“The Hakone is reporting in sir, the armada has reached its destination.”

“Put it on screen.” Gendo Ikari ordered, adjusting his glasses with his white gloved hand.

The viewscreen at the front of the command centre sprung to life, showing the view from a probe accompanying the aforementioned armada. The screen was then divided into six, each one showing the perspective of a different probe. It all served to show the immense size of this imposing armada. It was an unholy union of ships from across the Alpha, Beta and Gamma quadrants. Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Jem’Hadar, Cardassian and Bajoran… so many had contributed crews to this fight.

“All these ships… all for nothing.” Fuyutsuki muttered into Gendo’s ear, “So many lives wasted, in a pointless show of strength.”

“They are necessary sacrifices.” Gendo answered him coldly, “Their leaders need proof that only we can handle this.”

“I know but still… there must be a better way.”

Gendo said nothing further, opting instead to fold his hands neatly in front of his face. He didn’t disagree with Fuyutsuki that this was a waste of life but for now he had to let things unfold. He had to place this battle in the hands of the those around him. Unlike Fuyutsuki, he could step back and see the logic behind it, without this demonstration the various leaders of these groups would be unwilling to give NERV free reign to tackle this.

“Another communication from the Hakone, they’re picking up a new vessel entering the system.”

“Get it on screen.” Ordered a Federation admiral stood off to the side.

On the view screen this new vessel now appeared. Around the command centre a number of gasps could be heard as the strange vessel made itself known. Gendo remained expressionless, content to let events unfold.

“So, this is it… the first ship of theirs seen in countless years.” Fuyutsuki murmured.

With the vessel now entirely in view everyone in the commend centre could see how visibly imposing it was. It was roughly one and a half times the size of a Romulan Warbirds. By far, it was the largest vessel in the system. The main hull of the ship was rounded, the rear of it curving inwards. At the top of the ship was a large, blood red, half sphere, held in place by greying fragments that gave the ship a skeletal look.

At the front of the ship was a circular skull like figure, it’s two disc-like eyes holding within them a jet-black nothingness. The jaw of the skull formed into a long beak. Around the ship were little cuts into the hull, within these slits was a pulsing orange glow giving the illusion that the ship was breathing.

This didn’t look like a ship that had been designed, it looked like something that had been born from a nightmare.

“One ship against thirty… it stands no chance!” Proclaimed a Klingon General called G’bakh stood off to the side.

“Let’s not get overconfident, remember Wolf 359.” Answered a Federation admiral.

The comparison was an apt one, back then the Borg had only sent one cube to face an entire fleet of Starfleet ships. In this situation there was one ship, against a variety of ships. Five Starfleet, five Klingon, five Jem’Hadar, two Romulan Warbirds and an assortment of ships contributed by other races.

“Open hailing frequencies.” The Admiral ordered, “There might still be room for diplomacy.”

“Channel open sir.”

“This is Starfleet Admiral Jackson of the United Federation of Planets. Unknown vessel, please know that we have no hostile intentions towards you or your people. If possible, we would like to resolve this situation peacefully.”

Jackson paused waiting in hope for any sort of response from this strange vessel. Gendo and Fuyutsuki both looked on, each knowing how fruitless the Admirals attempt at dialogue would be. This was not an enemy that could be reasoned with, it knew only one thing.

“Diplomacy is a waste of time.” G’bakh exclaimed, “We already know their intentions.”

Silence fell upon the command centre as no one dared make the next move. On the view screen the probes shown the massive fleet opposite the singular vessel. It was completely motionless, lifeless save for the glowing orange pulse. Finally, Jackson nodded, “Normally… firing on a vessel that had not attacked us first would go against everything I stand for but… I have my orders. We gave them a chance, we attack.”

“Comms, open a channel to my ships.” Barked G’bakh, “Klingon vessels, we attack now. Show them that the empire does not back down to idle threats! Q’Plah!”

Almost immediately the Klingon ships could be seen to move forward, but no sooner had they sprung to life then so too did the mysterious vessel! It didn’t move, but the orange pulsing brightened and there was a sudden flash of white light, followed by three phaser-like bursts from the ship’s hull.

Two of the Klingon ships were instantly vaporized by the fire, their ships exploding with a unique cross shaped explosion. The third vessel narrowing managing to dodge taking the full brunt of the attack but still being left severely damaged.

