Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or Mass Effect.
Stargate: Mass Effect
Chapter14: Final Judgment
September 26th 2008
New Lantean System
New Lantea (M35-117)
Elysium
Infirmary
Elysium was landed on New Lantea in a similar way to Babylon was landed on Lantea. Following the destruction of Asuras, the Terran Pegasus Defence Fleet had gathered at New Lantea and were dealing with the aftermath of the conflict.
"Rodney, would you just stop dancing around the issue and ask her out already? It's been a month," Carson told him.
"What's this all of a sudden?" Rodney asked indignantly. "So what if I like Jennifer? It's none of you business."
"It's Jennifer now? Things must be getting serious if you've stopped calling her Doctor Keller," Carson said amused.
"Oh shut up you," Rodney shot back.
"Hey kids," Sheppard as he entered the room. "How are things?" he asked.
"Don't ask," Rodney responded. "Did you need something?"
"Elizabeth wants you to take a look at a signal the Daedalus picked up on its supply run back to Earth," Sheppard replied.
"...What kind of signal?"
"There might be a problem," Rodney said after looking over the readings. "It's a signal alright but if I'm reading this right—and I am—the Reaper we destroyed back at Asuras managed to get a message off...an intergalactic message aimed at the Milky Way."
"How bad is it?" Weir asked.
"Very bad," Rodney shook his head. "The message is for every servant the Reapers have in the Milky Way to launch an attack on Earth, or more specifically the Citadel. If they succeed they'll be able to use the Citadel to allow the Reapers to return to the Milky Way."
"How long do we have?" Sheppard asked.
"Give or take three months," Rodney answered frantically.
"Elizabeth," Sheppard said as he turned to her.
"I know," Weir nodded. "Dial Earth and apprise them of the situation...and contact all of our ships...they're going home."
January 9th 2009
Sol System
In orbit above Mars
TSAS Normandy
Cockpit
Today was the day...
They were here...
The Normandy as well as the rest of the entire Terran Fleet hung in space right in front of the Citadel. All thirty-eight ships of the Terran Fleet ranging from the two dozen frigates to the three mighty dreadnoughts were in a formation reminiscent of a wall.
"Sir, we're picking up multiple hyperspace windows opening directly ahead," EDI informed.
"I see them," Cam nodded in confirmation.
"There's dozens of them," EDI reported as her hologram appeared. "They're Ha'tak-class motherships...no response to hails."
"What about the Citadel?" Cam questioned.
"They're sealing it now," EDI replied. "The Ha'taks are firing," the moment she finished several blasts of superheated plasma splashed across the Normandy's shields.
"Alright that's all I needed to know to figure out if they were the enemy or not," Cam said as he engaged the Mass Effect core and shot the Normandy forward towards the enemy ships.
"Transmission coming in from the Citadel," EDI reported.
"Put it on," Cam acknowledged.
"This is General O'Neill...Cam, what hell is going on out there?" Jack's voice echoed through the comm.
"The hell if I know sir," Cam told him. "They opened fire as soon as they locked onto us...we're engaging now."
"What do you think Colonel? Lucian Alliance?" Jack asked.
"Not sure sir," Cam replied as the Normandy's railguns shot down any passing gliders. "I'm going to have to get back to you sir," he said as they entered weapon's range.
"I hear you...good hunting," Jack finished and the channel went silent.
"Target locked on the first Ha'tak," EDI reported.
"Firing," Cam pressed the little red button on the screen and the gun ports on the Normandy opened.
Unlike the 304-class battlecruisers which were armed with four Asgard Plasma Beam cannons or the larger 305-class dreadnoughts which were armed with a dozen, frigates like the Normandy were only armed with two. Because of this fact they were generally deployed in squadrons for dealing with Wraith fleets however Ha'taks were much smaller and nowhere near as well shielded like Asuran battleships and Reapers so the frigates were aiming for a mothership each instead of concentrating on one ship at a time like before.
Two beams of bright blue energy lanced out from the guns and struck the shield of the unfortunate Ha'tak. The first beam tore through the shields instantly and second beam sliced through its hull with one shot, generating secondary explosions which consumed it moments later. The rest of the Terran Fleet fired around the same time and tore into the attacking fleet while the Terran ships themselves were relatively undamaged thanks to their own ZPM-powered Asgard shields.
"What's going on here? This is too easy..." Cam muttered under his breath.
