(updated 11-01-2020)

CHAPTER ELEVEN
Portends and Prophecies

"After the liberation of Tirol, Captain Coleiro recognized the key to the war would be obtaining supplies of Protoculture. This meant liberating Optera. Rather than wait for the Haydonites to counter-attack, Coleiro decided to take the fight to them. Utilizing the treasure trove of data collected over the years by the Tirolians, the REF and Tirolian forces struck the Hegemony's forward operating bases across the whole sector. This included the strategically important orbital shipyards and base in the Letiri System. 'Operation Good Fortune' ranks up in history of importance with the battles the likes of Lepanto, Trafalgar, Tsushima Strait and Midway. While the REF light cruiser group, supported by a mix of Tirolian and captured Haydonite ships, launched diversionary attacks, the Arcadia entered the Letiri System undetected. Led by the Grim Reapers and Skull squadrons, waves of fighters attacked the orbital shipyards and base, catching the enemy by surprise, destroying the shipyards, base and ships marshaling there. The attack sent the Haydonites reeling, opening the door for the REF-Tirolian forces to move on Optera..."

— excerpt from "A Galaxy at War: The Haydonite-Alliance War"

oOoOo

Everywhere ships were exploding and breaking apart while Alphas and other Alliance fighters vainly tried holding back waves of Haydonite fighters streaming from their fleet clustered close to Earth. Paul wanted to scream, seeing the dropships and other troop transports coming under heavy attack by enemy fighters overwhelming their point-defenses.

He was helpless, watching this disaster unfold in front of him. It only got worse, seeing the Arcadia's familiar silhouette. She was firing all her weapons at the advancing enemy capital ships, drawing return fire.

Her shields flared and crackled, taking the brunt of the enemy fire to cover other damaged ships and the troop transports. It seemed as every Haydonite ship was firing on the Arcadia. Finally, her shields failed, and the hull began taking massive damage, but the proud old ship kept on firing with what weapons she had left.

Paul wanted to turn away, but he couldn't, watching the Arcadia break apart... spilling debris and people into the vacuum of space. Then suddenly, the Arcadia exploded in a huge blinding flash...

Now, he was no longer in space...

It took him a moment to realize he was on the surface of Earth. He didn't recognize the area, but it looked hot with grasslands and tress. Smoke and flames blanketed the area with a haze, making it hard to see at first. The wrecked and burning hulks of tanks and armored fighting vehicles with a mix of military transports and civilian vehicles littered the landscape.

Scattered among the wreckage, there were bodies... dead humans everywhere. The charred, broken bodies only added to the hellish scenes of carnage and disaster.

A familiar sound caught his ears, drawing him towards it. He immediately recognized the Haydonite mecha and armored soldiers patrolling across the battlefield. Now and then, a Reaver would stop over the body of a human soldier and fire a burst into it, making sure the human was dead.

Paul didn't want to see anymore, but The Shapings wanted him to see this vision. They wanted him to know the consequences of his decisions because he chose a different path from the one he needed to take.

Through an extreme act of willpower, he forced himself away from the battlefield scene. In its place he now faced a wall of blackness, recognizing it from having faced it before when the Regess showed him the path.

He could feel the blackness calling to him, urging him to take this path. Fear gripped him because he couldn't see past the blackness... the future of that path was uncertain, and The Shapings wouldn't show him. It wasn't the fear of death that kept him from taking the path. He was afraid of something worse... the fear of living, yet losing everything that made him who he was.

He turned away from the wall and the uncertain future, finding himself back on the battlefield again. Out of the smoke came Reavers, dragging a bloodied body, wearing Cyclone armor.

These images of the future hammered at him, watching the injured human weakly kicking at the Reavers, trying to resist.

Paul's pulse quickened and his heart pounded, watching this last scene play out. The Reavers finally dropped the human, pinning them to the ground. He knew who the human prisoner was even before they removed her helmet.

