USS Voyager, Atlantis Pier.
"Excuse me?" asked an incredulous Janeway who was unable to figure out a reaction to the two bombshells that were just dropped on the crew; that they were on a Tau'ri base called Atlantis, and that they were in the Pegasus galaxy.
"Technically," said Willow winching before continuing, "you're in the Pegasus Irregular galaxy, about three million light years away from Earth. Give or take a few hundred thousand light years."
"That's not possible," mumbled Kim as he looked down at the console in front of him in disbelief as he mentally calculated the speed the Vantage was going while towing them through hyperspace. Once he made the calculations, he shook his head 'no' before looking up at Willow and Cordelia, and telling then the results of his calculation. Willow nodded her head, and said that he was correct before Neelix spoke up and told them that he had seen a three-dimensional model of the galaxy.
"I saw where we were attacked by the Kazon last year, even the location of the Caretaker's array. Captain, I saw the old Hirogen relay network, I even saw where the Wraith ship attacked us," said Neelix as the stunned Janeway looked at her ship's ambassador while Chakotay was looking on confused as he placed his hands on his hips, trying to make sense of everything that they were being told.
"Captain," said Cordelia, "this is the capital city of the Tau'ri, you and your people are more than welcome to make yourself at home while you repair your ship. And in the end, if you decide you want to go back, then we'll have a ship tow you back to the edge of the Sol system… and you'll be home."
"I'm sorry, Madam President," said Janeway as she started to pace the floor, her face still in disbelief before turning to Chakotay, and then back to Cordelia and Willow, "this is still so hard to believe."
"Mr. Neelix has told us that you're a long way from home," said Willow with Janeway looking back at her. The Captain looked at the faded red hair, and then at the blue uniform and jacket with various types of ribbons; and over the ribbons were a triangle and floating circle on a pin attached to the suit just above the left breast. Janeway then looked up at the stars on her shoulder, and then back at the green eyes looking back at her while she said that they knew what it was like to be so far away from their home world.
Janeway, still in a bit of a daze at not only finding more humans in another galaxy, but also, she was supposedly in the city of Atlantis then looked over her shoulder at Kim.
"Ensign Kim, B'ellana," said the Captain looking over her shoulders, "get to astrometrics. Transfer every bit of reserve power to finding out exactly where we are."
"Understood," said B'Ellana and Kim together before they rushed up past the Doctor and into the turbolift. The door hissed shut while Willow and Cordelia were mentally telling each other that it was so cool to see a working turbo-lift. A small smile appeared on Cordelia's face while she continued talking to Janeway after the doors closed.
"Captain," said Cordelia gently, "you're in Pegasus. You're more than welcome to confirm what we're saying with your own instruments; General Rosenberg expected as much."
"I'd have done the same thing," admitted Willow nodding her head at Janeway, "you won't be faulted for checking in with your own sensors. You're more than welcome to stay on your vessel the whole time while conducting repairs, or you could move around freely in the city. We can provide you with ships that'll drag the Wraith wreckage out of your hull too. All we ask is that if you do decide to move around, please avoid the secured sections of the city."
"There is a legend of a city called Atlantis in Earth's past," said Chakotay trying to hide his excitement at the possibility of find one of the greatest archaeological finds in human history, if it was proven to be true that is, "a city occupied by a technologically advanced society that sunk under the Atlantic Ocean thousands of years ago. This surely cannot be the same city."
Willow smiled while mentally confirming their cover story with Cordelia; the same cover story she had her Heads of Departments send to their subordinates. A temporary white lie, until they could gauge Starfleet and the Federations' reactions.
"We were originally from a planet called Avalon in the Milky Way," lied Willow, "we had our fair share of problems… war, famine, and… well, everything else in between. We had our good days, and our bad days. Things changed when an expedition discovered this city underneath one of our oceans. It was covered in a shield and… well, when the sensors detected life signs, power was transferred from the shields to life support. And when the shield couldn't hold back the water, it rose to the surface and became the capital city of the Tau'ri. That's when things changed in our society. The city joined warring factions into one people, and we started to fight war, poverty, disease. The city was a rallying point for us to grow… expand our knowledge. We built ships and started to explore the galaxy."
"Sounds similar to Earth's own history," said Chakotay while Janeway stared at Cordelia who nodded her head.
"We visited your world," said Cordelia, "or at least our ancestors did, we told people of the time period about Avalon and Atlantis."
"And the legend of Atlantis spread through… wait, but that would mean your people visited Earth in the period of time we call ancient Greece," said Chakotay.
"We're not aware of what you call that time period," lied Willow, her expression motionless, "but our ancestors did visit your planet."
"But you are human, are you not?" asked Tuvok who couldn't put his finger on it, but he was aware that there was something wrong with the story. He was certain that they were hiding something, and the logical part of his mind was telling him that since the two cultures had just met, the Tau'ri wouldn't reveal everything to complete strangers.