"This is Colonel Samantha Carter of the Hammond to all ships," Sam's voice came blaring through the comm. "The fleet is just a diversion; multiple Alkesh and Tel'tak cargo ships have jumped in, inside the Citadel arms. They've landed and are assaulting the Citadel directly."
"You've got to be kidding me," Cam said in surprise as the Normandy descended on another Ha'tak and destroyed it. "She's not serious, is she? This massacre is nothing more than a diversion?"
"It would appear so," EDI mused.
"Damn it...patch me through to Colonel Sheppard; he should be on the Citadel right now."
January 9th 2009
Sol System
In orbit above Mars
Citadel
Presidium
Gunfire sounded through the air Terran defence teams fired on the legions of Jaffa that came at them. Transports of Goa'uld design had jump inside the closed arms of the Citadel and landed all over the nation-sized space station. Their troops were fighting their way through the streets and had broken into the Presidium where they would then continue onto Citadel Control Tower.
The members of AR-1 had returned from the Pegasus Galaxy with the rest of the fleet and had been stationed on the Citadel when the enemy fleet jumped in. They had thought it was the Lucian Alliance...it turns out that wasn't the case after all.
"They're Jaffa," Rodney shouted as he gunned down another one of the armoured warriors.
"I thought they were supposed to be our allies?" Ford shouted as he fired on a pair of approaching Jaffa.
"They are!" Sheppard nodded as he strung from cover and opened fire.
A sudden explosion rocked the entire Presidium a second later...
"What was that?" Ford asked after a moment.
"They must have breached the elevator," Rodney mused worriedly. "They're probably on their way up to the control tower right now."
"Well that's where we're going," Sheppard told them. "Let's go," he said before the three ran towards the nearest elevator. The elevator doors closed just as another small number if Jaffa appeared and took aim at them.
"Now what?" Ford asked the question.
"Colonel Sheppard, come in," a voice sounded through the comm. "This is Colonel Mitchell of the Normandy, come on Sheppard, answer me damn it."
"I hear you Shaft," Sheppard responded.
"Finally...look Sheppard, the battle out here is a joke. The enemy ships are being destroyed all over the place but the transport ships are still slipping through. You need to open the arms and let us move in before they gain control of the station and let the Reapers through," Cam told him.
"We're on our way up to the control tower now," Sheppard said back.
January 9th 2009
Sol System
In orbit above Mars
Citadel
Control Tower
Small fires dotted the room as Gerak, leader of the Free Jaffa Nation and servant of the Reapers entered the large room. Dozens of Jaffa and Terrans lay dead on the floor as he strolled up the stairs towards the main control console. His honour guard stood at the elevators while two of them remained at his side just in case as he approached the catwalk to the main console.
Eight months ago he had been contacted by the Reapers whom sent one of their servants to the Milky Way via the Stargate and a lot of energy in order to make contact. They had promised him and his people, the Free Jaffa Nation complete and total control of the galaxy as long as they opened the Citadel Relay and allowed the Reapers to deal with the Tau'ri once and for all.
Naturally he agreed...
He walked up to the controls and after looking over the interface for a moment, he entered in the command to activate the Citadel Relay. A low rumble was heard as the Citadel's Mass Effect field started to condense and redirect to the primary relay and the presidium ring started to spin in a similar way to a normal Mass Relay.
Gunfire echoed through the room and he turned quickly to see two of his loyal Jaffa gunned down by Tau'ri projectile weapons. Three Tau'ri ran up the stairs forcing him to shutdown the main holographic console and drop down into the room below.
"Oh crap, we're too late," Rodney cursed as he stared out of the massive wind above them.
Outside the presidium ring continued to spin as its Mass Effect field continued to expand and the rumbling quickly grew. After a few seconds the relay lit up and a single ship exploded into view. It was a Reaper...
"Double crap," Rodney cursed again.
"Any ideas?" Ford asked the two.
"Rodney?" Sheppard asked turning to the scientist.
"Oh this just typical," Rodney said indignantly. "Every time you encounter a problem you can't handle with your guns or bombs or whatever, you immediately turn to the scientists."
"Rodney?" Sheppard asked again urgently.
"Alright, alright," Rodney quickly reactivated the main holographic console and accessed the controls. A loud clang echoed through the room a second later causing everyone to tense and both Sheppard and Ford to turn and level their weapons.
