Just outside the Milky Way.
Just outside the outer arms of the Milky Way galaxy, space rippled before it tore open in a bright flash of white light. Once the light faded, a hundred and fifty ships of the Pegasus Alliance appeared with the city-ship Atlantis in the middle. On Voyager, still parked on one of the piers, Janeway and several others in the crew leaned forward while trying their best not to throw up at the feeling of having their stomachs stretched and twisted for milliseconds before arriving at their current location.
"I think I'm going to be sick," said Kim as he looked down at his console while trying to keep the lump forming in his throat from travelling upwards. He then shook his head before looking to Tuvok, who was leaning on his arms as they rested on the console in front of him. It was then that Paris, in a muffled voice, called for the Captain while asked her to look out the view screen.
Everyone in the bridge, Kim included, looked up and saw the edge of the Milky Way galaxy laid out in front of them. Seven confirmed, a few seconds later in a tired voice, that they were at the extreme outer edge of one of the galactic arms.
"Seven?" asked Janeway who was worried about her newly human crewmember. The former drone's voice concerned her, and so she asked the doctor to look in on Seven.
"I am fine, Captain," the young woman insisted while the Doctor said that he was on the way. "All hundred and fifty ships are present and accounted for."
"So that's what a space-folding jump drive feels like," groaned Chakotay as he leaned back and looked at Janeway. There was then a beep from the helm before Paris said that they were receiving a message from Atlantis.
"Captain Janeway, stand by for full shield extension," said Dawn as she stood in the shielded Stargate Operations while the Emergency teams were replacing the ZPM's. One of them ooned one of the cases, and opened the cover. Since there was no atmosphere and artificial gravity in the power room, the three ZPM's had to be strapped in to their recesses. The man took out one of the ZPM's while two others held the case down on the pedestal while the fourth one pressed a button at the base that slowly ejected one of the devices. She then took it out and stepped back as the suited man walked over to her location, and placed the ZPM into t he recess, and then pushed it in before continuing towards the other two ZPM's.
"We're ready, Mrs. O'Neill," said Janeway just as the final ZPM was locked, and then gently pushed down into the pedestal in the Power Room. Dawn nodded at one of the technicians, who then pressed a button before the Atlantis shield activated. The Captain and the others saw the orange field form up from the outer piers, covering the entire city before the shield in Stargate Operations and the Chair room were disengaged.
"Tuvok," said Janeway as she stood up and looked out the view screen as several Pegasus Alliance ships went off into hyperspace for their individual assignments, "load torpedoes, and charge phasers. I want us to get into the fight immediately after reaching Earth."
"All weapons are ready," said the Vulcan as Paris turned and told the bridge crew that he was receiving a message from Willow; the fleet heading to Earth was ready to move off.
"ETA, fifteen minutes," he said as Janeway took in a deep breath before nodding her head. She told Paris to send an acknowledgment that they were indeed ready. A few seconds after Paris sent the message, the remaining Pegasus Alliance fleet entered numerous hyperspace Windows on their way to Earth. Now, all Janeway saw was the blue and white Hyperspaces tunnel as she got up and asked Chakotay and Tuvok to join her in her ready room.
"Harry, you have the bridge," the Captain said as Kimm moved away from his operations station, which was quickly taken up by another officer, and headed for the Captain's chair while Janeway, Tuvok, and Chakotay walked into the Ready Room.
Orbit of Pluto, an hour later.
With the doomsday weapon clocked and deposited closed to the Sun, Ba'al was standing by his queen and looking out at the stars and hundreds of ships that were gathered around them in addition to their own. He was surrounded by the Breen and Cardassian ships, all of whom were revelling in the potential downfall of Earth and as such, the beginning of the end for the Federation. However, there was one other thing that was weighing in Ba'al's mind- the fact that the Tau'ri still hasn't arrived to protect their homeworld. He then shook his head before thinking to himself that it didn't matter, that the hour was already up and the Cardassian and Breen ships around them were itching to head to Earth and demand their surrender.
"My queen," Ba'al sad as he looked at the possessed Adria, "you must leave for Earth to the location of their much-vaunted Federation Council. I am certain that they are still deliberating whether to surrender or fight back against us, I want you to ensure that they surrender."
"Of course, my Lord," said Qetesh before she turned and started to walk away. Ba'al looked at her walk away before he turned back to watching the stars out the view port in the bridge.
