AN: Next chapter is here! I'm not quite as busy anymore, so hopefully the next one won't take too long either. Let's go! :D
2000 Hours, February 20th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/
Earth, Outside San Francisco
"What are they doing down there?"
"It appears to be a shipyard."
"Yeah, but for what? One of those toilet bowls?"
"I doubt that sir. The Ori don't seem like the type to build their best ships here."
"Especially with us raising havoc all over the place. Good point Hailey."
"It has to be Ha'tak then..."
Jack O'Neill nodded at that guess from his new partner, Commander Dare. Standing with the UNSC soldier and his own subordinates- Jennifer Hailey and Victor Kamarov -the little group looked down on a bustling Ori base, just outside San Francisco. The night was far darker than it should have been, with the large city in the distance lacking any artificial lights. San Francisco had been one of the first cities to be forcibly emptied...and it showed, in the almost eerie lack of lighting from it. The only light was the occasional fire, and the lights from what seemed to be an Ori shipyard. 'Seemed' to be, being the operative term there. It was nearly impossible to be sure, even with the awesome headsets the UNSC had provided.
Then again, that was why Jack was wearing full ODST armor, along with the Spetsnaz and SG-2. The armor had always been designed with stealth in mind, as the ODSTs were special forces. The upgrades that being allied with the Sangheili provided, however, were another story. If a soldier outfitted in ODST armor didn't want to be seen...well, they wouldn't be seen. It was for this reason that Jack stood with the others, as the 'Rookie' scouted ahead.
"Unless the Ori are designing new ships," Hailey spoke up, breaking the temporary silence, a thoughtful tone to her voice.
Turning his head, Jack did dislike one feature of the armor...the damn visor kept him from using his more expressive features.
"Thought you said they wouldn't build their best ships?"
Hailey nodded, her own face hidden behind her visor, "Well sir...yes I did. But the Ori might be building new ships if they are smart. The Commander said the Ha'tak aren't that good against the Sangheili or our 304s."
"They aren't," Dare confirmed.
"And if the Ori are smart...they'll build new ships, more economical ones instead of the big ones."
That theory did rely on the Ori growing a brain...but it was certainly possible. And just made it all the more important they get into that dockyard. Skilled laborers had been vanishing from the camps that the Resistance was monitoring...and if the Ori were building new ships instead of Ha'tak, that could very well be why. It wasn't exactly a pleasant thought though.
Before any more could be said though, the acknowledgement light in Jack's helmet went off. He still wasn't used to communicating that way, much preferring more vocal methods. But he had learned awhile back that the Rookie wasn't the most...talkative...person. At least it was green...now he could get off his ass and do something.
"We're clear," Dare remarked, mostly for clarity.
"About time," Jack muttered.
He could tell that Hailey was sending him a bemused look, well used to the General's desire to be out doing something. Jack just grinned behind his visor, as he pressed a button on the side of his suit.
All around him, the UNSC and Resistance forces rippled...and faded into the scenery. Covenant cloaking tech...this was something that General could have used back in the good old days. Sneaking around Goa'uld bases would have been so much easier. Not to mention the Tok'ra would have given an arm and a leg for these cloaks.
"We all ready?" the General asked.
"Ready sir," Hailey replied.
"Of course," Kamarov added, the metallic click of a magazine entering a DMR empathizing the point.
Dare merely flashed her acknowledgement light, in full 'professional' mode.
"Okay then...let's get going."
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Far below the officers, the recon element of the ODSTs looked out at the shipyard.
"They don't do anything not blindingly white eh Sarge?"
"Tell me about it...at least the Covenant weren't so in your face with their things."
"At least it makes them easier to identify."
"Can it back there," Gunnery Sergeant Buck sighed, "The cloaks don't make our voices go away."
"Roger."
At least the Rookie was being quiet, as he once again played the role of 'forward scout' he had done on Regret's flagship. It was in large part due to his skill in that role that the squad had gotten as far into the base as they had really. Couple the Rookie's stealth skill with Elite cloaks, and the Ori had no idea what was going on, in fact. The only soldiers the ODSTs had seen were woefully underequipped to deal with stealth infiltrations. Ori soldiers were all armed with nothing but their staves, and didn't even have basic night vision gear. Frankly, if it weren't for the effectiveness of those staves and sheer numbers, Ori soldiers weren't much of a threat on the ground.
