Pentagon two months earlier
++++Latest chapter for you earlier than expected. Hope you enjoy it although I'm sure one or two of you might cry foul. Please keep the reviews coming in as they give me some idea on the direction the story will take and they let me know what you think so far. Have a great read++++
Senrab Nomis: I worked in a bit more romance for you since you mentioned it a few chapters ago. Although I touch on the Universe relationships I doubt I'll ever be one to write anything about Jack and Sam getting together lol.
Pentagon, two months earlier
Following a presidential directive to perform a sweeping force structure review of past, current, and theorized future conflicts in the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies the need for retooling of the current way of doing things come to light. In the past ground combat had been performed by small SG teams and worked well a majority of the time. Careful review of SG mission reports brought to light several instances where much larger forces would have tipped the balance in favor of the Tauri. Oddly it had been found that in most cases hostile armed forces encountered utilized belligerent and undisciplined tactics and formations unlike those found in the United States Army and Marines. The force structure review went so far as to put forth their recommendation that an Armored Cavalry Regiment sized unit be formed for the mission or tasked for the mission of ground combat on the soil of other planets.
After careful review of the recommendations made and presidential authorization things began to take shape quickly. Instead of forming a new classified unit for the role an existing unit would be tailored to suit the full needs of the role. The 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment was selected for the purpose. The 3rd ACR Brave Rifles were a unit steeped in history, tracing their lineage to before the American Civil War and serving in every conflict the nation had been involved in since 1845.
The modern ACR is a highly flexible self contained fighting unit. Equipped with armor, mechanized infantry, artillery, aviation elements, electronic warfare, and air defense elements the ACR functions more like a pocket sized division, but with only 5,700 soldiers it lacks the logistics tail that slows down much larger units. It would also prove far easier relocating a single regiment to Fort Carson, Colorado instead of a much larger Armored Division.
The new mission called for a rethink in the equipment 3rd ACR traditionally used. The traditional M-1 Abrams main battle tanks were out, as they were unable to fit through a stargate. In their place would be the M1128 Stryker Mobile Gun System, the eight wheeled armored fighting vehicle mounting the 105mm gun that made its combat debut in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Supporting the Stryker's would be the revived M-8 Buford Armored Gun System, a smaller statured yet 120mm main gun equipped younger cousin of the M-1, along with the M-3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle. Traditional M109A2 mobile field artillery systems would be replaced by the smaller and lighter M270 multiple launch rocket system. On the aviation side of the house it was decided to augment the already in use AH-64 Apaches with an upgraded scout helicopter. Replacing the aging OH-58 Kiowa Warrior would be the never put into production RAH-66 Comanche which bore the distinction of being the first helicopter designed with stealth at its core.
In order to not draw attention to the equipment that would be put into the hands of 3rd ACR it was decided by Home World Command that construction capacity found aboard Arkos Station would be tasked to construct several complete regimental sets. These sets would be placed on cargo vessels to preposition equipment in both galaxies should the need arise, so in time of crisis the troops would only need pass through the stargate to mate up with forward positioned gear. Onboard these prepositioning ships would also be found thirty days worth of stocks for any war fighting effort encountered minus fuel, as all vehicles would be converted to make use of a newly developed bio-fuel in lieu of traditional petroleum distillates.
With an eye to the future and conflicts it was hoped would never happen the US Army prepared for whatever the fates would bring to their doorsteps.
Genii Home World
Exiting hyperspace the Hammond quickly began a sensor sweep of the planet below. While the powerful sensors scanned the surface of the planet for anomalies electronic transmissions were intercepted for later analysis and dialing history from the world's stargate was stored for review. Although hostilities between the Tauri and the Genii had ended after the exile of Genii leadership to a far corner of the Pegasus galaxy regular recon missions were performed by vessels of the Pegasus Group. It was hoped that the Genii would finally become a peaceful and helpful partner in the affairs of Pegasus moving forward. Ultra powerful lens aboard the Hammond peered down on the planet below, gathering images of landscape for comparison to earlier images in an effort to ascertain troop movements, crop yields, and expansion of facilities known and unknown. While snapping photos of the area around the stargate masses of men and equipment came into the camera's field of view.
"Looks like the gate is active Colonel" said the sensor operator.
"Our key logging program will tell us the dialing history of the gate, so nothing to worry about" replied Sam.
"Sensors are also showing several hundred men around the gate and entering it" replied the operator.
"Put that on screen" ordered Sam.
In seconds the holographic display screen appeared before the bridge crew. Live images of the scene below played out before them. The sharply magnified image showed armed men entering the gate in clusters. From the vantage point of the Hammonds bridge crew it was clear this was some type of military exercise based on the never differing sizes of the groups that entered the gate with weapons in hand.