Qetesh walked through the hallways with her head held high as reflected in her status as Ba'al's queen. She was heading for the hanger bay where she would take an Al'Kesh, and head for the location known as Paris; the seat of government for the Federation Council. The plan was to 'convince' them to surrender; but if she was unsuccessful, Ba'al had told her to eliminate all of the leaders before he and the other ships would begin firing on the Federation vessels.
He and Qetesh knew, from their sensors, that over four hundred other ships were heading for Earth space, and that they would be there within five minutes. According to his sensors, the ships consisted of ships from various races… but there were no Tau'ri. They still hadn't come.
As Qetesh continued to walk past her Jaffa, who stepped aside and bowed their heads in reverence, she could feel Adria pushing back against her control of the body. The Goa'uld symbiote knew it had full control of the body, but the fact that Adria herself, her consciousness, was pushing back was a slight concern. The push back started to get more furious in the past few minutes while waiting for the Tau'ri to arrive.
'You do not get your vengeance, Ori.' Qetesh mentally addressing Adria's consciousness. 'Fight all you want, I have control of your body and mind. I know what you know, and I can do what you can do. Now be a good girl and remain silent.'
Qetesh mentally pushed back Adria into a dark corner of her mind as she entered the Al'Kesh. Qetesh told the Jaffa at the door to close it while she headed for the bridge. Once there, she told the Jaffa to cloak the vessel, and then take them to Earth. "This is the location."
The coordinates that she keyed in was for what was supposed to be a heavily guarded compound in Paris, France. IT was the emergency meeting place for the Federation Council, a back-up location should an attack be launched directly on Starfleet Headquarters. Once the location was locked onto the computer, the Al-Kesh left the hanger bay and pas went past all the ships from the Breen and the Cardassians. As the Al'Kesh opened a Hyperspace window that would take it to the other side of Earth, Qetesh felt pity for the Cardassians and the Breen… once the Federation fell, those two races would be fully subjugated as well.
Deep Space Nine, at that same time.
With the five alien pyramid ships still hanging in space, Captain Sisko and the others in his were watching them while the Security personnel, Starfleet Security, former Bajoran militia, and any civilian with basic training on a phaser were in running battles with the Cardassians who boarded the station only a few minutes ago. Already, there were twelve casualties from the Station personnel while only forty Cardassians fell. However, there were more and more entering the station.
"Computer," said Sisko as he rolled his hands into fists, "activate self-destruct on my command."
"Self-Destruct inoperable," the Computer said in returned with Dax checking her console and saying that the destruction of the Number Three Pylon must have done something to take the self-destruct off-line.
"Captain Sisko," said a voice over the communications system… a voice he recognized from the address earlier just before the destruction of Bajor. The Captain looked at the Major while Legate Broca calmly asked him to surrender the station to the Cardassians while more and more of his men were boarding the station. Many of them were headed for the Control Center and the Habitat Rings; but they were met by resistance. "There had already been too much death. I swear that all the in habitants of the station will be treated well, including the emissary of the Prophets."
"Captain!" yelled Worf over another communication line, "we have been breached, I am pulling our forces back, and…."
Worf's voice vanished as everyone looked at each other in concern. It was Odo who seconds later replied that Worf was injured, and he had ordered the others personnel away to meet the coming Cardassians head-on near Quark's bar. The Ferrengi had left while leaving his brother, Rom, to join up with the resistance against the invaders.
"Legate," said Sisko, "I will surrender to you as long as the Bajorans and the civillians are allowed to leave the station unharmed and…."
"You do not have any space to negotiate, Captain," the Legate said over the communications channel from his own flagship, "I have over a thousand men… soldiers all… and we will continue to board our station. To us, you are the invaders, and you will be taken care off. Now, Captain, surrender or else my men who are heading to the habitat ring will shoot to kill any and all civilians."
In the meantime, Odo was hit by phaser fire form the Cardassians while attempting to move the unconscious body of Worf. The Changeling was pushed back, his solid body in pain as ten more Cardassians joined in to fire at him. The Captain, knowing that his people were surrounded, surrendered just as Odo liquefied his body and retreated into the station itself. The Captain, in the meantime, slammed his hand into the console in front of him before looking helplessly at the despondent Major Kira.
