Hidden under the new highly effective cloak, the new ship called Vengeance orbited the planet with the Ancient vessel within sensor range. The entire sensor drones had been destroyed by the Ancient weapons launched from the large dreadnaught as an active search of the orbit of the planet was being performed by support craft launched from the Dreadnought itself. Although the two mission teams where ordered to maintain radio silence while on the surface, the command crew of the new ship became more eager for some form of contact as each second had past.
"How long now?"
"I wish you'd stop asking me that Doctor, but its five minutes since you last asked. That makes it one hour fifteen minutes. No contact as of yet"
Nervously the communications officer sat at her console monitoring all channels too and from the planet below, suddenly the young engineer turned communications officer froze as a voice began to break past the many different channels.
"Sir, detecting a message from the surface… I can't quite clean it up"
"Let me hear it" Zelenka said eagerly.
Through the many different channels, one voice began to grow more and more dominant, a voice made the temporary commander shiver slightly.
"I know you are listening to me, it will not work. Your away team has been captured and executed; your subterfuge with that ghost fleet was detected. As you have seen from my display I have the full power of this vessel at my disposal, we are zeroing in on you position as I speak. For the good of your ship and ship and crew… give it up, once I find you… I will destroy you"
The voice was unmistakable; it was the calm yet dark and twisted voice of the O'Neill clone.
"I take it you do not want to reply?"
"Not a chance…" Zelenka replied swiftly "If we reply, he can lock onto our position. Ignore it"
Running his fingers through his hair, Zelenka sat back deeper into the chair as he clenched his fingers quickly in an attempt to hide his trembling hands.
"Oh my god… sir detecting four motherships exiting hyperspace… they are firing at the ship on the surface"
"WHAT!"
Quickly he jumped out of his seat and ran towards the sciences station as a voice broke through the speakers on the bridge.
"This is Teal'c of the New Jaffa Alliance, for the murder of Bra'tac you have been sentenced to death"
Hitting the wall before him, Zelenka looked around at the seasoned officers before him as they looked back at him for his orders. For the moment it was unclear if the away teams had been captured and killed, yet he knew that the four ships of Goa'uld design where outmatched by the power of the Ancient ship on the planet surface.
"Orders? Doctor Zelenka… orders?"
It was unclear if it was fear that had gripped him, or if it was, the fact that he was overwhelmed by what was unfolding before him as he froze to the spot. Quickly, the weapons officer jumped too her feet and began to yell out orders as she assumed command of the vessel.
"Drop the cloak, raise shields, arm all weapons… you, coms girl contact the lead ship now!"
"Yes ma'am" She replied. "Channel open"
"I am Major Amanda Dickens on board the Earth Ship Vengeance to Jaffa Fleet… STOP FIRING, We have people on the planet"
"Major, weapons fire from the surface!" Called out the science officer.
"SHIT! Launch all countermeasures; place us between that fleet and the planet"
"Tau'ri Vessel, this is none of your concern… move aside or you will be considered a legitimate target" Teal'c replied quickly.
Stepping into the centre of the bridge, she straightened her tunic as she stood tall.
"Teal'c, those weapons being launched are Lantean Drones… pull back"
"Not until we have our vengeance"
Two Jaffa vessels exploded from the surface weapons fire as the Tau'ri ship moved between them. Violently the ship rocked from side to side as drones impacted on the shields, Gliders began to launch from the remaining ships and screamed past the Earth vessel as it protected to remaining ships from the deadly weapons fire.
"Teal'c you can't win this one. Our primary shields are at 50% and falling, pull back… we'll cover you!"
"Not today Tau'ri…" He replied darkly.
Before she could reply, the communications channel ended as Dickens looked around the bridge; their position had been compromised by the actions of the Jaffa.
"Damn arrogant Jaffa…" She yelled.
"Major, the lead ship is taking hits… she can't hold out"
"Damn it!" She yelled once again. "Transport any survivors to the cargo hold and plot an escape course away from the planet"
"Major, what about the away team?"
