Thanks to Wolfius and Major Diarrhia for their marvelous input in this chapter.

Notes for the scientists among you: Isoton: A unit of mass measurement roughly equal in strength to a megaton blast: Kilometers and standard units of measurements are used here by the Sinhindrea are close approximation and for our convenience only and are not accurately translated for the Sinhindrea. Colonial measurements are being used here as well.

QSD is quantum slipstream drive which has been calculated to allow a Federation vessel to travel at the velocity of 0.63 light-years/second.

QS is described thusly: …it is not warp but a new method called "quantum slipstream". An accidental jumpstart and research into the drive gives the following explanation: quantum energies from a quantum reactor in Engineering are funneled to the main deflector array, which then opens up a "quantum slipstream" in "slipstream space", a non-subspace dimension where incredible velocities can be attained. You cannot "see" truespace while in slipstream. You must orient your ship in the proper three-dimensional axis position, then activate the drive and time how long you want to travel before dropping out. You do not have to worry about local stars and gravity wells, since you are not in truespace, unlike warp drive. The ship moves by manipulating the quantum energy field and using their impulse engines.

There is a lot more but this covers the extreme basics…

I SERIOUSLY RECOMMENDT THAT YOU READ "Those Who Stand" TO GET THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS STORY.

On with the story in a chapter I like to call…

Infinite Diversity Between the Candle and the Star

Chapter 18

"The Other Side of the Coin"

(The Armageddon Conflict:)

"That could have gone better," Paris mumbled. He was embarrassed having lost his lunch. Fortunately he wasn't alone as the smell attested to. "I guess that his equivalent of saying 'go away'," he managed to say.

The Admiral was recovering herself. It had been a rough ride. "Mr. Data, where are we?"

"We are located near the southern edge of the Beta quadrant, sixty-five thousand, four hundred and six point three two light years from our previous position. The coordinates are as follows…"

Despite how he felt, Chakotay shook his head and nearly started laughing. As for Tuvok, he actually shrugged. Paris was smiling hysterically and even Seven allowed herself a slight grin. As for her part, Kathryn felt a headache coming on. If the situation hadn't been so grim, she too would have found herself caught up in the moment. The other Voyager crewmembers looked at the group, confused.

"You had to be there for seven years, "Paris managed to choke out. 'Oh, Harry,' he thought. 'I wish you were here. You would be having a fit right now.'

In engineering, B'Elanna was on the comms, trying to find out exactly what had just happened.

"We're on the other side of the Beta quadrant. Details later, Chief," Chakotay said. "Yellow alert!"

Janeway agreed completely. She knew exactly where they were; the worst place they could ever be in. Even the Borg avoided this area of space. The only good part of this entire journey was that there were several subspace conduits, created by V'ger that would allow them safe passage back to their space. The problem was getting past the local neighbors.

"We're being hailed, Admiral."

"Onscreen," she ordered and on the viewer, she saw Adama's stern face.

"Are you all alright? Is the ship damaged?"

"We were bounced around a bit, but there were no causalities," Janeway responded. "Evidently our visitor wasn't pleased with us."

"Ours was," Adama answered and proceeded to give details. Janeway and those listening were shocked as the Colonial told them of the visit by a child of V'ger and her response to him.

"You had a conversation with one of V'ger's progeny," Janeway said, after a moment's thought. "You believe that the probe that visited us might have been a manifestation of another entity?"

"That is what I believe," confirmed Adama. "The energy probe that you experienced was in fact a living being."

Kathryn thought about that for a moment. "Interesting. I made the assumption that the probe was the same as the one which visited the Enterprise-A."

"Things change, Admiral."

"Apparently. One more thing, Admiral," Adama said. "She is pregnant." That was another thing he noticed among all of the other distractions. And the implications were mind-boggling.

Kathryn's mouth nearly hit the floor. "We need to get back as soon as possible."

"I agree, Mr. President. It shouldn't be a problem. This area of space has several subspace intersecting avenues that will allow us to return." That was the reason why the Imperixe and the Sinhindrea were in conflict in the first place. The Children (if that's what they wanted to call them) had ringed their personal area of space with transit pockets. Those 'pockets' allowed ships to moved from one point to another, in both directions. But she had to admit that the phenomenon that placed them here was created especially for them. Yes, they could get back, then they'd try again. First they had to get past the neighbors and do it quickly. They were at the right place at the wrong time. This portion of the mission should have been second on the list. Dealing with V'ger should have been first, but fate apparently decried otherwise. It was either that or Q. However she dismissed that thought. As concerned as Q was he wouldn't have arranged this-she believed. This was a fortune of war at work here. Now the decision was hers to go back or continue forward.

"Inform the Azetbur that we are in extremely hostile space. According to our information..."

Captain Kagth was torn between elation and anger as he listened to the Federation Admiral explained exactly where they were. This wasn't part of his mission, but at the same time, the possibilities of encountering this new enemy were invigorating. The transit from the Beta quadrant to the edge of the galaxy provided his scientists with invaluable information on the nature of the universe and hints of new modes of travel that would allow his people years of study to properly exploit the discoveries that would result.

Despite the violence of the journey his ship was fine or so he had been led to believe. The first hint that something was wrong was when his engineered slammed his fists onto his computer terminal.

"Captain Kagth."

"What?" he growled.

"There is some force is interfering with the synchronic dilithium interactions. There is a point two percent energy drop in power."

"Correct it."

"I cannot, sir," he answered. "The shield around the dilithium chamber is being breech by some type of subspace emissions. I am trying to reconfigure the shields to block them as much as I can."

The captain grunted. "Tell me if there is a change." He turned to Yannsi. "Trace those transmissions."

"Yes, Captain." She frowned violently. "Sir, sensors have picked up something at extreme range coming in our direction. Size, fifteen hundred meters. Composition, unknown. Power-source unknown. The construct material is similar to that which was found by Riker."

So soon. "Inform our allies."

The cloaked Azetbur remained stationary as the massive vessel moved passed them at nearly one-half lightspeed. It was indeed huge, with almost no distinguishing features in the front other than several elongated protrusions of similar design one of which extended much further than the rest. There were no windows that they could observe. The ship's engine was something else entirely. It consisted of a large ball-like structure. It glowed with reddish-blue brilliance.

Sensors did not detect any subspace emissions. Yannsi and the engineers were speculating that the vessel used an as yet unidentified power-source. A type of transparent substance analogous to the fluidic polymer discovered earlier by Riker, encased the energy matrix. That, in turn, was protected by an energy field of considerable strength.

"Sir, the ship's energy field serves to re-enforce the structural integrity of the entire ship. Disrupt the field…"

"And the energy is released," Kagth finished. "Prepare for battle."

"Open a channel to Voyager and Azetbur …This is Commander Apollo. Take no action. I want them to come to us. We're the biggest and I want them to think of us as the primary threat. Let's see what happens."

