Chapter 28
Location: Earth/Colonial Meeting Satellite, low orbit of gas giant Orphion
Date: July 29, 2014
Time: 1900 Hours
The satellite was a hive of activity on the Earth side as both security personnel, politicians, and technicians moved about. Things were happening rapidly, the Enterprise itself was just a few hundred kilometers away from the large space station with three Colonial Battlestars and five cruisers and nine destroyers with swarms of Vipers on patrol or hot standby as the Colonial task force was still at Condition One after the surprise entry of the massive Earth ship.
The Colonial force had already been alerted to the battle with the Cylons within their own space and was in a defensive ring around the station with the Earth ship just outside their defense zone where it had wanted to be. Directly across from it was the Battlestar Mercury, the first of the Mercury class of Battlestars. The two giants of the Colonies and Earth had been unconsciously squaring off with one another, both sides seeing the other as the biggest and best of their respective fleets. The massive Battlestar was nearly twice the size of the Earth Battle Carrier, but both sides had yet to really back down from their overtly threatening posture towards the other. The Mercury was the first of the deadliest class of Battlestar ever constructed up until the Pegasus had been modified, but unknown to them the Enterprise and her class was the deadliest in existence. And she had the slight burn marks to prove it adorning her bow where heat and flame from the Lucian flagship had scorched a few bits of her hull.
The Earth security troops were a French contingent, predominantly armed with HK416 Assault Rifles, HK UMP's, and FN Minimi machine guns. The unit of thirty troops was already in their standard battle dress uniforms complete with Kevlar, helmet, and sidearms. The Frenchmen and women had equipped themselves with part of their Felin Future Soldier Program, most important of which were the helmet, armor, and communications equipment. Their weapons were not equipped with the bulky scope that was standard on the FAMAS which the program was designed with, as its results in testing were not considered acceptable for deployment. Combine the FAMAS's less than stellar service life and problems with chambering the standard brass casings of the 7.52 NATO rounds and the French contingent had decided upon a tried and true weapon already used by their special forces. They may soon have had need of them.
Working their way through among the moving troops was a group of politicians. They were led by the chief leader of the IOA, Senator Jackson, who'd taken it upon himself to get the situation involving the Colonies under control. He'd assembled several of his most trusted negotiators and set about getting to work, briefing himself and his team on the occurrences and negotiations that have taken place within the past few weeks on the meeting satellite. But what puzzled him was the fact that the Colonial negotiators hadn't brought up the violent incident on Kobol which had killed a Russian member of SG-4 and wounded another with as many as twenty Colonials being killed or wounded.
He of course thought that the Colonials may have been waiting for more information. It's what he would have done, but he knew the Colonials doubtless knew what had happened. They had cancelled a meeting earlier in the week without an explanation and without much warning at all. This to Senator Jackson was all he needed to know to put a preemptive diplomatic process which if done right would end up salvaging the situation without the need for more bloodshed. And if he did that then his long term goals of gaining complete civilian control of the Stargate Program would become a short term goal, an easily achievable goal.
"What do we know about these particular diplomats the Colonials have here?" Jackson asked as he sorted through his folders of notes, files, and other necessities of the negotiation about to take place.
Behind him was the new head negotiator of the station, Elliot Turner. He was just promoted seeing as the last one had to return to Earth for a pending marriage.
"Well the three younger subordinates are reasonable enough, but it's their boss that's been a bit of a wildcard. He's, in a word, arrogant, and the fact that we've stonewalled their every proposal with delays and no's has made him increasingly annoyed and lately quite angry."
"He's an old man isn't he?" Jackson asked.
"Yes sir he is."
"He's a professional, more than likely their very best, used to getting what he wants and the fact he hasn't accomplished anything yet is a serious problem to him and them."
"Well Senator you may want to know what it is they've been pushing harder and harder for lately."
"Yes it may help, but in the present circumstances I doubt very much it will be of any importance," Jackson stated as he arrived at the airlock where a half dozen French troops were waiting patiently with the seals ready to go on the negotiating room.
"Well sir, they've been pushing harder and harder for it and the patience of their negotiators has grown quite thin. They're desperate for trading rights, and the location of Earth itself, especially Earth's location. They've touched upon other items, military cooperation, acquiring our technology, and other stuff that is shaping up to something that I'm not liking."
