FicWad

The Road Home

Chapter Four

Moya

Silence and disbelief reigned in Moya's command as on the main front screen they observed the badly wounded Peacekeeper Command Carrier flee back into the wormhole. As one no one could believe what they had just witnessed, a single small warship defeating the might of a full Command Carrier, sending the Peacekeepers running.

"Zhaan," Pilot said from his clamshell finally breaking the silence. "The Atlantis is changing course to intercept us. One of the other three warships seems to be moving towards those few Prowlers that were disabled not destroyed."

"Understood Pilot," Zhaan replied.

"I must also report that Moya now has enough energy to starburst," Pilot added.

"We should leave immediately," Rygel said.

"Do you think John's people would let us Rygel," Zhaan asked. "Going by how they defeated the Peacekeepers they could destroy us before we could starburst. Plus they have shown no sign of aggression towards us."

"Zhaan we are receiving a message from the /Atlantis/," Pilot spoke before either Chiana or Rygel could reply. "Captain Jackson is requesting that we accompany them to Earth orbit. What shall we do?"

Zhaan looked over at Chiana who nodded to indicate that they should comply with the Terrans wishes. The Nebari girl looked unusually and uncharacteristically contemplative. But then she had just seen a single small Terran ship scarcely bigger than Moya give the Peacekeepers a pounding, showing that they possessed power equal to her peoples and possibly even greater. It was understandable that she would be unusually quiet after seeing that. Zhaan then looked at Rygel and the ex-emperor sighed and reluctantly nodded.

"Signal our agreement Pilot," Zhaan said at last.

"Doing so now," Pilot replied.

***

Sickbay

THS Atlantis

John had almost drifted back off to sleep now that the ship had stopped shaking when he heard someone coming up into the sickbay. Forcing himself to open his eyes again he turned his head to see what was happening. To see a high-tech version of a stretcher being moved into the room, but it was who was sprawled unconscious on the stretcher that really got his attention.

"Aeryn," he said awkwardly sitting up. "What happened to her?"

"John lay back down you can't get up yet," Kirsten said firmly looking at John from where she was going to attend to the new arrival. "Do you know her?"

"Yes we are...um...involved," John replied reluctantly complying with Kirsten's order to lie back down. "Why?"

"Because she and another person were taken prisoner from a small vessel that came through the wormhole a short time after you did," Kirsten replied. "They didn't acknowledge any hails and when we fired a warning shot they attacked us directly. They are lucky that we did not destroy them."

"D'Argo," John sighed knowingly guessing that the small ship was Lolaan and that if a fit of his fiery Luxan temper D'Argo had directly attacked the Atlantis when they'd fired a warning shot at him. As D'Argo had confessed to him before it was a curse of his people's warrior heritage. "I can explain what happened if the pilot is who I think it is. But that's beside the point at the moment. What's wrong with Aeryn?"

"She was thrown against the wall during the battle," Kirsten explained. "I believe she has a concussion. Don't worry John I'll look after her and I won't have to use nanites to deal with something as simple as a concussion. Is there anything I need to know about her medical history?"

"First off appearances aside Aeryn isn't human," John replied slightly reassured by Kirsten's words but still deeply worried about the Sebacean woman he loved with all his heart. "She's a Sebacean they're a cold blooded species literally."

Kirsten blinked surprised to learn that Aeryn wasn't human like them. She looked so human; unlike other aliens they had encountered that looked completely different to them. The fact that these Sebaceans were cold blooded was also interesting.

"Interesting," Kirsten said after a moment's silence. "A completely alien race looking so like us is amazing and highly improbable to occur."

"That's what I thought the first time I saw Aeryn," John replied. "She was the first Sebacean I ever encountered though it was not a very cordial first meeting." He said the last part with a touch of irony remembering how Aeryn had started beating him up, throwing him around the cell they'd been thrown in together on Moya, having mistaken him for another Peacekeeper who was out of uniform. Before he could speak again however a wave of exhaustion pulled at him again.