He wanted to fight. Just as he knew that the Major and everyone else wanted to fight. However, they were outnumbered, outgunned, and had too many civilians in the line of fire. His hope was that Starfleet would send reinforcements. But given the fact that the Station couldn't send out any distress calls,the Captain knew that it was very possible that they were going to be alone in what was about to happen next.
But he still needed to do something. Even though he surrendered, he needed to do something to at least fight back.
"Dax," said the Captain, "order everyone to put their weapons down and surrender."
"Ben…."
"Do it," Sisko ordered once again before telling her to contact Dr. Bashir on a scrambled frequency. He then turned to Kira and asked her to contact Odo while having O'Brien access the life-support sub-routines so that it could be separated from the Command functions of the station, "you have two minutes. Go!" O'Brien nodded his head before going to work while Kira left a message for Odo in one of the Communications buffers which would relay the message to him once he was a solid again. Sisko then pressed on his comm-badge and asked Dr. Bashir if he had encountered any Cardassians as yet.
"No, sir," he whispered.
"Listen to me very carefully," said the Captain, "I don't care how you and Odo do it, but I want the both of you to flood the entire station with Anesthizine Gas. Use a breathing apparatus on yourself and Odo so that you two don't get knocked out."
"Understood," said the Doctor as he examined several of the dead bodies in the hallway thanks to the explosion that destroyed the section. The doctor then told Sisko to have Odo meet him in one of the medical cargo bays once the latter regained solid form. Sisko then looked at Kira who nodded her head after relaying that message to Odo.
It was then that the turbolift started to whirr. And the Captain closed off all communications with Bashir and Odo while telling Dax to hide their life signs. Dax worked as fast as possible to hide Bashir who, before being cut off, said that it would take nearly an hour to find enough of the gas, vent it through the life support system, and then render everyone unconscious. Dax was successful in her mission just as the turbolift reached the Command Center.
"Welcome," said the Captain as he glared at the Legate, "to Deep Space Nine."
"Everyone weapons down!" yelled the Cardassians who used the turbolift, having killed the security personnel, as they entered the Control Room. The Legate approached the Captain while his subordinates roughly handled the personnel, both Starfleet and Bajorans, by pushing them onto the floor and telling them to put their hands over their heads. Sisko noticed Kira, out of the corner of his eye, defiantly staring down a Cardassian who was looming over her.
"Major!" barked the Captain, "stand down. We'll live to fight another day."
"Captain, Captain," said the Legate as he smiled at the Starfleet officer, "there will no more other days to fight. The Federation will fall. Lord Ba'al will give us what we want; becoming a great power just as we were always meant to be."
"There is always hope, Legate," said the Captain.
"And the Prophets have a plan," said the Major as she glared at the Legate.
"Really?" asked the Legate sarcastically, "and where were your Prophets when we destroyed Bajor? Where was your Emissary?" The Legate them turned his gaze to the Captain once again, "and where is your hope?"
"The Federation will fight back. And you have a chance to help… the Cardassians don't have to be the power that betrayed the Alpha Quadrant. The Cardassians can be the power that helped free the galaxy, and…."
"Betrayed the Alpha Quadrant?" chuckled the Legate before shaking his head, "we're going to remake the Alpha Quadrant. First with the Klingon homeworld, and then our ships will proceed to take back the Bajoran colonies into our arms once again."
"We'll fight you… we won before," said Kira while her hands were rolled into fists.
"Now you have no Bajor, nothing to rally towards. Face it, Major, you are a hopelessly finished race," the Legate said, "but don't worry. We'll make sure you find a sense of community in our labour camps."
The Legate then walked away while Kira, an enraged Major, was pushed to the floor and had a foot pressed down on her back by a Cardassian. It was the same with the Captain as the Legate looked around, and then ordered them to "find the Changeling, and the Klingon." The Legate then looked down at the Captain who hand his hands over his head, "I'm going to publicly execute any and all Klingons on the station. And you will have a place in the front row."
USS Enterprise, at that same moment.
"Ensign?" asked Picard as he, Commander Riker, and Admiral Paris walked onto the bridge of the Federation flagship, "are they on the way?" The Captain knew that an hour had just passed by with the Federation Council having come to a decision in Paris; they were not going to surrender to Ba'al, the Cardassians, or the Breen. Picard and the captains of the other ships had been informed that even the Romulans knew that the Federation was needed to keep the quadrant stable, that if the Federation was able to fall, then the Empire would fall as well.
