Here's the next chapter for you all, questions will be answered and others will be asked. Note: I only own what characters i create, the names and places i invent and the ships and vehicles i seem to be designing in droves for this single story.
I would like to thank AlexanderD for all his help and i strongly recomend reading his story New Dawn. I hope he likes the character named after him Admiral Alec Xander.
For those of you interested in what some of the ships featured in this story look like here are a few sketches on photobucket: albums/ae166/Senrab_Nomis/
Please review and i will respond. Or alternatively post in the thread for this story in my forum. topic/84023/35075481/1/
Review Responses
AlexanderD: Shiana is a complex individual. While she recognises that the Tau'ri are trying to help she, like many others, resent the damage their mistakes have caused. I personally don't blame her for holding a grudge for the loss of her people. I sometimes think i'm being a little mean towards Echidna, her life can really suck at times.
Cdoctor: Concordia is going to be one of the crown jewels of real estate in the Pegasus galaxy, i hope.
Oddliver: It won't end quickly that's for sure.
stormwolf3710: They're going to utilise that ship to its fullest. The secrets that can be gleamed are immense.
Naginator: It's all explained in this chapter but i assure you it is possible, quite easily in fact.
Shane: I intend to.
Concordia
The Coalition representatives stood there stunned by the revelation Larrin had delivered.
"The Travellers and the Tau'ri will be a part of this Alliance?" Ladon eventually managed to ask.
"The Travellers were recently invited to join but had yet to give an answer," Woolsey replied.
"The Tau'ri as the fifth race however have been a member of the Alliance from the beginning," added Thor. "The Alliance has since been reformed to include other races that have risen since its initial conception."
"What was its original form?" asked Dimas.
"The Alliance of Four Great Races was formed by the Asgard, the Nox, the Furlings and the Ancients," Thor said. "The Furlings have since moved on from this area of space never to be heard from again and the Ancients chose to ascend. I believe you call them the ancestors."
"You were once allied with the Ancestors?" Harmony asked in awe.
"We technically still are," said Thor. "Should the Ancients choose to return to this plain of existence they will still be our allies and should they require it receive our assistance."
"And now you consider the Tau'ri to worthy of joining such an Alliance," Shiana stated, slightly coldly.
Thor fixed her with a cool stare.
"The Tau'ri have liberated four galaxies, including this one, from oppression," Thor replied to the unasked question. "They have earned their place in this Alliance and are even now fighting for your sakes to keep you free despite the fact that it is of no benefit to them. If that does not make them worthy of being called a great race then nothing will."
Shiana crumbled under the intensity of the Asgards gaze.
"How would one go about joining this Alliance?" asked Kelore, causing Ladon to raise an eyebrow at the question.
"You need to be asked to join," Thor replied coolly.
The meaning there was quite clear, they had not been asked thus they would be allowed to join.
"We are only here fighting this war because of this Alliance," Thor continued. "That and because the Tau'ri requested our aid before the Alliances reformation. If it was not for them calling for our help to protect you all and for the new Alliance then we would not even be here."
"We have much to be thankful to the Tau'ri for," said Harmony.
"You do indeed," said Thor, giving her a small smile before turning back to look at the view.
Concordia was going to be the crown jewel of the allied races combined efforts. Built using designs of the new Alliances three founding members, the Asgard, the Tau'ri and the Nox, the world would be a veritable paradise.
The arcologies had been based on the acquired Timelinks ziggurat design and had been heavily modified to utilise advanced technology. What had originally been open air between the various levels was now an open air garden with a large lake and a waterfall falling from above out of the central spire. The overall effect was that each platform could now be compared to the garden of Versailles, with the Nox providing the plants and trees. Internally the design of the ziggurats had been greatly changed. The living quarters featured food synthesisers to provide the inhabitants with as much food as they would ever want. The internal transport system had been replaced by a transport booth system since modified to include a pair of booths, one for outgoing and a second for incoming travellers. The central spire was packed with technology. There was a central computer core including an ISIS variant to monitor and interact with the inhabitants, neutrino ion generators to provide power for the whole structure and to power a shield emitter mounted at the tip of the spire that when combined with the others would cover a massive area hundreds of kilometres across.
