Chapter 3
The Jericho System represented three of the major Earth Alliance projects in addition to it being a new colony. For one the world had an atmosphere that made lungs feel like fire due to its content. This allowed a terraforming project to be established which allowed for experiments in atmospheric filtering and addition of gasses present in Earth's atmosphere. Second it was to see how well Earth plants would adapt to a hostile environment. So far trees and other grasses including kelp flourished in the land and seas of the world. Over 200,000 Colonists braving the rough conditions now called it home in the mostly domed cities and towns in a region populated by imported flora.
The third was to represent the frontier of Earth Alliance expansion. It was chosen as a site where some of the Explorer ships departed for areas along the rim of explored space. Should they return; they would come back to Jericho for repairs and refueling. It was also the site of extensive Earth Force Fleet Maneuvers as it was far away from the prying eyes of many alien races. Two Orion Starbases orbited the world below which allowed it to be a transfer and refueling station for Earth Alliance ships. Towards the Oort Cloud of the system was a major tachyon listening array designed to track distant tachyon signals. Alongside it was a similar listening array for radio signals. These installations were also installed with the latest in telescopic equipment to continue searches for other planetary civilizations. Companies interested in mining and extraction were setting up outposts to help fuel the Earth Alliance expansion towards the frontier.
Not too far from the main jumpgate; several dozen vortexes formed. Hundreds of warships along with their escorts poured out of the vortexes formed by the exotic matter ripping open the barriers between hyperspace and normal space. Also pouring out was the EAS Lewis and Clark, a couple black burn marks signaled where the ship took fire from Ra's personal warship. Several refueling ships soon approached the Lewis and Clark along with her escorts.
Meanwhile the large mass of the EAS Eisenhower slowly moved in its high orbit around Jericho. A couple small clusters of connecting lights could be seen on its surface as this side faced away from its sun. This was both domed colonies of Joshua City and New Yatir. The latter being the major terraforming experiment complete with its expansive forests and gardens. Some of the oceans held small scientific outposts which studied the alien kelp and fish that swam the oceans.
Admiral Thornton looked over at the various sensor screens and data inputs. A patrol group of Hyperion Cruisers was left in hyperspace to look out for incoming hostiles. She was a woman of calculation. While this was situation involving unknown hostiles she was ready to face anything that came her way and prepared the absolute best.
"Admiral it looks like nothing has followed us here. Everything is clear."
"Good, still we need to be prepared for anything. Reinforce our hyperspace patrols. I want no surprises." She ordered and paused to focus on her next task. "Bring me Captain Simmons." She ordered. Soon another man appeared on the screen. An older dark skinned bald man; Captain Avery Bacus appeared.
"Admiral Thornton what can I do for you?" He asked in a mild accent from the former nation of Great Britian
"Captain I am splitting the fleet. You will oversee three fourths while I take the rest to Proxima. Have ships step up patrols in hyperspace and the edge of this system. I want nothing to slip through and surprise us." She knew splitting the fleet was a major risk. However, she was confident that Captain Bacus would utilize his forces plus any reserves in the system to his advantage.
"Aye Admiral. I will keep you up to date on everything." He stated firmly. The screen then cut out. Captain Avery Bacus was another Dilgar War Veteran; leading a small fleet that helped liberate Brakir during the war.
"Captain Griffin is the Lewis and Clark refueled?" She asked
"Yes, they also completed other repairs. Captain Reynolds is ready to take her to hyperspace. Escorts and fighter groups are alongside us" He stated firmly
"Good; set course for Proxima and take us out."
Deep Space- Sol
Kassif piloted the cloaked Alkesh past the large gas giant planet with a large red spot in the southern regions. Utilizing advanced sensor and translation technology from Goa'uld systems they were able to decipher unsecured communications to get an idea of the extant of Earth's forces. Another cloaked Alkesh was nearby scouting the inner system past the asteroid belt.
"They don't seem to be able to detect us but our arrival has not gone unnoticed." He pointed at the data screen showing a small fleet of contacts heading towards where they exited hyperspace. They stayed at a distance observing the x-winged objects fly around along with a mostly grey colored cruiser of a similar type that engaged Ra's ship. None of their large weapons pointed in their direction nor did the fighters change course which told them and others the Tau'ri had no ability to see cloaked craft.
A small transphasic sensor in the Alkesh indicated no Ashrak were found. Kassif knew that Ra had his Ashrak hunt for Tok'ra agents with some success. If he found one here; the other Tok'ra with him would try to neutralize the Ashrak and many Jaffa as possible or blow the ship up.
On the sensor screen he noticed a large cluster of ships around a large object. He piloted the Alkesh closer to examine the objects. In the distance he could see the 4-pronged jumpgate. Some still existed in various domains of the Goa'uld System Lords and were used as navigational beacons while others were left alone. Some smaller races that relied on such networks were easy targets from other System Lords. The Tau'ri appeared to have equipped most of their ships with jump engines unlike other smaller races according to sensor data.