"And what would that be?" Jackson chuckled without really paying attention or caring.
"They want to integrate Earth into their Colonies, from their point of view we seem weak, alone, and they seem to believe that we want to join, and the fact we've not done what they expected is pissing them off."
"Well they can't be any more pissed off than they are now," Jackson stated, tucking his notes underneath his arm, "Are we ready to proceed?"
"Yes sir," the French Major responded.
"Then open it up," Jackson said, and turned to face the door which hissed a little bit and then slid open quickly revealing an open door where two Colonial guards in their own full gear with weapons in hand. To face them two of the armed Frenchmen stepped in as well before Jackson, cutting him off in a plainly rude manner.
Inside were four Colonials in civilian attire, one was older than the rest, his face clearly showed some serious wear as Jackson was well able to tell. He seemed like a man who hadn't had a thing go right in a long time. His face seemed taut in a look of annoyance and exasperation, he was well acquainted with that type of feeling himself. But when the Colonial saw him and recognized him he seemed to light up with a renewed hope, seeing as Jackson was as high an authority as the Colonials had yet dealt with.
"Mister Jackson, what an unexpected pleasure to see you here in person sir," Mister Ilian said, stepping forward to shake his hand. As the two shook hands Senator Jackson was stumped by how friendly he was considering what the purpose of this meeting was about, "Perhaps now we'll finally be able to get something productive done. The past few weeks have been very frustrating for both sides and my superiors are growing weary by the constant and illogical delays and refusals of our most generous offers and proposals.
"Mister Ilian I don't understand, I'm here to alleviate a crisis for both our peoples," he said with a great deal of concern in his voice.
"A crisis? I wouldn't call our current situation a crisis Senator, perhaps a little testy at times and I do apologize for some of those outbursts, they were rather unbecoming."
"What?" Jacksons whispered, backing off a bit, this isn't happening. This man cannot hold such an incident that cost the lives of their own people in such low regard!
"It's nothing I assure you Senator Jackson, let's just put it behind us?"
"People are dead sir! A battle has taken place, our peoples have come to blows on Kobol. How can you hold the lives of your own fallen soldiers in such low esteem?!" Senator Jackson roared in outrage, he was not one to agree with the military in most circumstances but if there was one thing he respected above all else was the lives of his nation's soldiers. To see this man supposedly brushing the deaths of his own people's warriors off to the side as if nothing happened was something he couldn't stand. But his own good intentions were mired by the classic human error of making his outburst based upon a false assumption due to a lack of information.
"What did you just say?" the Colonial woman asked quietly off to the side, the entire room taking on a new atmosphere. The Colonials from diplomat to guard were now staring at Jackson with glares that would kill and the first words in the minds of the Earth personnel were pretty much the same: Oh shit.
"A battle on Kobol? What are you talking about?" one of the others said.
"You-you don't know?" Jackson asked, now completely sideswiped by what he was hearing.
"You have found Kobol, the home of our ancestors, and not only do you hid this from us, but you have the audacity to fight kill your fellow brethren upon its sacred soil!" Ilian now found himself roaring, all diplomatic tact gone for good as he walked right up to Senator Jackson and gained some rather hostile attention from the guards of both sides who'd just seen a normal meeting go right into dangerous territory and both troops carefully took several stealthy steps forward, their eyes upon their opposite numbers and both saw the other thumb the safeties of their weapons.
"Listen there is still-" Jackson said holding his hands up trying to calm the situation down.
"I've had enough of listening to your lies and blasphemy, I demand-"
"Mister Ilian please!" one of the younger men on the Colonial side tried calming him down.
"Sir we can talk this over."
"The time for talk is done Miss Ryding! Apparently these Earthers have decided that when they attacked our own people on Kobol. Now by the power vested in me by the Quorum of Twelve you will turn over all navigational and communications data on this satellite and to prepare to be boarded. You are all under arrest!"
"Mister Ilian!" the woman screamed and rushed forward to restrain him.
But this sudden movement looked, to the French troops now on high alert, as a hostile move towards their charge. So when they saw the brunette rush forward two HK416 Assault Rifles were instantly aimed at her and the two Frenchmen rushed forward, grabbing the diplomats. However, the Colonial guards saw it too, and pulled their own rifles up to their shoulders and had them aimed square at the faces of the two Frenchmen who trained their own guns on the Colonials aiming at them.