"We'll be back for them, once away we'll reactivate the cloak and return to the planet"
Consoles began to explode as the primary shields began to fail, almost instantly the secondary shields activated however, the damage had been done to the ship as the sensors began to record section of the ship had been damaged severely as an area of the ship had had lost it's atmosphere as the hard, cold vacuum of space had invaded the ship.
"Major, we've been holed. Deck four, sections eight and nine. Emergency bulkheads are in place, forcefeild are holding"
"Casualties?" She yelled.
"Sensors are recording eight missing in that area"
"Damn it! Seal off the section, evacuate the out hull areas. Helm, get us the hell out of here NOW!"
Swiftly the damaged vessel disappeared out of orbit as the remaining Jaffa vessels followed. Sitting back in the chair, the acting commander fired a deadly glance at Zelenka as she spoke to the nearest officer.
"Get that man off this bridge; get him down to engineering now. Maybe he can actually do something about this damage. And someone turn off that damned alarm, Get me Teal'c NOW! I wanna know what the hell he was thinking"
"Yes ma'am… this way… Doctor"
Although her pain receptors had been deactivated somehow, she could still feel certain things. Perhaps it was her body readjusting to what ever they had done too, yet now as she began to regain conciseness once again something different a sound, something cutting close too her ear, a heavy breathing near her and something pulling on her hair as distant voices spoke with laughter. Now a terrifying feeling of hands running over her chest and stomach. No, she thought this was an invasion of her body, she was being attacked. The feelings began to return to her arms as a sense of cold metallic shackles around her wrists and ankles, almost as if she was being suspended once again off the floor. Anger began to swell within her as she attempted to drag herself back to consciousness, and now something different, something in her mind. A voice once again, familiar and soothing while in her mind's eye a face began to appear to her. All feelings of fear began to subside as she found herself sat in what appeared to be the front seat of an old bi-plane. The scent of the leather seat, the purring of the engine in front of her and the cool summer breeze blew her long blonde hair as she began to focus.
"What? Where am I?"
"Remember what I said Jenny, gently pull back on the control column and get some air under the wings. Feel the power of the engine, feel the freedom of flight… that's it, you've got it"
"What? Grandpa?"
Quickly she whipped her head around and looked on in shock at the man sat in the rear cockpit, it was her grandfather, he looked exactly as she remembered him when she was a child, when he taught her how to fly as a child. Yet something was different, she wasn't the child he was teaching, she was in her early thirties.
"What is this, Where am I? This is not real"
"Yes it is Jenny… you're doing it, you're flying"
"Who are you?" She demanded.
Almost the instant she spoke, her vision changed. Now she was stood in the Gateroom of Atlantis, yet it was dark. All the lighting had been deactivated with the exception of the active Stargate. Shocked she spun her head around looking for any sign of activity; she had read the reports of how the great city looked when it was first discovered many years ago, it appeared exactly as in the reports. With covers over the consoles.
"What is going on here, who the hell are you?"
From the Stargate a figure began to materialise and step into the city as more humans began to enter the city until finally the lighting began to activate. Shock ran through her as the men and women appeared to have walked through her, her jaw dropped as listened to the orders being given.
"Ohh my god, I know who that is… Doctor Weir?"
Quickly she ran towards the woman who lead the expedition and stopped in front of her almost in an attempt to speak to her, yet as before, she walked passed through her. Quickly Jennifer whipped her head around as she heard familiar voices.
"John? JOHN! It's Jennifer… Rodney? You all look so young"
As more people began to enter the city, the voices faded to a low hum while once again the familiar voice spoke softly and lovingly to her.
"They can hear you Jenny, they can't see you"
Slowly she turned as a figure walked towards her and began to form into the image of her grandfather.
"Why am I here? What the hell is going on"
"This is where it all began Jennifer; this is where the humans of earth began the destiny…"
"Destiny? What are you talking about?"
"You don't understand do you?" He said with a southern accent.
"I get that a lot… I know who you appear to be… who are you?"
"Your Grandfather of course. This could take some time; I didn't want to reveal it all to you just yet. But something has changed, someone is changing the path of… the Tau'ri and that is something I can not allow"
"You mean the clone?" She laughed. "He's changing the destiny of the Tau'ri?"
