Voyager, 0650 hours.
It was only ten minutes earlier that Voyager, specifically the Doctor, was contacted by Cassie in regards to Seven having regained consciousness. Before leaving the previous day after having examined Seven, the Doctor gave Cassie the frequency for the Medical Hologram channel on Voyager so that he could be kept apprised of the situation with Seven. After Cassie notified him that Seven was waking up, and that she was on the way to see her, the Doctor pressed his comm-badge and asked Captain Janeway to meet him in Sickbay. It would be twenty minutes after talking with Janeway, that it was agreed that the Doctor would be sent with Tuvok to re-examine Seven. Once she was cleared to travel, a request would be made for the Tau'ri to send Voyager back to the Milky Way.
As for the ship herself, it was thanks to the work put in by B'Ellana and her engineering teams, together with Harry, that the impulse engines were restored to a little over ninety percent efficiency. However, the warp drive was more damaged than previously thought. B'Ellana told the Captain that repairs for a fully efficient warp drive would take anywhere between two to three months; faster if they could get help from the Tau'ri and use of their energy-matter converters. For now, though, the best that B'Ellana could give the Captain was Warp Three. There was another issue that the senior staff had to contend with, and it was something that even Neelix and Chakotay agreed.
They thought it best that they be brought to one of the outlying Star-bases instead of to one of the homeworld of one of Federation's most important members. Instead of Earth, the crew had discussed the possibility of Voyager being brought back to Deep Space Nine. From there, the crew could begin repairs while Janeway reported to Starfleet. Janeway was aware of Willow and Cordelia telling them that the Tau'ri did visit Earth before; but discovering that their hosts were in reality Augments made her decide to have them bring Voyager to Deep Space-Nine instead.
It would be just after talking to the Doctor that Janeway received a message over her Comm-badge from Tuvok. He said that Willow wanted to talk to her over a secure channel. The Captain took in a deep breath while the Doctor suggested that she use his office to receive the redhead's call. The Captain ordered the Doctor to get his instruments ready while walking into his office. She then sat down and asked Tuvok to transfer the call from Willow to the Doctor's office while she opened a screen on top of the desk in front of her.
Just as she did, Willow's face appeared on the screen with the redhead nodding at the Captain.
"Captain," said Willow looking at the holographic HUD that popped up over a table in her bedroom, where she was seated with a large balcony behind her, "I just received news from Dr. Fraiser that your friend has regained consciousness. I take it you'll be sending the Doctor over to check on her."
"Yes, General," said Janeway in a professional tone of voice hiding the fact that her body was feeling cold from fear in regards to the woman being a possible Augment, "with your permission, I'd like to send my head of security, and two of his security personnel to accompany her back to Voyager."
"Of course," said Willow nodding her head while Faith sat up and yawned on the bed. The HUD was facing away from the rest of Willow and Faith's bedroom; however Faith could see who her wife was talking to… even if Janeway couldn't see her, "and Captain, I apologize for not being that great of a host. To make up for it, I would like for you and your senior staff to join us for breakfast."
"I... with all due respect, General," said Janeway who was slightly taken aback, "I would prefer getting Seven back, and then we'll go on our way to one of our outlying bases with your people's help."
"There's no mistaking the fact we'll get you folks home," said Willow wondering why Janeway didn't want to be sent directly to Earth while the Doctor walked into his office and stood to one side, "but I would guess you'd like to make sure that everything is alright with your colleague before we take you home.. or rather to this base of yours."
Janeway glanced over at the Doctor who nodded his head before saying that he'll need to get access to everything they did to create Seven's new body. He explained, so that Willow could hear as well, that he would need to know what he would have to do in the event Seven's body showed signs of deteriorating. Janeway looked at the Doctor, who looked sheepishly back at her before saying that they needed to take all precautions against any possible problems. Janeway knew this would be a slight setback in regards to leaving as soon as possible; a part of her was pushing for her to leave, but there was another part that was telling her that this was concerning the wellbeing of one of her crew, and she wanted to make sure that Seven would be safe and sound. So Janeway pushed down her fear of the Augments, and nodded her head.
"Good," said Willow, "I take it you prefer coffee?"
"Coffee?" asked Janeway her eyes narrowed at Willow, "how do you know about coffee?"
