Chapter XXV
2377
Space around the planet Bajor still sparkled with debris, bearing mute testimony to the battle for Deep Space Nine, four years before. The shattered hulls of Aralla attack planes and Alliance ships rested together in silent death.
A small distance away, a pinpoint of light appeared in the darkness. It swirled outwards, forming a bright spiral of energy which suddenly bloomed into full radiance and opened a portal in space, one which led to the Gamma Quadrant.
For the first time in three years, the Celestial Temple opened it's gates and admitted entrance to the Alpha Quadrant. From within it's swirling light, the Alliance Fleet emerged, weapons ready, shields up.
Grand Admiral Picard smiled brightly as he looked out at stars that he recognised for the first time in three years. But his concern was on the Aralla presence that held Bajor. What had they done in the time that their fleet had been hunting the survivors of the Alpha Quadrant?
As space cleared and the crew could see what lay before them, they gasped in shock.
A huge cloud of debris marked where Deep Space Nine once hovered. No effort had been made to clear away the wreckage that had been left once the Fleet had fled. Turning his attention to Bajor, Picard noted that the planet looked barren, but he could not see any sign of any Aralla presence. Expecting an immediate attack by Aralla forces, they relaxed nervously.
'That's strange,' muttered Thames. Picard came over.
'What, Commander?' Thames looked up at him, her dark eyes confused.
'There is no life on the planet in the ruins of the cities, but the rest of the planet is unaffected by the Aralla. The rural areas are still inhabited.' Picard nodded.
'Lifeforms?'
'All Bajoran. I'm not detecting any Aralla.'
'That is odd.' Picard looked at Hedly. 'Get me Admiral Sisko.'
'Aye, sir.' Hedly hailed the Defiant, and looked up at Picard again. 'On screen.'
Picard turned to see Sisko's dark face appear on the screen. He looked equally puzzled by the lack of an Aralla threat. 'I assume you've seen what's on Bajor, Admiral?'
Sisko nodded. 'I have indeed. I wish to take Battlegroup Alpha and explore the planet, Admiral.'
Picard sighed slightly. 'You're the President, sir,' he said.
Sisko brightened slightly. 'Oh, yes. We'll split up as we agreed.'
Picard nodded. 'Very well. I'll signal you when we reach Earth.'
'Good luck, Admiral. Defiant out.'
The Defiant banked away from the main Fleet, which sailed on past Bajor. As the starship did so, it was followed by hundreds of different ships, which followed it into orbit.
Picard looked at the screen, and nodded silently at Hedly. Hedly transmitted his order.
The Fleet broke up. Every Battlegroup separated itself from the others, and headed on different courses. Battlegroup Beta, under Martok, left for Qo'nos, while Gamma, under Admiral Serisa, left for Romulus. Kreal and Battlegroup Delta turned for Ferenginar, while Epsilon, under Picard, left for Earth itself. On the way, Epsilon would split up and another group would head for Cardassia.
Rebuilding would begin as soon as the Aralla threat was analysed and neutralised. Although, Picard mused, as Epsilon entered warp speed, there appeared to be no Aralla in the Alpha Quadrant. He refused to let his mind dwell on the possibility however, waiting for evidence.
Instead, he ordered reverse view on the screen. Behind the Battlegroup, he could see the Fleet that he had created, he had formed from nothing, and that he had led through everything, splitting up to go their separate ways. But in that separation, he could see the unity that would forge the new Alliance. The departures were based on Battlegroup, not on race. The leaders decided where their ships would go, and, wonder of wonders, no-one argued!
But Picard was now more interested in the future, not the past. 'Forward angle. Engage transwarp.'
The Sovereign and its Battlegroup vanished into transwarp speed.
Admiral Sisko watched them leave from the bridge of the USS Defiant. 'Well, we'd better get started on moving the people to the surface. Feel up to it, Kai Nerys?' He looked at his Bajoran former first officer and his lover. She turned and graced him with a smile.
'All right, Emissary.' Sisko smiled back, but a lot of hard work remained.
Migda Greti, a Bajoran farmer, rested his aching hands as he toiled in the ruins of the cities. Ever since the destruction of the planet's cities three years before, he and his friends and helpers had worked to slowly rebuild Bajor. He stared at the blue skies, wondering if the invaders would return. If they did, he and his friends would resist as they had against the Cardassians, but they only had a few weapons. Privately, he dreaded the return of the huge black ships.
A musical chime distracted him from his musings. He looked up to see a blue energy field form about twenty metres away. His colleagues looked up. A figure took shape.
'The invaders have returned!' He grabbed a phaser rifle that they carried about with them. His friends, those who could, did so as well. They all pointed them at the energy beam. Migda noticed his hands shook as his hands readied the weapon.