The Alliance headquarters would also feature similar facilities as the other arcologies but the central tower would feature more administrative offices and conference rooms for the various members use. At the top of the tower would a single meeting chamber that would offer a complete three hundred and sixty degree view of the surrounding landscape.
Despite being a symbol of unity Concordia would be heavily protected against potential attack. In orbit of the planet were hundreds of Tau'ri designed satellites designed to provide both defence and offensive capabilities against any attackers, not including any ships from the Alliance races that might be in orbit. There were three different versions around the planet; a shield emitter version, the weapon version identical to those guarding the supergate and a deep space sensor version like those now around the protected planets in the Milky Way. On the surface there were also numerous Grodin and ICT emplacements disguised amongst the natural flora as rocks and trees using hologram technology. The surface mounts, like the orbital defences, were all wirelessly controlled by the central control system in the Alliance headquarters but were powered by a subterranean power grid that was in turn connected to every other structure. It was a safety feature so that if any of the generators in the individual arcologies failed there would be another on hand to immediately pick up the slack.
The peoples of the Coalition would be sheltered by this advanced technology not knowing it was even there to protect them should it ever be needed. All the while they would be surrounded by the beauty and luxury that this world had to offer. It was a shame that they would only get to live here as long as the rest of the galaxy was engulfed by the horrors of war.
"This world seems like a paradise," said Harmony. "It is a shame we will only live here while our lives are in danger should we remain on our own worlds."
"What would we do here?" asked Shiana. "How would we fill our time?"
"We have built in an artificial intelligence into each of the arcologies to provide you all with educational lessons to improve your knowledge base," said Woolsey. "Consider it a gift."
"Would everyone be welcome in these lessons?" asked Ladon.
"Young or old it does not matter," said Woolsey. "We will try to provide you all with a basic education and then move on to provide you with knowledge that you can make use of when you return to your worlds."
"You are being very generous," said Kelore. "What would you expect in return?"
"We have a condition for your use of this world during the war," said Thor.
"What is that condition?" Dimas asked.
"In exchange a vessel like the ones you see here will spend one day on each of your worlds upgrading your infrastructure," explained Thor. "For this we want you to commit a certain level of manpower to an organisation similar to the Tau'ri Peace Corps."
"What are the Peace Corps?" Shiana asked.
"They are a good will organisation that provides humanitarian aid to those in need for free," explained Woolsey.
"How much manpower would be required?" Ladon asked.
"That is entirely up to you," said Woolsey. "You can contribute as much as you want."
Woolsey knew exactly how to play the Genii. By not setting an upper limit they would be free to provide as much manpower as they wanted and knowing the Genii they would try to provide as much as they could in order to promote the image of them being a kind and benevolent race.
"This is still very generous," noted Kelore.
"We want to try to help your people so that you will not have to rely solely on outside sources," Woolsey explained. "The basic improvements in agriculture and clean living will increase your people's life expectancy and lower the mortality rate. You can then use the lessons we provide to improve your lives even further. It is better to let people learn to help themselves rather than constantly help them."
"When do you want us to move to this world?" Ladon asked.
"Ideally as soon as possible," said Thor. "My people have vessels capable of carrying you all here within minutes from all across the galaxy. The Genii however offer more of a problem since they have a very large population on their world."
"Can we not use the stargate?" Ladon asked.
"We would prefer if you didn't since we want to keep this world hidden," explained Thor. "The stargate address can be used to determine Concordia's location."
What wasn't mentioned was that the stargate on this planet was located in a secure bunker complex built beneath the central arcology. Transporting people through it meant that they would have to pass through the secure building above which they were trying to keep
"What do you propose then?"
"We will simply use a fleet of our ships to ferry your people here," said Thor. "It will require time and precise co-ordination but we can do it."
"Thank you," Ladon said gratefully.
"Don't thank us," said Thor. "Thank the Tau'ri for worrying about your safety enough to push this agenda."