"We visited Earth before, Captain, remember?" said Willow, "my people really liked coffee. So much so we grow coffee, and even tea on a few of our colonies. You'll find we have a lot of things that are similar to your people, Captain. So... breakfast after you meet with your crewmember? Or we could just meet you in her room. And go on from there"
"The Doctor will take his team to perform an examination of Seven," said the Captain nodding her head while changing her mind to bring her entire Senior staff with, "and I'll bring my senior staff with me."
"Captain," said Willow nodding her head while continuing to speak, "the rest of crew is welcome to spend some time in the city before you get back. I mean, they didn't spend that much time; especially since I heard they had to return to your ship urgently."
"A few crewmembers fell ill," lied Janeway while she watched Willow raising an eyebrow, "I feared that we would spread this bout of, what we call the common cold, to your population. So, I ordered a return to the ship where the crew members have been quarantined."
"Oh?" asked Willow with concern in her voice, "are they alright? I mean the members of your crew who were sick?"
"Yes," said the Captain nodding her head, "the Doctor's given them some medication. They are resting right now."
"Well, I wish them a speedy recovery," Willow said while Faith was standing across form Willow, out of view of Janeway, "but you didn't have to worry about us. The city is capable of detecting foreign diseases and contaminants, Captain. If there's a dangerous viral outbreak, the city would go into automatic lock-down."
"I see," said Janeway nodding her head.
"Captain," Willow added while Faith headed for their washroom. The dark-haired Slayer was in a robe as she headed for the shower. She looked back over her shoulder at Willow who was seated behind a table, leaning forward while her arms on the surface and talking to Janeway on the holographic HUD. The redhead continued talking to Janeway, while looking through the image of the Starfleet Captain, at Faith turning around and slowly taking off her robe at the entrance to the shower. Willow's concentration returned to Janeway after Faith removed her robe and entered the shower. The redhead then pushed herself off her seat while continuing, "I know you've been scanning the City. And we didn't complain; all I'm asking in return is that you and your senior staff join me and a few of my senior staff for breakfast. Then once everything is set with your friend, I'll have the Persephone tow your ship back to the Milky Way. Agreed?"
"Agreed," said the Captain with a bit of hesitancy in her voice as Willow cut the connection before she took off her clothes and headed into the shower with Faith. Janeway leaned back on the doctor's seat while the Hologram was standing with his arms by his side. She knew that if the Tau'ri were on an equal technological footing with the Federation, there was every chance that their scans would be detected by Atlantis. What she didn't expect was that the Tau'ri would allow them to continue scanning the city without asking why Voyage was conducting a scan. She stood up and walked around the doctor's table while thinking of two possible scenarios; one was that the Tau'ri didn't care if they were being scanned; and that made Janeway both worried and curious since it meant that the Tau'ri had technology which they knew the Federation couldn't fully develop or understand. At least not yet.
"Doctor," said Janeway while she felt another weight falling on her shoulders, "the senior staff will be accompanying you to visit Seven. Once you've overseen her medical examination, bring her back to Voyager."
"Understood, Captain," said the Doctor, "umm… Captain, I know this may not be my place, what if we're wrong about these people. My medical tricorder only scanned Dr. Howe-Fraiser, and that was only by accident. Even with the ship's sensors discovering Borg nanites in over seventy percent of the city's population, I do not believe these people could be dangerous."
"I know," said Janeway as she rubbed her forehead in frustration before looking up at the doctor and putting her hands on her hips, "I'm a Starfleet officer, and my mandate is to explore strange new worlds and discover new civilizations. And we've met an advanced humanoid civilization in the Pegasus galaxy, a place that's just ripe for exploring. Imagine, Doctor… new worlds and species we haven't even heard of in a city that's named after one of Earth's greatest myths."
"A myth that the Tau'ri themselves claim to have spread on Earth during their many visitations," the Doctor reminded Janeway who nodded her head.
"But it is the fact that we have at least one Augment that is worrying," said the Captain, "one Augment is enough to kill the crew of an entire ship. I do not want to take that chance."
The Doctor understood Janeway's position as she walked past him while ordering Tuvok and the rest of the senior staff to meet her and the doctor in transporter room one..
Atlantis Infirmary Suites, Central Tower, Room One, 0740 hours.
Seven was lying on her bed while Cassie was looking at the screen on her tablet. The tablet, wirelessly connected to the bed, was able to give her every single bit of information in regards to Seven's health. She told the former Borg Drone that her blood pressure and heart rate were fine, that all nanites were purged from her body, and that her brain's pathways were working at an optimum level. Seven looked at Cassie who smiled at her before re-assuring her that she was going to be just fine, and that she'll still have access to the knowledge and memories of those the Borg had assimilated.