So, as a show of unity, the Romulans were sending a fleet of over a hundred ships to Earth. Ships that should reach the planet in only a few minutes after the call was made over forty minutes ago. They were pulling their fleet from the front lines of the Dominion War thanks to reports on how the Jem'hader were reacting; they had killed themselves after releasing wails of grief. No Romulan knew what was happening, but there were no complaints.
It would be several minutes later that Starfleet received a transmission from Betazed stating the same occurrences. The Jem'Hader soldiers screamed wails of anguish before killing themselves. However, the transmission was made on a frequency rarely used by the Federation, and attached to the message were images of the same armoured beings that were invading Starfleet Headquarters attacking civilians and military personnel in Betazed's main cities.
"Yes, sir," said Ensign Perim as she looked over her shoulder, and then back at the view screen, which showed the over three hundred ships going to warp before appeared in orbit of the moon. Everyone in the fleet looked out at the gigantic vessel behind all the others. Picard then pressed his comm-badge and talked to Data, who was in engineering assisting in the remodulation of the shield and weapons while making sure that Josie wasn't in too much danger.
He was surprised when data came back to the ship and reported on the woman he and Laforge met; and that surprise was soon muted so that they could find a way to strengthen the shields on the Enterprise and the other ships.
"How is she, Data?"
"She has neutralized thirty of these beings in the past forty minutes, and covered the escape of over a hundred Starfleet personnel onto escape shuttles. She is exhausted, but insisting on moving ahead to Starfleet Operations where we have over two hundred people trapped."
"Send shuttles to that location, Mr. Data," said Picard just as Ensign Perim turned and told the Captain that she was getting a hail from the giant ship.
"It's just like the other ship, Captain," whispered Troi wrapping her arms around her body as she shudder while standing next to Riker. She felt a chill go up her spine before saying, "the ship that beamed down the ring. So much hate from the Goa'uld."
"Given that the Tau'ri supposedly wiped them out?" said Riker with a frown as he glared at the view screen, "I'd say that they must be pissed."
"No.. it's more than that," said Troi shaking her head as she visibly shuddered, "anger…. An anger that goes much deeper and… and there's something else." Troi then asked the Operations officer if there were any cloaked ships before turning towards the view screen once again as the reinforcements of the Andorian, Romulan, Klingon, and Starfleet vessels arrived and took positions around the planet.
"There's no cloaked ships, ma'am," said the officer while the Captain asked Troi what she sensed.
"A ship's heading for Earth," was the reply, "and… and this hatred is so deep. It's…"
"Counsellor?"
"So much anger… so much darkness and hate," said Troi as she looked at the captain while, unknowingly, feeling the emotions of Qetesh as her cloaked ship flew through the atmosphere.
"Sir?" said the Ensign, "we're being hailed again."
"On screen," said Picard who looked on expressionless at Ba'al, "my name is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and…"
"I only have one question, Captain," said Ba'al interrupting the bald man, "do you surrender? Does your vaunted Federation Council surrender?"
"No," said Admiral Paris while Data watched Josie fight while using the sensors on the Enterprise, "we will not surrender. Ba'al, perhaps there could be a peace between our peoples.. between the Federation and the Goa'uld, and…"
"My dear Admiral," laughed Ba'al while shaking his head before he said, "I'm not here to make peace. I am here to rule." Ba'al then took a deep breath before saying that there was going to be no negotiations. He then nodded to someone off-screen, and turned back to looking at the Captain and Admiral just as there was a whining sound on the bridge. The senior staff stepped back in surprise as Ensign Perim brought a hand over her mouth at the bloody body of Captain Jellico which was deposited in a flash of light.
"Bridge to Crusher," yelled the Captain as he rushed over to the bloodied man lying on their floor, "medical emergency!"
"He cried while my queen dug into his mind," said Ba'al with a smug look on his face as Riker turned to glare at the man, "he didn't want to give up everything he knew… which made it a more satisfying experience for Qetesh. In the end, he was still loyal even when we destroyed everything he was. He still refused to give up everything… so my queen punished him. Now, that is what will happen to the humans on Earth… to all aliens on Earth who do not bow down to me. Give me and my queen your allegiance, and you live your life."
"Under your rule," said Riker as Crusher and her medical team rushed out of the turbolift, and went for the the body.