Woolsey resisted the urge to chuckle at the expressions on certain peoples faces. It wasn't every day that a race capable of either wiping out or advancing the Coalition several hundred years overnight laid down the facts of the matter and told them to be grateful for the presence of a bunch of outsiders.
A round of thank you from each of the members followed.
"Attendance on this world will of course be voluntary," continued Thor. "However I must point out that it will mean we will not be able to defend any worlds that refuse to allow us to help them."
The representatives seemed shocked by the harshness of this statement.
"You would refuse to protect worlds that will not dance to your tune?" spluttered a shocked Shiana.
"We only have so many ships, so many people, to fight a war that could engulf this entire galaxy if we do not focus our forces in one area," Thor stated factually. "If we are to defend even this world properly then we cannot have our forces stretched thin because of a few isolated worlds that require our protection. There is no point is trying to protect those who would turn down the best protection possible for them or a chance at a better future by accepting what we offer."
"Supreme Commander," Ladon began slowly after a little while. "My people have a sizeable army of our own. We would be willing to help fight this war. Call it pride if you will but the Genii people will not want to sit by and leave our fate in the hands of others when we can do something to decide our future."
"That is an understandable wish," said Thor. "The Alliance will require all information on your force numbers, composition and equipment before we decide how best to use them."
"I would of course like a say in how my forces are used," said Ladon.
"Again understandable," said Thor. "However your people lack the experience in combat on this scale that our own people possess and you yourself are a scientist not a military leader. You must be prepared to release command to those with more experience in these matters."
Ladon nodded in understanding. The Genii had not prosecuted an actual war in a very long time and a war was very different from small scale combat actions.
"There are many who will not be happy with such a decision," he pointed out.
"We are not asking all your military leaders to relinquish complete control," replied Thor. "They have demonstrated that they are capable of commanding their individual units with efficiency, they are just not as experienced at fighting on a galactic level."
"You make a good point," Ladon admitted.
The group just stood there for a little while, admiring the scenery. A few kilometres away a lone Beliskner was tirelessly working on completing a new arcology. Before their eyes the final point on the spire was slowly finished and the transport array on the nose of the ship shut down as the work was completed. The Beliskner slowly pulled away to a new patch of land where it once again began construction on a new arcology. In the distance they could see several other craft move across the skies, repositioning as their own tasks were finished and they moved on to the next construction area.
Slowly, but surely, the world that would act as the sanctuary for the peoples of Pegasus was taking shape right before their very eyes.
Pegasus Galaxy Supergate
A massive and shimmering metallic ring, the supergate sat silent and still in the depths of space. Around it floated numerous defence satellites, operating at low power but nevertheless active and boasting considerable firepower that could be turned on anyone approaching the supergate or emerging from it. In front of it and a good distance away sat a single Tau'ri space station, acting as the control centre for the supergate and its defences.
The formerly silent supergate started to crackle with energy as power received from an incoming wormhole. As the wave of blue energy surged inwards the event horizon took shape and the wormhole formed with a familiar geyser of shimmering blue. With the supergate now active the defence satellites automatically came out of standby mode and went to full power, ready to target any vessels that might emerge.
In a sight not seen for several years, and in another galaxy, four Liberum warships emerged from the event horizon of the now active supergate and took up position in front of it, awaiting instructions. Though not apparent from a cursory glance these ships had greatly changed since the last time they saw combat, and not just in their associated names. The barrier style shields that the original Ori designed warships possessed had been removed and by filling a single room on each level with energy capacitors they were able to install a regular shield five sixths that of a Pegasus class vessel. Admittedly this made them more vulnerable to weaker weapons, which if used on mass would eventually deplete the shield, but the advantage was that the beam weapons several races possessed would not automatically penetrate them and destroy the entire ship in just a few shots.
The defence satellites, which had repositioned to target anything emerging from the event horizon the moment the supergate became active, went from their active mode to standby mode once the supergate shut down.
The control room on the space station had become alive with activity the moment the supergate became active.
