Author Notes:
Sorry about the delay, but college and work been draining me :P I got another chapter in the works as well. Please review and comment! I do write these stories for the reviews :P
Also I recommend Vexmaster's and Col. Foley's stories if you enjoy my own. You can find their stories in my profile favorites. I don't have that many under my favorites, so it should be easy to find. :P The links to both of their profiles are here.
.net/u/1272704/VexMaster
.net/u/1646993/Col_Foley
They have given me some ideas for my stories and have helped me improve the quality of my writing over the course of the past year. :) I did see the first few chapters of my story were rather rough and I think they have helped improve my writing by alot with suggestions and critique.
I also got forums set up as well on here to discuss my stories. Please visit them and ask questions :) Also feel free to contribute ideas and discuss the stories.
.net/forum/The_Muse_of_Amann0407/63118/
Golden Dawn
Chapter 38: Red Sun Rising
Chiyou was sitting in his quarters onboard his flagship, meditating. It helped him relax and clear his thoughts for the battles ahead. A chime was heard, signaling someone was outside. He opened his eyes and stood up.
"Come!"
The door opened and Sel'mak strode into, his red armor blending in with the red lights that illuminated ChiYou's quarters. Chiyou straightened his robe and greeting one of his most senior commanders.
"Ah, General Sel'mak. Welcome. What news do you bring?"
Sel'mak inclined his head.
"My Lord. I bring grave news. Gershaw is...dead."
Chiyou's eyes glowed in anger and shock.
"What?! Gershaw is dead? How?"
At ChiYou's scream-like shock, Selmak/Jacob nodded with deep sorrow in his eyes.
"Amann had prepared a trap on Averian and our forces were overwhelmed and ambushed. The last reports from the surviving observation teams report that Amann had personally killed Gershaw."
ChiYou's eyes glowed in red rage. The stone table in front of him crumbled as his psychic might pulsed around his hand devices.
"Then Amann will pay doubly for all his crimes! Come!"
The great War God stood up and led Sel'mak, the High Commander of the Tok'ra Officer Corps, and a dozen Kauri officers. They were led to a large room where nearly a hundred clone vats were standing. Each vats contained a human, and next to the vat were small vats containing a symbiote. ChiYou left the Kauri officers and took only Selmak to one of the vats. Inside the vat was a man, strong and handsome, yet gentle around the eyes. The label on the small vat said 'Gershaw of Belote' while the label on the big vat was named 'Clone Host'. ChiYou narrowed his eyes as he tapped a few buttons attached to the two vats. The 'Clone Host' was ringed away, and the vat was filled with something thicker than water. The label changed from 'Clone Host' to 'Combat Clone Host'. ChiYou turned to Selmak.
"It will take at least a month for this clone to mature. I need someone to replace Gershaw."
Selmak thought for a moment, then dipped his head. It was Jacob's turn to speak.
"I have suggestions."
ChiYou nodded as they moved out of the clone chamber.
"Yes, Jacob. While Selmak is a great agent, you are the general. Speak to me."
"Well, we are lacking sufficient high-ranking commanders to maintain a chain of command. With Gershaw and six other Tok'ra Generals dead... we have lost a large portion of our Vanguard fleet's officers."
Chiyou nodded as he looked at a clone tube carrying a woman.
"Yes... Although we have recovered the body of my queen, it will take time to revive her... Until then, we must rely on those we have."
He turned toward Sel'mak again, who nodded. Chiyou spoke again.
"But, until more Tok'ra arrive from their missions within the Goa'uld domain, we lack in officers."
Jacob nodded.
"I might suggest High Councilor Per'sus. He was a great warrior of his time."
"If I choose him, who will command the Tok'ra back in the Milky Way? You know that this war may well spread into the Pegasus galaxy, for I know that they are beyond this galaxy alone."
"I could return to Sol'ran and take command."
"No... You are my closest advisor, and I need you at this critical time. Find someone to take care of the Tok'ra while Per'sus is here with us."
Selmak spoke again.
"Yes, my lord."
"How are things going with Tok'ra on Sol'ran? Are they happy with the new homeworld I have provided them?"
"They are most pleased, my lord. With our queen being healed in that special healing chamber, we are hopeful that our numbers may swell again, and this time without the worry of new hosts."
"Yes, cloning is an excellent source of hosts. There is no need to take over other people. Remember to dispatch those Elites and Clones for the defence of Solran. My queen must not be harmed again when she finally awakens."
"Of course, great father. Egeria will be safe."
ChiYou nodded.
"What of my reinforcements?"
"Another 3 million Clones arrived today plus 2000 Elites. The Elite are greatly effective."
