmares showing that horrid picture of his beloved Enterprise flickering out of existence and hearing the screams of terror from his burning crew. He slammed his fist into the bed. Grand Admiral, he was going to pay for this. He has made an enemy of him now.

Starfleet had no policy that covered sufficiently Jean-Luc's desire for vengeance. And that's what he wanted now – vengeance. It was consuming him like a dark fire burning through his veins. He stood up with ice-cold determination in his eyes and straightened his uniform. He walked to the door and pressed the handle open. Outside, there was one guard in his blue-green uniform. He saluted promptly. It was something Jean-Luc could never get used to that's why he only nodded at him and then he closed the door.

He made his way down the corridor nodding at places where he would meet some soldier or Starfleet officer. He reached the elevator. Inputting his personal code, the elevator door opened. He only wished it could respond to voice command however the facility was three centuries old and didn't get this upgrade. He pressed the button for the floor. The elevator started descending.

It stopped at the desired stop. The doors opened and he ventured out. The corridor was almost the same as the one he left. He often wondered how the people of the twenty-first century ever managed to find their way around this place. The only subtle difference was painted on the wall saying the level's number. He turned right then left, climbed the stairs and was on the gate control room level.

It still had computers from the twenty twelve time with keyboards and mice. There were no tactile screens other than one that operated the strange thing Colonel Sheppard called IRIS control. Apparently, it was the only way to block unannounced incoming travelers. It placed trinium titanium overlapping plates in a circle like an actual iris a few micrometers before the event horizon thus any particles incoming would not have the time to rematerialize. When he understood the concept it was actually pretty ingenious.

He did not stay there though. He climbed up the stairs and reached the briefing room. Actually he understood why the commanding general of the time, a General George Hammond liked it so much. The wall of windows looked out over the Stargate Room three stories high at the far end of which the huge shape, flat and round like a pancake set on end, focused his eye. A shallow steel grid ramp led up to the disk, which consisted of two concentric rings inscribed with alien symbols, surrounding a gleaming iris of overlapping steel plates that completely covered the centre. Ramp and disk were set off from the rest of the room by a wide painted border of yellow and black stripes alternating with the legend KEEP CLEAR.

The briefing room contained one long rectangular table with chairs around it that were now occupied by Starfleet and Stargate staff. There were many pads and piles of paper covering the table surface. Each was taking and pointing at something. Near the wall of windows there was a plastic vertical glass with the galactic star chart. Each important sector and planet carried its name. At first getting used to their designations was simply a horrid experience – P3W264 and etc. Why couldn't they simply name things? It made everything far simpler.

He looked to the side where there was another door. It led to the office of the base commander. He liked it the first day he saw it. It was much the same on the Alpha Site: oak desk with comfy leather chair, the flag of the USA behind it, and the insignia of the USAF, two chairs before the desk and another door leading into the adjacent corridor.

He ventured in and found Colonel Teyla Sheppard talking to Major General David Hammond, proud descendant of the famous general, and Brigadier General Charles O'Neill, two lls as he pointed out the first time they met. The latter was a strange bird. According to the Colonel he had inherited all the traits of his forefather Jack O'Neill and was just as annoying. There was another person in that he remembered as Admiral Heather Lam, head of medical Research and Development at Starfleet Command.

"Ah, Captain Picard," Colonel Sheppard greeted and moved to him. She seemed perfectly relieved to see him or perhaps it was just the perfect excuse to get away from the others. "It is good to see you."

"Likewise, Colonel," Jean-Luc replied and actually surprised himself. His voice was firm, cold and determined. "I hoped we can go over the battle plan." His new determination had the desired effect. It made people pay attention to him. The generals stopped talking and looked at him. "No time to waste, Gentlemen. It is payback time."

"I couldn't agree more." Admiral Lam said with a devilish smile dancing on her lips. She was finding the lack of action a sign of laziness and weakness. She took Jean-Luc by the arm and moved to the briefing room. "Attention!"

All talks stopped and everyone's eyes turned to them.

"As my esteemed colleague pointed out, there is no time to waste." Admiral Lam began. "We cannot let our enemies consolidate their base. We have to strike now."

"If it were that simple, Admiral Lam, we would have done so." General Hammond said coming from the office behind. "But our actions have consequences and we must consider those. Terra Prime has made sure that public opinion plays a role now. Every time we make a wrong choice they use it to their advantage. And we can't afford those. A preemptive strike will only make things worse."

"You know, David, you may carry his name but not his back!" Admiral Lam countered with ice-cold voice. "We do not negotiate with terrorists."