"We'll fight you," said the Admiral shaking his head, "you're facing a fleet comprised of the major powers of the Alpha Quadrant. I am asking you, the Cardassians, and the Breen to leave orbit." Just the, more Starfleet vessels appeared over Earth, taking the total number of ships to a little over six hundred.
"No," said Ba'al with a smirk on his face.
"All ships, this is Admiral Paris. Raise shields, charge phasers and load torpedoes."
"Let the world watch as their defenders fall," said Ba'al as he accessed all Federation communication channels. Every screen on Earth showed the two groups in orbit over Earth ready to battle. Everyone, human and alien, on Earth watched whatever screens they could find show the Cardassian and the Breen attacking first. Many stood in shock while the Breen energy dampening weapons took out several Federation and Romulan ships before they were destroyed by the Cardassians. People watched in stunned silence all over the globe as a few Breen ships were being destroyed, along with Cardassian vessels, while the smaller Pyramid ships proceeded to destroy several Klingon shops which seemed to be immune to the Breen energy weapon.
Minute after minute, people were watching the Allied fleet fall like flies; some ships were listing helplessly while other were breaking up into large chunks. The space above seemed like a floating hellscape as ships weaved in and out of debris, with dead bodies hitting the hulls of ships, while firing at each other.
"Shields at ten percent!" yelled Laforge just before he was slammed against the wall in Engineering. Several people were already injured on the Enterprise, including Guinan, before alarms started to blare all over the ship. The warp core had begun to breach. Data informed the bridge of what was happening- that they had to eject the warp core or else the ship would be destroyed.
"Do we have transporters!," yelled Riker who was bleeding from the sides of his mouth as he took over for the injured Ensign Perim. The bridge was nearly destroyed, with broken panels on many of the screens as Troi and Crusher were helped the injured, including Captain Picard who was bleeding from he side of his head after knocking it against a console following three successive phaser bursts from the Cardassians that violently shook the ship. It threw everyone every which way, and caused hull breaches on three decks.
"Just barely, Commander!" said Data as he took over for Laforge while he was being taken to sickbay.
"Transport the drive to the middle of the Cardassian fleet," ordered Riker was he glared at the half-shattered view-screen which only showed a small part of the battle, "now!"
The Warp Core was teleported to space where it violently exploded in the middle of a Cardassian battle group that was attacking several Andorian and Starfleet vessels. The explosion destroyed four of the Cardassian ships since their shields were already depleted thanks to constant attacks. The Allied ships, at least those that still had power, continued the fight while the Enterprise struggled on at impulse, and with secondary power.
Starfleet Command, several minutes later.
Back on the surface, Josie found herself flying through a plate glass window, and falling two stories to a pool below. It was only minutes ago that she had finished directing several officers to a stairwell that would take them to the ground floor, which was already cleared when she killed the six Kull warriors guarding it while the others were sweeping through the building. She then killed the ones on the first floor before leading the survivors to a stairwell, which would then lead them to the awaiting shuttles. She then ran up to the second floor where officers were being attacked. Josie cut down the Kull Warriors, allowing the officers to escape. Panting as she stood over the bodies of the dead Kull warriors, Josie yelled at the officers to leave just as the door she had come through swung open to more Kull Warriors coming towards her. Turning around, Josie's shield took the blasts from the plasma repeaters while she rushed at the Kull Warriors.
She killed three of them while the computer in the device generating the shield told her the shield was at fifty percent just as ten more Kull warriors entered the hallway. Josie was about to turn around and retreat just as she was sucker punched by one of the warriors while the others fired on her.
"Twenty percent," the voice of the Computer said as she stepped back under the barrage of the weapons fire hitting the shield in front of her. She then heard 'thuds' from behind and looked over her should to see ten more Kull warriors coming from behind her. She believed they were coming from the floor above, and hoped that the officers were able to run away thanks to her distraction. But she was now surrounded and, as the Warrior's behind her raised their arms, Josie knew she needed to get out. She looked at the windows to the left, and saw the reflecting pool below on the ground floor outside the building. "Ten percent."
Josie swung the Scythe into the window, shattering it, before running sideways and then jumping out the window just as the Kull warrior from behind started to fire at her. She braced herself as she fell two stories into the shallow pool below. She screamed in pain as she broke the surface of the water, and the hit the floor with her left side. She rolled to her back in the pool as her clothes got wet from the water, slowing her down slightly, in addition to the pain radiating throughout her body. She rolled to her right side and screamed as she got up. Her entire left side was in pain while using her right hand to press the commbadge as several shuttles took off while they were being fired upon.
