As Artie and Solan studied the information on the computer, they found the history of the Botany Bay and everything else going on. Since neither of them were on the Enterprise during that time with Khan, they did not know much about that situation except what they had been told.

"So GDI was a military for the defense of Earth," Solan said as he was reading. "They gave that up and became explorers after the War." He looked at Artie. "The ion cannon is…" Solan pause to read more. "It's housed in the global defense array."

"Admiral Kirk should know about this," Artie said. "If he doesn't already."

"That's why I'm studying. They've been hiding that all these years."

"You know what this means."

"Yeah. It means Cabal has control of it now unless it's controlled by this computer system."

Artie sighed. "Since this system is the original that controlled it, I think it might not be so difficult to get it back if he does have control. But that will be after we've quarantined Cabal."

"I'm glad that's you and not me."

They continued studying. "This situation with Khan was incredible," Solan said. "He knew all along that Starfleet had been GDI before. It's even in the same place in California."

"Yes, it's why Khan wanted to destroy it," Artie replied. "Just look at that destruction." He enlarged the photo of the aftermath of Khan's crash into San Francisco.

Solan frowned. "But that ship wasn't exactly Starfleet, was it? It was some secret project that he had done…behind Jupiter." Solan looked at Artie. "How does this tie in with Jupiter Station?"

"Too many secrets in this outfit," Artie replied. "It was a secret project."

"Khan's story is that he escaped from Earth on the Botany Bay along with seventy-two others. GDI…Starfleet tried to destroy it but it escaped with minor damage. It was not discovered again until Admiral Marcus found the ship. He awakened Khan because he was the second in command of the Nod. Marcus thought he could force Khan to tell him where Kane was, but that failed. However, he did get some technology out of him. He had a secret base behind Jupiter that was hidden from Starfleet." Solan shook his head. "This is unbelievable. How do they expect us to figure all this out now? Wouldn't it have been better to be preparing?"

"I don't know," Artie said. "Maybe they didn't think it would come to this."

"But it has. Hiding history doesn't change it. It makes people unaware, and they don't know how to deal with the issues when they come up again."

"Very well-said. I can't agree more. Just because something bad happened doesn't mean it should be forgotten."

Solan read more about the Botany Bay. "They tried to destroy it because they thought Kane was on it, but when it was found, he was not there. The Nod were terrorists which joined themselves with Khan and his crowd to take over the planet. Khan tried to smuggle his own people to safety, but that had to be a ruse just to protect Kane."

"Marcus woke Khan up to find Kane when he realized Kane wasn't there," Artie went on. "He fooled the GDI into thinking Kane was on that ship, giving Legion time to hide him and escape the planet with Cabal."

Solan and Artie sat there a few minutes. "Jim and the others had no idea that they were in the middle of an ancient war," Solan said. "I kinda wish I had been there. I heard that story but you know, it's not like being there."

"Oh yes, but you might have been one who was sucked out into space. They got out of that by the skin of their teeth. Just think, if Khan had gotten back to Earth with that ship, he would have completely destroyed Starfleet. He would have awakened this Kane person and brought these two beings back to Earth and created a Tiberium explosion."

"That's most likely their goal now. I just hope Mister popsicle over there will know how to stop them."

Bones came over to the computer. "Are there any medical records in this thing?" he asked.

Artie typed on the keyboard. "Yes," he said.

"I need to study this so maybe I can figure out a cure if someone gets exposed to that tiberium. They may not have had a cure, but I intend to have one."

"I would be glad to help you with that research, Doctor," Spock said. "We may also recruit the help of those on New Vulcan."

"You'd be welcome to help, and I would appreciate any help I can get. We probably need to rush this."

"I have discovered a lab where we can work."

"Great. Does it have modern technology?"

"I believe so. It seems to have been updated, although the older database is there as well."

"Well, alright. That's the best news I've heard all day."

Jim was still walking around with Admiral Winston. "That network of tunnels you found under Starfleet Academy led to an underground bunker," Winston said. "There's a secret entrance to that, and we can get in through there."

Jim considered that. "Does it even go over there to Starfleet headquarters?" he asked.

"It does. It's a network of tunnels. It may be our only way to get in since it's not computerized."

"If we can get in there unexpected, we might be able to help Artie disrupt Cabal's program."

"Do not underestimate these beings, Mister Kirk. They are dangerous and ruthless. They will not hesitate to kill every one of you."