The Lucians were little better. They had more convenient weaponry in the form of both home-built ballistic weaponry and appropriated Earth supplies. But for all that their weaponry was more orthodox- and useful -the Lucians had the same issue as the Ori. They didn't have any form of detection equipment, and by extension, couldn't see even the small ripples Covenant cloaking tech left in the dark.
"Heads up," Mickey broke in, "We've got a couple of...Rangers?"
"What?" Buck groaned.
"I ain't shitting you sir. I recognize the uniforms from O'Neill's guys. And they ain't prisoners either."
"Great...what do they have?"
"Well..."
The ODSTs pushed against a wall, using the natural shadows to further enhance their cloaks. Because as Mickey had pointed out, a pair of Army Rangers were moving through the area. Both were armed with M4 carbines, Zat pistols likely taken from the various stocks the SGC had set up, and most importantly...night vision. The question then became...what the hell were Rangers doing working for the Ori?
"Those definitely aren't Lucians," the Sergeant muttered.
"Why would they be working with the Ori?" Dutch questioned his leader.
"Hell if I know," Buck sighed, "but we did know there were turncoats out there."
Of course, there was always the chance these were Lucians using appropriated gear. No matter what way you sliced it though...this was problematic.
"Can't see why anyone would want to work with those guys," Romeo muttered under his breath.
"There are bad eggs in any military," Buck replied, as the Rangers- or men wearing their uniforms at any rate -moved away from the hidden ODSTs, "give a man a lot of potential power, and some'll leap right at it. Like some of those ONI creeps."
Dutch snorted, "That was deep Sarge."
"Shut it."
Ignoring the chuckles from his squad, Buck moved up to where the- mercifully silent - Rookie was scanning the hallway. If he need proof that these cloaks were useful, he got it too. Buck could only barely tell that scanning the hall was what his newest squadmate was doing. And he could only tell that much, due to years upon years of experience in dealing with Covenant forces. If he had lacked that experience...there wouldn't be even the slightest sign someone was there. Went a good way to prove that the Rook's nickname was pretty invalid these days.
That aside...
"Any sign of more guards?"
Rookie just shook his head slightly, toggling his negative light for good measure. Buck nodded slightly himself, as the squad continued forward. They were inside the base proper now, groups of Ori soldiers patrolling the area. If it weren't for the fact the ODSTs were well aware that those staves could cut right through their armor, it would look almost like a medieval gathering. Well, that and the old M60 tanks and Lucian halftracks dotting the area. The Ori were clearly repurposing at least some Earth weaponry for their own needs then. Old weaponry to be fair...most of the 'modern'- pitiful antiques to the ODSTs admittedly -stuff would have been destroyed by the Ori when they took Earth or by the various militaries to prevent capture.
"Damn..."
That being said, the tanks and troops were rather secondary to the other things sitting in the base. Namely, two Ha'tak under construction, with a third ship sitting between them. The sleek silver warship looked to be complete too...and was, in fact, a totally new design.
"Well...Rook, let the General know he can get in."
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Within thirty minutes, Jack had reached the ODST squad. The men had set up a small post in a well-hidden area, watching for any Ori or Lucian forces. Buck was the first one to meet the officers, a surprisingly tense look on his face. Then again, considering what they were nearby...it wasn't hard to imagine why he was tense. The Ori innovating and designing a new ship...they were clearly learning. And if they got too fancy with their ships, then there could be a problem.
"So they were building new space guns?" Jack asked first, stepping inside the little hideaway.
"Yes sir," Buck replied, "Looks complete too."
"Damn...didn't expect that one."
Hailey sighed as she sat down, taking her helmet off, "Well, we should have sir. The Ori aren't the Goa'uld...and even Sokar and Anubis made those new flagships. Ori won't have any issue making new ships..."
"And they have all that Ascended crap," the General sighed, "Dare, you got any way to let your people know?"
"Not easily," the blonde replied, "we have slipspace communication systems, but it's not as fast as hyperspace and I wouldn't risk using it with all the Ori ships in orbit. If you still had a subspace relay..."
"Yeah, that was one of the first things the crazies hit."
"And because of that, we can't communicate easily with Reach."