A female voice from Voyager responded. "This is Species 6911," Annika said, "encountered by the Borg nearly a hundred years ago. Species 6911 is an aquatic, bio-cybernetic species of cephalopod origin who call themselves the Yonji Sinhindrea. These beings are telepathic, aggressive, predatory life-forms. Under the right conditions, they are cannibalistic. These creatures appear to be squid-like in structure when young. However, the adults are protected by a hardened shell-like structure giving them a more crustacean, crab-like appearance. The adults have three sets of eyes and the species continues to grow until they die, about six times the size and weight of an average human. Their natural environment is aquatic however they can exist in a variety of conditions, including space for short periods of time. Some of these creatures have built-in short-ranged teleportation circuitry and are able to generate cybernetic protrusions as needed. They are apex predators whose ferocity cannot be understated. The cephalopod's origins are unknown, but data suggests that they are ancient, on the order of millions of years older than many species present in the alpha quadrant."

"If they're that old, then they should be far more advance," Apollo said. "What chance would we have against something like that?" He couldn't help it, as John and Iblis flashed through his mind. They were advanced life-forms and man compared to them, were like insects.

Next to her, Chakotay frowned slightly at her attitude. Annika's look bordered on contempt even though she tried to not to show it. "Don't make the assumption that the older an organism is, the more evolved it is supposed to be. Many organisms do not evolve into higher lifeforms and many species change in ways that most would consider to be devolved, as Admiral Janeway and Lieutenant Paris can attest to."

The Admiral's face was stone-cold but Paris's face flushed deep red. During the first Voyager's trek back to the Alpha quadrant, experimentation with transwarp drives caused Tom to 'evolve into a different life-form. It was more of a lateral move rather than a forward, eventually causing both Tom and Kathryn to change into an amphibian life-form. They had children and would have been happy together swimming in some slime-filled pond if Chakotay had left them alone. The Doctor was able reverse the transformation but since then, the word 'evolve' had an entirely new connotation for her and the others.

"These creatures," she continued, "have been bombed to the brink of extinction on multiple occasions and each time have returned stronger. At the time of the last encounter by the Borg, the territory of the Yonji Sinhindrea extended over six thousand light-years. I now estimate that their territory is in the range of approximately twelve thousand light years. All life within their sphere of influence has been exterminated or used in food production. They have destroyed thousands of species. Because of their biological drives to feed, reproduce in large numbers and their overall antagonism to anything not of their kind, they continue to destroy thousands more. During the Borg's initial encounters with Species 6911, they were unable to assimilate them. The nanites conflicted with the cybernetic implants and were neutralized. Borg defenses proved inadequate to defend against their weapons systems. The Sinhindrea derive power utilizing zero-point energy conversion."

"The same as Voyager?"

"In some ways, yes. The closest equivalent would be what used to be called the matter annihilation Hawkins's reactor."

The crew was very familiar with the process. Matter was crushed into a singularity and the singularity's event horizon split the zero point energy into Hawkins's radiation and as it dissolves this released energy. The smaller the event horizon, the greater the greater the event horizon's curvature and that resulted in a greater release of energy. The singularity couldn't be compressed too much or else the power release would become unmanageable. The glowing sphere located at the rear of the ship may be the energy conversion medium required to harness the energy output.

"That is quite possible, Admiral," Data said as he jumped into the conversation. "However there is another possibility that is consistent with the data we are receiving on those ships. I postulate that, the glow could be the result of a different process in which pulsed gravity generators create artificial, macromolecule-sized event horizons of limited duration. This improves the measure of safety by allowing only limited numbers of event horizons to be present at any given time. Adequate control measures would facilitate consistency in power maintenance and still produce this characteristic glow emanating from their ships.

Annika, deep in thought, didn't disagree. "This energy is very efficient but extremely volatile. Given the time constraints, the Borg were unable to adapt properly and given the fact that their primary objective was to secure the children, this area of space was not considered a priority for assimilation at that time."

Data continued. "Our multiphasic shields should resist multiple strikes, but I recommend that we do not, as you would say, press our luck. Their weapons output is the equivalent in strength to Species 8472."

A chill ran through Apollo's body. "Understood. Helm, move us forward. Open a channel to the incomings."

"Channel opened."

"This is Commander Apollo of the Battlestar Galactica. We mean you no harm, but we request that you halt your advance."

The ship continued to move towards the Colonial vessel. The massive energy containment unit began to increase in brightness."

"No response."

"It's powering up. I'm detecting an energy buildup."

"Positive shields now. Energy shields double front." The Colonial ship's re-enforced ablative doors, closed over the twenty-foot high-foot transparent aluminum windows.

"Commander, another ship has just transited into normal space. There wasn't a warp signature, or anything I am familiar with. We're analyzing it now."

A second ship, identical to the first one had entered the sector and quickly joined the first ship. Neither had fired yet, but they did continue to close on their primary target.

"Reverse engines. Move us away matching their speed. Activate secondary weapons. Hold primary weapons on standby."

"Secondaries?" the gunnery officer asked even as he finished the procedure.

"You heard the order."

"Ready."

"Commander, we're getting a signal."

"Put it on the main viewer."

Admiral Janeway unconsciously backed away from the screen. The incoming communication screamed horror. The image onscreen was utterly terrifying. The creature was horrifying on a primal level not even the Borg could match. It was a dynamic, visceral feeling, touching the primitive part of humanity.

"They want to know where the Galactica comes from," Commander Tuvok announced. "They are demanding that the Galactica power down and surrender. Commander Apollo has politely declined their offer. Admiral, the two vessels are targeting the Galactica. Shall we intervene, Admiral? Admiral?"

Admiral Kathryn Janeway found herself in her ready-room, completely cut off from the rest of her crew. Around her everything seemed frozen and because it was such a familiar feeling, she understood exactly what was happening.

"Q", she said. He always picked the wrong time to visit. "Your timing couldn't be worse."

"Au contraire, my lovely Kate," responded a voice. "My timing is perfect."

She heard his voice before that familiar face appeared in front of her. "Q, this isn't a good time for another one of your impromptu conversations."

"I disagree," he countered. He was dressed in a Starfleet Admiral's uniform, even though the cut wasn't exactly right. Somehow it looked more severe. "Those ships out there make it the perfect time. Remember the talk we had a few months ago? Well, it's time to continue that conversation, my dear. Your introduction to the children didn't go as expected and now you've been forced to attend to this matter sooner than either of us planned, although this may be for the best. I told you of the two Enterprises that were lost in another universe and I told you of the price that was required in order for the Q to help you with the children."