No further orders were needed from the command centre as the rest of the armada now sprung to life. For Starfleet, the Hakone, a Sovereign class ship, took the lead spreading forth a hail of quantum torpedoes towards the ship and managing to dodge a phaser burst by the narrowest of margins. Behind it the four other Starfleet ships followed in formation, each one firing a dazzling array of torpedoes and phasers whilst also manoeuvring away from the attacks from the enemy vessel.

The two Romulan Warbirds cloaked themselves and from behind them came the five Jem’Hadar ships. Their tactic seemed to be very much the same as the Starfleet ships, attack in waves, unleashing a torrent of weaponry in a desperate attempt to destroy the enemy. The Jem’Hadar ships were in turn backed up by the remaining Klingon vessels, whilst the Starfleet ships had been joined by the Bajoran and Cardassian ships.

Behind the vessel the two Warbirds now uncloaked, and started their own wave of attacks before cloaking again to avoid the phaser blasts from the ship. This continued for a short while, the three different groups attacking in waves, the Romulans cloaking and decloaking and each one trying their best to not get hit.

It seemed that after the initial shock of the two Birds of Prey being destroyed the mood in the armada had a grasp of the situation. The mood inside the command centre certainly seemed to indicate as much. There was a growing sense of optimism, after all how much could one ship possibly handle?”

“It looks like we have this under control Ikari.” Declared Jackson with a rather smug tone, “Perhaps we won’t be needing your help after all.”

As he said those words the fleet continued in their relentless assault, phaser blast after phaser blast, torpedo following torpedo, mines being hurled at the enemy and every other little trick this collective of ships had. Yet, frustratingly, for all the attacks it didn’t seem to be harming the vessel at all.”

“This shielding… it is frustratingly persistent.” The Vorta spoke, echoing everyone else’s thoughts.

“It’s an A.T. Field…” Fuyutsuki answered, “Impenetrable by conventional weapons.”

“Nothing is impenetrable! Even the Borg have a weakness, we will find theirs too!” Jackson shot back.

Unfortunately, as soon as those words left his lips, he started to regret them. The two Warbirds had cloaked again to position themselves in a better location. The enemy vessel, which had been lying dormant for some time, suddenly sprang to life beginning to emit a white glow around it. There was no time for anyone to give orders to the armada to fall back!

At that moment a bright spherical shockwave burst forth from the ship, a number of ships were caught up in the wave and each one, no matter the shield strength, size or speed were instantly destroyed in a similar fashion to the Klingon ships at the start of the battle. The space around the ship was littered with white cross shaped explosions.

A terrifying silence gripped the command centre as they surveyed what was left. Three quarters of a Romulan Warbird remained on screen, a Jem’Hadar warship, half a Klingon Bird of Prey and a Galor Class vessel remained. There were no orders given, as each one of them, in a final act of desperation began moving towards the enemy. The probes recording the battle retreating further and further away as each of the remaining ships collided with the vessel culminating in one last cross shaped explosion.

The probe was knocked offline as silence continued to reign in the command centre. No one dared to speak, all eyes glued to the viewscreen in a mix of fear and astonishment. This one singular ship had managed to wipe out the entire armada. Thousands of lives lost in a matter of minutes, this was destruction on a scale so rarely seen.

“That… has to have done it? Surely, it can’t have survived that!” The Vorta declared, breaking the silence and their shaking voice betraying what they had said, “Get that probe back online, I want visuals!”

“B-Bringing the probe back online.” Answered a scared technician.

A few moments later the probe was back online, confirming everyone’s fears. The enemy vessel still stood, completely unharmed amidst all the scattered debris of the armada. All ships had been completely obliterated by this terrifying entity which had taken almost no damage at all, the only sign that it had been in a fight was a few chips and cracks in the mask at the front and some other damage to the skeletal structure.

“What… is the status of the vessel?” Jackson asked.

“Holding for now; initial analysis shows an eight point three seven two reduction in its hull.”

“We… barely put a dent in it…” he answered, “Do we know what it’s doing now?”

“I’m not sure… Long range scans are faint but it… I think it might be regenerating! Our probe is showing very minute activity in and around the hull.” The officer answered.

