An Unknown Adversary

by d2battleship

One hundred fourteen years after the advent of the Stargate Program, Col. Megan Carter finds herself battling an enemy from her grandmother's era.

Prologue

In 1997, two teams of humans from Earth traveled to another planet by means of a wormhole device called the Stargate. On this planet, one of the teams was captured by foot soldiers of an alien race and scheduled for execution. One of the enemy soldiers turned his back on his own people to help the three humans. This started a long war between the Goua'uld and the Tauri. During this war, the people of Earth continued to explore the galaxy and several different enemies arose. The Replicators were robotic bugs in basic shape, but could also combine into a large ship, or any shape they chose, and were a major challenge. The Ori, highly religious people bent on converting every human in the known universe to feed their fiery gods, nearly ended humanity. Finally, the Ori and the Replicators were both defeated, and the Tauri of Earth could focus on the Goua'uld once again.

Meanwhile, the scientists and archaeologists in charge of the international Stargate program continued to explore and advance, until they discovered the Lost City of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy. In the Pegasus Galaxy, the Atlantis Expedition was immediately immersed in a fight against species known as the Wraith and the Asurians. The Wraith were a species of humans infected with the Iratus bug, which caused them to feed on the living energy of other, non-infected humans. In the Pegasus Galaxy, life was either "kill the Wraith" or "be fed on by the Wraith." It was a difficult way of life. The Asurians were the first evolution of Replicators in the known universe. These Replicators were very similar in appearance to humans, and had been developed by the original inhabitants of Atlantis to help fight the Wraith. Unfortunately, they became another challenge to survival instead. In 2008, the Atlantis Expedition finally defeated the Asurians by blowing up their home planet. A year later, a Wraith Hive Ship got ahold of a Zero Point Module and the location of Earth. The ship grew in mass until it was very close to undefeatable. The Hive reached Earth, with the city-starship Atlantis in close pursuit. Fighter jets equipped with alien technology known as F-302s and the starship Atlantis were used to defeat the Super-Hive. Atlantis was forced to land on Earth following the defeat of the Wraith in the Milky Way.

After Atlantis came to Earth, people began to closely study the Ancient technology of the city-size starship. During that time, Stargate program built more ships for global defense. After about fifty years, humans were able to create the Mark 1 Zero Point Module, a massive, rechargeable energy source. Each ship was fitted with a ZPM to boost its efficiency and overall power. After another twenty years, the humans of Earth were finally able to build their own Atlantis-class city ship. They called it Pacifica. Pacifica was sent to the Pegasus Galaxy to assist the spaceships Daedalus and Apollo in the continued fight against the Wraith. After another decade, the Wraith were defeated, though not eradicated. They stopped trying to feed on humans of the Pegasus Galaxy and were expected to die out naturally. After the original attempt by the Ori to destroy Earth, the blue planet had a constant defense force of three starships stationed around it. Humans set up several off-world bases including their ZPM manufacturing plant. When a ship needed a new ZPM the manufacturers would send a team to an uninhabited planet to meet with the ship. There a trade-off would take place and the team from the outpost would take the dead ZPM for recharging.

One: Arrival

August 23, 2111: 2:15 PM

Prometheus II Bridge

"Colonel Carter." Says Major Zack Pendergast. "Yes, what is it Major?" Asks Colonel Megan Carter as she brushes a lock of short blonde hair out of her eyes. She had the look and air of command inherited from her grandmother, Samantha Carter, one of the Stargate program's first leaders. "Communication from Stargate Command. They have detected a strange energy signature out past Jupiter," replies the Major.

"What kind of energy signature?" They had been detecting energy signatures like this for months now. And Colonel Carter was tired of continually being asked to use her ship's long-range sensors to determine that there was absolutely nothing there. "Stargate Command says that it is similar to previous ones but is different enough to be concerned," says Pendergast. Of course it is, thinks Carter, but she follows protocol. "Do a full sensor sweep of the area. Maybe we will finally find something," she orders.

Stargate Command had been jumping the Prometheus II every time there was one of these odd signatures. It was understandable really. Built in 2106, the Prometheus II had the best sensor array in the fleet around Earth and two Zero-Point-Modules for power. After the near invasion by the Ori over 100 years earlier, Earth always had at least three ships in orbit to protect it. "Colonel, we have a contact," said Pendergast.

"What is it? Can you identify the design?" asked Carter.

Pendergast paused. "It appears to match a design from a mission report from the original Atlantis Expedition. The one where Colonel Shepard and his team encountered a second Daedalus from another reality."

Carter's eyes widened in shock. "Alert Stargate Command," she ordered bridge communications officer Lieutenant Joshua Peterson.

Finally, one of these energy signatures had something with it. Unfortunately, it might not be something Earth would want to get itself involved with. Colonel Carter pulled up Colonel John Shepard's mission report detailing the craft and scanned it top to bottom. According to Shepard's report, the alien ship fired on Atlantis with no provocation. When the Daedalus fired on it with its beam weapons, the alien ship launched fighters.

"Channel open Colonel," said Peterson.

"Stargate Command, this is Colonel Carter of Prometheus II do you read?"

"We read you Colonel. Anything out there?" General Harry Smith, commander of the SGC, responded. "Yes sir. We have an alien vessel fitting the description of a vessel from Colonel John Shepard's mission report from Atlantis 102 years ago. I am sending you the report," Carter replies.

"Interesting. Good work, Colonel. Hold your position and do not engage. I know how you are." Carter had inherited her grandfather's tendency to jump headfirst into situations. General Jack O'Neill had led the Stargate program's flagship exploration team from its formation in 1997 to his promotion into administrating the program. "Yes sir," replies Colonel Carter as she shuts down the channel. At least Stargate Command is aware of the situation, she thinks.

Location: Stargate Command

General Harry Smith got up from his chair and walked out to the control room for the Gate itself. "Any new developments, Sargent?"

"No sir. There have been no new anomalies since the ship arrived," replied Sargent Lionel Tierce. General Smith thought it was odd that once the ship arrived out past Jupiter, it hadn't moved, brought in other ships, or done anything else for that matter. Since the planetary defense became the responsibility of the SGC, his position had been filled by a series of men used to action. He was no different; having once been a 302 fighter pilot. "Keep me apprised of the situation Sargent, also dial the Alpha site and inform them of the situation." "Yes sir," said Tierce.

After several hours, the Sargent came through the com on General Smith's desk. "Sir, we have a situation that requires your presence." "I'll be right down Sargent." said the General. Finally, a development. Maybe we will find out who or what these beings are, thought the General as he left his office. "Sargent, report."

"Sir there's dozens of them. They all just appeared on long-range scanners," said the Sargent with a hint of panic in his voice.

"Dozens of what Sargent?" asked Smith, feeling the first stir of adrenaline in response to an emergency.

"Ships, sir. Just like the first. And they're moving. All the ships are moving towards Earth. The three ships we have aren't going to be enough," said the Sargent with more panic creeping into his voice.

"Alert the Prometheus II. Inform them of the issue. Get all the ships ready for combat," ordered Smith. "Yes sir!"

Location: Prometheus II Bridge

"Colonel, message coming in from Stargate Command," said communications officer Peterson. "What does it say?" asked Colonel Carter.

"Dozens more ships have joined the ship we scanned. They are all on their way here now. Command wants us to get all of the Earth defense ships ready for battle," says the Lieutenant.

Dozens of ships? The question is why they want to invade, thought the Colonel. "Charge all weapons, sound the battle alert throughout the ship. Inform the Artemis and the Olympic of the situation and order them to prepare for battle," orders Colonel Carter. "Yes ma'am." reply three voices from three stations as the battle alert begins howling.

"Alien armada ETA fifteen minutes Colonel." says Pendergast. "Inform Artemis and Olympic," orders Carter. "Olympic and Artemis have received transmission and are ready for combat Colonel." says Peterson.

Carter wonders if there is any reasoning with these unknown beings. She skims her eyes across the bridge and sits in her chair. As she looks out through the main viewport, she sees the Olympic and the Artemis taking defensive positions. She can distinguish the two from each other due to their distinct shapes. Olympic is very sleek in design and Artemis is more like Prometheus II, but with a sack-like shape towards the stern at the end of the neck. Prometheus II used the outer hull blueprints for the original Prometheus of the early 2000s, but was made larger. Each of her three F-302 hangar bays holds two dozen F-302 fighters, toward which the best pilots from every nation were currently racing.

Two: Death from Above

August 23, 2111: 8:20 PM

Prometheus II Bridge

"Colonel Carter, Alien ships are within coms and weapons range," says Major Pendergast.

"Thank you Major. Open up a communication channel. Let's see what they want," says Colonel Carter.

"Com channel open Colonel." says Peterson.

"Unidentified vessels, this is Colonel Megan Carter, commander of the Prometheus II. Please state your business here." The com stays silent for thirty seconds.

"Colonel! Alien ships are charging weapons," reports weapons commander Captain Zoë Gordon with urgency in her voice.

"Alert Stargate Command," says Carter.

Location: Stargate Command

"General, message coming in from Prometheus II," says Sargent Tierce.

"Read it out, Sargent," orders the General.

"Alien armada has arrived and are charging weapons," says Tierce.

"Give the order to power the planetary shields," says Smith.

"We have confirmation on the raising of the shields sir," says Sargent Graydon Lyte.

"Inform Prometheus II that the shield is up." The atmosphere in the room took on a heavy layer of tension. "Sargent Tierce, dial the Alpha site and inform them of the situation," orders Smith. "We may need to start evacuating."

Location: Prometheus II Bridge

"Colonel Carter, we have confirmation from the surface of the raising of the planetary shields," says Gordon.

