Stargate: Golden Dawn
Chapter 10: Events In Motion
The Goa'uld are the picture of arrogance, supremely confident in their absolute superiority. The little fish often are until they meet with the real predators. I really should not, but I will enjoy watching their little egos be crushed when we decide to act. That moment when those disgusting parasites realize they cannot contend with my will, despite their 'godhood', shall be enjoyed like the finest wine.
-Diary of Amann Adar, High Councilor of the Alesian Empire
Legate Renate Le'Nae looked outward from the headquarters building of the Legion base. She watched the many Legionnaires that were training and running. Her Valkyries were among the best and oldest of the Legions. The 82nd Legion had been fighting since the Empire was founded, and she had been the commanding officer for the Legion's entire history. She had always declined promotion, preferring field command rather than the desk jobs many generals seem to get stuck in. She relished the thrill of fighting and for victory. It was the profession she had trained for all of her life, and she found the idea of beating an enemy, any enemy, satisfying. She turned at the sound of footsteps as Commander Valana stopped a few feet in front of her. Renate regarded the blond haired, blue eyed woman in silence as the woman saluted.
"Orders from Sector Command." Valana said as she handed over a glass datapad to her superior. Renate took the orders and read through them carefully, her face giving nothing away.
"You read these orders, I presume?" The Alesian Legate said after a moment.
"Yes, ma'am." Valana knew she had violated protocol in regards to sensitive orders such as the ones handed down, but they had been friends and comrades for thousands of years.
Renate did not bother to reprimand her as she handed the pad back, for she knew which protocols could be violated and which ones could not. A second in command had to be in the know about any orders concerning her unit, barring a few rare exceptions. Besides, she wouldn't be the one carrying out said orders.
"Then you know what to do. Do not disappoint me." Renate said as she walked away.
"Yes, Legate. I will pick an appropriate company." Valana saluted. She turned and started jogging, moving past Legionnaires as she headed to the training fields. She issued a few orders in her vox set, pausing outside her destination. She walked through the office door and stopped in front of the desk.
"Commander Valerius, assemble your men in full battle gear at the Astriaporta. Priority Immediate. You have new orders." She said as the brown haired man looked up in surprise at her briskness.
"Yes ma'am." He said as he stood up and radioed in his own vox.
"Attention all centurions. You are to report immediately with your squads in full battle gear at the Astriaporta within ten minutes." He heard affirmative replies as he beamed himself to the Stargate out on the plains of Berian. He was the first to arrive as several flashes appeared, revealing the first of the twenty man squads to arrive. He noticed it was Centurion Deras 2nd Squad. A good man and squad leader, Deras had distinguished himself in battle many times fighting the Jaffa of the various Goa'uld. He considered the centurion almost like a son, which was not unusual. Many Legions held soldiers with centuries of experience. It was only natural for them to form bonds with each other.
"What is going on, commander?" Deras asked, shifting the stock of the drone launcher slung around his back.
"I do not know. I was ordered here by Commander Valana. She is supposed to meet us here to tell us what this is all about." Valerius grumbled.
"Well sir, it has to be awfully important if they are not telling us the situation." The centurion noted as he adjusted the strap holding the drone launcher in place, wanting it loose in case he had to get to it in a hurry. Valerius was about to reply just as more flashes revealed four more squads of Alesian Legionnaires.
"Oh good, the rest of the company is here." He said as Valana also appeared. She regarded the commander for a moment with a beady eye.
"Yes, they are. Here is a copy of your orders." She handed him a pad, a different one from what she had gotten. Valerius read through them before he nodded and handed them back.
"I understand my orders. Take out the Astriaporta complex of these Terrans."
"Correct. We have scanned the Terrans from orbit and located their Astriaporta. We also got detailed plans of the complex and base it is in, as well as the enemy numbers and what kinds of weapons they have. The data is uploaded to your comlink already. Your company should be able to easily take the complex." Valana said briskly as she handed out devices to clip onto the Alesian belts.
"Their Astriaporta is blocked by a metal barrier. These will allow you to phase through that barrier. The rest is up to you, Commander. Honor your Legion." She commanded as Valerius saluted.
"Yes Ma'am. It shall be done at once. Ave Imperium." He said as the Legionnaires began to dial. He clipped the device on his belt as the chevrons began to lock in place. He turned to Deras.
"Centurion Deras, your squad will be the first one through. Secure the main gate room in the name of the Alesian Empire." He said, issuing more orders to the other centurions.
"Embark as ordered! Attack formation Delta Two!" Deras bellowed as he ran to the Stargate with the first fireteam following behind him. They went through the event horizon. Deras felt a slight lurch as he passed through the iris and appeared in an unfamiliar grey room. There was a roar of gunfire as the soldiers in the gateroom fired at him, striking the shield with bright flares of light. Deras growled as more Legionnaires appeared behind him.
