++++Here is the latest chapter. This one fought me a bit and for the first time I had trouble putting a chapter together. I'm considering pulling it and doing a rewrite based on the reviews that come in about it, so please review so I know what you think. Have a great week everyone and I'll have the next action packed chapter out in a few days, let's just hope this one is much easier to write lol++++
I pulled it down to fix a few things.
Atlantis
Like water no longer retained behind a floodgate the constant stream of 3rd ACR troopers flowed. The headquarters and command element referred to as Remington Troop, along with the 1st squadron Tigers, and 2nd squadron Saber's had arrived over a period of seven hours of continuous gate activations from Earth. Thunder, Longknife, and Muleskinner squadrons had been routed to Borealis. The troopers of 3rd ACR would only remain aboard the two city ships until their equipment arrived, under tow from the Asgard within the next thirty six hours. Security staff under the command of Lt. Col. Lorne would have their work cut out for them until that time keeping the new arrivals occupied and out of trouble.
Standing in stargate operations with Woolsey was Colonel Sheppard. Having arrived several hours before the Colonel had watched the arrival of 3rd ACR and smirked at the circus that would surely ensue.
"This is the most people Atlantis has had walking the halls since before the ancients departed" stated Sheppard.
"Let's just hope our new guests don't break anything as soldiers are known to do" replied a clearly flustered Woolsey.
Appearing beside the two men was the avatar of Atlantis. With a warm smile gracing the elegant lines of her face she politely waited for the two men to take notice of her presence.
"Hello Atlantis. Good to see you looking so chipper" said Sheppard.
"Is their something I can do for you Atlantis" asked Woolsey.
"Colonel Sheppard is correct that not since the departures long ago have this many souls walked my halls. I enjoy the activity greatly" she smiled.
"They are only temporary guests I assure you" replied Woolsey.
"Just make sure they don't break anything" said Sheppard.
"At Doctor Zelenka's insistence lockdown protocols have been instituted in sensitive areas. The gate is activating" stated Atlantis.
As the gate activated the two men watched as the event horizon settled into its normal shimmering puddle. All the men and supplies they had been informed to expect had already arrived. This gate activation was unexpected though.
"I detect Midway stations IDC" stated Atlantis.
"Lower the iris" ordered Woolsey.
Seconds later with the iris shield lowered a single man emerged through the gate. In his forties, wearing a flight suit, but his face was known to most who encountered him. On his first trip to Atlantis the man looked in awe at the room around him. After so many requests to come to the legendary city he had finally arrived fulfilling a year's long dream. Seeing two men on the platform above him motioning to him he took to the stairs towards stargate operations.
"You must be Mr. Woolsey. A pleasure" said the new arrival.
"Hey, I know you! You got pulled into the SGC" asked Sheppard.
"Allow me to introduce Mr. Alec Colson" stated Woolsey.
"Pulled in is the wrong word Colonel. Think more in terms of I was granted asylum" smiled Alec.
"Mr. Colson has been doing developmental work on systems for the 302 and 304 for several years" Woolsey added.
"You are one of the wealthiest men in the world, why would you need asylum" demanded Sheppard.
"It's complicated, but I'm sure you remember when I put an Asgard in a news conference" laughed Colson.
"Yeah that was kind of hard to forget. So what brings you here today" asked Sheppard.
Reaching into the breast pocket of his Air Force issue flight suit Alec produced a thumb drive. With the drive between thumb and forefinger he brought the device to eye level for the two men the in front of him.
"I've brought a fix for the 302's. This drive contains the coding upgrade for the targeting systems. Now they will have a true air to ground targeting ability of their own that doesn't rely on crunching numbers from the ship" proudly stated Alec.
"You wrote this in the three days since we've had contact with the Genii" asked Sheppard.
"Not exactly Colonel. I did write the software, but many years ago for the F-15E Strike Eagle. I just modified a few lines of code and viola! I only had to alter a few hundred lines of computer code and it works like magic. And who is this beautiful young lady behind you gentlemen" asked Alec.
"I don't believe I am what you would consider young" replied a smiling Atlantis.
"Alec Colson, I would like you to meet Atlantis" said Woolsey in introduction.
"Were you born here and named after the city" asked Colson.