"Good. Inform Artemis and Olympic. What is the status of the ZPM's?"

"Artemis and Olympic informed, Colonel. The ZPM's are fully charged and ready for combat," says the captain.

"Inform Dr. Freysure that we are about to go into battle and to prepare the infirmary for potential casualties," orders Carter.

"Yes ma'am," replies Pendergast.

"Colonel, the Aphrodite and the Athena just dropped out of hyperspace," says Gordon looking up from her console. A strand of pink hair falls into her eyes and she brushes it aside. Captain Gordon was known throughout the Stargate program as being the youngest female to ever achieve her rank, and a brilliant strategist.

"Thank you, Captain Gordon. Major Pendergast, please inform Aphrodite and Athena of the situation," orders Carter.

"Yes Ma'am. Aphrodite and Athena, this is Prometheus II, we have an invasion situation here. We request that you power your weapons and prepare for battle," says Peterson into the communications terminal.

"Captain Gordon, what is the status of the Alterian? Can she fight?" asks Colonel Carter.

"Unfortunately, Colonel the Alterian is still under construction and is not space-worthy," responds Gordon.

"Colonel, the alien ships are firing upon Earth and launching fighters," says Major Pendergast sharply.

"Open fire on the nearest alien ship. Instruct all others to do the same. Launch all fighters," orders Colonel Carter. "Yes ma'am" say Pendrgast and Gordon simultaneously. The doors on Prometheus II's three hangars open, unleashing the nine squadrons of F-302 fighters.

"Order Mayson into the weapons platform. Order him to fire drones at the nearest enemy ship," orders Carter.

"Mayson is already in the chair and ready to fire ma'am," says Captain Gordon.

"Tell him to open fire. Go to full sub-light. Get us in between a ship and Earth," orders Carter. "The planetary shields can't take bombardment from thirty-seven ships at once."

"Yes ma'am, full sub-light thrust," says Pendergast.

"Order the other ships to do the same. Maybe we can draw their fire," orders Carter. Peterson is already speaking into the comms channels, formality giving way to action in the speed of battle.

"Colonel, the Artemis has sustained critical damage. They can no longer fight or beam their crew off the ship," says Captain Gordon a few tense minutes later.

"Order the Aphrodite and Athena to beam as many as they can off the Artemis. We will take the rest," orders Carter. "Yes ma'am. Activating beaming antenna," says Gordon.

"Colonel, the Artemis is fully evacuated. Our fighters are holding off the enemy fighters for now," reports Pendergast.

"Thank you Major. How many ships remain?" asks Colonel Carter, taking a breath.

"Twenty-five ships Colonel," says Gordon.

"Good Lord. What is the status of Earths shields?" asks Carter.

"Planetary shields are at 57 percent Colonel," says Gordon, causing Carter's stomach to sink.

Location: Stargate Command

"General, the shields are at 57 percent. We also have a report of the Artemis having been destroyed," says Sargent Lyte.

"Is there anything on the crew?" asks General Smith.

"Negative General."

"Dial the Alpha site," says Smith. "And get me a base-wide com line."

With the planetary shield already down by fifty percent and twenty-five ships either fighting the four remaining Earth ships or bombarding the shield, it wasn't very likely that it would hold long enough for Prometheus II and the others to destroy all the ships. People were going to die. "Attention all base personnel, this is General Smith. I am giving the order to start evacuation of the base to the Alpha Site," says General Smith into the base intercom.

"Is there any way you can speed up the dialing sequence Sargent?" asks Smith.

"Negative sir. The gate is at maximum efficiency," reported Tierce.

An agonizing minute later, Smith heard Lancaster's voice from light-years away. "What's the status, General?" she inquired.

"Prometheus II, Olympic, Athena, and Aphrodite have engaged the alien forces and our shields are down by fifty percent," says Smith.

"What happened to the Artemis?" asks Lancaster.

"The Artemis has been destroyed. Are you prepared to take on refugees?" asks Smith.

"Yes sir, we can. How many ships are there?" asks Lancaster.

"There are currently twenty-four ships in orbit. We have destroyed thirteen." says Smith.

"Okay then yes you will probably want to start the evacuation now," says Colonel Lancaster.

"Copy that Colonel," says Smith. "Sargent, alert the people on the surface. Order them to take only what they can carry. Get them to the gate as soon as possible."

"Yes sir," says the Sargent.

"Also alert the Prometheus II that we have begun the evacuation," orders Smith. Tierce jumps into action.

Location: Prometheus II Bridge

"Colonel, message coming in from Stargate Command. It reads: we have begun the evacuation of Earth to the Alpha site. Hold them off as long as you can, then run."

"Thank you, Major," says Carter as an enemy plasma blast strikes the ship, shaking it violently.

"Shields at seventy-nine percent, Colonel," says Captain Gordon.

"Keep firing all weapons. What's the status of our F-302's?" asks Carter. "We have lost three squadrons so far," says Pendergast.

Gordon added: "Olympic has sustained heavy damage to its shields and weapons, Athena is beginning to vent atmosphere, and Aphrodite is close to total shield failure."

"And Earth?" asks Carter.

"Planetary shields at thirty-eight percent," says Gordon. "We have destroyed fourteen ships and over half their fighters. We won't be able to destroy all of them in time, Colonel."

That shield won't hold off this kind of bombardment for much longer. It will fail soon. Earth isn't going to have enough time to evacuate everyone. Colonel Carter thought to herself. "Bring us about. Full sub-light thrust towards the largest bulk of alien ships."

"Ma'am? You want to head for the ships?" checks Major Pendergast.

"Yes Major. Take us straight to them. We might be able to draw their fire from the shield and give Earth a little more time," explains Colonel Carter.

"Yes ma'am," says Pendergast. He sounds the ship-wide alarm. "Attention all decks, this is the bridge. We are about to attempt a Time Bomb maneuver. Brace for potential impact."

The ships sub-light thrusters kick in and the ship jolts noticeably. "Shields at forty-nine percent Colonel," says Pendergast.

"What about the planet?" asks Carter.

"Earths shields at thirty-six percent," says Pendergast.

"How many ships are we heading towards?" asks Carter.

"Seventeen. There are only four ships out of the cluster," says Captain Gordon.

Seventeen ships is a fair number of the remaining twenty-one. Hopefully the ships would cease fire on the planet and scatter to avoid collision with Prometheus II. The alien ships might start firing on Prometheus II to attempt to destroy it to prevent her from colliding with them. The only thing that we can hope for is that the alien ships would cease their fire on the Earth shield. That will give them time to recharge the shield a little bit, Carter thinks quietly.

"Colonel, we are approaching our maximum velocity," says Pendergast.

"ETA is fifteen seconds," says Gordon. As Prometheus II gets closer to the ships, more and more of them cease fire and begin to move out of the way. "Five seconds."

Suddenly the ships scatter and open fire on Prometheus II. "Shields at forty-five percent," says Gordon. Prometheus II opens fire on as many as she can with all her weapons.

"Hyperdrive is offline," says Pendergast. Fireballs erupt around the ship.

"The Athena has been destroyed Colonel," says Gordon.

"What is the status of the Planetary Shield?" asks Carter.

"The maneuver worked better than expected. The shield is at forty percent. And we have eliminated four more ships," says Gordon.

"Report from Stargate Command, Colonel. Shields are holding but drawing too much power to keep the Stargate open. Is it possible to send some people up there?" says Peterson.

"How many people are aboard and how many can our life support take?" asks Carter. "Two-hundred- and-thirteen people aboard Colonel. Our life support can take care of one-hundred-and-eighty-seven more." says Gordon with a hint of concern.

"Hyperdrive is back online, Colonel. Though not at maximum efficiency," says Pendergast.

"Thank you Major. Inform Stargate Command that we can take on one-hundred-and-eighty-seven passengers," instructs Carter.

"Colonel, I would like to request that Dr. Wallace Keller from astrophysics be among the 187," says Gordon.

"Of course, Captain." Gordon and Keller's relationship was an open secret among SGC members, and didn't go against regulations as they weren't in the same command unit. "Lieutenant, make sure SGC knows to include Dr. Wallace Keller with the 187." say Carter.

"Yes ma'am." says Peterson. The battle rages around them as the bridge crew await refugees from Stargate Command, the base where most of them had befun their military careers.

"Stargate Command reports that the people are ready to beam," says Peterson.

"Beam them aboard. What is the status of the Aphrodite and Olympic?" asks Carter.

"Aphrodite is venting atmosphere and Olympic is nearly disabled," reports Gordon.

"Order them to get out of here and go to the Alpha site," commands Carter.

"Aphrodite reports that their hyperdrive is offline and Olympic is refusing to leave us to fight these aliens alone," says Pendergast. Annoyed, Cater shrugs to herself. At least they'll go down fighting, she thinks.

"All passengers are aboard Colonel." says Pendergast.

"Planetary shields are at twelve percent Colonel!" reports Gordon with distinct fear.

"Get us in a position to protect the planet as best we can," orders Carter.

"Yes ma'am," says Pendergast. The ship pitches noticeably.

"What is wrong with the inertial dampeners?" asks Carter.

"Dampeners functioning at ninety percent due to the power consumption of the shields and weapons," says Pendergast. "The continual use of the shields and weapons at maximum is having a massive toll on the systems."

"We have reached our optimum location to protect Earth," say Gordon. "Planetary shields at nine percent."

"Order the other ships to leave. No delays this time," barks Carter.

"Olympic is disabled and Aphrodite can't start her reactors," says Pendergast.

"Alright, can either of them move at all?" ask Carter.

"Aphrodite can, but not far. Maybe to the other side of Earth," estimates Pendergast.

"Tell Aphrodite to take Olympic in tow and move to the other side of the planet." says Carter.