The group lapsed into silence at that. No way to warn the Resistance- well, the non-Earth based one -about the new ship. And God only knew if this was the first of its class or not. Needless to say, it was not a good thing if this wasn't the first new Ori ship. Because if they started tossing new ships into battles, the space based Resistance would have no idea what to expect. If this ship was even half as good as a mothership...
Well, that could be a major issue.
"What if we steal it?" Mickey suggested, when it became apparent everyone else was quiet.
As one, all the heads in the area turned to the ODST, who shrugged, "What?"
"That's something I expected General O'Neill to suggest," Hailey replied.
Kamarov barked out a laugh, "Da, that is something I would expect of him."
"Well..." Jack began, before chuckling himself, "Y'know, I'm a bit upset I didn't suggest that first."
"Wouldn't be the first ship you've hijacked sir."
Dare looked between the others, shaking her head slightly. Sam Carter had warned her something like this may happen. She just hadn't quite been prepared for it. Well, now she was seeing the look in Jack's eyes. The look of a patented 'O'Neill Plan' coming together. At least they had the absolute best- outside of Spartans -to pull it off...though it still seemed crazy. Trying to hijack an Ori ship seemed insane, even by that standard. The 'crazies' as Jack continued to refer to them were not stupid. The one time SG-1 had hijacked a Mothership properly, it had been because Daniel was a Prior. It was true that this ship wasn't a Mothership...but if it still needed a Prior to operate properly, they were SOL to say the least.
Then again...capturing a brand new Ori warship could be quite the coup. Depending on what tech they had loaded the thing up with of course. Just getting the ship was a big coup in of itself, of course...since they would deny the Ori a ship. Getting the technology would be a bonus. The problem became...
"How would we get it off Earth?" Dare spoke up.
Jack frowned, "Good point."
It really was. Capturing the ship was one thing. Getting off Earth was another story, when the Ori did have so many ships in orbit.
"The ship looks fast," Kamarov replied, looking out of the hideaway at the sleek ship in the distance.
"Couldn't we just jump from in the atmosphere?" Buck added, "I remember Mitchell saying Replicators could do that."
"They could," Jack confirmed, well-remembering his time in the Asgard galaxy.
"And the Ori are even more advanced," Hailey muttered, "It just might be possible sir."
The General nodded, "Well, I think we have to start planning then. Who's up for stealing an Ori ship?"
Nods went around the camp, as a plan began to come together. If they could hijack this ship...well, that was a goal to work towards.
1200 Hours, February 21st, 2008 (Military Calendar)/
Reach/Neo Tollan, Sangheili Base
Far away from Earth, a pair of tall Jaffa strode towards an area of Reach that was isolated from any other civilization on the world. Hidden in the shadows of the Menachite Mountain, this large base was where the Sangheili had chosen to settle on the world. Far away from both the Tollan- whom were unused to non-human aliens -and the UNSC civilians both. In the latter case, this was as much for their own sake as the humans...who had come to this universe explicitly to get away from the Covenant. No matter that these Elites were not going to attack them ever again. It had been decided long ago that it was just...better for everyone if the Sangheili remained apart from the humans for now.
The Jaffa, on the other hand, had no fear of the towering reptilian race. Familiar as they were with the Unas, there was not the instinctual fear of the Tollan. And having not encountered the Covenant at war, beyond Teal'c of course, they lacked the hate that the UNSC civilians bore. If anything, the Jaffa were highly fascinated by the Sangheili. This was a race so similar to their own...warriors at heart, who had served a false religion. The difference being, of course, that the Elites were still every bit as enamored by the Forerunner as they had ever been. They merely discounted the Prophet's teachings.
It was this similarity that had these Jaffa moving into the encampment, drawing curious looks from various former Covenant races.
"You are certain these...Sangheili...will agree?" Bra'tac asked, looking at his pupil.
Teal'c merely nodded, "Indeed. They have honor."
"Honor..." the older looking Jaffa stroked his chin, "is their honor..."
"Much the same as our own," Teal'c replied, "From what I have seen and experienced, the Sangheili are similar to the Jaffa in many ways. They will aid us."
"I hope you are correct old friend."
As the two Jaffa moved deeper into the base, a green armored Sangheili stepped in front of them. Even with the height advantage all members of his race had on humans- and Jaffa -it didn't garner more than a raised eyebrow from Bra'tac and Teal'c.
"The Fleetmaster has requested your presence," the towering warrior spoke, his mandibles clenched in clear dislike, "come."