This was seen instantly by both sides' civilians who tried stopping the disaster before it began. The first to try was Senator Jackson himself, who shoved the assault rifle of the nearest Frenchman up at the ceiling. But then, a shot, and the entire situation boiled over with a fury only matched by its proximity. Like a fuse had been set off by the shot both Colonial and Earth troops fired, hitting their targets perfectly. One of the Colonials took a bullet to his chest and collapsed backwards as he shot the Frenchman who shot him in the exact same way. But the other Colonial missed his mark, hitting Senator Jackson square in the back after flinching at the sudden gunshot. The Frenchman took aim on instinct and fired, striking the Colonial guard center mass with three bullets that killed him instantly from such close quarters. The civilians in the room ducked the ground as both Earth and Colonial response teams rushed to the sound of the guns, and fired at each other upon sight.
Rifle, machine gun, and shotgun fire ripped the once quaintly little room apart instantly as civilians on both sides tried scrambling out of the line of fire. The lone guard in the room left alive now ducked behind the solid table, taking Jackson's vital signs for any sign of life. He ducked down as a bullet struck a light on the wall behind him showering sparks and glass everywhere as the lead continued to fly. He found a pulse as Jackson groaned in pain on the ground as the other members of both teams scrambled out of the room but one of the Colonials took a ricochet to the arm as he stood up to high and fell to the ground grasping his bleeding injury.
Two French troops rushed into the room, one checking the nonexistent vitals of the other French soldier and the other ducking down behind the table. After finding no sign of life the man scrambled over and proceeded to grab Senator Jackson under the armpits and start dragging him to safety while they were being covered by the other Frenchman who brought down a Colonial attempt to push forward, dropping one of their number and wounding him. A single flashbang grenade went right into the Colonial side of the room and through the door, exploding amongst the civilian fire team now assembled ready to storm forward.
This was the perfect opening for the Earth contingent, and they seized it. Two of them grabbed the body of their fallen comrade and rushed out. The last Frenchman backed out the door, checking behind them to see that none of their charges were left. But all he saw a blood slick leading from a room meant to be a sanction of diplomacy, now turned into a bloodbath.
USS Enterprise, 500 Kilometers from the Earth/Colonial Meeting Satellite
"Colonel! Shots fired in the satellite!" a single cry yelled out on the bridge of the Enterprise, stationed facing broadside to the jointly operated station surrounded by Colonial warships.
"Shit!" the commander of the massive ship cursed out loud, running forward to the window, "Sound general quarters, no drill."
"Yes sir!" a warrant officer at the alarms controls responded and tapped in the command, speaking into his headset, "This is not a drill, this is not a drill! General quarters, general quarters, all hands man your battle stations!"
Immediately the bridge snapped into action as men and women rushed to their battle stations and systems were activated and prepped for battle. Across the ship sirens blared out as pilots, marines, and crewmen rushed to their battle stations across the ship. The secondary and back-up generators were activated and power surged to the powerful shield emitters and plasma beam weapons as Banshees, Ghosts, and Mohican gunships were loaded up with weapons, ammunition, and fuel. The targeting systems aboard the Enterprise immediately locked onto target, holding fast on the Colonial Battlestars, cruisers, and destroyers but the weapons remained silent.
Colonel Duhon was only CO of the massive Enterprise for about a week now, and his ship was already on the edge of history. He'd commanded his ship's successful combat debut at the Battle of Tollana, destroying a Lucian flagship and seven motherships. They'd then went and used their powerful matter synthesizers to get a large settlement up and running for the Tollan. But he and his ship had immediately been dispatched on this diplomatic mission where he and his ship had to escort a diplomatic mission that had just gone south. Not that Duhon and his crew were surprised. Rumor spread rapidly, one of the diplomats had blabbed, and now the entire ship knew their own people had fought these Colonials, with quite a few deaths on the Colonial side. Now the seeds of that event had just born fruit.
"Sir, another message, the station is performing an emergency evacuation, we're to beam all civilian personnel off of the station and cover the self-destruct sequence of our portion of the satellite and recover the garrison after they evacuate with their Ghosts to keep them from being recovered."
"Very well. Beam them into the infirmary. Sensors, any activity from the Colonial warships?"
"Negative sir," the officer in the lowered sensor bay replied, "Colonel, station has detached and is setting course towards the planet."