The beam disappeared, depositing a figure in their midst. It turned and looked at Migda. He gasped in recognition. 'You're human! Emissary!'
Ben Sisko smiled. 'And thank the Prophets for that.'
The Sovereign led the Battlegroup into orbit of Earth. As had been expected, a lump formed in Picard's throat as he stared at the blue-green emerald that he had last seen burning in space. The smoke had disappeared from the atmosphere, and he could see those familiar landmasses clearly. At the moment, he was passing above the Asian continent, and in the distance, he could see Europe, and somewhere down there, his own homestead.
Below, on the surface, he knew that it was completely different. Bodies, wreckage – all the horrors of the aftermath of war were waiting for them in the ruins of Earth. But for the moment, it looked like the shining jewel of humanity's triumph as it had done for so long before.
Thames, Hedly and Truper all stared at the screen, transfixed. After a moment, Hedly said, 'It's beautiful, isn't it?'
'It shows that we take for granted what is privileged,' agreed Truper, echoing Picard's own thoughts.
'Signal the Battlegroup. Defence perimeter,' said Picard at last. 'Repair and recovery teams to transporter rooms and beam down. All ships to scan for signs of Aralla infestation.' He looked at the bridge crew. 'We have a lot of hard work to do.'
Picard stood in the midst of a completely burnt out and devastated Starfleet Academy. Despite the clean air, Picard could see for miles around the hundreds of skeletons which were unburied, and unmourned. After five days, the hard work of burying the dead had reached this area of San Francisco. All over the planet, in the destroyed cities, teams of Fleet workers cleared away the rubble, buried the dead, and prepared for the work of rebuilding the planet. There could be no time for identification or mourning. The past had to swept away, to make room for the fast-encroaching future.
Lieutenant Commander Thames materialised nearby. She spotted Picard instantly, and waved, a padd in her hand. 'Admiral!'
Picard walked towards her. 'Yes, commander?' In his head was running the thought that they had to maintain decorum when on duty. It was difficult, however. Thames had no such compunction, however. When she reached him, she embraced him, and then pulled back.
'The Agamemnon received a transmission from Battlegroup Alpha. Apparently, they detected a Jem'Hadar fleet headed for earth two days ago, but were unable to warn us because of the damage on our communications relays. They should arrive within the hour.'
Picard stared at Thames. 'Why didn't you call me from the bridge?'
'I wanted to see you,' she said. 'Being down here, among all of this. It's bound to make you depressed.'
Picard smiled, and kissed her. 'With you around, that's unlikely to happen.' He tapped his commbadge. 'Picard to Sovereign. Two to beam up.' The glow formed around them, and they vanished from Earth
The turbolift doors slid open, and Captain Gratenlok turned to Picard. 'Admiral, we have a Jem'Hadar warfleet on an ETA with the fleet in two minutes.'
Picard took the centre seat. 'Status of defences?'
Commander Hedly spoke. 'Battlegroup stands ready, sir. It's not a big fleet approaching. Maybe one hundred vessels.'
Picard cast a surprised look at her. 'Commander, at the battle of Wolf 359, forty Starfleet vessels faced a single Borg Cube. That was considered a big battle.'
Hedly shrugged as though it were of no consequence. 'We outnumber them ten to one, sir. They're the numbers which count. And, the Fleet does number more than five thousand ships –'
'Yes, thank you, point taken,' said Picard, in mock-resignation. Hedly grinned as he sat down shaking his head.
'Prepare for the Jem'Hadar to come out of warp firing.'
Thames' voice came back. 'Here they come.' The Jem'Hadar ships appeared in a flash of light. Picard frowned.
'What are they doing?' The ships on the screen were all slowing down and stopping.
'We have an incoming transmission from the lead Jem'Hadar ship,' said Hedly suddenly, her voice surprised. Picard stood, and looked at her in disbelief.
'A transmission?' He turned back to the screen, shrugging mentally. 'Let's see what they want. On screen.'
A Jem'Hadar appeared before him, and bowed to Picard. As he straightened, he said 'I am First Omer'Igal, leader of the Dominion. The Jem'Hadar and other liberated races of the Dominion have come to make peace finally with the Federation.' Picard stared, goggle-eyed, at the screen.
'Well, please come to the Sovereign. I would like to speak with you, Omer'Igal.' The Jem'Hadar nodded. Picard looked at Hedly. 'Lower shields, Commander.'
Cautiously, Hedly did so, and Omer'Igal appeared in a glow of transporter energy next to Picard, who turned to the tall Jem'Hadar.
'Welcome to the Sovereign, Omer'Igal.' The Jem'Hadar inclined his head. Picard indicated his ready room.
