Deep Space Guardian: Season III-Episode 41

[Founder]

(Finally, we're now in season 3. Sorry the post is so small, but I woke up late and have work soon.)



Captain's Log. Stardate 58982.22

It's been about 24 hours, roughly, since the destruction of the Dreadnought Eclipse. Although, I'm not really sure to be honest. I don't have a chronometer with me. Everything after the Guardian's destruction is a big blur to me. I think it was Admiral Ni's ship that came in and got us, I'm not sure. It took forever for anyone to notice us. Then again, the Nautolians did not immediately flee after the destruction of Fito's ship. Their fleet did become chaotic and unorganized, but they continued to fight. Eventually, they lost and the remaining vessels tried to flee. We were in the escape pods for about 15 hours before someone finally came and got us. I remember pushing the medical officer away that tried to examine me. My crew needed more immediate assistance, especially my chief engineer who had inhaled noxious fumes inside of engineering. He is currently resting at Starfleet Medical, or so I believe. My crew split apart, or so I assume, after being rescued by the Jaguar. I could be wrong. All I know is, I had to see the damage for myself. So I beamed down to the planet...

I'm here now in San Francisco, the real heart of Starfleet. It was...not what I remembered it to be. Buildings were destroyed and bodies littered the streets. Body parts, cut off by the Nautolian's laser swords, were everywhere. I see so many faces, many in Starfleet uniforms, that I'll never get to know. Officers that could have served under me. Hell, some of them could have been my commanding officers as they were older then me. Smoke filled the sky from damaged machinery. I couldn't even see the sun which shone brightly in the sky. The thing I found most deafening was the silence. There were no sounds of transport vehicles moving people around, the people themselves chatting, the sounds of life. No, there was none of that. I could only hear the roar of fire from one Fito's downed tanks. All of this was my fault for not stopping Fito when he attacked the station. He dragged his war to the home of billions within the Federation and I'm to blame.

End Log.

(I left it ambigious as to where everybody was at the exact moment. I mentioned Kiris was at Starfleet Medical, but SM can have him gone from there if he so wishes. Everybody, take into consideration that it's been 24 hours since the destruction of Fito's ship, not the end of the battle. RM said that the remaining Nautolians fought for a little while, while recalling their troops from Earth. Then they fled. Ian is in San Francisco, in one of the streets. Everyone else can be wherever they wish. The Federation fleet is still ir orbit of Earth. We'll do the chase and liberation of TN later.)

[Spellbinder Marik]

((No need to go to red alert on this. It�s just a dream Kiris is having.))

-Unknown Place, Overlooking an Alien Vista-

Kiris heard the sounds of water and birds outside the window. He smelled the scent of food from the other room. Then he heard footsteps from a hallway outside and then approaching him. He felt a tug on his arm.
�Daddy, wake up.� Kiris opened his eyes.

He saw a young boy standing there. He could see the faint Romulan features on his forehead. He also had pointed ears. He guessed the boy was more Vulcan than Romulan. The boy studied Kiris for a moment.
�Is something wrong dad?� Kiris couldn�t shake the feeling of being called �dad or daddy�.
�No. Nothing is wrong. Why don�t you go help your mother with breakfast? I�ll be along shortly.� The boy nodded and trotted off toward the hallway again.

Kiris got out of bed and looked around. He didn�t recognize his surroundings. He saw the curtains being moved by a slight current of wind. Kiris poked his head out the window. The first thing he noticed was a beat up Federation Runabout parked a short ways from the house.

Kiris looked into the distance. He didn�t recognize any of the scenery. Where am I? Kiris looked back into the room. He saw a wardrobe against one wall. He walked over to it and opened it. Inside on a shelf he immediately noticed two neatly folded Starfleet uniforms. On top of the yellow one Kiris noticed a PADD. He grabbed it and began reading.

To: Kiris Ditex
From: Starfleet Medical

We regret to inform you that we are unable to find a cure for your condition. Due to the effects caused by the virus we have determined that it impairs your abilities to serve on a starship or station. We�re placing you on indefinite medical leave. We�re sorry for having to do this to you but it is for your own good.

Yours Sincerely,
Starfleet Medical.

Kiris sat the PADD back on top of his uniform.
�I was medically discharged?� Kiris felt a hand on his shoulder. His first instinct was that he was being attacked but it was subdued when he heard a voice.
�You don�t remember?� Kiris turned around. He felt stupid for nearly launching a counterassault on this woman.

�Remember what? Who are you? Why am I here?� The women raised an eyebrow. It was a gesture that was unmistakably Vulcan.
�I am your wife, V�Nel.� Kiris knew the name but he wasn�t sure where he�d heard it before.

�My Wife? �and the boy who woke me up?� V�Nel pulled the wardrobe door all the way open to reveal a photo just inside. Kiris studied it for a moment. It looked to be a family gathering around a tree.

�He�s our son, Avitus.� Kiris pulled the photo off the door and examined it closely.
�When was this?� V�Nel took the photo and pointed to the tree.
�It was during an old Earth holiday called Christmas. Your mother said it would promote happy family memories.�

Kiris rubbed his head. He had a headache.
�I don�t remember. My mother, where is she?� V�Nel looked concerned or at least as concerned as a Vulcan could look.

�You don�t remember that either?� Kiris grabbed her by the shoulders.
�Where is she?!� V�Nel took his hands.
�She died Kiris, 5 years ago.� Kiris rushed past V�Nel and into the hallway.

He practically flew down the hallway and out the door. He took off running and when he stopped it was near the access hatch to the shuttle. He opened it and went inside. He sat in a chair and noticed the power come on.

-U.s.s. Saint Lawrence, Cockpit-

When the panels lit up Kiris noticed the designation and registry for this Runabout. U.s.s. Saint Lawrence, Starfleet Runabout Registry NCC 24861. Kiris slid over to the operations panel and activated it. Kiris seemed to know his way around a control panel. He noticed he�d secured the shuttle before he relaxed any.

�Computer, display the record of Starfleet officer Laura�McKnight.� Kiris felt strange for needing to take a moment to remember his mother�s name.

The computer displayed a photograph of his mother. Kiris touched the screen. He remembered her face. She was the only one that had always been there for him. Her service record began scrolling. Kiris began reading. Everything she did was fairly standard until the year 2381. Kiris paused.

�Computer, what is the current year?� Kiris detected a noticeable pause before the computer responded.
�The current Stardate is 68896.94. The Year is 2391.�

A moment later Kiris heard the sound of a transporter. He turned around and saw the Vulcan women he�d seen in the house.
�How did you get in? I secured the shuttle.� She held up a PADD and tossed it to him.
�Security overrides. You gave them to me before you started forgetting things.� Kiris couldn�t remember anything. The last thing he remembered was being on the U.s.s. Guardian, the core was going critical. He�d ordered someone away and said he was staying because he could give the pods a few more seconds.

Kiris looked up.
�I have to go to Earth.� V�Nel, while � Vulcan was also � Romulan and therefore had some feelings. She was concerned and sad that Kiris couldn�t remember.
�Earth is gone Kiris. The Nautolians destroyed it.� Kiris couldn�t fathom how much raw firepower it would have taken to destroy an entire planet.

�Impossible. The entire Nautolian fleet couldn�t destroy the planet.� V�Nel moved closer to the panel Kiris sat at and activated a recording.

Kiris saw a massive sapphire colored ship firing some kind of weapon at the planet.

Not long after the ship pulled away. Kiris watched as the shockwave rippled across the planet like the ripples in a pond. He began to see enormous cracks in the planet. It was breaking apart. Kiris watched in awe as the planet exploded.


Kiris couldn�t say anything at first. He was in shock from what he�d just seen.
�Earth is gone? �and the people?� V�Nel knew that Kiris would take it hard. He did before and probably would again.

�About 80,000 of us survived. If it hadn�t been for the allied forces none of us would have. The Klingons, The Romulans, what�s left of the Federation fleet. Without their ships we�d never have survived.� Kiris was still unsure about all of this.
�How many ships are left?� V�Nel pulled up a record.

�At last update the allies had 150 ships. 70 Klingon ships, 50 Federation and 30 Romulan. They were so heavily overloaded for nearly a year. We eventually found a planet just across the Beta/Delta Quadrant border that is surrounded by a nebula that�s devastating to Nautolian physiology. That�s the only reason they don�t finish us. Because they can�t get to us.�

Kiris could only shake his head.
�How do we live like this?� V�Nel took Kiris�s hand.
�The Klingons and the Romulans make raids on Nautolian supply depots. The only advantage they have is the cloaking technology. They have it because they take in gas from the surrounding nebula and fill the cloaking field with it. That way the Nautolians with the mental abilities can�t track them through the cloak. They bring us what we need and then leave again. The remaining Federation ships guard the planet.� Kiris was afraid to ask more.