Three: Annihilation

August 23, 2111: 9:15 PM

Alterian Construction Site

"Receiving word from Stargate Command, Colonel," says Major Peter Bruce. "Message reads: Planetary shields at nine percent. Close the blast doors. Prometheus II is doing the best it can to protect Earth."

"Alert the facility that the blast doors are closing," says Colonel Edward Davis, jumping into action. The alarm blares out its shrill tone alerting the facility that the doors are in motion. "Inform Stargate Command that we are preparing for shield failure," says Davis.

"Yes sir," says Major Bruce as he begins typing in the message.

"Hopefully Prometheus II can stop the alien force before the shields fail," says Colonel Davis.

"Of course, it will stop them." says Major Bruce. "We built that ship right here."

Location: Stargate Command

"Message coming in from Alterian, General," says Sargent Tierce. "Message reads: blast doors are closing and Alterian should be safe from surface bombardment." "Thank you, Sargent," says General Smith.

"Shields at seven percent." says Sargent Lyte.

"Inform the base to brace for bombardment," orders Smith. "How many did we get to the Alpha site?"

"One-hundred-and-thirty-three." says Tierce.

"Shields at five percent, General," says Sargent Lyte in a panicked tone.

"Keep calm Sargent. We aren't out of this fight yet," says Smith.

Location: Prometheus II Bridge

"Message coming in from Stargate Command," says Peterson. "Message reads: Shields at five percent. Alterian hangar blast doors closing. One-hundred-and-thirty-three to Alpha site. Leave as soon as you can."

"How many ships remain?" asks Carter.

"Fifteen, Colonel," says Pendergast.

"So we've destroyed twenty-two," says Carter. "This should be doable."

"Unfortunately, not in any scenario I have run, Colonel. With the shields at five percent, there is no way we can destroy them all before they begin bombardment of Earth," says Gordon.

"There must be a way!" says Carter.

"Shields at three percent," says Pendergast.

"Fine. Time Bomb maneuver," says Carter.

"Yes ma'am. Full sib-light thrust." says Pendergast.

"Is this really our best bet?" asks Gordon.

"It's our only bet," replies Carter as the ship lurches. "What is the status of our shields?"

"Down to twenty-five percent power," responds Gordon.

Prometheus II moves close to the alien ships. As the ship gets closer, the alien ships see the maneuver and scatter. As they scatter, they split their fire between Prometheus II and Earth's shields. Three alien ships explode in rapid succession. "Make that twenty-five destroyed." says Pendergast.

"Ships shields at nineteen percent." says Gordon. "Planetary shields at four."

"Keep firing," orders Carter. Another fireball erupts right in front of Prometheus II.

"We're through," says Pendergast.

"Circle around and put us back in the most defensive position," orders Carter.

"Yes ma'am," says Pendergast.

"Planetary shields at three percent," says Gordon, a hint of panic creeping into her voice.

"Easy, Captain. This isn't over yet," says Carter.

"ZPM power levels nearly depleted." says Gordon in a calmer voice.

"Thank you, Captain." says Carter.

"Planetary shields at one percent. Another volley and they'll go down," says Pendergast.

Location: Stargate Command

"Shields at one percent," says Sargent Tierce in total panic.

"Calm down Tierce. Sound the bombardment alarm. Let Alterian know that the bombardment is about to start," orders General Smith. As the alarm bares out of the intercom Tierce sends the communication.

"Alterian is informed of the situation," says Tierce.

"Alert the public population to brace for bombardment," orders Smith.

Tierce sends out the prepared transition to all the public. Around the world all display screens begin playing the same message: "Attention: the Earth is under siege by an unknown Extra-terrestrial force. If you are reading this message, our planetary shields are on the verge of failure. We recommend that you retreat to the lowest covered position possible and brace for surface bombardment."

"Shields are collapsing sir," says Tierce.

Location: Prometheus II Bridge

"Planetary shields are collapsing Colonel," says Major Pendergast. From the bridge, Colonel Carter could see the shields fading and breaking apart as they shrank down on Earth.

The alien ships cease firing on Prometheus II and begin to focus on the planet. Large explosions erupt randomly all over the surface. Prometheus II is no longer able to fire the Asgard beam weapons at full strength and keep the shields at even minimum efficiency. For the ship, the aliens firing on Earth was a relief. For the crew and passengers, it was horrifying.

"Route power from the shields to the beam weapons," commanded Carter. Fire at will." Spots of yellow fire flared from the ship.

Suddenly, ten alien ships appeared out of hyperspace. "Colonel. We have a problem," says Pendergast.

"I see," says Carter. "Open fire on them. Recall all F-302s. Why aren't we firing drones?"

"We don't have any more to fire. We've depleted our supply," says Pendergast.

"How many fighters made it to the hangars?" asks Carter.

"Sixty-three from Prometheus II and seventeen from Athena and Artemis. Aphrodite and Olympic withdrew theirs before they left," says Gordon running a hand through her hair in frustration.

The Prometheus II bridge crew stare at Earth in horror. Billions are already dead. Explosions can be seen on the surface as every major city is leveled by a volley from the alien ships.

"Why did they attack in the first place?" asks Gordon in a grim voice.

"I don't know," says Carter. "All we know is that they did, and now we have to deal with it."

"How is it possible that we didn't defeat them?" asks Pendergast.

"Numbers," says Carter flatly. "We were unprepared for these numbers." As she says this, Colorado Springs, the location of Cheyenne Mountain and Stargate Command, is leveled.

"That was Colorado Springs," says Gordon.

"We need to focus. Lieutenant, attempt to contact Stargate Command."

"And Captain, see if you can contact the Aphrodite and the Olympic."

"Yes ma'am." As Peterson and Gordon turn to their tasks, Colonel Carter thinks about her family down on Earth.

Location: Stargate Command

In the control room, the General feels a shudder and hears a loud explosion followed by the sound of rock and concrete crumbling. "What just happened?" asks General Smith.

The Sargent looks up with a grim expression. "Colorado Springs was just hit by the alien bombardment," says Lyte. "That was the sound of Cheyenne Mountain collapsing in on itself. We are cut off from the surface."

"Communication coming in from Prometheus II," says Sargent Tierce. "It asks for our status and numbers," says Tierce.

"How many human life signs are your reading?" Smith asks Sargent Lyte.

"One-hundred-twenty sir," says Lyte.

Smith grimaces at the number. Several of the upper levels of the base must have collapsed, burying those of them on the lower levels where the Stargate was housed. He just lost more than a thousand of the Earth's brightest military members and scientists. "Inform Prometheus II that one-hundred-twenty survived. Also tell them that there isn't any more that they can do here and to leave."

Location: Aphrodite Bridge

As Aphrodite slowly orbits Earth with Olympic latched onto the landing gear, Colonel Thomas Daniels thinks about the battle that they had fled. He thinks about Prometheus II and wonders if they are still alive. "Colonel." His thoughts are cut short. "Transmission coming in from Prometheus II." says Major Gary Wright.

"Prometheus II? What does it say?" Colonel Daniels asks. He is relieved to hear that the ship is still intact.

"It says that Earth's shields have dropped and the alien ships have begun to destroy major population centers on the planet," says Wright. "It also asks if we are alright and how many casualties have we suffered."

"Inform the Prometheus II that we are out of primary power and that Olympic is feeding us enough power to keep life support online. Tell them we have a hull breach on decks six through nine and we have lost twenty crew members. Our hull regeneration is not functional due to the lack of power," says Daniels.

Location: Prometheus II Bridge

Colonel Carter looks out on Earth as several cities are leveled. She names each city destroyed: New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle. Each location home to millions. "Receiving response from Stargate Command, Colonel," says Peterson. "Cheyenne Mountain has collapsed and there are one-hundred-and-twenty survivors."

"Receiving transmission from Aphrodite," says Gordon. "Twenty crew are unaccounted for and there is a hull breach on decks six through nine. Olympic is feeding them power to keep the life support online. The ship is out of primary power and there isn't enough power for hull regeneration."

Carter looks back at Earth just in time to see Washington DC disappear in a flash of light.

"Stargate Command wants us to leave Earth orbit as soon as possible," says Pendergast. "Shall we leave?"

Carter braces herself for disobeying a direct order. "Negative, Major; we will stay here and fight." Gordon focuses Prometheus II's remaining artillery on the nearest ships in the alien armada.

"Yes ma'am," says Pendergast.

"There are nineteen ships left Colonel," says Gordon. She looks out at Earth and gasps as she sees a massive explosion in the middle of North America. "That must have been the primary power plant for the United States region," she says.

"It was, Captain," Colonel Carter says. "That explosion just wiped out half the remaining American population."

Another twenty minutes elapses and the alien armada continues wiping out other continents. Europe, Asia, South America, Africa; all major population centers appear leveled.

"Australia was just hit Colonel," says Pendergast. "We have to leave. The planet is wiped out. There are probably only a few thousand survivors."

Colonel Carter sighs. "Take us into hyperspace. Set course for the ZPM transfer point," she says. "Yes ma'am," says Pendergast as the ship launches into the hyperspace window.

Four: Escape?

August 24, 2111: 1:30 AM

Prometheus II

"Request permission to leave the bridge, Colonel," says Captain Gordon.

"Request granted. Major, you should probably get some sleep.\," says Colonel Carter.

"Thank you, Colonel," says Gordon.

"Yes ma'am," says Major Pendergast, stretching as he rises from his station. Peterson calls in the relief team to cover the bridge.

Gordon takes a quick look at her display before getting up. As she walks out of the bridge, she takes the elevator down to Engineering. In the elevator she thinks on what just happened. They had lost the battle and Earth had been destroyed because of it. More than ten billion people died in the last few hours. She couldn't help thinking that the destruction was partially her fault.