“In which case we might have bought ourselves some extra time.” Fuyutsuki spoke, “Do we have an updated estimate on when it will arrive?”

“Based on initial projections on how long it’ll take to get back to 100% and the speeds we have recorded previously then… it should get here in seven days.”

Fuyutsuki nodded, there was nothing else he had to ask or say regarding the situation. All he could do now was mourn the senseless loss of life. Across from him, he could hear the chattering of the four representatives, it was not difficult to figure out what they were talking about. It was just as Gendo had predicted.

“Ikari.” Jackson finally spoke, “We’re handing over control of this operation to yourself and NERV.”

“I admit, I fail to see where you will succeed where we have failed but it is far better than throwing more of our… already limited resources at the problem. Do what you must Ikari, but know this… we will be watching you.” The Romulan representative narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

Gendo simply rose from his seat and adjusted his glasses, “I understand, I am now taking command of this operation. Rest assured that you each have nothing to worry about, defeating these Angels, is exactly what NERV was created for.”

888

USS Tokyo

It had been two weeks since the Tokyo’s journey had begun and it had been an uneventful journey thus far. They had been careful to stick to their route, moving from Dominion checkpoint to Dominion checkpoint and avoiding contact with anyone or anything.

If Misato was being honest it felt like a massive missed opportunity, here they were in uncharted territory for the Federation. There were so many worlds and systems, so much natural phenomena to learn about and yet they could do nothing but pass it by. Once they had arrived at their destination, they would come back the same way and bypass it all once again.

As for the reason they were there, she had not seen or heard anything of the young Shinji Ikari since their dinner together on the night of his arrival. It was a fact that concerned her, and whilst she knew Shinji was an adult and more than capable of making his own decisions, it didn’t seem right that he had just kept to his quarters for the duration of the journey.

In her time with Starfleet, she had dealt with a number of missions to transport people. Diplomats or refugees, religious and political leaders and each one came with their own unique quirks and stories to tell. Sometimes one would make it clear that they were to be left in their quarters for the duration of the journey and that was fine. Those instances felt different to now, Shinji wasn’t keeping to his quarters to meditate, perform religious rituals or prepare for diplomatic relations.

Discussions with him had told her a story of a man that was just existing at this point. He didn’t seem to have any real direction for his life, no ambitions or goals, nothing to be passionate about. He had little to no faith in his abilities, a sad confirmation of the reports Misato had read which had in fact praised Shinji’s abilities and potential but spoke of his attitude. It was hard to find out whether he liked where he worked or if he just did it.

‘You are an interesting one Shinji Ikari…’

Misato took a sip of her coffee, the cup barely touching her lips before the incoming comms alert went off. She set the cup down with a sigh, “Go ahead.”

“Captain we’ve reached the final Dominion checkpoint, you might want to come and take a look at this.”

“On my way.”

Coffee would have to wait it seemed as she got up and stepped out of her ready room and onto the bridge. She was about to make a sarcastic remark about being pulled away from her coffee but a quick glance at the viewscreen stopped her dead in her tracks. This was no ordinary checkpoint, made quite clear by the armada of Jem’Hadar ships in view. It was the stuff of nightmares.

“Yellow alert.” Misato ordered before taking up a position in the centre of the bridge.

“Aye captain.” Replies Aoba.

“Captain incoming communication from one of the Jem’Hadar vessels”

“Put it on screen Bresha.” Misato stated.

Misato didn’t move and kept her eyes fixed on the viewscreen as a Vorta known as Weyoun appeared. Unlike the other ‘Weyouns’ she had encountered, this one didn’t have the usual cheery demeanour, just a solemn expression.

“Captain Katsuragi, we have been expecting you.”

“So, it would seem.” Misato nodded back, “Quite the fleet you have there, is there a problem?”

“Local incident.” He answered with a smile, “Nothing for you Starfleet types to concern yourself with. We’ll proceed with the scans as agreed and let you through. I would however advise that you carry out whatever business you have at NERV as soon as possible and return to Federation space. It is for your own safety. I hope you understand.”

‘Was that a threat? Why threaten us at the very end?’