�My mother, how did she die?� V�Nel wasn�t sure she should tell Kiris. He was asking too much too fast. She decided the least she could do to help him would be to tell the truth.
�Loneliness. Your father�s ship was destroyed on a raid and after that she just gave up.�

�My father is dead too?� V�Nel had known that this would come. She�d already had similar discussions with Kiris before. The electrostatic discharge that had hit him in the Guardian�s engine room had caused irreparable damage to his neural pathways.
�I�m sorry Kiris. I�m sorry you can�t remember.�

A few seconds later an indicator began blinking and making noise on the Runabout com panel. V�Nel accessed it and began speaking.
�This is Commander V�Nel.� The com crackled. Kiris could here the shouts on the other side of the com.
�Commander, it�s Cory. Gather Kiris and Avitus and report to the Lafayette. The fleet is moving.� Kiris knew the name Cory. It was familiar. When Kiris heard the tone of the man�s voice he felt a shiver go down his spine.

�Has something happened? Why are we moving?� The com crackled again. Kiris heard the voice of Cory again.
�It�s the Nautolians. They�ve found a way to breach the nebula cloud. We have to go.� V�Nel responded by saying they would be there momentarily. She accessed a control panel and activated the transporter. Avitus appeared holding a mug. He looked up when he noticed he�d been transported to the shuttle.

�Take him to the back and make sure he�s buckled in. The stabilizers on this shuttle aren�t in as good of a condition as they could be.� Kiris took Avitus to the aft section of the Runabout.
�What�s going on daddy?� Kiris still felt strange being called daddy.
�We�re leaving. We have to find a new place to live.� Avitus continued to drink from the mug as Kiris strapped him in.
�Stay here. I�ll be back soon.�

Kiris returned to the Runabout cockpit. The shuttle was bouncing back and forth as they ascended. A few moments later they appeared in space. Kiris saw an Intrepid class Starship open its shuttle bay doors. The shuttled slowed and began to edge closer and closer. Kiris was nearly blinded when the gases from the Nebula ignited. When he could see again he saw several massive Nautolian Battle cruisers. The last thing he noticed was the unbelievable salvo of weapons fire coming from them�

((Switching back to Reality now.))

-Earth, Starfleet Medical, San Francisco-

�Hard to port!!� Kiris had shot upright and looked around. It took a moment for him to realize he was alive. He remembered everything. He was on the Guardian, in engineering. He�d told Bengali to leave. Then the last thing he remembered up to that point was Bengali saying something.

"Court martial me if you have to but..." Bengali whispered. It was a low tone but Kiris had still heard it. Kiris looked around. No one was to be found. Kiris kept thinking about what had happened. It was all a dream but it seemed so real. Kiris�s eyes moved towards the door instinctively as he heard the click on the handle.

��so after he finally get�s home again he goes out and does the same exact thing.� Cory laughed.
�I guess he doesn�t learn when to quit.� N�Tran shook his head.
�I don�t think it�s a matter of learning when to quit. I just think he wanted to prove to himself that he could do it.� Cory nodded and looked over to the biobed still expecting to see Kiris sleeping. He was surprised to see him awake.

�You�re awake?!� Kiris kind of nodded.
�I guess so. What happened?� Cory pulled a chair closer and N�Tran just stood by the bed.
�Ensign Bengali told us that you were attempting to stall the core breach and refused to leave. He had to stun you with a phaser to get you out of there. You own him your life.� Kiris laughed. He wasn�t really laughing because something was funny. It was more of a surprised laugh.

Kiris looked to his father next.
�Where is mother right now?� N�Tran pointed out a window. Kiris looked. Several buildings were destroyed. He thought he saw the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. It looked like it had sustained some damage.
�Your mother is supervising several engineering teams in the city trying to assess damage and repair times.� Kiris felt relief flood him. At least he knew she was alive.

�When can I leave?� Cory shrugged.
�The Doctor said she�d be back later to see how you were doing. I guess you could ask her then.� Kiris leaned back. He was glad that everyone was still here. He was glad that he could remember everything. Even the dream though it disturbed him.

-U.s.s. Falkirk, San Francisco Fleet Yards, Dry-dock Four-

Captain Fredrick Swanson was going over some reports again. His ship was allocated less resources being it hadn�t sustained as much damage as others. Still, he was glad that the Falkirk survived. He�d hate to have to get used to another Akira class Starship even though they were all virtually identical. Their torpedo compliment had been restored and now they had several yard engineers crawling through the bowels of the ship restoring it. There was another matter Swanson needed to attend to. Eight fighter pilots stationed on the Falkirk were lost in the battle. He had to contact their families.

-U.s.s. Falkirk, Sickbay-

Most of the Falkirk�s critically wounded had been transferred to Starfleet medical. The less wounded had been kept on the ship itself. On biobed 3 Thomas Rico opened his eyes for the first time in 24 hours. He looked around. Several other officers were in the other biobeds. He looked to the one next to him. It was his co-pilot. Rico turned his head in the other direction and saw someone sleeping in a chair. It was Sally Maija, the supervior of the flight deck on the Falkirk.

�Sally. Wake up.� Sally Maija opened her eyes and saw Rico was awake.
�You�re feeling better?� Rico smiled widely and nodded.
�Oh yes. I�ve never felt so good in my life.� Sally was a little confused. The man had broken 3 ribs and his right arm. He shouldn�t be happy, he should be thankful he was still alive.
��and why do you feel better now than you ever have before?� Rico�s smile went wider, if that was even possible.

�You owe me dinner.� Sally smiled.
�Oh really?� Rico nodded proudly.
�Remember, you said you�d have dinner with me if we survived the battle.� Sally nodded and smiled, remembering what she�d said just prior to Rico leaving with the fighter group.
�It appears I did make that promise.� Rico sat up.
�How about tonight, 2100 hours? I know a nice little place in nocturnal Las Vegas.� Sally nodded.

�That would be wonderful. Assuming nothing else comes up.� Rico�s smile retreated slightly.
�I don�t think anything will come up. We�re through the worst of it.� Sally got up from the chair and took Rico�s hand.
�Perhaps, but there�s still a lot of work to be done. I need to get back to engineering too. Until our next meeting�� Sally left the sickbay. Rico lay back down and started to do a little jig.

Rico stopped when he heard a chuckle from the bed beside his. His co-pilot had woken up.
�You�re so full of it boss.� The Co-pilot said with a chuckle.

[La Forge]

Earth - Paris, France



Juliana Roberts stood at the top floor of one of the most magnificent monuments on Earth, the Eiffel Tower, her pale, white-knuckled hands tightly gripping the iron railings and her gaze cast out over the smoky city of Paris...her homecity. She hadn't been to Paris in some time. If someone asked why she hadn't gone to her place of birth ever since joining Starfleet, she would say it was because of her position on a distant space station. To most people, that would be enough. What she wouldn't tell anyone was the fact that she never came back to Paris was because of her parents.

Juliana had never gotten along with her parents. Her mother had tried to control a young Juliana's life, by forcing all of her beliefs onto her daughter and trying to model the young girl into her image. She had wanted Juliana to marry a good Starfleet man and settle down in a nice home and have lots of children. She had taught Juliana in every possible form of etiquette, forcing her to sit through countless lessons and scolding her over even the smallest of mistakes. She had been taught to be a "proper lady", as her mother had said. She felt as if she never truly had a real childhood. No, because of her mother, she had grown up all too fast. However, Juliana refused to simply live out her life as a simple housewife, as her mother had done. She left home...and never looked back. She didn't know where she was going to go or what she was going to do whenever she got to wherever she was going. It had all happened so fast. Like a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. Maybe she hadn't thought it all the way through, however, she knew that she wasn't going to become what her mother had been. She wasn't going to waste away her life as her mother had done. No, Juliana wanted to see the galaxy...to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before. That was her dream and she wasn't going to allow anyone to interfere with that dream of hers...not even her own mother.

Juliana had ran off and joined Starfleet...a move that could've been the greatest mistake of her life. Everyday of her life she had come to regret that fateful choice. While being in Starfleet had its good parts, particularly her times on Elerra Prime, her experience as a Starfleet officer had not been a good one. She had served through one of the worst wars in Federation history, the Nautolian War. It was about over, now. The Nautolians had lost the Battle of Earth, only about an hour ago. With that, the entire Nautolian Empire had fallen to pieces. While fighting may still be going on, the war, itself, was over. Sit Fito, or as the Nautolians referred to him as, Imperator Obsidian, the leader of the Nautolian Empire, appeared to be dead. Their fleet had been crippled. Their allies, the Hydrans, the Cardassians, the Gorn, had either been freed or defeated. It was over, now. However, how many lives had been lost to reach this point? Tens? No. Hundreds? No. Thousands? No. Millions? Perhaps. Juliana would never know for sure. No one could. However, Juliana knew one thing. One lost life was too many lost lives. While the loss of one might seem insignificant to some, there would always be that someone who was affected greatly by that loss. What if Juliet had died? No one else would care about the loss of one worthless cadet, right? Wrong. Juliana would. Maybe only Juliana would. It didn't matter who was lost. Any loss was a horrible loss.