"And in the eyes of the people, we are the terrorists." David reciprocated with the same coldness.

"The people?" Admiral Lam snickered. "Since when do we pay attention to the sheep masses?"

David swallowed hard and he glared at her mounting a response but Major McKay stepped between them with raised hands.

"Enough! Both of you!" He said raising his voice. "Bickering among ourselves solves nothing! The fact is they made a move and played us for fools! And we let them!"

"Connor is right." Colonel Teyla Sheppard said. "We need to consolidate our position. We need to show the people that they made the wrong choice. This is a different battleground and a different game. It is far more difficult than simple combat. And for that we need a strong diplomat."

"Once the people see who their so-called leader really is they will make the right choice." Connor said. "But we can't force it. We tried that already and the result backfired in our faces."

"We just managed to show a rapport with the people." Teyla continued. "But ships carrying the Xindi weapon changed all that. And in an instant, all we have done vanished. Poof. Caput – gone!"

"Fellas." Brigadier General Charles O'Neill stepped in too. "We can sit and talk all day it is not going to change anything. We are stuck in here like sardines while we need to be out among these sheep and spread the good word. And you wonder why the terra something is winning?"

Jean-Luc found his argument compelling and quite true. They trenched themselves into the mountain instead of into the lion's mouth. But he still thought the man was odd. He was practically bouncing around, his energy levels too high. It was obvious the man wanted action instead of this paralyzed state of diplomatic shit jam.

Far away, on the Klingon Home planet, in the sacred halls on the throne, the dark lord Anubis stood admiring his new subjects – the tall and mighty Klingons. They thought he was this feeble Kahless. He had nothing against that. True, the historical figure in their culture was a wise ruler and a man of great honor that has inspired generations and for that Anubis found him useful to his agenda.

The Klingons spent the past few weeks training with his new guard warriors that he had called Avidans. In old Goa'uld it translated as Gods are just. Anubis found it befitting name for his new loyal servants.

The Klingons were simply perfect. They absorbed the training better than even the Jaffa before them. With their diverse weaponry and even their own martial style, they were about to become a formidable force, the new Jaffa.

"Chel hol onak Anubis!" Anubis First Prime Aken said kneeling before his god.

"Kel shak?" Anubis asked peering down at his Prime.

"The Tauri have begun fighting one another." Aken replied.

"It is hardly surprising."

"It presents a curious opportunity, milord."

"Indeed it does." Anubis agreed but it was not part of his plan. "But not yet."

"Milord?"

"The Tauri will be last to fall." Anubis said. "When I have conquered the rest of this wretched galaxy then their time shall come, not before."

"As you wish, milord,"

"Shal kek, Aken!" Anubis said and Aken bowed again to his master and left.

It was indeed no surprise that the humans had started fighting one another. Anubis had foreseen this much. But their time will come later. He had other plans and the fight between humans, he welcomed actually. At least they will stay out of his way until it becomes too late to stop him.

"Milord Anubis!"

Anubis looked down. It was the Klingon Chancellor Gowron. He was already wearing the new attire – black with silver plates, like the Jaffa before. He knelt before him. Anubis let him standing in this position for some time before he acknowledged his presence.

"Arise!"

Chancellor Gowron stood up. His eyes turned toward his new master. Master, the word resonated in his mind. It was a new concept and it was going sometimes against every fiber of his being. The Klingons were a proud race and did not acknowledge any masters but this one man before him was different. He embodied the spirit of Kahless, the bravest and best warrior of Klingon culture and history.

And of course there was the part where his troops were superior to the Klingons. They had shown it in battle. And he, their master, was much stronger than any man, than any creature the Klingons have ever met. Their master had powers, maybe not as impressive like those of the Q but close enough.

The last few weeks, the Klingon warriors had spent their time learning the new ways their master was teaching them. They were becoming even more powerful than before and soon no race would be able to resist them for long.

"Milord," Chancellor Gowron said. "We are grateful of the ways of the Goa'uld but…"

"But?" Anubis raised an eyebrow.

"Many, well most of our war ships have been destroyed in the war with the Dominion and the encounter with your forces…"

Anubis had raised a hand interrupting him. He knew of course the Klingons will not be satisfied only with learning new combat techniques. He expected this request earlier but apparently they were not feeling comfortable asking until now.

"I'm well aware of your losses, Chancellor." Anubis said.

"I did not mean to imply you weren't." Chancellor Gowron stepped back bowing his head.