The elevator doors open, and she walks to Engineering. As she steps into the room, a shower of sparks flies from the shield generator. Dr. Wallace Keller looks up at her as she steps into the room. "Zoë, I heard what happened to Earth. It isn't your fault," says Dr. Keller coming over and giving her a kiss.

"Thanks, but I still feel a little guilty. Are you alright?" she asks, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning into his strength.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just doing some repair work before finding a place to sleep," says Dr. Keller.

"You can come to my quarters. I'm sure Colonel Carter won't care," Captain Gordon replies with a smile.

"Thanks Zoë. Where are we headed?" asks Keller.

"To the ZPM transfer point. We need two new ZPMs; we nearly depleted our energy in the fight," says Gordon.

"Let's just hope this hyperdrive can make the journey," says Dr. Keller.

"What's wrong with it?" Gordon frowned.

"The ship took some serious damage during the battle and the hyperdrive is malfunctioning slightly," Keller says.

"What kind of malfunctions?" asks Gordon, not that hyperdrives were exactly her area of expertise.

"The kind that will drop us out of hyperspace and leave us stranded if it goes critical," Keller responds to her question.

"Let's hope it doesn't do that," Gordon says laughing and cringing at the same time.

"Yes. I need to run some simulations. Can we head up to the bridge to do that?" asks Keller.

In her quarters, Colonel Carter has trouble getting to sleep. As she lies awake in bed, she thinks about what has happened. She thinks about her family and wonders if they survived. Carter thinks about what could have been done differently to save more lives. She finally decides to give up on going to sleep and makes a cup of coffee. As she walks out of her quarters, she heads towards the bridge.

When she steps onto the bridge, she sees two people hovering very closely over the ship's main console. "Captain? I would have thought you'd have gone to bed by now," Carter says.

"Oh, Colonel," she says ungluing herself from Keller's side. "I'd thought the same about you."

"Couldn't get to sleep. Who is this?" Carter asks.

"This is Dr. Keller," says Gordon. "He's the engineer and astrophysicist from Stargate Command. We were just running some hyperdrive simulations based on the problems it's having right now. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. Problems?" asks Carter, already feeling a low level of dread at the possibility.

"Yes, the hyperdrive took some damage we in the battle," says Gordon.

Suddenly the ship drops out of hyperspace. Dr. Keller looks down at the console and swears. "Hyperdrive just shut down," he says.

"Can you bring it back up?" asks Carter.

"Negative Colonel. It needs a full restart," says Keller.

"Colonel, we may have a bigger problem," says Gordon.

Carter rushes to the tactical console and gasps sharply. "How did they find us?" she asks.

"I don't know," says Gordon.

"I might know," volunteers Keller. "The hyperdrive is emitting a low level of radiation. It's completely harmless but that might be how they can track us."

"It doesn't matter. Alert the ship to get to battle stations," orders Carter.

"It'll take too long for Major Pendergast to get up here. I'll take his station," offers Keller.

"Do you know how the systems work?" asks Carter.

"Yes. I know how it works," Keller says as he sits down in front of the console. "I designed and built it."

A shrill alarm sounds through the ship alerting the crew to get back to battle stations. "Raise the shields and charge all weapons," orders Carter.

"Yes ma'am," says Keller.

"Also, go ahead and start the restart the hyperdrive sequence," Carter says. "We should get out of here as quickly as possible."

The ship shudders under the barrage of enemy fire. "How many are there?" Carter asks. "Fifteen," says Gordon. Prometheus II opens fire with all her available weapons. The ship disables the weapons of one ship after another.

After five long minutes of intense fighting, the hyperdrive comes back online. "Hyperdrive online Colonel," says Keller over the sound of the entire ship shaking.

"Take us into hyperspace," Carter orders as a shower of sparks flies from the ceiling. The ship makes the jump and is gone. "Send a sub-space message to the ZPM factory. Tell them that Earth has been destroyed and that we were the only ship to escape, as far as we know. Request them to send four fully charged ZPMs to the transfer point," orders Carter, sighing with relief.

Location: ZPM Production Plant

"Have we heard anything from Earth?" asks General James Pierce.

"Negative sir," says Major William Ronson.

"Let me know if anything comes in." says Pierce.

As Pierce begins to walk away, an incoming sub-space message alert starts flashing on the control panel in front of Ronson. "Sir, incoming message."

"Does it have an identification code?" Pierce asks.

"Yes sir. It's the Prometheus II," says Ronson. "Message reads, Earth destroyed by massive armada. Prometheus II was the only ship to escape and is on their way to transfer point. They may have ships in pursuit. Request four fully-charged ZPMs waiting at transfer point in approximately two hours. Their hyperdrive is fluctuating; they will arrive as soon as possible," says Ronson.

Pierce swears to himself. "Get the ZPMs ready and send a team to the rendezvous point," orders Pierce.

Location: Prometheus II Bridge

"We have confirmation from the production plant that our request is being fulfilled," says Dr. Keller.

"Thank you Dr. Keller," says Colonel Carter. "You and Captain Gordon can continue your simulations now." Captain Gordon returns to Keller's side at the main console and Colonel Carter decides to go for a fresh cup of coffee. As Carter walks out of the bridge she looks up above the sliding door leading into the bridge and reads her ship's nameplate. She smiles briefly and then is back to her usual serious demeanor. She steps into the elevator, sends it down to deck 13 and walks to the infirmary.

"Colonel, I wasn't expecting to see you here," says Dr. Sandra Freysure.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing. I know your parents were in New York," says Carter.

"Honestly, I'm doing all I can to keep my mind off it all," Freysure says. "How are you doing? It didn't look like Langley was hit." Carter's parents had both retired from NASA's former base and made their home in the largely-military area.

"I know. My only hope is that they survived and are doing alright," says Carter.

"What was that battle alert earlier about?" asks Freysure.

"The alien ships can track us in hyperspace, possibly due to damage we took in the battle. Anyway, the drive malfunctioned, and we dropped out of hyperspace and they just showed up," says Carter.

"Well we don't have that many injuries here. Mostly people from the mountain," says Freysure.

"Anyone from the crew?" Carter knew her primary responsibility was to the people who served under her command.

"One technician who got a nasty jolt from a power conduit that was damaged," says Freysure.

"Well Sandra, you should probably get some sleep. It's been a long day," says Carter. "With all due respect Colonel, I think I'll stay here," says Freysure.

"Very well," says Carter, continuing her walk through of her ship.

Back on the bridge, Captain Gordon and Dr. Keller are just finishing their last simulation. "Well, I guess that answers that question," says Captain Gordon.

"Looks like we can't shut down the hyperdrive quick enough to repair it without the aliens pinpointing our location," Dr. Keller says grimly.

"Let's get down to Engineering and see what we can do," says Gordon, refusing to give up.

"I know we can do some repair work on the shields and weapons," says Keller, as the pair leave the bridge. "But when was the last time you slept? There are other teams perfectly capable of doing what needs to be done right now."

"You're right," says Gordon. "I am exhausted."

Colonel Carter walks into the Mess Hall, checking on her staff. "Colonel, I thought you'd be asleep by now," says Lieutenant Samuel Johnson.

"Not quite. I couldn't sleep after what happened earlier," says Carter.

"Well it's two thirty in the morning. You should probably take something to help you sleep," says Johnson.

"Probably, but I'm just here to get some coffee."

Johnson arches an eyebrow. "That won't help you sleep, Colonel," he thinks.

Carter grabs a cup, and suddenly sees the destruction of Earth right before her eyes. She gasps and drops the cup. As the cup shatters on the floor, Lieutenant Johnson rushes over. "What's wrong?" he asks quickly.

"I just saw the destruction of Earth in that cup," Carter says panic in her voice.

"That probably was a hallucination," says Johnson. "You should probably get something to help you sleep instead of more coffee."

"Alright. I'll head down to the infirmary and get something," Carter says, shaken. Returning to the infirmary, she runs right back into Dr. Freysure.

"Colonel is everything alright?" asks Dr. Freysure, noting her pale face and shaking hands.

"No. I need some medication to help me sleep," Carter admits. "I just had a hallucination."

"Alright, I'm going to give you a mild sedative. I'd prefer if you tried to sleep here where I could monitor you, but or beds are pretty much full," says Freysure.

"And I've never been able to sleep in a hospital," says Carter, swallowing the medication. "But thank you for the pill, and I'll let you know if I have any more trouble sleeping."

"And maybe ease up on the coffee," Freysure says with a knowing smile.

Carter gives a shaky laugh and returns to her quarters. Dimming the lights, she slides into bed and falls asleep in minutes.

Five: Recharge

August 24, 2111: 9:20 AM

Prometheus II

Carter snaps awake to the sound of the intercom in her quarters. "Colonel Carter," calls Major Pendergast over the intercom.

"Yes, what is it?" Carter asks.

"You're needed up on the bridge," says Pendergast. "We are about to come out of hyperspace."

"Alright I'm on my way," Carter says. When she gets on the bridge, she orders: "We need to be ready to come into contact with the alien vessels."

"We will come out of hyperspace over the transfer point. The ZPMs are disconnected and ready for transport," says Gordon.

"As soon as the new ZPMs are aboard, take us back into hyperspace. Head for the Alpha site," orders Carter.

"Dropping out of hyperspace," says Pendergast. "Receiving confirmation of the ZPMs presence."

"Make the exchange," orders Carter.

"Hyperspace window opening Colonel," says Gordon.

"Shields up, prepare for battle," orders Carter as the ships alarm starts baring out of the intercom.

