Chapter Ten
The Sinhindrea cruiser paused in its patrol route on the very edge of the galaxy that was the races home as its long range sensors picked up hyperspace windows opening just on the void side of the veil. A lot of hyperspace windows.
Since the encounter with the powerful unknown inferiors the entire defence force had been on high alert. The lords convinced that more inferiors were coming to invade their sacred space. Carefully the cruiser reached out across space with its scanners and probed the opening windows. A truly massive fleet of unknown starships was returning to normal space. A considerable percentage of them matched the energy distribution profiles and propulsion signatures of the inferiors that had murdered so many Sinhindrea a few weeks earlier with their powerful weapons and shields that made them impervious to telepathic manipulation. There were many more warships this time, many of them the larger classes that had proven so difficult to destroy.
And they weren't alone. There were at least two more very different types of warships present that had completely different energy and propulsion profiles, indicating that they belonged to different races of inferiors. One of the groups put out energy levels about equal and in the case of one ship slightly above that of the first group, but the other group put out less energy. There power emissions were not that much different to how much energy a standard heavy cruiser put out.
The massive inferior's fleet had come to a dealt halt and was just sitting there in space, as if it were waiting for something. There was no doubt in the minds of the cruisers crew that the inferiors were planning an invasion, not accepting or respecting the fact that the Sinhindrea were power beyond comprehension, hunger beyond understanding.
Knowing there duty the hunt master in command of the cruiser sent a message to the closest fleet base to alert them to the new danger, then directed that stealth systems be activated. Cautiously the cruiser made a short hyperspace jump so it was closer to the inferiors who dared to threaten violation of their space.
Flag Bridge
TFS Repulse
Admiral Helena Hawkins studied the view of the dark matter galaxy directly ahead displayed on the high resolution screen at the front of the flag bridge. It didn't look like any galaxy that she had ever seen before; instead of being a mass of glowing lights it was an area of blackness, only a few shades lighter than the surrounding space. Blackness laced with strange glowing patches of red, blue or purple light, presumably from where stars were, veiled by the huge amounts of dark matter.
It was a strangely menacing site and she recalled what Daniel Jackson had said on the recording Odin showed her. About there being a dark, terrible malevolence present in the dark matter galaxy. Looking at the brooding mass barely three light years ahead of the fleet she could well believe it. And we've got to search that place to find any sign of Rivendell and her escort fleet, she thought with a sigh, this is not going to be easy. Even with a fleet this size and with Asgard assistance.
"Communications," she called out.
"Ma'am?" the lieutenant in charge of the bank of communications stations on the flag bridge asked.
"Hail the General O'Neill and the Bra'tac's Wisdom," Helena ordered naming the commanding ships of the Asgard and Jaffa battle groups respectively. "Ask Supreme Commander Thor and Master Darnek would they mind transporting over to this ship, we have to plan our next move."
"Aye, ma'am."
"Admiral," sensors called out suddenly. "Sensors have detected an energy distortion opening bearing two one zero, mark one nine ten. Distance three point seven au. It looks like a hyperspace window, but we are not detecting a ship exiting. Wait we're picking up an echo leaving the window, but its too faint for our sensors to get a lock."
"Increase power to sensors," Helena ordered. "Configure sensor beams to anti-ECM protocols."
"Aye, ma'am," sensors replied mentally giving the orders to the console, while turning one of the crystalline control dials to a new position. "Sensor locks established one starship, size and weight indicates cruiser class, configuration and power signature unknown. There trying to remodulate their ECM to block our scans. I am matching them."
"Good. Communications open up a channel to the unknown vessel," Helena ordered. "Transmit standard first contact protocol and request they identify themselves."
"Aye, ma'am."
The hunt master in command of the Sinhindrea cruiser scowled as much as any member of the race could when the inferior's sensors penetrated their stealth systems with no trouble at all. All attempts to throw off the sensors we're being instantly countered by the sensors of the biggest ship, and now other inferior warships were adding their sensors to the first ships.
Through his cyber link with the ship the hunt master knew the stealth system was being hopelessly overwhelmed by the attempts to adapt to the alien sensors. So he ordered it deactivated, their was no point in hiding now. The inferiors were trying to contact them, but their words we're not worthy of Sinhindrea audio slits, so he ignored them. The hunt master knew that the lives of his crew we're forfeit now, they'd proven themselves unable to fool the inferiors. And the lords did not accept failure. But their was still one thing they could do before they died either at inferiors claws or at the claws of their own kind. And that was to explain to the inferiors the power they were trifling with.