"Your concern is noted, Chancellor." Anubis remarked. "I cannot have my new guards with no means to spread the word of their god but not yet. Your training is incomplete. Once, my Avidans confirm you are ready then we shall take care of this minor setback."

"Of course, milord," Chancellor Gowron said.

"In the meantime, my Ha'Tak will protect your shipments and Quo'nos."

"Thank you, milord,"

"Shal kek, Gowron."

Gowron bowed again and left the room. Anubis eyed him for a while before resuming his thinking. These Klingons were a formidable force. He planned to introduce them to their predecessors – the Jaffa. It would be their last test – overwhelm the feeble Jaffa and then receive their Prim'ta.

Somewhere in the Vulcan system, on one of the smaller outer planets, Section 31 had established a new base. Their presence on the Vulcan home world has become dangerous, unnecessarily so.

Grand Admiral Benson had chosen this planet not only for base operations but also it was a place for the shipyards. They were working overtime producing the new destroyer class ships. He needed bigger and more powerful ships. Stargate Command had to pay for his recent losses – twelve ships. He did not think it possible these Stargate Command ships will even survive his attack. But it took close to eight shots to put their shields down and a few more to destroy them.

The only good thing he had during that encounter was the element of surprise but he doubted he would be able to repeat this feat. He had hoped the first attack would be the only one but he had been mistaken. Their ships had proven far more resilient than he had anticipated. No matter, it was something he was going to correct soon enough.

"Admiral,"

"Go ahead,"

"We are receiving a communication from the leader of Terra Prime."

"Patch him through,"

Admiral Benson sat on his chair behind the desk and activated the screen. The leader of the xenophobic group has been instrumental in the division of opinion back home but he still found him arrogant and presumptuous. He still had not learnt that there is a proper way of addressing an admiral of his stature.

"Benson,"

Admiral Benson closed his eyes controlling his quickly boiling emotions and exhaling slowly opened them.

"Speak!"

"I'm giving it another week and then Earth will belong once more to Earthers."

"They are all of Earth, Mister Lacer." Admiral Benson rolled eyes displaying his annoyance.

"I meant…"

"I know what you meant." Admiral Benson interrupted with an annoyed voice. "How certain of this plan are you?"

"Very,"

"How reassuring all this sounds!" Admiral Benson mocked. "And I don't suppose you think the other side is simply going to roll over?"

"They will have no other choice but submit to Terra Prime's rule." Lacer responded. "The people are on our side…"

"The people – really?" Admiral Benson said and then exploded. "Are you that naïve or you're just playing stupid?"

"Benson?"

"Admiral Benson," Admiral Benson thundered. "Only be force, this conflict will be resolved. Only when you apprehend and kill them all will this end. There is no other way!"

"Benson," Lacer began saying but seeing the admiral's growing anger continued more politely. "Admiral, an armed conflict can ignite in ways we cannot control. We let the civilians be hit and we will have a war on our hands well beyond our control. For now, the conglomerations are calm and public opinion is on our side. But if we push too hard it will blow in our faces."

"Then let it blow, you moron. It will show beyond any shadow of a doubt who's been right and who's been wrong."

"Admiral, I hope you don't mean this. I can see you are agitated now."

"Are you saying I'm not thinking clearly?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I am saying."

"In that case, we are already at war and we need to press our advantage."

"Admiral, you may make a decent soldier but you know nothing of politics. It doesn't work like that. Anymore armed conflicts and the Earth will ignite in a state of planetary war and if memory serves it will the forth. The last global war led to five hundred million dead. Last time we were alone this time however we are not. The other major powers may decide to hop in and take over and I'm not very keen on this idea."

"The other major powers as you so eloquently put it are too busy leaking their wounds. They are no threat to us." Admiral Benson said calming his breath. "Stargate Command and their friends must be eliminated and then the public opinion will be easier to control. Get on with it or I'll find someone else able of following a simple order."

Admiral Benson severed the link. This civilian brat was starting to get on his nerves. His overly cautious approach was maddening. Forth world war – what a ridiculous notion, the humans weren't that stupid. Public opinion, ha!

But the admiral was wrong public opinion mattered a great deal. Terra Prime's continuous effort to undermine the credibility of Stargate Command was creating an ever-growing fissure of trust. The conglomerations representing the continents on the Earth did not play usually a large part in the politics of Starfleet and the Federation but with these new threats and the war with the Dominion this was changing quickly.