"Good, keep an eye out for those Ghosts, this'll get their attention, be ready," Colonel Duhon ordered.
"We're being hailed by the lead Colonial Battlestar."
"Patch it through to me."
"You're on sir," the sergeant below called up.
"This is Colonel Duhon commanding officer of the Earth Defense Ship Enterprise."
"Colonel I have received word about what has just occurred on the station, as such I have been ordered to order your vessel to stand down and to prepare to be boarded," the Colonial responded, "Please do not resist, there's obviously been a serious misunderstanding that we can work out. So please, don't make it any worse, comply and you will not be harmed."
"Sir, one of the Colonial cruisers is trying to follow the station down."
"You know we're not going to stand down. Any attempt to board this vessel will not be allowed, and any attempts at trying to salvage our portion of the satellite are not advised, we've set a self-destruct on it, and it cannot be stopped."
"Colonel, you know if you fire on any of my ships it'll be an act of war?" the Colonial commander said, a firm but pleading tone to his voice. He didn't want to do what he'd been ordered to do.
"I was about to say the same thing."
"Then you've left me with no choice, I'm sorry."
"Colonial ships are breaking formation, they're launching fighters."
Colonel Duhon watched the goliath Colonial warships move forward, all of them aiming right at his lone Battle Carrier. He knew his orders were not to fight if possible, and he knew from a quick glance at the life signs detectors aboard his ship that those Colonial warships contained hundreds of crew. He didn't want to fire at all, and he knew his ship was able to take all the punishment they could throw at him. Sometimes it was best to turn the other cheek, there'd been enough fighting today.
"All guns hold fire, secure all fighters. Do we have the personnel from the station?"
"Yes sir, only the two Ghosts and the torch team are left, en route to hanger bay three now, ETA thirty seconds."
"Once we have them aboard get us out of here, set course to rendezvous with Apollo and Odyssey."
He watched with muted worry as the Colonial fleet began surrounding his ship and swarming him with hundreds of their quick dart-like fighters. All he had to do was hold his fire for another thirty seconds and hope the Colonials didn't envelop him in such a way that he'd have to force his way out. He just wished those Ghost recon ships would hurry up as they flew right towards the gaping hanger cloaked to prevent the Colonials from seeing them and heading them off.
"Why haven't they fired yet?" Duhon thought to himself as the Colonials continued to swarm around him, but not one shot impacted his shields. They don't wanna fire the first shot.
"ETA ten seconds sir," one of the NCO's called out.
"Very well, navigation plug in coordinates for hyperspace jump," he ordered, but then saw a half dozen box-like craft on an approach vector right to his starboard hangar, "Oh don't do it you stupid fuckers."
The craft were Colonial Raptors that could have been only been en route for one purpose, to board his ship. The shields were up, which meant only Earth built craft would be able to pass through. But the Colonial pilots sure didn't know that and there wasn't any way to stop them without provoking the rest of the fleet.
"Sir, we gotta warn them, each of those craft has eight people aboard."
"Hail them now, helm keep us away, emergency reverse now!" Colonel Duhon ordered, watching the Colonials getting closer despite the sudden rearwards acceleration, "Hail those Raptors, warn 'em off."
"I'm trying sir, there are so many craft out there I can't get a solid fix."
"Get it done!"
"The Ghosts are aboard Colonel."
"About time, all ahead two thirds set course to three-zero-zero, thirty up angle, we need confirmation of the self-destruct," Colonel Duhon said calmly.
"Um, sir, according to this it should have gone up by now."
Colonel Duhon groaned silently as he watched the view change as his massive ship steered through the web of Colonial ships as Colonial Vipers dove and darted about to get out of the way. He saw the large space station(now space stations) drifting apart and made his decision.
"Well, shit, arm a Mark Nine and prepare to launch, beam weapons on standby, we're gonna have to do it ourselves. Reverse your course, all ahead flank, twenty degree down angle."
The massive streamlined ship heeled over and dove as it accelerated right at the station which needed to be destroyed. Colonial destroyers and cruisers fought hard to spin around and follow it as the larger Battlestars had to wait before turning around lest they collide with one of their smaller escorts able to make the pinpoint turn. One of the forward missile tubes flipped open and the beak of a large deadly Mark IX Nuclear Warhead poked out, ready to launch. Hundreds of Colonial Vipers and Raptors accelerated to catch up with them, and some of them began to make up ground quickly, coming into formation with a ship they were astonished to see move in such a way. But as they watched in admiration of this ship the nuke was launched, jetting up and away, and vectored towards the dead tumbling into the atmosphere of the gas giant.
