Trixie walked back to her seat taking her place beside Octavia. The grey earth pony was still shaken from the encounter with Twilight. Never had she been so cruelly spoken to by anyone. She was not sad but infuriated so that she shook in her seat. She then felt a hoof touch hers. She saw Trixie's hoof lay across hers making her feel much better instantly as she gazed at the mares warm smile.
"It's fine, Octy." Trixie said comfortingly. 'We'll get to the bottom of this."
Octavia smiled pulling up the hoof and gave one gentle kiss before releasing it.
Trixie quickly averted her gave and put on a hard expression. "Helm, set heading back to Earth. And keep an eye out for our earth friends."
"Aye ma'am. Heading 221 mark 015. Captain," he turned back to face her. "Engineering reports H-Drive operational."
"Excellent! Set course for Earth." the unicorn ordered.
The helm changeling clicked happily complying with the order. After his ritual of running his hooves over his console the ship's engines glowed as they adjusted themselves to prepare for jump. A dark rift once again appeared before the Hydra and it slowly slipped through as the vortex vanished once the ship was through, leaving no trace they were there.
Not more than a few seconds later, another ship bearing the mark NX-01 appeared from a bright flash stopping just over where the Hydra once was. The ship circled around the area several time orbiting the spot where the pony ship use to be.
*Enterprise Bridge*
Archer was getting antsy. He was told the ship would be here but there was no sign of it or the other ship. He stood at his chair at the center of the bridge waiting for T'pol to give him her analysis of her scans. Finding nothing here, t'pol suggested they do a deep scan of the area moments later she had the results which were staggering.
"Captain." the Vulcan turned at her station from behind his right side. "I have the results of the scan."
"What did you find?" Archer asked walking in front of her station resting g his hands on the panel.
"Not long ago there was a slip space rupture of some sort. I'll need more time to do a more detailed analysis." she concluded.
Archer released a deep sigh shaking his head dramatically. "Let me know what you find. In the mean time find that ship."
"Aye, sir."
Archer checked around the bridge seeing if anything was out of place. After their encounters with the Suluban, a race of shapeshifters with uncanny invisibility capabilities, he always made a habit to search around where he was. As the saying goes, old habits die hard.
He exited the bridge heading for the turbolift and headed down to E deck to pay a visit with his guests. The trip was less than thirty seconds and he was on deck E. As soon as he exited he was greeted by a massive gathering of bodies outside the mess hall. The ponies and several of the human staff were gathered around the entryway and the hall. A sound from an accordion rang in hes ears perking his curiosity.
Archer squeezed through to find that several unicorns were in the mess performing some sort of show for them. Seven were dancing around in a circle around a eighth pony who was playing the accordion. The crew clapped in sync with the ponies who were happy as could be. Archer himself found himself grinning at the silly looking scene.
He left heading back to the lift feeling relieved when the alarm sounded off. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks while their brains took a second to process the sound of the battle alert and ran to their stations.
"Captain Archer to the bridge." ht sound of T'pols voice called from the internal comm.
Archer quickly made his way to the bridge where T'pol was in his seat. Quickly abandoning the chair she walked to the turbolift when Archer exited. His senior staff was on the bridge manning their stations.
"What's the problem?" he asked the vulcan.
T'pol looked uneasy, afraid even. For a vulcan that was saying something. They were a race that was well known to show little to no emotions at all. Their race were masters of suppressing their emotions. T'pol was the exception. A few years prior she'd suffered neurological damage hat made it difficult for her to suppress her emotions, but seeing her like this made him feel uneasy.
"T'pol?" Archer stepped closer to her. "What's wrong?"
She sighed looking him dead in the eyes. "Earth in under siege."
Archer was shocked. He took a moment to let the news process in his mind. Earth, under attack? In the years he'd commanded this vessel he'd gotten use to the threat of Earth being attacked. It was once before and it was devastating, now it was under attack yet again? It was unsettling.
"By whom?"
"We don't know. But they're extremely hostile." she walked over to her station and pulled up a grid. "They've destroyed six outpost and captured Jupiter Station. The fleet has them on hold at Sector 001."
"How many ships?"