"Yeah. So I've heard. We still have to get in there. It's the only way to get a wrench in their works."

"That's up to you, Admiral Kirk. I'll be here to coordinate."

"Great. I have to get with my team on this. We'll figure out something."

"You're the best we have at this, Kirk. That's why I brought you here, but you will be waiting for Mister McNeil, won't you?"

"Absolutely. Besides, I think Mister Gordon over there is gonna have this system figured out. McNeil can help us with the rest after we get into Headquarters." Jim paused a moment. "Where exactly was this Nod temple?"

"In Sarajevo. It's not there now. I don't know where they could be hiding Kane. I'm sure he has what he needs to start the war again when he's awakened."

"Had anyone searched over there to find it?"

"Of course. Where the temple was, it's like nothing was ever there. It was burned to the ground."

"What about underground?"

"There's no indication of anything there."

"Maybe it's shielded."

Admiral Winston considered that. "If there's something there, it's completely undetectable."

"Well, we all know what a technical genius Khan was. He could have done it."

"We don't have the technology to detect it."

"Maybe it has some sort of cloaking device. It's invisible to scanners." Jim paced a moment. "When we had that incident aboard the ship with Lieutenant Phillips, Artie, Sulu, and John McCoy created a way to make Phillips show up by reconfiguring the scanners. It showed the void."

"Anything is worth a try. Trouble is, the Enterprise is in repair, right?"

"I can contact Mister Scott to find out if it can scan that area."

"He might be able to use what we have here. I just have to get the plans figured out."

Jim went over to where Artie and Solan were still at the computer. "Jim, this thing is full of information," Solan said.

"You learned anything that will help us?" Jim asked.

"Yeah, a lot of stuff." Solan looked at Jim. "Have you seen the aftermath of that war?"

Jim frowned. "No."

"Admiral, a Scrin war would devastate this planet," Artie said. "If they awaken Kane and set off a Tiberium explosion, there'll be no way to stop it."

"That brings us to what I want to talk about right now. Remember when Lieutenant Phillips had that black hole device?"

Artie's mouth dropped open slightly as realization came to him. "But what do we need that for? I'm confused."

"In Sarajevo, the Nod had a temple. I'm thinking they may have an underground chamber that's shielded."

"Oh. But can we find it with this?" Artie asked as he turned back to the computer.

"You figure that out later. Right now, I want the two of you to come with me."

They followed Jim over to talk with Helek and Ajah, who were looking at the war machines. "You guys, where's Spock?" Jim asked.

"He's in there with Doctor McCoy now," Ajah said. "They're analyzing the information about the effects of Tiberium. Doctor McCoy wants to make sure he has a cure."

Jim was silent a moment. "That's…good. Where's Mister West and Lieutenant McCoy?"

"They're around here somewhere," Helek said. "Jim West was very fascinated with the tanks and stuff."

"Mister West!" Jim called.

"Right here, Admiral," West replied as he stuck his head up out of the tank he was in.

"Could you please come out here? You too, John!"

John McCoy, Doctor McCoy's brother, came from the other side of the tank. "Let's go," Jim said.

They all followed Jim to the science lab where Spock and Bones were studying the information that was available about Tiberium. "Guys, we all have to talk," Jim said.

They went into the conference room and sat down around the long table. Jim thought about all the information they had just been given. "We have to figure out a strategy," he said. "I like Artie's idea of trying to defeat Cabal because we have to get back in control of the system. How are you going to accomplish that?"

"I and some of my friends will simultaneously attempt to break into the system," Artie said.

"Do you think you can do that?"

"Oh sure."

"How are you gonna communicate with them?"

"There's more than one way to communicate, Sir. We'll manage."

"Great."

"Cabal can't be everywhere in the system at once. We'll isolate him and trap him like we would any other virus."

"Great. While you have his attention, I'm gonna take a team and try to get into Headquarters. There's a series of tunnels under Starfleet Academy that extends to Headquarters. Once we get in there and you get rid of Cabal, we're gonna take this back from them and stop them."

"What about everything else here?" Solan asked.

"Those things are in case we can't succeed in stopping them. There'll be a war."

"I would never have thought we would face something like this," Bones said.

"Well, we are," Jim said. "We have to improvise like we did on Lemma Two."

Just then, Admiral Winston walked in. "We just got word that they have revived all seventy-two of Khan's people," he said.

Jim rubbed his eyes. "This just got a thousand times worse," he said.