"We have several people in the city who can help devise a series of meditation techniques to help you come to terms with your new situation in terms of your mental health," said Cassie as she placed the tablet on a table and walked towards Seven's bed. Cassie then leaned down and helped Seven, who was now wearing a dark blue jumper that had the Stargate symbol for Earth etched on top of her left breast, up into a sitting position.
"Enough of me telling you how you should be feeling," said Cassie as she put her hands into her pockets and stepped back, "I'd like to know how you feel."
"I.. I do not know what to think," said Seven as she looked away and stared at her surroundings before looking back at Cassie, "everything feels different. I.. I feel human."
"That's the point," smiled Cassie, "but then again, you're one of two unique humans of your type that I know. Meaning, you're the second… wait, make it third clone I know. And the second to go through intense genetic engineering."
Seven nodded her head as she recalled Cassie telling her, twenty minutes ago, of someone she knew having gone through a much more extensive procedure. But Seven didn't want to know more about the second person, at least for now; not while she was still trying to get used to her new body. She closed her eyes and thought about equations for calculating a warp field, and a tingle went up her spine when she realized that she could recall that information as if she had just studied up on it a few minutes ago. She started thinking about more advanced calculations, and found that she was still able to do them in her head. However, the more she recalled information and knowledge hidden in her brain, the more of a throbbing pain she received at the side of her head.
Seven started to rub her temples while telling Cassie that she was experiencing discomfort. Cassie frowned and immediately picked up the tablet again. She took out the probe on the top of the tablet and held it over Seven's head. Cassie looked at the screen, and then at Seven who still rubbing the sides of her head while groaning.
"Seven," said Cassie as the younger woman looked up at her through squinted eyes while Cassie placed the probe back on its holder, "you're using more of your brain than any normal human. From what I understand, your implants used to regulate all of the excess impulses going through your brain, but right now… your body is creating new synaptic pathways to handle the load."
"This.. this was expected?" asked Seven.
"It was," replied Cassie as she walked to a corner of the room and pressed a button. She then walked over to Seven and told her that she would give her something to handle the pain, "but it'll be gone in about three hours. The more things you recall, the more your brain will get used to the information."
"The.. the woman you talked about. This happened to her?" asked Seven.
"Yes," said Cassie as she recalled hearing from Dawn the day Willow returned from Moro's lab. It was the day she discovered she was Athena; the day that Moros unlocked all of the redhead's ascended memories, it was the same day that he transferred his consciousness to Daniel. With Willow's mind burning, despite the cloned and advanced body, she was put into an unconscious state so that her mind could learn to handle all of the new information; all ten thousand years of her own memories, including that of her ascension, but without any of the knowledge. Cassie didn't reveal this to Seven, all she said was that her friend's pain was gone within a day.
It was then that Seven saw Cassie turn towards the sliding door behind her, and a young man of medium height wearing a long-tanned uniform walked into the room holding a small tray. Seven looked at the young man and immediately noticed the dark yellow pupils set against black iris'. She watched as Cassie thanked the young man while wearing some gloves before reaching into the tray and picking up what looked like a small, light-brown, bandage.
"Thank you, Eliam," said Cassie as the young man nodded his head. Seven watched Cassie peel the rear of the bandage while she introduced Eliam as an intern under her tutelage, and asked if he could place the plaster on the side of her neck. Seven looked at the plaster and then at Eliam before turning towards Cassie. She asked the doctor what she intended to do, and nodded her head while Cassie explaining that the plaster contained a time released pain relief solution that would last for twelve hours, at which time the patch would be absorbed into her skin. Eliam placed the patch on the side of her neck before stepping back. He then thanked Seven before turning to Cassie who asked him to meet her at three in the afternoon. Nodding his head, Eliam then left the room while Cassie turned back to Seven.
"I've already conducted a full genetic scan of your body," said Cassie, "and we've made sure that the patch wont adversely affect you in any way."
"You must provide the Doctor with any and all information on this new body," said Seven.
"I'll have a report sent to him, and I'll hand another copy that could be uploaded directly into his program," said Cassie.
"I will be able to assist him," said Seven staring at Cassie.
"Before you do," the doctor said, "you have to relax for a day, at least. It's all so that your mind gets used to the new memories and knowledge. Basically, I suggest some sleep."
