+++ Here is the chapter I promised before the weekend arrives. Enjoy it and know that I am hard at work on the next one. Please continue leaving reviews and I appreciate each one. Have a great weekend everyone+++
Pluto
The ships entry of the massive shipyard opened. Exiting with a speed that belied her great mass was the Athena. Gracefully she entered the vast cold environment of space. In distant orbit of the disguised shipyard sat an Asgard O'Neill class vessel. For their mission to Pegasus it had been decided to utilize a front line warship instead of a science vessel due to Wraith numerical superiority. Encrypted data flowed via secure link between the two vessels. Maneuvering to a distance of several hundred thousand kilometers from Arkos station two hyperspace windows opened and the advanced vessels began their journey to their destination.
Jakod
It had been decided to cut the head off the snake. Following orders from Colonel Frost a company of one hundred and twenty Army Rangers had deployed aboard the Ares. Their mission was simple; enact the capture of Genii leadership and other high value targets located on Jakod. The standard Ranger mission was airfield seizure. In this case they were being used for another purpose. Each member of the assault force was outfitted with the black battle armor that had made the kull warriors of Anubis so fearsome. Instead of carrying their normal M4's and M249's they were instead carrying only Zat's. This mission was only to capture not to kill.
After conducting a detailed scan of the target area Colonel Sheppard ordered the crew to begin beaming down the assault team. In the hanger bay F-302's had departed moments before armed with Small Diameter Bombs, and Maverick guided anti tank munitions. This would be a combined arms exercise unlike anything the Genii were capable of.
On the ground the Ranger element disregarded their normal small unit tactics. Instead of utilizing the principles of stealth during their stalk the one hundred and twenty men formed line abreast in a wide fanning wall. Their armor would render harmless energy weapons, bullet fire, and to a lesser extent explosives against the highly trained soldiers. Removing zat's from their holsters the men began their slow march toward the entrance to the mining system housing the Genii.
Two Genii sentries were the first to see this black wall of men coming towards them. Quickly they radioed their sighting before opening fire with automatic weapons. Mouths dropped when they saw their bullets have no effect. The last thing these two men saw before everything went black were the silver beams of energy as zat's returned fire on their position. One of the Rangers quickly tagged the two unconscious men with locator beacons.
"Ares, I have two down and ready to beam." said the Sergeant.
"Ares copies." replied Sheppard.
In a flash of light the two men disappeared. From above a flight of 302's released their payload of SDB's. Weighing only two hundred and fifty pounds the SDB's were a recent development of the Air Force. Meant for urban warfare they were much smaller than normal air dropped ordinance. The bomb cases were constructed of carbon fiber instead of the normal steel housings meant to produce fragmentation damage. Their seeker heads active the small bombs homed in on targets designated from the laser pod of their launching aircraft. Unknown to enemy forces the weaponry was targeted no closer than fifty meters of any fighting position. Seeing the explosions frantic calls for reinforcement went out among the Genii ranks. Foot troops quickly exited the mine to join the defenders ranks.
Marching forward impervious to the weapons fire they faced the Rangers pressed forward. Each enemy combatant that was stunned was tagged with a beacon and beamed aboard Ares. This process repeated itself many times in the four mile march to the mines opening. The 302's in turn targeted their Maverick missiles near the ventilation shafts on the surface. Their intent wasn't to collapse the mine, just add enough noise and dust to the interior to make it look good.
Seeing they faced an enemy they could not harm the remaining Genii troops abandoned their stand against the oncoming black clad soldiers. Radio calls went out among their ranks to retreat within the mine. Several made it to the safety of the underground cavern, but more did not. From the mouth of the mine men watched in horror as their comrades were hit with brilliant white pulses of energy, and then vanished in much larger flashes of light.
"Prenum, you must retreat further into the mine. My men will stop these attackers before they enter the mine." said Heiron.
"Who is attacking us? Is it the Tauri?" asked Prenum.
"My men report the attackers are dressed in some type of black full body armor. We have never seen the Tauri in any such gear." replied Heiron.
"As commander of Genii forces I order you to stop this attack! Our way of life hangs in the balance of your ability to protect me!" screamed Prenum.
"They cannot simply walk through a wall of weapons fire. Remain deep in the mine with the others of your staff and I will deal with this." replied Heiron.