Close by he could clearly see the large lattice structures of shipyards. Many had ships under construction beneath a web of metal and scaffolds. Large patrol fleets were seen moving in the distance and around the shipyards. One of the largest fleets of ships he ever seen fielded. Even in the data feeds coming from other Alkesh they managed to gather similar information. Hundreds of ships in each system including areas used for mining, refining, and even large colonies. The Tau'ri have truly become their own empire and one that is respected. He had heard rumors of an extremely secret assignment to infiltrate a non-Goa'uld empire that had supposedly came about in one of the former territories which was bigger than the Tagrean Union. He was never privy to such information as it was only known to members of the Tok'ra High Council. This was typical of Tok'ra cells to hide information from each other as to not compromise the Council and the activities of other Tok'ra. He pondered if this was the empire that was briefly mentioned?
In the initial approaches to this region of space there were many large concentrations of tachyon readings which indicated civilizations. Data and communications were translated to determine one close by was a civilization called Minbari and another was the Centauri. He was able to recognize that the latter hailed from the territory formerly held by the System Lords Mo-goth and Li who used the species as hosts thousands of years ago. They were too far from the main System Lords domain to receive much attention besides a few agents to monitor them. They knew next to nothing about those other Tok'ra cells. Those System Lords only looked to maintain their own holdings and paid little attentions to matters outside their own sphere of influence.
The advanced Goa'uld computers could easily pick up tachyon and radio signals. They could easily decrypt any signals and translate them into proper data easily used by various System Lords as they spied on each other or sometimes to monitor other empires. Some of the transmissions were too heavily encrypted for use but other ones weren't. The other Alkesh pilots were able to determine roughly where the colonies were. Kassif looked on the longer-range screen which showed the area around the Tau'ri homeworld was even more heavily defended. Large weapons satellites and a couple of massive fleets were around the planet and the moon.
"They are leaving. It looks like the Tau'ri sensors around the planet knew when they got close." On the screen it did show several craft approach the area where the Alkesh scouted as it went close to the defense satelites. Not a smart move by the pilots he thought to himself. A blip indicated that the Alkesh went into hyperspace. He speculated a careless pilot got too close to the atmosphere and it allowed the ship to be exposed enough.
"They are strong indeed. Look at the numbers. They number in the thousands. Their ship escaped to a close by system." Salmesh stated.
"I wonder if they took anyone from Abydos?" Kassif asked. He accepted Salmesh as his symbiote many centuries ago. Kassif suffered from an illness but was deemed to be highly knowledgable. He grew up on a world that was a pre-industrial society that was far from Goa'uld territories but close enough to a Tok'ra world that they traded food and materials. He accidentally witnessed a Tok'ra using advanced technology but knew it was a more advanced piece of technology rather than an act of the gods. For that he was asked to join the Tok'ra and accepted.
"It is possible. Remember we always try to find other civilizations capable of fighting Goa'uld. This civilization definitely is."
"We should make a decision Salmesh. These people need to know what's coming and we do not need to head back to Ra's ship. We can still send brief messages back and forth to Amissa."
"Take over the ship and neutralize the Jaffa? What will you do after that?"
"Either take the risk and inform these Tau'ri of what's coming or take it back to a secure base." He had no idea how warlike these Tau'ri would be. But from transmissions decoded they spoke very little about wars. There were references to a 'Dilgar War' decades ago and raider wars but nothing recent. If this species was truly imperialistic then it would be noticed. He felt Salmesh take the notice. Both had observed the brief Battle over Abydos. Their cruisers while they didn't have shield were able to intercept fire easily. An interesting tactic.
"Do it. Zat the Jaffa and gather a vote from Narjul and Dalwin."
Kassif raced through his thoughts and looked around the ship. He looked over to Narjul one of the other Tok'ra agents. He noted the positions of the other Jaffa as well toward the back. With a speed that would make famous Earth gunslingers blush he stood up from his chair and drew and fired his Zatniketal at the Jaffa towards the back killing them both before they even had a chance to lower their staffs. The other Jaffa that tried to enter were quickly dispatched by the other Tok'ra as they checked on the extremely brief chaotic scene. Within two seconds there was an eerie silence in the ship as the two other Tok'ra agents looked at Kassif.
"Disable the tracking device and all communications. Keep the ship cloaked. We will have a vote on what to do next. We cannot allow Ra to destroy the Tau'ri. I believe they have the best chances of standing up to the Goa'uld and we must take the chance of risking ourselves to warn them of what they face. We will have a vote.
Narjul, one of the older Tok'ra and one he knew the longest stepped forward and over the body of a dead Jaffa. He briefly looked out the window at the moving dots of Earth Alliance ships before looking back at Kassif. He accepted the chance inside of never seeing Amissa again.
"I vote for contacting the Tau'ri as well."
Dalwin stepped forward. He was one of the younger Tok'ra hosts but had an experienced symbiote he enjoyed bonding with.
"You both are right. We shall contact them. We will tell them what is coming consequences be damned.
Proxima
Proxima Centauri was the Earth Alliance's first colony after the Centauri made contact several decades ago. It was easily charted, and two habitable worlds were discovered orbiting the star. Proxima 3 was quickly colonized by adventurous pioneers, families, and businesses looking to explore. The rich soil was made easily adaptable for Earth plants and crops which quickly took over the native flora. It quickly became Earth's largest colony. Around the system large military bases, shipyards and mining operations developed which were only second to Sol. This was especially around the gas giants in the outer portions of the system which had mineral rich moons and asteroids. The 4th planet was called the Jurassic Planet due to its dangerous wildlife. A few bases of GROPOS and special forces units called it home.
