AN: Sorry this one took so long to post. It went really slow for a while, and I had hoped to post it before I went on vacation but it didn't happen. Anyway, yes, I'm still around. Hope you enjoy.
"Yu was the one who went back on the treaty." Amaterasu stared at Ba'al harshly through the view screen. Sitting on her throne lightyears away.
He gave the barest of nods. And lied squarely. It was always best to play your hand close. "Yu was played. I do not yet know how. Be that as it may, whether you continue your retaliation or not, he is no more. Yu's forces are so compromised that he cannot possibly repel these invaders. All I suggest is that you let the old fool die with at least some dignity."
"Why should you intercede on his behalf?" Her brow raised curiously.
"I couldn't care less about his fate. This is on my behalf, and yours as well. The more forces these beasts have to commit to his territory, the less they have for the rest of us. Surely you can see this was their plan all along."
Amaterasu paused, shaking her head. "This was my suspicion from the start. Yu has never been known to be reckless. What is it then, Lord Ba'al, that you propose?"
He rankled at the insincerity in her tone. Ba'al could deal with the jab at his pride, for now. "Merely that you cease all actions against Yu. Keep what you have taken, of course. But press no further. Let Yu commit what little he has left to stalling the Yuuzhan Vong."
"I shall speak to Bastet. You will know our answer soon."
Lost
Czulkang Lah clicked along the floor in his augmented armor. The vonduun muscles enhanced his own, allowing him to stand and walk. Age took its toll, and its price was always high. To be stored away in the bowels of a world ship, little more than a relic, was not how he would have chosen to spend his waning years.
He would still be warmaster if not for his own son, Tsavong Lah.
Czulkang did not begrudge his ambition. Such was the way of things. He supposed, standing here now guiding the young warriors before him was some sort of mercy. Mercy was a notion that he had little time for. But he had even less for disobedience. There was little left for him to offer in the service of his people but his accumulated knowledge and wisdom.
The gathered warriors all looked upon him with reverence. Czulkang's legacy was well proven, and well known. The flesh that showed around his rust colored armor was almost black for the mass of scars and tattoos he had collected. A tribute to his life.
He observed his students, all of whom carefully studied the model before them. Representations of Yuuzhan Vong positions and numbers as well as the defending Goa'uld forces. Vastly outnumbered, the jaffa had retreated when the hill was pressed.
"Why?" His question hung thickly in the air.
"Because they are cowards."
Decrepit as he was, the amphistaff whipped out with surprising speed. The warrior, of domain Keth, jerked at the contact and gritted his teeth. Blood ran down from the gouge in his chest. The answer had been hasty, and without thought. Assumptions were dangerous.
"It's a trap."
She had spoken to herself, almost a whisper, but in the stillness the sound carried. Czulkang's head snapped up. He eyed the female, significantly smaller than those that surrounded her. Already she was becoming something of a legend herself. He took note of the tattoo on her right shoulder. Barely proven, yet with a weathered calculation in her eye. It was his business to be aware of everything around him. Ignorance led to assumptions.
Calisa looked surprised at the attention she received. "Apologies, Honored One. I..."
Czulkang lifted his hand, silencing her. Considered punishing her for indecisiveness. Another trait he had little time for. Instead, he motioned for her to stand. "Explain."
She complied quickly, a frown forming on her features. "The hill is the best defensive position in the area. There's nowhere for them to go that wouldn't leave them wide open."
"They would rather run than die with honor," the warrior said.
Calisa shook her head immediately. For now, Czulkang overlooked her lack of deference as she addressed the warrior and not himself. Intelligence was more important to him than strict protocol. "They would rather live. While the warriors have started to push, the jaffa haven't seen particularly heavy losses yet. The only reason to abandon the hill would be to draw us into a position of their choosing."
Had the subaltern in command of the contingent shown similar judgment, this lesson would not have been so vital. Only Calisa could see it, could give the jaffa soldiers any credit of strategy or cunning.
"A trap. One that eager, ignorant warriors charged into headlong. There is no honor in an ignorant death." Czulkang observed the bowed heads of those appropriately admonished. Knew that many would still not learn the true lesson. "A certain, swift victory was stalled. The entire contingent lured into a forcefield. Contained and then neutralized. This allowed the jaffa to hold out until reinforcements arrived. The further cost to secure this world has forestalled any further operations within that sector. Never assume your enemy any less intent on victory than you."
With a curt nod, he dismissed them.
Lost
"Cha."
Calisa's heart skipped a beat. She stopped at the doorway and turned. Mentally she cursed herself, she never meant to blurt out those words. And her continued behavior could have been seen as disrespectful. Perhaps she hadn't dodged the bullet she thought she had.