Janeway wasn't listening. "We have to get back to V'ger. I have to convince them to talk to us. We can't allow the Cylons to get there before we can convince them of our sincerity. "

"Yes, Kate," said a surprisingly understanding Q. "Time is of the essence here; more so than you know. The galaxy is in danger, but there is another galaxy that is in more immediate danger and it's partly our fault. It this specific time and at this specific place, both of them are linked together. What happens to one will happen to the other.

"Please explain yourself, Q."

He sighed. Q hated appearing weak in front of mere humans. "Millions of years ago, or so the Vorlons claimed, they created a doorway that stretched from one universe to another. Think of it as their way of achieving enlightenment."

The Admiral. She remembered the name from a previous conversation she had with Q some months ago. "You mentioned the Vorlons before, but you didn't say who they were and couldn't find anything in the Federation database about them."

"That's because they don't exist in this universe, Kate. They were from another reality."

Kate smiled. "I understand. You and Quinn pushed those Enterprises to their universe."

"Yes, one set at least, " he confirmed. "It was the best place to send them once their journey started. But before I get to them I want to explain about the Vorlons. These aliens, who are fairly advanced in their own rights, created an interdimensional doorway whose exit point is this galaxy. That was impressive to say the least, even if your primitive Federation has done it several times, in several different ways; much simpler ways, I might add."

"But I digress. Their experiment succeeded, but they came to the wrong place at the wrong time and allowed the Sinhindrea access to their universe. Those ships out there," he said, pointing in their general direction, "are vanguards to the most aggressive, death-loving race in this galaxy. And that is another thing that Iblis will be held accountable for. By instigating this war with the Cylons, he's caused the Alpha quadrant to be exposed to the Sinhindrea long before you were supposed to be. I introduced you to the Borg because it was the right time," He proudly proclaimed. "That exposure helped the Federation survive the Dominion war. But the Dominion war was simply that; a war. If the Federation had lost, Earth been destroyed and its people eliminated, life as a whole would have continued on. But the Cylons changed the equation. This war between you and the machines is an all or nothing fight. If the children choose not to interfere, if you win, it will take decades to recover. If the chrome-heads win, trillions will be lost. The Sinhindrea will come and the Cylon genocide will look like a minor star compared to a supernova. Again, the children are the key. These aliens were isolated and would have remained isolated for another hundred years except that now, the doorway is open to this other universe."

"Are the Sinhindrea attempting to transverse the gate?"

"No, they already have."

"Then why don't you simply close the doorway?"

"I can't," he answered. "The door has a chronometric failsafe placed there by John's people and my own. The doorway is always locked onto a specific time and place, in that other universe. It was done to insure their survival and the ultimate destruction of the Vorlon gate. The failsafe is what is causing you to experience small power drains in your engines.

"The fact that there was a weakness in the subspace ether helped a lot in the creation of the gate itself. So, in their infinite wisdom, the Vorlons made sure that the door to our dimension is always opened. But the main controls were located in their universe as a safeguard in case they discovered that 'The Well of Souls', a place they considered the foundation of all life, wasn't all it was cracked up to be. They wanted to become gods themselves. It didn't work out as well as they planned. When activated, the Vorlon gate exists in multi-dimensions, their home universe and this one. The one becomes two. However it took a little time, a few hundred years, in order for them to work out the bugs in the system. When they did, both sides became operational. The Powers in this universe ensured that the Sinhindrea would never develop a foothold there because a man named Sheridan would always be there to stop them. He is the cork in the bottle. But that changed when the Enterprises entered the picture. The gate was found by others and that universe changed forever."

"Quinn directed both ships there in an effort to ensure their survival, but by saving them we may have doomed that galaxy. He always was a little to merciful for his own good."

There was something about his voice…

She took a chance. "You miss Quinn, don't you," she said softly.

The entity's smile was whimsical. "He was the best of us," he answered. "He understood what life meant enough to give it up. I told before, he was my inspiration and his actions changed my existence. With his death, he taught me the meaning of life. I haven't forgotten his lesson. I want my son to enjoy the wonders of life; not the cold desolation of a once vibrant galaxy."

The Yonji have always been isolated from the main arms of the galaxy and that that is the only thing that has kept them in check," he continued changing the subject. "Their lightspeed system is as primitive as your warp drive. Therefore, they needed an escape route. And you know what they found."

Yes, she knew. Between the children's hyperspeed-junctions located all throughout this part of space and the interdimensional door, the creatures had the equivalent of a 'get out of jail card'. "I agreed to this and I will keep my promise," Janeway said. "But I want some assurances from you."

"I know what you're going to ask," he said raising a hand to halt further conversation. "I will make sure that the Cylons are kept occupied until your return, if you make it back. Iblis has entered that universe and has been up to his usual mischief. By keeping those walking waste containers off of your back, this is my way of returning that favor. My counterparts in that universe have no use whatsoever for lesser beings and are permanently mind-locked, dreaming of past successes while ignoring the present and the future. I spoke to them and it was like talking to a bunch of Pakleds on a bad day.Understand this Admiral, Picard, Sisko and the others cannot return to this reality without the most severe of consequences for them. Even with your information may not make any difference in the outcome of their fight for their galaxy. But it will give them time. And here's a word of advice. There's a man you should talk to. His name is Garibaldi. His motto is 'everybody lies'. Take that into consideration when you go there."

"Remember you time is limited. Where the Cylons are, the Borg are not far behind. The children are perfection and that is the sweetest thing in existence to them. Now, prepare yourselves for the adventure of a lifetime. I have faith in you. And don't get yourself killed. Jean-Luc would never forgive me."

"Yes Tuvok," she said shaking her head negatively. "No, we will not intervene unless necessary."

"Admiral, are you okay?" the Captain asked. "You seem distracted. "

"I was. My talks with Q have that effect on me," she answered. The characteristic eyebrow rose as he contemplated the implications. "He was here to give me a warning. What's the status of the Galactica?"

"It is still in reverse," Tuvok answered. "They are ignoring us completely. We do not appear to be a threat to them at this time."

"Evidently size appears to be significant to them," Annika stated, causing the bridged crew to smirk. Even Kathryn cracked a smile. Seven's sense of humor was improving.

"Admiral, the two vessels are accelerating. The Galactica is firing…it's a hit. The enemy's shields are holding."

"Enemy shields down by three percent, Commander."

On the bridge, Commander Apollo, Strike Commander Starbuck, Captain Athena, Lieutenant Commander Thomas Riker and President Adama, watched the viewer intently as bright blue disruptor beams hit the closest vessel, its energies splashing spectacularly off of their shields. The front protrusions of the Sinhindrea vessels began to glow malevolently and a moment later a plasma pulse erupted from both ships. The pulses hit the front shields of the Galactica and the ship shook slightly.

"No damage, shields are holding," Lexea said. "They hit us with a thirty megon blast."