The space above the Proxima 7 burst into light as dozens of hyperspace vortexes formed. One large ship followed by another poured out of the exotic matter rips. A large mass, yellow and gray with a rotating section came out and made way towards the Shipyards while the gas giant stood in the distance.
Zeus Station was an Orion Class Starbase which was the most common sight in orbit around many of the Earth Alliance colonies. These were meant to be permanent stations to support defending ships, transferring of supplies to fleet operations and a control point for civilian ships moving to and from colonies. Proxima had several such station including the Proxima Fleet Shipyards; one of the largest shipyard, construction and repair facilities in Earth Alliance Space. A black shuttle escorted by a small wing of Starfuries soon docked into the center port of the station. The short but decorated from of Admiral Thornton went through the airlock port.
"Admiral welcome to Zeus Station!" Lt. Dan Sampson said giving off a sharp salute and helping her out of the airlock. Her legs slightly buckled under the effects of the rotational artificial gravity. "You alright Admiral?" He asked.
Admiral Thornton composed herself quickly and refocused her leg strength. "Yes Lt. is the EIA delegation here?"
"They are here ma'am." He handed her a report of which delegates were showing up. Other activity also was on the list. She also paid close attention to the recent report of unusual hyperspace signatures in the system.
"What's going on here with the hyperspace vortexes? She wondered
"Sensors in many colonies including Sol picked up hyperspace vortexes but could not detect a ship leaving them. Some detected an object but it vanished from all sensors soon as it arrived. I've never seen anything like it and neither has anyone else." He stated still with some shock in his voice.
"Well hyperspace vortexes don't form unless a ship does it. That means whoever is doing this is using stealth craft of some kind. More advanced than anything even I know on record." She handed the datapad back to him.
"This was enough to startle everyone in EarthGov. The President put all of EarthForce on DEFCON 3." DEFCON 3 was a Defense Condition which indicated that Earth Forces were all on high alert and ready to mobilize within an hour. The last time they went to this state was shortly before the start Earth's entry into the Dilgar War.
Admiral Thornton took a deep breath. "Thank you Lt. Keep us informed if anything else changes."
He opened the steel doors that led into a large conference room. In the room there were large holographic projection equipment and screens ready to show wide varieties of information. Already in the room were Captain Michael Jankowski, Captain Kayleigh Reynolds, Major Rachel O'Neill and Doctor Sarah Jackson. Two Intelligence Agents were at the end of the conference table with nameplates on the table. Allen Kinsey was one. He was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair wearing a nice black suit. Besides him was a woman wearing an Earth Force Uniform. The insignia on it told them she was with Earth Force Intelligence, the military counterpart to the Earth Intelligence Agency. It was not unusual to see them working in tandem.
"I want to go ahead and put this meeting into order. For all intelligence purposes please give as much detailed information as you reasonably can." Allen Kinsey began. "We will first start with Abydos and the civilization present. Doctor Sarah Jackson can you please give us an analysis of your findings." He asked.
"Of course. The civilization on Abydos is a Bronze Age society descended from Ancient Egyptian civilizations and its neighbors that existed in Northern Africa from around several thousand years ago. This coincides with the civilizations in the region flourished. Ra took them from there and settled them at Abydos where they mine a variant of Quantium 40 for him. This civilization has been forbidden to read and write but some defiant village elders keep records. Most of the civilization keeps oral records passed from generation to generation."
She put pictures on the screen of injured villagers. Some have been injured in the mines while others clearly were victims of torture and abuse. Graves were also shown of slaves that died including those mining the material in tattered primitive clothing.
"The village elders stated that Ra had people punished for quotas not being met and if the villagers broke any laws. Villagers were also taken into Ra's forces known as the Jaffa to serve as soldiers and on warships. Villagers injured in the mines were deemed useless and were killed by Jaffa. Sometimes they take shipments of minerals through the Chappa'ai which translates to Stargate." She put an image of the large metal ring made of the Quantium 40 variant on the screen.
"This device they also use to travel through other worlds or deliver good directly to Ra. Yes this is the same Ra from Ancient Egyptian mythology. Right down to the symbol used." The Eye of Ra appeared in the holographic projector. "This device according to a village elder leads also to other worlds. Unfortunately, we could not retrieve it due to the circumstances, but we did manage to take the village elder with us." She finished.
"Thank you, Doctor Jackson that will be all for now. Please send me all your other findings soon as you can." Allen Kinsey ended his questioning. He turned the rest over to Major Simmons.
"Captain Jankowski; what can you tell us about their warships from the first and second battles around the planet?"
Captain Jankowski paused for a bit, the image of the Knoxville exploding was still ingrained in his mind. The anger at the aliens for the wanton deaths of the crew made his fists clench.
"Captain?" Major Allison asked again to get his attention
"The first ship was small; I do not believe it was a true warship but rather seemed to be a personal vessel of the alien known as Ra. Its weapons were still powerful disabling the Lewis and Clark in just three shots. Ra seemed to have knowledge of changing tactics as his ships rate of fire increased as our interceptor grids worked on hitting incoming fire….
Captain Jankowski took a sip from his glass of water and focused on cooling his emotions.
