It seemed the Genii posted guards. Not very good guards, but guards none the less.
Five men at staggered points around the village.
It was very dark, and they could barely see a metre in front of them.
The first man peered into the black under growth. He definitely couldn't see anything.
He turned around, looking back at the huts of the village, wishing he was in them, drinking and having fun.
He felt something on his boot then.
He looked down to see what it was. To his amazement, he saw a hand feeling his boot laces.
The second it took him to realise what was happening was too long. The Gurkha, who had felt the boots to make sure he was taking out an enemy and not one of the Marines in the dark, drew his kukri back once.
The same happened to the other four men, two more falling to Gurkhas and two to Fairburn-Sykes commando knives.
The perimeter clear, the Earth forces moved in.
Macara stationed his four minimi's and his Gurkha crewed GPMGs so all were facing the doors they had watched the Genii come and go from most. Other Marines and Gurkhas spread round the huts, entering those they had identified as civilian only.
Macara checked his timepiece. Thirteen seconds.
The last men were in place, their orders precise. If it didn't have a weapon, or Genii clothing, it didn't get shot.
"Stand by," he whispered into his radio. "Stand by," again.
3...2....1
"Go go go!" he called.
A flare went up, lighting the whole village.
The first tipsy Genii staggered out, weapons not quite ready.
A Gurkha minimi scythed them down.
From the 'barrack' huts, as Rai had dubbed them, more Genii ran out. These too were gunned down quickly and efficiently, the Gurkhas showing no mercy.
Marines and Gurkhas, in the civilian huts, protecting the villagers, fired from the windows into the 'pub', bringing down any genii they saw.
After about thirty Genii had ran outside and been killed or injured in the first minute and forty-three seconds of the Ambush. The rest decided to stay inside and make a fight of it. Their SMGs fired back, the 9mm rounds making a mockery of the hut walls where the Gurkhas and Marines hid.
The 5.56 belched back, and the Genii, most tired, many drunk, were losing.
"Advance!" Macara radioed, and groups of four, mixed between Gurkhas and green tops, cleared the buildings. Smoke grenades and flashbangs were thrown, and more Genii fell. It was quick and clinical.
One Gurkha was shot in the chest, falling in a heartbeat. The three men in the building didn't get a chance to do much else as a sergeant and several Gurkha riflemen charged in, Kukri's raised.
A Marine was wounded in the hip next to Macara, and landed on the ground with a thud.
"Give me the minimi," the injured man said to Macara's gunner, switching for his rifle. "I'll cover from here,"
The major nodded then moved on quickly.
He crashed through the door of the next room, and fired at the two armed figures inside. He ushered Ronon and three marines in.
He heard then a familiar voice.
"Cease fire!" Trang bellowed from his place chained to the wall.
Macara stopped short and took in the whole sight.
Four injured scientists and Trang were tethered in the room, being treated by a small, pretty villager.
"Ronon, secure the prisoners, please. I'm going on."
Ronon went to protest, but Macara gave him a look that even Ronon wouldn't argue with.
The last defenders were holed up in the 'pub', with angry Gurkhas encroaching closer and closer.
Macara bellowed for a cease fire, then called inside.
"Surrender now and we will spare you. Our laws of combat do not allow us to kill prisoners."
The answer he got in return was less colloquial. It was followed by gunfire.
"Guess I got my answer then. Corporal, grenades!"
Three frag were thrown inside. Macara didn't want to use them, but this had to end, now.
Rai led a fireteam through the door, and Macara heard a few shots fired. Then, nine Genii ran out, hands in the air, and stopped before his Marines. Macara smiled. If there was one thing you never did, it was piss off a Gurkha.
The major entered the hut and stood with Rai.
"Where's their leader?" he asked. He hadn't seen him, but had recognised the voice from the beach as the one that had replied to his offer of surrender.
"Don't know, sir. We're looking now...." Rai fell sort as a pistol round took him in the back. On the ground in the hut, an injured man had a pistol.
Mertan.
"This is only the beginning!" Mertan howled.
Macara emptied the magazine into him. "And now, it's finished."
Rai struggled to a sitting position. He was in pain, winded, but the round had skimmed of the hilt of his kukri, shattering it.
"Bastardd broke my kukri!" he coughed as he regained his composure.
Macara smiled and embraced the small warrior happily.
"Police the area," he ordered. "I'm going to see Trang."
"So, in short, sir, she should come with us," Trang said. The SF major was speaking of the girl, Lorrelle. "She kept us safe."
"But this is your home, " Macara said. "Don't you want to stay here?"
Lorrelle blushed, but then told him of what befell her.
"You mean you're the girl form mission file 376-Epsilon?"