"I was born here in a manner of speaking" replied Atlantis.
"She's the visual representation of the city's AI. She is the city" added Sheppard.
"Forgive me. It's not often I meet such an attractive visual representation" laughed Alec.
"I'll leave you gentlemen now. Enjoy your stay Mr. Colson" said Woolsey before returning to his office.
"Did I say something wrong" asked Alec.
"Nah, he's just like that. You get used to it. Ok, how much time do you need to make the upgrades to our 302's" asked Sheppard.
"It's a simple matter of uploading the software to the data link the 302's and carrying vessel share. Once uploaded the 302's capture the new software and instillation is done hands free. From there we can transmit the software to the other ships in the fleet via subspace and they can upgrade their 302's as well. The entire process shouldn't take more than an hour from start to finish" answered Alec.
"Ares, two to beam please" Sheppard said after tapping his earpiece.
Dagan
The previous day with swift assistance from both Daedalus and Sun Tzu the first tentative moves by the Tauri in their war against the Genii had taken place. The two 304 class vessels carried with them a unique mix of men, material, and equipment. Once a suitable location had been located, two hundred miles from the Dagan capital a series of command and control centers housed in conex containers were beamed to the surface. Along with those came pallet after pallet of temporary runway planking. Teams of Air Force personal with experience setting up these temporary runway's made short work of piecing the interlocking panels together. In little time at all the forward operating base had taken shape.
Operating from this was the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drone. Meant to collect intelligence the Reaper also carried with it the ability to act on intelligence generated. For this deployment the Reapers were armed with the Hellfire antitank missile. Protecting the drone's and their assorted command and control centers was a team of forty Rangers in defensive positions around the perimeter with Special Forces alpha teams posted at the four corners of the compass. Watching over them were the sensors of the 304's in orbit high above.
Standing in the flight control center was Colonel Dean Frost. Known for his lead from the front mentality it surprised no one that he was here. Forty five minutes earlier the first Reaper had taken to the sky and Frost was intent on putting the missiles it carried to use. From an altitude of twelve thousand feet the diminutive drone aircraft quietly orbited fifteen miles north of Dagan's capital. The electro-optical sensor ball on the nose of the aircraft scanned the terrain below. As the sun began to set infrared spectrum tracking of objects below was engaged.
Starring at the live video feed Frost took in they tactical outlay before him. The Genii had dug in quickly and in a highly organized manner. Seeing the warm human bodies drop from the screen could only mean they were entering some type of fortification underground, perhaps a foxhole or something larger.
"Zoom in on the objects in the far right corner" ordered Frost.
"It looks to be an antennae farm. Based on the number down there I'm guessing brigade level headquarters possibly" responded the drone operator.
"Let's get another Reaper in the air. I want both targeting the antennae farm. We'll knock out their communications and see what type of a response we get" ordered Frost.
Moments later another Reaper lifted off and flew towards its rendezvous point. Forty minutes later the drone arrived on station. The two pilots in the command center armed their four Hellfire missiles apiece. Maintaining orbit of their targets the optics were slaved to fixed position on the ground below them.
"We're good to go Colonel" called out the lead Reaper pilot.
"Reaper one fires three rounds at the antennae farm, Reaper two fire's two rounds. Mark your targets so you don't double up. When they hear explosions people will come running out of their bunker. Get those locations locked so we can get what we're really after. Commence your firing run gentlemen" ordered Frost.
On command five of the one hundred and ten pound missiles leaped off their carrying rails from the two drones at mach one point three times the speed of sound. With pinpoint accuracy the missiles homed in on the reflected laser targeting beams aimed at the target below for their launch platforms. In a handful of seconds the missiles covered the distance to target impacting at the base of each antenna. Milliseconds later each twenty pound Integrated Blast Fragmentation Sleeve warhead exploded, shredding their targets and toppling the antennae to the ground in a crumpled mass.
Hearing explosions men in the Genii communications center rushed out of their bunker to see what the disturbance was. The sight that greeted them was something they did not expect. The Daganian's were a primitive people, lacking the ability to do such a thing. Unknown to the Genii their attacker watched from overhead.
"Sir, we've got men streaming from two points here and here. I'm guessing we're looking at once bunker with two access points" called out the drone pilot.
