Note - because I know Rima intended to send a fleet through to the old galaxy, I'll assume her forces arrived in Deneba and are there to proceed through the portal. She can decide the exact nature of her fleet (and whether she wishes to accompany it personally or not), up to about 25 ships (the most we can fit through in the limited time the gateway is open.
"Two minutes to subspace convergence," Thunder's science officer reported.
"Open a channel to the fleet."
"Yes, Prime Minister. Channel open."
"It's been six years since we arrived here," Thunder said, "in this very system. Since then we have labored hard to create a new society here for ourselves, and to finish the science necessary to reopen the gate. Today is the culmination of these six years - the day when we will finally be able to return to the Milky Way - a visit home. But we'll have to do it just right - get your ships into tight formation and be prepared to accelerate into the gateway as soon as it's stable. If we're all going to make it through in the two and a half minutes the gate stays open, we'll have to time it just right."
"One more thing -" Thunder added as an afterthought, "By the time we reach the other side, the gate will be closed. We'll have to wait for another subspace convergance on the other side before we can return through. This could take anywhere from a few hours to a few months, though most likely will be a week to three weeks after we arrive before we will be able to return to the new galaxy. ETA 30 seconds - everyone standby."
A few tense moments of silence ensued, both over comm lines and on most of the ships themselves, as members of six different races waited tensely to see the opening of a door to another galaxy. Finally, Thunder's science officer turned to face him. "Convergence forming, coordinates identical to those predicted. You can start the Spacial Flux Enhancer any time." Thunder complied, switching on the device. The space in front of the fleet began to waver, creating the appearance of a heat haze over a hot road. After a few seconds, Thunder flipped a second lever. A brilliant white beam of pure energy blasted forward from the nose of the Storm, impacting the hazy space head on. Light radiated outward, growing ever brighter, until a flash filled the system and a shimmering blue gateway was left in it's wake. Immediately, Thunder accelerated the storm forward, leading the fleet toward the portal.
"The gateway is stable," Thunder radioed to the fleet, "Everybody in!"
All the ships present moved forward in precise unison, in an amazing display of formation flying. With no more than five seconds to spare, the last Horoth ships crossed the threshold, and the gateway began to destabilize. From the bridge of the Storm, Thunder looked back as the planets of the Deneba system began to fade away into the distance. He was leaving the galaxy that had been his home for six years, and leaving almost all his people behind there.
In the Deneba system, awestruck azdara pilots looked on as the blue gateway radiated sparks of energy into the surrounding space, ending it's breif re-appearance in a flash, shrinking to a pinpoint of light before fading out all together. The gateway was closed once again, but a small fleet of ships was on their way to another galaxy.
-----
The Federation forces in Akrayhek were ordered to clear the rift zone and stay well back as some unusual energy readings were detected eminating from the rift. At that very same time, Thunder was straining to see Kayia out the front viewport of the Storm. Already the Proxima Nebula was in clear view, and it wouldn't be long now before they'd arrive. The journey had taken nearly five days, but they were almost there - just a few more minutes now. Having little success in his efforts, he sat back down in the captains chair, reflecting on all the events that had brought him to abandon his home on Kayia, and then to leave his new home to return to his old one, an incredible journey home spanning tens of thousands of light years.
"Look!" Akyna said, "I think I see the Kayan sun!"
"You're right," Thunder said, "I think that is our star."
"Then that bluish pinpoint over there is -"
"... Kayia," Thunder finished his sentence. As they looked on, that pinpoint grew to a marble, and then a baseball, to a basketball, and finally began to fill an entire corner of the viewscreen.
"Fifteen seconds to realspace," the navigator reported. Aboard all the fleet's ships, the refugees looked on impatiently, all immensly eager to see their home once again. Ahead of them a barrier seemed to cross through the uniform blue of the corridor - it was the gate on the other side.
The Federation vessels slowly drifted backward, wanting to leave room for whatever might be about to happen. "I'm reading energy spikes coming from the rift zone," one of the vessels reported. With little warning, the space of the rift zone ignited with a blue glow, and emitted a powerful flash, leaving in it's wake a shimmering blue portal. All the forces looked on as over a hundred ships, some familiar, some not, in shades of white, green, purple, and blue came pouring out.
"This is Prime Minister Thunder of the Kayan Alliance," Thunder said, opening a comm channel to the Federation fleet. "On behalf of the Kayans, the Renegade Alliance, the New Free Worlds of Zidagar, the Raiders of Azdgari, the Miranu, and our new friends the Horoth, it's great to be home."
------------------
Ad Astra Per Aspera - "A rough road leads to the stars"