"Transfer complete," says Pendergast as a blast strikes the shields and sparks shower the bridge crew.

"Beam them up and plug them in," orders Carter.

"ZPMs aboard. Two are being plugged in as we speak," says Pendergast. Sparks fly from all directions. "ZPMs plugged in Colonel." says Pendergast. Captain Gordon screams and falls back in her chair as she barely avoids being electrocuted by her console sparking. "Captain, are you alright?" asks Carter.

"Yes, I think so," Gordon says.

"Go to the infirmary to get checked out," orders Carter.

"Yes ma'am."

"Get us out of here," orders Carter.

Captain Gordon takes the elevator down to the infirmary to get checked out. As she steps out of the elevator, Dr. Keller is waiting there for her. "Are you alright?" he asks. "I heard a console was fried on the bridge."

"I'm alright. Fortunately, I fell back just in time to avoid being fried as well," Gordon says. "I'm heading to the infirmary to get checked out by Dr. Freysure. Are you alright? I figure Engineering would spark more that the bridge."

"I'm fine. Let's get you to the infirmary," says Keller. They walk to the infirmary together to get Gordon cleared.

"Which one of you do I need to have a look at?" asks Dr. Freysure.

"He says he's fine. I barely avoided my console frying me on the bridge," says Gordon.

"Alright, have a seat and lets have a look at you," says Freysure. After brief testing Dr. Freysure has some results. "Well, your blood pressure is a little higher than usual. That is typically a sign of mild electrocution. Otherwise you're fine," says Freysure. "I recommend you take it easy for the next couple of hours."

"Alright, I'll take some time off duty," Gordon says. Keller and Gordon leave the infirmary and head down to Engineering. As they enter, sparks fly from consoles and machines in several directions. "Maybe I shouldn't go in there. I've already been electrocuted once today," chuckles Gordon dryly. After a quick kiss, Keller heads into the chaos of Engineering and Gordon goes to the Mess for a meal. When she returns, Keller is coming out of Engineering, which has settled into its normal hectic pace.

"Should we have a look at my console on the bridge?" asks Gordon.

"Sure. You can't do your job otherwise," says Dr. Keller.

On their way to the bridge, Captain Gordon decides to voice her thoughts. "The reason you're here instead of vaporized particles isn't because you're absolutely necessary for the job here."

"It isn't?" asks Keller.

"No. While we have really needed your expertise since the battle, if you were mission-critical on a regular basis, you would have been stationed up here a long time ago," says Gordon. "The actual reason you're here is because I requested that you be among the people saved."

"And for that, I can't thank you enough," says Keller. He knows this is as close to emotional as his Zoë gets, and he appreciates the sentiment as much as her assuring his own survival. They continue up to the bridge in silence.

Location: Stargate Command

As the survivors under Cheyenne Mountain wait for the capacitors to charge enough to power the Stargate, several attempts to reach the surface carry on. Many realize that the surface is too far away to dig themselves out, and resort to using the computers that survived to find another way out. Being a military base, Stargate Command had several escape hatches in case of collapse. All but one had collapsed or caved in upon themselves. Unfortunately, that hatch linked with a section of the base that was on a level that had collapsed. Currently, several teams are working to drill a tunnel to that section, so they can get out and, if needed, get survivors on the surface back in to evacuate via the Stargate. "Any progress?" asks General Smith to Lieutenant Pete Lexington.

"Not much sir. It's slow work with these small tools," Lexington says.

"Well work as fast as you can. All the people down here are counting on you and your teams. We only have two more days of oxygen left," says Smith. With the North American power grid down, and a direct hit to the mountain, power was lost to the air exchangers along with everything else. Emergency power was being used exclusively to recharge the capacitors to get the Stargate working and provide an evacuation route to everyone trapped on the base.

As Smith walks back to the control room, he thinks about all that happened in the last twenty-four hours. Within a matter of minutes after the shields failed, all of Earths major cities had been leveled. Many questions were spinning in his head. Had the Prometheus II escaped? If so, then where was it? Had it stopped to pick up some ZPMs? Undoubtedly the ZPMs aboard were depleted. Did it leave when it was ordered to? He wondered about the surface. Was it habitable? Were there survivors? How many were there? The questions kept flowing in. All he wanted to do was to survive and send the survivors to the Alpha site or any other outposts.

"Sargent Tierce, what percentage are the capacitors at?" asks General Smith.

"Twenty-seven percent and climbing sir," says Tierce.

"Let me know when we have enough power," says Smith.

"Will do, sir," says Tierce.

Location: Prometheus II

"That should do it," says Dr. Keller as he finishes the repairs on Captain Gordon's console.

"Thank you Dr. Keller," says Colonel Carter.

"Captain, can you help me get these tools back down to Engineering?" asks Keller.

"Of course, I can. If Colonel Carter is fine with it," says Captain Gordon.

"I don't object. You are off duty, do what you need to," says Carter.

"Very well then," says Dr. Keller as he picks up a bag of tools and Captain Gordon picks up another.

"Thank you for fixing my console by the way," says Gordon when door to the bridge closes behind them.

"It's no big deal Zoë," Dr. Keller says.

"It is to me. I need that console to do my job," says Gordon.

"For the record, I would have done the same for you during the battle." says Keller.

"I know you would," says Gordon leaning over as best she can and kissing his cheek. They head into the elevator. "So, how about we take a break when we put these away?" Gordon asks him as she shuffles the tools.

"What did you have in mind?" Dr. Keller asks looking at her. She notices the smile on his face.

"Well, I guess we will see what we can get away with," says Gordon smiling back at him. They stare at each other until the elevator doors open. "Shall we put these away, or do you want to keep standing here?" asks Gordon jokingly.

"Definitely put these away," says Keller.

As Prometheus II flies through hyperspace, Major Pendergast and Colonel Carter are formulating a plan. "We should come out of hyperspace here and wait for the alien ships to arrive," says Pendergast, pointing to a set of coordinates in space.

"Yes, but instead of waiting we can raise the shields and power weapons," says Carter.

"We should also turn the ship to face the direction that they will come from," offers Pendergast. "We stay long enough to inflict some effective damage then we jump back into hyperspace hit and fade style."

"It's a good plan. We should wait for Captain Gordon to be back on duty though," says Carter. "Dr. Freysure told me she needed a few hours."

"Well we'll just stay in hyperspace then. When she's back on duty, we'll bring her up to speed," says Pendergast.

"Very well," says Carter. She sits back in her chair and thinks about how this strategy might work. "Is it possible to plug in the other two ZPMs and get an extra power boost?" Carter asks.

"Negative colonel. We don't have the slots for them to go into," says Pendergast.

"Alright. We just need to have the ZPMs ready," says Carter.

Location: Alpha site

"Any word from Stargate Command?" Colonel Jane Lancaster asks.

"Negative Colonel. We haven't heard anything since the Gate shut down," says Major Jack Davidson.

"How many made it through from Earth?" Colonel Lancaster asks.

"One-hundred-and-thirty-three, Colonel," Major Davidson says.

"Let me know if we hear from anyone," orders Lancaster.

"Yes ma'am," says Davidson. As Colonel Lancaster leaves the control room to check on the survivors, the base alarm starts baring out of the intercom.

"Attention all personnel, unscheduled off-world activation," says Major Davidson.

Lancaster rushes back into the control room and stops next to the Major. "What's going on?" she asks him.

"Off-world activation from the ZPM production plant," he says. "They're sending a text only message. It reads, Earth has been destroyed. Prometheus II was the only ship to escape and is now fully recharged with four new ZPMs."

Colonel Lancaster swears intently. "Earth is lost? How is this possible?" she asks to no one in particular. The gate shuts down and Lancaster is brought out of her thoughts. "Let me know if anything develops," says Lancaster.

"Yes ma'am," says Davidson. Colonel Lancaster leaves the control room and makes it to the infirmary.

"How many from Earth are here doc?" she asks Dr. Kim Joanna.

"Twenty-two. Those are from the shield generator station," says Dr. Joanna.

"Only twenty-two? Hopefully more evacuated via the Prometheus II," says Lancaster.

"Any word from Earth, Colonel?" Joanna asks.

"Not from Earth but we do have news from the ZPM production plant. According to them, Earth has been destroyed and Prometheus II was the only ship to escape," says Lancaster grimly.

"Good lord. The whole planet?"

"Looks that way."

"I'm really sorry Colonel. I know you were friends with some of those back on Earth," says Joanna.

"I just wonder about Colonel Carter. I know Megan has family on Earth. I met them once. They were nice people," says Colonel Lancaster.

"How can anyone live with that?" asks Dr. Joanna.

"I don't know. How about you Kim? Do you have anyone back on Earth?" asks Lancaster.

"Just my grandmother. She lived in a really small town in North Carolina." Dr. Joana says looking down at the floor.

"I'm sure her town didn't get hit like the rest of them," says Lancaster trying to reassure her.

"That's my hope right now," she says.

Six: Surprise!

August 24, 2111: 1:30 PM

Prometheus II Bridge

Prometheus II flies through hyperspace, preparing to drop out and preform its surprise attack. "Welcome back to the bridge, Captain," says Colonel Carter.

"Thank you, Colonel. I'm feeling much better," says Captain Gordon.

"Well that's good. In the meantime, we have a plan to attack the enemy ships," says Carter.

Major Pendergast and Colonel Carter fill Captain Gordon in on the plan and prepare to drop out of hyperspace. "Seems like this plan will work," says Gordon.

"Prepare to drop us out of hyperspace Major," orders Carter. "Captain, prepare to put us into position."

"Yes ma'am," says Gordon as she puts her fingers on the maneuvering display console.