"Sleep," Seven whispered looking away, "I will have to talk to Captain Janeway. I suppose I will require some quarters on the ship. And.. and then there is the debriefing in Starfleet when your people returns Voyager to the Alpha quadrant, and… and there is so many…"
"Calm down," said Cassie chuckling with Seven looking back at her, "just take it slow. Oh, I should also let you know, and I'll inform the Doctor as well, that the changes we've made to your body have a genetic lock. No one will be able to clone you, nor would they be able to perform experiments on your body in the search for how we did what we did. Only the Asgard are capable of unlocking your body's genetic code."
Cassie assured her that the doctors would be able to treat her for illnesses, or perform any genetic therapies, up to major surgery. The lock would only prevent her body from being cloned, and would prevent forms of experimentation done on her genetic code.
IT was just then that there was a gasp from behind Cassie. The doctor turned around, the young woman not having noticed Captain Janeway and the others standing at the doorway. They were gaping at Seven, who looked back at them before giving a small smile and nodding her head. The former drone was still seated on the bed as the Doctor approached Cassie. The two medical professionals then went off to one side and approached a screen where Cassie pressed some buttons before an outline of Seven's body appeared on screen.
In the meantime, though, Captain Janeway placed her hand on Seven's shoulder and smiled. She was then surrounded by a surprised senior staff, with B'Ellana patting her shoulder and welcoming her back
"How are you, Seven?" asked the Captain while Chakotay and the others looked at the young woman as Neelix patted her shoulder. Seven smiled at Neelix before telling Captain Janeway about the headache and what Cassie had told her while Tuvok glanced over at Cassie who was nodding her head at the Doctor. Tuvok then looked back at Seven and said that he felt Seven looked well, and that this was a new experience for her; a brand-new life.
"It is," added Chakotay as Seven nodded her head at him before looking at a concerned Janeway who looked as if she was about to ask a question.
"I…," Seven was about to interrupt Janeway, but suddenly stopped talking and looked over Janeway's shoulder when the door to her room slid open and a red haired woman walked in, followed by a dark haired woman, and then an older, grey haired gentleman with a cane in his left hand, and another grey haired man who already had a bald spot on his head. Next to him was a dark skinned man who was wearing grey robes and had a gold symbol on his forehead. However, it was the woman with the faded blonde hair who made Seven's heart start racing.
And it showed on the screen behind her.
"Seven?" asked Janeway as the former drone's eyes went wide open while the blonde looked at her confused. Willow was standing next to the blonde woman when she felt fear and anxiety coming off Seven, the emotions were so strong that it fell like a bag of bricks falling on her.
"I…. I…" said Seven as she recalled the images she had seen while Oberoth's hand was in her mind, "how… how…."
Seven's thoughts were so 'loud' that Willow was able to hear and see what was happening from Seven's perspective. The former drone was holding onto Captain Janeway's arm while the Starfleet personnel turned to the newcomers. Cassie and the Doctor dashed to Seven and ordered everyone back while the both of them lay her down as fear permeated Seven's body, making her heart race faster than any normal human.
Willow knew what was going on and dashed to Cassie's side looking down at Seven who was staring at the confused blonde. Willow looked up at the blonde, retired General Sam Carter, and then back at Seven.
"Annika," said Willow as Janeway stared at the redhead. She knew that no one, not even herself, gave anyone on Atlantis Seven's real name; and Seven herself knew this as well as she turned her head while panting, and stared at Willow, "Annika, my name is General Willow Rosenberg, I…"
"General," said the Doctor, "I need you to step back so that Dr. Fraiser and I can…"
"Cassie," said Willow looking at the younger redhead, "give me one minute."
"Her heart rate is off the scale, Willow," said a concerned Cassie before telling the Doctor to press the button on the wall. Instead of listening, the doctor lay the case he was carrying on a table and took out a hypo-spray. He was about to administer a sedative when Willow grabbed his hand and asked him to give her a minute.
"This isn't what you think," said Willow before she looked back at Seven and whispered, "you have nothing to fear, Annika. I see what you see…"
Seven's eyes went wide as she recalled Oberoth putting his hand into her head, the loss of control over her nanites, and then the sight of the blonde woman, followed by the energy wave that swept the Milky Way.
"Voyager," said Janeway pressing her comm-badge while Tuvok looked at Willow. In the meantime, the dark-haired woman, Faith, told Janeway to hold off calling for a beam out. She said that Willow was "one of the most powerful of her kind" and that she knew what she was doing. Janeway looked at Faith confused and asked what she meant by that while Willow looked back up at Tuvok. The Vulcan suddenly heard her voice in his head.