"True, but even my resources are not quite infinite enough to make too many more. I believe another 6 million Clones will arrive by the end of this month, but we will have to take care as the reserve units are almost spent. Do not expect more than 5 million Clones for the next three months."
"I understand. I will place the new arrivals under Per'sus once he arrives."
"I will prepare a good combat host for Per'sus."
"Yes, my lord."
Then as they passed a door, a woman ran up to them, her eyes filled with tears.
"Is it true? Is Gershaw dead?"
Selmak grabbed her.
"Yes, I am sorry, Yosuuf. However, Lord ChiYou is reviving him. Do not worry."
"Oh... Please, just bring him back to me. These months without him has been too painful."
ChiYou sighed and nodded.
"I understand, Yosuuf. When this is all over, he will return to you. I promise it."
Milky Way Galaxy: Mid Rim
Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV
Day 1 - 20:16:03
Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 5
The planet was a lush green one. Its 200 million or so civilian population happily going about their lives alongside the 7 Alesian Legions that protected them. The Alesians have taken this planet, which was once covered in blood. The feudal warlords on this world had driven the war to the point where the human population was almost extinct, and the terrifying wild creatures that dominated the planet did not help the situation. It had been nearly a thousand years, and despite their presence, the Alesians allowed the locals to develop on their own pace. Now, the Berians reached the level of technology and society comparable to that of Earth, except for the size of population, as the birth control was greatly welcomed by the locals.
The Alesians recruited the fierce peoples of Berian into the militia, which formed some of the finest regiments in the Militia. They were naturally used to fighting, and given the Alesian technology, were deadlier than the typical militia regiment.
The militia regiments were formed into 1000 man units that were grouped into brigades. Commanded by a fine officer corps trained by the Alesian Military Institute, they commanded men who were grim faced and used to the harsh realities of war. The wars were over, but the legacy remained with these grim people. The plains of the planet were occasionally used in war games with the Alesian Legions, who knew the ground well and fought in the rolling terrain that would be encountered on alot of worlds. This aided the militia units and the Legions stationed here, since they knew the ground extremely well and could plot points and calculate distances without consulting a data pad or holographic map, which was an advantage against an enemy that was not so familiar with it.
The Legions on the planet were very familiar with the people and the land as well. In fact, many have lived on the planet for at least a century, and had even moved their families to this lush planet. Such things were encouraged in order to relieve population pressure from the Core Region planets.
Thus, the Legions felt that this planet was their second home, second only to Alesia itself. They would die to protect this world. Although they were rather isolated because of the sparse nature of the planets in this area of galaxy, they kept contact through Stargates, and they heard of a war that had enveloped the Alesian Empire. They did not, however, suspect that war would reach them here.
Berian IV
Extreme High Orbit
Local Long Range Defence Sensor Station
The Alesian built sensor station/satellite was usually manned by engineers rather than Legionnaires. They kept the station intact and functioning. They spent their time relaying sub-space communications between Outer Region and Inner Region, especially if the communication was inefficient through the Stargate. They also had a couple of weapons aboard to strike down any meteors that might impact the planet. On this particular day, they detected at at least 50 large objects approaching at extreme high speed. In fact, they moved in hyperspace which was odd to them.
A dozen hyperspace windows formed and they spewed out about sixty ships, all of Tok'ra Republic.
The station was not equipped to deal with such a threat, they were frantically scrambling to get to the escape pods and turned the laser beams on the station to fire at the Tok'ra fleet. Warning broadcasts were beamed down to the planet, the channels were jammed with warnings and sensor information from the satellite.
It did not take much for the Tok'ra Strike Group to quickly destroy the satellite, but they did miss the escape pods. They were not interested in them. The moment they made orbit, the 11 ships of the Tok'ra Strike Group began to fire on the planet, focusing on the 7 major cities that contained most of the planet's population.
The Tok'ra general in charge of this detachment was surprised to find when the weapons fire encountered city shielding. The bombardment fired down on the cities, the bombardment being dispursed harmlessly as the shields flared angrily.
The Kauri captain of the ship came next to the Tok'ra general.
"Sir, I believe that the people in the escape pods have alerted the cities of our presence."
"Undoubtedly. The satellite we destroyed was most likely a sensor array designed to detect fleet movements. The pods are landing near the cities I take it?"
"Yes, sir. Hmm... They slowed their decent and somehow passed through the shield. I believe that the shield would allow slow physical objects through like the Goa'uld's personal shielding."
The Tok'ra general nodded.
"It is likely. These defensive shields, save those in pure Alesian cities, must allow slow moving objects to pass through because of the ground. It puts too much of a strain on the shield if they tried to prevent slow moving object from passing through. A militia theater shield."
"Just as Lord ChiYou has predicted. Unfortunately, our artillery do not have enough physical ammunition of such type to break through their shielding. Maybe a hundred shots per city at maximum."