There was a time when a blast of that magnitude (thirty isotons using Federation Measurements), would have vaporized the Galactica. Now, with her metaphasic shielding, she barely felt it. "Take them out." Apollo turned in time to see his father inhale sharply. Father?"

Seeing his son's distress he waved It off. "It's okay," he answered. I just have a visit from Amanda."

The Battlestar Galactica ceased its retreat and powerful engines caused it to surge forward at nearly one half lightspeed. The secondary disruptors pounded the first ship who was now rethinking its pursuit strategy as the unknown ship aggressively vectored towards it.

The Sinhindrea had not encountered this sort of resistance in this region of space in nearly a thousand years. The sectors in this region of space were a barren wasteland, filled with hundreds of dead, ruined worlds. Attracted by unusual energy distortions characteristic of a high-energy warp signature, they had encountered something different, something that was considered a threat and they needed to find out from where the threat had originated. The readings from these alien ships were similar to the Imperixe located on the far side of the galaxy, but at much higher power ratings. And if there were true and could be confirmed, then the passageways would need to be monitored far more aggressively until a large enough force could be mounted to conquer that new territory.

Years ago, when the passageways were found, there was a consensus among the old ones. Half their race would travel though the hyper-shunts en masse to new territory and the others would continue to wait for the activation of the gate. Competition for resources and food would be minimized among the people. If the Imperixe were the strongest force in that part of the galaxy, then it was determined that nothing would stand in their path. The Imperixe were a powerful parasitic species however they would be swept away and the Yonji would spread. Only they were worthy of survival. But the preparation for invasion and migration took nearly a hundred years. They still weren't ready to move yet and now this powerful vessel defied them and the entities felt threatened. There had been few races powerful enough to resist them. The hated Kinsh were one that managed to successfully flee their own slaughter. The ones known as 'The Hand' were another, but they were believed to be extinct or somehow relocated to another space or reality. The Vorlons in that other universe were strong, but not strong enough to defend against a prepared Sinhindrea Clovien force. However, this was someone different, something new. This new enemy facing them was an unknown, something to be destroyed, its remains analyzed.

Pulse weaponry failed to penetrate the shielding of the strange vessel and now, that incredibly fast vessel was in turn scanning them. The enemy vessel was slowly, but surely wearing the Prime's shields down. Retuning pulse sensors failed to get any information on the ship other than general size and relative energy output. Active targeting failed to lock onto the enemy ship and the Leader required his weapons masters to use their enhanced telepathic bionetics to properly track the vessel. Concerned that its shields might soon collapse, it ordered a dedicated attack at what was considered the bridge of the strange vessel. Bright-red beams of plasmic disruption derived from other dimensional energy savaged the ship. The energy was somehow channeled away, reflected in a manner it had not seen before.

Its other began to fire its plasmic beam weapon as well. It missed twice a surprise, but scored on the third and forth attempt. Still the alien's protective shields held and now it had fired twelve rapidly moving, high-energy projectiles at the other. Its other had no time to even begin to move out of the line of fire. The first four projectiles detonated against the other's shields. They were made of antimatter, very much like Imperixe weapons but, far more powerful and the other's shields faltered for a moment. The next set of projectiles collapsed the shields allowing the last group to impact the other. Antimatter interacted with event-horizon energy and the ship exploded with sufficient power to vaporize a small moon. Not even a Vorlon destroyer could have stopped a Clovien destroyer that easily while continually wearing down its shields. Its people sent the call for reinforcements and transmitted as much information on this new ship as was available. Not wishing to be destroyed, the First attempted to create a hyperspace window, but enemy fire kept it from generating the hyperspace field. Desperate and furious that its other was so easily destroyed by this enemy, it released all of its power in a single concentrated blast…

For a ship its size, the Colonial warship was as fast and nearly as graceful as a Galaxy class vessel. The improvements in energy production, offensive and defensive armaments, made it one of the most powerful vessels in the Alpha quadrant. Accelerating to three quarters speed, it dodged the enemy fire and aimed itself directly for the surviving warship. The Sinhindrea Capital destroyer turned and prepared for an emergency hyperspace jump.

It did so a moment too late as the Galactica's main guns fired, eviscerating it. It sailed through the remains of the Sinhindrea continuing to fire until there was nothing left.

"We have now announced our presence to this part of the galaxy," Commander Apollo said sarcastically.

President Adama inhaled sharply. "Yes and now that we're here it appears that our choice has been taken away from us." Amanda had made it clear to him.

Events had conspired to bring them here and she had sworn that neither the Q nor any other had manipulated the situation. Evidently, the Universe needed them here at this time and place more than they needed to be in contact with the children. Adama had been wary of her somewhat nebulous explanation, but there was something about the young Q that gave him pause. He didn't understand it but it was as though she was in touch with something higher than the Q. Apparently she didn't understand it herself but he could feel that connection within her. She was at the edge of discovering something profound, something the others weren't aware of.

"We have to go. These are the coordinates."

Starbuck looked perplexed. "This places us deeper into their territory. Shouldn't we be going in the opposite direction?"

The President only smiled at that comment. Some things never changed and Starbuck was one of them. The man knew better but he had to say something. "One hundred, thirty-three centons using transwarp. We need this organized to the micron if we are to succeed."

Voyager and Azetbur followed behind the Galactica as it accelerated to warp nine.

"It's time," Janeway told the crew of Voyager. "You've all understood the purpose of this mission. We are to contact the Children of V'ger and to warn them of the threat the Cylon Empire posed to them. That, I'm sorry to say is still our mission. However there is another mission that you have not been told about. And this mission is just as important as our primary objective. I expect you all to do your best as I'm sure you will." She turned and looked at Chakotay.

He nodded in response. "Battlestations."

Both ships followed the Galactica's wake she traversed into transwarp. To reach their destination they would travel five hundred two light years in a little over two hours.

The gateway.

It was always there; a weakness in the fabric of time and space. The Vorlons had always been in search of such a spatial phenomenon. They were exceedingly rare and even harder to utilize to their full potential. The search lasted a thousand years before they found one that could be useful to them. Many of the stable rifts had been found but all had been rejected or deemed unacceptable in one form or another. Each one of those rifts led to places that were unfit to sustain life in any form.

Only one had been acceptable and the Vorlons used all of their scientific theory, skills to explore and technology to explore the one rift. What they discovered was life in abundance. Psychic probes revealed varied life in such abundance that it exceeded anything that the Vorlons could imagine. It was a well-spring of life that literally erupted throughout this strange reality.

The possibility of entering this new reality soon became an obsession. The ancient species had genetically manipulated the younger races of their reality for tens of thousands of years. These races saw them as beings of light and many considered them gods. And after so many years of hearing this the Vorlons began to believe it themselves. This new reality so fresh and untainted, teeming with life, offered them the chance to modify that reality to their own specific needs-without interference. In essence, after they began to shape this new universe, bending it to their will, they would become the gods everyone thought they were. Philosophically, they would storm the gates of heaven and become gods themselves.