“Don’t worry, we have no intention of overstaying our welcome in the Gamma Quadrant. Plenty of uncharted space in the Alpha or Beta quadrants left, hell, might even take a little trip into the Delta Quadrant, depends on how the Borg are feeling.” She shot back with a smirk.

“Very good.” Weyoun replied, “Please do try to understand, what I say is not a threat but more of a warning. When you pass this checkpoint, you will no longer be in Dominion territory, and as such, we can no longer offer our protection.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind, Katsuragi out.”

The viewscreen faded back to show the ships and the Jem’Hadar began their scans. Misato felt a strange sense of tension as she took her seat. She was not going to rest easy until she was well past this checkpoint. It had been easy when it was just a Vorta ship and two Jem’Hadar escorts but now she was staring out at an armada of one of the Federations deadliest enemies.

She turned to Maya, who also looked quite tense.

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“Got under your skin as well?” Maya asked.

Misato gave a nod, “You could say that. What do you think this is? Some impressive display of power? ‘Be careful Federation, we have you by the balls.’”

“Maybe.” Maya answered, “Or maybe something has them nervous. Why would the Dominion need to mobilize and entire fleet for a ‘local incident’, we know how much damage a single Jem’Hadar fighter can do, but this many? It’s overkill…”

“Nervous? Why would the Dominion be nervous? This is their territory.”

“I don’t know… but if there is something here that has them on edge then I suggest we do what Weyoun said, and be done as soon as possible.”

888

Shinji felt sick as he exited the turbolift and crossed through the short corridor into the transporter room. He had only been summoned here a few minutes ago after learning that they had reached their destination. Three weeks and two days had passed since he had boarded the USS Tokyo, and now he was here, at the colony his father had gone to fourteen years ago.

Standing in the centre of the room was Misato, greeting him with a warm and friendly smile. She was flanked by three officers Shinji didn’t recognize. Awkwardness set in as he approached Misato. He felt like he had been nothing but a burden since boarding the ship, he knew that they travelled far outside of Federation and expected space just for him. Not only that but he felt dreadful and ungrateful for remaining in his quarters for the duration of the journey.

Now that his mind had set off, it was starting to pick apart other aspects of himself. He was aware that the clothes he was wearing now were remarkably similar to the ones he had been wearing when he boarded. He owned little more than basic plain shirts and trousers, functional clothing to make sure he didn’t stand out. People had pointed it out to him before, told him he should take more pride in himself. Said that he was a good-looking guy, and should have more confidence, but it was easy for them to say. They weren’t him.

“Are you ready Shinji?” Misato’s words snapped him from his spiralling.

Shinji nodded, although inside he was screaming that he wasn’t ready. How could he have been? What could have adequately prepared him for this moment? In just a few minutes he would be transported down to that planet had head seen from his quarters. Once there, he would be in front of his father again. It was a meeting that was fourteen years in the making. He had no idea what to say. He had questions, things he wanted to know, emotions to get out but he knew exactly what would happen. He’d freeze up, and accept whatever was said to him.

He walked past Misato and took up a spot on the transporter pad. The three officers took up positions around him and Misato stood on the pad in front of him. This was it, the last time he would see this ship. It was only now that he started to regret not taking advantage of Misato’s offer. It was too late though, just like it always was. Him realizing that he wanted something after the fact.

“Five to beam down.” He heard Misato speak, “Energize.”

Shinji had no further thoughts as he started to see a shimmer of light in front of him, this was followed by a strange warm sensation that quickly spread throughout his body. It continued as the room around him vanished. The realization of what was happening starting to set in. It was a strange feeling, to be aware that your body was being deconstructed down to the smallest atom only to be reconstructed in some new place.

Logically, he knew it was safe, millions upon millions of transporters were used each and every day without incident and yet, some fear was starting to creep in. Before any further sort of panic could set in, a brand-new room was materializing in front of him.

He clenched his hand into a fist a couple of times, a nervous tick he had developed over the years which now also served to tell him that he had been reconstructed properly. He let out a little sigh of relief at the knowledge that his hand was not now attached to his head before looking around this new transporter room.

It was certainly a contrast to the one on the Tokyo. The warmth of the Federation Starship had given way to metallic greys and functionality. Colourful LCARs displays had been replaced by drab monotony. Perhaps most striking of all though, was the logo of NERV hanging behind the facilities transporter chief.