….Our fire was stopped by an energy shield of some kind. This was different than the Abbai shields which were designed to slow down incoming fire using gravitic technology. These shields stopped it completely. Luckily my crew and the crew of the other ships were able to coordinate fire to reduce the shields which caused Ra to retreat." He looked over at Major Simmons again.
"Ra returned with a larger fleet. His ships lacked particle weapons and had plasma bolt type weapons along with missiles. Before his fleet arrived I made the tactical decision to open a vortex for Captain Reynolds and the rest of the ships to escape….." He paused again knowing the Knoxville was coming up again. He cleared his throat to stay calm again. "Sadly we lost the Knoxville in the process. The defense grid was overwhelmed by mass fire from the fleet and she was lost with all hands…." He observed both analysts taking notes. He half expected one of them to blurt about him facing a tribunal but neither mentioned it.
"Continue Captain." Major Simmons asked clearly noticing Captain Jankowski attempting to remain calm.
"We only seen two types of capital ship vessels. One was a battleship type vessel and the rest were cruiser types. They were escorted by an assortment of fighters and medium corvette style ships. Commander Sarkolov briefed me on the ship types he obtained from the prisoner recovered." He stated and nodded towards the Commander to let him take over the rest.
"The prisoner was recovered from Abydos with Major O'Neill along with the rest of her team. He gave Doctor Sarah Jackson vital information on the Abydonian people. However on a medical examination he had this in his neck." He stated in his distinct Russian accent as the image of the symbiote was on screen.
"This organism appears to control the host. It is similar in appearance to a Kor Symbiote; unfortunately we were unable to take genetic sampling from it however the man it controlled was able to give us information about his faction….
…"He stated he was a member of the Tok'ra and they were involved in guerilla warfare campaign against the Goa'uld. He stated he was in a symbiotic relationship with his host while the other Goa'uld completely take over and override the hosts personality like a telepathic Death of Personality. As we turned him over to EarthForce Intelligence I recommend a telepath determine his truthfulness."
"That is currently being done Commander. Please continue." Major Simmons said.
"He gave details on the various capital vessels of the Goa'uld along with their society and hierarchy." He stated while flashing images of the ships along with their names. "The Goa'uld pose as gods to primitive populations; mostly humans taken from Earth and used as slaves, footsoldiers and even hosts to the leadership. Most have posed as Egyptian Pantheon but others were mentioned from other Earth old pantheons as well." He continued showing the ones which Tannis mentioned. Ra, Heru're, Apophis, Ba'al, Cronus, and Camulus. The latter two being members of other pantheons.
"The individual did also state that Ra would deal swiftly with any threat to his domain with force and that he has more ships available than what we seen at Abydos. He mentioned Ra being at the top of the System Lords and the de-facto emperor of a feudal society. Ra prevents the other System Lords from having much infighting and from having other civilizations nearby pose a threat."
"That threat definitely sounds like us." Allen Kinsey interrupted.
Commander Sarkov continued. "He mentioned that it is most likely Ra would deal with us himself. It was mentioned during wars the System Lords would fight each other as well as the threat. Either way we should absolutely prepare for an invasion of Earth Alliance space. Everyone sitting here and my crew members would agree." He said with vigor. The Earth Alliance needed to be ready.
"Noted. I will present this all to EarthGov. This concludes the meeting everyone. Major O'Neill can you please remain." Major Simmons asked.
Major O'Neill stood up as everyone else left the room. They shook hands and Major Simmons held a datapad in her hands.
"Major I looked over your record. You have a special forces background; served with the Ravidchiks. You had missions on Tirrith, Balos and Alaca. Bagged a Spectre group as well. I'm quite impressed. She stated.
Several emotions adrenaline flowed back to Major O'Neill as she remembered those times. "Yes I was tasked with hunting a Spectre group on Tirrith after they slaughtered a convoy group. I will never forget the sights." She remembered the Spectres. They were the elite special forces groups the Dilgar utilized. They had special suites that rendered them invisible to sight, IR, and most other detection equipment. Her team fought the three Spectres in the dense forest of Tirrith. It turned from a firefight into a hand-to-hand slaughter that killed most of her team except her and a few others. She hid the fact it gave her nightmares for years afterwards.
"We received this footage on Beta Durani earlier today." A night vision video played from an area by new forest growth on the colony. Heavy rains poured which were from the terraforming equipment that would allow the vegetation and forest to spread. Suddenly, an outline of a figure moved quickly from one side of the screen to another. The water exposing the invisible figure's outline as it moved through the forest. It reminded her of one of the Spectres she hunted on Tirrith as she was able to track it through the thick forests of the planet. The rain that would pour down would make their stealth suits visible. It was very hauntingly similar. She covered that the image gave her chills.
"That same night there was an energy drain detected in the New Osaka library and motion sensors picked up unusual movements in secure areas in the city. The guard dogs at Michaelson Base have been going crazy. We need your skills in tracking this person. Now you and Major Kowalski are the only ones not in retirement that I can pull. Both of you can put together a team."
"Give me a list of people that fought on Balos and Tirrith." She looked at Major Simmons. Her eyes were the eyes of someone that always sat in the back and sent people to war. She didn't look like she ever had to pull the trigger a day in her life.
"I can do that… Ill have you a list within the hour. If he can be captured that will be a bonus. But alive or dead is up to you." Major Simmons stated. This was an unknown enemy and while captured ones were good for her organization, dead threats to Earth would make her happy.