The Tok'ra groaned.
"That would not be enough to damage their cities. It will take at least a thousand Delayed Explosive shells to cripple each city... This would be difficult, but not impossible... Especially without their fleets."
"If we came with a bigger fleet and had stronger Protoss weapons, we could have penetrated their shields."
"True, but not logistically possible at the moment. Our main ships are focused in battles against Alesian fleets."
The Tok'ra rubbed his eyes quickly.
"It will have to be a ground campaign. Armored assault followed by heavy infantry attacks. How many forces are on the planet?"
We cannot tell, sir. The Alesian forces are mainly focused in their cities and the lifesigns are too mixed in the cities. Sir, the ground forces commanders report that they have selected a suitable landing zone. They are requesting bombardment of the area."
"Any enemy forces in the area? If it there is no troops, no need to waste energy or ammunition."
"There is... a small military compound in the middle of nowhere, but it appears to be a communication relay and its defenders. Not Alesian Legionnaires, but probably a small militia force. A few shots from our main weapons would do the trick, sir."
The Tok'ra nodded.
"Fire at will, but conserve your ammunition. I do not like the lack of ships or defensive grid over this world. It reeks of a trap. I want to be prepared to counter an Alesian ambush."
"Yes, General. I will inform the High Command that we have begun our seige to the planet. Should we report our estimated timetable for conquest? They would ask for one for this planet. It would be an important passage into the southern sectors of the Mid Region, sir."
"Yes, give them an estimate, but be sure to leave a wide estimate. We do not know how many defenders there are."
"Yes, sir. I will inform them that we would most likely to have conquered this world within a week to the maximum to two weeks."
The Tok'ra sneered.
"A week? Against this militia world? They fight well, but they are outmatched. There might be one Alesian Legion on this world, but it is far outnumbered."
His tone calmed down as well.
"Also ask for more delayed explosive shells. We would need them especially for the mountain stronghold that is indicated....here. A ground assault would be a stupid idea there."
"Yes, general. I shall relay the report at once!"
On the surface...
Upon the charred flat plains, where the ruins of a communication tower was sprawled upon the corpses of the one hundred militia, the giant Tok'ra Transport ships began to land.
They were a few cloaked Alesian Legionnaires observing the landing. They relayed information to their superiors in the other cities. The Alesian General in charge of this world had no less than 7 elite Legions of Alesia's finest soldiers at his command. A hard bitten veteran of the Wraith war over 10,000 years ago, he was used to fighting what he colorfully called "crowd control". He was an accomplished general by the name of Galen. While not as prestigious or as energetic as the successful Ayen, he was a formidable strategist with a scarred face. He preferred to keep the scars, since he felt it made him look more formidable. The soldiers under him had mixed feelings about him. While they initially disliked Galen for his harsh discipline and almost brutal methods of enforcing them, they nevertheless respected his competence and his ability to lead.
The giant transports began to land, unloading their 1000 strong Infantry Company on the ground. Alesians had little use for specialized troop transport, since they could simply ring or beam down their troops, but Galen could see that the sheer number would have strained even the most advanced beaming technology.
He pondered the defensive strategies. He had to keep all the major cities under his control and repel the enemy. It was more difficult than it looked, but not undoable. He had nearly 100,000 militia on hand as well as 32,000 Legionnaires. Some were with the Legion's ships at Averian, but he had the majority of his fighting strength here.
The real question was if these few paltry thousands of Clones were all that attacked this planet. He assumed that it was not. He expected a lot more to happen and happen quickly. His instinct was not betrayed as several super-transports arrived within hours to unload the soldiers.
As he recieved reports from ground sensors about the new transport ships coming down, he realized he was correct in his dispursal of forces. The landing would be unopposed, he realized that if he moved his soldiers out of the shields, the ships in orbit would blow his valuable legions apart. So he decided to wait and surprise the enemy by beaming reinforcements to hot points.
He realized that while the places for his force to defend was numerous, so the enemy had to attack as many places as well. In this he had an advantage. He had beaming technology while the clones did not. Also, Alesian beams could not be jammed nowhere near as easily as Asgard teleport beams. 20,000 years of research into military technologies left the Alesians with significantly more advancements over the Asgard in this respect.
As the smaller transports landed one by one, six massive spaceships, each with ten regular transports docked in their sides. These huge ships were the hidden secret behind Tok'ra capability to move such large number of troops. Each of these monstrously large transports carried at least 50,000 Clones plus numerous vehicles and supplies. Guarded by the Strike Group, the six ships made orbit, and the transports that were docked to the main ship began to ferry troops down, 1000 of them at a time.
