++++ Here is the latest chapter. I apologize for the delay in getting this one out but real life had me somewhat busy for a few days. I'm hoping you're enjoying so far. Big things are in the works for the next few chapters so stay tuned. Please keep the reviews coming in as they are greatly appreciated. Have a great week everyone!++++
Atlantis
In the control room normal operations of the day were taking place. Off world teams came and went, mission reports were filed while mission briefings took place, and the steady flow of paperwork that made up the day to day life of Mr. Woolsey maintained a steady flow. Stepping into the doorway of Woolsey's office stood Chuck.
"Mr. Woolsey, you have an incoming subspace message" said Chuck.
Rising from behind his desk Woolsey quickly covered the short distance to the control interface station. With a nod of his head the incoming message stream was displayed on the flat panel monitor.
"Atlantis, this is Apollo" began the communiqué from Colonel Ellis.
"Go ahead Colonel" answered Woolsey.
"Based on the intelligence provided by Todd we can now confirm a major shipbuilding effort is in play by the Wraith" stated Ellis.
"What did you find Colonel" asked Woolsey.
"The third planet on the list provided seems t be a major hub of activity. In orbit we counted four large battle groups of both hive and cruiser class vessels. Under cloak we moved in for a closer look and found upwards of forty vessels in varies states of completion" intoned Ellis.
"Were you detected" asked Woolsey.
"Wraith forces gave no indications of detecting our presence and did not engage. With the amount of security in orbit this looks to be a very secure location, so I would say that any hint we were here would have brought about a response" answered Ellis.
"Are you returning to Atlantis" asked Woolsey.
"At this time we are continuing our recon of the remaining planets Todd mentioned. We are however transmitting video and photographic feeds of what we found. Apollo out" ended Ellis.
"File received Mr. Woolsey" sated Chuck.
"Upload that to Colonel's Sheppard and Frost. Also dial Earth and flag this priority action immediate for the SGC and the IOA" ordered Woolsey before returning to his office.
Home World Command
After returning from New Heliopolis Lt. Colonel Paul Davis had quickly made his way to the Pentagon via a cloaked puddle jumper. With the constant off world conferences he attended he thought it was good he wasn't married after all. A lower enlisted runner had quickly ushered Davis into the depths of Home World Command and seated him in General O'Neill's office.
"So what have you got for me Paul" asked Jack.
"More than usual General" responded Davis.
"Nothing beats the intergalactic rumor mill over morning coffee" said a smiling O'Neill.
"The Alterran's and Furlings have informed me the final sections of the super gate will be complete within twenty four hours and in place within forty eight. They have requested a further twenty four hour window to calibrate all systems and the gate's protective shield" stated Davis.
"So Destiny is finally coming home eh" asked O'Neill.
"It seems that way sir. The Council of Races is highly concerned about another attempt to capture Destiny after it exits the gate. We have been asked to divert fleet assets to sanitize the area around the gate to ensure Destiny doesn't blindly walk into something unfortunate. Upon exit of the gate an Asgard O'Neill class vessel will take Destiny under tow into hyperspace and deliver her to Arkos Station. This brings me to the next matter of business" said Davis.
"Which is" asked Jack.
"'As you know Ms. Mal Doran managed to plant the advanced persistent threat program in a minor level Lucian Alliance shipyard where she had past dealings. The location signals from vessels tagged is to be monitored from the November site. It appears the propagation method is far faster than we imagined. The monitoring station is currently tracking several hundred small and large vessels throughout the galaxy. They tell me the program did also jump to Jaffa vessels as we suspected it might. So far we have been able to identify the two group's vessels by their current sectors of space. The Asgard are going over previous navigational data with a fine toothed comb also, but they stated that will take some time" stated Davis.
"Ok, so we can track all of their ships then" asked Jack.
"Based on the numbers we have now we estimate both fleets will be tagged with Hermiod within the next twelve hours. Telemetry did pick up on a large grouping of vessels within a short jump of the super gate. The Asgard stand ready to commit their fleet in this galaxy to a joint defense of Destiny should the need arise" stated Davis.
"Thor's handy like that. Ok, anything else" asked Jack.
"The Council of Races has requested Mr. Wallace be allowed to come to Vis Uban on a long term basis to work in conjunction with several of their top minds. It seems they have big plans for our boy wonder" laughed Davis.
"Yeah they mentioned that several months ago to me also. It's up to him what he wants to do. Personally, if I was just coming home from being stranded a few billion light years from home I can't say I would want to just jaunt off to the other side of the galaxy but it's his call. I've got bigger concerns on my plate right now anyway. It seems the Wraith are building a fairly large fleet. We all can guess who that's aimed at" sighed Jack.