"Please forgive me, Honored One, I meant no..."
"Attend me," Czulkang said, interrupting her.
Nodding, she fell into step slightly behind the old warmaster. Despite everything, he didn't exude weakness. Calisa knew he could break her in half before she could flinch, and would not hesitate to do so at the wrong provocation. But one didn't get to his station, or his age, by being rash.
She didn't dare to break the silence and simply followed his slightly hobbled gait.
"You have seen more of battle than your merits would suggest."
Calisa wasn't sure how to take his words, the tone neutral. Was it a condemnation?
He continued before she could think of an appropriate reply. "You need not defend yourself. I know well your origins."
"I serve the Warmaster." Despite the flutter in her chest, she kept her voice steady.
Czulkang stopped, forcing Calisa to cut herself short. He turned slowly and looked into her eyes. She had to force herself not to look away. "Should I doubt your loyalty?"
"No, Honored One."
"Then speak no more of it. You have knowledge of these infidels. Of these jaffa."
Calisa shook her head as they continued walking. "I don't remember it."
"The intuition still remains," he said, quickly dismissing her words. "A basic respect that sorely lacks, even among the 'wiser' of our people."
"They are infidels." She didn't know what else to say.
"And they will fight no less fiercely for it. This you understand. Perhaps your epithet is not so premature as it may seem, Ntoth."
Calisa's eyes widened. "You know about that?"
She saw the barest of smiles form on his profile.
"I value knowledge as well as strength. One is useless without the other. Consider this lesson well, Calisa of domain Cha."
Freezing where she stood, completely stunned that he would either know her name much less bother to use it, Calisa was barely able to acknowledge the dismissal. "Yes, Honored One."
She watched him walk stiffly and disappear around a bend. Czulkang Lah was one to be respected. Calisa would have known that simply by looking at him, even without the stories she had heard. He exuded confidence and purpose. Honed his craft to a fine edge, one could easily see the calculation in his eyes. If one dared to look into them.
His endorsement was nothing to scoff at.
Calisa eventually regained her senses and went to the mess. Saunak immediately caught her gaze, eying her curiously. She took her food and sat down.
"I didn't expect you to return in one piece," Saunak said.
"Me neither." Her heartrate still hadn't leveled.
Saunak's brow raised. "You're fortunate, he would have been well within his rights to punish you."
"I know," Calisa said. "I know."
She certainly hadn't tried to get herself into trouble.
"Then what did he want?"
"I think, I think he was sizing me up."
Saunak considered this. "To have Czulkang Lah's attention... this is either very good or very bad."
"For now, I think it's good." Calisa burned with curiosity. The question had been plaguing her. "You and Czulkang, are you related?"
"We are both of domain Lah. No more."
"And the current warmaster? He is domain Lah, too."
Saunak nodded. "Tsavong Lah, son of Czulkang."
"Does that happen often? Consecutive warmasters from the same domain?"
"It is uncommon. To pass along bloodlines rarer still. Neither are to be underestimated."
"No," Calisa agreed. Certainly if Czulkang was anything to go by, his son must also have a formidable mind.
Saunak cocked her head. "Why do you ask all these questions?"
"Because," Calisa said, frowning to herself, "I also value knowledge."
Saunak only looked at her, but Calisa didn't bother to explain herself.
Lost
Nom Anor was intrigued when his spies contacted him. A servant of Ba'al reached out, attempting to communicate with the Yuuzhan Vong. What, he wondered, could the Goa'uld have to say? Pride was not lacking in him, and Nom Anor could tell it was not entirely misplaced. No, this one would not capitulate so easily.
Which meant Ba'al must have something he thought of value.
The villip had been passed to Ba'al's representative with instructions on its use. Nom Anor had considered poison, in case his time was wasted, but he had refrained. His concession to the Goa'uld's boldness, the one and only favor he would grant. Nom Anor was not without a sense of fairness.
It was several days before the villip pulsed. When Nom Anor activated the creature, he stared at the female face of Ba'al's Lotar. He scowled.
"You are not Ba'al."
"My master is here. I speak his words as they are spoken to me."
"Prudent," Nom Anor said. "But my patience is thin. Do not strain it."
Her head nodded slightly to words Nom Anor couldn't hear. The villip only transmitted the sound from the one attuned to it.
"I propose a trade."
Too bold, perhaps. No doubt bartering for his own safety. But Ba'al was also not foolish enough to offer up another System Lord to the slaughter. There was nothing else he could offer of value. "I lose interest."
"Coordinates of worlds ripe for conquest. The inhabitants are primitive, and will offer no meaningful resistance."