At that, the Sangheili turned on his heel and moved towards the largest of the Covenant style buildings. The Jaffa didn't react to his dislike...there were still members of the Elite forces who had a strong dislike of humanity, whom the Jaffa were descended from. As such, they just followed him into the building, where more green armored Elites stood guard and went about the business of running their forces. It would have been impossible to tell their rank, unlike the old Covenant where everything was color coded...were it not for the stripes along each of their flanks. The one escorting them had blue stripes for instance, marking him as a Minor in the old system.
The only exception to this rule was the brilliant crimson armor of Fleetmaster Nar 'Saranee, who continued to wear his old Major armor as a badge of honor for his service under the Arbiter.
"Teal'c of the Jaffa," the Fleetmaster nodded, having become well-acquainted with the Jaffa by this point, "it is good to see you. You may leave."
That second statement was directed at the Minor, who did as he was told. The Fleetmaster just walked up to Teal'c, crossing his arm and inclining his head in the Sangheili manner.
"It is good to see you too Fleetmaster 'Saranee," Teal'c bowed slightly, "I have not introduced you formally to Master Bra'tac, who trained me."
"Teal'c has spoken high of you Master Bra'tac," Nar nodded, "It is an honor to meet you."
Bra'tac nodded back, "The honor is mine, if half of what I have heard of your people is true."
A deep chuckle came from the Sangheili, "I could say much the same about your race. Now, why have you come to our compound?"
Moving to a conference room, the Jaffa sat at a table while the Sangheili remained standing. His dark eyes looked out at his visitors, an unusual amount of curiosity for a Sangheili in them. Then again, Nar had always been a bit...odd...for a member of his race.
"We have come to request your aid," Teal'c began.
"Our aid?" the Fleetmaster replied.
"Indeed," Bra'tac nodded, "Your aid in a mission that we have been planning for some time."
Nar leaned forward, "I am curious...if you have been planning a mission, would you not go to your comrades? The Odyssey?"
"I trust Colonel Mitchell with my life, but the aid we require is not something the UNSC or SGC can provide," Teal'c shook his head slightly.
That, more than anything, got the Fleetmaster's attention. There was very little that the human portion of the Resistance could not do. They had more advanced weaponry, in the form of the Asgard weapons fitted to the BC-304s. The Spartans were a fearsome foe on the ground, even if their best teams- Noble and Blue -were both assigned on different missions at the moment. Not to mention they had more numbers than the Sangheili, neatly removing the major advantage the old Covenant had after the Odyssey had appeared...numbers.
So why then would the Jaffa come to him for aid? Nar couldn't figure that out, as it didn't make any sense. Everything his people could do, the humans could do. And it made far more sense for the Jaffa to go to the familiar humans for aid, as opposed to the unfamiliar Sangheili and their allied races.
"What aid are you requesting?"
Teal'c crossed his arms, "We are planning on raiding Delmak."
"Delmak? I am unfamiliar with this term."
"Delmak was the capital of Sokar's Empire," Bra'tac explained, "Taken by Apophis, then Anubis and Ba'al. It currently is serving as a holding area for Jaffa who are unwilling to convert to the Ori."
Nar nodded, "You wish to free your people."
"Indeed," Teal'c nodded, "they are brave warriors. We could use their aid in the coming battles."
"I still do not see why you require my aid, however," the Sangheili would have frowned, were his mouth capable of the expression.
"The UNSC does not posses enough Spartans to perform this mission. I have seen how skilled your warriors are. If you are willing to provide them, I believe we will have a far greater chance of success."
That was a valid point. There was only a handful of Spartans not assigned to a mission at the moment. If the Jaffa were determined to raid an Ori world, they would need ground forces. Outside the Spartans, the Sangheili were the best option. Not to mention they would work well with the Jaffa, who shared so many similarities.
"I will provide what you need," Nar nodded slightly...it was well past the time his people began pulling their own weight.
Defeating the Ori was the mission all the Forerunner Universe forces had come to do. If helping the Jaffa worked towards that goal...well, it was clear what the Sangheili should do. And no Elite would turn down a potential battle, not one so honorable as rescuing comrades.
AN: And there we go! No part from the Furling Hunt this time, but that'll continue soon enough. For now, we see what the others are up to. Hope everyone liked the chapter! :D