"Go back to sleep John," Kirsten instructed seeing John fighting to resist a yawn. "The nanites in your system will complete their integration soon then you'll be able to get up. I promise that I will look after her."

Reluctantly John nodded and lay flat again. He doubted he would be able to sleep knowing that Aeryn was injured. Still he felt so tired, he couldn't remember a time when he had felt this tired, this weak. Though somehow he knew that the opposite would be true when the nanites finished merging with his body, whenever that was. Slowly his eyes drifted closed and within seconds he was once more fast asleep.

Kirsten watched John fall back to sleep, she considered introducing a sedative to his system to make sure he stayed asleep until the nanites finished integrating with his systems. But after a moment decided against it, the nanites would finish there integration soon and any sedative she administered would be sure to keep him out for at least twelve hours. Quietly she turned away and went to tend to the strangely human like alien woman that John had identified as being named Aeryn.

***

THS Trident

Earth Orbit

Vice Admiral Arlene Greysmith jumped slightly when the communications unit in the right forearm of her uniform bleeped for attention. Curious wondering why she was being bothered in her quarters here in orbit over Terra herself she immediately answered the hail.

"Yes," she asked.

"Admiral we are receiving a hail from Hegemony Command," Captain Yamato reported. "It's the Grand Admiral ma'am."

Arlene's eyes widened slightly; Grand Admiral Harold Ironside was the highest ranking military officer in the Hegemony Guard next to the President no one had more authority in the Hegemony Guard. Why in the world was he calling her?

"Put him through," she ordered.

"Aye, ma'am." Arlene looked up as a holographic screen shimmered into existence over her desk showing the face and torso of Grand Admiral Ironside, unusually for most Terrans his face showed lines of age and there were a few streaks of grey in his immaculately brushed brown hair. Both were signs of the great age of the Grand Admiral, nanites only slowed down the ageing process after maturity was reached after all, they only slowed it down. From the signs of age Arlene had to guess that the Grand Admiral was over two hundred years old.

"Grand Admiral this is an unexpected honour," Arlene said. "What can I do for you?"

"Admiral Greysmith I am in need of the services of your squadron," Grand Admiral Ironside responded. "You are aware of the battle that took place near Saturn between the patrol cruiser Atlantis and an unidentified alien warship."

"Yes sir I am," Arlene replied. "We observed it on our scanners. The alien ship disappeared into the wormhole that it originally came through. As I understand the other alien vessel, the one the Atlantis saved is on its way here as we speak."

"Yes Admiral that is correct. However I am concerned that more alien warships like the one engaged and driven off by the Atlantis maybe coming. Three battlecruisers are now stationed on our side of the wormhole."

"What do you wish my squadron to do Grand Admiral," Arlene asked though she already had an idea. At her command she had the firepower of one Hydra-class battleship, four Legend-class battlecruisers and eight Defiance-class destroyers. A squadron the size of hers would easily have the power to secure the other side of the wormhole from anymore-unwelcome visitors.

"I want you to take your squadron to the other side of the wormhole and secure it," Ironside confirmed. "Prevent anymore alien warships from coming through until parliament and the rest of command decide to do about the wormhole. As I am sure you are aware class one wormholes can stay stable for years at a time."

"I understand Grand Admiral," Arlene replied. "We will set course at once. What do you want our rules of engagement to be?"

"The standard for potential first contact situations," Ironside replied. "So far three alien vessels of vastly different designs have come through the wormhole I don't want any unnecessary deaths that could affect potential diplomatic relations. Do you understand?"

"I understand sir," Arlene answered.

"Good. Do not hesitate to contact me if anything should happen."

"Yes, sir." Ironside smiled softly then broke the signal from his end. The holographic screen vanished with him and for a moment Arlene considered her mission. She understood why command was ordering a full squadron of warships to go through, the politicians were nervous about the presence of the wormhole, especially given the fact that the most recent ship to come through proved to be a heavily armed alien warship. Though the Home Fleet was always nearby to protect Terra the politicians would be screaming murder about what happened and would want the other side of the wormhole secured. After a moment she touched her commander.