"Seventy-two of them?" Solan asked. "Well, are they all evil like he was?"

"Apparently so. They were helping him commit genocide. He called them his family."

"And what we've read about the Nod, they called each other brother and sister."

"That's why Marcus could get Khan's cooperation by threatening them. It's how he developed that ship and who knows what else?" Jim looked at Admiral Winston. "Am I right, Sir?"

"That secret base was dismantled, Kirk," Winston replied.

"I know that Carol knew what he was doing until he found the Botany Bay. He kept all of it a secret. He knew what Khan was capable of, and he wanted to exploit it."

"Question is: why didn't he make Khan tell him where Kane was?"

"That is a question, but maybe he convinced him that Kane was dead," Admiral Winston said. "Who knows? Obviously, he's not or why would Legion and Cabal be here?"

"They wouldn't."

"If they've already awakened them, he has to be next."

"What are we gonna do about it?" Solan asked.

"We're gonna go on with our plans of getting into Headquarters while Artie and his people get into the system and distract Cabal," Jim said.

"What about Legion and now seventy-two more? And there's no telling how many they can recruit."

"We'll have to use these machines," Jim said. "We have a lot of people too."

"So this is going to be all-out war."

"If that's what they want, that's what they'll get. We have to stop them."

Just then, they heard beeping. "That's the cryotube," Bones said.

They left the conference room and Bones opened the cryotube. He gave McNeil a hypospray dose and he opened his eyes. "Michael McNeil?" Admiral Winston said.

McNeil sat up looking around him at all the people whom he did not know. "Yes, I'm McNeil."

"I'm Admiral Winston, the head of Starfleet, formerly known as the GDI."

"I assume there's a reason I've been awakened."

"Yes. We need your help. This is Admiral James Kirk. You'll answer directly to him. We're on the verge of war."

"The Nod?"

"Yes, the Nod. They will awaken Kane soon. If they do, he will attempt to create a tiberium explosion to bring the Scrin to Earth."

McNeil frowned. "Then we have a lot of work to do," he said.

"Mister McNeil," Jim said and offered his hand.

"Just call me Mac."

Jim scowled slightly at that as he remembered an enemy they had faced whose name was Mac. "I'd like to hear what all you know about this situation."

"It's a very long story, Admiral."

"Well, our plan is still coming together, so you can tell me while we're planning and waiting."

"You have a plan?"

"I do. And I need a man to lead the troops."

"I'm ready, Sir."

Jim looked at Artie. "Figure out that network," he said. "Let me know when you have a plan in place."

"Yes, Sir," Artie replied and headed back to the computer.

"Now…Mac, tell me how you got into this," Jim said.

"I guess it all started with blue Tiberium. It can genetically enhance its host…if they have the right genetics to begin with. So, I and several others, after years of breeding, had the right genetics. We were taken from our parents by the Nod, and we were treated with blue tiberium to become invincible soldiers."

Jim scowled. "Like Khan?"

"Khan? You know about Khan?"

"Yeah. He…well, he's dead now."

"He and I knew each other. I was rescued during a GDI raid, and I was lucky. I wasn't brainwashed by the Nod to do their bidding. Unfortunately, Khan had no such luck. Kane, well, he didn't have the right genetics so that's why he has to spend time in a regeneration chamber. I'm the only one of seventy-five who was rescued."

"Seventy-five?"

"Yes. There were seventy-five of us. Anyway, I fought against the Nod. I tried to counter anything that Kane and Khan could come up with. I even helped design a lot of these weapons. They knew Kane would be back because they escaped with Cabal."

"Cabal has taken over Starfleet."

"Starfleet?"

"It used to be GDI, and Admiral Marcus wanted to make it a military again."

"Cabal has control?"

"Yes. He's taken over the system except for what we have here. Do you have any idea where they could have hidden Kane?"

"No. But there were always rumors that he had underground chambers where he could regenerate."

"Underground? Where?"

"I don't know, but the Nod temple was in Sarajevo. Maybe they're there."

"We're gonna try to find a way to enhance the scanners to find it."

"If Cabal is already on Earth and already in control, it's too late."

"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

"If he's here, he most likely knows where Kane is and is in process of awakening him. He won't waste any time. That's why he has blinded your Starfleet…so he can do what he came here to do. We need to move as soon as possible."

"We will but we have to get everything in order first. You have plenty of people to work with. They're fast learners and won't hesitate."

"Great. I'm ready."