"Supergate active. Incoming traveller."
"Defence satellites are online and in position."
"Contacts emerging from the event horizon. Confirm four Liberum warships."
"Receiving IFF. Confirm Liberum warships."
"Wormhole disengaging."
"Defence satellites standing down."
Had the IFF come back as foe and not friend the satellites would have opened fire before the second ship had even appeared.
"Transmitting data package to Liberum flagship. Receipt acknowledged.
"Liberum warships entering hyperspace."
Upon receipt of the data package the four ships had immediately departed for the co-ordinates included.
Concordia
In orbit of the Alliance headquarters sat a large fleet of ships alien to this galaxy but were soon about to become counted as regular participants of hyperspace traffic throughout this region of space. In a former life these ships were noted by their pyramid shape, hence the name Ha'tak or pyramid ship. These versions however were greatly detached from the translation, despite still possessing the same name, indicating a potential for a change of name. The twenty four ships in orbit barely resembled the type A frame from which they had been upgraded. The gaps between the superstructure and the central pyramid were gone, having been covered over with additional superstructure armour and the insides filled with technology. On the top and bottom of the superstructure and each of the three sides was a single plasma cannon twice the size of the other four around it. Externally all twenty four ships seemed to be identical however if one were to look beneath the surface and at the interior the difference between the two types would quickly become apparent. The first type, and making up two thirds of the fleet, was the typical Jaffa designed type C, nicknamed the carrier type by the Tau'ri. The other eight ships were all type D's, a Tau'ri designed variant nicknamed dreadnoughts, and they represented a paradigm shift in the overall internal design. Gone were the oversized corridors, large cargo rooms, luxury quarters and all the glamorous decorations. The insides had been completely revamped to be more militarised and less inclined towards transport of goods and personnel. All these reductions meant that an additional primary generator had been added along with extra capacitors giving it double the shield strength of a type C, as well as a fifty percent increase in speed.
These vessels were not in fact Jaffa owned, but they would be soon enough. When the Tau'ri had carried out the joint operation with the Jaffa to neutralise the threat the Lucian Alliance posed to the galaxy at large they had been able to capture a number of Ha'tak that either surrendered or were disabled in the conflict. With the use of industrial beams twenty four of these vessels had been upgraded to form the fleet now present. They were being given to the Jaffa as a gift, along with the design plans for the type D's, for them to use during the conflict with the Zarasians. The Jaffa could have used their own ships in the conflict but they were quite weak when compared with most other races ships. It was hoped that the Jaffa would adopt the type D design as standard and produce more of them to use in both Pegasus and Milky Way. With the extra space allotted from filling up the superstructure and then re-organizing the interior they could technically hold the same number of troops if not as much in the way of supplies.
Even now a contingent of Jaffa were bringing their equipment aboard, being transferred via Midway through the stargate that was systematically being moved from ship to ship by the Weir. These warriors were equipped with the latest in Jaffa weaponry and equipment. The hangers had been filled with needle threaders, tel'tac's and al'kesh. The troops had been decked out in the latest full body armour and armed with plasma rifles, plasma blasters and plasma storm cannons. The Jaffa had brought thirty six thousand soldiers to this galaxy and they were ready for war.
Meeting the first Jaffa contingent to arrive via Midway was Colonel Sheppard and Doctor McKay, aboard the new Jaffa fleet flagship. The first to arrive were some of the most prestigious members of the Jaffa society, made famous by their efforts to lead the Jaffa people to freedom and to establish a stable, strong society that would last for millennia to come. From the event horizon of the active stargate stepped Bra'tac, Teal'c and Ishta.
Sheppard watched as the three of them looked around at the vastly remodelled interior that was now standard for the type D design before approaching them.
"Welcome to the Pegasus galaxy," Sheppard said warmly.
"Colonel Sheppard I presume," said Bra'tac. "Teal'c has told me much about you and O'Neill speaks very highly of you."
"Always nice to know the man in the big chair appreciates you," Sheppard replied. "You're something of legend yourself Master Bra'tac."