A wise man had once said "War is hell." How true that statement was. She had gone through hell, itself. What could be worse than that? Juliana only wished she could have the last year of her life back. An even wiser man had once said 'Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended...We have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no going back. We must move forward to preserve in peace what we've won in war.' " In the coming days, that quote would come to carry great significance. The Federation and the entire Alpha Quadrant would be tested. Could peace be preserved after this war? What will become of the Nautolians and their allies? Will the Federation or its allies ever truly recover? So many questions ran rampant in Juliana's mind. How badly she wished she could have the answer to even one of those questions, though, she knew better. Only time could truly answer those questions.

Suddenly, as the young Frenchwoman pondered all of these questions and more, a chirp came from her combadge, ringing out in the silence that seemed to envelope the entire planet. She almost didn't notice it, for a second or two, as her mind was elsewhere. When she eventually realized her combadge was ringing, she quickly tapped the shiny piece of metal which was pinned to the chest of her uniform, the same uniform she had been wearing back on the Guardian, before it was destroyed. She had been lucky to get off of that damned ship before it blew. She could remember being in Sickbay, just finishing patching up a young Andorian man when the ship shook more violently than it had ever done before. It felt as if an earthquake that was a million points over the scale. She had fallen to the ground and smashed her head against the hard tiled floor. She had blacked out for a second or two. When she eventually came to her senses, people were scrambling to get out of Sickbay. Apparently, Commander Xavier had ordered the ship to be evacuated. She could hear Doctor Sue Burns, the head doctor, calling for everyone to get the hell out of there. Juliana had staggered to her feet and walked her way out of Sickbay. Her head hurt like hell and there was a fierce ringing in her ears. She had been halfway to the escape pods when she heard loud explosions coming from behind her, in the direction of Sickbay. She swore she could hear the sounds of a woman crying, however, it could have been her imagination. Then, again, given the circumstances, Juliana would've cried, herself, had she not been too groggy to actually realize the scope of what was going on. It wasn't until ten minutes later, when she was sitting in that escape pod, all by herself, when she saw the Eclipse, the massive Nautolian dreadnought that seemed to be leading the enemy fleet, blow. It was at that moment that Juliana realized what had happened. While it may have been premature, Juliana began to laugh...weakly, that is. Eventually, it turned into a fit of coughing, though, it had started as a laugh. She realized the battle and, in a way, the war...It was over. With the destruction of their flagship, the Nautolian fleet would fall apart and would flee back to Nautolia Prime. The Federation forces would no doubt follow the enemy fleet back and put an end to the war, once and for all. Then, the difficult task of peacekeeping would ensue, however, that wasn't of Juliana's concern. All that really mattered for the time being was that the war was over. Or so it seemed, anyways.

"Oui?" Juliana blurted out, in her native tounge, upon tapping her combadge. She hadn't even realized she spoke in French. It seemed so natural to talk that way, especially given her location, Paris. "Er...Yes?" the young woman quickly corrected herself, her cheeks turning a shade of pink out of embarassment in the process. While the word was pretty much universally known on Earth, Juliana doubted that non-Terrans were knowledgeable of the language of love.

"Lieutenant Roberts? If you wouldn't mind, we could use your help down at the city hospital." came the sounds of a woman's voice, a human, by the sounds of it, over her combadge.

A faint smile flickered upon Juliana's pale and worn face. She was still dressed in her blood-soaked garments that she had been wearing back on the Guardian. She hadn't had enough time to change yet. The second the escape pod crashed, she headed for Paris. She had to see it for herself. She had to see her hometown for herself. She expected it to be bad, as it was essentially the capital of Earth and the home of the President of the entire United Federation of Planets, however, she didn't expect it to be this bad. There were bodies everywhere. The bodies were human and Nautolian, alike. Corpses littered the streets, along with debris and rubble of all kinds. Entire buildings had been leveled. Abandoned or destroyed Nautolian walkers and mechs were scattered throughout the city. A few Nautolian soldiers remained, however, the Marines were out hunting the few stragglers down. The city was in ruins, however, whether it be a miracle (Juliana, as an atheist, does not believe in miracles, naturally) or simply luck (Juliana, as a scientist, does not believe in luck, naturally), the Eiffel Tower still stood, all in one piece. For reasons she could not explain, Juliana had been drawn to the tower. She climbed up the steps to the top and there she had remained, looking out over the ruins of Paris...her hometown, all the while pondering the fates of her parents and her sister and the Federation, itself.

At length, Juliana tapped her combadge, to respond to the woman's question. Of course she would oblige. After all, medical personnel was stretched thin, throughout the city and the entire planet, itself. This disaster...this tragedy...it was not limited to Paris, alone. No, San Francisco, New York, Beijing...the entire globe had been hit and hit pretty damn hard. Juliana would throw in her bit and help out as best as she could. It was her job, as a Starfleet officer and a doctor, to help out as best she could, anyways.

"Of course. I'll be there in about twenty minutes. Roberts out." Juliana replied, emotionlessly, before she cut the comm line. She continued to stare out over the smoky ruins of Paris for a few moments more, her brilliant green eyes brimming with tears, before she spun about on her heel and made her way on down the tower. However, she made sure to steal one last glance over Paris...the city that had formerly been her home...the city that was now nothing but a smoking ruin, thanks to those bastards, the Nautolians. Little did Juliana know that this atrocity was only the first of many to befall her this day. The worst was yet to come...

[Ziona]

San Fransisco, Marine Headquarters

Having safely landed on Earth, Ziona made her way towards Marine Headquarters in San Fransisco. For one, she could lend a hand there and help with recovery measures. Second of all, she wanted to see her mother. Protocal stated that the Field Marshal's wife was to be brought to HQ if and when an attack occured. Protocal dictated that her mother would be in HQ surrounded by a guard of Marines.

Approaching Marine Headquarters, Ziona noticed blood splattered on the pavement. She saw a few dismembered hands and fingers. She grimaced and turned to look away, trudging steadily towards the pockmarked building that was Marine HQ. A small skirkmish had been fought in front of the building, that much Ziona could tell. But she didn't see any bodies outside meaning either no one died or the bodies had already been moved.

"Miss Andreas." A voice called to her and she turned to see two young Marines approach her, flanking her on either side. "Your mother is waiting inside of HQ. We figured you'd come this way. Your father..."

"Has he been found yet?" Ziona asked quickly. A nod from the two young officers told her that he was, indeed, recovered from the wreckage. "And?"

"We're not sure yet. They still have him heavily sedated." The officer to her right answered. Ziona simply nodded. "We'll take you in to see your mother."

"Thank you." Ziona spoke quickly, following the two young officers deeper into the caverns of Marine Headquarters.

Marine Headquarters, Field Marshal's Office

Neisha Andreas sat, her hands folded in her lap, on the leather couch in her husband's office. It seemed strange to be sitting in the office without her husband. Unfortunately, he hadn't quite made it back to San Fransisco yet. The medical unit was taking their time getting to San Fransisco mostly due to the damage sustained by the attack.

A sigh escaped Neisha's lips just as the doors to the office swished open and a slightly dazed Ziona stumbled in, flanked by two Marine officers. Neisha stood quickly and headed over to her daughter, embracing her gently.

"You're alright." Neish breathed. "I heard your ship went down and I was afraid that you'd been lost."

"Ian wouldn't let that happen." Ziona whispered to her mother, trying to smile but the shock of the entire situation still laid heavily on her shoulders. "How is he?"

"I haven't seen him yet. They're still making their way to San Fransisco. Alot of damage has been sustained all over the country and I'm afraid the medical unit itself took a beating." The two made their way back over to the couch, sitting down together, their hands still clasped together.

"It's been horrible..." Ziona dragged her words out, unclasping her hand's from her mother's to brush a hand across her forehead.

"Are you alright? Are you injured? We have medical officers waiting." Neisha spoke rapidly, looking her daughter over. Burns seemed to singe Ziona's clothing but she didn't seem harmed in any way.

"If I am injured," Ziona began, "the adrenaline hasn't kicked out yet to tell me. And even if I am injured, I can handle a few cuts and bruises compared to the many people who died today." Ziona set her jaw heavily, a darkness drapping over her face as she turned her eyes away from her mother. She turned them down towards the ground, sighing heavily.

"Don't let this get to you too much, Ziona." Her mother spoke. "Wars are won and lost. Things happen. It's the way..."

"I don't care!" Ziona spat out. "People died today. People I know died today. People I've worked with for years are no longer here and it's all because of a stupid war! I hate war!" She stood with a fervor and began to pace the room, her arms crossed on her chest. She paused, glancing out a nearby window at the ruins of the buildings around San Fransisco. "Look at this!" She said, pointing out the window. "This city. I lived here. I grew up here! And now it's reduced to this?"

She turned a dark eye on her mother and Neisha shrank beneath the gaze of her daughter. Rage and hate and pain boiled in Ziona's eyes, threatening to be thrown over her dark lashes. She began to pace again, her arms still held against her chest, crossed and locked across her chest.