"Three sir." T'pol then sat down at her station. "We've been ordered to return to help defend Earth."
The human turned quickly returning to his chair at the center of the bridge. He spared a glance at the helmsmen from behind. "Mr. Mayweather, set a course for Earth. Maximum warp."
"Aye sir. Setting course for home, warp five point five."
Enterprise's engines hummed to life as the ship turned heading back towards the core of the system. In a flash of light the ship was gone heading back to Earth.
As they approached, Archer had to wonder, how was a vessel let alone three able to get past all their ships and defense posts? The aliens were either really cunning or their ships were very powerful. In either case Enterprise was going to defend her home as she had done in the past. They would repel the invaders as they have done so in the past.
And they would not fail.
*Hydra Bridge*
Lyra was hard at work monitoring the Haymaker's communication line. But it was proving to be difficult. The signal was heavily encrypted and it took her a while to get through again. What she deciphered from the message was disturbing.
There was talk about the entire fleet being present to take over Earth as a forward operating base for some sort of militaristic expansion. As she listened the Hydra was on its way to meet up with the fleet when they stopped halfway. Lyra looked up to see Trixie talking to 3rd of 5. The changeling nodded several times as she whispered into his ear.
Once finished he left his station and Trixie took over while he went to talk to Sunset Shimmer.
Lyra watched from her station pretending to be busy while she watched the crew scurry about. She could tell Octavia and Trixie were tense. Something about Twilight was bothering them. Perhaps it was her demeanor or the cruel smile she gave them. Personally she didn't like that mare, but according to what she heard Twilight seemed different. She wasn't sure, having never met the mare before, and could only assume she was much nicer than their first encounter.
Setting her attention back on her work, Lyra continued monitoring the channels of the 'Haymaker' until Trixie brought the Hydra out of the event horizon. Trixie brought up the view screen and saw two fleets engaged in heavy combat. Trixie called 3rd of 5 back to the seat and took the command chair once again.
The battle alert alarm sounded blaring over everything as the crew readied for battle. Lyra then received a fleet wide order for the Souzun and the Lunas Revenge to attack with the Haymaker, intending to tear through the earth fleet. The three Equine ships got into a reverse triad formation, leaving then in a forty-five degree angle from one another.
Like a sword they tore through the earth vessels by focus firing on one vessel destroying it with relative ease. The other seven vessels scattered breaking formation, but one accidentally ran into the side of the right most Equine vessel, the Souzun, making both ships take heavy damage. Now all the earth vessels were focused on the Souzun making the Lunas Revenge flank them.
The battle was getting intense as both sides showed the other no mercy. The Equine vessels were plowing through a small fleet of seven earth vessels. Some of the smaller triangular vessels with two wing lie nacelles at the rear of them with their bridges located at the front of the ship were trying to out maneuver the Luans Revenge and succeeded.
Four other much larger and faster ships circled around the three Equine vessels, including the Haymaker which lead the charge. They were shaped like battleaxes from what Lyra could tell. They had long hulls with a half circular saucer section with two nacelles suspended above it by two large structures at the rear of the ship. While the smaller vessels circled around the larger ones these ships flanked them and focus fired on the lead ship, the Haymaker.
The battle wasn't going well for the Equine ships, who made a hasty retreat from the battle heading towards the systems star. Lyra received a transmission from the Haymaker, marked urgent. Opening the message she took her headset and put it back on over her ears calling out to Trixie, "Captain. Urgent message from the Haymaker."
Trixie shook her head grasping it like it was the most delicate thing in the galaxy.
"Put it on."
Lyra complied. The view screen came on and there was a very angry looking Twilight Sparkle there to greet them. Her bridge was in shambles, ponies were running around screaming as their alarm sounded from behind, and Twilight herself was in poor shape as well. Her left eye was cut with a monstrous gash that bled badly. Her uniform was torn and bloodied and her mane was an disheveled mess.
She growled looking at Trixie who had a calm demeanor, which seemed to only enrage her more.
"Where were you?! We were forced to retreat because of you!" the Admiral screamed gripping her mane with her hooves. She then stomped the unseen floor making a loud clank. "You did this on purpose the high horsed glory hound!"