The recent discovery of Earth's veiled past was placing new perspectives on the diplomatic table. The troubles of the last war were starting to reemerge. There were still people who remembered the reasons it had started. The conditions back then were somewhat different but it was getting there. And the new Starfleet Xindi weaponized ships was not helping. The last time a Xindi weapon came to Earth it carved a four thousand mile long line from Florida to Venezuela. No one wanted to be reminded of that.

Public opinion was skyrocketing in the wrong direction. The people felt safe no more. They started understanding the Maquis better now: with the constant threat of war and possibility for one to lose its home fear was running high. Earth was a safe haven no more. Starfleet could protect them no more and the Federation's council was in disarray. Some said it was good run for as long as it lasted.

The conglomerations gathered and decided in the coming months to cede their seat from the Federation. It was pointless to be part of something that functioned no more. Earth was to stand on its own from now on. Starfleet on Earth was disbanded and a new body was to be created to represent Earth in all matters.

Admiral Benson did not like this development and he tried to argue it but achieved nothing and he was forced to leave Earth. Section 31, the new Starfleet had now no home other than the bases it had established off world. Stargate Command for his great dismay was still there as the conglomerations have not decided what to do with them. It seemed that on the political battleground they were way better than Mr. Lacer.

Admiral Benson however was not ready to declare this war a lost cause yet. Section 31 had managed to build more ships. It had now a fleet of twenty four destroyers and almost that many cruisers. Most ships had crews but they were not Starfleet. They had to be trained and the months were passing by. The admiral's patience was tested. Some of those who were once part of Starfleet he recruited but he was still short of people, experienced people.

The other major powers were major no more as new ones were emerging. The Klingon Empire fought with what was left of the Romulan and conquered it completely. They annexed their territory. All reports were saying that the Klingons had grown stronger than ever before. They were also more organized and their tactics were scarier. Admiral Benson did not enjoy that report. He had hoped the Romulans will survive but he was wrong. The leftovers of the Romulans retreated to Vulcan to seek sanctuary and received it.

The Cardassians were no more too. The leftovers of their empire retreated to remote section of their territory and remained there under a new government structure, provisional but still legitimate. The only major power left intact was the Ferenghi alliance. The smaller powers were left alone but the admiral suspected not for long. The new leader of the Klingons, a human named Anubis and one that scared his spies a great deal had apparently other plans.

"Mr. Lacer, your plan failed miserably." Admiral Benson uttered one day on Section 31's primary base.

"I warned you not to push too much." Lacer countered. "Public opinion on Earth matters a great deal. It decides practically everything."

"And how do you plan to rectify this mess?"

Lacer tilted his head on the side and shrugged. "Frankly I have no idea. The conglomerations have taken absolute control. They will not be swayed by my words or yours however it would seem we are returning to a previous state of politics."

"And that helps us how?"

"They will be more susceptible to corruption. Monetary values are also returning and this presents an opportunity." Lacer replied.

"And how many years are we talking about ten, twenty or fifty?"

"Look, Admiral, I told you politics run in a different way than military actions. There is still some hope that they will return to the Federation. Now whether Starfleet will be trusted to run Earth again or not now this is a different question and one I cannot answer. But if you ask me I doubt you will be part of it. Your aggressive approach will be not accepted. It was not the way of Starfleet."

"We will see." Admiral Benson said relocating from his chair to the sofa. "As long as Stargate Command is out of the picture…"

"I know you have trouble with them but the conglomerations do like them better than you."

"Then we have to change their opinion in the matter."

"It is easier said than done."

"Not really,"

Lacer shook head. The admiral was going through the motions. Public opinion had started to favor Stargate Command again. Brigadier General Charles O'Neill and Dr. Elizabeth Weir were skilled diplomats and their negotiation skills have changed everything. Admiral Benson on the other hand was standing in his base hiding. He was not among the people and had no way of swaying their opinion.

"Admiral, if you want to make any impact you will have to face the music and go to Earth."

"I was already there and they kicked me out."

"That was months ago and in the heat of things. The time may have come for you to try again."

"As you said, I am a soldier not a politician."

"True," Lacer said. "But you are still a Starfleet admiral and this still count for something."

"I will give it a thought."

Lacer shook head again but nodded at the admiral and left him alone with his thoughts.

Section 31's fleet emerged from the subspace corridor in high orbit. There were no ships to greet them as most of Starfleet ships have been decommissioned. The only ships so to speak were runabouts. They were six representing the conglomerations. The grand admiral could blow them out of the sky with a single shot at minimum yield.