"Drop us out. Captain move us into position. Charge weapons and raise shields," says Carter quickly. Prometheus II drops out of hyperspace and immediately the shields raise, and the ship turns to face the way it came. Another hyperspace window opens, and twenty alien ships drop out. Prometheus II starts firing on them immediately. As eight blue lasers fire from Prometeus II and rail guns open fire, the alien ships begin to fire back.

"Hopefully the new ZPMs are good and don't fail," says Captain Gordon.

"They won't fail," says Pendergast. Meanwhile Colonel Carter thinks about Earth. She wonders again about her family and the other potential survivors on Earth.

"We have inflicted heavy damage on the alien ships. It looks like we caught them off guard," says Pendergast cutting into her thoughts.

"Keep firing. We need to dwindle their numbers," Carter says. As the battle rages on, one of the ships erupts in a brilliant ball of fire.

"Hello!" says Captain Gordon excitedly.

"Another hyperspace window has opened Colonel," says Pendergast.

"Any indication what it is?"

"Negative. Wait, it's more alien ships."

"Get us out of here," orders Carter.

"Yes ma'am. Jumping into hyperspace now," says Pendergast. As Prometheus II jumps into hyperspace, the new alien ships open fire on the lone ship. Fortunately, the ship makes the jump just in time to avoid most of the barrage.

"We made it," says Captain Gordon.

"What other ships of ours are out there?" asks Carter.

"Odyssey, Rampage, and the four Tyranic Class Destroyers," says Pendergast.

"Which is closest?"

"The Tyranic Classes. They're about twelve hours away," says Gordon.

"Take us to them. Inform them that we are on our way and to prepare for combat," orders Carter. It was time to call in reinforcements.

With both her seconds back on the bridge, Carter decides she has time for a short nap.

As Carter enters her quarters, she turns on the lights and looks around. "What a mess," she says to herself. She cleans up her quarters a bit and changes into more comfortable clothes. She lays down and turns off the lights. Instantly she falls asleep. She finds herself in the same dream she had the night before. She is standing in her parents' house. She looks out the window and sees a blue laser bolt strike the ground several miles away. Several more join it, slowly closing in on her town. As the fireballs get closer, she realizes they are coming for her. She runs to the living room and tries to get her parents to leave.

"No Megan. We are safe here," says her mother.

"Mom, we're not. Not even the Athena or the Artemis could take much from those ships up there," Carter says panicking.

"Calm down Megan. We'll be fine," says her father as the house across the street disappears out of the window. Carter shields her eyes as the window shatters. She makes the split decision to run. She runs out of the house as quickly as she can and down the street.

"No! No! No! No!" she shouts as she runs. As she reaches the intersection closest to her parents' house, the house explodes in an explosion that knocks her down. "Please, somebody help me!" she screams as a bolt rockets towards her head. Just before it hits her, Colonel Carter snaps awake with a scream. When she realizes she is alive, she sits up breathing heavy. Carter looks at her antique clock and sees that an hour went by while she slept. It's time for her to return to the bridge anyway.

Location: Stargate Command

General Smith sits in his office and thinks about what the planet will be like when they finally get to the surface when his desk intercom pings.

"Sir this is Sargent Tierce, the dig team has broken through to the surface hatch. They're currently filing as many people as they can to the surface."

"Have they tested for residual radiation?" asks Smith.

"Yes sir. They can't detect any radiation on the surface," says Tierce.

"Get yourself to the surface Sargent. For the time being, we are evacuating SGC," orders Smith.

"Yes sir. What about you?"

"I'll be with the last group," says Smith. "I want all of my personnel out of here first." Smith looks at his desk and realizes that it may be the last time he sits there. He picks up the papers and orders them before putting them into files. As he cleans up the area, he thinks about the history of the very desk he sits at. It was the original desk that General George Hammond sat at when he sent out SG teams across the galaxy. "This desk really should be in a museum," says Smith to himself. "I guess it's a little late now." He gets up and walks to the Control Room to see the Stargate one last time. "We'll be back," he mutters to the gate.

Location: Aphrodite Bridge

Colonel Thomas Daniels stares out at Earth from the bridge of his ship, waiting. Without enough power to beam down or leave orbit, he's been waiting for what feels like a very long time. As he stares out, Major Gray Wright walks up and says "Sir you can't stand there forever."

"What is the status of the repairs?" asks Daniels.

"Hull regeneration is working but it's very slow. We need to find a way to restart our reactors. The power we are taking from Olympic just isn't enough," says Wright.

"How have repairs on those reactors gone so far?"

"Not well. It is slow and difficult work," says Wright.

Colonel Daniels sighs and turns from the window. "How are the injured doing?" he asks.

"They're doing alright thanks to the doctor," says Wright.

"And Olympic?"

"They're not doing so well. The ship is heavily damaged and is still immobile. In other words, if those aliens come back, we don't stand a chance," says Wright.

"Continue repairs on the reactors and keep trying to contact the surface. There have to be survivors down there," orders Daniels. He continues his wait.

Location: Langley Air Force Base, Virginia

Natalie Carter was helping refugees who had come to the abandoned NASA base. She did what she could to help the wounded and gave supplies to as many people as she could. "Thank you for your help Natalie," Dr. Richard Robins said to her.

"Not a problem doctor," she replies. "I'm just trying to help the people who need it." She put on a smile, but she was really troubled. Her daughter was the commanding officer of one of the ships that had tried to defend Earth, and Natalie didn't know if she had survived or gotten away. She wanted to believe that her daughter had escaped but couldn't convince herself that it was a fact.

"Natalie, I need some help over here," said her husband, Joseph Carter.

"What is it? Oh my," she says when she gets over to him. He was trying to help a badly bleeding man who looked like he had just come out of a glass shower. "Here, let me take your other arm," she says to the half-conscious man.

"He needs to see Dr. Robins," says Richard as they start to carry the man across the room.

"Good lord, what happened here?" asks Dr. Robins as they reach him.

"We don't know. He came stumbling in and collapsed in front of me," says Joseph.

"Well you did the right thing by bringing him to me," says Dr. Robins laying the man flat on his back. "Let's see here, looks like he might have been standing in front of a window as it shattered."

"Do what you can doctor. We'll be back," says Natalie. She and Joseph walk back to the entrance to help more people. "How many people have we taken in?" asks Natalie.

"I don't know. I lost count somewhere in the two-thousand region," says Joseph.

Natalie swears under her breath. "That's a lot of people. I don't know how many more we can take without supplies."

Seven: Problem!

August 24, 2111: 5:10 PM

Prometheus II Bridge

Colonel Carter walks onto the bridge of her ship and sits down. "What is our current status of my ship Major?" she asks.

"We're just about to execute the same maneuver again like we planned," says Major Pendergast.

"Very well. Prepare to execute," orders Carter.

"All weapons charged, shields are ready, maneuvering thrusters are primed and ready," says Pendergast.

"Approaching coordinates Colonel," says Captain Gordon.

"Drop us out," orders Carter.

"Coming out of hyperspace Colonel," says Pendergast.

"Bring us about and raise shields," orders Carter.

"Coming about. Shields up," says Gordon.

"Alien ships detected," says Pendergast.

"How many are there?"

"Twenty- five," says Gordon.

"Open fire on as many as possible," orders Carter.

"Opening fire," says Gordon as the ship shudders under alien weapons fire. Sparks shower the bridge and the rest of the ship.

"Two ships have been taken out Colonel," says Pendergast as fireballs appear where two ships once were. In the heat of the battle, the bridge crew doesn't notice one of the ships begins to move towards the Prometheus II. Finally, Captain Gordon notices a blip on her display and swears. "Colonel, we have an alien ship on route to intercept us," she says.

"Evasive maneuvers!" orders Carter. As Prometheus II attempts to evade the alien ship, it adjusts its course to compensate. The alien ship impacts the shields and explodes on impact.

"Alien ship impacted shields Colonel," says Gordon as sparks fly from every direction on the bridge.

"Shields down to thirty percent, hyperdrive is offline," says Pendergast.

"Keep firing and get that hyperdrive back up," orders Carter.

The unexpected battle rages on and Prometheus II holds herself together for the most part. "We have reports of structural collapse on deck thirteen Colonel," says Gordon.

"Get a search party down there to look for survivors," orders Carter.

"Colonel, hyperdrive is back online," says Pendergast.

"Go!" Carter orders. As the ship retreats into the safety of hyperspace, Carter sighs with relief.

"Good work both of you," she says.

"Search party is looking through the wreckage for injured, Colonel," reports Gordon.

"Let me know if they find anyone," says Carter.

"Yes ma'am," says Gordon. Carter gets up and leaves the bridge. She thinks about what had just happened. One of the alien ships sacrificed itself to attempt to destroy the ship. She thinks about what the four small Tyranic Class Destroyers could do to help. The Prometheus II made those ships look like toys in comparison. On the upside, she thinks, they're more maneuverable than Prometheus II. Even with the inertial dampeners, the Prometheus II was still a lumbering beast when it came to quick maneuvers. Carter takes the elevator down several decks to deck thirteen.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator she could see people rushing to help in rescue operations. Carter follows the flow of people. Many of them make way for her, recognizing that she is their commanding officer. She gets to the location where the collapse occurred and stops dead in her tracks. "Good Lord," she says looking at the pile of twisted and torn metal. "How is this possible?"

"Colonel, I'm glad you're here," says one of her passengers.

"What happened here?" she asks.

"The ship shook violently and dislodged this metal from the walks and celling. We don't know how many were under it when it fell," says the passenger.

"Good lord. What is your name?" says Carter.

"Anna Blumenthal ma'am," she says. "I was brought aboard during the evacuation of Earth."