"Why then are they unclaimed?" Nom Anor was immediately skeptical. There was an ulterior motive, but he had yet to devise it.
"Their value is negligible. And they lie too distant from any territory to be easily protected."
"Surely your stargates negate this disadvantage."
The woman frowned. "Stargates can be blockaded, and then they would be defenseless. You may go to these worlds and observe for yourself. I'm sure you will find them... suitable."
"And the price of these coordinates?"
"Withdraw from my territory."
Nom Anor's response was immediate. "No."
"One cannot be blamed for trying. Then, a cease fire. For a time."
"We will consider your proposal." Nom Anor deactivated his villip.
What was his game?
Lost
The al'kesh streaked overhead, dropping its lethal charges. Calisa dove to the ground and felt the shockwave tear over her. She was assaulted by an instant of searing heat. Warriors streaked through the air.
Calisa stood, covered with dirt. Jaffa were streaking down the hill, charging the fractured line. Too many to fight. Not there in the open, and not with the al'kesh readying for another pass. She looked for the subaltern and saw no signs of her. Then she looked for Saunak.
"Fall back!"
Few heeded her call. Calisa didn't intend to die there, not if there was a better option. She ignored those who stayed, running to the thick forest. Use the jaffa's tactics against them.
She saw Saunak on the ground ahead. The chest plate of her armor was shattered where shrapnel had struk, the thick shell radiating cracks like a pane of glass. Blood, both of the armor and Saunak herself leaked around the pieces. Calisa kneeled down, rolling Saunak from her side to her back.
"You better not be dead."
"I told you I am not glass." There was ample pain in her voice.
Calisa shook her head, not particularly amused. "At the moment the resemblance is uncanny."
She pulled Saunak up, difficult considering the difference in size. Saunak expressed her pain in a roar of anger.
"Help me," Calisa said to a nearby warrior. He hesitated a moment before grabbing Saunak's other arm.
"We shouldn't run."
"Our only chance lies under cover. Out here, if the jaffa don't pick us off, that al'kesh will."
As they crossed the treeline the al'kesh screamed overhead. Trees exploded, as well as the two warriors that had been directly below its path. Shrapnel flew out and embedded into trees with lethal force. Those trees not incinerated bent back violently, threatening to snap from their very roots. The blossoming wave of heat was staggering.
Calisa barely noticed the sting of the large splinter that grazed her cheek. Her masquer oozed a milky gray blood, it's cilia absorbing most of her own before it could fall.
Shouts from the jaffa echoed out, still not yet in the woods. She could hear the al'kesh as it banked once more. The thick canopy would provide concealment, but it wouldn't stop the bombing. It needed to be dealt with. Unfortunately they had nothing that could even think to touch it.
"What is your plan?" Saunak's voice was tight.
Calisa glanced over her shoulder, saw a few flashes of silver gaining. "Still working on it." The next was for all the survivors. "Keep spread out!"
Raising her right hand in her wake, Calisa fired the Yuuzhan'ntoth. Twigs, branches, and the thick layer of leaves blew back in the wave. Jaffa raised their arms to fend off the cloud. It didn't stop them, but bought her a few more seconds. Now it was all about buying time.
The next shock of heat was almost close enough to push her back to the ground. She clenched her jaw.
Staff blasts sizzled through the air. Many stopped by trees as they weaved and juked. The al'kesh backed off. They couldn't afford to sacrifice their own forces in bombings just to take out a couple dozen stragglers. In her mind, though, they called off the air assault too soon. Calisa was hardly going to complain about it.
Not that the jaffa behind her were any less deadly. The vonduun armor could only turn so much. She frowned at the passing forest.
"We need to find better cover."
The sun was beginning its descent in the sky.
Lost
Daniel stood before the Curia. Jack sat at the table behind him, drumming his fingers idly. Teal'c observed silently. Honestly, they had known the answer before coming. But to hear them say it out loud...
"We have made our position on such matters abundantly clear," High Chancellor Travell said.
Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose. "We're talking about a conflict that is slowly engulfing the known galaxy. It isn't just going to end with the Goa'uld."
"You do not know that for certain."
"They're religious zealots. You think they're going to be happy spreading their message to just some of us?"
Daniel recalled the reports from the Tok'ra. The ritual slaughter of Yu's jaffa on Yannoth, and their larval Goa'uld. It was a clear message. Convert or die.
Fanatics were never satisfied with just some, they needed all.
Another member of the council spoke, a man whose name Daniel hadn't bothered to remember. "We aren't soldiers. What would you have us do?"
Jack leaned back in his chair, speaking before Daniel could respond. "Oh, I don't know. Something. Anything. Get off your collective asses and contribute."