At least not yet.
"Yes, we are human," said Willow, "with a few genetic modifications here and there, but that's beside the point. We are human, but not from your world. We're still wondering how is it that two groups of humans in the same galaxy managed to evolve independently from one another."
"I would like to work with your medical staff and geneticists," said the Doctor as Willow turned towards him, "perhaps we could find out…"
"Mr. Neelix said you're a hologram, am I right?" asked Willow excitedly at the Doctor.
"Yes," said the Doctor proudly.
"Amazing!" exclaimed Willow, a grin on her face before looking at Janeway. The redhead was hoping to change the topic of conversation, so she told the Captain that she was an engineer by training, "do you have emitters on the bridge? I mean how is he here, and… wow… a living hologram."
"All I am is photons within a magnetic field," said the Doctor, "but thank you for the compliment."
"My people have done work on holograms before," said Willow, "but we've never had a hologram outside a room without any emitter."
"That's all thanks to my mobile emitter," said the Doctor before he saw the look, and the shake of the head, that Janeway was giving him… signalling him to not say anything else, especially about the emitter being a twenty-ninth century piece of technology.
"Ummm…. How is Seven?" asked the Doctor as he changed the topic while Janeway looked back at Willow.
"Their allies have cloned a new body for her," said Neelix, "I mean I haven't been allowed to see her since…"
"Well," said Willow scratching her head, "she's kinda not… I mean…"
"She's naked," said Cordelia, "anyway, we've already talked to Thor and Heimdall, and…"
"Thor? Heimdall?" asked Janeway before she closed her eyes, shaking her head begging them to stop before continuing, "Thor? As in the Ancient god of Thunder? He's an alien?"
"He's a nice man," said Neelix, "although I have to say that the Asgard food is pretty tasteless."
"Asgard?" asked Paris while Tuvok remained stoic; with Willow being impressed at the level of his emotional control.
"You'll all be able to meet them soon," said Willow before turning back to Janeway, "I've already checked-in on your friend, and she's doing fine. Her new body's going be ready in less than twenty-four hours. And in the meantime, you are…"
"General," said Janeway before taking in a deep breath. It was a topic that she wasn't sure how to broach, it was the elephant in the room… but it was something that she couldn't pretend not to have heard, "is it true that the Tau'ri were responsible for the Goa'uld genocide?"
Willow looked at Janeway before glancing over at Cordelia who closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Jon had already notified them, while traveling through hyperspace earlier, about what the Captain had told him about the Vulcan High Command having rumours about the Goa'uld destruction in the Milky Way galaxy. She and Cordelia had been expecting this question ever since, it was the reason for the white lies... the cover stories about who the Tau'ri really were.
"I think we have to come up with a cover story," Cordelia remembered Willow saying while she, Faith, and several others were in the briefing room hours ago, "since it's every likely, if the Federation is anything like in the shows, that they would judge us despite doing what we had to do."
Back on the bridge, Willow nodded her head at Janeway.
"Yes, we destroyed them all," admitted Willow while Chakotay looked over at Tuvok, and Janeway had her eyes wide opened at Willow. There was a part of her that was hopeful that the rumours of genocide were false, but having it confirmed shook her to her very core. As she looked at the expressionless Willow, Janeway had to wonder if the Federation should open any form of diplomatic negotiations with those who openly claim to have committed an act of genocide.
"The Goa'uld were enslaving races all over the galaxy," said Willow, "and when we gained space-flight, we fought them for the freedom of the entire galaxy. I know that many people weren't touched by the horrors of the Goa'uld and their Jaffa, their personal soldiers who they enslaved as well. We gained allies, including a race that was at war with them over ten thousand years ago… one of the oldest in three galaxies; the Asgard.
"The people helping Seven?" asked the Doctor.
"Yes," Willow nodded her head, "the Goa'uld left some worlds alone, and they enslaved other worlds. So we went on a mission to free those slaves. One of the Jaffa joined us so that he could help free his people, and eventually the Jaffa rose up as well, and we beat back the System Lords and their forces. Eventually we destroyed all of their known hideouts, space stations, and bases… including the Goa'uld symbiote home world."
"How many have your people killed?" asked Chakotay.
"Billions of symbiotes, thousands of Jaffa, and a majority of the remaining minor System Lords," said Willow coldly, "they couldn't be negotiated with, believe me… we tried. We were betrayed at every step. And they weren't the only ones we destroyed."
"We destroyed a replicator invasion of the Milky Way," said Cordelia, "we had to beat back a race of religious extremists from another galaxy, and then there's the Wraith."
"The Wraith are…."
"The Superhive ship that we destroyed in the Milky Way was the last," said Willow, "there are no more. And if you want me to apologize for destroying a race of monsters that literally would suck the life right out of you… well, that's not happening."