The Vorlon race was able to create a permanent gap between their universe and the other. They devised a small device that was sent through the rift. Following its programming, it collected matter and energy unto itself and began to grow; creating a structure that eventually surrounded the rift. This structure became the first part of what would be known the trans-dimensional Vorlon gate. The process itself took hundreds of years and meanwhile, the Vorlons put that time to good use. They developed the master half of the doorway on their own side. Ultimately they succeeded in the great endeavor. However their calculations were wrong. There was no wellspring there.

Yes, there was an abundance of life on the other side. But it was death that came to meet them. The Vorlons had been chased from the other universe a millions years ago-their time. But only thirty thousand years had passed for the Sinhindrea. And all the while, from their dark cities they watched and waited for the doorway to re-open.

Unnoticed by both species, several of the great Powers had intervened. They understood as the Vorlons had not, that the introduction of an invading species into a foreign environment usually turned out to be a bad thing. So they allowed the Sinhindrea to repel the Vorlons with prejudice as if they were some unwanted pests. But even the Great Powers had miscalculated. The Sinhindrea entered the other universe, thereby causing the exact same problem the Powers wanted to avoid. The Sinhindrea were defeated by the Vorlons after a terrible war, but the gate on the Sinhindrea remained active.

Therefore, Quinn of the Q, John of the Del Fray, the Metrons, and a few others came together to devise a solution to keep the problem to a minimum without directly intervening. They locked the doorway to a specific time and place so when the gateway opened again it would be destroyed. It was a fool-proof plan.

The temporal war made a fool of the fool-proof plan. Even the Great Powers were affected to some extent. Time was being influenced and changed in such ways that the Powers couldn't dare try anything. And now those temporal disturbances had allowed an infection free reign, forever altering both realities.

That would not be allowed to continue unchecked.

"Battlestations."

The exploratory group exited transwarp three hundred million kilometers from their targeted objective. Their intentions were to get through the gate and if necessary, destroy any opposition that attempted to impede them. It was a simple enough plan in theory. However, reality had other plans.

As soon as they entered warp, they were buffeted by waves of temporal energy emanating from the gate. The rift itself radiated enormous amounts of energy across the entire spectrum as it continually fought against its captor.

Tuvok, his voice as passive as ever proceeded to give an ongoing analysis as to what they were actually seeing. "The interspatial rift is collapsing on itself," he said. "The energy required to maintain its effectiveness is not sufficient to maintain the rift in its current configuration. I believe that the gate has been somehow modified to allow the increase of a larger number of ships passage than was originally intended."

Next to him, Annika agreed. "The modifications to the gateway on this side, have destabilized the structure. In six years, the rift will return to its normal state and the gate will destroy itself."

Captain Chakotay heard everything but his attention was elsewhere. As was Janeway's. Waiting patiently in line to pass through the gate were nearly three thousand Yonji ships of various kinds. Most were designated as transports but nearly a fourth of them were warships. But all of them had the characteristic glowing, ball-like constructs and positioned as they were, they resembled a delicate pearl necklace that stretched into infinity.

"It's colonization," he whispered. "It's not important to them if they can't bet back. It's a one-way trip for them. They're like Terran bees in that respect. If the colony gets too big then it will split off and relocate to an area were there is less competition and more resources."

"Exactly," the Admiral said. "They need more room to spread out since they've destroyed everything within reach. The intention is to continue on the other side what they've done here. Thousands of races are being attacked and destroyed by these aliens and there's nothing we can do about it." That admission was fraught with despair. As long as the Federation was at war with the Cylon Empire, exploration and any possibility of helping the races in this part of the galaxy were non-existent. But if the Alpha quadrant survived this war then they would have a little time to prepare for the Sinhindrea remaining this galaxy. What she had been told by Q about this race had all the makings of another bloodbath heading straight for the Alpha quadrant.

"But we can stop them from spreading to this other universe," the ex-marquis officer announced coldly.

"If the plan works, yes."

"We'll make it work." He turned towards Commander Worf. Ready the photon and quantum torpedoes, maximum yield."

"Aye, Sir," Worf said, trying to keep from smiling. He couldn't wait to see how these aliens would respond to their weapons. The photon torpedoes were much more powerful than those of ten years ago, before the Dominion war began. Even the torpedoes used against the Borg weren't in this class. And personally, he loathed these creatures.

"Have they spotted us?" Paris asked.

They do not appear to have subspace sensors but, our exiting from transwarp was detected by their sensors. That had the disadvantage of having a much higher energy profile. Therefore, to answer the question, I do not believe so," Tuvok answered.

Good enough. "Commander Worf, lock onto the nearest warship and prepare to fire."

"Yes, Sir."

A collective sense of utter shock echoed through the entire Sinhindrea shared consciousness when the first torpedoes and missiles hit. They were aware that invaders had violated their territories, but that was more than five hundred light-years away. The commonality knew that their fellow Clovien had died at the hands of an unknown enemy ship. But this same ship had appeared again in the middle of secured space, less than three standard units later. The commonality was enraged and terrified, a typical reaction from their species who understood only two viewpoints when it came to the non-people; the first being 'that which does not threaten is to be eaten' and the other 'that which exists is to be hated and destroyed'. The non-people were either food or a waste of life. Only the Sinhindrea were worthy of life and they pursued that philosophy as their religion. They attacked others and were never the ones who were attacked. And in the collective memory of the Clovien there had never been a surprise attack in their most secured territory, until now.

The capital ships closest to the gate, waiting in line for their turn to enter, never even had time to activate their defensive shields as ninety six photon and quantum torpedoes blew them to shreds. And as they exploded, their own energies added to the destruction of many of the transports and civilian craft too slow to evacuate the area. Six warships were destroyed outright, along with forty-six transports. Seven of the Sinhindrea Clovien were severely damaged and drifting and when their integrity fields failed, they would die.

The violence of the attack shocked them into retaliatory action. Already several of their large ships were converging and locked onto the largest enemy warship and would destroy the aggressor within seconds of engagement. The two smaller vessels were considered minor nuisances by the Clovien-for all of fifteen seconds. Again, a firestorm of those deadly projectiles sought out and slammed into their shields, overwhelming some defenses and sending more of the people to their deaths. And the larger ship had unleashed small fighters and larger combat vessels. A war had begun in their own backyard and they had been unprepared.

A Clovien lord screamed its defiance and ordered its pride to defend their territory. Four hundred fighters and twenty of the capitals prepared to converge on the enemy.

The Battlestar Galactica was designed as a multipurpose warship capable of defending a planet from Cylon forces including Basestars. It also excelled as an orbital-based destroyer. Aeriana-laced solonite missiles targeted and destroyed orbital platforms that were ironically, facing the gate, in order to protect the Sinhindrea from threats originating from inside the passageway. The entire defense grid was down before they could even begin to react. Now all the Galactica had to do was control the gateway for eight minutes.

