A/N: Told ya they'd be posted fast. :0)
Disclaimer: Said it.
Warning! Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.
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Ba'al's demeanor changed instantly from smug to angry. He hauled back with his fist to hit her in the face.
Carter reached up defensively and deflected the strike away with her forearm. He was much stronger than she was, though. He pushed against her arm and she flew back against the panel behind her and fell hard to the floor.
He stood over her as she pushed herself up. He sneered. "I've had enough talk. I want that crystal, Colonel Carter, and if you won't give it to me, I'll just have to take it." He raised his hand and Jack saw that at some point he'd slipped on a hand device. Ba'al's eyes narrowed. "Which will it be? Acquiescence or agony?"
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The Ninth Chevron
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Everyone moved at once.
Jack raised his gun and took out the closest drone with the disruptor. Teal'c and Bra'tac pushed forward together. Their target was Ba'al.
The three remaining drones raised their arm weapons and targeted the two Jaffa as well as Jack.
Before they could fire, a large wave pushed out from the wall and passed through the people in the room. Jack felt an odd stirring as it moved past him. His eyes widened as he watched it literally grab hold of Ba'al and lift him off the floor.
Ba'al yelled out in surprise and struggled within the wave's grasp. The wave continued through the room, taking the writhing Goa'uld and snatching his drones as well. It swept them out into the hallway and then settled like a shield across the door.
Finding himself excised from the party, Ba'al pounded his fist against the boundary. Jack saw his mouth open as if shouting, but he heard no noise through the barrier.
Shocked, the team turned to take stock of the situation.
Jack spotted her first. She was hunched over the panel farthest back in the room as if standing was difficult. Her head hung limply, hair covering her face, and her shoulders shook as she drew deep breaths. The cryo-chamber behind her was dark and empty.
"What did you do?" he asked.
She looked up and he noticed her powder blue eyes. "It is one of the defenses we built into to the moon's systems. It instantly removes unwanted people from the room, but it could not be activated from within the chamber."
"Why didn't you kick her out, too?" Jack motioned to Anise, who stood still away from the rest.
"I said the Tok'ra are welcome here," Aisa answered.
"Didn't you just hear her? She sold us out. She's the reason they're here." He pointed to Ba'al and the drones, still trying to force their way in.
"I am aware of the situation, however, there is not much time to discuss it," Aisa said. "I have assessed the situation. The sensors have detected that battles rage on the surface as well as in the skies above. The danger to the weapon is real."
"That's what we tried to tell you," Daniel said.
Aisa nodded. "I have decided it is best to destroy the weapon."
"Finally, someone sees reason," Jack said. "How do we do that?"
"I will activate the portal."
"Which will set off the Naquadria deposits in the circuitry," Carter said.
Aisa nodded.
"Great," Jack said, satisfied. "Dial away."
"It is not that simple," Aisa said. She used the panels as support and moved across the room to the one where Carter stood. "Jacob Carter disabled the portal when he left this place."
Carter moved out of her way and watched the Ancient activate several sections of the panel. "I can fix it," she said. She looked up at Jack and raised her shoulders in a shrug. "I think."
"You will need to hurry. The shield will not hold them long. The station has not had time enough to charge it properly," Aisa warned.
"So, Sam fixes the Stargate and we just dial?" Daniel asked.
Aisa shook her head. "The weapon must be fired in order to generate the energy necessary to dial the 'Stargate.'"
"Whoa, wait a minute there." Jack held up a finger. "You said the weapon will wipe out the galaxy."
"No," Aisa said. "It can be fired on a lower setting and aimed much like a traditional weapon. It does not matter, however. I do not have the crystal that enables the weapon to charge."
Carter shook her head and opened up the front pocket on her vest. She reached inside and came up with the red crystal. "You mean this?"
Aisa's eyes widened. "Jacob Carter gave it to you?"
"In a manner of speaking," Carter said. She put the crystal in Aisa's outstretched hand.
Aisa moved a bit more fluidly to another column of computers. In the center sat an empty port the same size and shape as the crystal. She placed it carefully inside and the column hummed to life. She looked back up at Carter. "You need to go repair the portal."
Carter nodded and turned to go. "Sir?" she called as she left the room.
"Right behind ya Carter," he said.
OoOoOoOoO
The weapon from the lead Ha'tak shot at the Prometheus, just missing its hull.
Colonel Pendergast cursed and held on as Kirkland took the ship into a heavy dive to avoid the shot. "We may have gotten rid of that shield, but if we don't do anything about that weapon, this'll still be a real short party."