"Ok, target both access points and target the last missile in between the two access points. Fire when ready" replied Frost.
On command the remaining three hellfire's leaped into the air. Without warning the first two missiles impacted the bunker's two entry and exit points, eviscerating the cluster of men at both points. The third missile struck the soft ground directly above the bunker, collapsing the ceiling in on the radio technicians still seated at their posts. All told twenty Genii lost their lives in less than five seconds. Perhaps one or two was still alive within the shattered bunker, but none of the Tauri would be coming to lend aid.
Borealis
"Doctor McKay, I have detected eleven vessels in hyperspace a considerable distance from our location. Based on their current speed I estimate they will arrive at our location in four hours" stated Borealis.
"Put that data on screen please" replied McKay.
From his seat in stargate operations Rodney looked over the holographic display that appeared before him. Standing to his left Daniel Jackson looked over the same information.
"Is it Wraith" asked Jackson.
"Moving far too fast to be Wraith. That distance would take them weeks to cover. This has to be Asgard" replied McKay.
"That would be our new guest's equipment. Borealis please contact the vessels and if they are Asgard allow them through the defensive screen once in our system" instructed Jackson.
"Of course Doctor Jackson" replied Borealis before vanishing.
"Rodney, on the off chance this isn't our friends I would rather be safe than sorry. Go ahead and get subspace capacitors online and bring the generators online. I want full power available" stated Jackson.
"Are you serious? Look at how fast their moving. It's got to be Asgard. The only other things that fast are Athena's, Atlantis, the ship your standing on, or an Ori mothership and I highly doubt it's them" countered McKay.
"Rodney, not now ok" asked Jackson.
"Fine fine, full power will be available in ten minutes, calm down" replied McKay.
Watching the exchange from the stairs Teal'c stepped into stargate operations. Seeing the nervous Canadian eyeing him from the corner of his eye Teal'c approached him.
"Rodney McKay do you not think it wise to power all systems" asked Teal'c.
"I really don't see the need" replied McKay sheepishly.
"When Atlantis came under siege your first year there did you feel the need for full power? Do you remember the Wraith who came aboard the city and sought to drain the life from your body" pressed Teal'c.
Remembering the fear he had felt Rodney dropped his sandwich on his workstation. Somehow he managed to swallow and not choke on the bite in his mouth.
"Do we really have to talk about this right now" asked McKay.
"Indeed" replied Teal'c with a chuckle.
Four hours later the nine O'Neill class vessels dropped out of hyperspace, along with the two vessels they had under tow. Standing between them and the planet was the Ajax and Yorktown. Identifying the newly arrived vessels as allies the two Tauri warships slipped out of the approaching vessels path. Quickly the newly arrived fleet established stable orbit. Moments later Thor beamed down to Borealis's command center.
"Greetings" said Thor.
"Good to see you Thor" replied Jackson.
"It is good to see you once more" added Teal'c.
"The vessels containing the needed military equipment are in stable orbit. With your permission I would like to share the patrol patterns that require our coverage with my other ship commanders" asked Thor.
"Colonel Young aboard Ajax has that taken care of. So, how's the home world" asked Jackson making chit chat.
"My people are preparing for the establishment of several outposts in our new galaxy. Each will rival Hala before its untimely destruction" stated Thor.
"I look forward to seeing them someday" replied Jackson.
"I look forward to that as well. I have come with a request from the High Council. They have asked if you will provide the location of a planet within this galaxy rich in neutronium that we may establish an outpost upon" stated Thor.
"Sure, no problem. Rodney can dig through the database and come up with one for you. Thor, I hate to cut this short but I have a few matters to attend to" replied Jackson.
Genii Home World
Within subterranean bunker the Genii called home life carried on as if it were another day. In a restricted area of the city sat the Genii military council. Having returned to his home world minutes before Davos had convened the council to seek information regarding recent events.
"You told me they were nothing but simple farmers" hissed Davos.
"They are nothing but farmers" countered Thanas, Genii intelligence chief.
"Then explain to me how they destroyed communications equipment with explosives powerful enough to collapse a bunker" demanded Davos.
"The Daganian's posses no such technology, what you say is impossible" retorted Thanas.
"Impossible? Tell that to the men that died" Davos yelled.