The Colonial comms channels were instantly flooded as their DRADIS read the presence of the nuke's launch and tracked it precisely. Triggers in the Vipers found twitching fingers upon them as they watched the numerous rail guns aboard the Enterprise swivel to track they and their buddies. But they couldn't catch the nuke if they wanted or were ordered, and within seconds the powerful warhead impacted as the satellite started licking the edges of the atmosphere. A brilliant explosion sent shockwaves through the thick methane upper atmosphere, igniting the highly combustible outer layer, creating a massive flaming circle reaching outwards as it enveloped the planet in its entirety. Colonial DRADIS systems were fairly badly affected by the sudden influx of magnetic interference from the basic ignition of the gas giant combined with the explosion of a nuke and subsequent destruction of the naquadah power generator. The station was nothing but irradiated dust falling into the heavy atmosphere of Orphion, or what was left of it, and the Enterprise was satisfied, and a single hyperspace window formed and the massive Battle Carrier jumped right into it, leaving the Colonials stunned and dumbfounded. All ties with Earth were now cut, and those in the know were fairly sure they might never again see those ties restored after the events of the past hour.
Lucian Homeworld
Well over eighty Hat'ak Motherships sat in close orbit of their fortified stronghold of a world with dozens upon dozens of automated satellites armed to the teeth with plasma cannons. Dozens of kassa transports, freighters, and ships of all kind were also moving to and fro from surface ports and satellite shipyards with vast varieties of exotic. This world was a haven of crime, a center of business, and a base of power for the Lucian Alliance.
This single galactic power was still reeling from its disastrous attempt to establish an advance base of operations to connect better with its newest and most powerful ally. But because of the powerful hammer blow dealt to them by Earth they had to fall back upon a new plan. Soon they were expecting their allies to come to them.
In hundreds upon hundreds of flashes large star shaped vessels appeared on the outer ring of the planet. Their presence greatly surprised the Lucians in charge of surveillance who had not been expecting such large numbers of ships in such a way. But their greatest surprise came as even larger triple layered four spoked warships three times the size of the bulk of the fleet appeared amongst them. There were well over a thousand Cylon Basestars of both classes surrounding an equally massive fleet of freighters, transports, mining ships, tankers, and other such secondary vessels. Dozens of Resurrection Ships appeared as well, surrounded by hundreds of Cylon Raiders. But then a massive monstrosity appeared with such a massive singularity that the sensors aboard every ship in orbit around the Lucian homeworld were blinded. It was enormous, hundreds of times the size of the larger Basestars, with spokes and protrusions shaping the craft like some splat of paint. Weapons bristled all across its surface, missile batteries, heavy guns, point defense quad mounts, and Raider bays covered the surface. It was something that dwarfed even the most massive of the Lucian ships, and from this ship a signal emanated to the headquarters building in the center of a city of shanty towns.
Here dozens of Lucian senior staff and commanders sat at their conference table eating a hearty feast with exotic wines and many were already feeling the effects of some of these fine drinks as the message came through.
"Looks like your friends have showed up Freit," one of the heads of the Alliance said as the message came through.
"Oh so it seems, they borrowed one of our ships, I'd expect that if they want to remain alive they should show," Ryle Freit said confidently, "And now that they have look at the amount of firepower we can now bring to bear against our enemies. No more hiding, no more running, we can now take on both the Jaffa and the Taur'i and for once we can win."
"You'd better be right Commander for your sake," the leader of the room said lowly, waving a hand to accept the transmission from the Cylons, "Welcome to Lucia honored allies, we're so pleased you made it here unscathed."
A single male voice, not an image, answered them, "Thank you. We're honored that you extended such a gracious invitation to us. I'm sure that this new alliance will profit the two of us with equal success in the achievement of our goals."
"I do hope so," the Lucian man said, looking at Ryle Freit, the architect of this alliance as if to say 'it'd had better' but he then turned his attention back to the matter at hand, "I am curious, what has become of the ship we had lent to your people?"