"The F-302 squadrons are getting pounded, sir," Major Grant said.
Pendergast shook his head. The newest barrage of gliders released from the enemy ships took the numbers and tipped the scale. He estimated there were about thirty gliders out there for every F-302.
Another blast shot out from the Ha'tak. This time it flew past the Prometheus and scored a direct hit on the Daniel Jackson. Thor's shields, having already been weakened, folded under the blast. The left side took the hit; fire blew out from the newly exposed deck.
"Check Thor's status and get me Colonel Caldwell." The ship shook as it took another volley from one of the other Ha'tak. The shields swallowed most of the impact, but not all. A panel blew out from the side and flames licked up the wall. Red lights flashed and the fire alarm sounded.
"Pull back to the Daedalus and somebody put out that fire!" Pendergast shouted over the noise.
OoOoOoOoO
"Red Leader, pull up!" Cam shouted. He watched the F-302 bank left and pull up hard, exposing the bird that chased it to the one that had been coming head on. The two ships collided, tossing Red Leader for a bit before he was finally able to gain control.
"Thanks, Blue leader."
"I expect beer, Ryan. Lots and lots of beer."
Cam heard an answering chuckle. "It's a deal."
"Seven more headed for us," Griff interrupted with a curse. "They're everywhere, Cam!"
"Just means we get to have more fun, Griff."
"Well, there are seven to play with. They're coming in formation."
"I see them," Cam said. He turned the nose so it matched the oncoming ships head on.
"Uh, Cam," Griff said nervously, "I don't think they're the type to bend in a game of chicken."
"They don't need to bend. They need to keep coming just like they are," Cam said.
The ships continued forward, but he held firm until the last second. He let loose a wide spray and then sent his ship into a forward dive.
The enemy scattered around him to avoid the weapons fire. He circled in a loop that took him directly behind three of the group.
Griff let loose with his weapon and took out the one on the right. The other two peeled away and Cam sent his ship chasing after the closest.
"Cam, look out!" Griff called. The proximity alarm blared. He didn't have time to look for the problem, he just banked hard. An F-302 spun by, its wing on fire. He heard the scrape of metal and felt a tug as its wing dragged across his nose.
In less than a second, the pressure released and the 302 continued its spin. He watched it go until it disappeared into a ball of fire against the closest Ha'tak.
Cam closed his eyes and kicked in his engine again, the bogey he'd been chasing still on his screen. "Who was that?" he asked.
"Red four, I think," Griff answered.
Cam nodded tightly and pushed it from his mind. "Let's go get us a snake," he said. And the pursuit was back on.
Suddenly the glider dove and disappeared off his screen.
"Where'd it go?" Griff asked.
Cam had a feeling. "Oh, no," he said through tight lips. "You do not play my own trick on me."
He put on the brakes and felt the pull of his harness dig into his chest. The unsuspecting Jaffa shot from underneath him and he picked it off with a well-aimed shot.
In the distance, space opened up into the blue horizon of a hyper-drive field.
Cam's eyes widened as roughly twenty ships-- mostly Tel'taks—were spat out into the area just outside the battlefield.
"No. No," Cam said. His heart filled with dread. There was no way they could handle that kind of fire power when they were already barely hanging on as it was.
His radio crackled to life and a deep voice came through the channel.
"This is Rak'nor of the Free Jaffa. We have come to offer assistance as we promised Teal'c and Master Bra'tac."
Cam's face broke out into a full grin as he heard the answer through his helmet. "This is Prometheus, Rak'nor. We thank you for your offer and officially invite you to come on in and join the party."
OoOoOoOoO
"I think I've got it!" Sam said from her position at the bottom of the DHD.
Jack shifted on his feet above her. "So, what was the problem?"
"It looks like dad overloaded the gate when he turned it on. It allowed him to step through, but effectively shut off the gate on this end once he was through." She accepted his hand up and brushed off her pants. "All it needed was a little jerry rigging, and we're good to go."
"Even considering the amount of energy we plan to send through that thing?"
She raised her eyebrows and gave a shrug. "Only one way to find out."
"That'll be some game of Russian roulette if you're wrong there, Carter."
"Then I'd better not be wrong."
He looked over to the Stargate and shook his head. Why did it always have to come down to the wire like this? Just once, he'd like things to go off like clockwork.
"So, anything else here we think ought to go with us?" He gestured to the stacks of crates around the large warehouse of a room. There was no way to know what was inside them, but in a structure like this one, there was sure to be enough in them to keep Daniel salivating over them for weeks.