"I really don't like the looks of this. Put all this together with the intel we've already collected in a subspace message to Atlantis. I would rather be safe than sorry" ordered Hammonds commanding officer.
With the intel passed along Hammond remained in orbit until the last man passed into the gate. Sam hoped in her heart of hearts that this wasn't the prelude to a resumption of hostilities the Genii had no chance of winning.
Dagan
Once home to the Brotherhood of the Fifteen Sudaria or Dagan as it was now called was a planet familiar with secrecy and intrigue. For thousands of years before their eventual annihilation at the hands of the Wraith the Brotherhood of the Fifteen had stood guard over a zpm entrusted to them before the ancient's departure from Pegasus. With unfailing devotion the Brotherhood stood guard over their charge, certain the ancients they fervently worshipped would reward them upon their return when the zpm was returned.
The new Master Handler and head of the reformed Brotherhood of the Fifteen was Allina. A scholarly historian of her planets history the Brotherhood owed its existence to her efforts. Without the assistance of the Atlantis expedition the zpm would have never been located and secreted away to another location. Much to the expeditions chagrin at the time she had no intention of handing it over to anyone other than an ancient.
At Allina's insistence the former home of the Brotherhood was now restored to its former glory. The gothic style stone architecture was rich in symbolism of the mission the Brotherhood was devoted to. New settlements sprang up around the home of the Fifteen. A page had been turned it was felt since the recovery of the Potentia as crops had flourished, children were born in greater numbers, and the Wraith had not culled in many years. A renaissance had taken hold of the people of Dagan ushering in an age of prosperity.
Sanir, one of five chief protectors of the Potentia entered the Master Handlers study. With dark hair, pale skin, and an eager mind Sanir was must less trusting of those from other worlds than Allina. With a less than comfortable look upon her face she escorted the visitor. Seeing her chief protector and guest enter Allina rose from her seat behind the heavy wooden desk, with a warm smile lighting up her face.
"Allow me to present Davos of the Genii" Sanir said with polite difference.
"Welcome to Dagan Davos. I am Allina, Master Handler of the Brotherhood and leader of the Daganian people" stated Allina.
"Thank you for receiving me. I am Davos, new leader of the Genii military" crisply stated Davos.
"Please, take seat and make yourself comfortable. What is it I can assist you with today Davos" asked Allina.
"It has been brought to my attention that the Daganian people have sought to join the Coalition of Planets. The Genii have great sway over the Coalition. I am here today to see how our two peoples may work together" soothingly said Davos.
"Forgive my ignorance, but isn't it true the Genii were removed from the Coalition" asked Allina.
"Whoever told you that" said Davos indignantly.
"At first it was merely gossip from traders and travelers. This gossip grew louder. During our application to the Coalition it was confirmed" replied Allina uncomfortably.
"Confirmed by whom? I demand a name" hissed Davos.
"The Coalition" answered Allina.
"Don't believe everything that you hear my dear. The Genii are the military power of the Coalition. What you heard was simply a test to gauge the loyalties of your people to the Lantean's" smoothly countered Davos.
"I see" Allina answered with a growing sense of discomfort.
"You may not be aware of this, but the Lantean's seek to oppress the people of this galaxy. In time we will banish them from the galaxy and never again suffer under the yoke of their rule" proclaimed Davos.
"I wasn't aware we were under their rule" countered Allina.
"It is known by many that we are. You have something they seek, and they will stop at nothing to have it. My sources tell me that even now they are gathering their forces to collect what they failed to recover several years ago" solemnly stated Davos.
"The Potentia is safe from their and anyone else's grasp. The duty of the Brotherhood is to safeguard it until the ancestor's return to this realm" proudly stated Allina.
"I would like to see this Potentia myself to assuage my fears over its safety" stated Davos.
"I'm afraid that is not possible. Believe me when I say that it will never be located" stiffly replied Allina.
"Governess, I must insist on seeing it for myself" urged Davos.
"That is not possible. It violates the Brotherhood's highest code. I am sorry" replied Allina.
"That's regrettable. I had such high hopes for our relationship" sighed Davos.
Second's later gunfire erupted in the outer courtyard. Screaming was heard from many directions as two armed men in Genii uniforms crashed through the heavy door with their weapons leveled at the Master Handler. With a look of shock, fear, and anger Allina rose from her seat.
"What is the meaning of this? You'll never get away with this" she calmly stated in a stern voice.
"Bring her assistant in here now" Davos ordered the two armed men while withdrawing and leveling his own weapon at his host.