Anger, pain, and frustration surged inside Paul in a tidal wave of emotions at seeing her bloodied face. He wanted to deny what he was watching, but he understood this was the future. He screamed at the universe in helpless rage, watching a Reaver lift Faith up by the throat, dragging her off towards one of their dropships...

oOoOo

Paul woke with a start, covered in sweat. As the images faded, he realized he was in his cabin, having fallen asleep. Faint music still played in the background as he stared at the tablet clutched in his hand. He had been trying to relax while reviewing General Coulson's force strengths and assessments when he drifted off.

His thoughts focused on the tablet and the information it contained. A grim sense of desperation gripped him, reading between the lines of the General's optimistic report of his fleet's readiness. Paul understood that trying to cobble together a fleet to operate as one cohesive unit within the deadline was going to be difficult, if not impossible.

Paul had mentioned nothing yet to Coulson about Rachel's "hobby project". Though he had the greatest confidence in Rachel, there was always a chance she wouldn't have the ship ready by the deadline. Yet, even if she pulled off a miracle and had the ship ready to fight, Paul knew, deep in his gut, it would not be enough.

Thoughts of diverting the 1st Fleet to Earth ran through his mind. Again, he discounted that option with their current offensive making positive gains. They were pushing the Haydonites hard, and to let up the pressure now would give them a chance to regroup and rebuild their strength. It might end up costing them more, if they let up now.

There was the option of ordering Coulson to delay his attack until they could assemble more reinforcement. Paul realized this wasn't much of a choice as the lingering visions of Faith being dragged off haunted him.

He'd tried for so long to avoid fate, but it had finally caught up with him. An icy, foreboding sense gripped him, recalling the blackness from his vision. His mind raced, trying to understand and decide what he needed to do.

What's the point of winning the war, but losing her and everyone else? How could I go on knowing that I could have saved them all? How many times have you put your life on the line? You were willing to die to protect her and the Earth...! How is this any different?

The sounds of a song interrupted his thoughts, with the recognizable chords and the female singer's voice catching his attention. He hadn't listened to this song in a long time and suddenly found himself transported back to another time... another place... another universe. The situation then had been just as desperate for Earth and humanity.

Paul closed his eyes, soaking in the song as Lynn Minmei sang, remembering how he loved listening to her when he was growing up on the SDF-1. The memories washed over him, losing himself to the music and the lyrics of "We Will Win".

Still, we must fight or face defeat.
We must stand tall and not retreat.
With our strength we'll find the might.
There's no fight we can't fight together,
All together,
We can win.

This song had been playing while he watched Earth burn under Dolza's bombardment, and the SDF-1 and her Zentraedi allies attacked the Grand Fleet. He remembered how the song reached its climax, and space lit up as the combined Human-Zentraedi fleet opened fire. It had decades since he'd listened to this song and now found himself being pulled by the song's lyrics and the emotion in Minmei's voice.

Blessed with strong hearts that beat as one,
Watch us soar.
And with love that conquers all
We'll win this battle, this last battle.
We will win... We must win...
We will win... We can win...
We can win...

Before he even realized what he was doing, he activated his communications console. The song faded, replaced by Captain Wright's voice.

"Yes, sir. Do you need me to come down to your cabin?"

The vision of the blackness returned, but this time Minmei's song gave him the courage to face it and what he needed to do.

We can win...

"No, Captain. I want you to organize a meeting with you, Captain Dotzol and Admiral Yai'hi conferencing in from his flagship in fifteen minutes," Paul stated in a firm voice. His stomach and nerves were doing backflips, but this was everyone's only chance now.

"Yes, sir!" replied Wright.

oOoOo

Paul waved the two Captains to sit as he entered the conference room. Admiral Yai'hi, his second-in-command, was on the conference room's display screen. Paul took a seat at the table, not wasting any time to get down to business.

"Gentlemen, despite whatever General Coulson's plans are to retake Earth, I've come to the inescapable conclusion it will end in failure, with the complete destruction of his fleet..."

The other officers stared at Paul in disbelief at his pronouncement. James shook off his shock, "S-Sir... how can you be so sure of this?"