"Jack," Daniel said. He knew the other man had lost all patience long before then, but he was doing anything but helping the matter.
"Colonel O'Neill." Travell's voice was sharp.
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. I'm already gone." Jack stormed out.
"High Chancellor..." Daniel didn't know how he could salvage this. He figured the attempt had been doomed from the start.
"Doctor Jackson, we have heard your arguments. While we understand your concerns, and sympathize with them, we cannot help you in this matter."
Daniel's mouth hung open as he watched them file out of the room.
Teal'c stood up beside him. "Their reaction is not surprising."
"No," Daniel said. "But it is unfortunate."
"Indeed."
Narim came out from the wings. His face was drawn, as it had been since they told him about Sam. "I'm sorry you couldn't get what you wanted."
"Yeah, me too."
They exited the chamber, finding Jack pacing the hallway.
"What the hell was that?" Daniel said.
"That?" Jack motioned back to the other room. "A giant waste of our goddamn time is what that was."
"Insulting them isn't going to help."
"Pretty please wasn't working, either."
"They do have a point," Narim said. "We are not fighters. There is no practical way for us to intercede."
Jack frowned at him. "Maybe. But you guys sure are quick to dismiss the idea altogether. Earth can't exactly contribute much, but we're still helping the Tok'ra track battle lines."
Daniel frowned as Jack headed to the stargate. He shook Narim's hand. "It's good to see you, Narim. Despite everything."
Lost
They were shrouded in darkness. Crouched in a small hollow, beset on all sides. There were perhaps twenty warriors left of the group. Staff blasts were the only illumination under the shroud of trees. While they all had lambent crystals that could be activated to provide light, Calisa didn't figure it was wise to paint individual targets over their heads. Thud bugs prevented the jaffa from advancing too close. That and the regular blasts from the Yuuzhan'ntoth.
But it wouldn't hold them back forever. Either they would finally choose to advance, or pull back and get the al'kesh to finish the job. Sooner than later, she knew. This had already gone on far too long.
Saunak still managed to throw her thud bug. Calisa wondered just how bad her injury was, but Saunak had never let her check it. Remembering her words made Calisa crack the barest of smiles.
"I am still able to fight. Leave it at that."
One of the warriors hissed. "There is no honor in this."
"Wait," Calisa said. She opened her armor, peeling it off as quickly as she could.
Saunak's voice held more strength than it had in a long time. "What are you doing?"
"I have an idea."
"Suicide?"
"No," Calisa said. But, it could very well be just that. She was taking a huge gamble. "Activate the lambent crystals, all of them. Turn them on full."
Saunak was incredulous. "You really are intent on suicide."
Wearing only the living garments that were under her vonduun crab armor, the Yuuzhan'ntoth, and her ooglith masquer, she spoke sharply.
"Do it."
The sudden abundance of light was blinding. Calisa wasted no time, couldn't afford to. She pressed the ridge of the ooglith at the side of her nose, and it began to free itself from her.
"Jaffa!" She screamed the word as she stood. Both to indimidate as well as mask her own pain. She ripped at the ooglith, tearing the cilia from her pores before they could properly free themselves. The rough action tore at her own skin, coating Calisa in her own blood.
The jaffa had stopped firing from the start, confused. Their eyes widened, it appeared to them as if she were ripping off her own flesh.
She invoked the Slayer at the top of her lungs. She said anything she could think of, because she knew they didn't understand her and they would find the language terrifying. Calisa conjugated verbs. She said complete gibberish. She went through the names of all the domains that she knew.
The ooglith was now pooled on the ground. Calisa continued to walk forward, out of the meager protection. Barely aware of her actions. She kept her face hard, let them see nothing. Everything depended on her being fearless. Ruthless.
A jaffa finally found his wits. "Jaffa, kree!"
She didn't even notice that her knife had somehow found its way into her hand. Didn't realize she was still speaking. All conscious thought seemed to fade.
The jaffa raised their staff weapons at the command. And fired. The hiss of energy drowned out Saunak's shout.
Calisa still stood, the personal shield rippling around her before fading. Jaffa stood completely stunned. She shot the Yuuzhan'ntoth with a feral yell and charged, jaffa cracked heavily against trees. The warriors behind her gave their own roar and followed.
The jaffa in front of her screamed pitifully, terrified. Bloodied and wild, she tackled him to the ground. Stabbed him repeatedly as his arms remained trapped beneath his weapon. Standing, the Yuuzhan'ntoth crushed her next victim into a tree. He crumpled to the ground, dead instantly.
Death littered the ground around Calisa. She was oblivious to it. Oblivious to their shouts of horror. Jaffa begged her for mercy, but she couldn't hear them.