After three hours of back-breaking work to move all the wreckage, they find someone who was trapped under all the metal. As they place the large chunk of metal against the wall, Dr. Freysure steps up with a medical team. "Oh my," she says as she spots the man. "Let's get him to the infirmary and on the operating table as soon as possible." The medical team moves with speed and efficiency.

On the bridge, Captain Gordon looks down at her instruments one more time before getting up. "I'm heading down to help out with cleanup operations. Do you think you can take care of the ship by yourself?" she asks Pendergast.

"I should be fine. Go ahead. See what you can do. I'm sure they need all the help they can get," he replies. Gordon looks out of the window at hyperspace before turning and exiting. Before heading down to the collapsed portion of deck thirteen, she stops in Engineering to check on her boyfriend.

"Are you alright?" she asks as she walks in.

"Oh, Zoë. I'm fine, but the shield generator isn't very happy right now," says Keller.

"I'm not surprised. It had to stop an alien ship," says Gordon laughing a little.

"Oh, is that what happened? I was wondering what made the shields go crazy," says Keller.

"I was just about to head down to help clear the damage if you would like to come," Gordon says.

"Sure, I'll come. These guys have the shield work in progress. I heard that there was a structural collapse," says Keller. They head to the location of the collapse to find a medical team loading someone onto a stretcher.

"Oh my. I didn't realize that anyone was hurt," says Gordon, shocked.

"Unfortunately, yes," says Colonel Carter.

"How can we assist?" asks Keller.

"Well we're about to lift another piece of debris; we could definitely use the help," says Anna.

"And you are?" asks Gordon. "Anna Blumenthal ma'am. I was one of the evacuees from Earth. I'm a biochemist with the SGC," Anna says.

"Well we're certainly glad to help," says Keller.

"You look familiar," Anna says to Keller.

"Dr. Wallace Keller. Also an SGC evacuee," Keller says shaking her hand.

"Well, let's get to work," says Carter.

After several more hours of heavy lifting, and no more casualties found, Carter calls it a night and sends her staff to their respective quarters. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted," says Gordon.

"I'm in the same boat you are. We should probably get some rest," says Keller.

"Yes, I think so," says Gordon.

"Captain, I hear you are quartering Dr. Keller in your own private quarters," says Colonel Carter.

"Yes ma'am, I am. Is this a problem?"

"I would have preferred you clear it with me first but otherwise, I don't have a problem with it," says Carter.

"Yes ma'am. I'll keep that in mind for the future," says Gordon.

"Very well. Have a good night," says Carter.

"You too Colonel," says Gordon as they go their separate ways.

"Well that went well," says Keller. "I thought you had cleared me to stay in your quarters."

"I just did," she says kissing him.

"So much trouble," he says affectionately, brushing his fingers through her pink hair.

Location: Outside Stargate Command

General Smith gets to the top of the ladder leading to the surface and looks around at all his officers that remain. Only a handful compared to what the complement of Stargate Command was supposed to be. "Well this is horrible," says one of the officers. "Indeed. This place is destroyed. I don't think there is any hope for it now." says another.

"Come on people, a little optimism," says Sargent Lyte.

"Lyte has a point," says Smith. "There is a chance to rebuild. We don't know if any ships escaped but I would bet some did."

"Sir look around. This used to be surrounded in trees and further on, a city. Now all there is, is rubble," says Lieutenant Sarah Brunswick.

General Smith sighs. "What do you want us to do then, Lieutenant?" he asks.

"I don't know sir. There isn't anything we can do," she says. "We need to find something to sustain ourselves. Food and shelter for the night, any possible transportation for tomorrow," says Smith. "Spread out and see what's out there. Meet back up here by dusk."

General Smith heads for the remains of the city. As he weaves his way through the leveled buildings and ruined streets, he stops in front of the site that once was his house. He gasps with shock to see the house mostly intact. He walks up to his front door, with only shattered glass missing, and opens it. He is surprised to find that it opens all the way to the wall next to it. As he walks in, another door opens in front of him and his wife crawls out. "Ellen!" he exclaims. "Are you alright?"

"Harry!" she says as loudly as she can to be heard. "I will be fine in a while. Are you alright?"

"I am fine. The control room and a few levels above didn't collapse. What about Angie?"

"Our daughter is alive but hurt badly. If you have any medical officers left, we need to take her to them," says Ellen.

"Where is she?" asks General Smith.

"Back in here," says Ellen getting up and ushering him into the room she had just left. General Smith walked in and saw his daughter lying on the ground unconscious, her right arm obviously broken. Ellen had formed a makeshift splint from clothes and a piece of doorway. "What kind of world is she going to live in now?" he thought to himself. His daughter was only nine years old.

He picked up his daughter and carried her out of their ruined house. Ellen came out a few minutes later with her arms full of their remaining food. "Thank you, Ellen. This will help fed the survivors. We all split up to find food," Smith says to her.

"We need to survive as long as we can. I have no doubt that a ship will come to help," says Ellen.

"Let's get back to the hatch then," says Smith. Their family SUV was still drivable, so they filled it with the contents of their refrigerator and cabinets and took it as far as they could back to the base.

When they arrive at the hatch, the sun is almost setting and they find that most of the SGC survivors have already come back. Most of them were empty-handed, and a few had located other dazed survivors. Smith was glad to see them. "Where are the rest?" he asked.

"Still searching. But I don't think they need to anymore," says Sargent Lyte. "This is just enough for about a day."

"We will have to ration food to survive," says Smith. "Where is Dr. Phillips? My daughter needs medical attention."

"I'm right here sir. What is the problem?" asks Dr. John Phillips.

"My daughter was hurt in the partial collapse of my house. Her arm is badly broken and she's been in and out of consciousness," says Smith.

"Alright, let's have a look. How old is she?" asks Phillips.

"Nine," says Ellen.

"She probably also has some sort of head injury," says Smith.

"Will she make it through this?" asks Ellen.

"Probably, yes," says Phillips. "I'd feel better if I could get a CAT scan of this bump on her head, but she's young and otherwise her injuries are not too severe. I can set this arm so it will heal correctly. We will hope for the best."

Eight: Assistance

August 25, 2111: 8:30 AM

Prometheus II

Prometheus II flies through hyperspace on its way to rendezvous with the four Tyranic Class Destroyers. On the bridge, Colonel Carter thinks about the coming battle. Captain Gordon and Major Pendergast are quietly working at their consoles to keep the ship in order. They have discussed a plan for the attack and came up with the four Tyranic's forming a Tetrahedron Attack Formation with Prometheus II attempting to cause chaos by scattering the ships and picking them off one by one. "It should work," Carter thinks to herself.

"We should be there in three hours, Colonel. Usually it wouldn't take this long but the damage to the hyperdrive is slowing us down," says Captain Gordon.

"Very well. If you two need to take a break, feel free to do so," says Carter.

"Thank you, Colonel," says Gordon getting up. She walks through the door leading out of the bridge and turns around. She looks up at the brass plaque screwed to the wall above the door stating the ships name and launch date. Prometheus II: August 30, 2105. "This close to her sixth birthday and Earth, her home, is destroyed," Gordon says to herself. She sighs and heads for the elevator.

Gordon heads down to Engineering to see Dr. Keller. "Hey, how is it going down here?" she asks him.

"It's alright. Nothing has failed yet," he says back to her.

"I came down to see if you would like to grab something to eat."

"Sounds good to me," he says. Gordon and Keller walk to the mess hall and sit down. "How are you doing with all this, Zoë?" asks Keller.

"I'm doing alright. I've got you and that's all I need right now," says Gordon. "How about you?"

"I guess I'm doing fine. I did leave a lot of colleagues back on Earth," Keller says. They eat quietly until both of them are done and ready to go.

"Well we should be dropping out of hyperspace in a few hours, so make sure the systems are ready by that point," says Gordon.

"Yes ma'am," says Keller, saluting her. "All systems will be ready."

Gordon laughs. "Good deal. I'll see you later."

After a few hours, Prometheus II comes out of hyperspace. "Inform the four Tyranic's of the plan," orders Carter. "Shields up, ready all weapons."

"Shields are up. Railguns are loaded, and beam weapons are charged," reports Gordon.

"The Tyranic's have acknowledged and are preparing for battle," reports Pendergast.

"Now we wait," says Carter.

"Not for long," says Gordon a few minutes later. "Here they come."

The four Tyranic destroyers have moved into a tetrahedron formation around the alien forces, forcing them to split their fire. With a ZPM on each destroyer, combined with the destroyer's small size, they have an advantage over Prometheus II in the fight.

"Moving in to scatter the alien armada, Colonel," says Pendergast as Prometheus II flies towards the cluster at sub-light speed. The maneuver works; Prometheus II keeps firing at them the whole time, as do the Tyranic's.

"Shields at eighty percent," reports Gordon. "ZPM's are at fifty percent power."

"Keep firing and keep moving. Divert power from non-critical systems and get Engineering ready to switch out the ZPMs when they deplete," orders Carter.

"Diverting power," says Pendergast. Prometheus II keeps moving around the cluster of ships, forcing them to divert their attention from the four Tyranic's still blasting away at them. Suddenly three fireballs erupt in the cluster of ships one after another.

"Take that!" says Gordon, pushing Prometheus II to repeat the maneuver.

"Two more down," reports Pendergast as they fly through the open space.

"Shields at fifty percent," says Gordon.

"ZPM power status?" asks Carter.

"ZPM's are at thirty percent," reports Pendergast. Prometheus II circles around for another run. The alien ships recognize the maneuver and adjust their positions this time.

"Exactly according to plan," says Gordon. Prometheus II stops on one side of the Tetrahedron Formation and begins chewing through the armada.

"Full power to shields and weapons," orders Carter.