It was a striking design Shinji noted. A fig leaf that had been cut in half and rotated. The letters of NERV positioned to its left and circling around it was the phrase, “God’s in his heaven, All’s right with the world.”

“Captain Katsuragi, welcome to NERV.” An older man with greying hair stepped forward. He was wearing what Shinji assumed to be the uniform for this facility, “My name is Kozo Fuyutsuki. Sub-Commander of NERV, it is my honour and privilege to welcome you both here. I assume that this is Shinji.”

Shinji stepped off of the platform in something of a mild daze, he felt Fuyutsuki’s eyes on him and this was followed by a fleeting sense of recognition as he looked back at him and heard him speak. He felt as if he had heard that name or seen that face once before, a long time ago.

“Yes… I am… Is… my father really here?”

Fuyutsuki nodded, “Yes, he is. I imagine you’re quite eager to meet him.”

“Y-Yes…” Shinji answered. He didn’t quite believe his own words. Eager would definitely not be the word he’d choose. Scared perhaps? Anxious? Fearful? Who even was his father? Shinji could barely remember the man’s face. The only memory he had of the man was of him walking away and leaving him at his aunt and uncles.

“Very well, if you’d all like to follow me.” Fuyutsuki replied.

Shinji followed behind Misato, the rest of the escort following behind him. He stepped out of the transporter room into a lengthy corridor which was just as metallic and cold as the transporter room. More and more that regret of not taking more interest in the USS Tokyo’s facilities was setting in.

As they continued through the corridor Shinji started to ask himself more questions. He had been wondering why his father would summon him like this but then what was going to happen afterwards? Would he leave NERV after this? Did his father want him to remain here? Was this goodbye to Earth and the life he had known?

There was something about leaving his old life behind that frightened him. He had grown so used to it, to the routines he had. Getting up every morning, going to work at the restaurant and then coming home to practice the cello. That was his life, it wasn’t much but he was… comfortable.

“Captain Katsuragi, please let it be known that both myself and commander Ikari appreciate you and your crew bringing Shinji here at such short notice. Our apologies for any inconveniences you may have faced along the way. If you and your crew would like to take advantage of what the colony has to offer, then please do feel free.

“Whilst I appreciate the offer, we don’t intend to stay for very long.” Misato replied, “After all, it is a long way back to Federation space, and we have a lot of Dominion checkpoints to clear.”

“I understand.”

Silence fell upon the group as they continued through the narrow, maze-like corridors of NERV. Eventually, they reached another door, a sign to the right indicating it was some sort of conference room. Fuyutsuki held up a security card to a panel and doors slid open, revealing a large, brightly lit room with a long circular table within.

“Captain, I am afraid your security team will have to wait outside.”

Shinji saw Misato frown immediately, “What about Shinji, is he to wait outside?”

“Shinji is fine, I am… after all the one who summoned him here.” Spoke a voice that sent a shiver down Shinji’s spine. That was a voice he had not heard in fourteen years.

Shinji stepped forward, looking into the room and seeing the man whose voice it belonged to stood at the opposite end. Finally, Shinji had a face to go with the image of the man that left him behind all those years ago. He looked to be an intimidating figure, tall, greying brown hair, and neatly trimmed facial hair. His eyes hidden behind tinted glasses, white gloves on his hands and his uniform similar to that of Fuyutsuki’s.

“Father…”

“Hello Shinji… It’s been a while.”

The voice was cold, devoid of any emotion and sent a shiver down Shinji’s spine. Immediately, Shinji knew that this was not to be the happy reunion he might have imagined. There was a brief urge within Shinji, to run across the room, grab the man and pin him up against the wall. Demand answers from him and ask if that was really all he had to say to him. To ask why he hadn’t been in contact in fourteen years. To ask him why he had abandoned him and why his first words weren’t ‘I’m sorry’.

Instead, all Shinji could do was lower his eyes, freeze up and let himself be guided into the room and sat down between Misato and a Klingon. When fully seated he took the opportunity to look around the room. It was empty save for a Federation Admiral and a blonde woman stood across from his father. Shinji could see she was wearing a black Starfleet uniform underneath her white lab coat. The badge was clearly Starfleet but differed to Misato’s.