Jim went to the computer. "Have you been able to get in touch with anyone, Artie?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, I have," Artie replied. "We have an underground network. Even Cabal cannot decipher that one. I'm still waiting on one more and then we will be ready when you are."

"We should wait for nightfall so we'll have the cover of darkness to get into those tunnels."

"We'll be ready, Sir."

"Great." Jim went into the conference room, calling everyone together again. "Okay," he began. "We have a big situation on our hands, and it's gonna take maneuvers on three fronts. I will take a team and get back into headquarters via the tunnels. Artie and his team are going to attack the computer virus which is Cabal. Once we have control of the system again, we will all go and stop Kane, along with Mac and everyone else."

"How will he know where he is?" Solan asked.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Admiral Winston said as he walked in. "We know where he is now." He activated the monitor in the conference room. "This happened just minutes ago."

As they watched, the ground suddenly broke away as a huge, cylindrical shape rose out of the ground to its full height. Then huge weapons appeared on the top as well as a wall around the perimeter. "I'd say things just got a whole lot worse," Bones said.

"That's the Nod Temple," Mac declared. "We have to get in there and stop him or he will set off that explosion. If the Scrin come…the death toll will be astronomical. Plus, he will make brutes."

"We have to have our electro-suits to go in there," Jim said. "That way, even he can't track us."

"What about cameras?" Solan asked.

"We'll take care of that, or Artie will when he gets into that system."

"I can do it, Admiral," Artie said with confidence. "Once we're in, it'll be a piece of cake."

"We have to have communication, but we shouldn't use communicators until Artie and the others have Cabal isolated. He might monitor them and know our plans. We all know our goal: to save the Earth from certain destruction."

"You will all report to Admiral Kirk, but I will be here to coordinate," Admiral Winston said. "You will all know your orders before you leave here. Those of you who are on Mac's team will report to him as he reports to Admiral Kirk. During radio silence, do not use communications at all. I will let you know when Mister Gordon has things under control."

"Everybody got that?" Jim asked. He got a resounding Yes Sir. "Now, we have to organize our teams."

"I'm with you, Admiral," Solan said as he stepped up beside Jim.

"So are Ajah and I," Helek added.

"As am I," Spock said.

Just then, they heard a loud bang as the front doors slammed shut. Jim grabbed his phaser but soon they saw who had arrived. Korax and Grakar were there, along with Anakin, Padme, and their children, as well as several more from the Enterprise. Jim walked over to them. "Korax, I'm glad you guys are here," he said. "I'd really like you to take my wife and children to Kronos and keep them safe."

"I won't be going," Carol said as she walked over to them. "This secret base is safe, and I and the children want to be here with you."

Jim sighed. "Alright, but we don't know how this is going to turn out."

"You will have more help if the Klingons are here."

Jim looked up at Korax and Grakar. He knew they would not force Carol to go. "Fine," he said.

Dapodi and some other Klingons were there as well. They had arrived on Earth while Jim and the others were on their way back. "Well, we definitely have our army," Jim said. "Grakar and Korax, I'd like you to be with me on my mission to headquarters. The others can be here to learn the new equipment and help Mac. Mac, meet Dapodi, Grakar, Korax, Anakin, and Padme."

Jim took his group into the conference room: Solan, Spock, Bones, Ajah, Helek, Grakar, Korax…and now, Carol, Anakin, and Padme. "What are we gonna do with the children while we're all out fighting?" Jim asked.

"Well, I won't be going, Admiral Kirk," Padme said. "I'll be staying with the children if you have a place for us."

"We already have a designated room."

Jim turned back to his team and brought up a schematic of Starfleet Headquarters, the Academy, and the tunnels. He pointed to a blinking entrance outside the Academy. "That's our way in," he said. "We'll make our way underground to Starfleet Headquarters, get inside, and take it back. He can't have very many in there with him, although he most likely has some of Khan's people in there."

"They may be more than enough," Spock said.

Grakar took his bat'leth off his back. "They are not immune to the blade of a bat'leth," he declared.

Jim knew that was true, and he had seen Grakar swing that thing and Korax too. "They will have weapons though," he said. "We have to be ready."

"I'm always ready," Anakin said. "We got here as quick as we could when we got word."

"I'm glad you're here. This team should be enough to get in there."

"I'll get powered up," Helek said.

"That is your goal in life," Ajah replied. "But in this case, lead on."

"Those guys have been around all of us too long," Bones remarked. He moved closer to Jim. "You really think we can go in there and take that back from a computer program?"