"If that means you know about this incident, then yes," was the simple reply.
"We should take her back, Nathan."
Macara paused. "She has great local knowledge, knows plants and herbs from all over. Her experience will be invaluable." Trang said again.
Nathan relented, though he got the feeling that Vic Trang and taken a shine to the pretty face and friendly personality as much as the medicinal experience. But the argument was good enough. Macara could see that Lorrelle would come in useful to the expedition.
"Right, we take her back, and we take the prisoners and wounded. But we go out tonight."
"Sir! Sir!" Rai's sergeant ran in quickly. "Sahib, we found this on the leader."
The small NCO handed a sheaf of papers to the Scottish major.
Macara read the top one quickly. His eyes widened.
It was a plan for an assault on the Atlantis alpha site, before continuing on to the city itself. They had planned every detail, including how to assault the Alpha site without them alerting Atlantis, and how to use the IDC to get into the city.
He showed it to Ronon and Trang.
"We go now. Sheppard has to hear this."
Within twenty minutes, the Gurkhas and Marines were on their way back to the gate, Lorrelle and prisoners in tow.
Major Trang brushed off some dirt and blood of his shoulder and vest, there was much to be done and little time to do so. Macara gave him a carbine and a pistol, an L22A2 and a Sig P226.
"Glad to see your still one piece, Vic. But you think the IOA would be pretty pissed with their scientists dead?" Macara muttered to Trang.
"They fought hard, Nate. I just can't believe the Genii killed them all. And I don't know why they didn't kill me."Trang replied.
"You are an officer, they obviously thought you knew something of value. To be honest, I can't remember you knowing anything of value. Ever." Macara sarcastically replied
"Laugh it up, Limey, laugh it up," Trang muttered, grinning.
The fire team left the camp and by the time they got to the gate. The DHD was busted, a few bullet holes in it.
"Shit!" Macara yelled and kicked the broken DHD, "And the Jumper is already blown! Bloody Hell!"
Trang looked at the surroundings and noticed the ground...full of tracks.
"Dammit...I would say around 50 men went through that gate....but where? They wouldn't attack the Alpha Site with only 50 men and let alone no IDC."
"When is the next radio checkup?" Macara asked Quincannon.
"1 hour..." the CSM replied.
"Damn, we'll have to wait this out then." Macara muttered.
The gate suddenly burst into action. The dials hummed, and the wormhole exploded outward for an instant, before settling into the ring. The fire teams turned and trained their weapons into the gate and then radio chatter went off. It was Atlantis.
"You're early," Macara muttered.
"Sheppard wanted an extra check in, major, knowing you were going into combat," Weir's voice came across his radio.
"That was pretty damned smart, actually," Macara said to himself. "We need a pair of Jumpers, ma'am. The DHD is down,"
"It'll be about half an hour before we can send one through, major. I'll have to round up a pilot, and get two that are still working," Weir replied. "Is there anything else?"
"As a matter of fact…." Macara said, launching into a full story of what the Genii had planned.
Weir announced that she was sending Sheppard to Alpha site, and that Macara was to join him as soon as possible. The gate went dead then, and Macara turned to his men.
"You've got an easy half hour. Make the most of it,"
Ronon sat in the passenger area of the first Jumper, looking at Lorrelle for several long minutes as they waited for the second Jumper to arrive.
"I thought we put you all on P2X 386?"
Lorrelle shrugged uncomfortably.
"They didn't want you to have any way of finding them so we moved on again." She muttered.
Ronon just shook his head.
"And look at the trouble you got yourselves into. "Do you know anything about these rogue Genii?" Ronon asked next.
Macara came back from the pilot's area. "Get ready to go through the gate." He warned them
Ronon waited for an answer from Lorrelle
"All I know is there a lot of them, well, before you arrived here tonight, and they don't like you very much."
Ronon went to reply, but the jumper was already being pulled through the gate...
"Why the hell are we in Atlantis?" Trang shouted as the Gurkhas and Marines stepped out of the jumper, the others on foot following through behind the machine.
Macara looked back at him calmly.
"I have twenty four able bodied troops, three dead and five injured. We are low on ammo. I would rather get more guns, more ammo and more troops then set a nice little trap for those Genii."
"But they could be there now!"
"Ah, no," a voice, rather too smug, sounded. They rounded on the arrogant face of McKay, standing with the Gate Operations staff.
"Why not?" Trang bellowed .
"Well, after your report, Sheppard got in contact with the Alpha site. No gate activity. For the moment we believe that they fled from your forces and are getting ready to attack. John went to the world to prepare. He took a ten man team. He would like Major Macara to follow as soon as possible."
"Why not Trang?" Macara wondered aloud.