"Ziona please." Her mother spoke quietly. "Think of the future. Everything will be fine, eventually. Everything will go back to normal. Wars have been lost by us before. And we've always bounced back. Just have faith. Have faith in humanity and the ability for this society to rebuild."

Ziona paused a moment, gazing out the window, her arms loosening on her chest as she relaxed a little. She shut her eyes and let her mind wander...

There were promises of better times. Ian had promised that the two would get married once the war was over. That was a promise and it was something that would soon take place. There was a promise of peace for once... for a time of relaxation, hopefully for Ian, Ziona, T'Sa, for everyone on DSG. It was at least a glimmer of hope...

"Faith..." Ziona whispered to herself, her eyes still shut. The sun was hanging in the sky, the smoke somewhat blotting out its rays but still the sun shown. "Yes." Ziona whispered. "You are right."

A gentle turn of her head put her eyes on her mother again. Her mother smiled back at her daughter, watching her gently. For the first time in a long time, Ziona felt that the two connected.

"Have faith, Ziona. Even if others don't seem to have faith in you. You'll be fine. We'll be fine. Everything will be fine."

Terra Nova, Mountains

Nicodemus helped carry a few bags into a small alcove that was placed into the mountainside. There were no electronics in the alcove. It was done for a purpose. Any electronics or pieces of technology might give off their location. And right now, that was the last thing they needed.

An invasion had begun. Nicodemus knew it. He could feel it. Something terrible had happened on Earth. From what he had heard as he was running through the house, Earth was under attack. He knew T'Sa would be there and the worry still clung to the forefront of his mind. He bit his lip heavily, glancing up to the sky where he swore he heard the sound of engines.

"Nicodemus!" His sister called to her, huddling in the alcove, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. The wind was picking up in the mountain range, sending dirt and snow flying into the air. It was going to be a cold night.

Nicodemus clutched the bags to his chest and moved quickly into the alcove, shutting the door behind them. They had left their vehicle farther down the mountain and had covered their tracks well. It felt so primitive to hide in the mountains, away from society. But it was the only way that they would survive.

Shutting the door with a resounding bang behind him, Nicodemus snuck back into the alcove with his sister and parents. The room was barely big enough for the four of them. It would be snug. But the closeness would be worth it once night settled on the planet and darkness turned to cold.

His sister's hand snaked their way around his arm and held tightly to him. Nicodemus tried to smile through the darkness at his sister, trying to assure her that everything would be alright.

"Everything will be fine. Don't you worry. We'll be out of here in no time." He squeezed her hands with his arm, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and holding her in the darkness.

Nicodemus sat back and shut his eyes, resting his head on the cool stone behind him. Everything was silent... except for the howl of the wind outside of the alcove. He could hear the wind... he could hear the breathing of his family... and he could hear his heartbeat...

He wondered if T'Sa's heart was still beating as well... something in his mind told him that, yes, she was still alive and, yes, she would come looking for them.

"Please hurry, T'Sa."

[Spellbinder Marik]

-Earth, Starfleet Medical, San Francisco-

After the short conversation with Cory and N�Tran Kiris felt a tension in his chest. It felt as though his lungs were being tortured. What he didn�t know is that his previous treatment with the nanoprobes had provided him with a unique healing ability that others lacked. Kiris looked toward the door as it opened again. An older women Doctor came in.


�Feeling better Mr. Ditex?� Kiris nodded.
�Yeah, for the most part. There�s some pain in my lungs. Other than that I feel fine. Thank you Doctor�?� Kiris didn�t know her name.
�Pulaski, Doctor Katherine Pulaski.� Kiris finished his previous statement.
�Thank you Dr. Pulaski.� Pulaski moved to a monitor near the right hand side of the biobed and activated it.
�Hmm�� N�Tran always wanted to know what �hmm� meant when doctors made that sound. Of course in his experience it sometimes varied from doctor to doctor. Pulaski turned to faced N�Tran and Cory.

�If you�d give us some privacy there are a few things I�d like to discuss with the patient.� N�Tran and Cory stepped quietly out of the room.
�I�ve been studying your medical history Mr. Ditex and I�ve discovered something interesting.� Kiris responded.
�Naturally doctor.� Pulaski eyed the young man laying on the biobed.
�No, not naturally. You recently had a treatment for neural pathway degeneration, correct?�

Kiris sat up.
�Yes. Some specialists came to DSG to treat me.� Pulaski wondered if Kiris knew the same thing she was talking about.
�Are you aware of the precarious nature of your treatment?� Kiris knew she must have been talking about the nanoprobes now.
�Are you talking about the reprogrammed nanoprobes?� Pulaski turned a monitor toward Kiris.


�The nanoprobes that were once limited to your brain have leaked into other areas of your nervous system.� Kiris was confused.
�I was told that wouldn�t happen.� Pulaski turned to monitor off.
�Apparently the nanoprobes detected damage elsewhere in your body and adapted a bypass to get out and repair the damage.� Kiris wondered what would happen next.
�Am I going to suffer any ill effects from this?� Pulaski shook her head.

�Not at all. In fact, you�re going to have increased immune response and regenerative capabilities. That�s what I wanted to talk to you about.� Kiris knew the part coming was the one he wasn�t going to like.
�The nanoprobes can�t be removed now without causing permanent psychological and physical damage. There are some things you need to keep in mind.� Kiris nodded.
�Just because you have this increased regenerative ability is no excuse to become reckless. The Ensign that accompanied you in here said that you refused to leave the ship that was near destruction. That kind of behavior just won�t do. The Federation needs its heroes, I�ll give you that. But we don�t need any more dead ones.�

Kiris felt like he was getting a lecture from one of his teachers again. He wondered how many other people knew he tried to stay behind. He also wondered what they�d think of him for it. He also wondered where Bengali had gone off to.
�I�m sorry Doctor. I will endeavor to be more careful in the future. By the way, how did you find out the nanoprobes had leaked into other areas?�

�Dr. Pulaski, please report to surgery. Level 4 section 8.� Pulaski had to go but she answered Kiris�s question first.
�When you were brought in the scans of your lungs had shown extreme stress by the fumes you breathed in. The alveoli in your lungs began to atrophy. By the time I was able to get to you the second set of scans revealed the damage was reversing naturally. Obviously even with your hybrid biology the regeneration process doesn�t happen that fast. So that�s how I found out.�

Kiris had one last question.
�When can I leave Doctor?� Pulaski turned for the door wanting to get to the surgery level where she�d been paged.
�I want to keep you here for a few more hours for observation. After that you�ll be free to go.� Pulaski left Kiris alone. He hoped the good Doctor would honor the doctor patient confidentiality clause. He�d been treated like a freak for many years when he was young. He didn�t need that to be happening again.

[Lord Borg]

-U.S.S. Defiant, Captain's Ready-Room-

T'Sa had locked herself away into the ready-room of the Defiant hours ago. She needed to be alone for the moment, controling her emotions had been impossible, and the tears had long ago started to fall. Things became worse then she found out that Terra Nova had been invaded, and the Nutolians had left behind eight starships to hold the planet. Her mind was racing, all she had thought about at that news, was Nicodemus and his family.

Thinking about her close ones, T'Sa had realized that she had nearly lost Ian and Ziona as well, thankfully, they had made it to escape pods. T'Sa felt as if she could pass out from the stress and worry, however when Fito's warship had blown up, the Nautolians had quickly fallen into chaos. Several more vessels had been destroyed before they retreated. There was another victory, all across the planet, people had found ways to fight back, and because of some sort of situation in San Fransisco, several Nautolians, Koinians and Hydrans had been captured.

T'Sa sniffled and wiped away another tear that had fallen from her eye, she stared out the window. The stars were streaming by at high warp as the vessel had moved though space towards Terra Nova. Utopia Fleet, and several other vessels were on the way to liberate the planet. Thankfully, the small force left behind would mean any battle, would allow the Starfleet force to move in with ease.

T'Sa let out a sigh and wished that she could speak to someone close to her, anyone, but alas at this time, she couldn't. The Fleet was masking their approach, so talking to Ian was not a choice, and communications at Terra Nova were out.

"Captain to the Bridge."

T'Sa looked up to the ceiling for a moment and frowned, what had just happened? Right, she had been called to the bridge. With another sigh, T'Sa rubbed her hands at her eyes and left the room she had been occupying and moved for the doors to the bridge.

"Report" she said, as she entered the room.

One of the officers on the bridge turned to face the Vulcan captain as she walked in the room, her face was red, apparent from crying, which he almost found disturbing.

"Captain, the Nautolian fleet seems to be retreating, long range scans no longer detect them at their previous positions."

T'Sa narrowed her eyes, and took the padd that was being offered to her. Indeed, the vessels had changed position, and seemed to be heading out of the system.

"When will we arrive to the system" she asked.

"Roughly ten minutes" a reply came, T'Sa didn't pay attention to who had said it.