Willow: "Lt. Commander, I apologize for not telling you and your crew about this earlier. But I am a skilled psionic and empath. I know what's wrong with your crewmate. She's experiencing true fear and anxiety for the first time, and she needs to learn how to overcome these fears on her own without medication if she's going to survive he new life. And the first step is to understand the fear and why it's there, and then to overcome it. Let me help her."
"Captain," said Tuvok before Janeway could order that Voyager beam out the Doctor and Seven, "I understand your concern for Seven's wellbeing, but I believe that the General is best suited to help her."
Before Janeway could answer, Willow gently leaned forward with one hand gripping Seven's left hand, and asked her to tell her what she saw when she was connected to Oberoth.
"How.. how…" asked Seven as her heart raced even further.
"General…. Captain?" asked the Doctor as he found himself unable to move while looking at Janeway who placed her hand on the phaser on her hip. Faith grabbed Janeway's hand while Kim, Paris, and Tuvok placed their hands on the butts of their phasers. However, it was Daniel who said that no-one in the room meant anyone any harm.
"Just let Willow do what she's doing," said the Grey-haired man with the cane, retired General Jack O'Neill.
"Willow?" asked General Carter.
"She saw you, Sam," said Willow as she looked up at General Carter, "or your double. Replicarter."
The name sent a shiver up the spines of all the Atlantis personnel in the room. They remembered how evil the human-from replicator used to be, and what she had almost done if not for the timely intervention of one of the the Tau'ri's worst enemy, Ba'al.
"Replicarter?" asked Janeway as she looked at the frowning Sam who was looking straight at Seven. She wondered how it was that Seven knew about her double, and was pleasantly surprised when Willow also mentioned the fact that somehow Seven had seen the anti-replicator wave that spread throughout the galaxy through every single open Stargate. Willow then asked Seven if she could show her what really happened.
"Show her?" asked Janeway as Faith slowly took her hands off Janeway's while telling everyone to take it easy; that she understood they were only trying to protect their friend.
"Just watch," said Faith as she looked back at Willow. Through the physic link they shared, Faith sensed her wife activating her telepathy, and touching Seven's mind.
"Because I was there," said Willow as she joined with Seven's mind and showed her the final battle against the Replicator threat on Dakara. Seven found herself in her skin-tight purple uniform as she stood next to Willow. The blonde former drone asked Willow where it was they were, with Willow explaining that they were fighting to save the galaxy. Willow placed a hand on Seven's shoulder as they watched a memory of the redhead and Faith, together with a few Jaffa shooting and destroying hundreds of bug-type replicators. Walking past the roar of gunfire, Willow brought Seven to a room where there was a bald man looking at a laptop computer smirking at a hologram of an over-dressed man. However, Seven stared at the blonde woman in uniform standing next to the bald man, and she was pushing down columns on a pedestal-like device.
"That's the real Colonel Samantha Carter," said Willow as she looked at the memory of her friend, "the one in your mind is this woman."
Willow changed their surroundings to a lab where there was equipment strewn on the floor. Seven watched as a memory of Willow shot Replicarter in the face with a shotgun after she flung the real Colonel Carter to one side. The former drone watched as Replicarter, wearing the same black suit, grabbed Willow, turned her around and literally stabbed her through the back and the chest after changing her arm into a blade. Seven looked on stunned at the unconscious Colonel Carter, and then at Willow, who fell onto the ground and lost consciousness.
"There were two Sam Carter's," said Willow as she and Seven stood in a brightly lit room, "the human-form replicator is destroyed. What you saw? The Energy wave? It's a powerful weapon built by an ancient race of beings. We joined forces with one of our greatest enemies and activated all the Stargates, and then activated the device. It destroyed every single replicator that followed Replicarter into the Milky Way. That's what you saw."
"I… I saw you die," said Seven when she thought back to the blade going through Willow's heart, "how are you alive?"
"My body is almost like yours," said Willow as the two faced each other while surrounded by white light. Seven arched an eyebrow at the redhead and asked if she was the one Cassie was talking about earlier that day. Willow nodded her head before saying that a powerful Goa'uld once took over her body. Willow could see the confusion on Seven's face, but she didn't want to show the former drone her memories. So Willow told Seven that she'll tell her about the Goa'uld at another time, "or, as I'm probably sure, Captain Janeway would be briefing you on the Goa'uld. And what we did."