"And who might you be?" he asked Ishta with a charming smile.
"Ish'ta," she replied warmly, while subtly moving to stand nearer to Teal'c.
"Ah, the famous leader of the Hak'tyl," said Sheppard, noting the way the two Jaffa seemed so comfortable with such closeness.
"The very same," said Teal'c.
"I see this is not a typical Ha'tak," said Bra'tac. "Might this be one of the type D designs you are gifting us with?"
"We're calling it the destroyer type," said McKay. "Unlike the more carrier style ships you have designed this version possesses a more refined interior design which allows space for an extra primary generator and capacitors for shields. If it came down to a fight this version could easily take down a carrier."
"Hmm," said Bra'tac thoughtfully. "Carrier type and destroyer type, the designations certainly seem appropriate. How much stronger is this vessel compared to the carriers?"
"Well we incorporated the upgrades designed for the carrier into the overall design," explained McKay. "Weapons wise it pretty much remains the same since your ships don't really lack much in the way of firepower, so we focused entirely on the one area you are lacking which is shield strength. The destroyers possess twice the shield strength of the carriers as standard but you have the option of sacrificing shield strength for a little more firepower."
With the ability to reroute power as was necessary they could theoretically have two of the three arcs firing at one target and at double the normal rate. This was a lot of firepower for a ship that utilised relatively less advanced technology.
"The design is in the hands of our engineers already?" Bra'tac asked Teal'c.
"They are merely waiting your approval to implement it," Teal'c replied.
"Tell them they have it," said Bra'tac. "Have all of our engineers work on a single destroyer version so that they know the design inside and out before we go into mass production."
"I will see to it," said Teal'c. "What is the troop capacity of this vessel?"
"It's the same as the type C's, fifteen hundred," said McKay. "The only real difference is that your carriers have a lot more space for cargo while the destroyers use the bare minimum."
"The ratio for this current fleet was two to one in favour of carriers to allow our approval and sufficient storage capabilities," Bra'tac mused. "Teal'c what do you recommend for the ratio for our future builds?"
"Ideally I would like a two to one ratio in favour of these destroyer variants," Teal'c replied. "For their size they would appear to be more powerful than even the various flagships the Goa'uld have been known to build."
"See to it," Bra'tac ordered. "Also have the designs studied thoroughly and the techniques analysed for other applications."
At certain points in their history the Goa'uld had been known to build a flagship of a much grander nature than in a typical Ha'tak in terms of both power and size. Only two kinds had been encountered in recent years, built by Anubis and Sokar respectively. There were several reasons for this. It wasn't just a simple display of power but a realistic security measure. If a system lord was to enter the fray then their ship was the most likely to be targeted, by both the enemy and any potentially traitorous underlings looking for an opportunistic promotion. As it stood the Free Jaffa Nation had yet to actually build a single flagship style vessel but there were plans underway. If they were to incorporate the designs utilised in the destroyers a flagship could become even more powerful. Unfortunately if they were to complete such a build project in any reasonable amount of time then they would need help from their allies. A regular Ha'tak took about a year to complete in a shipyard that had access to a large amount of man power and didn't need to be concealed so a flagship would take much longer. Of course since a Ha'tak could only just about fit through a supergate it would need a tow to make it to this galaxy and then another tow to get back again, which meant the Jaffa would be reliant on their allies for aid in this matter.
"If you are looking at improving the design further my recommendation would be to focus on your power generators," McKay suggested. "The base line technology you use is actually pretty decent but you lack the power generation capabilities to effectively utilise its potential. Your hyperdrives for instance are capable of incredible speeds but lack the power necessary to achieve high speeds. And of course if you have more power available you can have more weapons and be able to fire them."
"That was the recommendation of the Asgard as well," admitted Bra'tac. "However educating our people is a time consuming procedure and will require time."
"Not really much of a problem," said McKay. "You can always replace the old reactors and capacitors with more efficient versions as you develop them. It's what we did with our own ships."
"By the way I have to ask," said Sheppard. "Are you sure your people will be okay with you in another galaxy leading a war effort?"