Galen was surprised at the clones rapid deployment and their wide range of vehicles. From armored tanks and armored personnel walkers to the venerable blue wolves.....he soberly realized the clones could match any threat to them. The artillery was formidable as he read the scan reports by forward observers.
The transports continued to come down from the sky, some of them carrying large objects under their belly. The Clones quickly assembled the large pieces and turned them into structures. At an incredible speed, the Clones managed to construct a communication array and crude walls around their little compound. Galen narrowed his eyes as the mighty tanks, deployed for the first time in the Mid Region planets, slowly hovered down the ramps of the transports and positioned themselves around the compound. The huge double-barrel tanks with treads were already moving out, but the smaller hover tanks set themselves down and acted as defense turrets.
Galen did have a fairly large force of Predator walkers however, but he could have had many more walkers if he didn't deploy them with the fleet to aid in the Averian Campaign. He had a force of about 40 Predators, which were fine war machines and were agile in battle. In addition, he also had a large supply of drone launchers. His force was small but due to their elite Legion status, were very well equipped to repel an armored assault.
One of the Legionnaires came up and whispered.
"General, sir... One of their camps is moving out. The one to the east. Estimated size at 30,000 plus artillery pieces and vehicles. Their direction indicates that they are heading to the city of Orasus."
General Galen nodded slightly, his scarred features standing out in the dim light of the display.
"Very well. Deploy the 20th Legion to reinforce the 54th Legion. Also deploy 10 more Predator walkers. That will give them 15 Predator walkers to counter any attack by armored vehicles."
One of the Legates who came with Galen frowned.
"What of their vehicles. We have read about those small infantry support vehicles but there was nothing about those big ones. Could they possibly pose a threat?"
Galen studied them.
"They pack big guns, but are less mobile than a Predator walker. It is doubtful they are as agile. Nevertheless, the first priority of the drone launchers and Predators would be to shoot the heavy tanks down. We can take care of infantry easily enough. Just keep the vehicles occupied until they are destroyed."
"General, look at these scans. It is possible that these points are shield emitters. If they are protected by enough shielding, and they get a chance to fire their weapons at our Legionnaires, it might cause us grave casualties."
"Then we will make sure they die first. Even to the point of ignoring the infantry advance. Clones are less dangerous in close quarters since their rifles are fairly bulky and they cannot wield them as easily as Legionnaire blasters."
"Yes, general. They sure are many... Wait... Look at those..."
They quickly used their zoom function in their helmets to witness several hundred huge soldiers in heavy armors and carrying very large guns.
"What are they?"
Galen looked at them and made the connection quickly.
"These must be the elites we read about in the reports. Intelligence reports have circulated about these Elites and their capabilities. They are supposedly even deadlier than clones."
"They look big, but they don't seem that tough..."
"Don't underestimate the enemy, Legate. I would not judge them until I have seen a battle with them. They are obviously competent enough to push us out of nearly 60% of our territory."
That's because those territories were Outer Region... They didn't have much defense to talk about."
Galen growled.
"You are too proud Legate Haman. It will cost you if you are not careful."
"Yes sir."
The Clone army of nearly 30,000, supported by vehicles and powerful artillery pieces, moved toward the city of Orasus. It was one of the 7 cities where most of the planet's population now resided. The city of Orasus was not the largest city, but it was one of the most prosperous. It was a thriving hub for trade with the other 6 cities and its citizens were proud of being dominant in much of the merchant and business areas of the planet.
The people were tense however, as reports of defeat after Alesian defeat swept into the civilian channels. They knew their wealth would most likely vanish if the Alesians were outright conquered. Recruitment into the Militia had risen by nearly 300% since then and more men were sent to the Legion training camps on Alesia itself. The people were grimly polishing their guns as well. They were fully prepared to wage a guerrilla war if it was necessary, even if the Legions and Militia were defeated on this world.
The city was lined with stone walls. They dated back to antiquity with the various clan and feudal warlords fighting it out, but with the arrival of the Alesians 1000 years ago, they had not really needed the walls. They were mostly maintained as a landmark and historic site more than anything else.
Now, something else has happened that it had not been for a thousand years. War has come to the city, and to the whole planet. The Militia and the civilians were quickly directed by the Legionnaires to repair and reinforce the antique walls. They needed all of the help they could get. The factories that produced eco-friendly concrete-like substance began to churn out huge quantities of the material. After all, they only had hours to prepare. With the Legionnaires guaranteeing that the substance can be dried and hardened quickly, the civilians began to haul them on the walls. Aided by modified force fields, they began to reinforce the walls when the dust in the distance revealed the approaching war. The 2 Legions were dug in front of the city, in trenches and small field works. They preferred to fight out in the open or at least have the ability to attack offensively.