Lost
Saunak limped behind, trying to keep up. The other warriors attacked what they could, but Calisa left very little for them in her wake. She lashed out mindlessly with both Yuuzhan'ntoth and coufee. Covered in blood, less and less of it her own, Calisa appeared demonic. Acted as though possessed.
She didn't understand the jaffa tongue, but Saunak knew pleas for mercy when she heard them. And knew full well they fell on deaf ears. Calisa hacked, slashed, eviscerated.
The remaining jaffa finally fled, crying out in terror.
Calisa continued walking deliberately. As though still on a mission. The warriors watched her with a mix of fear and awe. The enemy was gone though. There was nothing left for her to attack.
Saunak rushed forward, felt the tightness in her chest explode with each step. She ignored it.
"Calisa, they are gone."
She got no reaction. Calisa was muttering under her breath. Saunak couldn't tell if she was speaking Yuuzhan Vong, or if they were actual words to begin with.
"Calisa. Ntoth. Cha!" Saunak tried every address she could come up with and got nothing. She tried to grab Calisa's shoulder, but couldn't get a grip for the slick blood. Where blood smeared Calisa's skin appeared even more pale than she remembered it.
Saunak moved in front of Calisa. Not knowing what else to do, she slapped her hard across the face. Calisa staggered back and blinked as the fugue finally snapped. Saunak could see her muscles tremble.
"They are gone." Saunak repeated the words through clenched teeth.
"What?"
"The jaffa have retreated."
Calisa looked around her. At the corpses. At the other Yuuzhan Vong who seemed unsure if it was safe to approach. Seeing for the first time.
A group of coralskippers cut through the air overhead. Reinforcements were coming.
"What did you do?" Saunak said. There was no horror for her. She had seen death before, and she was hardly concerned with the ends of her enemies. What she had witnessed was godly.
"What I had to." Calisa's voice was weak. She swayed.
Saunak had never seen Calisa use the Yuuzhan'ntoth over such a prolonged period. It must have taken its toll. "Sit down. You don't look well."
"I'm fine." Her reply was automatic. Her fainting only slightly less so.
Beckoning over one of the warriors, Saunak spoke. "Carry her, we will meet up with the reinforcements."
Lost
The stargate activated briefly. One single thud against the closed iris before the wormhole disengaged once more. No more than a few seconds, and Daniel knew instantly that it wasn't good. He had only happened to be passing by at the time. Hammond looked at him before calling for the stargate to be analyzed.
Even as Siler and his team were searching for a radioactive signature, Daniel knew it would be Vong related. Everything was these days. The only question that remained was which ally it was.
"What we got?" Jack said as he entered the control room. Teal'c was just behind him.
"Not sure yet. Someone's trying to contact us."
Jack frowned. "You sure?"
It seemed the only obvious answer. What were the chances this was just some fluke?
"The way things are going it's just a matter of time, don't you think?" Daniel said.
"Yeah."
"Earth doesn't have the resources to offer any significant assistance to our allies. If one is indeed under attack, there would be little we can do for them." Teal'c watched the tech team as he spoke.
"Well, let's wait before we go flying off the handle."
Daniel nodded, Jack was right. Maybe it wasn't what they feared after all. Though he really didn't think that that was the case.
Finally the technician at the console turned. "Sir, the readings are identical to the signal box we left at P3X-974. It's the Cimmerians."
"Cimmerians?" Daniel's eyes went wide. They were a protected planet, under the auspices of the Asgard. This didn't bode well.
The MALP had already been prepared. Hammond nodded towards the stargate. "Dial P3X-974."
Daniel expected to see chaos and destruction. The scene sent back through the probe was peaceful and serene. Gairwyn's expression, however, was not. She eyed the camera impatiently.
"Gairwyn, what's wrong?" Daniel said.
"Doctor Jackson," she said, recognizing his voice, "we need your help. Demons have arrived from the sky. They demand our surrender or we will be destroyed."
"They haven't attacked yet?" Jack said. It did seem curious. The Yuuzhan Vong weren't big into talking first and killing later.
Gairwyn shook her head. "We have until nightfall to make our decision."
It was after noon already judging by the light.
"What about the Asgard?" Hammond said. "Have you contacted them?"
"I have just returned from the Hall of Thor's Might. He is silent."
It wasn't much of a surprise, they had been trying to contact the Asgard for months now. But without their intervention...
"You need to evacuate," Daniel said. If they stayed, they'd either be killed or worse.
Gairwyn looked at the probe desperately. "There isn't enough time. We cannot possibly warn the nearby villages and return before then."
Jack turned to Hammond. "We can hold them off, buy them some time."
"Colonel, we don't even know what we're dealing with."