"What you did?" asked Seven.
"All you need to know is that a Goa'uld learned how to shed his mortal body and become a being of pure energy. To make a long story short, he was kicked out of the higher planes by other beings like him since he was evil." Willow then went on to say that he tried to invade her homeworld, but he was defeated, "but since he's an energy being, he couldn't be destroyed. So he possessed my body."
Willow placed her hands behind her back and took a step towards Seven as their surroundings changed to a mental projection of a rolling country side. Seven looked around at her surroundings, and then at Willow who told her that the Goa'uld activated latent psychic powers within her. Willow knew she was telling a little white lie, the fact was that she had those powers in a limited fashion even before encountering Anubis' energy form. The fact was that her possession was the catalyst that activated her hidden Ancient powers to their full potential since Anubis was able to use his Ancient knowledge to work Willow's body. The redhead left all that out as she and Seven walked on green grass down a gentle hill.
"My body wasn't ready for those powers," said Willow, "and it started to degrade after he exited my body. I was dying."
"I see," said Seven nodding her head.
"There are a few things that you don't know, that your Captain doesn't know, and the Federation doesn't know," said Willow as she turned and faced Seven once again, "there will come a time where everything will be revealed to your superiors, but for right now all you need to know is that Replicarter is dead."
Seven blinked, and then suddenly found herself back in her room. She was looking up at Willow who nodded at her before looking up at Cassie, and releasing the Doctor from her mental hold. Cassie said that Seven's heart rate was quickly normalizing as the Doctor, surprised at what just happened, held Seven to a sitting position. Cassie then helped turn Seven around while Willow stepped back and then walked around the bed.
"You're a psionic?" asked Janeway who added that Tuvok notified her immediately after she and Seven had gone silent for nearly thirty seconds. Willow nodded her head before apologizing to the Doctor for stopping him. She said that she was holding onto the force fields that contained that photons that he was made of.
"Thirty seconds?" asked Seven confused looking at Willow and then at Janeway.
"Yep," said General O'Neill with his hands in his pocket, "Red here has been using that nifty ability since she joined up with us. Our team been able to communicate with each other instantaneously."
"Captain Janeway," said Willow as she approached the older man, "this is retired General Jack O'Neill, Retired General Samantha Carter, Dr. Faith Lehane, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c of the Free Jaffa Nation."
Captain Janeway nodded at each of them before she introduced herself, and then her senior staff; some of whom were patting Seven on the back and asking if she was feeling better. Seven nodded her head before everyone turned to Willow.
"Before we continue," said the Doctor while he was running a medical probe from his tricorder over Seven's body, "I believe it would be appropriate to ask if Seven would still like to be called… well, Seven. Given that she is fully human, albeit one who is continuing to build on her existing neural pathways to accommodate what could amount to terraquads of information."
"I believe I will make a decision on my designation at another time," said Seven.
"General Carter," said Willow nodding her head at Seven before turning towards the light blonde haired woman, "when Oberoth accessed her mind, somehow she was able to see Replicarter making a speech; something about taking over the Milky Way after talking to Daniel."
"That's amazing," said Daniel.
"You are that Daniel Jackson?" asked Seven. Daniel nodded his head just as Chakotay placed his hands on his waist and narrowed his eyebrows. Janeway, noticing the confused look on her first officer's face, asked him if he was feeling alright.
"There was an archaeologist in early twentieth century Earth named Daniel Jackson," said Chakotay while Daniela and Willow looked at each other. The both of them hadn't expected this development, especially given the fact that a computer virus was supposed to have wiped out any and all names of personnel who belonged to Stargate Command, Homeworld Security, and several other agencies responsible for off-world activities. Faith sighed while Chakotay explained this author had been the laughing stock of the archaeological community, "I came upon a copy in the United Earth archives in Chicago. There weren't a lot left after the war, but I found a copy that lost a few pages."
"I see," said Daniel, "I'm sure there are many Daniel Jackson's throughout the galaxy."
"Anyway," said Willow changing the subject quickly, "while we were in Seven's mind, I also saw the anti-replicator energy burst that covered the Milky Way."
Before Janeway and the others Starfleet officers could ask, General Carter told them about the replicator invasion of the Milky Way. She talked about Replicarter and the final battle on Dakara. Janeway listened and wondered why none of this was mentioned by any of the other races in the Federation, 'surely they must have encountered these Replicators as well. When we return to the Alpha Quadrant, we need to verify these stories somehow.'