However, they were not quite prepared for the huge army that slowly moved toward them. While they were advanced and experienced, they had no war and not even a real fight during last 1000 years. Only the few Legions that fought the Wraith that pervasively infested the Pegasus galaxy had any real fights during the periods of peace. But the Legions were familiar with their weapons and many veterans were in their ranks that had fought bitter and brutal wars. Many were even older than their more senior commanders. The 2 Legions were among the oldest and most dedicated of the Legions, and this was as much their home as Alesia was. They were determined to hold out.
Suddenly, the shields over the city flared as powerful ionised particle shells struck it. It was from the Clones' artillery pieces that fired super-accelerated particles encased in ionized pulses. It would have been deadly to shields with limited energy supply. However, the city shield was able to fend off artillery strikes with ease, since it was designed to counter orbital bombardment and the power supplies for each city was formidable with antimatter reactors keeping the power stable.
As the minutes passed, more shells fell on the shield and the number of impact became greater still. Beginning to appear as if it was raining plasma bolts. The Militia jeered at the futile artillery attack, but the Legionnaires were silent. They knew it was only a distraction for the incoming assault they knew was to come.
The medium artillery pieces fired Multi-Plex Energy shell, which was a derivative of Protoss weapon. Known as Scarabs, the Protoss self-propelled artillery shell from machines called Reavers, were powerful explosive weapons, but ChiYou modified it so that it would be greater use against enemy positions by turning it into spreadable ammunition. Each shell exploded into a dozen small pieces that exploded. Unfortunately, it was not quite so effective against the immense shielding power of the defenders. The shield held firm and after a while, the artillery stopped firing, realizing their shells were having little to no effect.
As the Alesians and the locals cheered, they saw lines of smoke. Another artillery barrage, and they didn't think too much on it. That was a mistake. The shells fell slowly, as if they were balloons, but they were dark in color. Though still too fast to intercept with infantry weapons, these things fell through the shields, and just as they entered the shield, they shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. Each piece fell, mostly upon the civilians on the walls, and they exploded with violent cruelty.
The Alesians were not pleased with this development as orders were passed. The Legate of the 20th Legion screamed out as his men ran to portable drone launchers.
"Lock drones on target! Fire when targeted!"
"Target is set! Ready to fire!"
"Fire!"
Hundreds of drones were shot out of the launchers from the computerized turrets, which streamed in toward the artillery pieces. No sooner the drones were outside the shields, thousands of tiny bolts of blue energy came from where the artillery pieces were, shooting down most of the drones. The Blue Wolves positioned themselves in order to counter the drone attacks. The few drones that made to their targets simply exploded against the shields of the artillery pieces.
The Legate of the 20th swore. He had no counter battery pieces to combat the enemy with. But as he thought, he did. He ordered the local militia commander to see him at once. The commander, a general in the Militia, saluted the Legate.
"Sir!"
"At ease, Militant General. I believe we have several artillery pieces available to us?"
"Yes sir!"
"Deploy them then. Let's give them a taste of counter fire. Their artillery is self propelled, so you will need load out of anti-armor shells."
As more of the Delayed Explosive shells fell into the city, the Legionnaires prepared to fight back, taking advantage of the militia's artillery. The militia rolled out the artillery pieces in front of the walls, sighting the old pieces. They were old, but serviceable and were effective for the role they were called upon. The captain of the reserve artillery was a grizzled veteran who knew how to aim his guns. He called out with a growl.
"Counter-battery fire! Range is 7 clicks! 5 second delay fuse. Load anti-armor shell!"
"Yes, sir!"
The militia's artillery shells flew toward the Clones but the suddenly movements by the heavy tanks had unexpected consequences. The large, treaded twin-barrel tanks fired missiles on their sides, and the missiles exploded into a white gas cloud. When the artillery pieces met the white cloud, they exploded. The explosion was greater than what was supposed to be, but they had exploded before reaching the target. The Legate was seriously annoyed by the results as his guns refused to silence the clone's artillery. He was about to order the guns to cease firing when the artillery stopped firing.
The Legate looked around. Thus far, about a hundred of those slow shells had fallen, and caused grievous damage to the people, but the damages to the structures were quite minimal. He sighed as he rallied his men once more.
The artillery pieces were pulled back from the front lines, sighting shells from forward observers and knowing an infantry assault was inevitable. They loaded anti-personnel shells into their pieces. A nasty piece of work, it was able to fire large 175 mm shells loaded with ball bearings and the shell was made to shrapnel as well, causing untold devastation to infantry regiments. The real question was how effective it would be against this new enemy who appeared so formidable.
The tanks moved forward, followed by the APCs and Humvees, and then by the Clone Infantries. The powerful shields of the tanks and Humvees protected the infantry while the tanks fired their weapons. The hover tanks fired their energy shells, though it was useless against the shield. The twin-barreled heavy tank held its fire, but all could see the giant cannons and three automated Tri-B guns mounted on a pintle.