Both the UFP Sabers and Colonial Adders had been deployed and were laying down long distance covering fire, adding their support to Voyager and Azetbur. Five of the smaller Cobras launched and were now firing mini-photons at the swarm of fighters coming at them. The Galactica's twin pulse disrupter cannons at a rate of sixty shots per second were firing as well and within moments it was clear that the Sinhindrea were trying to stay clear of her. There was too much confusion, the transports were preventing the Sinhindrea from getting clear shots. However, a group of squid-shaped fighters had broken off and were trying to flank them from behind the gate.

"Acknowledged Galactica." Boxey inhaled quickly, swallowed and started shouting orders. This is Cobra one. We're heading to the rear of the gate. Fighters are coming in quick. Cobras Thirteen and Twelve, you're with me. The rest are with the Rantoul whose our backup support."

Everyone beeped in acknowledgment. Quickly they reached the rear and ran into a wall of enemy plasmic fire.

"Evasives!" Boxey screamed even as Cobra Twelve ran right into an enemy burst.

The blast was deflected but its shields were down by fifty percent. The wounded Cobra returned fire with its enhanced disruptors, burn through the small vessel's shields and gutted it. The Sinhindrea fighters, of two sizes, three of the larger ones being the size of a Saber, rushed in, firing at the madly jinxing Cobras and Saber. Phasers and disruptor fire mixed it up with energy pulses. One of the larger Sinhindrea fighters targeted Cobra Twelve, in the process of disengaging from several of the smaller fighters, and fired a series of shots before Cobra Ten could provide adequate cover. The ship spun rapidly, then underwent a series of explosions as ammunition cooked off, aiding to its destruction.

The Rantoul and Cobra six attacked several fighters while Cobra One and Thirteen went after the larger fighter that had destroyed Cobra Twelve.

"This is an aggressive one," Boxey said coldly over the comms. That ship had rammed its way through two of its own in order to get a clear shot at Twelve. "Simple plan. We track him down. We kill him."

"Right beside you, Captain," Joliet answered. She was at his three o'clock position and it was her ship that fired first.

Surprisingly, she used her beam weapons at one-half power. Several short bursts hit their targets but failed to penetrate the shields. Immediately the fighter targeted her ship and was promptly reduced to ashes by Cobra One which it had foolishly ignored in favor of an easier target. Now, with the flanking attack shattered, the allied survivors were headed back to the Galactica with the Rantoul covering their backs.

"That was incredibly stupid, Lieutenant," her commander said.

She could tell that he was deciding whether to ground her or not for that little stunt. "I knew that the enemy would come after me, Sir. They're celephodiate in origin and their species always attack weaker aquatics first. The pilot followed its instinct, Sir."

"Good thinking, Lieutenant," Boxey growled. "Please be aware that when we return to the Galactica, I'm going to hurt you."

"Yes, Captain," she gulped.

The Sinhindrea were making a concentrated push against the unknown ships. Gone now was any concern for the transports; protection of the gate was now their primary concern. Sinhindrea Cloviens blew apart their own ships in an effort to destroy their tormentors. Another solid wall of enemy projectiles penetrated shields and ripped apart more of the defender's people. Furious, the Sinhindrea military found that only the strongest of their protective shielding was effective against this new enemy.

The Clovien Lord's fury caused the others in his command to shrink back. Their own arrogance had worked against them. The device that enhanced their telepathy was effective only on the other side of the gate, useless in this situation. Now these creatures were about to blow up the gate and the only thing that surprised it was that the doorway hadn't yet been destroyed.

By his will, the order was given. The gate was not to be destroyed. Everything else was expendable.

"They are coming, Commander," Lexea announced. "In seven centons, they're going to be all over us." Her tactical screens had targeted twenty three of the Sinhindrea warships bearing down on them at nearly one quarter lightspeed. Dozens of damaged transports and freighters were being deliberately targeted and blown apart so that they could get clear shots at the Galactica and the others.

"They're too late," Starbuck said. "All two hundred fifty six mines have been released. Let them chew on that."

Now released, the mines cloaked, then moved to their assigned stations in front of the Galactica and others. They began replicating, doubling every fifteen seconds. The cloaked mines were first used at DS9 during the Dominion war to protect the Bajoran wormhole. It had been highly successful and since then there had been modifications. These particular mines were transphasic and each contained sixty-five isoton warheads. The replicators were using energy leeched from the gate itself in order to reproduce and they would continue to reproduce until they encircled the entire structure. Once completed nothing would be able to come any closer than three thousand kilometers of gateway.

"Four thousand, ninety-six mines."

The Azetbur and Voyager completed their final attack pattern and headed for the gate. The mines, configured to recognize both ships and their subspace coded signals navigated out of the way, then closed the gap.

"Thirty-seven thousand, sixty-eight mines."

"They've destroyed their own ships sir. They're coming in force." A veritable wall of enemy warships were converging on their position. "We will not be able to hold them."

"Frack."

"Admiral, there are two hundred ninety-six thousand, five hundred forty-four mines active," Tuvok said. "Two more replications and the structure will be completely secured."

"Captain Chakotay, Commander Apollo is online."

On screen."

The viewscreen changed from the fleet of Sinhindrea vessels closing in on them to the activated. "We're activating the mines in thirty seconds. We're not following you through the gate. There are too many of them. The Galactica will act as a diversion to give you enough time to complete the transit. The mines will cover your back. Go now," he ordered. "Our window is closing fast. Take the Cobra's and the Rantoul with you. We don't have the time to pick them up." Already the Battlestar was moving forward away from the gate. "We're heading back to the children. May the lords of Kobol protect you all."

There was no time for argument. Janeway almost said something but she withheld her comment. She merely nodded at Chakotay.

"Bring the Cobras onboard and take us in. Mr. Paris Proceed towards the gate."

"Aye, Sir," Tom said after confirming with Commander Data for the merest instant before hitting the thrusters.

"Three of the Cobras are docking now and the other is docking with the Azetbur. The procedure will be completed in thirty seconds."

"The Galactica is almost out of the minefield," Annika said. "They're firing all of their weapons…impressive…they've gone to warp…mines are online and active."

Hundreds of small and medium sized fighter craft were converging on their position.

"Take us in."

The Clovien Lord's three sets of opticals watch in contempt as the large ship ran away. Whatever that species called humans were, he swore that it would be a reckoning one day. Telepath trackers, called the Clovien hunters, had their scent and passed it on to the others. None would ever forget it. These creatures were too alien to understand their thoughts with any clarity but several things had been made clear this day. As his ship hurdle towards the gate he thought about this encounter so that he would remember and pass it along to his progeny.