She continued listening. Major Roger Kowalski was the other man in her squad that tracked the Spectres through the forest. He was the one who used a genius method to utilize a special bow and arrow ignited with flammable oil to set the forest alight, some of it did get on the Spectres suits making them visible and burn like anything else. As other members died, they were able to hide and make traps. Out of a team of ten; her, Kowalski and then Sgt. Carl Dillon. Inside she was glad to see Kowalski again. It would be a plus to get Sgt. Dillon on the team again.
"Give me a telepath with combat experience."
Meanwhile in another area of the Proxima System, Sakif sat. The room had darkened walls and metallic doors. Two armed guards were in the room and two outside. Each one held a sleek looking rifle. He never resisted their attempts to restrain him and keep watch nor would he since this place was guarded to the teeth. He was allowed a decent meal and drink which he found quite refreshing and different than the food he ate on Abydos. Richer and more flavorful. He was interrogated by at least three different military type officials. None ever hurt or tortured him keeping to their promise. He answered the same questions and the same way.
Soon the metal doors opened to reveal a tall and strong dark-skinned man. He wore a blue uniform with an insignia that bore a resemblance to a letter of the written language Cronus and his ilk used. He knew that Cronus originated from another section of the Tau'ri homeworld. He felt Tannis flinch and react in a bit of fear when the man entered. A woman followed him, tall thin with dark hair and slanted eyes. She wore other insignia which indicated to him she was of one of the same groups that interrogated him previously
"That man is a mindwalker…. A strong one. I cannot resist him."
Tok'ra have encountered mindwalkers. Beings that could read the minds of others. Some Goa'uld tried to make use of some while others were frightened of them and exterminated them wherever they were encountered. Symbiotes could detect the presence of such people which typically made them uncomfortable. Strong mindwalkers were even known to jam the connections between a symbiote and host. Tok'ra have managed to recruit a few they could find within their ranks for very special operations away from System Lord territories. He speculated the Tau'ri would use mindwalkers for the same purposes.
"A mindwalker. I like that name." He stated with a deep strong voice with a slight accent which indicated he was a man of authority. "My name is Jason Ironheart. I am here to ask you some questions. This is my assistant Major Lin Mian. First for you Sakif, are you currently in charge and has this symbiote harmed you?"
"I am here for now. Tannis does not harm me at all and our relationship is beneficial to both of us.
Jason sensed he was telling the truth. He detected no blocks coming from the man as he sensed both consciousnesses coexisting in the same body. He felt the symbiote react to his presence negatively. That was something very interesting indeed.
"You are opposed to the group you call the System Lords?" He asked going down his list of questions. Jason studied the man he was facing. He sensed the symbiote was nervous about him but Sakif wasn't.
"Yes." Both answered at the same time. Both entities were honest. The Earth Force Intelligence Officer next to him took detailed notes. Both beings never gave resistance, so he felt no need to dive deep into their minds. Of all the telepaths to work for the PsiCorps, Earth Intelligence chose him over Bester. He knew that man would cause severe injury and harm to the subject even when ordered not to. He was under orders to not dive too deep that would cause harm to either person. He just needed to do a surface scan to indicate honesty "I want to speak to the symbiote called Tannis. Can he come through?"
"Yes." He said in a distinctly different voice
Jason felt the shift as the symbiote took over and answered his questions asked questions about the System Lords along with their hierarchy. Tannis gave the history of the System Lords down to the present day. From their time in influencing old societies, enslaving civilizations, bombing other advanced ones from orbit, and even political infighting amongst the System Lords. Tannis went over the differences between Goa'uld symbiotes and Tok'ra symbiotes. He was questioned on Ra's possible plans any interstellar civilization that challenged him and his answer was the same. Total and complete annihilation of that civilization. He thought this enemy was another Dilgar Imperium but worse.
"Both beings are being honest." He whispered over to her. She noted he had a good understanding of English. Both had heard that this man was able to study the language and speak it with a moderate accent. Jason wondered if it was a symbiote ability to do so.
"Thank you Tannis. That will be all for now. Major Lin Mian will return with food and more questions about the Tok'ra and how we can get in contact with them." He finished then both left the room.
Tannis did not know immediately of how to help them get in contact with the Tok'ra. Maybe with a star chart he could find a relay base if he had a ship, but he knew nothing of the surrounding territories. A stargate would be more than helpful but he knew they didn't take the stargate with them nor did they have knowledge of such devices.
"He's cooperative and truthful. It was like talking to one of the Kor-Lyans." Jason recalled. He did a mission to mediate an issue with the Kor-Lyans, Earth Alliance and the Brakiri. It was not uncommon for telepaths to be contracted out to settle business disputes. The dual consciousness occupying a body was an interesting one to scan. Like Sakif and Tannis he only did a surface scan. He was a commercial telepath though he would help some of the Psi Cops with cases when called upon.
"I will take this to my superiors and EarthGov. I will also make sure you are the only PsiCorps person authorized to be near him." She stated. Jason knew the Corps wasn't trusted in a lot of areas. Many people were paranoid of telepaths. However Jason was one of the few people trusted as he did care about the people he worked with and didn't just decide to push the agenda of the PsiCorps at large.
Major Lin Miang also got a beep on her datapad. It was a brief message from another Earth Force Intelligence Officer she worked with many times before.