The artillery was loaded once more, this time with anti infantry fire targeted at the infantry. The vehicles would be dealt with by the Legionnaires as the grizzled battery commander listened to the reports coming in and he screamed orders.
"Infantry charge! Suppression fire! Range, 5 kilometers! 3 second delay fuse. Set for air burst!"
The guns were fired, but the bearings did not pierce the front part of the shields. The only effective barrage came when the shells fell behind the tanks and APC's, hitting the shield where it was weakest.
However, as the Clones approached closer, the apprehension grew. Finally, the first heavy tank crossed into the shield, temporarily shutting down its shield to stop it from clashing against the larger shield. It took a few seconds to get it back up, but the Alesians fired their blasters at it. The tank was made of sturdy stuff and it simply ignored the powerful plasma bolts.
Then a Predator targeted it with a beam cannon and a large red beam clashed against the raised shielding, finally breaking through and blowing the tank up after a sustained burst. The Legionnaires were not impressed. It took the full charge of the Predator's beam weapon to take down a single tank, and even blown up, its remaining two Tri-B turrets aimed at the Alesian positions and fired. The compartmentalization of ChiYou's vehicles surprised even the Alesians. They never thought to divide up their systems so markedly.
The Predators targeted the tanks with their beam cannons, killing several more tanks, but the weight of numbers started to overwhelm even the Predators as the clones got closer to the defensive lines. Blue plasma bolts from both anti personnel turrets and Alesian blasters rained on the tanks and any exposed infantry, but the advance continued.
The surviving heavy tanks quickly fired their weapons at the Predators, their incredibly powerful shells exploding against the shields and eventually overwhelming them. As the heavy tanks fell, so did the Predators, albeit at slower pace. Then the medium tanks joined in, their energy shells exploding and showering the militia and infantry with plasma. The heavy tanks fired what Tok'ra called Charged Naquadah Reactive shell. Each shell contained a small piece of super-enriched Naquadah that has been super-charged with pure energy, then is set upon a trigger. Explosions from them were catastrophic and the EMP generated from the explosions enough to knock out Predator's shields in few shots.
Drones flew toward the medium tanks, by the hundreds as drone after drone were fired at the medium tanks. The Heavy tanks were mostly out of action, although they took out 10 of the Predator walkers at a cost of about 30 of their own prized heavy tanks. The surviving Predators fell back as the Alesians started to withdraw from their positions in confusion as the tanks started up the hill. Although the medium tanks were not quite tough or come with extra weapons, the Blue Wolves that came with the infantry, as well as the Clones firing their heavy weapons into the air cut down the number of drone reaching the target by at least half. The most effective of this was the back-mounted Broad-Beam Projector, which fired a broad beam of highly corrosive disruptor pattern energy. They were initially meant to open passages into buildings or walls from the side by creating holes, but ChiYou had agreed that it would be a good short-range counter against enemy heavy projectiles such as drones. The only disadvantage being its heavy weight, thus needing two to carry and use it, and that it was short range. However, even that could not save all the tanks, as the drones managing to destroy nearly twenty medium tanks.
The Alesians were forced back however as they were pushed down the opposing slope of the hill. Fire from the city helped kill another 10 medium tanks, but they started to roll over the former Alesian positions with ease and fired at the retreating Alesians. The 20th Legion held firm, but its flank was turned while the 54th was driven down the slope, having bore the brunt of the attack.
The 54th Legion was driven down the hill, cowering at the base of the reverse slope of the hill as tanks and infantry fired down at them, pinning the Legion down. The Legate of that legion was trying to rally his men. He had the Legion banner with the Alesian Eagle emblazoned on it. He cried out.
"Come on 54th! Hold them!"
A stream of bullets struck his shield, but he ignored it. The screams of the men dying and the explosions were keeping the men pinned down, unable to effectively fight the tanks back as shells exploded among their ranks. Streams of bullets singled out profiles and dozens of men fell at once to the barrage.
The Legate screamed at his men to rally and hold, turning slightly to point up at the enemy. Suddenly a burst of bullets struck his armor, penetrating it and striking him in the heart. He coughed up blood and fell solidly on his back, dead before he hit the ground. The Clones pushed forward relentlessly. A dozen Clones jumped up above the low barricades and fired into the Alesians as they scrambled to retreat, firing upon their heads or their backs. The Clones knew no honor, they only knew war.
The Legionnaires grimaced in pain and anger as they watched their Legate fall to the ground killed by the clones. A Centurion ran forward and grabbed the fallen banner. He screamed in fury to his unit.
"Come on! Take the hill!"