“Akagi…” He turned to see Misato looking at the blonde in surprise, “What the hell is she doing here?”

Shinji kept his voice low, “Do… you know her?”

Misato nodded, “You could say that, we were close friends back at the academy but I haven’t seen her in years. We both graduated together and went our separate ways. She’s one of the brightest minds in the Federation. Last I heard she was at Starbase 515, performing research into advance nano-medicine. I did try to get her on board the Tokyo but… clearly it wasn’t to be.”

“Oh…”

Shinji was about to ask another question but before he could open his mouth his father spoke, “Now that our guests have arrived, we can begin. Dr Akagi, would you please let Captain Katsuragi and Shinji know the current situation.”

“Of course.” Ritsuko stepped forward and the lights in the room started to dim, in the centre of the table a holographic display sprung to life showing a ship of some sort. Shinji had to do his best to not gasp at the sight of it. It was unlike any starship he had ever seen before. It was nightmarish, as if its sole purpose in being created was to strike fear in people.

“Approximately one year ago, NERV intercepted a transmission from a system several thousand light years beyond this one, deeper within the Gamma quadrant. It was in a language completely unfamiliar to us at first so it took some time to translate, but it was a threat. A warning to NERV and anyone else, that our time… as it were was up.”

Shinji was wondering if the others in the room would be able to hear his heart thumping rapidly in his chest. He felt nauseous as he looked around the room. Surely his father hadn’t brought him here just to hear this? This didn’t concern him.

“We were able to discern that it was from a ship, and we naturally took the warning seriously. As per the agreement put in place with the Dominion, we brought it to the attention of the Vorta who passed it onto the Founders. They in turn alerted the Federation, then both the Klingon and Romulan councils.” Ritsuko continued to explain, “The information is of course highly classified, but most superpowers in the Alpha and Beta quadrants have been made aware.”

Misato raised her hand, “Were further attempts made to communicate with this mysterious ship?”

Ritsuko nodded, “Some, but each time we got back the same message. Variations on a theme, ‘prepare for destruction’, ‘prepare for annihilation’, ‘we will take back what is ours’, and so on. Each communication did provide us with some benefits though, we could see that this vessel was in deed getting closer to the system and could estimate when it would arrive.”

“So, some sort of defence could be prepared?” Misato nodded, “Makes sense.”

“Indeed.” Ritsuko added, “Given the amount of time we had to prepare, we dispatched long range probes to try to give us some idea of what we’re dealing with. As expected, they were all destroyed on making contact with the vessel, and as such were unable to transmit any visual data back to us but they were able to confirm a few things. We were able to ascertain it was just the one ship, we could get an idea of its dimensions and one was even able to get a reading of its shield strength.”

“What about the Dominion, did they have any information?”

“As expected with the Dominion they were not immediately forthcoming with information.” Ritsuko answered, “They were able to confirm that the area of space the vessel was coming from was one they leave alone but they did not tell us why.”

“Of course, even when it’s a threat to them, they’re not going to share information lightly.”

“We were able to get some intel from… alternative sources.” Ritsuko added, “There are stories, legends within the Dominion of expeditions that took place countless millennia ago, and an enemy that even the Founders fear. It would seem the systems beyond this one, are systems that the Dominion dare not set foot in.”

Shinji was frozen with fear at the conversation going on next to him. There was a growing feeling that he should not be here. His father had said nothing this whole time, neither had the Klingon or the Admiral.

Misato nodded, “So… Why are you telling us this? Why is Shinji here? If this situation is as dire as you thought, why bring your only son?”

Shinji felt a chill go down his spine as he turned towards his father who remained still. It was Akagi who answered Misato, “I’ll get to that shortly, first I’d like to bring you fully up to date with where we are. With the threat confirmed and us not really knowing what to expect, it was agreed to put together a… welcoming party of sorts. An armada made up of Klingon, Romulan, Jem’Hadar, Starfleet and various other allied ships would travel out to meet with the vessel. It would be a mixture of a show of strength but also a way to say we mean no harm.”

“Where is this fleet now?” Misato asked. Shinji felt his stomach drop, he felt like he already knew the answer to the question.

“Destroyed.” Ritsuko confirmed, “Every ship, completely gone.”

“And the enemy vessel?”