"Jason you never told me you seen combat." She stated with a bit of a surprise in her voice.
Like many other telepaths, Jason did come from a family that had the telepath gene that ran extensively. One of his great-great grandfathers worked for the CIA when the United States was still a superpower. Even through his family history he heard of his ancestors in the 21st century working as psychics. When he tested extremely high on the PsiCorps exams in elementary school he was immediately placed into the Psi Corps version of the school. His family also moved close to Teeptown where he learned and trained extensively in the PsiCorps programs.
During the Dilgar War he was one of the few PsiCorps members that took part in fighting. His record was classified except to the most senior of officials. Even Earth Force Intelligence Officers would have to dig and press to get telepaths with combat experience. His was with a Special Forces operation that infiltrated a Dilgar Starbase in the Comac system before the Brakir Liberation. They were able to capture a senior Dilgar Officer who was known to be close to Jha'dur. It was a success though the team saw fighting along the way. His future times were over the rocky and barren worlds of Balos and Alaca. Those were times he would never forget.
"Its not something I talk about much." He said as she handed him the datapad. He used his voice to read the message. It was about an assignment to Beta Durani to work with Major O'Neill, Major Kowalski and a few others. This was to capture or kill a Spectre type figure. Not something he done before but he was up for the challenge. No telepath he knew besides the team in New York City ever gone up against Spectres and it didn't go too well for them. He figured this was a different operation now the Dilgar were gone. "Looks like I'm going to Beta Durani."
"Beta Durani is a shithole. Be careful out there champ." Major Miang said with a smile on her face. "Don't forget to come back."
Geneva, Earth
It was a long couple days for President Elizabeth Levy. She leaned over the table in the conference room to grab one of her energy drinks that kept her awake and alert. The past two days have been a wild wave of restlessness to her given the news. Just two nights ago she was woken up to receive word that one of Explorers was attacked on a deep space scouting mission. The fact that it was an unknown empire made filled her nerves with mild anxiety, but she maintained composure. She didn't like unknowns. Even with this news she would take everything in with her trusted staff.
Her term was entered in a Golden Age for Earth. They had defeated the Dilgar and were still continuing efforts to rebuild the League after the Dilgar War. She faced little opposition and was elected in a landslide against her opponent who decided to leave the political scene and enter retirement. She authorized the Explorer Programs large budget to continue expanding its borders towards the rim of explored space. Many of the worlds explored have yet to be added to official star charts but some did bore interesting resources and even potential colonies. To hear one got attacked did disturb her.
Around the table were two men. One was the Chiefs of Staff General Lefcourt one of the famous veterans of the Dilgar War. The other was Louis Santiago; prominent Secretary of State and her first pick for the position once she was sworn in. The doors soon open and a tall balding man of Russian heritage; Yuri Serkov Director of the Earth Intelligence Agency stepped in.
"Alright gentlemen lets grab drinks and have a seat." Everyone in the room grabbed their coffee and soft beverages and sat down at the small conference table. "What do we have for today? She began
"Madam President as you know two days ago we received word that one of the Explorers; the Lewis and Clark was attacked while scouting a tachyon signal some distance from Jericho. Though she was damaged; repair crews from the Prometheus and other escorts were able to repair her but not before alien reinforcements arrived and destroyed the Knoxville. Sadly all 500 crewmembers along with her Captain were lost." Yuri Serkov stated
"The Prometheus is Captained by Michael Jankowski, right? General Lefcourt asked with a tinge of anger in his voice
"Yes, he was placed…" The Director never finished his sentence
"I knew that jackwagon was unfit for the job. That man should never be given his own command!" General Lefcourt snapped. He was not a fan of Jankowski who violated orders during the Dilgar War.
"General from what I could tell from logs and ships data the aliens fired first. He utilized a defensive position to protect the Clark the best he could. Captain Jankowski sent the repair crews and opened a vortex for the Clark and the others to escape. I know you don't like his actions from the Dilgar War but he did save the Clark"
"Enough!" President Levy raised her voice pointedly. "We need to be focused on our current situation. Now is not the time for useless bickering."
"Well… Jankowski will still face the board for his actions." General Lefcourt stated holding his tongue on his personal thoughts on the man.
Captain Michael Jankowski was well known amongst many top leaders and the public for one thing. The Omega Incident in which he was facing a Dilgar Cruiser in a scouting mission at Markab and fired the first shots of the war against orders from the Chain of Command. While he was admonished for violating orders his actions did result in the rest of the Markab being saved from the Dilgar Fleet that destroyed a large potion of Markab ships and space infrastructure. Other officers at the time thankful that his actions saved the Markab and allowed for a surprise attack on the large Dilgar Fleets.
"What else do we know?" President Levy asked, taking a drink.
"The Lewis and Clark dispatched a team to the planet and ran into a civilization…. A human one..primitive but still human nonetheless."
"That begs the question; how did humans get that far?" Secretary of State Santiago wondered.
