In the centre chair sat Commander Broderick O'Neill, a veteren of many campaigns, who thought that he would be retired along with the Eden. A wily old-stager, he couldn't have been more wrong.
Suddenly, the sensors came alive. As they approached the first of the Sontaran colonies, their sensors went into overdrive.
At the navigation console, Lieutenant Alonzo Solace looked concerned.
"It can't be!", he said. "I've never seen that many ships before!"
"What is it?", asked O'Neill.
"The sensors are going wild! It looks like a thousand ships are coming towards us!"
"A thousand! There must be something wrong!" Then, the alarm sounded automatically.
On the viewer, O'Neill could see that the sensors were not faulty. There was indeed a thousand ships coming toward them, almost at a speed of warp ten. "Scan them.", said O'Neill.
"I can't get a lock on them.", said Ensign Walman, the tactical officer. "They're going too fast!"
As they got closer and closer, O'Neill began to think as fast as he could.
"Where the heck are they from?"
"I've got a course projection.". said Alonzo. "They're course has brought them from the Delta Quadrant!"
"That's not possible!". said O'Neill.
"Yes it is, Commander.", said Alonzo. "They've come straight through the Denara Belt, past the Sontaran homeworld, and into our space!"
"Contact Starfleet Command on a priority channel.", O'Neill ordered.
Walman did as he was told, but he could get nothing. "All transmissions are being jammed!", he reported. Suddenly, the ships were above them. All space for miles around seemed crowded with ships, a thousand ships. Seconds later, they were gone.
"Set an intercept course!", said O'Neill. "Try and match them speed for speed! And keep trying to contact Starfleet!"
Her deed done, Servalan returned to the Presidential Palace in Paris. As her shuttle flew overhead, she could see the hundreds of protestors that had gathered outside the grounds, shouting in anger because she had declared the election void. Since this announcement, Ambassador Spock had gone missing. Where he had gone, she did not know, and she didn't care.
Soon, the shuttle landed behind the main building, and Servalan soon entered her office. When she did, she found someone waiting for her, Federation Senator Morgan Martin. Although only elected to the senate in the past year, Martin had gained much respect from many of the older heads. Indeed, President James Watt had predicted great things for him before his 'death'. Servalan was not pleased at seeing Martin.
"I haven't got time for this, Senator.", she said, taking her seat behind her desk.
"Then make the time, Madam President.", said Martin. "What you did today was against the law!"
"Really, Senator? And who is the highest form of law in the Federation? The President, I believe!"
"An office you now hold illegally!"
Then, Commander Sleer, Commodore Queeg and General Hague entered. "Madam President!", Sleer called out. "We must speak with you on an urgent matter!"
Martin paid no heed to these men. He continued to talk to Servalan. "Perhaps Ambassador Spock was right.", he said. "Perhaps there is something wrong with a President who wants to enter into an agreement with a group we know nothing about, and who only holds onto power by declaring elections void!"
"Tell me, Senator, why didn't anyone else come with you?"
"Because you've got them all scared of their own shadows!"
"Believe me, Servalan, I'll do all that I can to get you out of this office!"
Servalen got to her feet, and stared Martin in the eye.
"Do not oppose me, Senator Martin! I have very powerful friends, and you will find it a great mistake to oppose me! Now kindly leave!"
Punching the desk, Martin knew he was fighting a losing battle. He soon left the office.
As soon as he was gone, General Hague spoke. "Madam President, we may have a new problem. We've recieved unconfirmed reports from the outskirts of the quadrant."
High above the planet Altor flew the great dragon Granamyr, last of his brood. He glided ever lower, bearing the wizard Magus upon his shoulders. ignoring the heat as he entered the atmosphere, for after all, what is heat to a dragon?
Magus quided his steed to an isolated spot in Demeter City. Then, as Magus turned the great beast flew away.
Magus looked down at his clothes. Hardly appropraite, he thought, for a traveller. For the first time since the late twentieth century he appeared in an old, worn suit of clothes. His beard turned from snow white to a grimy grey, & he grew to six feet in height.
Who could have thought that this filthy space vagrant was the elegant Phineas Magus?
It seemed to those around him that the space tramp was merely wandering aimlessly, but Magus' footfalls had a purpose. Soon he stood before the Federation Consulate. Even a being as omniscient as Magus was surprised by what he saw.
Before the Consulate stood a crowd of humans, Tarns and Creons. Some bore hastily made placards. All were angry.
"What gives?", he asked a surly looking Tarn.
"Where have you been, huddy, the Time of Legends? Spock won the vote but Servalan's declared it void! The bitch has assumed full dictatorial powers!"
At that moment, sirens filled the air. Police cruisers arrived on the scene, & the officers attempted to disperse the gathering, somewhat half heartedly, sensed Magus.
All was quiet aboard the U.S.S. Valkyrie, now in the hands of one Doctor Anton Mordrid. With the help of the ship's computer, he was speeding towards the Time of Legends, and a meeting with his old friend, Phineas Magus. However, the ship's computer did not prepare him for what was about to happen.
"Alert. Sensors detecting ships moving towards us on an intercept course."
Mordrid leapt from the command chair and ran towards the tactical station. He began to check the sensors. He could not believe his eyes, The sensors showed one thousand ships of various design heading straight toward the Valkyrie.
Then, pressing another button, he got an image on the screen. Instantly, he recognised every design of ship he could see, although he could not see all of them, the screen was not big enough for that.
Mordrid soon realised that he had to do something, otherwise the Valkyrie would be destroyed by this armada, and all his efforts would have been for nothing. Closing his eyes, he began to concentrate. Slowly, the Valkyrie began to change. Soon, she was cloaked.
The naked eye could no longer see the ship. Using his magical powers, Mordrid continued to concentrate, until the massive alien armada had passed him by.
However, just as the Valkyrie was de-cloaking, the sensors picked up another vessel. a Federation vessel. the U.S.S. Eden, giving chase to this alien fleet. Mordrid began to think. Should he join the Eden, and assist them?
No, he thought. Although this was obviously an urgent matter, he was not an experienced Starfleet Captain. He had to get to the Time of Legends, and soon.
The Operations Room of the Pegasus station was going crazy. Through an ear piece, Lieutenant Plato tried to listen through the garbled communcations channels, trying to get some confirmation of the reports he had just heard.
"Are you sure you heard it correctly?", asked Pendragon.
"I'm not sure.", Plato replied. "The reports are unconfirmed. These ships appear to have come from the Delta Quadrant, through the Denara Belt, and into the Alpha Quadrant."
"But what sort of ship?", asked Duncan MacCleod.
"The reports are mixed.", Plato replied. "Some say it is Sontarran fleet, some say otherwise. Whatever it is, it appears to be some sort of invasion force."
"Then if it is, the the Federation, and the Free Federation are in trouble.", said Pendragon.
He then turned to MacCleod.
"Admiral, I'd like you to take command of the station, while I take the Scotsman to have a look at this fleet."
"Surely my experience would help you, Captain.", replied MacCleod. "And wouldn't it be better to use the Defiant?"
"The Defiant may have a cloaking device, but she can't cover the distances the Scotsman can. And as for your first request, Admiral, I believe your experience would be better used here."
"I understand, Captain."
Pendragon then activated his communicator.
"Pendragon to the crew of the Flying Scotsman. Prepare to depart in five minutes"
Pendragon then left the Opeartions Room, leaving on a mission he knew could be dangerous.
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