'If you'll follow me....' He led the Jem'Hadar from the bridge.
Ship's Log: Stardate 58742.4 – I have spoken with Omer'Igal, who has given me detailed tactical data on the Alpha, Beta and Gamma Quadrants after our retreat. It appears that the Aralla came straight for us. They left no ships, no guards, and came after the Fleet. The Aralla gambled everything on being able to destroy us, and to them it looked like a winning bet. However, they lost, and we won. They may have devastated the entire fabric of our society, but we prevailed. I only hope that we can do the right things now.
Ship's Log: Supplemental – Omer'Igal has enlightened me as to what has happened in the areas we abandoned in the last few years. Apparently, the Jem'Hadar, shortly after their attack on us at the Wadi planet led a revolt against the Founders and the Vorta. Both races are now extinct, Omer'Igal claims, and, knowing the Jem'Hadar, I have no reason to doubt his word. The Aralla invasion has wrought great change in the galaxy since they invaded the Neutral Zone all of those years ago, not least in the Dominion itself. The liberated races, ruled by those who freed them, have urged the Jem'Hadar to join our Alliance. Omer'Igal agreed to their urgings, and, assisted by his assistant, Ramel'Eglek, is even now hammering out an agreement with President Sisko. It appears that I have started something which may become bigger than even I had considered. I had desired a union between the sovereign races of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, but our combined power now controls more than half the galaxy. With the destruction of so many planets and races during the Aralla advance on us during the war, even the Delta Quadrant governments are clamouring to join our banner. Every time I see him now, Ben looks more and more tired, but more and more happy. I think I made the right choice.
The Alliance worked. Slowly but surely, the planets ravaged by the Aralla onslaught returned to their prosperous state. Subspace communication and trade was re-established soon after the return of the Fleet, and within a year, most of the major cities around the galaxy were rebuilt, if not fully complete. That work would continue, apace, for the rest of time.
The political Alliance prospered. Each former nation readily gave its assent to the creation of a new government led by President Sisko, with the initial Cabinet formed by the former Battlegroup commanders. Chancellor Martok, Admiral Serisa, Grand Admiral Picard, Nagus Kreal and Kai Nerys all guided the new Galactic Federation through its birth and it's first few years until it was on an even keel. Shortly thereafter, Picard retired from Starfleet and settled on Earth.
The Battlegroups themselves remained, although expanded and refined from the hastily thrown together warfleets to a new, improved Starfleet. New ships, produced from the shipyards at Utopia Planitia, Monac IV, Cardassia, Remus and all across the galaxy, were incorporated into this new Starfleet, crewed by officers who went through the age-old process of Academy to starship command. For the first time, Starfleet Academy was awash with Romulan, Klingon, human, Cardassian, Ferengi and even Jem'Hadar faces, plus the old mixture of familiar races that had once dominated the halls of the galaxy's finest college of learning.
One of the first ships to be commissioned in the new Starfleet, eight years after the return of the Fleet, was the USS Enterprise, NCC 1701-F, another Sovereign-class starship. And the one who took command of that ship was Captain Rosanna Thames.
A special plaque was given for the crew of the new Starship Enterprise to be put on the Enterprise bridge so that the names of Jean-Luc Picard, William T. Riker, Data, Geordi La Forge, Worf, Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi were never forgotten. And, crewing this new ship were Ghia Hedly-Truper as first officer, her husband, Lieutenant Commander Truper at helm as always, but also second officer, and Commander B'Elanna Torres as Chief Engineer. Plus, Seven of Nine was Ship's Counsellor, and Naomi Wildman had been assigned as an Ensign to the new ship. The Enterprise's saga was not over.
A memorial was set up on the grounds of the new Starfleet Headquarters in the rebuilt city of San Francisco, commemorating the brave officers and crews of the ships that were killed or destroyed in the Aralla War. Similar in style to old Second World War memorials, it listed the name of all those who fought and died in the Aralla War, specifying which ship they served aboard and also which defence force it was part of.
Another memorial was erected next to the statue of Zefram Cochrane in Montana. A stone carving of the crew of the Enterprise-E who died in the war, it read, "They went where no one had gone before."
The Aralla War, as it became known, had formed a Fleet that had given birth to an Alliance which had in turn produced a new civilisation. Free to explore the galaxy at last, outposts of the Galactic Federation would be found across space for hundred of thousands of years.
And, two billion years after the Aralla war ended, and all those who had fought in it long dead, a petition to join the Universal Alliance which had observed the unification of the Milky Way with interest, was received. And accepted.
And the original seed for all of this was one crew and one ship. Once again, a crew of the USS Enterprise had made history.