"Yes. Many years ago before the death of the Asguard race… the one known as Thor told your kind 'You are the fifth race' He was wrong, Humanity has a great destiny ahead of it. Of you continue down the path that the Clone has created it will destroy the Tau'ri"
Laughing she walked around the control room and stopped before the young John Sheppard, although she couldn't touch him, she ran her left hand over his face and smiled slightly with affection as she spoke.
"What about him?"
"He's not for you my dear… you will find no peace with him. He has his own path"
"Why am I here, Why are you here?"
"To show you the truth my dear. Remember when you where a small child, six years old. You got ill, seriously ill"
"I remember… the doctors couldn't find a cure, they told mom and dad to prepare for the worst"
"Yes. However, after six weeks… over night you got better"
"No one knows how" She laughed.
"I know, and you know. You couldn't put it all together because you where so young and feverish"
Her vision changed once again, quickly she looked around. She was in a darkened room, hanging from the roof where models of old aircraft that had been painstakingly assembled and carefully hung from the ceiling.
"Oh my god, this is…"
"Yes" He whispered. "And asleep in the bed, the little child"
"That's me?" She laughed past her tears.
"You know what to do… you remember it"
Lovingly he placed his hand on her shoulder as the young girl began to stir and look around the room. A weak voice called out as she began to sit up slowly.
"Mommy? Mommy is that you?"
"You know what to do"
Smiling slightly, she wiped away her tears and walked towards her younger self, kneeling down before her, she picked up a small stuffed toy and placed it in the girl's arms as she spoke.
"No… I'm not. You are going to be fine"
From the perspective of the young girl, she could see the woman before her almost glowing with a pale white light, rubbing her eyes she pulled her self out of bed and sat in awe at the vision before her.
"Are you an angel?"
"Yes and no… You are going to be fine Jennifer; you will grow up to be a great pilot"
"I am?" She smiled.
"Ohh yes, you are going to change the world one day. But first, you need to get some rest…"
Slowly the young girl forced a smile past her strange illness while the vision before her carefully placed her back under her covers. For a moment as she touched her arm a sense of static and a slight glow passed between them as the young girl lay in bed and placed her head on the pillow.
"You can not tell anyone about me. Not even Bobby or Grandpa. Do you understand?"
"No, but I will keep the secret" She whispered.
"I know you will. You have a great future ahead of you. You will grow up to be beautiful and strong, see and do things that others can only dream of"
"I am?"
"Yes… I promise. I have to go now, but I will be with you always Jennifer"
"No, please stay…"
"I can not; your grandfather will be here in moment. No one can see me, good bye"
Slowly she faded from the young girls view as she looked up with a bright smile for the first time in weeks.
Once again, Jennifer stood next to the image of her grandfather as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"It was me? All the time it was me?"
"Yes, now watch" He replied with a smile.
Slowly light entered the room as the door opened and a younger version of her grandfather entered, her jaw dropped as he walked through her and stepped to the bedside and knelt down and spoke to the young child.
"Well, you look better lil' one" He smiled.
"Yes grandpa, I feel better…"
"I can tell, here… I brought your medicine"
Slowly the young girl swallowed the tablets and took a sip from a glass as she sat up and wrapped her arms around her grandfather as she whispered in his ear.
"I saw an angel"
"Really? He smiled. "What did she look like?"
"Beautiful, glowing… she said I was going to get better and be a great pilot"
"Well, I guess we'll have to teach you then"
"Really?"
Laughing he tucked her back in bed and stood up with a groan as he spoke.
"Of course, you'll have to get better first lil' one. So you get some sleep, if you see another angel, say hello to her for me"
Smiling he turned and walked towards the door, as he passed by the older Jennifer he winked at her slightly as closed the door. Shocked she turned to the image of her grandfather and spoke with disbelief.
"He… you could see me, all this time and you could see me?"
"Yes, from that day I knew that the others where wrong about you"
"What others?"
Finally, her surrounding changed once again to a large cathedral like structure; the large room was empty with the exception of Jennifer and her grandfather.