"Crush them!" He snarled as he raised his wrist blaster and fired, the blue stream of plasma bolts striking two of the strangely dressed soldiers. They went down quickly as the rest of the Legionnaires opened up on the defense team, the streams of plasma ripping through the ranks of the defenders like a scythe through wild wheat. It was over within a matter of seconds. Deras gestured to the second fireteam as they came through.
"Doors!" He hissed. The legionnaire nearest him nodded as he pulled out a rectangular shaped device and ran to the door. Deras gestured to the first team and pointed to the window overlooking the gateroom where some humans were looking at them with alarm. The Legionnaires raised their blasters and fired, the plasma ripping through the shattering glass and striking those who did not duck fast enough.
Deras watched with dark amusement as two legionnaires threw grenades into the open window, detonating with a powerful explosion of fire and light. They took up covering positions as the second fireteam blew away the doors with the antimatter charge. Deras threw a grenade through the opening in the doors and took cover as a roar of fire and sound echoed from the antimatter grenade in the constricted corridor. He noticed the last two fireteams of his squad came through.
"Squad Two deployed." Deras said in the vox. A second of silence reigned before he heard the new orders issued over the comlink.
"Move out. The rest of the company will go through. Expand the perimeter." Deras turned to one of the fireteam leaders, barking orders.
"Go! Elite Vernius, your fireteam will guard the Astriaporta. Fireteam One will expand from the control room." Deras barked, pointing toward the door.
"Fireteam Three will blow the opposite door and secure the self destruct mechanism! Fireteam Four is on me!" Deras clenched his fist as he pivoted toward the blast door.
"This is the rally point. Move!" He shouted as he ran through the opening in the door, firing on the human soldiers covering the door. His shields soaked up the damage as the streams of plasma mowed down the enemy, the Legionnaires making quick work of anyone lucky enough to survive the initial assault.
Deras was rather surprised at the ease at which he killed the Terrans. Their reputation indicated they were better than this. He knew more squads were on the way in any case, which would be able to widen the beachhead his men had made. The Legionnaires rushed past him, spreading out among the different corridors, reporting in on the various corridors being taken as they moved. Deras turned as Valerius came up to him, the next squad on his heels.
"Situation?" The Alesian commander inquired.
"Beachhead is secured, Commander. These humans posed little threat to us. For all of their reputation, they might as well been throwing rocks at us." Deras said.
"Be glad you have shields and armor. We heard reports that the Jaffa die in droves against their weapons." Valerius said sternly.
"Well sir, with all due respect, the Jaffa equipment is garbage." Deras sneered in reply.
"That it may be, but do not underestimate these Terrans. They have the Goa'uld whimpering in fear like the cowards they are. They also outnumber our invasion force. Stay vigilant."
Deras listened into his vox for a second before he smiled.
"We have secured the base's self-destruct device. They cannot blow up the base in our face. They also appear to be massing for a counter-attack."
"The enemy attack at their own peril." Valerius said coldly.
"I think we should give them a welcoming party. For the Empire." Deras sneered cruelly as he saluted and turned away, heading toward the running battle between the base defense teams and the Alesians. He found two Legionnaires engaging what appeared to be a squad of humans.
Deras observed for a moment before taking cover as a small stone shaped object streaked past him, the grenade exploding and sending white-hot metal fragments everywhere. Deras winced slightly, knowing that could have been lethal if he did not have shields. He spun away from the small alcove and, with a roar of fury, charged down the hallway toward the partially hidden humans.
"We are Alesia's chosen! Death to the enemy!" Deras said harshly. From the looks on the human's faces, he could tell they did not understand Ancient or at least the Alesian dialect of his mother tongue. He ran down the hallway with a near blur, throwing his own grenade down the hall and stopped in place, turning his shields to maximum power. The hallway was filled with deafening noise and fire swept around the Alesian as his shields absorbed the blast, although Deras noted how weak the shields were after the blast. However, he was better off than the humans who were near him, lying dead at his feet. Deras frowned. The humans were not blasted into gore, which should have happened. He walked over to one of the corpses and nudged it with his foot. To his great surprise, his foot went through.
Deras swore on the spot and spoke into his vox.
"Commander! At least some of these human soldiers are holograms! They may be using them to trick and fool our forces, dividing us to be taken out one at a time. I recommend we consolidate our forces before proceeding onward." He said hurriedly. The next voice to reply surprised him.
"That will not be necessary." The female voice spoke coolly as Renate rounded the corner where Deras was facing, Valana was hot on her heels.
"Legate Le'nae?" He said, the surprise evident on his face.
"That is correct Centurion, the exercise is terminated." She gestured to the human soldiers as the holograms faded.
"You mean, this was a training exercise? Not the real thing?" He said after a moment of stunned silence.