"Based on the transcript of the information Todd provided the IOA has been in several closed door sessions. After the Jaffa incident and what Hermes uncovered about Lucian Alliance ship strength it looks like they are going to authorize a second round of Fleet expansion in our favor. As they haven't released any official findings yet you didn't hear this from me but I would expect them to authorize a doubling of fleet strength" confidently stated Davis.
"That's very generous of them since building these vessels no longer costs us a single dime. Have I mentioned just how much I dislike the IOA" asked Jack.
"Several times over the year's sir" answered Davis.
"Then it looks like the Navy is about to get a larger piece of the intergalactic pie" stated Jack.
"One last thing sir. The Alterran ambassador informed me the instillation of planetary shielding will begin next week. It's basically a system of shield emitters similar to those on Atlantis only larger. The power requirements for this are enormous though. Remember when we were ecstatic when we located a single zpm? This thing is going to need fifteen of them" said Davis in an exasperated voice.
"True, but well worth it to stop another group of morons out there from crashing a bomb laden space ship into the building we are now sitting in" wisely stated Jack.
"That's all I've got for now sir, and I have a briefing with the President in an hour" said Davis.
"Enjoy that Colonel. Dismissed"
Tuat
On the surface of the planet, within the palatial building at the center of the Goa'uld built complex a meeting was taking place. The combined second's of the Lucian Alliance were here to meet with their first; Mallic.
"Our operatives report the Tauri are indeed bringing Destiny back to this galaxy using the super gate" stated Holid.
"If they return that ship to this galaxy where we are strong nothing will prevent our capture of it and all it contains" stated Mallic.
"Mallic we must first deal with the Jaffa as they will surely strike at us again" said Bodig.
"The Jaffa are of no concern, and never were" sneered Mallic.
"They sought to attack us with their fleet" responded Bodig.
"The Jaffa are now in our fold. What you did not know at the time was this battle was simply Jaffa politics playing itself out on a larger stage. Members of their high council sought total control and could not accomplish this with Bra'tac and Teal'c in the way. With Bra'tac dead Teal'c was easily pushed out of the council. Yat'Yir fed us the troop movements and strengths. All Jaffa to include their high council answer to me" laughed Mallic.
"A brilliant ruse indeed Lord Mallic, but the Tauri" began Bodig.
"The Tauri are occupied. We have penetrated their organizations with our operatives. They have taken the majority of all left behind by the ancients. They have Atlantis after all. Destiny is ours" said Mallic simply.
"When do we begin" asked Holid.
"We already have. Our fleet is already moving into place" finished Mallic.
Destiny
An hour earlier over the ships intercom system all hands had been directed to attend the gathering in the gate room. Typically really big announcements were made there and the crew was hoping for one of that magnitude this time as well. All members aboard the ancient vessel were in attendance. Entering the room Colonel Young climbed the one of the twin curving staircases to give all those in attendance the opportunity to hear what was to be said. Looking out over the crowd Young thought of those that had been lost during this journey. Pushing aside the pain of those loses he cleared his throat and began.
"Thank you all for coming. I look out over all of the faces I see present and memories both good and bad come to mind. With a heavy heart I also think of those faces no longer among us. Their sacrifice must never be forgotten as it paved the way for our continued survival. Never before have I had the honor of commanding such an amazing group of individuals. When we arrived here on that fateful day we were all indeed individuals. I've watched you grow into a team and more than that into a family. I truly am honored to have had the opportunity to live among you and command this family. You are intelligence, adaptable, and posses the strongest will to survive I have ever before seen in my time in the armed forces. We've been through a lot, more in fact than most could ever endure in a lifetime. You have all acquitted yourselves with dignity and panache. I think back often to a similar gathering among us when we first arrived here. I told you will stick together and we will make it home. Many times that looked like a promise I wouldn't be able to keep. I'm here to tell you that promise will be coming true. After conferring with Earth it is my humble duty to inform you that three days from today we will be returning home" said Young.
Cheers broke out among the gathered crew. Some laughed, some hugged, and others cried. The outpouring of emotion was something rarely seen. In each face could be seen the sobering effect of the message delivered. They were finally going home. Raising his hands to draw attention Young continued.
"Three short days and we're home. Anywhere else three days passes in the blink of an eye. I understand the weight that has been lifted off of all of our shoulders with this news. Now is not the time to relax. The end is in sight but that can be the most perilous time in any journey. Yes we are going home, but we are also returning to the home turf of the same people who attempted to take this vessel from us by force. I need you all vigilant until after we cross the finish line. Not knowing what we're stepping into means I need each and every one of you well rested and ready for anything that can be thrown at us. Murphy's Law has bit a chunk out of our asses several times on board this ship. Let's not let him do it again. That's all. You're all free to return to your stations" said the Colonel while descending the staircase.
