The Eriarti scoutship entered atmospheric flight mode somewhere above Utah, where an end-of-the-world cult took it as the sign their leader promised for them to rise up and take their appointed places in the New Order...
200 miles west, two Aurora fighters were streaking in toward the Eriarti ship's position. The fighters, patterned after another Eriarti ship that crashlanded on Earth in the 1940's, had since been modified using technology from the USS Seth. This technology included crude phaser cannons. The cannons were as powerful as those on a Federation runabout but because of limitations in engineering and materials, were three times heavier. The Auroras were as a result much less maneuverable.
"Sir, we read two fighters launching from Area 51 on Earth to intercept the Eriarti," the ensign at Tactical reported. "Estimated intercept time is 10 minutes."
"You were at Area 51, Jon, what do you think?" Maruu asked.
"I didn't see the Auroras, but against the Eriarti their conventional fighters are doomed. Put the Wright Brothers up against a runabout and the outcome might be about the same. In our timeline Earth won't have anything that could even begin to meet the Eriarti on their own terms for another hundred years. "
"What do our guests know about Earth's defenses?"
"Not a lot. Mainly what's in the public domain, which only puts them slightly ahead of us."
"Sir, the comm traffic indicates that North Korean tanks have been spotted moving into the demarcation zone against South Korea. And multiple short-ranged missiles are being launched in Iraq against Israel," the ensign at Operations reported.
"This is getting out of control. We started this mess; we'll end it," Maruu said.
"Sir?" Lataro was stunned by this sudden pronouncement.
"The Prime Directive. If we hadn't come here, the Eriarti wouldn't have followed us. And if they hadn't followed us, this wouldn't be happening. The Prime Directive is as much about cleaning up our mistakes as it is about nonintervention."
"Understood," Lataro said, not entirely sure of the Captain's reasoning. "What do you propose?"
"We eliminate the Eriarti from the equation, first of all. I need you here for what comes next. Who's next on the flight rotation?"
"Johnny, sir."
"Inform Colonel Chee that he is to report to the shuttle bay immediately."
Johnny was, in fact, in the shuttlebay with Steve inspecting the runabout Colorado when the call came in. "Steve, wait for me at the Days' End Lounge; it looks like I've got work."
"The story unfolds with or without us," Steve said, nodding in understanding.
"When I get back I'll take this one for a testflight; it's needed some work since Flor, as you know!" Johnny said with a wink as he stepped into the cockpit of the Dawn.
As Johnny went through the preflight checks he watched to make sure Steve left the shuttle bay. He knew his creator too well; there was a chance that the rebel in civil servant's clothing would either try to sneak aboard the Dawn or fly another runabout himself. "Chee to bridge--Dawn is ready for launch!"
[Acknowledged. Shuttle bay doors opening now!]
The Auroras made visual contact with the Eriarti scoutship and almost immediately opened fire with a barrage of AMRAAMs. The air-to-air missiles glanced off the Eriarti ship's external armor without any effect, several eventually impacting with the Utah desert floor thousands of feet below.
One of the Aurora fighters peeled off and climbed to 200,000 feet, while the other one came about and brought its phaser cannon to bear on the Eriarti. A bright red beam shot out from the fighter and scored a direct hit on the scoutship. The scoutship rocked and wobbled but resumed normal flight as it fired its omniphasic plasma cannon at the Aurora. The Aurora vanished.
The second Aurora fighter noted this and reported to Area 51 before making its run. It fired its phaser cannon but missed the Eriarti completely. The passive sensors on the fighter reported that the Eriarti had locked onto him. The pilot attempted to line up for another shot--the only shot he had left--
When something ripped past him at a velocity he'd never seen before!
"American fighter, this is the Federation craft Dawn. We are on your side. Repeat--we are on your side! Return to your base and tell your superiors to await our instructions!" Johnny ordered. The remaining Aurora fighter, seeing that he was out of his league, was more than willing to bug out.
"Now, for you, you son of a bitch! I thought we told you not to mess with us anymore!" Johnny said as he locked in his phasers on the Eriarti.
"Brother Ezekiel! They're fighting in the heavens, just as you said!" one of the cult members said upon seeing the battle far above. "And Jerusalem is in flames!" CNN was on in the background, announcing the results of Iraq's SCUD attack on Israel. The Israelis were launching fighters in retaliation. Rumors of a missile launch against Baghdad were rampant.
"Excellent. It's just as I had foreseen!" Brother Ezekiel exclaimed. "War amongst the angels, fire from heaven... start the Onslaught!" he ordered. "The Day of Judgment for this hedonistic society is at hands!"
Several cult members then signed on to the Internet, where they unleashed a number of very potent viruses on the world...
"Sir, the Auroras are down, and Area 51 reports an additional bogey!"
"Shit!" General Hastings exclaimed. "Get the President on the line."
The Eriarti jinked and weaved out of Johnny's line of fire as he pursued the alien craft over the American Southwest. His long-range sensors noted that a number of fighters were launching from Fallon Naval Air Station in Nevada, Mirarmar Marine Corps Air Station in California, and Kirkland Air Force Base in New Mexico. Comm traffic indicated that a B-52 bomber carrying a load of Tomahawk missiles was launching from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, a thousand miles away. A significant portion of the tactical air power of the United States would soon be in his general vicinity.
And all of them together wouldn't have a prayer against this single Eriarti ship.
For a brief moment as Johnny and the Dawn flew over his ancestral homeland, it was like the beginning time, when the Warrior Twins Monster Slayer and Child-of-the-Water fought the monsters in the time before the Earth Surface People. Just as the People could not have emerged from within the Earth before the monsters were slain in the old legends, so was the case here: if these monsters weren't slain, the people of this Earth would not achieve their dreams and destiny amongst the stars.
Finally, Johnny got a positive lock. He fired. The Eriarti ship was struck in its engine compartment and began to descend rapidly. Not willing to give the NSA another prototype, Johnny continued to fire until the Eriarti scoutship was completely obliterated.
"Lucifer has fallen! More confirmation of the prophecy! All hail Brother Ezekiel, the true Messiah!" one of the cult members announced as the Eriarti ship fell.
"ALL HAIL BROTHER EZEKIEL, THE TRUE MESSIAH--" the rest of the cult members began to chant. They got no farther, however, when the remains of the Eriarti ship crashed into their compound, and at the instant of their epiphany Brother Ezekiel and his followers found out for sure whether or not they were right...
That did not, however, stop the viruses, which were now attacking every major financial institution on the planet. Most were intercepted by firewalls or alert I/S officers. A few, however, got through. The New York Stock Exchange, already in chaos, was completely shut down just as the Dow Jones dropped 750 points in five minutes, bypassing the safeguards the viruses had just obliterated.
Johnny landed at Area 51 as he'd promised. I hope Captain Maruu has some sort of plan for all of this! he thought as he saw Humvees full of armed troops surrounding his shuttlecraft. Carefully he set his phaser on the seat next to him. "Computer, activate shields upon my exit from the craft. Deactivate only on my command code or another Virgo command code superseding it."
<Acknowledged.>
Johnny opened the hatch and stepped out, his hands above his head as a squad of 21st-century Marines took him into custody. What else can I say? he thought. "Take me to your leader...:"