The Slayer couldn't feel the badge, and then she started to look around searching for the device. Suddenly, there where plasma bursts being fired from the second floor, the third floor, the fifth, all the way to the tenth floor targeting her. Her shield lasted for just enough time to grab the Scythe, and then run as fast as she could while limping.
"Computer," said Josie as she watched a few Kull Warrior rush towards her after hearing the sounds of weapons fire, "how much energy is left for the shield?"
"Fifteen percent and charging," the reply came as Josie ducked and rolled away from weapons fire as several more Kull Warriors were rushing towards her. She turned and rushed back at the Warrior while swinging her scythe as more weapons fire hit the shield. Her heart was racing as she cleaved one Warrior after another, watching them fall to the ground before rushing off towards another building. She avoiding as many warriors as possible, but some of them caught sight of her and started to attack. Josie screamed in pain a she changed from limping to running as fast as she could towards cover. Her left side was burning with pain from the fall as she got closer to the building entrance.
However, she screeched to a halt when twenty warrior's rushed out of the building. She stumbled back slightly before she tried to turn and run. However, she found herself on the ground once again. As she struggled to get up on her feet, she watched as thirty more warriors rushed out from another building, and yet more from another building to her left. Josie was panting as she looked around and found herself surrounded with even more of the Kulls rushing towards her.
She gripped the handle of her Scythe as she dashed forward. She was fired on by all sides, with a few hitting the shield, but most caught her on the side. She fell onto the ground, the Scythe clattering on the ground as plasma bursts hit her back, the back of her legs, her arms, and her side. As she lay on the ground in excruciating pain, Josie continued to reach for the Scythe. She heard the thuds of footsteps, and looked up as several of the Warriors surround her before raising their weapons at her.
Josie stared at them as her body started to feel cold. She felt herself shiver when, looking past the Warriors, she saw a dark skinned woman in rags staring back at her. She had two Scythes on her back as she crouched down and looked back at Josie. Tilting her head the woman gave a throaty whisper.
"My successor."
"Suc… successor?" asked Josie as she stared at the woman while laying on her side. One half of her still hurt from the fall, and the other half was burning from the plasma bursts. She believed that the only reason she wasn't dead yet was because she was a Slayer, anyone else would have instantly died. However, she could already feel her body getting weaker… she wanted to close her eyes and rest. But the gaze of the woman was prevented Josie from closing her eyes, there was something familiar about her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "Successor?"
"You have my power. Prove your worth. Fight."
"You… your po.. power?" asked Josie as she closed her eyes in recognition, "the First Slayer. You're the First Slayer."
"You are the first Slayer in generations to face the end," said Sineya as Josie looked on while time seemed to stand still, "I selected the Chosen to stop the end. And the end will come. Stop the gateway, and…."
Josie saw Sineya's eyes widen before she looked up. The Slayer saw a smile form on her face before she stood up, and looked up at the sky. The First Slayer turned her head towards Josie, "Mother has arrived."
Paris, emergency chambers of the Federation Council, a few seconds ago.
Adria took her time getting to the Federation Council chambers. She killed each and every security personnel while the Kull Warriors spread through the entire complex following her personal orders to kill each and every one. Bodies littered the floor of the massive underground complex which had dampeners that prevented teleportation for security purposes. But then again, the underground complex was meant to be secure.
While the massacre was taking place in orbit, Qetesh was laughing as she used Adria's powers to kill; even though it was against Ba'al's orders. A few minutes later, Qetesh force two of the remaining security personnel to unlock the secured doors leading to the meeting chamber. Once the doors were opened, she liquefied their brains and then walked in with a smile on her face.
"Why, hello," she said as she stared at the delegated while her Kull Warriors marched into the large chamber. Many of the delegates rose to their feet and demanded an explanation as a screen in the room was showing the destruction of the Allied fleet in orbit of Earth. "Now, surrender."
Even with the presence of Adria and her Jaffa and Kull warriors in the Council chambers, the Federation Council refused to surrender to the Goa'uld. Even after they watched more Allied ships being destroyed, the Council they refused to surrender.
"We will not give up so easily," said Jaresh-Inyo, the Federation President, "we have weathered many storms over the centuries, and we will weather this one."
"And you will grow stronger?" mocked Qetesh as she tilted her head at the President.