T'Sa nodded and went for the captains chair and sat down, she leaned againts the arm rest and placed her head againts her hand, closing her eyes. She felt exhuasted, it had been days since she had been able to sleep, or eat.

-Earth, Starfleet Medical-

Sue Burns and Alicia Stone stood in a small room, looking out a window at the sight of what had been a battle ground. Fires still raged in the city, and in the distance as people had not yet been able to reach them and put them all out, smoke had poured out of the burning builings and filled the blue skys. Earth had once been a paradise, now, it was a disaster zone.

Stone looked to Burns, the woman had spent the last day sobbing between paitients, the memory of loosing grip of the injured man had been burned into her mind, the moment kept playing over and over.

"I just....wonder if I could have held on tighter" she said, she looked to her friend in security.

"I don't think so, hun. You did what you could" Alicia replied.

Burns gave a shrug and looked back out the window, she certainly didnt feel that way, she supposed it was normal. In her time as a medical officer, she had come to expect this sort of thing Burns gave another shrug and sat down on the couch that was in the room she had been given. She had worked on paitents for ours, untill she had been ordered to get some rest.

Stone sat down next to her and looked over with concern, she hadn't ever seen her react like this, to death. Then again, this was an entirly differnt situation.

[La Forge]

Earth, Paris City Hospital

The sounds of running water can be heard coming from beyond a metallic door. Inside of the room, steam is rising to the ceiling from behind a plastic curtain, where a humanoid form can be seen moving about. Lying discarded on the tiled floor are a pile of blood-soaked clothing, a Starfleet uniform, by the looks of it. A glittering silver combadge sits, precariously, on the edge of the sink basin. A few spots of crimson red blood taint the glimmering steel of the combadge. The mirror above the steel sink is fogged up with tiny droplets of condensed water, due to the steam which is coming from the running shower behind the plastic curtain. A fuzzy white towel hangs around a rack by the shower, ready for use. It is a simple washroom inside the bowels of Paris City Hospital, in the devastated city of Paris, France on Earth. The figure behind the plastic shower curtain is Juliana Roberts, a native of Paris.

About ten minutes or so later, the sound of the running water ceased and the young Frenchwoman pushed back the shower curtain and stepped out. Her slender body was covered in tiny water droplets, giving her mildly tanned body a shimmering look. Her long dark brown hair was splayed over her shoulders, falling to the small of her back. She quickly snatched the fuzzy white towel from off the rack and went to work drying her wet body off. A moment or two later, she stood before the mirror, with the towel wrapped around her body, concealing her exposed body. She held a wooden brush of dark synthesized hair in her right hand which she was currently using to comb her wild hair. It took her a good long while to actually finish with her hair. In the end, she tied her hair back in a long ponytail, using a tight white scrunchie to do so. After fixing her hair up, she went through the rest of the normal routine one would go through after taking a shower.

Eventually, Juliana emerged from the washroom, dressed in a tight-fitting white robe which left everything to the imagination. Juliana was quite a conservative woman when it came to her body. She doubted anyone besides her parents and the doctor who had been present at the time of her birth had seen her in her birthday suit and Juliana planned on keeping it that way. A pair of brown sandals were fitted on her feet. In her arms, she held a bundle of used clothing, the clothing she had been wearing during the medical procedures back on the Guardian and here at the hospital.

Juliana had only just finished playing the role of doctor at the short-handed hospital, only about twenty minutes ago and had gone to bathe and dress into casual attire. She had done her part. Upon leaving the Eiffel Tower for the hospital, she made her way to Paris City Hospital, the same city where her father had worked, when she was a child. Now, her father worked abroad, across the galaxy. A "traveling doctor", if you will. Making house-calls throughout the galaxy. In any case, Juliana had been overseeing the medical proceedings in the East Wing. She was just relieved and was allowed to leave. For how long she had been at the hospital, she couldn't tell, though, in reality, it couldn't have been more than an hour or two. It felt as if an eternity. Watching those poor injured souls coming in an endless stream of wounded people, both Starfleet and civilian alike. That was what hurt the most. The fact that anyone had been injured was a travesty, of course, but, knowing that not only Starfleet officers had been wounded, and worse, killed, civilians had shared the same fate as those in uniform. Apparently, those cold-hearted bastards, the Nautolians, didn't really care who died, as long as Earth was conquered, in the process. It would be no suprise if those bastards took pleasure from killing civilians. It seemed to be in their nature, after all.

However, while the Nautolians may have been the ones killing these poor people, Juliana was the one who was forced to try to save them. The worst part of it all was knowing that you can't save everyone. Juliana knew it. Every doctor did. If you can't come to grips with that fact, you won't make a very effective doctor. When you lose someone, you have to shrug it off and do your best to save the next one. After all, not even the best doctor in the entire universe could save everyone. It wasn't heard of. Sooner or later, that one person is going to come along who's going to slip through your fingers...That one person you can't save, no matter how hard you try. The feeling of losing a patient is a horrible feeling. Juliana went through her first loss on her very first day aboard Deep Space Guardian. A cyborg from an alternate reality had murdered an engineer. There was nothing Juliana could've done. Her spinal cord was broken in so many places, no piece of technology, no matter how advanced, could have repaired it. The first time was the worst. Juliana knew that much. After awhile, it just doesn't get to you as much, anymore. However, the feeling never truly goes away. When you lose a patient...it's like losing a part of yourself.

Anyways, the now clean (on the outside, anyways) Frenchwoman made her way down the empty corridor. The sounds of her feet, fitted in the brown sandals, stomping down on the metal floor echoed off of the hollow metallic walls and traveled all the way down the seemingly endless hallway. All the while, her long ponytail bounced as she walked. She kept the bundle of worn clothing close to her chest. She would throw away the clothing, once she had the chance. She could wash it, of course, however, she had no desire to. While it may be a waste, the used clothing was covered in blood, the bloof of her fellow officers, the blood of her fellows not in uniform, the blood of the Federation...a reminder of this horrible day.

A few minutes later, Juliana arrived at her destination, the locker room, where her clothes awaited her. The room was empty. She quickly tossed away the used, blood-stained clothing in a nearby hamper as if it were a poison, before she went off to track down her locker, Locker 76. When she eventually found it, she input her code and the locker popped open, revealing a hand mirror and a pile of fresh clothing, civilian clothing. After all, she was given some time off-duty, for a little while and she wouldn't want to spend her time off wearing some damned Starfleet uniform. She would be relieved to be get that uniform off, if only for a little while. It gave her some freedom. Wearing that uniform made her feel as if a slave. More importantly, it reminded her of the blood spilled this day. It reminded her of that blood-stained uniform she had just thrown away. She took a quick glance around the room, to make sure no one was around, and she cast off her robe, dropping it to the floor. She quickly snatched up the fresh clothing from inside of the locker and dressed in a flash. Mere seconds later, she was buckling her belt, fully dressed in a denim jacket, a white tee shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. She looked as if any ordinary civilian on the street.

After finishing up in the locker room, she left and headed back towards Medical Lab 05 to pick up a few of her things. She had been working in that particular lab, awhile ago. It should be empty, now, as the majority of the wounded had been moved to the bigger West Wing of the massive hospital.



In the now empty lab, Juliana collected her bag filled with a few personal belongings and whatnot from a nearby desk and was just about to leave when one of the many computer consoles rang out, indicating an incoming message. The young Frenchwoman could have simply moved on, as the message could have been for anyone, however, as she was the only one in the room, she set her bag back down on the desk and made her way over towards the computer. She activated the monitor, where the words "INCOMING MESSAGE" where displayed in big, bold letters over a Federation logo. "Curiosity killed the cat" was another quote that came to mind, one of many that came to mind on this day. Still, she simply had to know who was calling. With a touch of anticipation, she tapped a flashing green button on the keyboard below the computer monitor and activated the message. Sure enough, an image of an old friend appeared on the computer monitor. A welcome suprise, especially given the circumstances of the day.

"Commander Hayes! A pleasure to see you, again." Juliana addressed the pudgy man on the other side of the screen, with a genuine smile displayed on her pale and worn face. No doubt her old friend had learned of her presence on Earth and tracked her down.

[Lord Borg]

-Defiant shuttle, cockpit-

T'Sa sat in the cockpit of the type-10 shuttle, heading for the surface of Terra Nova. When the Defiant arrived, the Nautolians had competly left the system, and withdrew much of its ground forces. She had intended to beam to the Thiandrus residence, but the Defiant transporters were offline.

T'Sa sighed as she sent a hail to the residence, but recived no reply. This was in a way, no surprise, it could be that the jamming system was still in operation. T'Sa could see the residence in the viewport, as she neared it. T'Sa activated her sensors and scanned the residence, and didnt find any signs of humanoid life. A quick scan of the garage showed several ground transports were missing.

T'Sa leaned back and her seat and felt herself ready to cry again, not sure on what to do. Just then, she looked up and saw the mountains and narrowed her eyes. She could remember the two talking about mountains, and while he never directly said it, Nicodemus placed some sort of importance to the mountains.