Willow then went on to tell the General about the breakup of the ships at the edge of the galaxy. She said that the nanites fell on a planet, and then took over organic life on the world and spread like a disease.
"They were replicating," said General Carter in surprise, "Willow, so the anti-replicator weapon worked on Seven because the nanocells in her blood regulating her body were really Replicator nanocells?"
"The Borg are descendants of the Replicators?" asked Faith. "then why haven't they attacked the advanced races in the Milky Way?"
Daniel and Teal'c explained to the Starfleet personnel that the Replicators would attack the more advanced races in any galaxy before moving on to the less developed races. They would assimilate their technology and destroy biological life before moving on to the next civilization until only they existed. However, this time, the Replicators didn't continue onto the advanced civilizations.
Trying to wrap her mind around the possibility that there was a lot she still didn't understand about the Tau'ri and their battles against enemies she hadn't even heard of, Janeway offered a possible explanation. She said that based on Seven's description of a scream following the destruction of the replicators in the galaxy itself, there were possibly more ships waiting in the outer fringes that were hit by a feedback pulse that interfered with the connections between each nanite. The feedback from the destruction caused the nanites to revert to its most basic programming.
"To replicate," said Chakotay while General Carter said it was a distinct possibility.
"The Replicators were always controlled by a queen," said Teal'c, "and worked as one mind, for one cause. Perhaps that too survived the feedback pulse."
"So when they crashed onto the planet," said Kim nodding his head, "and like Seven explained, they took over the first sign of life. And then they spread out."
"Taking out trillions of lifeforms into their new collective," said Paris in disbelief.
"We can discuss all of this during breakfast," said Willow before turning to Janeway, "and I know you're afraid. I can hear your thoughts and.. well… it's not exactly easy to not listen when you keep on mentally screaming that you need to be careful since we're augments."
"I didn't mean to…" said Janeway. She thought about lying, but the she simply ended up shaking her head before sighing, "yes, that is what I'm thinking. It's no use hiding it since you're a psionic."
"We're not Augments," said Faith who tried to hide her shudder at the thought of the Augment ripping her original arm off her body, "we weren't born in test-tubes in a lab. The majority of us are augmented after the fact… and it was voluntarily done."
"To destroy the Wraith?" asked Paris.
"The Wraith?" asked Seven.
"Before the Persephone takes you guys home," said Willow seeking to assure Janeway that they were indeed going to be taken home. However, she could sense that there was still unease about the Tau'ri being augmented beings… and unease about the genocide of the Goa'uld, Wraith, and now the Replicators. Willow didn't feel that they needed to explain anything else, and the other Atlantis personnel in the room mentally agreed. They believed that a 'show and tell' session was far more effective in showing Starfleet the danger that the Wraith presented, "we'll have some breakfast, and then we'll take you guys to a planet over two thousand light years away."
"There's something you need to see," said General Carter while the Starfleet personnel looked at each other perplexed, "and then maybe you'll see true evil."
Over Cardassia Prime, at that same time.
A tear in space opened up over the Cardassian home world leading to all Jem'hader, Breen and Cardassian ships heading towards the newly formed breach. The Jem'hader notified the female Changeling on the surface in the Cardassian Military Headquarters, where she was planning for the next battle. The Vorta known as Weyoun was by her side, as were the leader of the Breen military, and a few Jem'Hader guards. They were dealing with the beginnings of a rebellion led by Damar and at the same time guiding the Dominion war effort in the Alpha Quadrant when there was word on the sudden appearance of a breach in orbit of Cardassia Prime.
"On screen," said the female Changeling. Once the screen activated, she and the others witnessed a giant ship exiting the breach. Once the breach closed up behind it, the ship was immediately attack by the orbiting vessels. It was all for naught however when the phasers, torpedoes, energy dampening beams, and polaron beams hit a shield several times more powerful than their own. Weyoun was looking at another screen and exclaimed that the strange ship was being powered by something they had never seen before.
"There are no warp drives, or deflectors or…"
Before Weyoun could continue speaking, the Breen spoke in their language and said that there was something wrong. That their weapons weren't having an effect on the shield when suddenly there was a screeching sound in the middle of the room. Everyone then turned, including the female Changeling, and watched a figure shimmer into being while the Jem'Hader raised their weapons at the intruder. The female Changeling ordered everyone to put their weapons down since they were looking at a hologram. She then eyed the man dressed in opulent clothing with a smug look of satisfaction on his face when the new Cardassian Legate rushed in to say that the orbiting ships were destroyed.