"We understand you are angry at the Tau'ri for…" said another council member before he was interrupted.
"The Federation has already fallen, and when the Tau'ri arrive, they will fall as well," said Qetesh as she raised her arm and aimed it at Jaresh-Inyo. She mentally pulled him towards her. His body hit the lectern from which he was making a speech, before floating towards her while the other Federation members were trying to find exits. Exits that were blocked by Kull Warriors. Qetesh then chuckled while she started to mentally choke the President.
"So, no surrender then?" asked Qetesh as she stared at the struggling President. The man was flailing his legs as his entire body hung in the air by an invisible force. While running for dear life, many in the crowd of counsillor's, incuding teh vice-president looked on in fear as the President was struggling for breath while clawing at his own throat; as if he was trying to force away invisible hands chocking him. Suddenly, Qetesh looked towards the ceiling when she felt a familiar presence.
"I knew it," said the possessed former-Orici as she cracked the neck of the Federation President who had only a month left in office, "she's alive. And she's here."
Orbit of Earth.
It was a massacre in Earth orbit as over three quarters of the Allied ships were either disabled or destroyed. On the other hand, only fifty of the Cardassian and Breen ships were destroyed. The Pyramid ships destroyed all of the Klingon vessels since the Breen weapons did not seem to affect them, but Ba'al's mothership stayed back and watched the carnage.
"Captain," said Ba'al calmly as the nearby Enterprise floundered in space while surrounded by debris, dead bodies, and other disabled ships, "Captain Picard, surrender. Or…." All of a sudden, Ba'al stopped talking when alarms rang on the bridge of his mothership.
"Sir?" said Riker on the Enterprise as his console started to beep. The crew, at least those who were not injured or dead, had used emergency power to get some of the sensors back up, and were now working on getting back the impulse engines and weapons, "we're getting radiation spikes."
"My Lord!" said Ba'al's first Prime as he looked back at him just as several breaches opened in space on the other side of the Earth, "hyperspace windows… I.. I'm reading over sixty."
"Oh my God," said Crusher who watched about seventy massive ships exit the breaches. And in the middle of the group was what seemed to be a large city covered with an orange shield.
"Report, Number One," said a dazed Picard as Crusher was slowly bringing him to while the injured Admiral Paris was being taken to sick bay.
"Sir," said Riker, "I'm getting an IFF from… this can't be right… it's from Voyager."
"Voyager?" asked Troi surprised before she turned to Picard who was looking back at her in surprise as well.
"The other ships, including the Pyramid vessels are turning towards the newcomers and…"
"This is General Willow Rosenberg, commander of the Pegasus Alliance fleet on board the Tau'ri warship, Vantage," said Willow as she stood next to Jon's seat while the Alliance ships started to scan the mothership, the Ha'tak ships, the Cardassian, and Breen ships. They were also examining the disabled ships for survivors, and they were also scanning the location of where the Stargate was deposited. "To all Cardassian and Breen vessels. You are in Earth space; leave now and go home. Do not fight us. I repeat, do not fight us. If a single weapon fire is directed at us, or to the planet below, or any of the other allied ships… We will not only destroy you… we will destroy your homes. We have weapons that will devastate your worlds, killing billions of men, women, and children."
Upon hearing that, the Cardassians looked at each other while commenting that humans would never do something as barbaric as that. IN the meantime, Ba'al looked out the viewport with a smile on his face at the arrival of the Tau'ri. However, in the back of his mind lay the question of why they called themselves the Pegasus Alliance, and he was wondering if this was the same Willow Rosenberg that he and his forces had faced long ago. In the meantime, Troi, who was looking out the gaping hole where the view screen used to be, turned to Riker and Picard before telling then that Willow meant every word she said.
"She is not joking."
"Now," said Willow as she looked out the large viewport in front of her while Voyager took off from the pier and headed for what remained of the Federation fleet. At the same time, Atlantis was running a planetary-wide scan that detected all the hotspots of Kull Warrior activity. That information was relayed to the Vantage where Willow and Buffy ordered all Slayers to prepare themselves for teleportation to the surface. "Listen very carefully."
"Ma'am?" said one of the technicians in Atlantis' Stargate Operations waving at Dawn before he pointed out at a group of Kull Warriors surrounding a woman three blocks away from the Stargate. The scan zoomed in on the bleeding and bruised woman, and then at the weapon next to her.