"Rodney?" Sheppard questioned.
"The Reaper has docked with the top of the tower," Rodney explained. "It's trying to override the controls and open the relay further to allow the rest of the Reaper Fleet to come through."
"Can you stop it?" Ford inquired as several Jaffa dashed into the room.
"I can slow it down," Rodney replied. "...Got it," he said after a few seconds. "That should buy us some time...one second while I open the Citadel's arms."
"I really don't want to rush you here McKay but they're cutting through the doors!" Sheppard shouted as sparks started to splinter out form the elevator doors.
"Got it!" Rodney exclaimed in relief as the Citadel arms began to open...
"I will not allow you to interfere!" Gerak shouted as he appeared from the side and fired a Zat at them forcing the three Tau'ri soldiers to dive for cover.
"Sheppard to Normandy, the door is open! Do you need an invitation too?"
January 9th 2009
Sol System
In orbit above Mars
TSAS Normandy
Cockpit
"Sheppard to Normandy, the door is open! Do you need an invitation too?" Sheppard's voice blared through the comm.
"Roger that," Cam said back as the Citadel arms completely opened and the Reaper was revealed. "Oh crap, one of them already made it through the relay...we're going in."
The Normandy banked hard and dived into the eye of the storm where the Reaper sat connected to the Citadel Tower. Its two cannons fired in unison and struck the Reaper across its shields only for the shields to shrug them off. This was soon followed by a volley of Naquadah missiles and disruptor torpedoes only for them to be deflected by the Reaper's shields.
"There appears to be no significant damage," EDI reported. "It appears to be draining power directly from the station in order to augment its shields and weapon systems."
"The Citadel's ZPMs," Cam caught on as he saw the rest of the fleet move in.
Still he wasn't sure if it was enough to defeat a ZPM-powered Reaper...
Various Terran ships of all classes opened fire on the lone Reaper with enough firepower to render whole planets uninhabitable however all of the attacks were merely absorbed by the powerful shields of the Reaper. After a few moments it almost seemed to glare at them before its legs started to shift and take aim at the Terran fleet.
"Affirmative Colonel Mitchell," EDI confirmed. "Warning, the Reaper is targeting-" she wasn't able to finish.
A glowing beam of accelerated metal erupted from the end of one of the Reaper's legs and slammed into the one of the three dreadnoughts. The Terran warship staggered from the blow before another three slammed into its already beaten shields and they collapsed completely. The dreadnought was gutted from stem to stern by the barrage and was destroyed a few moments later when its reactors exploded.
"Holy mother of-" Cam exclaimed as the Normandy pulled away at high speed in order to evade the Reaper's fire. "It looks like you were right; they're definitely using the Citadel's ZPM to power their weapons."
"There is no energy fluctuation in their shields like there was for Nazara five years ago," EDI stated clearly. "I am unable to attain a transporter lock on any coordinates inside the Reaper."
"So I guess nuking it is out of the question," Cam winced as an orange beam of metal skimmed the Normandy's shields.
"I am Fate; the cycle will begin anew and there is nothing you can do to prevent it," the Reaper's, Fate's distorted voice blared through the comm.
The Reaper fired again, this time solely on the Normandy with everything it could bring to bear fast enough. Several blasts were clean misses however two grazed the shields and the last was a direct hit. The Normandy was physically blown away by the force of the blast and started to spiral out of control before Cam was able to stabilize its course.
"Shields are down, primary sub-light drive is offline and power conduits on deck three have blown out. Sixteen crewmen are dead Colonel Mitchell," EDI reported.
"Damn it...give the order to abandon ship," Cam said finally knowing there was nothing else he could do.
"All hands abandon ship, I repeat all hands abandon ship. Make your way to the escape pods and evacuate the Normandy. That includes you Colonel," EDI said through the internal comm.
"Just give me a minute," Cam told her as he plotted in a course for the battered stealth frigate.
"The Reaper is targeting us again," EDI reported. "Its firing!" she added urgently.
A single beam of orange metal lanced out from one of the Fate's legs and cut through the neck of the frigate. The Normandy jerked harshly as the beam split the ship in half and flung Cam from his seat and onto the floor.
"EDI! Transfer yourself into the data crystal now!" Cam shouted as air rushed out through the hull breach and out into open space.