"The answer is obvious" interjected Radel, the second highest ranking Genii compared to Davos.
"Then please Radel do share with us this obvious answer" sneered Thanas.
"It's the Lantean's. If they dropped explosives from one of their invisible ships this effect could be achieved. We all know they do everything they can to sabotage our rightful place in this galaxy" answered Radel.
"The Daganian's resisted the Lantean's in the past. The chances of them assisting these people are low. Even if it is the Lantean's they do not have the manpower we have at our disposal. It would be foolish of them to trigger a conflict between our two peoples" stated Thanas.
"Was the last conflict between our two peoples foolish as well Thanas" asked Radel.
"Stop this idiocy this moment! I want answers and I want them now. Thanas get me the answers I seek or I will replace you. Do you understand" asked Davos.
"Perfectly" replied Thanas.
Moments later Davos stormed out of the room towards the surface and the gate that would return him to Dagan. Confirming that he had left the planet Radel dialed the gate for a destination of his own.
Ajax
The massive Athena class vessel hurtled through hyperspace. Accompanying her for the voyage was the Lexington and Saratoga with prepositioning ships in tow. Elsewhere in the galaxy Ares, Hermes, and Athena also converged on their end destination of Dagan. Aboard each of the six vessels were the men of 3rd ACR. Deploying into a war zone was never an easy thing for a warfighter, but as soldiers do the night before battle laughter was exchanged while making light of the stark reality that in twenty four hours they could find themselves in the horror of war.
Walking through the corridors of his command Colonel Young saw the young cavalry troopers and thought back to his days as an SG team leader. In each of these men he saw that special spark that had propelled the United States to greatness in the past. These men would do their duty to the best of their ability, which was considerable. These are the thoughts that coursed through the Colonel's head as he made his way to the bridge.
"Any word from the Atlantis group" asked Young.
"Colonel Eckhart reports their estimated time of arrival is in eighteen minutes" replied Captain Rogers.
"Thank you Captain. Give me an open channel ship wide please" said Young.
"Channel's open Sir" replied Rogers.
"This is Colonel Young. In a few short minutes we'll be exiting hyperspace around Dagan. Every moment of your military career led you to this point. All of the training, the discipline, the daily grind was meant for what lays before you. As fighting men of the United States armed forces now is the time to put all of that training to use. You have your mission, and the good people of Dagan need a savior and that savior is you. Make us proud Brave Rifles. Please proceed to the port hanger bay for transport to the surface shortly. That is all" finished Young.
Throughout the Ajax a thunderous cheer of Brave Rifles reverberated in the corridors. In an orderly fashion men shouldered their weapons and gear while making their way to the cavernous hanger bay.
"Five minutes to exit of hyperspace" called out Captain Rogers.
"Upon exit per our instructions initiate the transporter protocol laid out for us. These boys are going to need fortifications for their beachhead" replied Young.
The protocol he mentioned was similar to the process that was used to excavate Borealis from her earthy tomb. When activated the transporters would begin transporting hundreds of ton's of soil around the landing zone, forming a large earthen wall. Once this wall was established men and equipment would begin beaming down in a prearranged order laid out by Colonel Ronald Stone 3rd ACR commander.
"Exiting hyperspace now sir. Transporters are going into automatic" called out Rogers.
"The moment the fortifications are up begin transporting men down, and activate the prepositioning ships transporters. I want that equipment down there quickly. Remember, air cavalry first, followed by the first two troops of M-8's" said Young.
Four minutes later the combined fleet's transporters activated. On the ground below the first trickle of men and equipment began to appear. Flight crew's linked up with their armed and fueled AH-64D Longbow Apache's. In moments these would take to the air to provide air cover to the fragile beachhead that expanded moment by moment. With Apache's in the air the M-8 Buford Armored Gun Systems began appearing, with their crew's seconds behind. Within thirty minutes two complete troops of 3rd ACR were on the ground and taking defensive positions. This process would continue for the next four hours until every last warfighter was on the ground, linked up with their equipment, and ready for the next evolutionary process.
"Captain Rogers, put the 302 pilots on two hour alert. I want all aircraft armed and standing by" ordered Young.
"Roger that sir" replied Rogers.
