Justicer Xerath stormed into High Command's control room, her guards barely having time to announce her arrival before she began barking orders. "Get Orbital Defence on comm, I want a direct line, now! Put the Sky Fleet on high alert! And notify civilians, I want the city locked down immediately!" She glared around the room as officers scurried to follow her orders. "Commander Tylo, what's this all about?"
"The long-range scanners the Lanteans repaired have picked up a small fleet of Wraith ships in the outer reaches of a neighbouring solar system," Tylo answered in crisp tones.
The Justicer scowled. "Has the parasite found Protegat?"
Commander Tylo shook his head slowly. "There's no way to know for sure."
"What is their current heading?" Xerath demanded.
The Commander looked down at one of the tech officers, who answered after a moment's pause. "At their current pace and trajectory, they'll be over Protegat within a week."
A muscle around the Justicer's eye started twitching, as her face struggled to remain impassive. "Where's my line to Orbital Defence?" she barked.
"Putting it through now, Justicer," another officer replied.
"I want the entire city on the highest alert!"
Alarms activated, echoing through the city, and the Justicer nodded, before turning her attention back to Orbital Defence as the line came through.
"Warm up the Ancestral Weapons, Protector," she said in a measured voice, calm and yet able to cut through the noise of the alarms and organised chaos of High Command. "We may have wraith on our doorstep before the week is through."
Receiving an affirmative, she cut the line. Orbital Defence had their orders, but High Command was not finished yet.
"Contact Gate Control," Xerath commanded, "tell them to cancel all outgoing wormholes until I clear them for resumption of scheduled travel."
"Yes, ma'am," Commander Tylo snapped a salute before commandeering a comm station.
A tech officer paused, a hand held up to their comm device. "Ma'am? Sky Fleet is requesting a rally point, where should we send them?"
"I want patrols around the city, focusing on the weapons platforms," Xerath ordered, "they are our best line of defence, and they will be protected at all costs!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Another technician called out, hands still flying across his station. "Ma'am, Gate Control has been locked down, all civilians are being evacuated as we speak."
"Good," the Justicer said. "Now dial Atlantis."
The technician nodded, relaying the command to Gate Control.
Justicer Xerath watched the frantic activity through High Command with an impassive calm. As she slowly checked her personal side-arm, she murmured softly, "It's time to enact the Joint Defence clause of our treaty."