Although the crew was in shock by the unicorns outburst, Trixie seemed unfazed. She leaned back in her seat and rested her arms behind her head with a smug grin.
"Well, if you trained you crew to be half as good as you then maybe this wouldn't have happened, Admiral." she said emphasizing the ponies rank on a mocking tone.
Admiral Twilight growled. She inhaled and with volume matching the Royal Canterlot voice she called out, "Flash Sentry!"
From behind her an orange pegasus in and armored uniform ran up behind her, bowing. "Yes, Admiral!"
"Contact the main fleet. We will-"
"Admiral! earth ship inbound!"
"What another?!" the purple mare growled rubbing her mane in a furious motion.
She then looked up at Trixie with a smile. "Oh, Captain Trixie."
"Yes, Admiral?" the unicorn responded sarcastically.
"Could you be a dear, and destroy that earth vessel?" Twilight asked in a sweet tone making Trixie, and most everyone o n the bridge, gag.
"Of course Admiral." Trixie said nodding to 3rd of 5 who turned the ship around to head towards the earth vessel. "Oh, and Admiral."
Twilight glanced at Trixie. "Watch your back, I think I see a dagger there."
Just before the view screen went blank, Twilight yelped jumping like a cat and looking behind her and shot Flash Sentry in the chest with a blast from her horn. The violet beam struck him dead center of his chest sending him flying to the back of the bridge just as the screen went blank.
Octavia frowned at Trixie who was chuckling to herself. The grey mare looked over at Lyra. The mint green unicorn was too busy watching Trixie she didn't notice her staring at her.
"Miss LYRA!"Lyra nearly jumped out her seat, as Octavia's sharp call to her snapped her out of the stare.
"Ye-yes Commander?!" she replied saluting from her seat.
Trixie thought it was adorable the way she saluted from her awkward sitting position on her seat. While most sat on the seats with their bodies and legs on the seat, Lyra had a habit of sitting with her legs hanging down off the seat. In cases like this she'd have to use her magic to hold herself on the seat because her uniform would make her slip out of it otherwise.
Octavia however was to amused. "Scan the communication frequencies and find out what's going on with the rest of the fleet."
"Aye, Commander!" Lyra replied and continued scanning.
Meanwhile Trixie was deep in thought. She wondered if the earth vessel that helped them was here or out there somewhere. They needed allies and she and her crew had no notice from home about an invasion. Then again, it could all be a misunderstanding. The vessels from the station back in their home system were destroyed in a black hole leaving no evidence behind. The invasion could have easily been a retaliatory strike.
They cold have tracked the Hydra to this system and thought they were being attack by the humans. But that didn't explain what was wrong with Twilight. She was unusually vicious. It wasn't like her.
"Captain, the earth vessel Enterprise has just appeared on sensors!"
Trixie and Octavia looked over at Claw. He was facing down at his console scanning the Enterprise which read it was on full battle alert status, hull armor charged and weapons loaded and ready for use. "They're weapons are charged ma'am. Should I arm our weapons?"
Trixie pondered this question leaning on her chin with her left arm. Octavia wasn't sure what she would have done had she been in Trixie's position. After everything that happened in the last day, she had a greater respect for her Captain knowing the heavy weight of her decisions had on the crew and the ship. It was so much responsibility.
Now, it was up to Trixie to decide whether to make enemies with the Earthlings or to side with them against their own kind. She wasn't sure if she could even make such a decision. War would lead to so much death, yet that is what the Admiral clearly wanted. Something was amiss, the thre grey earth pony knew it.
It seemed Trixie did too. She leaned upright adjusting her shirt to straighten out a wrinkle around her waist. Octavia recognized this tick she had when she made a deep decision. Whatever Trixie was about to say, there was no changing her mind.
"Claw, do not charge weapons." she waited for him to respond before turning her attention to Lyra. "Comm. officer, contact the Earth vessel."
"Aye ma'am."
A few seconds of scanning and Lyra found the signal to the Earth vessel in question. To her surprise it was Enterprise. IN a happy tone she threw her headset off and waved to Trixie and Octavia. "Commander! I found them! It's the Enterprise!"