"Confirm this, Weyoun," said the Female Changeling calmly while eyeing the newcomer.
"HE is correct," said the surprised Vorta as he looked at another screen, "all ships have been destroyed."
"Have all the other Dominion ships stop attacking this new vessel," said the Changeling as she glared at the newcomer. She stepped forward and locked her jaw before speaking once again, "who are you?"
"We have a common enemy," said the man ignoring her question, "it has been a long time since I placed myself into stasis while my Jaffa continued work on my return. And imagine my surprise when I find that the balance of power in the galaxy has shifted yet again. Once my people ruled this galaxy and now… now it's all a mess."
"I demand to know who you are," said the Changeling.
"I am the one who can give you want you want," said the man, "what want in return, is the home of the Tau'ri. They are the only threat to my return, and to my rule. And once I have taken the Tau'ri homeworld, I will take every single world that belonged to the Goa'uld, and even those that did not."
"We have only just learned of the existence of the Tau'ri," said the female Changeling as she recalled the ship that interfered in the Breen surprise attack against Earth. Once of the Changelings who infiltrated Starfleet informed her of the race of aliens who helped the organization defend the planet. With the element of surprise now gone, the desire to attack Earth directly was gone as well… and so, the Dominion continued with its plans to conquer the Alpha quadrant, "and you say you want their homeworld? Well, if that is all it takes then you can have it. The Alpha quadrant is the greatest danger to the Dominion, so giving up one planet will be a sacrifice worth making."
"You misunderstand, I will take the entire galaxy after their homeworld," said the man while the Changeling looked on, "I know your race is dying, and I have access to technology from one of the four great races that once defended this galaxy. I will help you and your people beat this disease in return for the entire galaxy. You can keep claim over your territory, but you will live under my rule."
Weyoun was about to say something when the hologram interrupted.
"Name a world, I will show you the power I possess if it would make your decision to submit that much easier," said the man as the Changeling grew more furious as she clenched her fist, "you will see that I can be a benevolent god."
"The Founders are the true gods," exclaimed Weyoun.
"Little boy," said the man as his eyes glowed and voice changed to a deep gravelly tone, "I am a god. Name a world, and I will destroy it with the power in my possession. Once I have destroyed that world, you will submit to me."
"Destroy Earth," said the female Changeling, "it is the headquarters of the Federation, and with its downfall.. the other Federation worlds will fall one after another."
"I have other plans for Earth," said the man, "don't worry, Changeling. I have a plan that would enable your soldiers to infiltrate Earth under my banner. They will be augmented by my own troops and when the Tau'ri see that their ancestral homeworld is being attacked… they will come out of hiding and defend it. And then, with this new power in my hands, I will finally destroy them."
"The Tau'ri homeworld?" asked the Changeling with genuine surprise on her face, "Earth?"
"Earth will be the center of my new kingdom," said the man, "and now… name a world so that you shall see my power. Or should it be your own home world, Changeling? Or perhaps the planet below?"
"Bajor," said the new Cardassian Legate as the Changeling turn and was about to yell at him. However, the Cardassian explained that having Bajor destroyed would bring the Cardassians closer to the Dominion; thus smashing a hammer into the fledgling rebellion.
"And I will allow you to keep your territory," said the holographic man, "I am a benevolent god after all. As long as I am not betrayed. You want to keep your territories in order? I am the one who can put down the disorder, and bring genuine peace. I will make your world's great again so that you rule over my possessions."
The Changeling turned back to the newcomer while various thoughts ran through her head. She knew that she and her people were dying of a disease. For all their technology and knowledge, there was still no cure to be found. And while she never heard of the Goa'uld, she did see their power when one ship destroyed twenty Dominion vessels without much of a problem. She knew that all she needed to do was receive the cure, and then spread the cure to her people through the Great Link. Once that was done, the female Changeling was going to make sure the man in front of her paid for this great insult.
'For two thousand years, the Dominion held sway over the Gamma quadrant,' thought the Changeling to herself, 'and now this ingrate dares insult us by claiming goodhood over us; to help us? No, once we have the cure, we will kill him and take his technology. We shall see who lords over who…'
"Very well," said the female Changeling, "show me what you are capable of… and you still have not mentioned your name."
"My name is Ba'al," he said, "and you may call me 'Lord'."
TBC.