He clung to the side of the doorframe until the last of the air was gone and then flung himself back towards his seat through the now microgravity environment. A tray slid out filled with data crystals and he plucked the only green one out before pushing the tray back in. After that was done he pushed himself towards the escape pod next to the cockpit and opened the hatch.
He barely made it inside and closed the hatch before the Reaper fired again. Just as the escape pod exploded away from the dying Normandy, the Reaper unleashed a barrage of two accelerated metal beams at the frigate. The Normandy was torn apart under the barrage and its remains scattered into a decaying orbit of Mars.
January 9th 2009
Sol System
In orbit above Mars
Citadel
Control Tower
The fighting continued across the Citadel as more and more Jaffa landed and headed for the control tower. Gerak and his followers currently in the control room were still trading fire with the members of AR-1 even as they desperately tried to hold the line and stop anyone else from accessing the main controls.
"You cannot win, you cannot hide, you cannot see the truth," a haunting voice echoed through the room as two more Jaffa were gunned down.
"You heard him Tau'ri!" Gerak shouted from cover. "They will bring unity and peace to this galaxy."
"You're insane!" Sheppard shouted back as he fired in the Jaffa leader's direction. "The Reapers bring nothing but pain and misery to everything and everyone they touch. We've already been forced to wipe out two races because of these things and you want to let them loose on the galaxy? Are you nuts?"
"You do not understand Tau'ri!" Gerak yelled as his skin turned a pale white and blue implants spread out across his face and body.
"Rodney, what just happened?" Sheppard questioned at the sudden transformation.
"I think the Reaper above us just took control of him directly," Rodney explained and hesitantly took a step away from the Jaffa leader.
"Sir, maybe we should..." Ford gestured towards the almost zombie-like Jaffa leader.
"Take him down!" Sheppard exclaimed and the three opened fire solely on Gerak.
Jaffa lunged to the side, faster than anything they had ever seen a human move and then lunged right at them. Gerak jumped and knocked down Ford only to be kicked away by Sheppard. Rodney took aim and fired, tearing into the Jaffa leader's side. Sheppard and Ford soon followed and unloaded every clip they had into the Reaper-Gerak until finally he stopped moving.
"...Is he dead now?" Rodney asked the question.
January 9th 2009
Sol System
In orbit above Mars
TSAS George Hammond
Main Bridge
Suddenly the Reaper stopped moving and its legs let go of its grip on the control tower allowing it to drift away slightly.
"Major Meyers, what is happening?" Colonel Samantha Carter questioned.
"Its power readings just cut out ma'am," Meyers replied. "It's almost like a computer being disconnected from its hard drive in mid-use...it doesn't know what to do."
"What about its shields?" Sam questioned further as she stared out of the viewport.
"They're down," Meyers reported.
"We're not going to get another shot at this," Sam gave the order. "All ships open fire; let's hit this thing with everything we've got."
Almost as one the remaining Terran ships moved in and fired from all directions. Beams of plasma burned through layers of its armour in seconds and naquadah missiles exploded against its hull, consuming it in light as mass accelerator rounds tore through what was left of its battered and beaten hull until finally its reactor exploded and the machine vessel ceased to exist.
"The Reaper has been destroyed," Meyers confirmed as the bridge cheered. "The relay is shutting down now...we did it."
"Contact Colonel Sheppard and have him standby for transport. Begin beaming out any of our people still left on the Citadel and contact the Everest. Tell Colonel Ronson that we're going to need the Asgard re-sequencer to deal with the Jaffa forces still on the Citadel," Sam ordered.
Three hours later the fighting had died down and the last of the Jaffa forces were defeated. With the Citadel Relay deactivated no other Reapers were able to arrive and reinforce their 'allies' positions and so the Terrans were able to hold the line long enough to defeat them once again.
For all those involved the Battle of Mars was over...
Author's Notes:
And so ends the final battle of the Second Reaper war. I know some of you have been wondering why I've been neglecting diplomacy between the Terrans and other factions, well this is why. A 'Federation' can only exist if there is understanding and trust between different races and governments. After this do you really think that the Terrans can simply trust the Jaffa?
Hell, in Stargate canon after the Goa'uld were defeated the Jaffa became arrogant and annoying because they believed that they were important and could do things without Earth being involved. When the Ori showed up the Jaffa became a joke at best; it was a conflict between Earth, the Asgard (at the end) and the Ori because the Jaffa were practically useless without someone to back them up.
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