Bullets struck the Centurion as well, wounding him severely, but he planted the banner into the ground and leaned on it to steady himself. The men roared as one.
"Charge! For Alesia!"
Suddenly, five Tok'ra shuttles flew overhead, through the shields. They fired plasma weapons into the ranks of Alesians as they ringed down. From the rings came out the Elites of the Clones. Aided by the Elites, the Clones quickly took position as they relentlessly fired into the charging Legionnaires, their feet soon covered in mounds of empty magazines and shell casings. Several drones lanced out in response to the Tok'ra shuttles, quickly downing them as they fell in a massive fireball, exploding on the ground and sending fire everywhere.
The Legionnaires pressed back up the hill, firing their plasma weapons back. Hundreds of Legionnaires fell, but the mass of Legionnaires broke into the hastily set up clone positions, where they dueled the infantry with blades and overwhelmed the tanks, who were furiously firing, but could not stop the sudden charge of the Legionnaires, who were driven by rage over the death of their Legate.
The tide of battle was in balance as the Clones, trained from the moment of their creation, and the Legionnaires, warriors of many centuries, fought each other with fury untamed. The Elites shined as they crushed into the Alesians, their recent upgrades allowing greater torso strength through motorized arms and extra chest armor plating. An Elite clicked a button on his Tri-B rifle with his thumb, and a long bayonet appear in the front of the gun, and he deftly shoved the blade into the neck of a Legionnaire just as he tried to cut the Elite Clone with plasma blades. Then a Clone fired at the Elite, but the Elite knew that it was probably not as it appeared. Indeed, the Clone saved the Elite by shooting at the head of a Legionnaire who was about to slice the Elite in half from behind. The bullets knocked the Legionnaire back, but didn't finish the job.
The Legionnaires fought hard, firing drones point blank into the vehicles and reactivating their plasma turrets, which fired streams of blue plasma at the clones trying to reinforce their position, which was desperate action for both sides as they crashed into each other. The new Legate of the Legion was the 1st Battalion commander named Sykes. He cut down a clone commander after destroying the command platoon escorting the commander.
The Elite reached down with his left hand, suddenly magnetic power sending the combat knife to fly into his hand. Then he unceremoniously drove the blade right into the gap in the helmet. Before he could recover, Sykes fired a volley of plasma into the Elite's head, blasting it off.
Sykes drove right into the Elites with a dozen of his best Legionnaires, roaring a battle cry and began to fight with blades. The fighting was fierce as the Legionnaires fought with feral ferocity. They all roared as one.
"For Legate Vera! For the 54th! For Alesia!"
A Legionnaire suddenly dived, knocking Sykes aside just as a medium tank fired right at Sykes. Two Legionnaires who stood where the energy shell fell died horrendously along with six Clones who surrounded them.
The hilltop was alight with fire as the destroyed tanks burned where they were destroyed, the surviving tanks were being picked off at close range with drone weapons, which were now able to hit the tanks with unerring accuracy now that the interference from the Blue Wolves was unable to stop drones fired point blank.
The medium tank haughtily stared at Sykes and moved its cannon toward the man once more. It was one of the few tanks that survived. Suddenly, it exploded, shattering into thousands of pieces. Sykes looked around, and the militia had found several anti-vehicle weapons from their armory and mounted them on the walls. However, Sykes knew that they had failed here. The Clones still outnumbered them, and more Elites and Clones were being ferried into the shield.
Sykes realized the position would fall. Despite the Alesians recapturing their defensive position, they could not possibly hold off the infantry advance. They started to pack up their defensive turrets and drone launchers quickly, fighting a rear guard action as they began to retreat in good order toward the city walls. The 20th Legion also followed them into the city quickly. Both Legions were hit hard, but the 54th lost nearly 2000 men while the 20th Legion lost only 1000. While dwindled in number, they still retained most of their equipment and had managed to cut down much of the enemy's vehicle strength.
As the rest of the Clones and their vehicles entered the shields, the walls were under attack. Blue Wolves, in their deadly accuracy and agility, began to pick off the militia and Legionnaires on the walls. Several Clone Sappers placed explosives at the foundations of the walls, and mortar teams positioned themselves just inside the shield.
However, the lack of vehicles were unable to protect the infantry this time from the weapons of the militia and Legionnaires as streams of blue plasma were fired at the clones from anti personnel turrets. Drones streaked in to explode as well as the artillery pieces in the rear of the walls. The air bursts from the anti-personnel shrapnel shells were effective against clone infantry as the metal peices tore apart clone armor in great bloody chunks.