"I cannot believe this," said Janeway glaring at Willow, "we aided in the genocide of a race?"
"What would you tell the survivors of a culling…. Twenty men, women, and children out of a population of two thousand who watched their families either taken away or had their bodies desiccated into a dry husk," said Cordelia, "I've seen the village, I've seen children calling out for their mothers and fathers while bothers were screaming over the bodies of their sisters. The Milky Way is safe… Pegasus is safe…"
"Maybe there could have been a way to negotiate a treaty, or.." said Paris, who was in disbelief.
"A treaty would involve the Wraith keeping their end of a bargain," said Willow turning to Paris, "my people offered a truce… a ceasefire years ago. We travelled with our most powerful warships on a mission of peace, but they killed everyone through sheer numbers. We destroyed four Hiveship, and they'd return with fifty. Fourteen thousand lives were lost that day. That was the massacre that united the people in this galaxy, and we combined out forces to fight the Wraith using different tactics that they would never expect"
"Until they were all dead," said the Doctor.
"There is some logic in what the Tau'ri have done, Captain," said Tuvok as Janeway turned towards the Vulcan in surprise.
"Tuvok?"
"This is assuming that the Wraith are as great of a threat as the General seems to indicate," he continued, "from what I have heard, the Wraith are a race that feeds on human beings, which implies that they treat any living beings as if they were any other source of food. They would let the humans reproduce, and then build their populations to a certain number before feeding. In return, the humans would live in terror of when the Wraith would return."
"And with the Wraith reaching the Milky Way…." Said Chakotay.
"They had the coordinates for Earth," said Willow, "seven billion souls to feed on… can you imagine the horror if they began growing new ships and spreading like a cancer. No one would have been safe… not even the Borg."
"Once I get my crewman back, General," said Janeway, her eyes filled with anger, "I want my ship towed to the Alpha quadrant. I will not have us stay with a people who would so easily justify the genocide of an entire race; entire races of living beings. On Earth, we had a period of time… a world war where a madman justified the near genocide of a group of people just because he believed they were subhuman… he murdered millions before he died, and his reign was finished. We may not have been able to stop you… but I will not allow my people to remain here one moment longer than we have to."
The Captain then turned to Chakotay and told him to have B'Ellana and her Engineering teams begging their repairs on the Warp Core. That once they were taken to the edge of the Sol system, they were to travel at their own speed for home.
"If that's what you really want," said Cordelia nodding her head, "it's your choice."
"Ops," said Willow as she pressed her ear piece. A channel was then opened to the Prometheus Station, "beam out myself and President Chase."
Willow gave the Captain a small smile before she and Cordelia vanished in bright flashes of white light. The Captain shook her head while rubbing her forehead as she recalled what she had told a General, no less, in an uncharacteristic fit of anger at how flippant Willow and Cordelia seemed about having killed off entire races.
And that she and her crew played a part.
"Captain," said Chakotay glancing at her while she placed her hands over her mouth. She then put down her arms and took in a deep breath, before placing her hands on her hips.
"I.. I'll be in my ready room," she whispered before turning and walking away. Chakotay and Tuvok were the only ones on the bridge left looking at each other for a second before the ship's First Officer contacted B'Ellana and ordered her to begin work on the Warp Core repairs. HE then turned to the Doctor, and ordered him to contact Atlantis, and have them send coordinates to where Seven was being examined.. he wanted the Hologram to make sure that she was doing alright.
"Understood," said Chakotay before the Doctor walk out of the bride. Once he and Tuvok were alone, Chakotay nodded at the door leading to the Captain's ready room. The two of them walked to the door, and pressed the button that notified the Captain that she had company. Upon hearing the Captain say, 'come' Chakotay pressed the same button and the door slid open. The two of them walked in, the door closing behind them, to find Janeway looking out the viewports of her ready room at the spires in the distance.
"Atlantis," she whispered while Tuvok and Chakotay stood side by side. Janeway looked over her shoulder, and then sighed before turning around and taking a seat on her couch, "Tuvok, what else does the High Command say about the Tau'ri?"
"Our information is not at all extensive, Captain," said Tuvok, "I have already told you what I know; however, I believe that we have not been given all available information."
"I think they're hiding something too, Captain," said Chakotay nodding his head.
Janeway leaned forward before signing an agreement to her two officers. She told them that it was the fact that the Tau'ri admitted responsibility so nonchalantly for committing at least three acts of genocide that had gotten her riled up. Chakotay then added that it would take some time to repair the Warp Core and all of the damaged components, and that it would be best if the crew went on some shore leave.
"I'm not saying we forget what the General told us," said Chakotay, "but it would give the crew some breathing space. I'd think that most they, and us, are tired of taking in this artificial air. It would be nice to smell the ocean… and some fresh air."