"We're sure gonna try," Jim said. "It's either that or let some maniac take over and destroy the Earth."

"Doctor, we will be successful if we are careful," Spock said.

"Yeah, we'll do what we've always done," Solan agreed. "Shoot first and don't ask any questions."

Soon, Helek and Ajah came back definitely looking powered up. "We can help to disrupt that computer program and the cyborg too," Helek said.

"Great," Jim replied. "Get with Artie and figure out when you need to act. We have to get our electro-suits on and ready."

Jim and his team entered the warehouse where everything that could be had been beamed or brought down to Earth from the ship. He was glad the electro-suits were there. As Jim and Carol were changing, Jim said, "You know you don't have to go. You could stay here and help coordinate and work on the weapons…not that I don't want you with me."

"I know that, but I want to go with you," Carol replied. "Padme will take care of the children."

"You two made that deal quickly, didn't you?"

"She's not going because she's going to have a baby."

"Oh. You know how I feel about both of us going on a dangerous mission."

Carol finished zipping her suit and looked up into Jim's blue eyes. "They need you too," she said.

"I know," Jim replied.

"And you're a great father…daddy. And if you died, they would miss you as much as me."

"I try to be a good father. I'm worried though."

"I know but we'll just do our best to get back here. We have to fight."

"You're right. If we don't, they might not have an Earth to live on, or they'll…" Jim did not want to think about his children being servants to some tyrannical bunch of terrorists.

"Right. So let's go and hug and kiss our babies and get going."

They went to the room where Padme and the children were, which now looked a lot like a nursery. Jim picked up Joy who ran over to him. She was 2 now. He touched her blond hair. "You be a good girl while we're gone," he said. "No throwing tantrums or your food."

"Okay, Daddy," Joy said.

"I love you. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, Daddy. I love you too."

Jim hugged her hoping it would not be the last time. Then he squatted in front of Alex who was 7 years old now. "You watch after your sister," he said.

"I will, Daddy," Alex said. "I'm scared."

"Why?"

"I heard everybody talking. Will you and Mama come back?"

"We're gonna be trying to get back here the whole time we're gone. You just don't worry about that. You remember that we love you."

"I love you too."

Jim hugged Alex. He thought this was harder than ever now that Alex understood what was happening. "Be brave for me and be good to Miss Padme," Jim said. "She will take care of you."

"I will," Alex replied. "She's nice."

"We'll see you when we get back."

Jim and Carol walked out of there. They clasped each other's hands as they walked. They met their team and went on to Solan's ship which was what they would use to get back to San Francisco. They had many types of weapons with them that they had collected over the years. They were all ready for a fight if it came, and they were sure it would. Jim's communicator, which was an old one that went with the system at the base they had occupied, chirped in much the same way as the modern ones. He took it out. The communicator looked more like a small piece of metal with switches on it than an electronic device. He flipped the switch. "Yeah?"

"Admiral, we're ready to get into the system," Artie said. "We're at the back door. It didn't take long since Admiral Winston had codes and everything that we need."

"Wait for my signal to start. We're about an hour from there. Better yet, begin in about forty-five minutes."

"Yes, Sir."

As they arrived in San Francisco, Solan put his ship down outside the city. "The rest of the way on foot," Jim said.

"They exited the ship as Solan activated a camouflage program that he and Artie had been working on. "Let's try to be as quiet as possible," Jim said. "We have to keep an eye out for anyone since we don't know who's with them and who's not."

"Surely no one from Starfleet would be on their side," Bones said.

"We don't know that."

As they moved through the forest, it seemed very quiet, but they could hear distant sounds, some of which sounded like an amplified voice, but they could not make out what it was saying. It seemed to be repeating a message."

"What do you think that is?" Bones asked.

"Nothing good," Jim replied. "Probably threats or something to frighten the public."

As they neared the city, night was starting to fall. The message they had been hearing had stopped, but they could hear some sort of alarm sound that almost sounded like buzzing but at alarm intervals. "I hope we didn't trip some sort of alarm," Ajah said.

"Activate the suits now," Jim said, and they all did. "We'll soon be to the entrance." He pressed a button on his communicator.

Back at the mountain base, Artie's communicator began beeping. "He's ready," he said. He sent a signal out to his friends around the world. He rubbed his hands together. "Oh, this is gonna be good." He was looking forward to this challenge, although in the past few years, he had helped to set up the system and make improvements.