Rodney gave a look that intimated that it was blindingly obvious.
"Do you command a space ship, major?"
"...No...."
"Do you have beaming tech in those ridiculously heavy Bergen's you carry around?
"...No..."
"Well, Sheppard wants Major Trang to rendezvous with the Nightcrawler on its mission to scout the Asuran planet and bring it to the alpha sight. Just in case we need her fire power. I would have thought you military types could figure something like that out?"
Macara started towards McKay, who jumped back, his smug look replaced by pure fear. Trang held an arm out to stop the Scotsman.
Trang chuckled. "Fine. I'll head through the gate to the nearest world then board Nightcrawler." Trang stalked away to find clean clothes.
Macara gathered his men round. "Get more ammo, fresh rations and uniforms. Wounded to the infirmary. Captain Rai, get twenty five of your men, including those who were with us tonight, meet me here in twenty minutes."
The men saluted and ran off to complete their business.
"Major, a word?" Weir's voice sounded.
"Shite" Macara breathed.
"Why did you not ask before bringing her back?" Weir asked angrily.
"Because I didn't," Macara replied calmly.
"She could be working for the Genii!"
Ronon stood up then, answering for the major. "We know Lorrelle. She wanted to join us before, but you wouldn't let her. Why not let her join up?"
Weir sighed. "We know nothing about her...."
"Actually, we now know a lot about Lorrelle. Not to mention how helpful she could be with the new medic who replaced Carson," Macara said. "She knows all about the various herbs and plants around Pegasus. Think how useful that would be!"
Weir sighed again. "I will interview her, and get Teyla's opinion. But you have a job to do now, Major. Get to it!"
Macara saluted sharply and walked out the room.
"Ronon, stay here." Weir asked politely.
"But I..."
"Please?" Weir gave him one of those looks. "You want Lorrelle to stay, you stay here and help me get the facts about here."
"Fine...." Ronon grumped.
Macara walked into the RM mess. "Okay, you guys are heading to Midway on your rotation out in three hours. So, that's why I am going to ask for volunteers only, to come with me and captain Rai's Gurkhas...."
All forty seven Marines capable of duty stood.
"Let me finish," Macara growled. "I need twenty men. The rest of you have no obligation to stay. You are going home for rotation. Twenty men, that's all."
The men all remained on their feet.
Macara chuckled.
"Okay. Thank you for the vote of confidence, so I'm going to choose the sections," Macara rhymed off the names. "Grab chow, ammo and Bergen's. Don't know how long we'll be there. I want minimis, LAWs and Marine Bennett, you better hope that your new L115A3 scope is as good as you say, because there are a lot of trees at alpha site.
"Yes, sir," Bennett grinned.
"The rest of you, pack and leave! Enjoy your holiday. I will see you in 3 months!" Macara said. He looked at the faces, and wondered if he'd see them all again.
"Here we go again," Quincannon groaned as the strike force went through the gate. 20 USM, brave men all, 25 RGR and the best infantry in the world, 20 RMC, went through the gate.
"Glad your here, major. We decided to abandon this camp after all," Sheppard said, pointing at the large tents being collapsed all around. "Really, we should have after the Michael incident when he found out the location of all our outposts, but this world is a good staging post and possibilities of mining material," Sheppard said, as if trying to justify their continued presence.
"So, we are going to hold off the Genii until everyone's out of here?" Macara asked.
"Yes. We also..."
"Incoming wormhole!" a USM shouted. All weapons were trained on the gate at the other end of the camp.
Nothing came through, and everyone relaxed for a moment.
Then the noise of a Dart could be heard, and before anyone could pinpoint the direction, the Dart had sped through the gate, only one City Security trooper firing his P90 in time to wing the Dart.
"Damn it! The Wraith have been spying on us the whole time!" Sheppard said a second after realisation hit him. "We're in big trouble. Dial Atlantis and get them to send Daedalus back here,"
"She'll never make it, "Macara muttered.
"If Caldwell reaches us in time, he and Trang can hold off the Wraith. Damn!" Sheppard shouted, stalking off to help pack the expensive gear.
"Captain Rai!" Macara shouted. "Get your men in a perimeter around the gate with the Yankee Marines. Anything that doesn't squawk ID get's a bullet."
"Yes, sir." Rai saluted, his face splitting with another of his ready grins
The gate flared into life, the kawoosh extending outward for an instant.
"Sheppard, here they come," Macara whispered into his radio. He received the acknowledgment clicks.
Rai's Gurkhas were spread out with some of the USMs. The other RMC and city security were all with Sheppard and some USM gunners, waiting the arrival of any air attack. They were currently divvying out AA weapons and setting up HMG positions.