"Neither do they," Jack said. "These guys are expecting some primitive yokels, not us. We just need to try to keep the stargate clear for a while, give them a chance."
It was a fool's mission. They couldn't even be sure the Yuuzhan Vong would come down with troops. Daniel agreed with Jack, though, they had to try to help in any way they possibly could.
"General, I think it's worth a shot. We can give the Hall another chance in the meantime." Daniel looked at the man in earnest.
Teal'c nodded slightly in his agreement. "Do we not have a device capable of scanning into orbit? That we may better know what we face."
Hammond was silent for a time. He looked between the three of them, carefully contemplating. Daniel knew that he wanted to help as much as any of them, but he also had other concerns to weigh besides his own feelings.
"I'll get Sergeant Siler on it. You will coordinate with SG-3. And you will return immediately if the situation warrants it. Don't get yourselves killed for nothing."
Jack nodded. "Yes, sir."
Jack then keyed the communications on the MALP. "We're on our way, Gairwyn. Start rounding everybody up."
They gathered their gear in silence and went through the stargate as soon as they were able. SG-3 remained there to keep an eye out and to begin evacuating those already at the gate. Women and children mostly.
"The Asgard have not responded to us. What makes you believe you will fare any different?" Gairwyn said as they walked.
Daniel shrugged. "Just hoping. We can't do much for your people, maybe stall the Yuuzhan Vong for a time. Maybe. The Asgard could do more."
"We know. And we are grateful for all that you are doing for us now."
He nodded. What else was there to say? Soon Siler should send through the scanner and they'd be able to tell if they could actually be of any help. Daniel wasn't sure what a handful of people were supposed to do against an army. Even then SG-3 would be beginning to set up a perimeter. Claymores, defensive positions. Hopefully it would be enough to buy them a few hours, at the very least. Save that many more people.
The Hall of Thor's Might was dimly lit. Daniel walked straight to the console, no longer hidden as it once had been. With trepidation he moved the control stone into position. He walked onto the holographic projector.
Daniel looked across an empty room. The hall where the Asgard high council met held nothing but his frowning image. Spinning, he took in the dark room, his projection casting most of the light there was.
"Hello?" He listened to his voice echo. "Is anybody here? Thor?"
There was no response, no acknowledgement at all of his presence. Where was everyone?
"If you can hear me, we could really use your help right now. Cimmeria is under attack. We're trying to get as many out as we can... but we can't get them all. Hello?"
With his face tightly drawn, Daniel stepped off the pad. "No one's there."
"Gathered that," Jack said. He nodded to the exit. "Let's go, we've got work to do."
Lost
The sensor sweep had picked up one object in low orbit. About three times bigger than an al'kesh, but nothing like the large ships they had seen before. The Yuuzhan Vong really wouldn't need much against axes and arrows, anyway. If that was all there was, then maybe they could accomplish something. It wouldn't be much, Jack thought bitterly. It wouldn't be nearly enough, but at least it would be something.
He frowned as the sky darkened. Jack looked through the positions. SG-1 took the left flank, and SG-3 held the right. About thirty Cimmerians were interspersed amongst them, holding the weapons they had been given awkwardly. It was a start. Jack could see another group trickling down the hills.
"Colonel O'Neill." Major Wade pointed up to the growing dot in the sky.
The ship landed in the valley a mile away, the only clearing large enough for its massive bulk. A smaller object had broken from it and streaked towards them. It was a small transport that could hold about a dozen people. This one landed perhaps a hundred yards from their position and quickly disgorged its charges.
Ten warriors stood at the base of the ship, one wearing a mask as black as his armor. As he approached their position, Jack saw that the mask was simple unlike the warrior they had seen on P4C-483, save the two prominent horns that curled up from the crown. The warrior and his contingent stopped less than a hundred feet away.
"Where is your leader?" The Yuuzhan Vong's voice carried easily over the distance.
Gairwyn stood, shrugging out of Daniel's grip as he tried to keep her down. She had insisted on helping in the defense. Jack tightened his grip on his P90.
"I am here."
"You make a grave mistake on this day. Submit to the Truth we offer, or be devoured by it."
Gairwyn shook her head. "We are slaves to none."
He then turned his attention to the SG teams. "You are not of this world."
"No," Jack said. "But we've grown rather fond of the guys."
"You will die with the rest then."
Jack muttered to himself mostly. "We'll see about that."
He lined up the shot with speed and efficiency. The burst of armor piercing rounds tore through the chest plate with minimal resistance. The masked warrior collapsed to the ground even as the other warriors began to scramble, trying to take cover behind whatever they could find. Gunfire filled the air, downing two more before they could duck behind trees or rocks.