Moments later Sanir was brought into the study at gunpoint. Her face was crimson with anger. The soldier with her arm in a viselike grip shoved her down on her knees before the Davos. Seeing her friend in danger Allina came around her heavy wooden desk to stand at Sanir's side.
"Produce this treasure of yours now or your friend will be the first of many to die" calmly stated Davos.
"You will kill us all anyway! The true way of the Genii is known to all in this galaxy" responded Allina.
"It is a mistake to test my resolve in this matter. Your people mean nothing to me. If I kill them all or none is of no consequence. But know that you will turn over the Potentia" answered Davos with strained patience.
All eyes in the room were on the Master Handler. Had they not been none would have seen the pistol Sanir withdrew from her vest. Without extending her arm fully Sanir fired twice into the nearest soldier, striking him in the abdomen and thigh. A hail of gunfire erupted from the two unharmed men. Sanir's chest exploded into a fleshy red pulp as round after round slammed into her body. In seconds the life faded from her eyes. Turning on his feet quickly Davos leveled his weapon where seconds before Allina was standing. Looking around he saw no trace of the Master Handler.
"Where is she? Find her" Davos thundered.
Unknown to the Genii the Brotherhood's imposing home was full of false walls and hidden passages only they knew of. As the search team fanned out in their frantic search of the grounds Allina slipped out of the outer walls of the compound towards the stargate. In the distance muffled weapons fire could be heard.
Destiny
Entangled in each others arms in the chief scientist's quarters Rush and Amanda Perry lay in bed. Since her return from her brief trip to Earth the two had been singularly unable to keep their hands off one another. No longer separated by vast distance or the problematic lack of a physical body issue life was returning to normal for the couple. Rush had not felt so content and at peace in years. The two brilliant minds were almost as one in their every gesture or comment.
"I love you Nic" whispered Perry.
"I love you too Mandy" replied Rush.
"I can see the wheels turning in your head. Care to share what you're thinking about" asked Perry.
"While you were back on Earth I received word from Vis Uban. The ancients looked over the data Destiny collected and the position paper Eli and I accompanied it with. Their answer is what I feared" replied Rush with a bitter hint to his voice.
"The data is incomplete" stated Perry.
"Millions of years Destiny sailed across the stars and we end her voyage before the puzzle is solved. It's a travesty" moaned Rush.
"I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess that you have already petitioned the SGC to send Destiny back" said Perry knowingly.
"I didn't try because I doubted they were farsighted enough to see the benefit. The ancients did that for me. Destiny will be continuing her voyage so I'm told" replied Rush.
"So you're told? Nic, do you mean to tell me that they didn't ask you to be part of the team that goes with her" Perry asked shocked.
"Oh they did, but I haven't given them an answer yet" breathlessly replied Rush.
"What are you waiting for" demanded Perry.
"You. I can't just run along without you, without us. Mandy, I want to ask you something" Rush said while staring intently at Perry.
"Yes, of course I'll go" laughed Perry.
"No dear, I wanted to ask if you would be my wife" Rush asked in almost a whisper.
With both of their eyes full of joyful tears Mandy kissed Rush in reply, while holding him tightly. Moments later she looked deeply into his eyes before speaking.
"You know what this means don't you" asked Perry.
"That you'll marry me" replied Rush hopefully.
"Yes I will, but not what I meant. This mean's I'll have to pack enough coffee to last a lifetime" laughed Perry.
"And cigarettes" replied Rush.
Elsewhere within Arkos Station plans for upgrades to Destiny for the coming redeployment were being finalized. Matter stream creation stations would ensure that never again would her crew run short of food, water, or any other item they could possibly want or need. Advances in propulsion technology since her construction would allow for a much faster cruise speed in FTL, but hyper drive would not be an option. Due to the method in which Destiny's sensors collected the message fragments in the cosmic background radiation FTL was the only propulsion modality possible. Advisors from Vis Uban would further upgrade sensors, offensive/defensive systems, and many others. The key difference in this departure is Destiny would not be going alone.
Home World Command
For a week Jack had put off and stalled the meeting he now found himself in. It wasn't that he hated meetings so much he told himself, he really just didn't like the person sitting across from his desk. How much longer would this guy continue to sell himself the General wondered?
"In light of events in the Pegasus galaxy and our own I think you'll agree that I am the clear choice to command the upcoming Destiny expedition" the man said.
"David, I haven't chosen who will command the expedition just yet. Thank you though for reminding me just how much you want the post" replied Jack.
"May I ask who I'm competing against General" asked Telford.
"No you may not" replied O'Neill.
"General, I was slated for command the first time. In light of my efforts regarding the expedition in the past and my record with the SGC I am the logical candidate" stated Telford.