Paul met the Captain's eyes, "Trust me... I just know."

The others had learned by now not to questions the Admiral's instincts and decisions, but still they found it hard to believe he could know something like this.

Admiral Yai'hi's voice came over the video link, "Sir, are you suggesting we postpone the General Coulson's operation?"

Paul met the questioning look of the Perytonian Admiral. The images of what the Haydonites would do to Faith filled his head, "No, we need to retake Earth without delay," he said firmly.

James eyed Paul hopefully, "Are you going to retask our fleet to support the General's operation?"

Paul shook his head, "No... We have the Haydonites on the run, and I'm not going to give them a chance to regroup. I won't have more of our people die when we can end this war once and for all!"

"Then what are you suggesting, sir?" inquired Captain Dotzol.

Paul punched in commands on the conference table console. A holographic image of a ship appeared over the middle of the table.

While the other officers had never seen a ship like this before, James gasped recognizing the ship's familiar lines, "My God! It's the SDF-3!"

Paul smirked, seeing their reactions, "Gentlemen, you are looking at the most powerful ship ever designed in this galaxy. For the last two years, Chief Larson has been overseeing the construction of the Pioneer-Class Super Dimensional Fortress. We based this design on the SDF-3 from the universe where Captain Wright and I came from."

Paul noted the hopeful looks—especially on James's face—and hated to dash them. A grim look filled his face, "Unfortunately, she won't be fully combat-capable for at least the next six months at the earliest, which is too long to wait."

Confusion filled James. He hadn't been aware of this project, and now his initial surprise and excitement at this project being revealed was being swept away. He wondered why the Admiral would show them this information to only drown their hopes unless...

"Sir, you said she's not fully combat-capable. Are you saying the ship can fight?" James said, eyeing the Admiral hopefully.

Paul smirked, seeing his aide pick up on where he was going, "The ship can't fold and only has minimal manoeuvring capability. Chief Larson assures me the main gun will be operational with a good portion of her other primary and secondary weapons, along with limited shield capability."

Admiral Yai'hi eyed the holographic ship questioningly, "Sir, isn't it risky to jeopardize a barely completed ship in this manner?"

Paul's voice took on a grave tone, "It is a risk, but I feel we have no choice. We need to take some risks if we're going to save Earth and end this war," he paused before dropping the other reason for this meeting.

"I'm afraid that even with the addition of this ship and her firepower, the 7th Fleet will still be in hard against the enemy."

Captain Dotzol's gaze shifted from the holographic projection back to Admiral Coleiro, "Sir, I take it you have a plan?"

A small smile flashed on Paul's face, "Very astute, Captain. I have a plan and each of you will have a role to play in it. Captain Wright will take one of our heavy cruisers and rendezvous with Chief Larson at the shipyard where this ship is being constructed. The Captain will take command of this new ship, using the cruiser's space-fold engines to take both ships to the Sol System to support General Coulson's operation. I have already made the arrangements to ensure that the ship has enough crew."

Paul paused, meeting his aide's eyes, "James, I know I'm asking a lot of you, but if anyone can pull this off, I know you can. You'll also have Chief Larson there to assist you, so don't be afraid to ask."

James tried to not show any doubts or uncertainty at the weight of these new responsibilities dropped him. He didn't hesitate, knowing what was at stake, "Yes, sir! You can count on me to make it work!"

Paul nodded, turning his attention to the video display, "Admiral Yai'hi..."

"Sir?"

"You are to take command of the 1st Fleet. My final orders are for you to begin immediate offensive operations against the Haydonite fleet base in the Menkab system. This will keep the enemy off-balance and not suspect what we are planning. Captain Dotzol will ensure that my flagship is maintaining communications traffic to make it appear that I'm still with the fleet..."

Confusion and worry suddenly gripped the other officers over his use of the words "final orders". James immediately jumped in, "Sir, where are you going to be?"

Paul noted their concern and worry, but what he had to do was beyond their comprehension and there was nothing they could do. Again, the visions The Shapings had shown him danced in his thoughts, "I'm detaching one of the light cruisers. I have to go see someone to see if I can prevent a disaster from occurring."