"Turn the page of the dossier." The Russian Director stated
"Ra… as in the Egyptian God of the Sun?" Santiago said in a mix of surprise and amusement
"When I first heard this I thought you were pulling my leg with some old 20th Century Ancient Aliens film. I guess this is no laughing matter now that we have a war on our hands." President Levy replied
"Apparently several thousand years ago he transported humans from Earth to this world called Abydos to mine a variation of Quantium. Him and most of the Egyptian pantheon were all aliens; called the Goa'uld. A race of parasitic lifeforms that take others as hosts and pose as gods to societies. One of the old Ancient Alien Theories come to life." The Director paused briefly. "Accourding to a current source called a Tok'ra they did pose as Egyptian and other dieties. To what extent is still being determined." He drank from his coffee. "This also means that old Bastet statue on Omelos needs a second look." He received curious and surprised looks from the rest of the staff.
"One of my analysts some time ago was into old mythology..Ancient Egyptian as well. He researched some of the ancient Dilgar cultures on Omelos when he found one of their cultures had a statue that looked like the goddess Bastet… interestingly enough that statue was of an ancient Dilgar goddess named Bashstet….even more interestingly is that she was the goddess of their ancient Sekhmet Tribe." The Director finished.
"Now that is too many coincidences and parallels to be random. How come we haven't been back there?" Santiago asked.
"Unfortunately, the radiation in the area was too high. For the securing of the artifacts it was a quick in-and-out. Now that radiation has subsided somewhat, we can secure another mission there and stay longer. There is an expert archeologist who has no qualms about returning." Director Yuri said. After the Omelos Nova there were missions to the world to secure Dilgar historical artifacts. Many were retrieved but further missions were scrubbed due to the massive radiation that blasted the area.
"You have full authorization. Let's wait and see what this…Ra does and we can do archeological digs later I am curious about this Tok'ra individual." She stated firmly
"He was informing the Abydos team about the region. He was deemed an asset due to his extensive knowledge when a medical team discovered an alien organism in his neck while conducting a routine medical scan. He identified himself as a Tok'ra, another faction against the Goa'uld. He was taken to Proxima where his information has been deemed truthful by a Psi Corps agent. He has been extremely cooperative and forthcoming about his knowledge of the Goa'uld.
"I also need to report that as of a few hours ago some of the monitoring stations in the outer systems picked up unusual hyperspace signatures. A ship was detected at each one then they suddenly vanished. They've never seen anything quite like it." General Lefcourt said. He has only heard of ship invisibility in crazy simulation and old films. The idea of invisible ships made him nervous.
"A scouting party for an invading fleet?" President Levy wondered.
"It fits the profile. Madam President I recommend we go to DEFCON 3 and begin fleet mobilizations." General Lefcourt strongly suggested.
"Do it, cancel all leave and have system defense forces bolstered at all colonies. Have fleets on high alert. Any idea if these ships are related to the ones attacking the Ch'lonnas?" President Levy asked. A week ago, they heard of ships from another unknown race attacking the Ch'lonnas, a race that was known for its piracy, raids and violence.
"No madam president but we did receive images of these ships." He turned a page in the dossier to that of large, blocky ships in Ch'lonnas space. Many of these ships had a similar design philosophy to Earth ships. Even the fighters looked sleek and more reminiscent of 21st Century aerospace fighter craft. A stealth probe took images of a large ship which bore a flag of an unknown power.
"Can we send in a stealth group to conduct reconnaissance?" Santiago asked.
"I can have a few Oracle Scouts ready. Intercepted alien communications indicates that a fleet of these ships is just a jumpgate away from the Ch'lonnas home system. My team is still working on sorting transmissions from this unknown." The Director stated.
"Which puts this new empire right on our doorstep… Just what we need. One unknown and one hostile towards Earth. Go ahead and add a small fleet from the Explorer Division with a first contact team to them. I want to know who these new guys are. I will contact David Sheridan and have him assemble the team. Keep me updated on everything and may God watch over us all." She adjourned the meeting leaving them mildly nervous but confident of Earth's ability to defend against threats.
Beta Durani- New Osaka Colony
Beta Durani when discovered was a hostile world. On its discovery it was like Mars, red, dusty and mountainous with small bodies of water that orbited two suns. All which made it a good place for terraforming. With ice comets brough in from the systems it now sports a significant amount of fresh water across its surface. An ocean growing each month now covers a fifth of the planet while lakes, rivers and streams now stretch across the main landmass. Fish, algae and other water life from Earth now populated the waterways and ocean. A large forest with genetically enhanced plants was also growing in spots across the valley and mountain areas. At night as the twin suns went down, rain generators powered up to deliver water towards the plant life that was seen to expand across the continent. In just a couple decades, the colonists could now freely breathe.
Ekresh took notice. He arrived on the planet from the cloaked Alkesh that dropped him off and left. It would be due to return in a couple days as he gathered his information vital to Ra's scouting of the Tau'ri empire. Ashrak served as more than just mere assassins. They were also expert intelligence gatherers. It was not uncommon for one to be deployed into another System Lord or even an advanced society to gain knowledge on its forces. He was chosen for gathering intelligence on Sokar's forces when Selket successfully infiltrated his ranks during the War Against Sokar and had them feed her and other System Lords vital information. His skill in assassination even led to a breakdown in Sokar's ranks as he killed many of his senior underlords and Jaffa. Much of which led to Ra's victory though at great cost. She had chosen him for his great success in previous assignments. Though Selket had went off the radar he knew where to go should he get a hold of her once again. Getting a hold of a Tel'tak or Alkesh was not a difficult task for him.