It was satisfying to know that their weapons actually worked. The thud bugs were deflected off of their improvised cover. It was easy enough to keep the remaining warriors pinned, but that would only hold until their friends arrived.
Jack watched the Cimmerians continue to approach, circling wide to avoid the fray.
"Daniel, get the gate," Jack said as soon as they were close. The other man immediately went and dialed the stargate. He motioned the group through once his IDC was verified.
Scattered groups of Cimmerians broke through the trees first, screaming as they ran for their lives. Countless warriors streamed after them. Stragglers dropped quickly, the Yuuzhan Vong not even slowing as they merely trampled the unfortunate.
They fired at the wall of armor, trying to slow their advance. Against the numbers it amounted to very little. When the wave of Cimmerians were far enough through, Jack shouted.
"Get down!"
He watched them dive to the ground in the fading light. The first line of claymores was detonated, shredding through the line of Yuuzhan Vong. Warriors merely climbed over the bodies of the fallen and continued.
The ship ascended over the hills, quickly approaching their position. The next line of claymores went off.
"Gate, now!"
Jack fired into the rapidly approaching ranks. Only one more line of claymores remained. As that too went off he felt the wave of heat wash over him. The Yuuzhan Vong were about to climb over their cover. Daniel had only just finished dialing the gate, not yet able to key in the code.
Lighting up brilliantly, the ship fired it's molten cannons at the gate. Even if Daniel had opened the iris, they'd never be able to cross the distance in time, and even if they could the blast would just follow them through.
"Run!" Jack yelled uselessly, out of instinct. A flash of light engulfed him, and he found his words echoing lewdly in the confines of the Asgard ship.
The bridge was cramped with Cimmerians and the two SG teams. They gasped among themselves, unsure what to make of the current situation.
He could see the Yuuzhan Vong ship through the screen. It released a salvo against the larger Asgard ship. None of it penetrated the shields. The first return shot was absorbed within the artificial singularities, but they were quickly overwhelmed. The second shot pierced straight through the ship, nearly cracking it in two. It was quickly dispatched.
Jack watched the teleportation beam sweep over the mass of Yuuzhan Vong with disappointment. They deserved far worse.
With the threat over, Jack turned to Thor. The residual adrenaline left a sharp bite in his words. "You guys really need to check your messages more often."
Thor's glassy eyes blinked once. "I apologize for my tardiness, O'Neill."
"We've been trying to contact you for a long time." Daniel spoke before Jack had a chance to rail.
"The situation in our home galaxy with the Replicators has been dire."
"Not so hot over here, either," Jack said. He swept a hand to the view screen to illustrate his point.
"No," Thor said, "it is regrettable that we have been unable to respond prior to now."
"Well, now that you are here, why don't you send these guys packing?" Jack said.
"We are unable to commit the resources necessary for such an endeavor. One ship cannot eliminate an entire flotilla."
"One ship?" Jack paced through the mass of bodies. "You've gotta be kidding me."
It was a cruel joke. So they were all still doomed anyway. For all their effort, this is what they got?
"I wish it were otherwise." Thor's voice lowered almost imperceptibly. "But I will do all I can to assist."
"What have you done with the Yuuzhan Vong soldiers?" Teal'c said.
"They are confined within the Biliskner's hold."
Good, Jack thought. "Let's go have a chat."
Thor nodded. With a movement of his hand across the console, Jack found himself standing in the hold with Thor and the rest of SG-1. Staring at raging Yuuzhan Vong through the transparent forcefield. Railing and shouting, they punched the barrier or swiped at it with their weapons. All of the efforts were in vain. Others gouged at the walls behind them, barely scratching the alloy that comprised the ship.
"Hey, hey!" Jack said. "Behave!"
They paid no attention to him. The Yuuzhan Vong only stilled when a shout of "kaza" boomed from within the group. Another masked warrior emerged from the group, slightly smaller and apparently female, her armor a deep red. Her eyes appeared as black orbs through the mask, her expression hidden. Thin tendrils swept back from the mask like a mane, falling below her shoulders.
"You understand me?"
"I do," she said with a snarl.
"Why do you come to this world?" Thor said.
She peered down at his frail form. Even without expression the disdain was obvious. However, she said nothing.
"Not gonna cooperate? Fine with me," Jack said. He welcomed the excuse. Maybe they'd feel different if they got back some of their own.
The Yuuzhan Vong peeled off her mask. The scars and tattoos beneath creased with her expression. She snarled through frayed lips. Stopped mere inches from the energy barrier between them. "Grash na Yun-Yammka. Do-ro'ik vong pratte!"