T'Sa pressed at the controls and the shuttle moved for the mountains, continuusly scanning. Guiding along at partial impulse and in the air, T'Sa was covering greater distances in less time then a transport, or someone walking. She noticed on her sensors a ground transport, close inspection showed that it was similar to one she rode in the last time she was on Terra Nova, and stayed at the Thiandrus residence.

T'Sa shiftd her weight and started to scann for lifsigns in the area as the shuttle flew along, checking for any signs of cabins of any sort. T'Sa found a small clearing and decided to set the shuttle down, not knowing if she'd have much more chances, due to the forrest continusly getting thicker as she went along.

T'Sa quickly placed a tricorder and phaser on belt and exited the shuttle and started to walk around, using the tricorder to check for lifesigns, and any sort of man made stuctures, or natural ones that could be used to hide in. T'Sa looked towards a path and raised her eyebrow, that was simply to obvious, if someone was trying to hide. T'Sa decided to continue on with where she was walking, to see if she could find anything.

[Ziona]

Terra Nova, Mountains

Nicodemus had fallen asleep, his head still rested on the cool rock behind him. He wasn't sure what woke him up but the wind seemed to have subsided and things seemed to have calmed a bit. He also wasn't sure how long they had been couped up in the alcove but the cramping in his legs assured him that it had been awhile.

With a nod to his father, who was still up, Nicodemus stood in his place and started towards the door. It wouldn't hurt if he just got out to stretch his legs and look around a bit. He paused a moment just near the door and listened intently. He didn't hear a sound, except for the wind once and a while as it rushed through the pass.

With a hesitant push, Nicodemus opened the door and blinked a few times in the bright light before shutting the entrance behind him. He had to walk a bit through a cavern before he emerged in the open air again. The doorway was well hidden from the path and the passage to get to the door was pretty tight to squeeze through.

A few more blinks in the light cleared his eyes of the remaining pains of darkness. He blinked in the sun, feeling rather idiotic as he stood there, in the open, unable to see if anyone was approaching or not. So far, he didn't hear or see a soul. Perhaps the impending invasion wasn't quite as imminent as he had thought...

[Lord Borg]

-Terra Nova, Mountains-

T'Sa had her hand againts her forhead, shielding her eyes as she looked around. T'Sa looked back down to her tricorder and didnt see much, it could be the mountains. T'Sa moved up the area she was walking in an uphill manner, and was not having to put to much effort into it, thanks to her having previous mountian climbing experience.

T'Sa had started to look in the area around her, and then stopped in her tracks. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw someone, he hadn't seen her yet, but she saw him. T'Sa knew right away who it was, and began to pick up pace, running for the form.

"Nicodemus" T'Sa yelled.

She jumped over a large root to a treek that was sticking out of the ground, now showing due to errosion of the surface.

[Ziona]

Terra Nova, Mountains

Nicodemus turned and glanced into the blinding light. He blinked a few times and shielded his eyes with his hands. A figure was running towards him. It was a humanoid figure and from the voice, which he only partially caught on the wind, it was T'Sa. He remained where he was, watching in silence as she approached him. He almost didn't dare to breath.

"T'Sa....?" He whispered as she approached. He could hear her feet on the gravel-like mountain side as she rushed towards him and a smile broke across his face.

Nic stood where he was, waiting for her to approach him. He wasn't sure how she would react and, at the moment, he wasn't sure what his reaction would be either. He wanted to hug her but he didn't want to startle her with such outward emotion. He hesitated between hugging her and shaking her hand. There was an awkward pause between the two...

[Lord Borg]

-Terra Nova, Mountains-

T'Sa stood in front of Nicodemus, panting from the sudden rush of activity, as she had pushed herself to run up the moutain. This, combned with the lack of sleep and food was going to affct her, but she didn't care about that anymore. She had finally found Nicodemus, after hours and days of worry, she found him, and returned as she said.

"Nicodemus" she whispered.

T'Sa let out a sigh and felt a tear fall down her face, she didn't bother to wipe it away. The stress of the last few days was taking it's toll on her, she had watched several people die, and had nearly died herself.

T'Sa forgot about the mess her uniform was in, the green blood that had came from a cut she recived when the tile from the ceiling had long ago dried. She did not have the cut though, a medic came to the bridge and had taken care of it hours ago.

T'Sa stepped towards him carefully, feeling a strange silence, she wanted to let him know she was safe, that he was now safe. T'Sa simply pushed herself forward and held him close to her. She closed her eyes as she rested her head againts him. Being shorter then him, T'Sa's head was resting on his chest, she could hear his hearbeat.

"They're gone, Nicodemus" she whispered, "The Nautolians are gone."

[Founder]

-IKS Kototh, Bridge-



A group of Klingon vessels swopped downwards and attacked a group of Nautolian ships, smaller ones, attempting to flee the Sol sector. While most of the Nautolians had managed to flee, some stragglers were left behind and they had attempted to return to Nautolian space. However, a small group of Klingon ships quickly quelled their dreams of returning home alive. They let loose their disruptors and tore into the already damaged Nautolian vessels. A fat Klingon, an old one by the grey hair he carried, sat in the center chair of the bridge. He had a pet Targ chained to the seat he was sitting in. Judging by the terrible smell on the bridge, it had defecated revently. However, he didn't care about it and didn't let it bother him. Klingon ships were not renkowned for smelling pleasent anyways.

"(ETA to Earth?)" He asked, the feeling of adrenaline still flowing through his body.

The Klingon helmsman, a femaled, checked her console to see when it was they'd reach Earth itself. They were tasked by General Martok to head to Earth immediately and assist in the battle. The news of Earth's invasion had spread quickly and even though the House of Martok could not really afford it, ships were dispatched. Saving Earth was not their only mission. They were to seek out the Fek'lhr and it's crew, which had been dispatched a long time ago to Earth. Martok feared the worst for the member of his house, K'Vagh. It was also one of the few reasons he gave up 11 ships to head for Earth.

(10 minutes, sir.)" She reported.

The Klingon captain, Kotol, slowly nodded his head, accepting the time. It wasn't too long and it seemed like they'd make it in time. However, little did he know, the battle for Earth was over. The Nautolians had fled, Fito's flagship was destroyed, and the end of the war was upon them. Although, looks were decieving. The war would not end until every world was liberated and every Nautolian punished for their heinous crimes. Kotol patted the snorting Targ on the bridge and could only wait until they reached Earth. If he found K'Vagh and his crew had remain to be seen.

-DS9, Upperl Level Of The Promenade-

It had been some time since Cardassia and Bajor had been freed from the Nazi-like grip of the Nautolian Empire. However, this was far from the end for both governments. There were going to be a lot of relief efforts underway and the Bajorans and Cardassians would have to work together. While Earth fought the king tyrant of the Nautolians, the tyrant within this sector, Oyet Bocal, was dead. His body was slumped to the ground and it seemed he had died from being impaled. His corpse was left in the half destroyed building back on Bajor. If anyone was to retrieve it, that remained to be seen. Like other locations across the quadrant, the battles were a blur. The Dominion invasion set events in motion that resonated across the galaxy. Bajor was given a chance for freedom, the Hydrans liberated by the Federation, and the Romulans fighting to retake their adopted world. If anyone was to go back and study this, they would find a fascinating tale indeed. It truly showed how events in one part of the galaxy affected another part. A dominion effect.

"How is she, Doctor?" A gruff voice asked.

Odo, unofficial Dominion ambassador to the Federation, asked Dr. Julian Bashir. The brown skinned man sighed, looking extremely tired. He looked down from the second level of the promenade directly into the infirmary.

"She'll live," He said in a British accent, "However, she'll need a lot of rest. I'm prescribing light duty for at least a month."

The Changeling nodded, pleased with the news that Kira's friend and one of his former deputies, Melina Ryder, was going to live. Melina had been stabbed by Oyet, at the hour of his death. Somehow, Bashir was able to stabilize her condition and heal her wound. He was truly a miracle worker if there ever was one. Why he didn't win the Carrington Award was beyond Odo.

"That's good to hear, Doctor," Odo replied, "It seems there has been enough death to last the Alpha quadrant a century."

Bashir frowned, but agreed with his sentiments.

"And then some." He quietly added in a somber tone.

The chief medical officer of DSG noticed a rather familiar figure walking towards them. It was another Founder, a female one judging by the solid form she had taken. She was slowly approaching Odo, who had noticed her as well. Without an iota of politeness, she cut in and spoke to Odo.

"We need to talk." She said firmly.

With that, she walked a few feet away, shooting Bashir with an angry glare. Bashir gave a surprised smile to Odo, not understanding her rude behavior. Odo shot him a look of apology, to which Bashir simply shrugged, unphased by the Founder's rudeness.

"I guess that's my cue," Bashir said, "If you'll need me, I'll be in the infirmary."

Odo bowed his head, "Understood. Good day, Doctor."

"Good day, Constable." Bashir replied.