Gathering their strength the hunt master and his crew tapped into the subspace comm. system and using it to boost there telepathic strength, sent a wave of psychic force screaming across space towards the inferiors.
Flag Bridge
TFS Repulse
"No response to our hails, admiral," communications reported to Helena Hawkins across the expanse of the flag bridge.
Helena frowned slightly, wondering why in the universe the unknown aliens were behaving in the way that they were. Approaching under the protection of surprisingly sophisticated ECM could be understood but ignoring attempts at peaceful contact made no sense at all. Unless they can't hear us, she thought.
"Are they receiving us?" she asked.
"I'm getting a resonant response from their subspace comm. array, ma'am. So they can hear us but there just not responding."
"Damned odd," Helena said thoughtfully. "Or maybe they can't hear us clearly. Increase power to the communications array see if that gets a response."
"Aye, ma'am." Helena turned her attention back to the front screens and the alien ship now clearly displayed on them. It was a really strange design with the long tendrils at the front and the glowing globe of energy at the back. Its dark grey surface shimmered slightly and it had a distinct techno-organic look to it. Every line of it seemed to radiate hostility on some subconscious level and she couldn't help but wonder why that was.
She didn't have much time to think about it. For a moment later intense agony blasted through her skull, seemingly setting fire to her very thoughts. It reeked of darkness, hatred and terrible hunger. Helena shook violently in her seat, raising her hands and clutching at her temples she screamed in pain as the assault continued, seemingly boring right into her soul to infect it with its dark malevolence. Faintly from around her she heard her crew screaming as they to were subjected to the assault of psychic force she tried to martial her thoughts, to fight past the pain but it was impossible, if anything the pain got worse until she lost all touch with the conscious world, and her entire existence consisted of the pain.
Deprived of the controlling interfaces with their crews which was being disrupted by the psychic assault, the massive fleet of Tau'ri warships began falling out of formation. Ships veering off course, almost crashing into neighbouring ships be they Tau'ri, Asgard of Jaffa.
The Jaffa ships were not much better off. All the pyramid-shaped ships we're corkscrewing helplessly, two crashing into each other. An explosion blossomed between them and in seconds both colliding ships were consumed vanishing in a blinding explosion of plasma and energy.
Asgard Vessel General O'Neill
Supreme Commander Thor stared at his holographic screen for a few moments in shock as the Tau'ri and Jaffa ships began falling out of formation for no apparent reason. Lights flickered widely on all the ships as they veered wildly out of control. He gave the Asgard equivalent of a wince when he saw two Jaffa motherships collide and vanish in a blinding explosion.
"Report," he ordered to the rest of the bridge crew. "What is happening?" As he spoke he felt the ship make a sharp manoeuvre to avoid a collision with a Tau'ri Proteus-class dreadnought that was tumbling end over end. A collision with one of those four kilometre long warships would have seriously damaged or even destroyed the General O'Neill something Thor was acutely aware of.
"The unknown alien vessel is emitting some kind of broad spectrum carrier wave at the fleet, Supreme Commander," one of the bridge crew reported. "We are picking up mind-wave patterns imbedded in the carrier wave; computer analysis indicates that the alien ship is using a telepathic weapon of some-sort."
"Battle stations. Raise shields. Weapons target the alien ship," Thor ordered determined to deal with the ship that was hurting his allies in such an unconventional but effective way. "Fire a warning shot across their bow followed with a demand to stand down immediately or be destroyed."
"Yes, supreme commander."
The hunt master snarled viciously as he watched two of the groups of inferiors veer out of control under the psychic assault of his people's powerful minds. There weren't enough Sinhindrea on this ship to dominate their thoughts, but there were more than enough to bombard them with negative emotion. A weapon that in Sinhindrea experience was far more devastating than a plasma bolt.
Though what was concerning was that the third group of inferiors remained unaffected, only moving to avoid collisions with their out of control brethren. Sensors showed that the subspace carrier was penetrating their hulls but that the crews within we're being unaffected, apparently having a natural immunity to the attack.
A change in the sensor readings caught the hunt masters attention. The largest ship in the unaffected group of inferiors had just raised its shields and its power emissions were shooting up to incredible levels. Though his cyber link the hunt master raised the cruisers own shields, a moment before the inferior fired. A brilliant blue white energy beam flashed past the bow in a clear warning shot, sensors reporting that the beam energy was so high that it would simply ignore their shields.
The inferior was hailing them but rather than acknowledge the hunt master directed weapons to fire back. He watched as a pulse of red plasmatic death birthed from the ship and crossed the distance to the inferior's ship and impacting its shields. The inferior's shields flashed softly at the point of impact, easily absorbing the bolt of anti-proton based plasma.