She sighed. "I'm sure there is, but we don't know what shape Prometheus is in at the moment. I'd hate to ask them to take on extra cargo."
"So, I guess it all goes bye-bye when the moon does," Jack said.
"I'm afraid so, sir."
Jack threw a skeptical glance toward the doorway to the control room. "Do you think she'll really do it?"
Carter thought a moment and nodded. "She seems on the level. She didn't stay here to safeguard the weapon for thousands of years just to hand it over to Ba'al."
"Yeah. I guess so." He stuck his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight again. "She's gonna die, you know."
"She's been prepared for that, too. I don't doubt she'll do it."
Jack nodded. "Good enough for me." He led the way back to join the others.
Daniel sat in the corner reading whatever it was he was reading on one of the computer screens. Bra'tac and Teal'c stared stiffly out the entrance at Ba'al and his super soldiers. Jack couldn't make out what they were doing. Anise was helping Aisa prepare the weapon.
Anise. Just thinking her name put a sour taste in Jack's mouth. When they got back to the SGC, there were going to be a lot of things to talk about concerning their so called alliance with the Tok'ra.
Aisa looked much better than she had when she first exited the chamber. There was color in her cheeks and she stood completely under her own power. She glanced up as they entered. "The weapon is almost ready. I have attempted to target the largest Ha'tak above. Once the weapon is unleashed, there will only be a short window of time to use the energy stored within these walls to activate the portal. I have input the address into the computer. It will automatically dial the address once enough energy has been collected."
Carter nodded. "How much time will we have before the moon is destroyed once the Stargate has been activated?"
"The energy will overload the circuitry inside the moon within seconds," Aisa said. "Since your ships will have to move out of transporter range to avoid being caught in the explosion, I will use the moon's transporter to send you to them. It is much more powerful than the Asgard version I detect in your vessels."
Sam put her weapon down on the console while Aisa showed her how everything would work in case she needed assistance when the time came to fire the weapon. Jack tried to follow, but it quickly became a Carter kind of conversation.
"O'Neill!"
Jack looked up and saw Teal'c and Bra'tac take a flying leap away from the doorway. The explosion was almost instantaneous. It rocked the floor and sent debris and fire into the room. Bits of the ceiling fell to the floor and Jack covered his head.
The drones came into the room firing. Aisa screamed as a shot caught her in the chest. She fell. The smell of her burning flesh reached Jack's nose. He looked up from the dead Ancient on the floor to Carter's horror filled eyes. As if in slow motion, he followed her gaze to the doorway where he saw a drone's energy blast spit from its outstretched wrist and fly straight for him.
"No!" A female voice screamed just before a presence appeared in front of him. Anise shoved him to the floor; she jerked with the impact of the blast that caught her full in the stomach. She fell and remained still.
Daniel fired his disruptor at the drone. It stumbled and kept moving. Carter caught it with a second shot and it dropped. The other two drones stepped over it and continued into the room.
"Fall back to the other room!" Carter yelled over the noise. "It's too tight in here!"
Jack agreed. He ducked his head and used the computer banks as cover while he ran for the door. He caught movement as Bra'tac and Teal'c did the same. Daniel, who was closest to the door, ducked through as a blast hit the doorway.
The room quickly filled with smoke and dust. Jack could hardly make out Carter's silhouette in front of him. It made the black drones virtually invisible. Were it not for the bolts of energy they shot through the haze, he wouldn't even know where they were.
Teal'c and Bra'tac disappeared through the doorway. Carter squeezed off a shot from her disruptor into the darkness and motioned Jack around her so he could go through first.
He shook his head at her and gave her a nudge. She held her ground and threw him a look that told him in no uncertain terms that she was not leaving until he did. He gave a frustrated sigh. Sometimes he hated her thick headedness. He could overrule her and order her out, but that wasn't something he was willing to do. Instead, he tucked his head down to his chest and dove for the door.
He heard Sam's weapon discharge as she covered his exit.
He flew through the doorway and rolled as soon as he landed. The lights were bright in the large room and he saw the rest of the team running to take cover behind the crates. He waited for Sam to fall through the doorway. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet and away from the approaching drones.
They made it half-way to the first stack of crates before Jack allowed himself to turn and look at the door. Instead of the drone he expected to find there, a small black globe rolled smoothly through the arch of the doorway toward the middle of the room. He felt his eyes widen and he shoved Carter to the ground. "Everybody down!" He threw himself over Carter.
The explosion rocked the room. He felt the heat, heard the blast before his ears popped and sounds grew muffled. Then he didn't feel anything.
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One plus the epilogue to go!