"Willow!" yelled Dawn into her ear-piece, "we've got a Slayer down. Sending you coordinates now… I'm getting weak life-signs. If you wanna send someone, they better go now."
"Buffy, Faith?" asked Willow looked at the two Slayers, "good luck."
"This is Atlantis to the Vantage, we're re-entering Earth," said Dawn while the weapons systems were targeting Ba'al's ship. She wanted all power to be focused on shields and weapons, instead of being divided between the engines, shields, and weapon systems. Willow nodded her go-ahead as Atlantis turned and headed for the planet below, her destination was San Francisco bay where, if need be, the shield could be extended to cover the entire city from orbital bombardment. While the city-ship was re-entering the atmosphere, the Goa'uld Mothership wasn't being targeted as the Pegasus fleet wanted to remove the Cardassians and the Breen out of the way, one way or the other, "to make your decision that much easier. Here's a simulation of what will happen."
At that same time, seven Daedalus class ships exited Hyperspace near Deep Space Nine just as Worf was about to be executed. One of the Cardassians in the Control Room called everyone to battle stations just as the main screen activated, and a recorded message with Willow's voice and a simulation showed the impact of ten Horizon weapon platforms on Cardassia Prime, and the Breen homeworld.
Kira, Sisko, and the others who were being held prisoner in the Control Room had been watching Cardassian officers in the promenade cheering as they dragged Worf out, and then forced the injured man to his knees. And it was just as the phaser from one of the Cardassians was placed at the side of the Klingon's head that the Daedalus class ships appeared, and immediately began firing on the Ha'tak class vessels.
The Goa'uld ships fired back at the Tau'ri ships, one of which used their short-range communications array to send the simulation to Deep Space Nine. In the station, everyone watched, just as the Cardassians and the Breen in orbit over Earth watched their screens in disbelief, as Cardassia Prime and the Breen homeworld was nearly destroyed.
At the same time, ships appeared over Cardassia Prime, Tellar Prime, Vulcan, Betazed, the Breen homeworld, and Andoria. All the ships opened fire at the Ha'tak class vessels and the Al'kash, as well as the ships from the Cardassians and Breen while sending transmissions to the authorities on the surface that they were in orbit to help. In the meantime, Tollan-Orbanian medical ships arrived in orbit of Bajor with a convoy of various Pegasus Fleet ships in case the Cardassian's tried to attack.
Back on Earth, as Josie was about to close her eyes from the pain despite her wanting to fight, she heard a loud 'bang' in the sky. The Kull Warriors looked at each other, and then turned to watched a fireball heading towards San Francisco. Even Josie was able to see it as her vision started to blur. While Atlantis was making her way to the Bay, the simulation was completed.
And Willow gave the Cardassian and Breen fleet one more warning.
"What you saw was a simulation," Willow said as she stood with her hands behind her back. At the same time, one of the bridge crew on the Vantage said that Ba'al was on the mothership, and that there was an Ori energy signal coming from the surface in Paris. Jon nodded his head while Willow continued, "we have ships over your worlds as we speak destroying your ships that fire back at us, and believe me when I say that we will not hesitate in firing those powerful strategic nuclear weapons if you do not turn back now. Stop this fighting, go back home, and then unconditionally surrender to Federation authorities through our ships in orbit. You have one minute to turn back… and the clock is ticking."
In the meantime, Josie looked back up at the Warriors who raised their weapons at her. She closed her eyes, ready for the end, when there was a sudden screeching sound around her. And then she opened her eyes and turned her head to see bright flashes of white light. IN the gap between two of the Kull Warriors, Josie saw several armoured women. They pressed a green crystal on their chest, and watched as it lit up before a green shimmer surrounded their heads.
'A shield?' thought Josie as the Kull warriors started firing on them without hesitation. But the plasma bursts were either absorbed by the armour, or by the shield that wrapped around their heads. She then reached for her Scythe while watching one of the woman, a blonde, reach for a metallic tube on her right hip. Some of the others just ran at the Kull Warriors while others grabbed a hold of their own metal tubes.
"Slayers!" yelled Buffy as Josie opened her eyes wide in surprise. She was always told that she was the only one; the one girl in all the world bestowed with the strength and the will to find evil. And now she saw that there were more Slayers. Josie watched the blonde woman rush at the Kull Warriors. The others followed close behind her as she pressed a button on the tube, "light 'em up!"
TBC.