Prenum and his staff quickly found shelter deeper in the mine, behind a very large steel door. Heiron had run forward, marshalling his men to defend the mine entrance at all costs. "They are not invincible boys! Take aim and send them to their deaths!" he yelled.
Thirty Genii soldiers opened fire on the approaching attackers. Grenades were tossed in for good measure. A cheer erupted among the defenders, but was only to last but a brief moment. Stepping through the clouds of dust kicked up by the grenades were the black clad attackers. The Genii in a panic began to spray the approaching attackers with wild weapons fire.
"Our weapons don't have any effect commander!" screamed a young Genii soldier.
"We can't kill them! We're doomed!" screamed another.
Zat fire erupted around the defenders. They fell in droves. As these men were beamed aboard Ares a team of ten Rangers were detached to press deeper into the mine. Scans from Ares showed only twelve hostiles remained. Two sentries tried in vain to protect the room where their people's leader had taken shelter.
"Corporal, use the cutting charges and get that door down." ordered the Ranger companies First Sergeant.
"Lead the way Top." was the Corporal's reply.
The young ranger removed three cutting charges from the pack he carried on his back. One was placed over each of the massive hinges of the heavy steel door standing between the soldiers and their prey. Triggering the remote detonator the hinges were sliced open by the copper jet that erupted from the small explosive devices. Taking a pry bar two more of the Rangers pried the heavy door loose from its frame, falling with a thunderous impact.
Inside the room Prenum and his staff cowered behind overturned tables. The Rangers entered the room without saying a word. Their weapons leveled the highly trained men were ready to complete their mission.
"Please don't kill me!" begged Prenum.
Firing in unison ten Genii fell, followed quickly by the remaining two. It was over for now. Fanning out the men began to search the underground complex for anything of intelligence value. Radios, papers, photos, and equipment were all beamed aboard Ares. With a loud and thunderous call of Lead the Way the rangers celebrated their victory.
Atlantis
Standing in the stargate operations room Mr. Woolsey ordered Chuck to dial Earth. As the chevrons on the ancient device slowly locked their eight chevron address Woolsey smiled to himself. Today was a monumental day for members of the expedition who had survived the Genii's first attempt to capture Atlantis. It had taken years, but justice was finally being served. Once the event horizon settled into its puddle Woolsey began to speak.
"Stargate Command, this is Atlantis." Woolsey began.
"Go ahead Atlantis." said the young airman manning Earth's gate control center within Cheyenne Mountain.
"I'm requesting a priority video conference with Nation Command Authority, authorization code Lima, tango, victor, eight." said Woolsey.
"Atlantis, SGC confirms. Stand by." answered the Airman.
Several minutes passed before the video feed was active. Sitting in the Oval Office was President Henry Hayes smiling his usual warm smile.
"Mr. Woolsey, to what do I owe the honor?" asked Hayes.
"Mr. President, thirty minutes ago Colonel's Frost and Sheppard transmitted a message to Atlantis. The message was confirmation that Genii leadership has been captured by our forces. They are currently in custody and being transported to Atlantis." said Woolsey.
"That's great! We finally got these guys! Please pass on my thanks for a wonderful effort to all involved. What's the next step Richard?" asked Hayes.
"Mr. President, I will inform the Coalition of Planets of the results of this operation. It is my understanding that the Coalition intends to put the Genii leadership on trail for crimes against humanity." answered Woolsey.
"Will they be seeking the death penalty?" asked Hayes.
"Nothing as blatant as that Mr. President. When the Coalition put our expedition on trial we were told in the event of a guilty verdict trade would be outlawed with us, and Colonel Sheppard's team would be moved to a planet with the stargate disabled. With the Wraith still a threat in this galaxy marooning anyone is a death sentence." replied Woolsey.
"Richard, you've really made my day. Thank you. I stepped out of a meeting with the governor of Wisconsin to take your call. Give my best to everyone, and stay safe." said the President before the video feed ended.
"Shut down the gate Chuck. Have Lt. Col. Lorne assemble two off world teams please. One will be going to the Riva to inform Dimas, and the other be going to Latira to make contact with Kelore. I want the Coalition brought up to speed so we can ensure trail proceedings against the Genii start quickly." ordered Woolsey.