Heading to his quarters to lay down Young closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Finally, he was bringing his people home. The cost had been great, but the end was in site.
Hermes
Upon receiving flash orders Hermes had broken off from her normal patrol schedule and leaped through hyperspace to the area of space that was home to the super gate. Dropping out of hyperspace the cloak was engaged. Elsewhere in the surrounding systems the combined might of the Tauri in the Milky Way patrolled under cloak sniffing out any possible signs of trouble.
Cam Mitchell had always considered himself as someone who believed in his gut. In this instance his gut told him that trouble was coming. The fighter pilot in him sought out the battle he believed was coming. The logical side of him hoped for nothing more than another peaceful day in the neighborhood.
"Helm, set course for the first waypoint at full sub light. Each waypoint gets eight simulators. I want all four waypoints completed within the hour" ordered Mitchell.
The simulators he was speaking of were a new addition. Each of the fire hydrant sized canisters was inert until activated by a subspace message on a very discreet frequency. When activated each simulator powered up its ion powered core. The energy emissions given off simulated the opening of a hyperspace window's energy signature. After exhaustive testing it was found that in seventy percent of tests even the Asgard sensors could be fooled with this device.
Cam really wasn't sure of why he had been ordered to lay these devices in the pattern he was given, but these orders had originated with General O'Neill. Clearly he knew what was going on and Cam knew better than to question the General's logic.
Pluto
Arkos Station was a blizzard of activity on the best of days. Since the arrival of Borealis that level of activity had increased tenfold. To speed the process of repairs Earth's newly built cargo carriers were bringing in untold amounts of raw materials. The construction process as it was set up by the ancients could be performed using raw energy to create the necessary materials. This took time though. The addition of raw materials greatly increased the processes speed.
Aboard Borealis several new additions were being installed. Asgard neutrino Ion generators, subspace capacitors, cloaking capability, and the Asgard computer core were all on the docket. Each pier of the ancient city ship would also be fitted with two batteries of the Asgard beam weapons. Once repaired it was also intended that upon reaching its new home planet Borealis would work in conjunction with a submersible drilling platform much as Atlantis had on Lantea.
Deep within the bowels of the city ship sat Rodney McKay. With repairs progressing at an acceptable clip he had opted to pour through the database aboard to discover what wonders it might hold. To his surprise several things jumped out at him. After he had poured over everything he could find relating to his new discovery he had every intention of passing the knowledge along. Before that could happen Daniel Jackson entered the room.
"Hello Rodney" said Jackson.
"Ah, hey" was Rodney's reply.
"I figured I would find you here" stated Jackson.
"Oh yes, I've just been going over the database and I've found some interesting information so far" hinted McKay.
"Care to share it" asked Jackson.
"Well the Atlantis database was full of some amazing information about almost any subject. Borealis had a different focus so it seems" replied McKay smiling his normal smug smile.
"McKay, will you just tell me what it is already" demanded Jackson.
"I thought you'd never ask! Borealis was home to a much more tightly defined field of studies. Project Arcturus was conceived here, which we later found, and I later had a minor problem with" stated Rodney.
"By minor problem don't you mean destroyed a solar system with" asked Jackson.
"Five sixths but who's counting" countered McKay sheepishly.
"Ok, moving on. So you've found where this project originated" continued Jackson.
"Not only that but with it I've found all of the original data, design schematics, notes, everything! If I had this when we tried making it work I would have pulled it off! Borealis was apparently home to the study of high energy physics and weapons research in their war against the Wraith. Sure we've got a lot of things from before the war, but this is the really good stuff" said an animatedly excited McKay.
"I'm sure the future head of my science team here will make good use of it" grinned Jackson.
"I actually wanted to talk to you about that" said McKay.
"I wanted to talk to you about that also. I thought it best to ask you for a potential list of candidates" stated Jackson.
"Lee is good. Not great mind you but good. I can put together a list in a day or two if you would like" said a suddenly downcast McKay.
"McKay, I know you want to ask for the posting. Not to concede anything to you at all but I came down here to ask what your thoughts would be on joining this expedition" asked Jackson.
"Really? I thought you didn't like me" said a visibly surprised McKay.
"Rodney, you're very good at what you do as much as it pains me to admit that. I can't think of a better qualified person to lead the science department. Also high energy physics isn't exactly my cup of tea" conceded Daniel.
"Then you've got yourself a lead scientist! Hey, wanna go grab a hot dog or something" asked McKay.