Bra'tac sighed.
"I understand your concerns Colonel Sheppard and to be honest I shared them," Bra'tac admitted. "It was after much consideration that I realised that for the sake of my people I need to be here. The Jaffa are first and foremost a warrior race and many, me included, would consider it an insult to our people if we simply sat back and did nothing when our allies are fighting for such a noble cause."
"But that doesn't answer why you personally are here," Sheppard pointed out.
"There are three reasons," said Bra'tac. "The first being because I want to be here, fighting along side though I consider allies and friends. The second is because my people will follow a leader who is willing to fight battles himself and not simply send others to their death. And the third is the most important, because I need to know my people are strong enough to survive without constantly being watched over. I will still receive regular reports and perform administrative duties but my people need this time to test them and find any weaknesses that might need to be corrected."
"So you're basically giving them the chance to sink or swim," said Sheppard with raised eyebrows. "That is certainly gutsy."
"I wouldn't put it quite like that," said Bra'tac. "It is more of a test of their ability to do their jobs without constant supervision. I understand Tomin is doing the same."
"The Jaffa are a strong people who will rise to face this challenge," Ishta added confidently.
"Good point," Sheppard admitted to both of them.
Tomin was also testing his people by letting them become more self reliant than constantly looking to him for guidance. Admittedly this was much easier for the Liberians since they had been more used to freedom and self management but it was still a test nonetheless.
"Now how about a tour of this fine ship before all your soldiers arrive and start cluttering up the place," proposed Sheppard. "Why don't we start with the bridge and you can see just what this ship has to offer?"
"That would be very much appreciated," said Bra'tac.
Ishta casually joined arms with Teal'c and followed them out of the room.
It wasn't long before the Liberum warships emerged from hyperspace over Concordia and took up position along side the newly acquired Jaffa fleet. The last time these two races had met they had been fighting against one another in another galaxy, and now they were meeting as allies. From the flagship of each fleet a single representative ringed down to the headquarters building.
In a gathering room, on a central pedestal, lay the Alliance charter. The charter basically consisted to an agreement of non-aggression towards each member race and mutual defence. Admittedly it was a lot more complicated than that, by this was the basic idea behind it. So far the charter had been signed by the Tau'ri, the Wraith, the Averians, the Hebridians, the Asgard and most recently the Travellers. The only two that had yet to sign it were the Liberum and the Jaffa and they would do so today.
For this historic moment a single representative from each race would be called upon to sign the charter. From the Jaffa that representative was the current leader of the Free Jaffa Nation Bra'tac and from the Liberum was the current head of state Tomin.
As both leaders entered the room the two looked at each other with a calculating gaze, both studying the other. The two of them strode calmly into the room, eyes never leaving each other, to come to a gentle stop in front of the pedestal. As one they extended out an arm, clasped the outstretched hand of the other and shook it firmly. After some polite deferral the two of them signed the charter, to a round of applause, under the watchful eyes of other gathered representatives and became full members of the Alliance of Great Races.
"You know moments like these actually make me want to retake human form just to shake hands with a Wraith," admitted Janus, causing Oma and Morgan to roll their eyes.
"Sometimes Janus I really do wonder about you," Morgan said with a sigh.
"Being able to break bread with a once bitter enemy," continued an unperturbed Janus. "Two races so similar and yet so different coming together as allies and not enemies, it's a wonderful dream made reality."
"Just when I think you haven't learned anything," said Oma proudly. "You show a whole new side and surprise us all."
"I'll say," added Morgan with a smirk and earning a fleeting glare from Janus.
"Now now children," said Oma with a small and slightly cheeky smile. "Don't fight."
Weir
"Gentlemen," Sheppard said to Bra'tac and Tomin. "We need to discuss a few things."
Around the table sat the other representatives of the Alliance of great races, minus the Hebridians and the Nox, that were actively involved in the war effort. Joining the three of them was Larrin, Todd, Admiral Xander and Supreme Commander Thor. As an act of kindness Ladon was present so that he could at least have a say in how his forces were commanded.
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