Around Atlantis the feeling for the long time expedition members was one of jubilation. After so many years justice would finally prevail. Word soon spread to the Athosian settlement, which was also greeted with rejoicing. Justice didn't happen often in the Pegasus galaxy, but today it had prevailed.
Dakara
Preparations for the deployment of the Jaffa battle group were almost complete. The proud warrior race having steeled themselves for the conflict to come was ready to face their enemy on the field of battle. The men of the ground force were all veterans of many battles at the behest of the System Lords they belonged to. Fury had turned to anger after that attack, and that anger had festered into a cold fury. Retribution would be had by the Jaffa. Standing on the Pel'Tak of his Ha'Tak Bra'tac quietly hoped for victory. Like his former pupil Teal'c he too thought it unwise to enter into this conflict without the assistance of the Tauri. They had offered to stand beside their ally in honor, but Jaffa pride and prejudice towards the Tauri ruled it impossible.
"We have come so far with their aid. After generations in servitude let not pride be our undoing." Bra'tac said quietly to himself.
Lord Protector Planet
Dropping out of hyperspace the Athena and her accompanying Asgard vessel quickly established stable orbit. A team had been dispatched to the surface to bring Mara back aboard to discuss the final design of the city to be built and attend to several other matters in the events to come. In the jumper Mara watched in wonder as the craft took to the air. Exiting the atmosphere she was amazed at the vastness of space. She could hardly contain her amazement at the sight of the two massive vessels they were approaching. As they entered the jumper bay aboard Athena she was speechless.
Upon exiting the jumper Mara was escorted to the briefing room aboard the Tauri vessel. Pleasantries were exchanged before the gathered group sat down. Much ground was to be covered and they had to make each moment count.
"It's a pleasure to have you aboard Mara." said Eckhart.
"I bring you tidings from the people of the Asgard." said Thor.
"Pleasure to meet you again Mara." said McKay.
"I never imagined anything this large could be built by the hands of men." said an awe struck Mara.
"This ship is just one of many my people have in your galaxy." informed Eckhart.
"Let's get down to business, shall we?" asked McKay.
"Of course Doctor. What is it you wish to discuss that Mr. Woolsey and I have not already agreed upon." Mara asked.
"We're here to go over the final design of your new capital actually. I have a wonderful holographic representation of it here." said McKay while bring up the holographic display.
"Using information provided by the Atlantis expedition I have taken the liberty of compiling a design I feel will serve your people well." stated Thor.
Looking upon the rendering of the proposed design Mara was amazed at the size and detail. The representation before her was of a city that could easily house tens of thousands. It was far more than she could have ever imagined possible for her people.
"It's such a large city, and my people are so few." she said.
"I have taken the liberty of designing the city so that continued growth of your population may be integrated easily. In time your numbers will grow and this allowance will make it possible to house your entire population as you do." said Thor.
"I've taken the liberty of selecting a site to place the city so we can begin. It allows for ease of access to your agricultural areas." McKay said very pleased with himself.
"I trust your people implicitly." she answered.
"If the design is acceptable I will beam aboard my ship and begin the construction process now. It will require several days to complete." said Thor.
"The design is wonderful. I cannot thank you enough. I hope we meet again while you are here." answered Mara.
"Mara, during this process we would be honored if you would be our guest aboard Athena." invited Colonel Eckhart.
"Splendid! Would it be possible to also have the royal court aboard during this transition?" she asked.
"We have more than ample space aboard for them, and we would be honored." answered Eckhart.
"The matter remains of removing your belongings from the tower." suggested McKay.
"At Mr. Woolsey's urging I have ordered that all belongings be packed in anticipation of your arrival. Everything is prepared in the main chamber." Mara said proudly.
"Very good. We can just beam that aboard and I can get to work." said McKay.
"Mara, if you would follow the pilot who brought you aboard back to the jumper he will gladly return you to your planet so we can begin bringing the royal court aboard." suggested Eckhart.
The young woman quickly exited the room leaving the Colonel and the scientist alone.
"Now that we have that out of the way I'm assuming you want to get right to work." stated Eckhart.
"You got it. That way I don't have to deal with them. Sheppard told horror stories about their table manners for weeks." replied McKay.