This species had somehow escaped the purging and that indicated that they were from the edge of Sinhindrea occupied territory or farther. The remaining races within their sphere of influence could never have developed enough power to resist the People as these aliens had. These things called humans were strong and their weapons could hurt the people. The associated with other lesser types like them. Together, they were an aggressive species with technology similar to the Imperixe and the ones known as the Borg. The mode of lightspeed propulsion was alien, but the telepath-hunters could still track them across the galaxy as necessary. There was more information, however it was not as much as it should have been. There were telepaths onboard all of their ships and their alien thought patterns interfered with the hunter's the abilities to acquire the needed information.

The People had made a mistake assuming that they were safe on their side of the gate. All of the defenses were designed to repel potential enemies from the other side. The enemy was sending two small ships to the other side for unclear reasons. They had the time and the resources to destroy the doorway but hadn't. It was possible that this was a recon mission of some sort but alien objectives were foreign to him and it didn't matter. In moments they would be trapped between his pursuit ships and the others on the other side. Then he would find out all they needed to know and then consum the survivors.

Fifty of the fighters containing the hot-blooded younglings dove towards the dimensional aperture with an excitement and determination that only the young could muster. A few seconds, later the Lord screamed as all of his fighters were vaporized in a series of explosions that shook his vessel. The second set of fighters trying to escape the same fate as their brethren had veered away from the gate. Several were destroyed outright and several more were destroyed by the multi-isoton shockwaves.

The other ships immediately halted their advances and the Lord ordered a light volley fire in the direction of the gate. He was rewarded with several large explosions two thousand kilometers from the gateway. Understanding dawned. There were mines of some sort, invisible to their instrumentation, guarding the gateway. He ordered a much larger volley to encompass the entire front of the gateway and was stunned by the result. Thousands of explosions were detected. Incapable of appreciating the enemy's tactics, the Lord could only seethe in hatred. He ordered one of his Cloviens forward and it approached the gate cautiously, shields to full power. The ship fired several burst at again was rewarded with multiple explosions in front of the doors aperture. Slowly, its commander hoping that the mines had been mostly cleared, moved forward.

The Lord hissed in terror as several mines which he could not detect converged on the ship, passed through the chip's defense shield as if it weren't there, attached themselves to his vessel and blew it and the crew into stray atoms. There were too many of them! It was impossible to have lain so many in such a short period of time. Therefore, the mines must be self-replicating. No ship could get within two thousand kilometers of the gate, three to be safe.

The Clovien Lord issued a command. These humans and their allies were to be found and full attention of the Sinhindrea were to be given to them. It would take time, years, tens of years, even hundreds of years, to find them, but the Sinhindrea had found a new, dangerous enemy to crush. Thousands upon thousands of their kind would hunt these aliens, who had touched a power beyond comprehension, down. They would teach these creatures that the People were a hunger beyond understanding and all were of one accord.

Kill them all.

When the USS Voyager entered the swirling vortex, the first thing that struck the crew was the striking multitude of colors of reds, and whites with purple mixed in, slowly circling in a counterclockwise movement. The feeling of non-existence had enveloped them all for an instant as they passed through the event horizon. The ships were being pulled along by the energies and thrusters were nearly useless until they began to cross over.. Behind them sensors detected the first of the explosions as the pursuit vessels discovered the mine field.

As for Data, he was completely awed by the experience. And the bridge officers were performing a detain analysis of the inside of the dimensional generator. "The technology to create such a device exceeds anything that Federation sciences could reproduce. This device has established a stable wormhole that crosses the dimension between two universes. Dating of the artifact places it at approximately two billions years old."

"That is not to say that the device is in fact that old," Tuvok added. "However it does mean that the materials used, are."

"A logical assumption," Data countered. If he was miffed, as Janeway suspected he might be, she wasn't sure.

"I am also reading a very high level of chronitons and chronometric particles. This entire structure is in temporal flux.

"How long before we reach the exit?"

"Five minutes, twelve seconds."

"I want the mines deployed the moment our ships exit the event horizon. If they are aware of what happened to their friends on the other side of the doorway, it's going to be a rough trip. I want us at warp as soon as possible."

"Admiral, there's a force shield on the other side of the side. It appears to be one way that will allow us out of this structure.

"I guess that when we're ready to return we'll have to shoot our way back in. We'll worry about that later. All Weapons at ready. Target any Sinhindrea guardships that we encounter. I want all departments at the ready to scan this system as we go to warp. B'Elanna?

"Yes, Admiral."

"Go over the QSD once more before we activate. This universe's natural laws might not react kindly to it."

"Understood."

On the viewscreen, Janeway watched the huge Klingon explorer's weapons' array beginning to glow with power as its devastator class photon torpedo tubes powered up once more. The mines to be deployed from the Azetbur weren't transphasic-the Federation had no intentions of giving them that technology!- but they had larger warheads and they were configured to aggressively chase their targets for a thousand Kilicams before returning to station.

"Get ready. Ten seconds."

For perhaps ten seconds, the Sinhindrea six guardships were confused by the sight of alien ships about to exit the Vorlon gateway. Alien ships exiting the gateway, wasn't that unusual. Several slave vessels had been used to transport food species instead of Sinhindrea freighters but these three ships were of unusual and unidentified configuration. Ten seconds after that, it didn't matter as those ships began firing on everything in the area. The small fighters stood no chance as they were hit by beams designed to destroy ships many times their size. Two of the sixteen hundred meter Clovien capitals, facing the opposite direction, detonated in a firestorm of destruction that temporality lit up the dark side of the planet known as Z'ha'dum. It looked quite unappealing to say the least.

"Mines deployed," Chakotay said. "Warp nine. Now."

The Rantoul, Voyager and Azetbur went to warp. Within an hour that side of the gate would be in for a very nasty surprise when they attempted to access the gateway.

Tuvok swooned slightly. "Captain. I…"

"Doctor to the Bridge!"

"No," Tuvok insisted. "It was a mind probe. Alien, very powerful. I could feel it trying to enter my mind. The gate on this side enhances their power. They know who we are. They know this ship is filled with humanity. Their raw hatred; emotions washing out everything else. They are afraid of us; targeting humans as a threat. Tracking us, like Selats on a blood hunt. They will never stop."

"They're hunting us telepathically?"

"Yes. I felt it on the side of the gate but not nearly as strong. They are aware of the Federation on the other side as well."

"The Galactica can do what needs to be done," Jane said with absolute confidence. They'll survive, do what needs to be done and warn the right people. Our problem is trying to find earth in this reality. We…"

"Intruder alert!" the computer announced. "Intruder alert."

On the bridge, a bright light slowly began into form a humanoid shape. "Interesting," a voice said. "You have never been here."