"It has been destroyed in battle with our own enemy, as per our plan to deal with Earth, as promised. I'm sure you are wondering what it is we would hope to gain by sacrificing such a gift as your ship. So allow me to ease your mind. You see, we do not possess such technology, and Earth does, and our foes know this. So we baited them that ship and its technology to goad the Colonials and Earth into a full blown war for allegedly helping us. You see, the Colonials are a dangerous but foolish people, by the time they have figured out what it has truly happened, both they and Earth will have bled each other dry."
"I like the way you people think. Now, shall we begin?"
Kobol Expedition Fleet, In Orbit Around an Unknown Planet
A beautiful sight beneath the Expedition Fleet fed a wave of excitement throughout every single ship in the massive armada of eighteen warships, three support ships, and forty-eight civilian ships of all shapes and sizes. It was a green and blue planet devoid of human habitation except for a bit of ruins absorbed within thick rainforests and sunk partially on white sandy harbor. Already landing parties were being assembled to take a look at the ruins to find anything that may prove useful, most importantly of which was the second power crystal that Athena had shown to Admiral Adama. There was also rumor of shore leave going around the fleet, seeing as this place was about as good as it got in terms of a friendly environment.
Admiral Adama himself was actually considering it himself, he'd already gotten water samples back from the science department which said it was a perfect opportunity to get some fresh water to top off their tanks and gather some potential food producing plants that might be able to be grown on one of the five botanical cruisers within the fleet. He knew that an opportunity like this probably wouldn't come again until Kobol itself. So he decided to go ahead and proceed with clearing an area for a recreational site that would allow everyone, military and civilian, to relax, unwind, and breathe some real air and get their feet on some solid ground. He also made certain to keep it an integrated recreation zone for another reason. If his military personnel met and got to know some of the civilians and forge some real friendships and perhaps "relationships" then he knew from experience that his people would fight all the harder to protect someone they know instead of some numbers and a ship's name. He knew that there were already some budding relationships growing between both crews and civilians and he let it slide as he usually did, he'd been a young man too, no sense in trying to fight a battle that was already lost.
He currently stood at one of the few windows aboard the Galactica, looking out at the amazing sight before him as Vipers, Raptors, and shuttles scurried about amongst the fleet. Out in front of him he was able to the Battlestar Helios with two of the four cruisers right next to her with a half dozen civilian ships in close proximity while three destroyers were out farther away on the fringes of the fleet. He was staring at the cool turquoise water of the planet below his ship dotted with green specks of land, one of which held the ruins his scientists wanted to check out. He already knew his daughter Kelsey had drawn the short straw and was going to pilot a Raptor to the surface for some of the scientists aboard the Historia, the largest ship in the fleet that wasn't a Battlestar.
It still troubled him however whenever he knew his daughter or son stepped into the pilot's chair. He'd lost one child already, and nearly lost a second not a few months ago. Adama didn't know if he'd really be able to feel comfortable knowing Kelsey and Lee were off flying Vipers or Raptors, risking their lives while he sat aboard an armored titan with several million tons of armor and firepower standing between him and danger while only some thin steel and glass protected his kids. It was every pilot's parent's dread, it just went along with the territory.
It almost seemed trivial to him as he sat there thinking on it. Here he was thinking of the safety of his own children in the midst of a place so far removed that such minute dangers as an accident should have been the least of his worries. This was especially true considering what was happening in the galaxy around this far removed Colonial fleet.
Well folks, I'm sorry for the massive delay as usual, but you guys should be used to it by now. Hell I bet half of you don't even remember I was writing this story I'd bet. I don't blame you, I've been so distracted lately with my own private issues that are now behind me and buried. So I tried to do what I could to get something up before the feeling left me. I've even got enough in me to get another excerpt written for the next story. Now we're getting very close to the end of this story, and I'm very excited to get this finished and in the books.
Speaking of books, I have officially began writing an original novel that I hope to publish within the year. I've actually done all the research, all the biographies for the characters, and have started writing my preliminary chapters. Well wish me luck with that.
Oh another thing, since I have last updated there has been a fairly major political crisis in Ukraine. For the sake of this story, it never occurred. I will not be drawn into a political debate despite my views on the matter.
Next Chapter Preview: The consequences of the prophecy hit home, and the Colonials find themselves re-enacting Indiana Jones.