"And it would give us a chance to discreetly gather information from the Tau'ri citizens on Atlantis," Tuvok said.
"If this really is Atlantis," added Janeway.
"If it is Captain," added Chakotay, "then this is the single greatest find in our history. A race of humans living in the Pegasus galaxy on a mythical city, and…"
"Hold on," said Janeway as she recalled what Willow and Cordelia had told her, "this city was found on their homeworld in the Milky Way, so how did it get here in Pegasus?"
"It's a ship," Chakotay said excitedly.
"I think I should meet with the General once again, and apologize," said Janeway before getting up to her feet, "Chakotay, inform the crew that they'll be able to spend time off the ship. But I'd like you to rotate the leave, I want security personnel and crew here to continue with repairs while the others are on leave."
"Aye, Captain," answered Chakotay nodding his head.
"Tuvok," said Janeway, "meet with the Doctor and Neelix, I'd like for you to accompany them to see Seven."
"Understood, Captain," said Tuvok.
"We'll begin shore leave in three hours, Commander," said Janeway at Chakotay, who nodded his head, "dismissed."
"And Captain," asked Chakotay, "do you still want us to leave once Seven has fully recovered."
"I haven't changed my opinion, Chakotay," answered the Captain, "I still want us to leave once she's recovered. In the meantime, find out all you can about the Tau'ri, and the city."
"Aye, Captain," nodded Chakotay before he and Tuvok left the Ready Room, and Janeway sighed before turning around to look at the spires that rose towards the sky.
Atlantis Gateroom, a few minutes ago.
It had been hours since Lisa received word that her ship, the Persephone, arrived into Lantea's orbit and the crew were given shore leave as a sign of thanks for a job well done. The Wraith threat was over, and the whole city felt like it was in a celebratory mood with rumours coming in from the mainland that celebrations were going to be held complete with fireworks.
While everyone was going back home to their families in Atlantis and on the mainland, Lisa was standing at the Gateroom watching the blue even horizon of an open wormhole. A wide smile soon appeared on her face as Xander, his hair already showing signs of greyness walked through the event horizon arm in arm with his wife. Buffy let go of Xander and rushed to her daughter who was giggling as she hugged her, picked her up off the ground, and spun her around while two more people walked through the event horizon. The Gate then shut down as Buffy put her daughter down, and continued to hug her tightly.
"Congratulations, Lisa," whispered Buffy, whose hair was still as bright as when she first became the Slayer on Earth hundreds of years ago, "our hero."
"There were others too, mom," said Lisa as she whispered into her ear while reaching out with her arm as a blonde-haired man, and a dark-haired woman walked towards them after passing Xander. The two of them hugged Lisa after Buffy let her go, the Slayer looking at the central stairs as Faith and Dawn rushed down.
"Buffy!" Dawn exclaimed as she hugged her sister while Faith hugged Xander, welcoming them back to Atlantis.
"Hey Xan-man," said Faith gently punching Xander's arm before going onto hug Buffy. She then turned to the young man and hugged him while Dawn hugged the girl.
"Aunt Dawn, Aunt Faith," said Brendan and Sarah, Buffy and Xander's two older children, as they pulled back before placing their arms around Lisa's shoulders.
"Where's Rose and Jay?" asked Dawn as she placed her arm around Buffy's shoulder while the group headed off down some stairs. Xander said that Jay and Rose, Joyce's two other children from her marriage to Jayden of the planet Edina, was going to be coming later on.
"They're waiting for their babysitters," said Sarah before continuing, "and where's our cousin? Where's the little cutie pie?"
"Yeah, Dawnie," asked Buffy as she nudged her sister's arm, "where is my nephew?"
"He's with Jon in the mainland," said Dawn, "he's on a play-date, he'll be in here in time for the party."
"Hey," said Xander leaning in towards Faith as they reached a transporter. The group piled in while Xander asked if it was true that Voyager was really parked on one of Atlantis' piers. Dawn nodded her head while Xander's eyes went wide open while she said that she had already met Neelix.
"I talked to Picard," grinned Lisa as Buffy chuckled while Xander snapped his head at his youngest daughter, "he has the accent and…"
"You saw the Enterprise?" asked Xander excitedly.
"Uh huh," grinned Lisa as bright light enveloped them, and then when it faded, the door opened into a hallway. The group exited into the hallway while Xander whined at not having been able to see the Enterprise while Lisa and her sibling's chuckled. Buffy shook her head while holding on tight of his hand. Eventually, the group reached a set of doors where Faith swept her hand over a panel. The doors slid open into the large quarters she shared with Willow, and the group walked in.
Tonight, Willow, Faith, Buffy, and their closest friends were going to celebrate. There was finally going to be peace in the galaxy; and now resources could be shifted to exploring Pegasus, completion of the new ship that would meet with the Destiny, and expanding their current colonies in the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies.
TBC.