Armored security guards armed with phaser rifles targeted the humanoid shaped intruder. It appeared to be rather tall male with a strange jewel in the center of his forehead. "Do not be alarmed," he said lifting his hands in a gesture of peace.

"I'm Admiral Kathryn Janeway of the United Federation of Planets. Who are you and why are you on my ship?" Janeway demanded. "Are you an ascended being of some type?" She thought this was a Q equivalent. There were few beings that could appear in invited on a ship at high warp.

"Ascended?" he asked. "No, not as you understand the concept. I am more like the first being; the very first sentient lifeform in this universe. You might want to describe me as the eldest living being in this universe."

Chakotay halted the security guards as Janeway continued to talk to this stranger.

"You may call me Lorien," the alien said. "I lived on the planet that you've just left in such a hurry. It was my home for many years. But now, I have chosen to leave. I could no longer abide the death and destruction taking place there. And therefore have decided that the creatures you know as the Sinhindrea must be stopped. But I cannot do it alone."

Kathryn appraised this entity very carefully. "You could have left that planet anytime you wished. Why did you choose t leave now?"

Lorien simply smiled in acknowledgement. "A circle has been broken and a new one has taken its place," he said cryptically. "So, I waited for you and you came as I knew you would."

Mr. Lorien…"

"Just Lorien," he corrected.

"Maybe we can help one another. We're searching for a planet."

"I know what you are searching for; humans like yourself," he said. "You're searching for Earth. I know where it is," he told her. "In return for this information, I wish to travel with you. You humans are strange, an interesting species destined for great things and terrible destruction both in this universe and the other as well. You have the seeds of greatness in you. I hope that it has time to blossom."

"I also wish for you to take me to a place called Babylon Five," the entity continued. "There is someone I wish to see there. But you must hurry to Earth first. The Earth alliance is in trouble. Those who once controlled Z'ha'dum have made a request of the government there and were rejected. I fear that the Shadows will do something unfortunate to Earth out of their spite. Earth is needed in this fight as are so many other worlds," he said. He took a deep breath as though he were drinking in the entire vessel. "I will tell you the coordinates since you do not use jumpspace travel."

"Excuse me for a moment," Janeway said to the entity. "Mr. Paris please slow to warp three and keep an eye for any followers." She waved her finger to the Captain who followed her to the other side of the bridge.

Off to the side, Chakotay whispered to Kathryn. "Can we trust this entity? Our track records with them haven't been that great."

"I don't think we have a choice here," she answered. "We have no idea where Earth is and it would take too much time to find it on our own. But I think it will be okay. For some reason, I trust him. But I will be careful."

"Admiral?" It was B'Elanna. "We've got problems here. The QSD doesn't like this space at all. The simulations we've been running have not been promising. The Bedemite crystal configuration as it is now will not allow the quantum energy converter to generate a stable slipstream matrix. We're working on it now. So we're stuck with warp drive until we can deal with this."

"How long will it take?"

"Not long," she answered. "We're close to a solution now, but we will have to travel a lot slower."

"How much slower?" Chakotay asked.

"Only about point one five light years per second. And that's when we've run enough simulations and I'm satisfied we wouldn't blow up.

Barely a crawl. "Do what you can."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Both the Captain and the Admiral returned to the patiently waiting entity. "Lorien, we have a deal. Will you give us the coordinates to Earth?"

He paused for a second, the moved towards Data. His eyes seemed to look deep into the android. "Fascinating," he whispered. "Here are the coordinates you need."

"All stop," Chakotay ordered.

An hour later Lieutenant Torres and her engineering crew had completed the configuration changes and were now working with the Klingons to get their system aligned.

"I have slipstream drive up to point one eight light years per second," B'Elanna proudly announced. "I recommend we use it sparingly."

"Understood. Good work ,B'Elanna." She turned to commander Data. "How long using slipstream?"

"At this distance, twenty eight minutes, fifty-seven seconds."

"Inform Commander Riker on the Rantoul to follow us in and stay close. Tell Captain Kagth we're leaving in three minutes."

A half hour after the three ships had transitioned into slipstream, a distortion in space and time occurred. According to the crew of the C-57D, it would be described as a deceleration event caused by a vessel exiting a hyperspace shunt. Two eight hundred meter long Sinhindrea heavy corvette analogs popped into normal space. The Clovien hunters had scented their prey but the signals had stopped here, and abruptly, the telepathic scent all but disappeared. However the scent was just strong enough to point the way. The planet called Earth was located in that general direction. A recon force had been sent to Earth earlier and it was deemed a low-lever threat.

But things had changed. The weapons possessed by these creatures was unnerving. The discovery of the invisible minefield had been horrific. The Colony wasn't complete and now it was cut off. The captured Shadow had been in error. Its evaluation of the threat potential from those called humans was greater than the Shadows understood. The Minbari would have to wait. The cleansing was turning into a war of survival.

"Exiting slipstream, now."

Commander Riker breathed a sigh of relief. They were right on target. The solar system in this universe looked exactly like their own. Already, they were passing Neptune when suddenly communications picked up distress calls. Voyager and Azetbur picked up the emergency transmissions immediately. Nearby, dozens of distortions of some type appeared, with huge, lumbering ships exiting them heading towards Earth.

There was a battle going on. These 'Terran' ships were engaged with another enemy. The enemy ships were identified as the Drakh and the Terrans were having a very hard time of it. Actually they were being torn apart, piece by piece.

"This is President Clarke of Earth Allegiance. We are under attacked by the Drakh. All Earthforce vessels are ordered to Sol sector immediately. Repeat Earth is under attack. Immediate assistance is requested."

"This is Admiral Kathryn Janeway of the United Federation of Planets, responding to your distress calls. We will be there in two minutes."

A response was instantaneous. "This is Coronal Griffin of Earthforce. Did you say you were a Federation starship?"

"Yes," Janeway said. "Explanations can wait until later." She cut communications.

"Ready weapons," Chakotay ordered. "Target the large vessels near their moon."

"Captain, look." Annika's voice was filled with dread.

Cities could be seen burning from orbit. Several of the smaller Drakh ships, resembling balloons had broken through the defense grid and were spraying something into the atmosphere. EarthForce ships and the defense platforms had destroyed most of them but a few got through.

"A biological weapon," the Admiral murmured in disgust. Biologicals were among the most offensive of weapons-and the hardest to control. The crew was horrified as well.

Both the Azetbur and Rantoul had cloaked. They were about to introduce a whole new meaning in terror and it was time. As of this moment, the Prime Directive had been flung into the wind. Admiral Kathryn Janeway stood with Captain Chakotay by her side as she gave the order.

"All phasers and IMDs-fire!"

To everyone thank-you very much for your comments and reviews. I am about to go on a break and will pick this up in September. I am not dropping off the map so I will be answering questions, etc as they come up. To all of you, thanks again and see you soon. Talk to ya people. Albert