James couldn't believe what he was hearing, and refused to leave it alone, "Sir, can't you tell us where you're going? Maybe we can help!" he said, getting nods of support from the other officers.

Paul considered the offer, knowing his people would follow him to hell if he asked, No... there is only one choice now, he thought.

The weight of destiny pressed down on him as a small, sad smile came to his face, "No, James. This is my mission, and I'm the only one who can walk this path," he breathed.

oOoOo

Faith fought the urge to open her eyes, feeling the warming sun coming through blinds, and catching the sounds of the shower coming from the bathroom. As she shook off the sleep, memories of what they did last night replayed in her head. The intensity of the passion they'd shared brought a satisfied smile to her face.

Damn, I feel different, she thought, while stretching in bed.

She lay there, considering this sensation, trying to understand why she was feeling this way. Maybe it was because she had told Andy of her feelings for him. She finally accepted letting go of Paul, along with all her dreams and plans with him, but that still didn't explain this sensation. Out of reflex, her hand drifted down to her pendant...

OH HELL! she thought, a sickening feeling gripping her as she stumbled out of bed, looking for her pendant.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" she muttered, tossing pillows, sheets and blanket off the bed, across the room, desperately searching for her pendant. She then dropped to the floor, looking under the bed, squinting to see it in the darkness and shadows.

"Screw this!" she muttered, standing up and lifting the bed on its side in one quick motion. Andy's voice interrupted her desperate search.

"Uhhh... is there something I need to know?" he mused, eyeing a naked Faith tearing apart the bedroom.

Faith struggled to control her growing panic, "Yeah... I lost my pendant! I can't find my pendant!"

A brief stab of jealousy gripped Andy, seeing how attached Faith was to the pendant from her former lover. He brushed it off because she'd told him she loved him. Besides, it wasn't like a deadman was going to coming knocking on their door.

Andy gestured towards the hallway, "The chain must have caught on your shirt and broke. I found it on the floor when I was going for a shower. I put it on the table in the hallway."

Faith rushed past him without saying a word, retrieving her pendant. She came back into the bedroom, staring at the broken clasp, wondering how bad the situation was.

Andy moved closer, "Can I take a look?" he said.

A strange hesitation gripped Faith at handing the pendant over to Andy. She brushed off any sense of betrayal, handing it over, watching him anxiously as he checked the chain and clasp.

"Looks like the clasp broke off. I can easily reattach it," he said, giving her a smile as he handed it back.

"Thanks," Faith said, giving him a forced smile. In her head, she was furiously calculating how many hours she hadn't been wearing the pendant.

Besides having sentimental meaning, the pendant was her talisman, hiding her from The First Evil and its servants. She debated telling Andy about this and even considered leaving. The memories of the previous night and what they'd shared weighed on her thoughts.

Even if I leave that doesn't mean Andy will be out of danger. They'll still probably come here looking for me. If anything happens, we'll stand a better chance together...

She wasn't aware of the irony, recalling the many times she'd wished choosing to have gone with Paul on the Arcadia. She brushed off those regrets, focusing on Andy and any future they might have.

If things are going to get bad, then this is where I'll make my stand... for better or for worse, she thought, gazing into Andy's face.

Andy noticed the look she was giving him, "Anything wrong?"

Faith shrugged, deciding there was no point in worrying him now. They would deal with the ramifications when they arrived, "No, everything is five by five," she lied, giving him a smile.

oOoOo

When Buffy entered Giles's house, it surprised her to see Riley sitting in the living room with Giles and Andrew. This added to her curiosity why Giles had summoned her here.

She gave her ex-boyfriend a nod, seeing the pain in his eyes that mirrored hers. She had no words of comfort to give him for Samantha, and any condolences she said would only sound hollow. Even though there were rumors that some ships escaped the battle, she had no illusions that Samantha or Willow survived the battle in orbit. She noted how Giles was eyeing her as she joined the group in the living room.