Asgard Vessel General O'Neill
Somehow Thor wasn't surprised when the alien vessel ignored his demand to stand down and instead responded to the warning shot by firing a bolt of plasma at his ship. The General O'Neill barely shivered when the alien weapon impacted shields that were almost as strong as those on a Tau'ri cityship. Fools, Thor thought sadly.
"Weapons," he ordered softly, sadly. "Destroy them."
"Yes, supreme commander."
Before the weapons officer could act on Thor's orders however a tremendous impact rocked the General O'Neill knocking every Asgard on the ship off their feet or out of their control chairs. Alarms rent the air, alarms Thor recognised as a shield failure warning and the warning of a hull breach.
"Report," Thor ordered picking himself up off the deck and going back to his command throne.
"One of the Tau'ri cruisers just collided with us, supreme commander," one of the crew reported after staggering back to his seat. "Starboard shields are down, all remaining shields down to forty percent capacity. Hull ruptured in starboard sections ten through thirty four on all starboard decks. Collateral damage in all surrounding sections and main power has failed on all starboard decks. Casualty reports are flooding in, medical crews are responding."
"Get damage control teams down their immediately," Thor ordered. "What is the status of the Tau'ri cruiser that collided with us?"
"They have sustained heavy damage to the front third of their ship on all decks, supreme commander. Severe collateral damage all over the ship, reading multiple hull ruptures all across the cruiser, all the cruisers systems appear to be failing, there loosing life support."
"Beam all survivors over to this ship immediately," Thor ordered a moment before the General O'Neill shook again. "What was that?"
"The alien ship supreme commander," weapons reported. "They just fired on us again."
"Destroy them now," Thor ordered as another blast shook the ship.
"Yes supreme commander."
Thor kept his eyes on the screen as a second particle disruptor beam flashed out from one of the General O'Neill's primary port weapons arrays. The beam reached the alien ship instantly and simply ignored the aliens defence shields and sliced into the hull just on the bow, the weapon energy immediately spreading out to envelop the ship.
For a second out of time the alien ship seemed to shudder, its entire hull illuminated by the deadly nuclear disruptive effect of the Asgard beam weapon. Then an explosion erupted from the energy globe and consumed the alien ship in an instant. When the glow of the explosion faded away the alien warship was gone, disintegrated so completely that not even dust remained.
"Status of Tau'ri and Jaffa vessels," Thor ordered.
"They've stopped moving, supreme commander," sensors reported. "All Tau'ri and Jaffa ships are adrift, engines appear to be completely shut down."
"Hail the Repulse and the Bra'tac's Wisdom," Thor instructed and waited for a response.
"No response supreme commander."
"Sensors are their life signs?"
"Confirmed supreme commander. All life signs are still registering on our scanners; however they appear to be unconscious."
"Supreme commander, medical has reported in," another of the bridge crew reported. "All Tau'ri survivors from the ship we collided with are unconscious. They all have serious injuries from the collision but also seem to be something from some kind of mental shock that's disrupted their neural pathways. They will recover however."
"Message to all Asgard ships. Dispatch emergency assistance teams to all key Tau'ri and Jaffa warships. All ships to tow our allies back into formation and then deploy to form a defensive perimeter."
"Yes, supreme commander," came the response from multiple stations around the bridge.
Thor left his crew to their tasks and turned his attention back to the holographic screen floating in front of him, which was still focused on the position of the alien ship they'd just destroyed. He couldn't help but wonder if the unknown aliens were the dark malevolence that Daniel Jackson had warned him about. It was possible, especially given how they had launched such an unusual but obviously devastating attack on the Tau'ri and Jaffa for no apparent reason. An attack that had also claimed some Asgard lives as there were dozens of duty stations in the sections of the General O'Neill that had been ripped open to space faster than emergency systems could react. Dozens of Asgard were now dead and his flagship had sustained considerable damage, damage that the crew would repair especially in conjunction with the automatic repair systems, though it would take sometime for them to do so.
Whoever those aliens are they have made an enemy of the Asgard, Tau'ri and Jaffa this day, Thor thought knowing his allies and his people would never let such an unprovoked and unusual attack and such deaths go unavenged. I will have to discuss the matter with Admiral Hawkins and Master Darnek when they are back on their feet. This is going to change many of the directives for our mission to this dark matter galaxy.
In the meantime though Thor was determined to protect the suddenly vulnerable Tau'ri and Jaffa warships with every means at the disposal of his fleet. If the unknown aliens returned with hostile intentions then they had better pray for mercy from whatever gods they worshiped.
For they would get none from the Asgard.