The first Genii came through the gate.
"Hold fire. Wait until enough come through that the others don't simply shut down the gate," Sheppard quietly radioed. Once again, affirmation clicks, this time from Rai.
As the genii numbers grew to a dozen, then twenty, Macara gave the order.
The minimi's and GPMG opened up first, followed by the assault rifles of the troops.
The Genii didn't stand a chance. The first twenty fell in the time it took to pull the trigger once.
More came through, only to find their path blocked by a hail of bullets.
The fusillade continued for almost ten minutes, before the gate shut down.
Six or seven Genii were still alive, all wounded in some way.
"Cease fire! Medics out!" Macara called. The rest of the makeshift-platoon covered the three medics who went to help.
There was cordite and blood in the air. A small fire had started amongst some dry alien pine needles.
Macara watched his men begin to police the genii bodies, and his mind went back three years....
Back to Afghanistan....
The small convoy wound through the streets of the town in southern Helmand. It was made of two WMIKS and a pair of Vikings, with the added support of a FV510Warrior IFV(infantry fighting vehicle, for the uninitiated). The Viking was an amphibious transport, used mostly by the RM, their counterpart to the army's Mastiff.
The Royal Marine patrol group had been out for three days now. They had found nothing, and captain Macara was growing restless.
That changed quickly.
There was three loud explosions, a muffled cry of "RPG!" and then smoke, fire and pain.
Macara dragged himself from the Viking to see the side armour on the left cab. The anti-rocket grill had done a good job saving the crew, but the vehicle had still taken damage to its tracks, and wouldn't move.
Already the Marines had dispersed and were setting up a perimeter. the WMIK's were laying down a murderous support fire, and the Warrior's 30mm was pulverizing buildings were AK fire came from.
The Warrior had taken some damage too, but the RPGs had mainly bounced from its appliqué armour.
The Warrior went to the side of the immobilised Viking, ready to delivers it's transported squad into the thick of the fighting, when disaster struck.
The IED went off, taking a good portion of armoured vehicle with it. The Warrior slew to a stop, and smoke appeared from the interior. Flames licked up its side.
The rest of the Marines were already pushing the insurgents back, but it was a hellish fight.
Macara saw the back door of the Warrior quiver, but not move.
The hatch was stuck.
The captain dashed across the open ground, terrified of the IED that would go off and take him with it.
Miraculously, he reached the side of the Warrior. He could see the bent opening handle that was stopping the door moving.
With a few 'dunts' from his rifle butt, he freed the door.
Bullets racked over his position, but the captain pulled the door open.
The passengers and crew who could move dashed for cover under his order.
Grabbing one of the wounded, leaving the second man to a corporal's care, Macara dashed into the walled area next to one building the Marines had taken control of. More rounds flickered by their heads, taking pieces from the dry-mud walls.
Macara put the man down, and turned back to look at the Warrior.
The corporal had been shot in the thigh and shoulder. Both wounded were lying in the back of the burning Warrior.
Macara knew then what he had to do. He dashed out again just as a WMIK roared past, strafing a building.
The captain reached the flaming Warrior and he grabbed the more serious of the two wounded, burning his hand on the metal of the vehicle. He put the Marine into the 'fireman's carry' he had been taught at basic; passenger's left and right hands on left side of your body, hold their right leg across your body with your left arm, leaving your rifle arm free.
Except, Macara slung his rifle and grabbed the corporal by the collar.
"This is going to hurt."
The captain then dragged the two men across the fifty yards of open ground. Halfway back, three commandos came from their position to cover him, and Macara dragged the men into safety.
One marine, the one on his shoulders, died ten minutes later despite efforts of the medic and a Chinook evac.
Unfortunately, another of the crewmen inside the vehicle had been killed by the blast. Macara never the less led three more men back to the burning wreck to retrieve the body.
He then orchestrated the remaining commandos, with airsupport, in a counter-attack that broke the insurgent's hold on the town.
In the following days, Macara was reprimanded for such reckless behaviour, before being awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. The captain tried at first to refuse the award, but then accepted on behalf of his men, who were immensely proud of his achievement.
He was ashamed that two men died on the operation.
Three weeks later, Macara was assigned to the SGC to help in the new UK initiative providing troops and funds in the battle against the Ori.
Macara shook his head and looked at the Stargate. It hadn't taken a single bullet hole or chip from its surface during the firefight.
He was about to position his men around the gate again when his radio blared.
"Macara, get back to the main positions! There are Darts coming!" Sheppard's voice was steady, no panic to be heard.
"How many?" Macara asked, already marshaling his men.
"Alot."
Already he could hear the first engine note of the Wraith fighters.
"Move!" he bellowed.