Rolling his eyes Eckhart stood up and left for the bridge. Rodney with matters to attend to headed for the area he had taken over for his command post. At his console McKay performed highly accurate scans of the buried city ship. A majority of the city's towers were indeed damaged. Some were broken off altogether. She was in need of a lot of work, but being the foremost expert on ancient technology in the galaxy Rodney was certain he could bring her back to life.
"Let me know the moment the royal court and all their belongings are aboard." Rodney said into his earpiece.
"No problem." was the reply.
Heading towards the Asgard core room Rodney stopped for a cup of coffee. He wrote computer code best when he was well caffeinated. Seated in front of the core he brought in the sensor data he had recently taken of the city ship below. Over the next few hours a computer routine was put together making use of Athena's beaming technology. He knew from the beginning that the city would need to be excavated before being repaired. Traditional excavation took too far to long for his tastes. Instead he would use the beaming technology to beam away six inches of soil per minute. The soil beamed away he would deposit in a valley fifty miles to the south. Once the soil covering the city ship was removed he would deal with the corridors filled with hundreds of tons of earth. That earth was all that held up several of the corridors his scans told him.
"Dr. McKay, the royal court and their belongings are now onboard." said the engineering officer over the radio.
"Thank you. I'm going to need to beam down to an interior space in about fifteen minutes. I'll let you know when I'm ready." said McKay.
He could barely contain his excitement. Rushing to his quarters he changed and gathered the gear he felt would be needed. Stopping by the dining facility he asked for and received an assortment of sandwiches, a thermos of coffee, and a several power bars. Putting these in his backpack along with his tablet computer and his ancient scanner he picked up the hard metal case sitting beside him in preparation to beam down.
"Bridge, this is McKay. I transmitted a schematic with several numbered locations to you. Refer to that document when I request beaming to another section of the ship. I am prepared to beam down to location three." said McKay.
"Roger that doc, be careful down there." said the engineer.
After the split second of nothing Rodney found himself standing in the power distribution room of the city ship. He already knew the zpm's were lifeless from his last visit to this ship. Not wasting a moment of precious time McKay removed the three empty zpm's and tagged them so they would not be confused for ones still of use. From the metal case he brought with him he removed a fresh zpm and installed it within the power node. In seconds lights began to come on. For the first time in several years the city once again had power. Scratch one item off his one thousand item to do list he thought.
Athena, this is McKay. I'm ready to beam to location one please" said McKay.
"Right away doc." answered the bridge crewman.
In a flash of light McKay appeared in the auxiliary control room. The last time he had stood in this room was when he had powered the star drive to drain what little power remained in the city's zpm to prevent drones from being launched at his team. Bringing the ancient data terminals online McKay entered the AI avatar password. Appearing before him was a beautiful woman with dark red hair and grey eyes.
"Thank you for reactivating my systems. I am Borealis." said the woman with a sincere smile.
"Borealis it is a pleasure. I am Doctor Rodney McKay." said the scientist.
"You have the gene, but you are not Lantean." said Borealis.
"A lot has happened since the last time you were active. Suffice to say I know Atlantis very well and am here to bring you back into working order." answered Rodney.
"My sister was always the stronger of us." replied the avatar.
"Borealis please give me your current state of repair?" asked Rodney.
"That will take some time Dr. McKay. Most of my core systems are not currently operational. Should I begin with primary systems before we discuss tertiary systems?" asked the AI.
"Yes, begin with primary systems." said Rodney with a growing sense of excitement.
"The star drive is currently not fully operational. One drive section was damaged beyond repair. Weapons are currently unavailable as stocks are diminished. Shields are not functional as all shield emitter stations were destroyed when my main power conduit was damaged." stated Borealis.
"What happened that caused this much damage?" asked McKay.
"After a great battle with my power stores depleted to minimum levels, my crew sought refuge on this world. As we entered the atmosphere several Wraith vessels attacked. Power was not sufficient to maintain our descent, utilize weapons, and power the shield. The shield was lowered to give my crew time to land. The main power conduit was damaged at that moment and we plummeted the remaining eight hundred meters to land." said the avatar with a trace of sadness.
"You mean you crashed?" asked a shocked Rodney.
"Yes Doctor. With the war going badly resources and personal could not be diverted for my repair and retrieval. I have remained on this planet since that day ten thousand years ago." she said.