"Ok, I'm going to level with you on a few things that you may not like. You're upset that Young stole your thunder but truth be told the only reason the assignment was offered to you is because he turned it down when I asked him if he wanted it. I also get it that you were brainwashed by the enemy but you were feeding information to the bad guys for long enough to get a lot of people injured or killed" flatly stated O'Neill.
"My conduct before the brainwashing and after has been of the highest caliber" protested Telford.
"That may be but it doesn't mean I'm going to hand you the keys to a vessel you once assisted in hijacking" replied O'Neill.
"General this is outrageous" said a clearly taken aback Telford.
"We haven't gotten to the outrageous part just yet, but since you want to go there we will. You were left here at Home World Command for the simple reason that we could keep a very close eye on you and you couldn't break anything. We can't give you one of the new ships because some of us are worried it may end up in the hands of the enemy, and the same goes with Destiny. We can't put you in Pegasus because Jackson won't have you in his command, and Woolsey openly wonders why we haven't court-martialed you for gross misconduct. Don't you ever wonder just why it is you never get off world anymore? You are one of the largest security breaches in SGC history, you've incited more hatred than any other person besides Rush, not to mention you attacked a fellow officers home life which ended in divorce. So let's stop the chest pounding" O'Neill said in an exasperated tone.
"If you feel this way General then I don't know what to say. Transfer me away if needed. I serve at the needs of the Air Force" replied Telford in a downcast tone.
"I'll tell you what. I'm going to make some phone calls and see what I can find for you. You want out of this command and frankly I want you out so I'll make it happen. You're dismissed Telford, now get out of my office before you ruin the rest of my afternoon" finished O'Neill.
Atlantis
"Incoming wormhole" said Chuck.
"Do we have an IDC" asked Lorne.
"Yes Sir, it's the Athosian IDC" replied chuck.
"Lower the iris shield" replied Lorne.
Standing at the railing overlooking the gate room Lorne watched as Halling, his son Jinto, and a woman he had never seen before stepped through the gate. With a smile Lorne descended the stairs to greet their new guests. The woman he noticed looked around the city in awe. Maybe it's her first time here he thought.
"Colonel Lorne, I apologize for coming but I feel you must be made aware of recent developments" began Halling.
"You've known me long enough to never need to apologize for coming Halling. So what's the recent development" asked Lorne.
"Allow me to introduce you to Allina of Dagan. Her planet is under siege from the Genii" stated Halling.
With a look of surprise on his face Lorne instructed Halling to take their guest to the conference room and have a seat while he gathered the command staff of the city. Ten minutes later seated around there guests sat Colonel Frost, Richard Woolsey, and Doctor Zelenka.
"Ok Allina, let's begin from the top" said Lorne.
Fifteen minutes later the story was laid at their feet in its entirety. Once again the Genii were trampling over the rights of a sovereign planet and its people. Even after the exile of their leadership the Genii had still not learned.
"They cannot be allowed to get their hands on the zpm. You called it a Potentia I believe" stated Zelenka.
"Colonel Frost, what are our options from where you are sitting" asked Woolsey.
"It depends on the force matrix they have at play on Dagan. Hostage rescue is in the purview of 1st SFOD. I would like to get one of our ships to do a flyby and take a looks first" replied Frost.
"SFOD? I'm not catching your meaning Colonel" replied Woolsey.
"The public refers to them as Delta" answered Frost.
"What guarantees do I have that you will not attempt to find the Potentia for your own uses" demanded Allina.
"We have no need for it as we once did. Much has changed since you first met Sheppard and McKay" responded Zelenka.
"Allina let me assure you that our only concern is the security and welfare of your people. This act of aggression on their part will not go unanswered. We took mercy on the Genii after their last atrocity at the behest of the Coalition of planets. We will not make that mistake again" said Woolsey reassuringly.
"Mr. Woolsey, I know you need to report this to Washington right away. While you're doing that I am going to get my boys prepped, along with several UAV's. Lorne, I'm going to need you to contact Sheppard and have a ship diverted here right away" ordered Frost.
As the group broke up to carry out their tasks Amelia came to collect Allina at the direction of Lorne. The woman looked exhausted and had clearly been through hell, but looked around at the scenery of the city in absolute awe.
"Let's get you something to eat before I show you to your quarters. You'll be safe here and can stay until this situation is over" said Amelia with compassion in her voice.
"I never dreamed I would one day be in the city of the ancestors. This is amazing. Will I be allowed to see the city for myself" asked Allina.
"It's pizza night, so let's get you fed and in some new clothes first. Then I'll give you the tour" replied Amelia with a wink.