The Berserker, the grand admiral's flagship, proceeded to the designated landing zone just outside San Francisco. There was an escort of honorary guards. They stood on both sides of the grand admiral and his command staff and led to the Hall of Converse. Each conglomeration had sent a representative to listen to the admiral's plea.

The Hall was the standard type of parliament setting – oval with many that were now mostly empty. The admiral and his staff were placed near the center whilst the conglomerations sat on higher. The presiding speaker of the Hall stepped forward.

"This session of the People and Section 31 is coming to order. Admiral Benson, representing Starfleet, shall come forth." The speaker announced.

Lacer winked and raised two thumbs up for encouragement. Grand Admiral Benson exhaled part of his frustration. He was as he said a soldier not a politician but if he wanted his world back he had to play ball.

"Honorable representatives of Earth's conglomerations, Mister Speaker, honorable delegates, I am Devlin Benson. I hold the post of Admiral in Starfleet, the elected body for matters of Earth and representation of the planet on the galactic table of politics." The grand admiral noticed the thumbs up from Lacer and frowned slightly. He was still an insufferable brat. "We find ourselves at crossroads ever since the unannounced arrival of a part of our past that seems to have escaped the annals of history – Stargate Command. Stargate Command was a top-secret program of the USAF, hidden from the people while audaciously and presumptuously representing the planet in interstellar matters."

The grand admiral paused to make sure his words take the expected effect. His words had a lot of merit. Secrecy while necessary sometimes was widely unaccepted these days. Of course the admiral was conveniently omitting the reasons for that.

"They came unannounced bringing with them doom for us all. Their enemies of past came to plague our galaxy and caused unimaginable suffering. The Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire and the Cardassian Empire are in complete ruin and disarray. Most worlds of the Federation share the same fate.

Their arrival caused an unprecedented division in the ranks of Starfleet duly elected body of governance and greater divisions in the people of Earth precipitating the latter from leaving the United Federation of Planets that they helped create in the first place. We are at disarray not trusting one another.

What would the father of the Federation think? What would Jonathan Archer have to say today if he could see us? I will tell you what he would say. He would say we have strayed from the path. We have strayed from the countless hours spent to build the Federation. Yes, the Federation is our baby. We created it for exploration, peace and harmony for all species.

Well gentlemen, we can safely we failed. The Federation was presented with a challenge and for the first time in over three hundred years we failed, miserably. Yes, we have faced many dangers, many disasters and many problems but we have always upheld the values of the human race and the basis that is the building block of the Federation. Today, we failed. We failed in the simple task of maintaining our values.

New empires are going to emerge as the galaxy is adapting to the forced changes. But where will Earth stand? Will it stand alone? We tried that once and we ended in third world war with five hundred million dead. Are we going to repeat history again and plunge this world into another war? ARE WE?"

There was silence after the first part of the admiral's speech. He was not done yet but he had to wait for his words to take roots in the minds of the people before him.

"Honorable representatives of Earth's conglomerations, we stand at a brink of great changes and great danger. We cannot allow to be divided in such moment. We cannot afford it for the price will be too big…"

The Euro-Asian representative stood up and interrupted the admiral's speech. He was a man in his mid thirties with vivid bright green eyes. His unusual attire had attracted everyone's attention in the beginning – black raincoat with embroidered red black roses on the sleeves and the back.

"Grand Admiral Benson," He said with melodic, enchanting voice. "I have to give credit to whoever wrote your speech. It is brilliant and it would have been very convincing if you actually meant any of it."

"I mean all of it." Grand Admiral Benson replied.

The representative's eyes narrowed. "I really wished I could believe that really but I can't afford it. In the midst of the mess in which the galaxy found itself, you emerged from a secretly constructed subspace corridor in Earth's high orbit with ships mounted with a piece of technology that nearly caused the destruction of Earth in the twenty-second century.

The wave of xenophobia this weapon created, well, there is really no description. This weapon came from Earth's most trusted allies – the Andorians and the Vulcans. We really want to believe that they built it for the war with the Dominion but common sense says otherwise.

I'm sorry Grand Admiral of Section 31 but Earth cannot afford to trust you or the Federation again…"

"We can…"

"ENOUGH!" The representative's voice thundered. "Your first act, Grand Admiral, was to destroy twenty-four Starfleet ships – no hails, no conditions. You just opened fire." The other representatives moved uncomfortably. "When your ships were defeated you headed for Deep Space Nine. There you opened fire at the USS Defiant without any form of provocation and then you turned on a peaceful world that still trying to rebuild from the damages of two wars – the Kardassian invasion and the Dominion war.