"Yes, we needed you and your men to behave like this was the real thing. I needed to know how well my Legion would perform in a new, alien setting against the Terrans." She said as another man decloaked next to her. Deras gaped slightly at the Alesian's insignia as the brown haired man smirked slightly.
"I think they performed well, although I would still mission kill a third of the initial squad out of sheer habit, even if they suffered no casualties at all. And we must consider that Metrinos is present here, and possibly has given them technology. You never know what surprises can be thrown at you, despite what their standard weapons appear to be. Make no assumptions." Renate inclined her head.
"Indeed, General Ayen." Renate said with a cold smile. Deras could only stare. This was no mere general. This was General Ayen, the supreme commander of the Alesian Legions. There was no higher ranked Legionnaire anywhere, with the exception of the Alesian High Council. He was a legend in the Empire, well regarded and respected for his leadership skills.
"Report back to base, Centurion. Await further orders." Renate said.
"Yes, ma'am." Deras saluted with a fist to his breastplate and left the pair of Alesian officers in the corridor. Ayen waited a moment, then turned to Renate.
"Walk with me." He strode off purposefully, Renate following close behind.
"Your Legion is among the finest Alesia has to offer. They do you proud and reflect your credit as a senior officer." His tone reflected pride.
"Thank you, sir." Renate said, smiling at the praise.
"And yet, you turned down a promotion to General yet again. Do you not wish for a promotion in status and rank?" He said. Renate paused and turned to him, her tone suddenly cold.
"I prefer to fight, not push a desk." She growled at him. Ayen smirked at that, knowing how to rile her up. He knew she hated paperwork and bureaucracy. The politics of being a general is something she loathed.
"You'll get that soon enough. The High Council has reluctantly approved Amann's plan of action. Undoubtedly you will be called upon to lead your Legion into battle." Ayen gestured as his comlink chirped. He turned away from Renate and listened for a moment before replying.
"Yes, I'll be there momentarily. Ayen out." The general said, before turning back to face Renate.
"I am needed elsewhere it seems. Being supreme commander of the Alesian Legions can be a real pain in the mik'ta." Ayen gestured nonchalantly.
"Switching to Goa'uld swear words are we? The work environment sucks, but I hear the benefits are nice." Renate said with a grin.
"Want to swap?" Ayen grumbled good naturally.
"No thank you. I turned down your job, remember?" Renate laughed before continuing. "I prefer not dealing with backstabbing governors. I'd kill them in a spectacular and brutal fashion within a week."
"But you would make good examples." Ayen said with a smile.
"Yes, but it would be too brutal to maintain order. It would just create resentment." She shrugged as the two Alesian officers walked off.
In his quarters, Metrinos meditated to himself on the recent news. Chi You had brought them news that day via transmission from the scouts he posted near the suspected sphere of Alesian influence. What they found greatly concerned Chi You, as well as Earth. Long range scans of suspected Alesian ships moving on the edge of Goa'uld space, in the largest numbers ever seen since the Goa'uld encountered them. Previously, the Goa'uld System Lords did not suspect this new race had more than a handful of ships. The reports from the scouts proved them wrong.
'They are gathering their forces quietly, preparing for something. There hasn't ever been this many Ancient ships gathered since the height of the Lantean Fleet.' The Lantean battlemaster thought to himself, musing on the data, and trying to predict what was going to happen. It came down to how the person giving the orders was planning. Thankfully, Metrinos knew how Amann Adar thought, but the Alesian Councilor had a knack for throwing in nasty surprises in his strategies.
"What are you up to, Amann?" Metrinos murmured to himself, deciding to place the facts in order. The Alesian goal was obvious. They wished control of the galaxy underneath the Alesian banner, but it was far too large for the Alesians to police and control all at once, not without far more ships and men than they had. Never mind the fact that Amann Adar was none the wiser that the Asgard were actually much weaker than they were nine thousand years ago. The Alesians could reach the Ida Galaxy, but not without being detected by the Asgard. Metrinos knew Amann feared the Asgard Fleet, since it was the force that stopped him cold all those years ago. It was only the full might of the Asgard Fleet, the one thing, that stopped the galaxy from falling to Alesian rule.
Metrinos shook his head. It made no sense. It looked like the Alesians were placing their ships into positions where they could launch a massive galactic offensive. They had rebuilt their fleet, but there were many more people and populated worlds than when they tried the first time. There was no way they could hold them all, not without at least a century or two more of buildup at full capacity.
'But they are gathering anyway. Amann has a plan, an ace up his sleeve. But what?' Metrinos frowned at the question. He had the feeling he wouldn't like the answer.
On the edge of Goa'uld space, the dark shapes of nearly fifty warships knifed through the void, awaiting orders from their political masters. Nearby, multiple hyperspace windows opened up, revealing fifty more Alesian ships as the two fleets merged. It was not the only Alesian fleet gathered, nor the largest. The hurricane of war was coming, and the storm was nearly upon the galaxy.