Terra Nova University was the epitome of scientific advancement, at least publicly. The most brilliant minds in the SGC had gone to start up the new university of eighty thousand students from across the world. Many were professors themselves, eager to learn and advance their horizons to these new fields of study and bring their newly acquired knowledge back to Earth and their home universities. But the majority were young students, many just out of high school. They all tried for advanced sciences in physics, astrophysics, astrology, botany, offworld humanities, and other such fields. Engineering fields were split between TNU and its government owned and operated opposite number, Terra Nova Space Academy, where cadets were licensed to operate any number of the constantly new and evolving civilian vessels being built in orbit or at Earth itself.
The two schools sat opposite of another, with the massive university sitting upon several tall hills where their primary buildings were nestled on top of and on the sides of the hills, connecting with covered walkways that had numerous trees, fountains, and gardens on them, giving the pristine university a truly modern contemporary look and feel to it. There were a couple of gyms and restaurants operated by students closer to sea level where there were tennis courts, athletic fields, and sand volleyball courts right on the pristine white beaches. To move about the massive archipelago there was a large boat basin and a then ferry landing where students and staff could move to and from island to island on foot or with their cars.
But the opposite side was the Space Academy, where several buildings were built right onto the walls of a cliff and on the opposite side of the steep hill were the docks to the Academy's own relative fleet. They were built on a terrace, with each of the four STS-310 Professor Class Training Ships in existence were docked along with a large hanger for the Academy's own fleet of stripped down U-306's. Much of this school was underground due to the need for simulator space and training rooms while the classrooms were on the outside and were what people were actually capable of seeing.
Connecting the two was a large causeway which also connected to the largest island in the archipelago where the primary training base and garrison base for the International Response Brigades were stationed. From either island one was able to see the large landing pads where the fleet's large ASO-311 Enforcer Class Assault Ships were landed ready to take on troops and vehicles to where ever they needed to be. The landing pads at the moment were packed to capacity as every one of the eight brigades was home, two of them just returned from missions that the military didn't want to reveal. But that was only one of a few structures actually visible on that island, being so large as it was. A few barracks and hangers were visible over the trees between them and the beach along with a few towers that were actually shield emitter stations.
It was in this direction, looking at the "Fortress" as it was known amongst the civilian population, a young group of students found themselves, tanning on Pearl Beach just outside their seaside dorms. Their day of schoolwork was done and each of the five girls was now just hanging out after a bit of swimming and volleyball to exercise away the stress of the day's studies. The sun was bright and warm as usual, and thankfully the beaches were mostly empty, seeing as the more popular beach on the south end of the island was where all the parties were at today. But the skies above all of them were not normal peaceful and empty blue they usually were.
"Hey Hannah looks like the military's up to something, look at all the planes up there," one of the girls spoke up as she looked up at the clear blue skies.
"They're called Banshees Christy, the EDF's fighters," the girl in question responded as she brushed it off, not taking her eyes from the book she was reading.
"Whatever, would you just take a look? There's like hundreds up there."
"Fine, what's the big deal-oh, whoa."
She looked up, seeing massive formations of the commonly seen F/A-302B Banshee Space Superiority Fighters. They were predominantly high up, their contrails trailing large streaks of white across the skies while other equally massive squadron-sized formations were low down, their silver bodies within easy sight as they streaked noisily across the sky going every which way. One formation of sixteen heavily armed fighters came screaming right over the beach, the students on the beach were able to see the ten missiles slung underneath their wings as they passed over them and banked hard to the left and began a steady climb.
"Why are there so many?" one of the other girls asked as she watched the squadrons of fighters swarming all around.
"Drills?" Hannah asked, "They do 'em all the time."
"Not with this many, but don't they do that in space?"
"I don't know, do I look a pilot to you?"
Hannah just groaned looking back at her book as her friends continued to look at the display of power that was going on in the skies above them. The high pitched droning of the engines from the multitudes of Banshees was then interrupted by the whirling sounds of helicopter blades that could only be from the A-312 Comanche Gunships used by the Army. She now looked up to see dozens of them lifting off from the Fortress, their dual helicopter blades and helicopter like bodies instantly giving them away along with the large racks of missiles and rockets on their stubby wings. She'd only seen the Comanche's once before and never in such numbers. There was definitely something going on as she saw them start circling around their homebase as more and more lifted off to join them in the distance from other bases on the large island.