“Minimal damage it would seem, they bought us a bit of time but… that is about it.”

Shinji felt his nails digging into the palms of his hand as he clenched his hands tightly into a fist. The room felt completely silent. What he had just heard was unfathomable, all those ships and lives lost. It was horrendous and yet the one question on his mind, perhaps selfishly, was why was he here to be told that?

“I think I understand now… the fleet of Jem’Hadar at the last checkpoint. This was the incident they were referring to, wasn’t it?” Misato questioned.

“Hah, of course it was. That Vorta that was here couldn’t wait to flee after the battle.” The Klingon scoffed, “Honourless fool.”

“That aside.” Ritsuko steered the conversation back, “That is where the Tokyo comes in, and in particular Shinji.”

Shinji looked at Misato who had a surprised look on her face, “What exactly are you expecting from us? Didn’t you say this thing took down an entire armada? The Tokyo is powerful but….”

“We are not expecting the Tokyo to engage it in battle Captain Katsuragi.” The Admiral spoke, “That would be waste of resources, the Tokyo’s role will be stand by in case we need to evacuate the colony.”

“Something that will not be necessary.” Shinji’s father suddenly spoke stepping forward and tapping a button on the table, altering the holographic display. A different ship now appeared on screen, it seemed to be much more in line with a Federation Starship. The main hull of the ship reminded him of a Prometheus class vessel, but the nacelles at the back seemed to be raised above the ship in a manner not dissimilar to the Akira class ship.

Some other information was displayed on the holo-map, sizing, weapon positions and engineering. Strangely there was both a bridge and a room known as the ‘pilot’s chamber’, this in turn appeared to be connected to a device known as LCL filtration and beyond that an ‘LCL Pool.’

“This is the experimental Evangelion class starship.” Ritsuko started to explain, “Operated by a single pilot and backed up by a small skeleton crew of five if needed.”

“Evangelion class?” Misato spoke the words, “You believe this ship can succeed… where all those others failed?”

“It’s a ridiculous thought.” The admiral chipped in, “The damn thing is barely bigger than a Defiant class vessel, and there is only one of them. Starfleet have however made it very clear; they expect us to provide support for this ship.”

“The Evangelion class was made specifically to combat this threat, Captain Katsuragi.” Gendo remarked, “NERV has existed over the last year specifically to combat this ship.”

“How?” Misato asked, “You admitted yourselves, you know nothing of the enemy.”

“They claim… to have information from their long-range probes as well as other sources.” The admiral scoffed, “Of course… your friend Akagi here has not been forthcoming with said sources but it seems my superiors at on board with the idea.”

Misato was starting to like this less and less as she shot a glance at Ritsuko.

“There is no further use in debating this.” Gendo spoke up, “We do not have the time, the enemy vessel will reach the system within the hour. The purpose of this meeting was to inform and prepare the pilot for the mission at hand. Shinji, you will follow Sub Commander Fuyutsuki and Dr Akagi to the preparation area where you will be instructed on the basics of piloting the craft.”

“Hold on a moment!” Misato suddenly stood up as Shinji felt his eyes widen at this fathers’ words, “What do you mean Shinji will be instructed on piloting the craft? You don’t mean to say…”

“I do, Shinji, you will pilot the ship.” Gendo replied coldly.

“M… Me pilot it?” Shinji stammered out an answer as he too rose to his feet. He felt the eyes of everyone on the room fixed firmly on him, “Is this… Is this why you called me here? Is this the reason? W-Why… Why was it?”

“Because I have a use for you…”

“B… But I can’t… I’ve never seen this before! I’ve never even been in space until I boarded the Tokyo! How can you expect me to pilot something I know nothing about! It’s impossible I… I’ll die!”

“All you have to do is sit in the pilots chamber Shinji… nothing more.” Ritsuko moved to reassure him but Shinji found himself ignoring her words.

“After fourteen years… FOURTEEN YEARS! I thought that… maybe… maybe you wanted me here…”

“Shinji…” He felt Misato’s hand come to rest on his shoulder, “He’s right… how can he possibly pilot is. He’s had no training or flight experience. What makes him better than any of the members of my crew?”

“If you’re not going to do it, then leave. I have no use for a coward.” Gendo ignored Misato’s question, instead focusing his gaze on Shinji.