"Admiral Greysmith to bridge. Message to all ships, calculate a hyperlight jump to the co-ordinates of the wormhole and prepare to go through."

"Aye, ma'am," Captain Yamato responded.

***

Peacekeeper Command Carrier

Other Side Of The Wormhole

Lieutenant Makol sighed in relief as the badly damaged Command Carrier he now commanded finally finished vibrating. The passage through the wormhole had been rough to say the least; the damaged stabilisers having to work extremely hard to keep the ship on an even keel as it travelled through the wormhole.

"We're clear of the wormhole sir," navigation reported.

"Understood. Set a course for the closest Peacekeeper base and get me Peacekeeper Command on a priority channel," Makol ordered.

"Yes, sir," came the response from the respective station. Makol inwardly sighed and wondered how he was going to explain what exactly had happened in the alien star system to Peacekeeper Command, how this carrier came to be beaten to within an inch of destruction by an alien warships that was scarcely bigger than a male Leviathan. Hopefully command will understand that this is all the fault of that idiot Captain Larsh, Makol thought.

***

Moya

Zhaan kept her eyes on the screen at the front of Moya's command as they approached Earth. They had already passed two planets, one of whom being one of the biggest and most beautiful gas giants that she had ever seen. She had never thought she would see John's home world though he had described it to her many times.

Now as they approached the planet accompanied by the Atlantis Zhaan found that the blue, green and white planet was every bit as beautiful as John had said. Earth looked like a beautiful jewel drifting in a sea of stars. Hundreds of thousands of starships of all descriptions filled space around them now, coming and going from the planet below or from one of the absolutely massive space stations that they could see orbiting the planet.

"Zhaan," Pilot said appearing in his clamshell on the wall.

"Yes Pilot," Zhaan asked turning to look at the clamshell on the wall.

"We have received a transmission from the planet," Pilot replied. "We have been instructed to proceed to a docking bay in one of the orbital stations. They have supplied us with a course." Zhaan looked over at Chiana and Rygel.

"We've come this far," Chiana pointed out. "Plus as you said earlier Zhaan I don't think we have much choice but to do what John's people ask of us. They haven't given us any reason to distrust them."

"Or any reason to trust them," Rygel pointed out. "Though I will admit the fact that we haven't been blown to subatomic particles is a point in their favour. As is the fact that the Atlantis protected us from that command carrier, we should dock." Given their observed technology and firepower advantages maybe I can convince John's people to help me get my throne back, Rygel thought, in exchange for a base in my empire to launch their almost inevitable war with the Peacekeepers.

"We are agreed Pilot," Zhaan said. "Transmit a message back to the planet advising them that we will comply with their request."

"Yes Zhaan," Pilot replied and vanished from his clamshell. Zhaan turned back to look at the front screen and the view of the planet that they were fast approaching. Many more details of the planet were visible now; she could easily see the continents and make out seas of lights on the night side of the planet that indicated the presence of massive cities.

What was more impressive though was the space stations orbiting the planet, all of them were massive structures. Each dwarfing anything she had ever seen in all the cycles of her life, the stations made even the biggest ships she'd seen like Peacekeeper command carriers and Scarren dreadnoughts seem tiny. Thousands of starships and millions of small commuter and cargo craft as well as what were obviously fighters buzzed amongst them and the planet, as they passed into the atmosphere Zhaan noticed brief flares of bluish light indicating that they were passing through a force field. A force field that encompasses an entire planet, Zhaan thought amazed she had never heard of someone who had the technology to do that. It was just another indication of just how powerful Humans actually were. Terrans, Zhaan corrected herself, it's going to take some getting used to calling John that.

Keeping her eyes firmly on the main screen Zhaan silently prayed to the goddess that she was doing the right thing in taking Moya into dock with one of the massive space stations. Though the truth was right or wrong Moya had no way to defy the Terrans wishes as it was well within their power to destroy Moya if they were to try using starburst to leave the system. Zhaan quietly sighed knowing she could do nothing but wait and see what happened next with the Terrans.