"The Scuttle-Gun is sending out a distress call," says Gordon.

"Put us in between them and the aliens," orders Carter.

Prometheus II moves into position to allow the Scuttle-Gun to evacuate its crew. "The Scuttle-Gun is fully evacuated Colonel," says Gordon.

"Move us into the best position to deliver damage," orders Carter. Prometheus II moves closer to the alien force and starts firing again. The Scuttle-Gun erupts in a fireball behind them.

"Thirteen alien ships remaining Colonel," reports Gordon.

"Rotating ZPM's," says Pendergast as sparks start flying.

"Shields at forty percent," says Gordon.

"ZPM's are plugged in," says Pendergast. Another alien ship explodes as the ZPM's are powered up. Suddenly the Ravager stops firing.

"What's wrong with the Ravager?" asks Carter.

"They're having problems with their reactors," says Pendergast.

"Order the Tyranic and Oceania to beam over the Ravager's crew," commands Carter.

"Ravager crew evacuated," reports Gordon.

"Inform Tyranic and Oceania to jump into hyperspace with us," orders Carter. "Give them Alpha site coordinates."

"Yes ma'am. Making the jump into hyperspace," says Pendergast.

Carter leaves the bridge and heads to Engineering to check for damage. Exchanging the ZPMs in the middle of battle maneuvers had been a risky move. Sure enough, the medical team was in Engineering, loading five technicians onto stretchers. Sparks fly out from a large piece of equipment. After a quick check with her head of Engineering to determine that the hyperdrive would continue to function, Carter returned to her bridge.

"Send out a sub-space message to the Rampage to head immediately to our designated drop-out point," orders Carter. Carter gets up and walks to the main view port. "It's amazing, isn't it?" she wonders aloud.

"Colonel?" Gordon asks.

"Earth has been the center of interstellar power for one-hundred years, destroyed in a matter of hours," says Carter. "Horrifying."

"Yes ma'am, it is. It was also pretty close to this ship's birthday," says Gordon with an air of sadness.

"Very true. Let me know when we are coming up on our drop-out point," says Carter.

"Yes ma'am," says Pendergast as Carter walks out of the bridge. She heads down to the mess hall to grab some coffee. "Let's just hope I don't start seeing things again." she says to herself. She steps in the elevator and presses the button to the mess hall's deck. "I wonder how my parents are doing," she thinks to herself. "I wonder if they survived." Carter swears and says to herself. "Don't ask questions like that Megan." The doors slide open and she walks to the crowded mess hall. It looked like she would be greeting some evacuees while she drank her coffee.

"Colonel, we have received a message from the Rampage. They have reached the coordinates," says Major Pendergast as Colonel Carter steps back onto the bridge.

"What is our ETA?" she asks.

"Forty minutes. Let's hope Engineering and Dr. Keller can fix all our system issues by then. Gordon is down there lending a hand since they are short and she knows the systems."

"What is the status of the Tyranic and the Olympia?" asks Carter.

"Tyranic and Olympia are having similar and shield problems as we are," says Pendergast. "It seems to be a problem all ships that fight those aliens experience. Maybe it has something to do with their weapons fire."

"Possibly," says Carter. Carter picks up her communicator and turns it on, adjusting it to Captain Gordon's frequency. "Captain, this is Colonel Carter. We have forty minutes before we drop out of hyperspace. Do what you can in thirty-five then make your way back up to the bridge," she says.

"Acknowledged, Colonel," comes Captain Gordon's reply. Carter turns off the communicator and sets it down. "I want a full system wide diagnostic without dropping out of hyperspace," she says.

"Yes ma'am," says Pendergast as gets to work.

Gordon sets down the communicator and returns her attention to the keypad in front of her. "Alright Zoë, try reactivating the generator," says Dr. Keller from behind the machinery.

"Activating now," says Gordon. "Is it working?"

"I think so," says Keller as the generator begins to whine. Suddenly it shuts down again. Keller swears and picks up a prybar. He pries open a panel and begins digging through wires and crystal trays. "There you are," he says pulling out a charred crystal. "We need to replace this one." "

"Let me see if we have one. What is the ID on it?" asks Gordon.

"Data Crystal forty-five A," says Keller.

"Ah here it is," says Gordon handing him the replacement crystal.

"Perfect. Thank you," says Keller inserting the crystal in its tray. He put the tray back where it belongs and replaces the panel. "Now try it."

Gordon starts the activation sequence and the generator starts to whine again. This time it doesn't shut down. "Purrs like a kitten," says Keller.

"Right let's see what we can do about these shields," says Gordon.

"It looks like trays 103, 107, and 113 are all shot," Keller opens the appropriate panels. "103," he mumbles to himself, "107, and 113." He begins pulling out the bad crystals and hands them to Gordon. "Crystals 103 A, C, and F, 107 B, C, E, and H, and113 D, F, and J," he orders. Gordon pulls the correct crystals from the spare tray and hands them to him.

"103 A, C, and F, 107 B, C, E, and H, and 113 D, F, and J. That should do it," she says. Keller inserts the crystals and replaces the trays. "Running diagnostic," says Gordon.

"Looks good," says Keller reading over the results.

"We're about to drop out. I gotta go but keep doing what you can," says Gordon.

"Alright, I'll see you after," says Keller, kissing her.

Nine: The Final Battle

August 25, 2111: 10:30 AM

Prometheus II

"Dropping out of hyperspace Colonel," says Major Pendergast. The streaking sky disappears out of the main view port as they drop out. "Raise shields, charge weapons, order all F-302's ready to launch. Inform the Rampage to do likewise," orders Carter.

"Yes ma'am," say Gordon and Pendergast simultaneously.

"Order Tyranic and Olympia to ready all weapons and raise shields," orders Carter.

"Shields are raised, weapons are charged and ready to fire," says Pendergast.

"Alien armada is incoming," says Gordon.

"As soon as they're out of hyperspace, open fire," orders Carter.

The lights dim as all available weapons fire all at once. "Launching F-302's," says Pendergast. Fighters rocket out of the hangars on the Prometheus II and the Rampage. Over twenty squadrons of fighters fly, full speed towards the alien armada, railguns blazing. Space is littered with railgun shells and energy beams. Two ships explode in two brilliant balls of fire. "Eleven left Colonel!" says Pendergast. Sparks fly across the bridge and strike the wall. "ZPM's at ninety percent," says Gordon.

"Keep firing," orders Carter. Another ship explodes, and a full squadron pulls out to avoid the fireball.

The Tyranic begins moving towards the swarm. "Tyranic, this is Prometheus II, what are you doing?" asks Carter.

"Shields are down. If we're going out, we will take them with us," comes the voice of the commanding officer of the Tyranic then the com shuts off. Tyranic catches an alien ship by surprise and hits it. The ship shifts into a collision with another ship and all three ships explode.

"Keep firing. We're almost through," orders Carter.

"ZPM's at sixty percent," says Gordon.

"Shields at seventy percent," says Pendergast.

"How's the Rampage doing?" asks Carter.

"They are trying to stay a bit further back. They're acting as support. Their shields are at fifty percent," reports Gordon. "The Rampage being 98 years old makes it more volatile." Another two ships explode brilliantly as Prometheus II directs its fire onto them. "Four enemy ships remaining," says Gordon excitedly.

"Keep your cool Captain. It's not over yet," says Carter. F-302's shoot across the battle firing railguns as quickly as they can. One squadron narrowly avoids hitting Prometheus II. One of the alien ships attempts to ram into Prometheus II. The ship explodes before it reaches her. Carter sighs with some relief that her ship wasn't struck. "Three left," she keeps count to herself. Olympia moves in for a closer shot at one of the alien ships. The ship explodes in a glorious ball of fire. "Two," thinks Carter. "Order all fire on that one ship," she says pointing to one of the two.

"Yes ma'am," says Pendergast. After a few seconds, the ship explodes, leaving one left.

"Cease fire," orders Carter. All ships cease fire on the lone alien vessel. The alien ship stops firing as well. "Attention alien vessel. This is Prometheus II of the Earth Defense Fleet. You have been given this one chance to explain your actions against Earth and its people," Carter says into the communication panel next to her.

"We will not explain ourselves to you sorry excuses for lifeforms," comes the reply in decent English. The alien ship attempts to escape.

"Don't let them leave," orders Carter. The Prometheus II opens fire and annihilates the ship. As the fireball consumes the ship, the entire crew of Prometheus II cheers.

Dr. Keller walks onto the bridge just in time to see the fireball dissipate. Captain Gordon gets up and kisses him with a great embrace. "We did it, Wallace," she says hugging him. "Yes, we did Zoë."

"And it couldn't have been done without any of you," Carter says. "Thank you, Dr. Keller for all of your help on this flight."

"It was no problem Colonel," says Keller.

"Captain, would you like to set our course for Earth?" Carter asks.

"Yes ma'am, I would," Gordon says putting in the coordinates, "Course set."

"Major, take us home," says Carter.

Epilogue

Prometheus II flies back home to Earth and calls on all available ships to assist in the reconstruction of the planet. The Daedalus, Odyssey, Apollo, General Hammond, Scavenger, Rampage, Olympia, Olympic, Aphrodite, and Prometheus II all participate in cleanup operations and reconstruction. With under a million survivors planet-wide, it is an opportunity for a true new start for Earth's humanity. On August 23, 2114, the renamed Avenger is launched and a memorial to all who died in the invasion and ensuing battles is unveiled in the rebuilt Stargate Command. The pedestal reads: In memory of over ten billion people who were killed in an unprovoked attack on Earth and the crews of the Earth ships Tyranic, Ravager, Scuttle-Gun, Athena, and Artemis. May Earth never experience such destruction again.