After the Arcadia disappeared with her sister, Xander and James, and then losing Spike and Angel, she'd thought she was immune to the pain of losing anyone else. She wrapped herself in a shell, focusing on fighting and surviving. She'd buried all the pain and grief... or at least she thought she had. Willow and Samantha's deaths along with news confirming the loss of everyone on the Arcadia expedition tore open all the old wounds.

Giles had been the one to contact her after the alien invasion and break the news to her about Willow. He tried to comfort her, and get her to open up, but she'd cut him off. She didn't want to discuss another friend's death... that only distracted her from her work.

What only mattered now was on what they should do now, and how this alien invasion would impact them.

Giles kept a worried eye on Buffy as she plopped down in one of the living room chairs, betraying her exhaustion. Her apparent coldness at the news of Willow's death hadn't really surprised him. The past few years had made them all harder and colder out of necessity to survive.

Despite having to deal with an alien invasion, he'd hoped this new threat would have given them a respite or at lessened the other threats they were facing. Riley's arrival and the news he brought was a harbinger of now a direr situation they faced.

"What's the emergency?" Buffy said tiredly, studying both men for any hint or sign of why she was here.

"I received a message from Faith. She said she's staying with a friend and that you would know who it is. Do you know who she's staying with?" Giles said.

Buffy picked up on the anxious tone in Giles's voice. An unsettling feeling grew in her stomach, "Yeah, I know where she's staying. What's the problem?"

Giles nodded to the other man, "Riley is better informed to explain the situation we're dealing with."

Riley stood up, meeting Buffy's eyes, "Thanks Giles. We need to get a hold of Faith quick! Do you have a number we can reach her at?"

Buffy shook her head, "No... I just have an address. There's a guy she's sort of gotten involved with," she said, noting their surprise, "She told me about him just in case anything ever happened to her. He lives in some small town in Texas, called Adamsville. I'll repeat my question, what's the problem?"

Riley let out a deep sigh, "I'm not sure what's going on. I've gotten word from some of my sources that these Haydonite creatures are looking for Faith in a bad way."

Buffy looked at Riley in disbelief, "You're kidding... right? What would those aliens want with Faith?"

"I wish I was," Riley said, shaking his head, "Whatever is going on is serious. I've got groups of people reaching out to my sources to get us word about this."

Buffy considered what Riley was telling her, "Could this be a trap? You know... to try and draw us out?"

Giles spoke up, "I expressed the same concern when Riley contacted me."

Riley nodded, "Yeah, I considered they could be baiting us. But the people involved... some of them are taking a tremendous risk reaching out to us. Whatever the aliens want from Faith, the shared opinion is we have to keep her from them at all costs."

As Riley's words sank in, the sense of responsibility and exhaustion weighed on Buffy. She was tired of all the fighting, and there was a small part of her wanting for it to all be over. The faces of everyone she'd cared about who'd died haunted her dreams—when she slept. She remembered the time when Spike told her that all Slayers had a death wish.

He said that I had "ties to the world". I've lost almost everyone that tied me to this world...

"Buffy?" Giles said, studying her face with concern.

"Yeah," she replied, pushing down her tiredness to focus on this new situation, "I'll head down to Texas. Depending on the roads, it will probably take at least a day to get to her. I can bring her back here and we can decide what to do then."

"No..." Riley said, catching her by surprise, "I don't want to bring her back here and compromise this location, just in case it is a trap. I'm going with you because I want to talk to Faith in person. Maybe she can give me some clue why these aliens are looking for her. From there, I'll take her to Los Angeles."

Buffy eyed Riley, "LA? That's a strange choice."

Riley nodded, "I've got more contacts and resources there we can use to hide her."

Buffy had her doubts, but she didn't have any better ideas, "We've got a long drive, so we might as well get started," she said, giving him a tired shrug.

oOoOo

Andrew was waiting outside the bathroom, catching Buffy off-guard as she came out. It still surprised her to see how much he'd changed over the years, becoming Giles's assistant and right-hand man. He was now responsible for supplying and communicating with all the resistance cells across the country. She realized he was no longer the scared, bumbling person who fainted at the sight of blood. Yet, the serious, professional demeanor he projected still seemed out of character for him.