From their spot on the beach they were able to take in the large island which sat two miles out with the causeway between the two off to their left, connecting it to the rest of the chain. Sometimes early in the morning troops doing PT would jog or march down all the way to their campus and then circle back chanting and yelling loudly to wake them up in a very rude and annoying cycle that never seemed to end. But it was nonetheless impressive when entire battalions would march in full combat gear and in step right past them. They did it on purpose to try and catch the eyes of some of the girls going to school here. After all, they were only human, and it did work. Hannah currently found herself going out with a sergeant in the 1st Brigade that she'd met on a science trip through the jungles of the Fortress. However, one thing they'd never seen in person were the Armored Brigades, of which three of the eight were armored. But according to the briefing every single person who ever came to Terra Nova received, they would never see them on the causeways unless it was an emergency.
"Girls," one of them called out, sitting up tensely in her lounge chair, "Umm…are you seeing this?"
"Seeing what?" Hannah asked, slapping her book shut irritably as she looked at one of her friends holding a pair of binoculars to her eyes, her face completely masked in concern.
"Look, I'm not seeing things am I?" she asked, handing the binoculars over to Hannah, pointing at the causeway.
Hannah took the binoculars and peered through them at the white metal and concrete causeway which was occasionally interspersed with a few signs along its length. Driving right down the bridge right as she looked at it were the massive shapes of military vehicles. She recognized Wolverines immediately, having ridden in one herself, but what took a moment to recognize were the menacing shapes of Thor Main Battle Tanks, Honey Badger Armored Personnel Carriers, and Trident Self Propelled Artillery vehicles of both MLRS and 155 mm howitzer models streaming across the bridge was trucks racing ahead.
"Oh my god, those are tanks!" Hannah about yelled.
"Tanks?! Is it some kind of an emergency? They said that-"
As they sat there a loud but recognizable siren started going off on the tallest hill of the university where a large siren was placed up on top of a forty foot steel post. It was what signaled hurricane alarms, fire alarms, and general campus emergencies. But its most chilling setting was for its attack siren in the event of Terra Nova coming under threat. It always started as a woman's voice calling out with "This is only a drill." Never had that alarm ever gone off without the drill announcement. But now, it was replaced with the same voice, calling out with a very different message.
"This is a not a drill, this is not a drill. Please make your way to the nearest emergency shelter immediately."
Everyone on the beach began looking around as this alarm went off and was replaced by a rising and falling wail of the attack siren. It rose and fell in pitch and intensity as the siren rotated up above. They couldn't believe it, for an entire year they'd always thought that they'd never see the day when that siren went off for real. The students on the beach began to grab their stuff and make their way up to the main campus where there were several entrances to the emergency bunker buried deep underneath the island. But then several hidden half spheres of solid trinium, hidden on top of the rocks on the ends of the beach hissed with activated hydraulics. Red lights blinked around its surface as the large emplacements opened up, and the large barrels of defensive rail guns rose up, connected to their mounts with powerful rings of ammunition and power cables. These guns had never before been seen, and the college students witnessing them knew now this was no drill. Now panicked cries added to the wailing sirens as the helicopter gunships now roared overhead at an extremely low altitude. Hannah tried gathering her tee shirt and shorts she'd brought to the beach, and was running alongside her friends up the wooden steps to get to the nearest shelter entrance.
As she made her way up the crowds of students were maneuvering through the concourses and halls to get where they'd be safe. In the center of campus several A-308 Mohican Gunships/Transports landed right in the center, and what looked like well over two hundred fully armed and equipped troops. Hannah looked at the troops who rushed out and spread out, establishing a perimeter as campus police rushed over to their commanding officer and tried reported the situation as the large gunships soared away, climbing up and banking away.
"Hannah!" a familiar voice called out over the din, catching her attention.
"Jason?!" she yelled, seeing the familiar figure of her boyfriend running over to her with assault rifle in hand, "What's going on?!"
He ran up to her, grabbing her around the shoulders, directing her towards the shelters, "Terra Nova's under attack, the fleet's already engaged in orbit."
As the two made their way to the entrance to the shelters a shimmering light enveloped the sky above them as several shield emitters on the ground activated. All eyes turned to look as the powerful protective barrier energized into place and settled and disappeared, awaiting orbital bombardment. It would be needed, the most powerful force Earth had yet seen was right on its doorstep.