With that, he walked away, heading towards a turbolift that would take him downwards. As soon as he was out of ear shot, Odo quickly stepped up to the Founder and spoke in an angry tone.

"That was rude," He said, "And uncalled for. What is it you wish to speak to me about?"

The Founder held out her arm, "Link with me, Odo. Speaking the language of the Solids is tiring and imprecise."

Odo shook his head, "No. I do not want to link right now. Tell me what it was that was so important that you had to treat a collegue and friend of mine so rudely?"

He eyed the Founder, not making a move to touch her arm. She simply looked up at his artificial eyes and sighed in exasperation, tired of being in a Solid's form.



"One of us have been killed." She said.

Odo suddenly looked horrified at the news, "What!? Who?"

"We are not the solids," She said, "We do not have names to differentiate ourselves from each other. He was of the Great Link and nothing else. A droplet in the ocean of our species will be forever gone, Odo. We do not know how, but he was killed on Romulus. We'll be sure to administer swift punishment to the Nautolian, if it was one, that had killed him."

The former Bajoran chief of security fell like falling over and simply releasing his form. He felt horrible at the fact that one of his people had died. This was his mission, his orders, and his task to carry out alone. He regreted bringing others into this. Now, one of the Founders had been killed. How could that have happened? They were all so careful.

"I'm so sorry." Odo whispered.

The Founder looked back at him in an accusing way, "We came here because of you. Because we wanted to help though you told us would help in bringing back the Dominion. However, we knew you came back for her, the solid. This was never about liberating Bajor or any of their other pathetic worlds. We followed you because you are of the Great Link. Your sorrow is ours to feel and your burden is ours to carry. But, this is unacceptable. The others in the Link will be furious over this. It is time we leave, Odo. I do not wish to remain here in this quadrant anymore, nor do the others."

"I understand," Odo said reluctantly, "But I'd like to speak to her one last time. To tell her good-bye..."

"Fine," She said annoyed, "Say good-bye to your precious solid. Contact Weyoun when you are ready to return. Make it quick, Odo. We tire of your adopted home."

With that, she left by heading towards the docking port, where the Dominion flagship was docked. Odo wasn't sure if the Founder was angry, rude, or simply using the wrong tone of voice to address him. Maybe it was even a mix of all three, he didn't know. What he did know was that he messed up, badly. The loss of that Founder was going to hurt the others. No one could understand this loss. For others, he was simply just an "officer" doing his duty. He was more then that though to the Great Link. He was part of them and the entire species would feel his loss. Odo would have to answer for his death, as the well being of the others were put under him. It was doubtful that the Dominion would be making any more trips into the Alpha quadrant for a while. He could send medical aid to the Bajorans, but that would probably be it. Odo had to return to the Great Link. It was his duty. Judging by her rather derogitory way of speaking of Solids, the Founders were still highly xenophobic. Odo looked towards the infirmary where Bashir had just entered. Kira was there, looking over Melina. He had to speak to her...one last time.

-Earth, San Francisco-

Ian Xavier was still sitting in the streets, overseeing the devastation the Nautolians wrought upon the city. There were so many dead that he didn't believe it would be accurately counted until at least a month from that then. He felt bad for anyone that had the job of collecting the bodies. Ian turned around when he heard the familiar hum of a transporter. He saw nothing through the haze of smoke though.

"Who's there?" Ian asked.

There was no immediate response, but he got his answer visually. A figure walked through the smoke and moved closer to Ian, finally revealing who it was. The form was of a familiar friend to Ian.

"Captain Archer." Ian said.

[Lord Borg]

-Earth, San Francisco-

Jon moved though the smoke, he was shocked at the sight that filled his eyes, bodies literitly littered the ground. He didn't even want to begin to guess how many dismembered parts were laying around. Jon couldn't believe this had all happened, it seemed that Earth still didn't have much for defenses. Though, to be fair, its not like they could have prepared for something like this.

"Ian" Jon said, "It's wonderful to see you're alive."

Jon was reminded of the Breen raid a few years ago, the sight was similar, save for the bodies that littered the ground. It seemed people had it out for Earth, perhaps now, they'd bolster the defenses of the planet.

"Ian..." JOn trailed off, not really knowing what to say, he couldn't ever say something to make the man feel better.

[Ziona]

Earth, San Francisco

Ziona exited the Marine HQ building in a half-daze, not fully seeing everything around her as she walked through the streets in the general direction of Starfleet. Her father still was in transit from wherever his vessel had fallen and Ziona was beginning to wonder if he'd actually been found at all.

There were crew still rushing around, attempting to clean up the city that now lay in ruins. But Ziona didn't see any of them. She was deep in thought about how this war had changed her perspective. She realized now, more than ever, that nothing is forever. Everyone has an end eventually and eventually everyone she knew and loved in this reality would be dead and gone.

At any other time, Ziona would have been upset with herself for thinking this way but at the current moment, it only seemed natural to her and she didn't mentally reprimand herself for thinking in that fashion. As she wandered the streets, Ziona began to look around again. Luckily, many of the bodies had already been collected so most of the grissly scenes were spared to her.

As she continued down the street, the bodies began to get thicker and Ziona grimaced and turned her eyes skyward this time. At least skyward she wouldn't see any of the bodies. But the obstructed roadway made her lower her eyes again as she picked through the bodies, trying to find a safe path through blood and bodies. Up ahead, she thought she saw a form familiar to her... two forms familiar to her but she couldn't completely make out their forms from the distance she was at.

Without much of a reason, Ziona headed in the general direction of the two male figures ahead of her, mostly interested in reaching Starfleet which was just behind the two men. With a sigh, Ziona continued to keep her eyes averted downward as she picked her way through the ruins...

Terra Nova, Mountains

Nicodemus held T'Sa in his arms, resting his chin gently on her shoulder as she mumured that the Nautolians were gone. A sigh escaped his lips.

"That's good news." He whispered. It felt like such an understatement but it was the only thing he could think of. "So we can leave here? We can go now?" He locked eyes with her as he held her at arms length. "My family... they're in a bunker nearby. Can we leave here?" His voice rose a little, as if in panic.

He felt vunerable standing on this piece of rock, fearing that the war would start up again. He hoped that it was over for good, but he wanted to be as far away from Terra Nova was possible.

[Lord Borg]

-Earth, San Francisco-

Jon Archer was looking at his friend, awaiting a reply, there had been a silence that fell between the two, though. It wasn't an awkward one, it was one where the men didn't know what to say to one another. Jon let out a weary sigh and looked down the street when he saw someone approching, Jon narrowed his eyes and looked closely, and saw that it was Ziona.

"Ziona" Jon said, questioning if he was really seeing her.

-Terra Nova, Mountains-

T'Sa looked on with concern when his voice started to raise, it was quite obvious that he had fears for his familys safety. T'Sa nodded curtly and offered her hand into his for comfort.

"Yes" she said, "We can get them away, if you wan't to, Nicodemus, where ever you want to go, I'll see to it you get there."

T'Sa studied the look in Nicodemus' eyes, and wondered if things would be alright, the war had taken its toll on so many, and now the balance of power was shifting, but at what cost?

[Ziona]

Earth, San Francisco

Ziona glanced up and noticed, indeed, that she did know the two figures standing in the street. It was Ian and Captain Archer. With a sigh of relief, she picked her way towards the two men and stood for a moment, blinking a few times to make sure they wouldn't go away.

"Captain Archer." She breathed. "Ian." She nodded to each of them in turn.

A smile broke across her lips but it faded pretty quickly. Perplexity broke into her mind next.

"Wh... what are you doing out here?" She asked, a quizzical look crossing her face.

Terra Nova, Mountains

Nicodemus sighed in relief.

"I just want to get my family out of here. I mean, I think they want to leave. I have to ask them yet. I mean, they might want to stay. Why would they want to stay? Does that make sense?" He began to babble to himself. He took a deep breath and finally calmed himself. "Ok... I'll ask them. If they want to stay, they can stay. But I'm coming with you." He squeezed her hand in his. "I'm not leaving you alone anymore."

[Spellbinder Marik]

-Earth, Starfleet Medical, San Francisco-

A few hours had passed when Pulaski came back to his room. He�d been sleeping when she came in and was woken up when he heard the click of the door.
�Your uniform is in the closet Mr. Ditex. Get dressed and meet me in the office down the hall.� Pulaski left Kiris alone again. Kiris slowly climbed out of the bed and walked to the closet. After slipping on and straitening his uniform Kiris walked out of the room. He looked into a long hallway with doors every few meters. It was interesting, through the centuries the basic design layout for hospitals hadn�t changed much.

He guessed when they found something that worked they stuck with it. Then again if that was the case they�d probably still be riding around in horse drawn carriages. Kiris shook off the thought. He had things to do. After he�d walked to an intersection he looked around. He wasn�t sure where this office was supposed to be. �Down the hall� was a rather ordinary statement and didn�t provide clear direction. Kiris stopped a passing officer.