“I… I can’t…” Shinji stuttered, only able to look at the table in front of him. He could feel tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. This was humiliating, to be put on display like this in front of these people.

“In which case…” Gendo tapped his combadge, “Command Ikari to medical, the pilot has proven himself incapable. Prepare Rei for launch…”

“Sir… are you sure? Rei is…”

“That was an order, bring Rei to the briefing room immediately.”

Shinji turned to look at Misato, “I… I’m sorry… I can’t… I don’t know…”

“I know.” Misato nodded, smiling weakly at him before fixing her eyes on the Admiral, “Admiral, let it be known that I will be lodging an official complaint with command over this. I do not think this is how we should be treating civilians.”

The admiral gave a solemn nod, “I know captain, believe me… I did not know of this either.”

Shinji felt himself be guided away from the table by Misato, he could sense the woman’s fury at this whole thing. Before they could reach the door, it suddenly opened and in stepped two nurses wheeling a gurney. Lying on top of it was a young woman, appearing around the same age as Shinji. As Shinji glanced at her face, he got another feeling of familiarity but that soon faded on seeing her condition.

Was this Rei? The other pilot his father had mentioned. From just a quick glance, Shinji could see that she was in no condition to fight. She was lying on the stretcher, clearly in pain and still hooked up to an IV drip. One of her arms was wrapped in a tight bandage, there was another bandage across one of her eyes. Her facial features were quite striking, she had incredibly pale skin, her eyes were a bright red with her hair a dull shade of blue. Around her bandaged eye, Shinji could see elements of a Borg implant.

“Rei, you are going to pilot Evangelion 01, do you understand?” Gendo phrased it like a question but there was no mistaking that it was a command.

Rei slowly started to sit up, hissing with pain as she did. When she did finally answer there was no trace of any emotion, just a blank, “Yes.”

“Ikari, this woman is in no condition to pilot!” The admiral protested.

“We have no other option.” Gendo answered, “Our only other pilot has proven himself to be a coward.”

“It is you who is the coward!” Shinji was startled by the sudden exclamation of the Klingon generation, “First you offer up a member of your family to fight something he is unprepared for, and now you offer up this injured woman. It is you who is the coward and without any honour!”

“There is no one else.” Ritsuko moved quickly to try to placate the Klingon before he could lash out, “If Shinji doesn’t agree to pilot it, then it has to be Rei. The ship won’t accept anyone else.”

Shinji had little to no time to consider Ritsuko’s remark as suddenly the complex was rocked by a loud explosion. Everything around him shook violently as the occupants of the room struggled to keep their balance. He looked ahead only to see the gurney start to tip over. Without thinking he dived forward, his arms stretched out in a desperate attempt to get to Rei before her already injured body collided with the hard floor.

He ignored the pain shooting through him as he managed to get there just in time and the girl fell, ungracefully into his arms. There was more pain as he took her full weight onto himself. He let out a small yelp of pain as the room stopped shaking and he found himself cradling her in his arms. Her body twitched and spasmed as she screamed out in agony. He felt a wetness on his hand, pulling it away he saw it was stained red with blood.

‘I… She… She can’t do this… She can’t do this but I… How can I do this? I don’t know how I can but I can’t let her… I have no choice I… I mustn’t run away! I mustn’t run away! I mustn’t run away!’

“I’ll do it.” Shinji snarled holding Rei closer to him.

“Shinji?” He heard Misato speak.

“I’ll pilot the ship.” Shinji confirmed, his voice trembling, “I don’t know how but… I’ll do it.”

He felt the eyes of everyone on him again as he sat there holding Rei. This lasted for a moment until he felt a firm hand land on his shoulder. He looked up terrified to see himself looking into the eyes of the general. With no words the Klingon leaned down, scooped up Rei as if she were nothing and placed her back on the stretcher. A moment later he hauled Shinji up to his feet.

He fixed Shinji with a keen stare, “You would fight, yet you know not how?”

Shinji nodded, “I… I will try. I have to, I can’t let her do it.”

“You have the heart of a warrior young Shinji Ikari. With your captain’s permission I would like to prepare you for battle. May you fight well and if you should die, may you die a death worthy of your bravery. Sto’Vo’Kor holds a special place for you!”