"World War Two, I was shot down over Germany…"
"Yes, I know the story"
"Not this part. I never told anyone, people believed I was captured and placed in a P.O.W camp. That's not what happened… I took a hit through the cockpit at close range, the bullet passed through both my legs and out the other side, two in my thigh and one in the chest. I was dying…"
"You ascended?"
"Yes, but not for the first time. You see my dear; I am what you would call an Ancient. We knew the Tau'ri would re-open the Stargate and eventually make contact with the Ori… in 1946 I retook human form and began a process of selective breeding…"
"WHAT!" She growled.
"We knew the Ori would create Adria. Some of us disagreed with the others and returned to human form in the hopes of creating our own version, you Jennifer… you are the one"
Laughing she looked at the ceiling, it appeared so far away yet close enough to touch.
"Me? I'm an Orici?"
"No… and yes"
"Are you intentionally being cryptic, or just trying to piss me off?"
"Jennifer, it is difficult to explain with his… vocal communications"
"Try!" She yelled.
"If you where to ascend… you would understand"
"No! Talk to me…"
"It was intended that you join the Airforce, be assigned to the Stargate Program… eventually you would have realised your full potential and engaged Adria on a level playing field but…"
"I went to a party at sixteen, got drunk and walked into the wrong recruiting office. I joined the Navy"
"Exactly, you where to be prepared for your eventual contact with the Orici. But now something else is happening"
"You mean Jack?"
"Yes. He is about to create an army of partially ascended clones based on a mixture of yours and his genetic makeup. He will be more powerful then Anubis if he completes his research. He has even gone further then Anubis by experimenting on himself…" Quickly he trailed off.
"What is it, grandpa… what is it?"
"The others are watching, I don't care anymore… they will not stop him until it is too late. You have to stop him Jennifer. The clone can not be allowed to complete his research"
"How? How can I stop him?"
"You will know what to do when the time comes; you have the ability within you"
With a large smile, he placed his left hand on her cheek lovingly as her surroundings began to fade.
"Wait, grandpa wait"
"You have to go now! Your people are in great danger Jennifer… you have to help them"
"What? Who?"
Images began to run through her mind at high speed, for a split second it was as if she could see what was happening all over the galaxy at the same time. Death and destruction as the fleet led by the Clone had begun to make his final move against the Lucian Alliance and eventually earth. She saw the destruction of Atlantis and earth and the death of everyone she had known and loved, until only blackness and finally she returned to where she was before the start of this long and powerful vision given too her by her grandfather.
Sounds, images and feelings began to return to her as her eyes began to open and the horrifying sound of laughter in the dark room.
"She awake, that makes it more fun I guess"
A large hand grabbed her jaw and moved her head from side to side, as her vision cleared and she looked into the laughing face of a large man stood before her.
"Welcome back… I was hoping to see those beautiful eyes… before I cut them out" He laughed.
Looking around the room, she saw strands of her hair on the floor and blood dripping from her wrists and ankles as she began to cough up blood slightly.
"Aww, comfortable I hope?" He mocked.
"For now…" She smiled darkly. "… But know this, first… I'm going to break your neck. Second, I'll use your body as a shield against the bullets from his gun, then I will take knife off your belt and stick it in his chest. After which I will take his gun and kill the rest of you, this will happen before anyone can react… so if you all have any last words, sat them now"
Laughing the large man grabbed her jaw once again and began to squeeze as he looked into her eyes and spoke.
"And how are you going to do that, when you are hung from the roof by your wrists and ankles?"
"Not for long…"
Smiling she spat her blood into his face, as he let go of her to wipe off the blood, the chains released themselves as she jumped and grabbed the large man and snapped his neck with one move. Quickly she spun him around as bullets exploded into his chest. As he dropped to the floor, she grabbed the large knife and threw it into the second man's chest before rolling and grabbing his gun. Quickly marking the remaining three targets and fired with amazing speed, as the fell to the floor dead she stood up and looked around at the dead men at her feet as she smiled and mocked them.
"I told you"
Throwing the empty gun to the floor she clenched her fists as the many cuts on her arms and wrists began to heal, smiling to herself she pulled clothes off one of the dead men and gathered as many weapons and ammunition as she could before leaving the room and sealing the door.