The warriors around her shouted, taking up the call. She exhaled heavily, the air around her suddenly oily black. They jumped back defensively, but the cloud was stopped by the forcefield. Within moments it had engulfed the entire area. As they inhaled it, warriors grasped at their throats. Ragged gurgles brought up foaming blood. Wide eyes became impossibly bloodshot as they collapsed to the floor.
The female was the only one still standing. She stared at Jack through the thick cloud defiantly.
"Glory to the Slayer." She inhaled deliberately, quickly succumbing to the toxin like all the rest.
Jack could only stare at the pile of bodies within the barrier.
"The containment field is holding. Her poison has not penetrated into the life support system." Thor manipulated the console.
The black cloud quickly settled, falling to the floor. A layer of black dust covered the floor and the corpses that now littered it. There was a lingering silence.
"I think that was meant for us, too," Daniel said.
Jack nodded, still shook. "Yeah. They can do that?"
"So it would seem," Teal'c said.
Thor stepped forward, looking up between them. "I will return you to Earth, then I must take the Cimmerians to safety."
Lost
Calisa laid on her side, staring blankly at the wall of the ship. Her wounds were minor, hidden beneath her ooglith. It only burned slightly, but Calisa didn't pay attention to the sensation. She wasn't sure how long she had slept. If it weren't for the uneasiness that filled her she could sleep longer still. It wasn't horror, or even shock, which she expected. It was a bone deep emptiness that left her unsettled.
Hadn't she wished for these unbidden thoughts to end? So why then did she feel like she had lost something... important. Crossed a line that couldn't be undone.
Someone entered the chamber. Calisa remained still, hoping whoever it was would assume she was still asleep and leave. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts.
The footsteps stopped behind her. A tight draw of breath as she sat made Calisa realize that it was Saunak. She still didn't react, hoping futilely that the woman was fooled.
"I know you are awake." The pain in her voice was evident.
"I'm tired," Calisa said by way of dismissal.
"You will have to endure." There was no amusement. At her silence, Calisa finally turned. Apparently it was what Saunak was waiting for and she continued. "Do you believe me now? You are blessed by the gods."
Blessed? She didn't feel blessed. "I did what had to be done. That's it."
Saunak just looked at her, not accepting the statement as an argument against her claims. But it's what Calisa clung to, there had been no other options. No other way.
Calisa sighed, resigned. There was also no arguing with Saunak. "Are we done?"
"No. The Commander has summoned you. He means to escalate you, Calisa. Subaltern."
Her eyes went wide. "What? Already?"
"You tore through the enemy almost single-handed." Saunak reminded. "And you are plainly suited for leadership."
Calisa couldn't respond. She watched Saunak stand, one arm clutched tightly across the bandage that peeked out of her tunic. The mossy fibers secreted chemicals that aided in healing. It was also self-cleaning and did not need to be changed. But as was custom with the Yuuzhan Vong, it did nothing to ease the pain.
"Come," Saunak said through clenched teeth. "He will not want to be kept waiting."
She followed Saunak through the corridors. Subaltern? Command over her own group of warriors. After just a few battles, it didn't seem right. Calisa could hardly refuse, though.
She barely had the presence of mind to salute as they entered the large bridge of the worldship. Warriors stood sharply around the entry and the dais in the middle of the room. Statues to the gods lined the walls. There were several stations manned by Yuuzhan Vong. Cognition hoods draped over their heads to allow them to interface with the ship, connected to the station by thin tendrils. Sensors, propulsion, weapons, whatever was their charge. Able to command the ship with a mere thought.
The transparent membrane that comprised over half of the room revealed the speckled blanket of space.
Commander Nola Keth stood at the dais with Prefect Zai Gal, speaking with her in hushed tones. While not of the warrior caste, intendants such as Zai Gal and Executor Nom Anor were often deeply intertwined with military forces. As the governing caste, they dealt with resource allocation and day-to-day affairs. Essentially the politicians of their species. And with their influence and power, they were uniquely suited for espionage and subversion.
The Prefect gave a small nod to the Commander, breaking off their conversation. She looked at Calisa, appearing intrigued. "Word already spreads through the infidels of what you have done here, Calisa of domain Cha." Zai Gal gave a predatory smile. "They fear you."
She wasn't sure what to say. Thankfully the Commander spoke and saved her the trouble.
"We will use this to crush their spirit. Your mere presence on the battlefield will strike dread into our enemies."
It made more sense to her now. They wanted her to be more visible. More imposing. Then if that's what they wanted from her, then that's what she'd do. "Yes, Commander."
Zai Gal clasped her hands together in satisfaction. "I have requested the shapers to specially create your Subaltern mask. Something that will... distinguish you."