APCs and Humvees quickly moved in to replace the tanks but they were weaker. Unfortunately, a stray mortar shell had landed too close to the shield generator and another had landed right near a fuel tank that contained highly explosive fuel for the locals. The tank exploded, showering the neighborhood in deadly fire that began to spread. More energy mortar shells fell into city while the APCs prioritized the mortar teams in their defense. The Sappers' explosives began to take out chunks of walls as well, and as the mortar shells continued to fall into the city, one of the power generators exploded in a spectacular fireworks display. The shield began to flicker lightly.
The Alesians and the Militia continued their valiant defense, but they knew they couldn't hold forever. General Galen knew that the priority was to salvage as much of the defending force as possible. He issued recall orders to the various military forces and the evacuation of all Alesian descended personnel. The evacuation was speedy as the civilians had been prepped to leave for several hours.
The Strike Group in orbit was quickly alerted to the flickering shield and they began to send down powerful bombardments at the city, and they did not miss the fleeing civilians who were the last to flee. Though Alesians thought it a war crime, and so did the Tauri at a later period in time, the Clones and Tok'ra were still burning with desire to kill all Alesians and their shield failed and the city was bombarded. No matter how advanced, Alesians could not evacuate everyone at once. The last groups faced grievous casualties as they were beamed away.
The equipments and Predators were the first to be beamed away, following the majority of the militia and Alesian forces on the planet, leaving only a small force to hold off the advance as the clones poured through the city walls. The civilians were mainly saved, but the last groups were decimated before they were beamed away. The skeleton force took severe casualties as well, holding off the clones long enough to be beamed away as well.
Milky Way Galaxy: Mid Rim
Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV
Day 3 - 08:47:29
Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 5
Galen bit his lips as he read the reports in his office. The Legion HQ was now flooded with wounded that even the advanced medical facilities were unable to handle at once. Two other cities, Grarinos and Amdorian had also fallen, although they suffered less casualties than Orasus did but, three out of seven cities was a grave loss. Not only that, almost half of Grarinos and nearly twenty thousand civilians in Amdorian were left behind. The reports indicated that the Clones only killed Alesians and their families, but the civilians were terrified. This was grave news. Galen knew that he was outnumbered and outgunned. Also, the fact that the Clones had dialed the Stargate in order to block it was a serious issue for the Legions.
Galen knew that there was still some chance to win as long as they held the Stargate but he felt in his gut that holding the Stargate would be impossible, and already the Clones had dialed in from somewhere and continued to shoot energy weapons into the shield. It was matter of time before the shield failed and the Stargate lost to the Clones. He knew he had to come up with a plan.
He knew that his force had to be salvaged from the defenses and based somewhere where it could harass the clone armies and then withdraw, spending the clone's strength while maintaining his own. It was matter of time before the Clones figured out where the HQ was, so that had to be dealt with as well. The lifesign scans of the enemy ships had to be disabled. An idea came to Galen. He sneered at the enemy as he stood up.
Milky Way Galaxy: Mid Rim
Alesian Empire: Mid Region / Ballox Sector / Berian IV
Day 4 - 13:20:51
Alesian-Tok'ra war: Month 5
The Clones were relentless. As they pushed, the Alesians retreated, often abandoning the civilians and taking only the militia and the equipments. The Clones did not care. They simply killed any Alesians and their families, and occupied the cities.
However, many Alesians did escape and managed to take up arms against the defenders, instigating riots and small scale resistance against the clones. The cost for this world was getting higher for both sides, but Galen and his men didn't seem to have a choice. The Clones, excited by taking of the cites, had quickly captured all but two mountain cities within the week. The ships in orbit fired upon the sparsely located villages, destroying them without mercy. The civilians were driven into camps and made to repair the damage caused in the cities.
The civilians were terrified, but also enraged at the clone defenders. This would make it easier to coordinate a resistance movement supplanted by the still at large Alesian Legions and much of their Militia. After a desperate effort, Galen managed to call Alesia through Stargate. After some discussion, it was Alesia that called back. They sent several large boxes of equipments that Galen's forces quickly retrieved before the Clones moved in. This enabled the forces to maintain cloaked camps for their surviving forces in the mountains where they could hide out.
There was also a nice little package that Galen specifically requested and he smiled grimly as he ordered it to be opened. The missile within was specifically formatted to cause atmospheric disturbances that would disrupt any life sign scanners and disrupt the Asgard style beaming the clones had. It did not disrupt Alesian beams nearly as much, although it restricted their range by a fair margin. The Clones regretted allowing the single missile to slip through. They thought it was some sort of satellite, but when it dispersed, leaving persisting disruptions, the Tok'ra general gritted his teeth in anger. Who knew that this little planet would be one of the crucial factors in the turning point of this war. As the Tok'ra continued to siege the planet, ChiYou's forces continued to push into the Mid Region, pushing back the Alesian defenders further back to their homeworld.