"Colonel, jammers are active, all enemy communications nets are down" called out the electronic warfare officer.
Hearing this Young smiled a rare smile.
Atlantis
"Unscheduled activation" called out Chuck.
"Do we have an IDC" asked Woolsey.
"No IDC. We have a signal transmitting through the wormhole, looks to be video" replied Chuck.
"Put it on screen" replied Woolsey.
As the holographic display came to life video images took shape. On the screen was a drab background or dark brick, and a man's shadow. A voice familiar to all of the Atlantis command staff began speaking.
"Atlantis this is Ladon Radim. I am aware of the conflict you find yourself in and I wish to exchange information to assist you in your cause" said Ladon.
"Ladon, this is Richard Woolsey. What information is it you wish to provide" asked the Atlantis Commander.
"If you will allow me passage through the ring of the ancestors I will gladly provide intelligence of military value to your forces" replied Ladon.
"Chuck, drop the shield and let him in. Ladon, the shield is down, you may enter" said Woolsey.
Emerging through the gate was the one time chief scientist of the Genii people, but more recently their leader. Looking worse for wear Ladon appeared dirty and disheveled. A security team quickly escorted the sometimes ally to the conference room. Taking a seat Woolsey wasted no time in pleasantries.
"Ladon, you were the leader of your people. Now you suddenly appear out of the blue looking as if you've been living under a rock and wanting to provide information on your people. What exactly is the meaning of this" demanded Woolsey.
"Mr. Woolsey much has happened since our two people's last worked together. I fell victim to a plot from within my own ranks. Certain underlings felt they could better control the path our people would take in the future. The leader of this coup your people captured and handed over to the Coalition for trial. The other commands the forces currently on Dagan" began Ladon.
"I know you are not providing this information out of an overwhelming sense of obligation and guilt. What is it you want in exchange" asked Woolsey.
"I want is rightfully mine. In exchange for military intelligence and my assistance in capturing the leader of the forces you face I ask that I be returned to a place of leadership among my people. Once returned to power I will happily work hand in hand with the people of Atlantis for the benefit of all mankind in this galaxy" stated Ladon.
"Forgive me if I don't view your offer with shades of doubt. Why would you so gladly work with us now when in the past you have exploited our kindness for selfish gain" demanded Woolsey.
"Mr. Woolsey I am aware of the technology your people posses. You are a people the Genii cannot hope to defeat. It is your role to liberate mankind in Pegasus and I acknowledge that now. Yes we have had our differences but those times are now long past. Once I am returned to power you will never need doubt if the Genii are trustworthy allies. I wish to form an alliance that brings about peace and prosperity between us" answered Ladon.
"You must realize that this deal would need the approval of my superiors on Earth" replied Woolsey.
"I understand" stated Ladon.
"It will greatly assist your cause to provide the intelligence now as a show of good faith" said Woolsey.
"Everything you need to know is contained on this data device. You'll find I've included names, ranks, troop numbers, types of equipment, and communications plans. One thing I have recently discovered isn't on that device though" replied Ladon.
"Just what might that be" asked Woolsey.
"During the last skirmish your people destroyed the Genii ability to produce nuclear weapons. During this strike you manage to capture a number of finished devices. Unfortunately you didn't succeed in capturing them all. The forces you face have two such devices in their possession. Davos will not hesitate to use these devices if faced with defeat" stated Ladon.
"What proof do you have of this? Surely you don't expect us to merely take your word for it" responded Woolsey.
"Men loyal to me remain on my home world within the ranks of Davos's men. I have been privy to what is said in their council, along with their strategic planning" retorted Ladon.
"Have you stopped to consider that Davos may know this information is making it into your hands and is playing that very fact to his advantage? Disinformation is a powerful weapon against an opponent" countered Woolsey.
"My information was confirmed through other sources that are beyond reproach; my sister. Mr. Woolsey I am simply attempting to safeguard my people from the folly of a man unfit to lead. You and I both know your technological advantage is simply too great to overcome" stated Ladon.
"Very well. I will pass along your information and request. Until such time as I have word from Earth you will remain on Atlantis as our guest. Any attempt to assist your people's forces will be dealt with in the harshest of measures. Amelia will show you to your quarters while I contact my government" finished Woolsey.