�Pardon me, but would you happen to know where the office is for this wing?� The young women pointed to the far end of the hallway.

�All the way down on that end on the left hand side.� Kiris looked. Sure enough, it was there.
�Thank you.� The women offered him a nod and continued on her way.

Kiris entered the office and found Pulaski sitting at a desk near the back.


�Excuse me Doctor. You wanted to see me.� Pulaski made a �hmm� sound. A moment later she looked up from her terminal.
�We don�t have time to conduct thorough tests right now but preliminaries suggest that you shouldn�t have any trouble. If you experience any pain what so ever in your back or chest you are to report to the nearest medical facility. That�s a direct medical command.� Kiris had to ask.
�Ma�am, has anyone else been notified of the �leak� of nanoprobes in my brain?� Pulaski shook her head.

�No, but I did put an encrypted sub-file in your medical file explaining it. It can only be accessed by medical personnel.� Kiris was glad to hear that.
�Do you know where my father and friend went?�

�I believe they said they were going to look for your mother near the grounds of the Presidio.� Kiris thanked Pulaski again and set out to find his parents.

-Earth, San Francisco, Unknown Terminal-

�Download complete.� N�Tran pulled the small PADD and apparatus away from the terminal. He hated having to take advantage of the current disarray but if he didn�t he might not get another chance. N�Tran opened his communicator.
�Ditex to Salara.� The communicator chirped.
�R�Gol here Admiral.� N�Tran placed the PADD on the underside of the communicator.
�Lock on to my communicator signal and transport the PADD attached to it. Store it in a secure place until my return.� Seconds later the PADD was transported away by a small green flash. N�Tran closed the communicator and returned to the open.

-Earth, San Francisco, Presidio Grounds-

Laura approached N�Tran.
�Any survivors in that building?� N�Tran shook his head.
�None. I�m sorry.� Laura sighed for the umpteen thousandth time today.
�Well, I suppose all things considered we�ve been lucky to save as many as we did.� N�Tran looked to a nearby group of people. They�d already pulled several from the rubble and they were being transferred to Starfleet Medical.

The two of them heard a transporter sound behind them and turned to look. When the figure rematerialized Kiris stepped forward.
�Mother, it is good to see you are alright.� Kiris did something he hadn�t done for a long time. He gave her a hug.
�You�re acting like you haven�t seen me in years but it�s good to see you too.� Kiris, still remembering his dream knew what it had felt like to hear that his mother was gone. Now that he was standing right here in front of her it eased the sensation slightly.

Kiris let go of her.
�Do you know where Ensign Bengali is?� Laura pointed.
�He�s up there a ways with Ensign Taylor.� Kiris had some talking to do with Bengali.

When Kiris found the two of them he stood there watching for a moment. Both of them looked rather glum. Kiris cleared his throat.
�Mark, got a minute?�

[Lord Borg]

Earth, San Francisco

Jon smiled at his friend and offered a slight shrug. He pointed to Ian.

"You can ask this guy, this is where I found him. I'm glad to see you are alive, Ziona. I was worried."

Jon studied Ziona for a moment, it was differnt to see her in red, it looked good on her, for sure. A future with red as a collar could be in store for her.

-Terra Nova, Mountains-

T'Sa studied him for a moment, wondering why he was reacting this way, she supposed it was understandible, and nodded slowly. She looked down to the joined hands of the two then looked back into his eyes.

"We'll do what you want, Nicodemus, if you want to come with me, you should be prepared that I might have to enter combat again."

T'Sa was hesitant to allow him to follow, but in her 81 years of life, she knew that arguing with a Human once they had made up their mind, was pointless.

"Let's find out the wishes of your family, Nicodemus."

[Ziona]

Earth, San Francisco

Ziona nodded to Archer.

"It's good to see you alive as well, Captain." She glanced over at Ian. "I think all of us were worried about alot of people." Her mind began to wander again, thinking of her father who was still somewhere out there with the medical unit. A shudder rushed through Ziona's body but she surpressed it quickly.

Terra Nova, Mountains

Nicodemus nodded and led T'Sa towards the alcove. He quickly found the door in the near-darkness and pushed it upon and called for his family to come out into the fresh air. After a few moments, the group of four Thiandrus' and T'Sa had gathered in the open.

"I'm sure you all remember Captain T'Sa." Nicodemus spoke quickly, shooting a glance at his sister. His sister didn't say a word and remained silent. "She's willing to take us off of Terra Nova, to get away from this... this mess."

"I don't want to leave." His sister mumbled under her breath. "I want to stay here."

"But the war..." Nic's mother spoke quietly.

"They're gone." Nicodemus spoke quickly. "T'Sa says that the Nautolians are gone. And they won't be coming back. But I need to go back... I need to go with T'Sa. So... You can either come with us or stay here."

There was a silence between the four family members. Nic's father was the first to speak.

"We have so much here. We need to stay here, Nic." He smiled at his son. "But we know your home is no longer here. You belong elsewhere... with Captain T'Sa." Nic's father smiled at T'Sa quickly. "We'll return to our home and hope for the best."

Nicodemus took a quick breath but nodded.

"Just promise me, that you'll leave if any more Nautolians get anywhere near Terra Nova." Nicodemus watches his father carefully.

"Of course, son." His father smiled gently. "We'll stay safe. You go. We'll be fine."

Nic turned to look at T'Sa before glancing back at his family members in silence. Ten minutes later, Nic was ready to leave with T'Sa after having said goodbye to his family. He watched T'Sa in silence before turning and glancing out over the mountains down the slope to where the compound was. He sighed heavily.

"Let's get going."

[Lord Borg]

-Earth, San Francisco-

Jon stood in silence for a few moments then shifted his weight, things felt strange, the war...it was going to end, at anytime perhaps, they had been driven away from Earth, and several other systems.

"Ziona" Archer said, "We've recived an update, it would seem, the Nautolians have also left Terra Nova."

Archer mentioned that news, knowing that Ziona had a background there, perhaps it could shed light on a darkend situation.

-Terra Nova, Mountains-

T'Sa looked at him for a moment, her emotions surfaced again, she felt he was simply amazing to do this, with everything that was going on, he wanted to follow.

"I have a shuttle with me, just down the sloap some," she said, "We can use it to get to the compund where you can gather any of your things that you need."

T'Sa glanced at him carefully and offered a reassuring smirk in the corners of her lips, the closest she comes to a smile in a while. She let out a small sigh and began to move down the sloap for the shuttle, allowing a look back at his family, particuarly his sister. In a way, she felt bad for her, it was clear this entire situation was hard on her.

[Ziona]

Terra Nova, Mountains

Nic smiled at T'Sa and nodded.

"It's good to get off this planet, honestly." He laughed lightly but his laugh was tainted with a sadness. "I was about ready to kill my sister." He glanced down at the ground and fell into silence.

He followed T'Sa quietly, glancing over his shoulder once at his family. After that, he didn't look back. There was nothing to look back at. He'd realized that his life was no longer on Terra Nova. He belonged on DSG and with T'Sa.

[Lord Borg]

-Terra Nova, Mountans-

T'Sa raised an eyebrow and was about to ask why he'd want to harm her, when she remembered that Humans said that sort of thing, an 'expression' if you will. T'Sa wondered what had changed in him, to really want him to get away from here like this. It wasn't all bad, perhaps this could allow the two some time somehow. T'Sa could see the sun gleaming off the hull of the shuttle, they were nearing it already, as she had been able to land close to where she had found him.

"Nicodemus...things are...in poor shape around Earth. We might have to patrol around there for a while, I need you to be prepared for life on a Starship if you're going to come with me."

[Ziona]

Terra Nova, Mountains

Nicodemus watched T'Sa in silence as they continued toward the shuttle.

"Of course." He spoke quickly. "I can handle living on a starship. Don't worry about it, T'Sa. And I want to do everything I can to help. Earth may not be my homeworld, but I understand that many people you know are from there. I mean, I guess in a way, Earth is an ancestral home to my family. In a way. I guess we have relatives on Earth somewhere."

He walked next to her in silence, his hands relaxed at his sides. The silence between them was broken up once and a while by the sound of the wind moving through the moutain pass.

"But don't worry about me, T'Sa."

He hesitated a moment...

"How are you doing? Are you alright?" He turned his dark eyes on her, watching her from the corner of his eye.

[Lord Borg]

Terra Nova, Mountans

T'Sa walked along, and kept her composure as best as she could, the truth was she was weakened by the stress, the lack of sleep, food and worrying about many people. She let out a sigh, and decided to tell the truth, he deserved it.

"I'll be fine, I've just been going through a lack of sleep and food, due to the recent events. Once I can do those things, and meditate, everything will be fine."

T'Sa approched the shuttle and tapped at the controls on the side panel of the hull, entering her command codes to allow the doors to the shuttle to open. T'Sa stepped back and allowed Nicodemus to enter first, to the co-pilots seat, where she'd then take the pilots seat.

"I'll be fine" she whispered 'I'm...safe now."