"Sorry, did you need to use the bathroom?" Buffy said.

Andrew shook his head, his face projecting a serious expression, "No, I was waiting for you. I wanted to let you know I've loaded extra Protoculture cells for yours and Faith's Cyclones in Riley's vehicle. There are also extra missile reloads, and Gallant energy pistols... just in case."

"Uh... thanks," Buffy replied, "That's a lot of firepower for just going to pick up Faith."

Andrew shrugged, not betraying any emotion, "You can't be too careful these days, plus you are going to Texas..."

Buffy blinked as his words sank in, and she caught the traces of a smile on his face. She couldn't help herself as she smiled, shaking her head slowly.

"I was wondering if you could still smile," Andrew said, walking beside Buffy down the hallway.

"Thanks... I think," Buffy said, wondering what he really wanted.

Andrew's face returned to its serious expression, "I'm sorry about Willow," he blurted out, causing Buffy to stop in her tracks.

Buffy studied him, wondering if he was being the old Andrew, saying things at the wrong time. The look on his face betrayed he had a purpose behind this.

She sighed, trying to keep the pain at having lost another friend buried, "Did Giles put you up to this?"

"Sort of," Andrew replied, "He... we're both worried about you. We just want to make sure your head is on straight and you make it back."

Buffy took some deep breaths to get her simmering emotions under control, "It's just a simple run and pickup. Riley and Faith will go to Los Angeles, and I'll come back here... quick and simple."

She picked on the skeptical look as he shrugged, "What? You know something?" she said.

Andrew sighed, "Just rumblings from a few of my mystical sources."

Alarms were ringing in Buffy's head as an unsettling feeling gripped her, "So, what're these so-called rumblings?"

Andrew shrugged, "Nobody is saying anything specific, but something is going on with the higher powers. I just want to make sure you have your head on straight just in case things... um... get worse."

Buffy added her own sigh, wondering how things could get any worse, "Thanks... I appreciate the head's up."

oOoOo

Giles watched from the window as Buffy drove away on her Cyclone with Riley following in his SUV. His eyes still locked on the direction the Cyclone took as it disappeared from sight. He didn't break his vigil even when Andrew entered the room, "Did you talk to her?" he said.

"Yes," Andrew replied.

"How is she?" Giles said, not hiding his fatherly concern while still staring out the window.

Andrew sighed, not even pretending to hide his own tiredness, "She's barely hanging on, just like the rest of us."

Andrews saw the Watcher's shoulders slump. The deaths of Willow and Samantha only added to the weariness and pain they'd had to carry over the last few years. Even he had his own demons to carry and live with.

He still had nightmares of the FBI raid where Robin Wood died. The guilt of his own bumbling and ineptitude consumed and haunted him. It was his fault they delayed evacuating the safe house before the FBI arrived. Those last moments burned into his memory, recalling Robin—with no hint of anger—telling him to take the others to safety while he distracted the police. He'd managed to not screw that up.

After that, he swore to dedicate himself to become a person like Robin, Giles or Riley. He'd confessed his guilt to Giles, begging the Watcher to train and educate him to be the person he needed to be.

It was ironic about how much he'd changed and grown. With the situation dire, he was calmer and focused. A few years ago, this situation would have scared him witless, and have him looking for a hole to crawl into and hide. Giles's question interrupted any further reflection.

"What do we do if the aliens find Faith?"

Andrew considered the question and ramifications. He had no doubts about Buffy and Riley getting to Faith in Texas, but the long-term prospects of keeping her hidden from the aliens was problematic.

Memories of how calm Robin looked in those last moments, knowing what was going to happen to him, replayed in his head and guided him. Andrew would not lie or sugar-coat the situation they faced. He just hoped he could remain calm and composed when it was his turn, "We keep fighting, and we hope and pray for a miracle," he replied.