"Captain!" Talara pulled herself back to her console, which the rocking of the bridge had thrown her from, "The conduit is destabilizing. We will return to normal space in five... four... three... two..."
The ship shook one last, violent, time and the anomaly disappeared from around them. The Destiny had obviously taken heavy damage. As had the Normandy and the Stragger.
"Hail the Normandy and Stragger." Starwind ordered.
Talara looked at the Operations station to see a dead ensign manning it. She crossed to it and consaulted the display. "The Stragger's comm. array was toasted. The Normandy is responding."
A human man adorned with four rank pips and a red collar, greeted Starwind. He had brown hair, a slender face, and some visible stubble.
"Captain Ralston." Starwind stood, "Are you and yours all right?"
"We live." Ralston spoke in a faint British accent, "But you, Captain, surprise me. You are a far smaller ship than us, and you live. You have a tough little ship."
"Little?" Starwind replied indignantly.
"Captains." Talara approached the center of the bridge, "Check the quantum signature of the thing about us. For what little it's worth, McKay got it right. We aren't in our own universe anymore." Talara paused, "But judging by the lack of anomaly at this end, it was a one-way trip."
"Thank you, Commander Talara." Captain Ralston replied.
"Well, we need to consult with the Stragger on these matters, but I recommend completing repairs first and then working on a way home." Starwind suggested
"Contacting the Earth government in this universe may be unsafe, though. Recommend we hurry on both repairs and exit strategies, so we don't incite conflict." Ralston recommended.
"Too late." Watson reported, "Five warp events on a direct course for here. Two Cardassian warships, two Romulan warships, and... one Sovereign-class. It's the Enterprise."
"ETA?" Starwind asked.
"Less than two minutes." Watson reported.
"Talara, I don't care if you need to send smoke signals, warn the Stragger. I'll take Tactical here. Captain Ralston, arm whatever you can and divert remaining power to forward shields. No way we can get out of here, nor can we out-run them in this state." Starwind assumed the tactical station, "Our best hope is that they're on our side, but if this is what Admiral Langly warned me about, they'll try to capture us and use us to launch an offensive against our entire universe. Destiny out."
"Thirty seconds." Watson reported.
There was a terrible stillness for the next half-minute. Either this coalition would save them and rush to their aid, or they'd tear the three ships a new one.
After a thirty seconds lasting near an eternity but passed far too fast, they came. Five points of light, which quickly grew into five ships. The Enterprise sat at point, and was first to open fire. Two torpedoes crashed into the Normandy's shields. The Stragger finally responded by firing phasers at the Enterprise's weapons.
"Locking quantum torpedoes on the five ships." Starwind reported, "Firing volley one!" Two blue torpedoes flew from the Destiny and hit the Romulan ships' weapons grids. "Volley two." Two more similarly disabled the Cardassian ships. Starwind smiled, "Good thing they're still weak in the same spots, and thank god for weak shields" Starwind eyed the Enterprise, "Talara, open hailing frequencies."
On the viewer, Picard and Nechiev in the odd Zeon uniforms, sat at the center of the Sovereign-class ship.
"Not bad targeting, for a Feddie." Nechiev scowled.
"Real bad shielding, Aleena." Starwind shook his head.
Nechiev smiled, "Have we met, Captain, or is my face on Admiral Walker's dartboard?"
"I really wouldn't know, ma'am." Starwind said, kindly.
Nechiev smiled, "Well, Captain, that was the wrong answer."
At this moment, the Enterprise fired all phaser banks, photon torpedo bays, and quantum torpedo bays, at the three ships from the other universe.
"Counter as many of those as you can!" Starwind screamed over a different comlink to Ralston as he locked phasers on as many torpedoes as he could. But it wasn't enough. The three ships were hit fairly hard.
"Want me to give you terms of surrender yet?" Nechiev asked.
Talara took the center of the bridge, "Are you daft, Admiral? Scan us! We're not from this universe!"
"Admiral?" Nechiev held up her hand, ceasing fire, "Sarah, scan them. Test their quantum signature."