The level of destruction your ship caused is probably irreversible. Of course, destroyed homes can be rebuilt but lives can't. Do you know how many Bajorans died in your little tantrum? DO YOU?" The representative's eyes were flashing and his facial expression of disgust was saying the rest. "You are trying to convince us that it is still viable for the Federation to exist and while on this point we do agree we also agree that Starfleet is so bloody corrupt it can no longer represent Earth in any matter.

And secondly Admiral, Section 31 is not Starfleet. It had been created in the first days of the Coalition to provide security in places inaccessible by official channels. However when the Federation was created, Section 31 was replaced by Starfleet Intelligence. This happened for a reason. And while this body recognizes the value and contribution of Section 31's actions during the past 3 centuries, we do not approve of their methods. They are in direct violation of the Federation's charter."

"With all due respect, this is not about Section 31." The grand admiral said attempting to divert the conversation's direction. "This is about the disarray caused by…"

"Enough!" The representative brought silence with a single wave of his hand. "I know exactly what this is about. Starfleet under your command got scarred. I suppose you couldn't swallow a handful of people from the forgotten annals of our history rewrote it with acts of bravery that outshone Starfleet in every aspect.

Starfleet has been tested many times but never against its own people and when it came to it Starfleet failed unable to solve a mystery three and half centuries old, unable to accept that a handful of people have seen more of the galaxy than anyone could have predicted, unable to…" The representative sighed closing his eyes for a moment. "We have seen what these people have done, Admiral, and I can safely say this Starfleet in their place would have never reached that far. These people, Admiral, are heroes and something Starfleet ceased to be a long time ago – explorers.

They came back from another galaxy, another GALAXY, Admiral, to once again protect their home, Planet Earth. And how were they greeted? They were greeted with phasers. It is safe to say, Admiral that the only reason you are here is to make sure they are erased from existence.

But I can assure you, the conglomerations are not going to repeat your mistake and that of the Federation. The lost children of Earth have come home and we are going to embrace them with open arms. The people of the Earth have evolved Admiral. We have learnt to embrace the unknown not reject it at first sign of trouble. It is the base principle of the Federation, to embrace all differences and so it shall be.

Mister Lacer, Terra Prime is no longer welcomed on Earth. You can take your supporters and leave in peace. You have chosen to support Section 31 and while this is your prerogative the conglomerations find our presence offensive not to mention highly aggressive and against the interests of Earth.

As for the fine subtleties Admiral, Starfleet has deviated from its original design. This body of governance was elected by the people for the people. That is the core principle of Starfleet to make sure it represents the best interests of Earth and its people. Over the centuries, I suppose we kind of forgot that – not anymore.

Grand Admiral Benson, it is the decision of the conglomerations that Section 31 is hereby banned for life from Earth. You can make your exile anywhere you wish but neither you nor your hybrid ships have any place on it ever again.

This session of the People versus Section 31 is hereby dismissed."

The representative turned around without even looking and walked away. It reminded the admiral of the way the Klingons deal with such situations. This development was definitely not what he expected.

"This is far from over!" Grand Admiral Benson blurted out. "WE ARE NOT DONE!"

There was however no one to answer him. The representatives had already walked through the doors and out. The grand admiral was left alone with Mister Lacer. The former turned to the latter with growing in red cheeks.

"You said this speech was infallible!"

"It was!" Lacer countered with slowly dropping voice. "But his was better."

"We are not simply going to pack and leave."

"Yes, we are."

"I don't think so!" Grand Admiral Benson was off his skin. He was so pissed. He touched his com badge. "Iron Fist fleet, begin attack!"

"WHAT?" Lacer exclaimed wide-eyed. "Are you insane?"

"Understood," A voice replied from the com.

"You planned this all along?" Lacer stared at the admiral with growing terror.

"You really didn't think I had come to surrender. I told you Section 31 are going to rule one way or another." Grand Admiral Benson replied his eyes flashing with anger bolts. "Transport troops to secure all points."

"You are insane. You are plunging the planet in a state of war…"

"I told you before we already are in war!" Grand Admiral Benson said. He took out his phaser and set it's settings to kill. "I hoped this little encounter will change their minds but as you could see they have signed with the enemy. I'm retaking Earth!"

"You are certifiable lunati…" Lacer was saying but did not manage to finish his sentence as the grand admiral pointed his phaser at him and fired killing him instantly.

"And I had enough of you, squealing bookworm!" Grand Admiral Benson said and left the Hall of Converse.

World War Four has begun…

To be continued…

And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!

Lordheaven