Ashrak not only had a host of equipment to work from but they also held cyber-organic implants which enhanced their physical capabilities. Much of this was a recent development Selket had been working on which originated from some other advanced race. Beyond that he knew nothing more. The translator implants in his brainstem combined with some modifications to the symbiote allowed him to rapidly translate the language of the people around him. In this city he was amazed by the signs in different languages. Some of the human peoples here and others of some alien languages as traders showed up to make deals. In the short amount of time he was amazed by how advanced this society has gotten. He has been to other worlds through the Chappa'ai before that were advanced. Some splitting the atom and others at the cusp of it. Most of these were now bombed out worlds from internal nuclear war or being bombed by the Goa'uld. He found it amusing to cause a society to destroy itself.
It did not take him long for him to figure out the languages and where important information was kept. At night as the streets cleared, he went into the New Osaka Library. Using a small device, it was able to connect with one of the main computer systems to download data. The first was a map of the surrounding space. Territories of many races were shown along with images of each race. He paid special attention to Tau'ri history. Skimming through he noticed the recent war against the Dilgar a couple decades ago. He paid very close attention to the many hundreds of ships that fought in the war.
"Interesting.." He thought to himself. He knew Ra had a massive fleet he could assemble up. However such a fleet would arise the attention of several other System Lords. Not that it mattered to him. What mattered this time was that he needed to know ship capabilities. Ra was a master strategist unlike the other System Lords which typically sent fleets with orders to shoot everything. Heru'ur, Ba'al and Selket were the only System Lords which utilized effective strategies and tactics.
It was not yet time to relay this information to Ra. More information would have to be gathered to be of use. Running outside he looked around the city, no one else detected him and no security patrols came into the streets. The rain was due to hit soon which would make him visible. Moving rapidly, he ran into the forest and utilized a large hill to observe the area.
Off in the distance he saw a clearly military type facility on the outskirs of the city. To the Earth Alliance it was Michaelson Base. Some small shuttles came to and from the base which he assumed would head to larger capital ships. It was a large base with many small square structures two and three levels high at mist. There were some airstrips and even a few patrols which he would track the times of to help him enter undetected. He saw a pathway that could take him in that direction. Though his cloaking device made him undetectable he would rather not risk drawing attention to himself by being in heavily populated areas. He also strayed away from unnecessary killing. He knew killings would draw him very unwanted attention and he rather not expose his greatest strength of stealth.
If he could get into that facility and access one of the more secure computers, he could easily figure out more of the military strengths of this new empire. From experience in previous missions he knew most advanced civilizations kept military secrets in very secure locations. The trick was to find where these locations were. He did like that this civilization did utilize data crystal technology like the Goa'uld did which would make everything way easier for him. He made his way towards the location.
Meanwhile in another area of New Osaka she observed the data coming from her battlefield computer. As the Tok'ra had an expansive intelligence network they also utilized advanced computers which could be easily handheld and carried. Operatives in System Lord territories never carried such devices but other operatives acting as relays did. As they were fewer in numbers they NEVER wanted any Goa'uld to utilize their equipment as this would compromise Tok'ra cells.
"Your transphasic sensors picked up something entering the atmosphere and leaving." Gina informed. This was also followed by a news report of an atmospheric anomaly being tracked and followed by aircraft. She knew immediately something was wrong as her symbiote got worried.
"I am aware. It is not one of ours. Profile matches an Alkesh. This means your civilization must have ran into the Goa'uld."
She pulled from the symbiote's memories. An Alkesh was a mid-range bomber with its own hyperdrive. It never surprised either of them for the Earth Alliance to eventually run into the Goa'uld. Ever since the Dilgar War they did a massive campaign of expansion and exploration. Their exploration campaign was said to even dwarf the Centauri Republic!
"It is indeed Goa'uld.
She sensed he was telling the truth. They hid out in an old abandoned warehouse towards the mountains and away from the city. Memories flashed back of their first meeting.
Gina Nakamura was blip… Blips were known as any fugitive that ran from the Psi Corps. Most of the time they were telepaths that tried to flee control of the Corps rather than join. Gina was one. In early childhood she managed to miss most of the tests that tested for psychic abilities. However in high school a telepath managed to pick her up on such a test. Her parents were known political dissidents so they went into hiding into the slums of whatever less developed area they found. Gina decided to run and flee the Corps After fleeing Earth she was able to get in with a smuggling group attached to one of the mafias that brought alien technology to Beta Durani; a known black market haven. There she could easily live her life on the outskirts of town and away from Bloodhounds. She was able to live a simple life in the region, doing some tasks for the mafia in exchange for protection. They never knew of her telepathy but she did know the Beta Durani Mafia was known for harboring fleeing telepaths. Sometimes it did draw attention but a lot of times most people avoided the planet.
Then she met Ezraa….
Two Years Ago
It was a rainy night and she thought a Bloodhound unit was about. Turns out they were looking for a high end telepathic fugitive in the other side of the city but it wasn't her. It was some other woman she didn't know. No one knew she was in the area. Being a short woman in a place populated by criminals and gangs she had to be careful. Thankfully her telepathy was in handy. Off in her field of vision she sensed emotional and physical distress. Several men in black jackets ran from the scene in a panic when they realized they went too far in a robbery. Typical night life in New Osaka. Now she sensed something which intrigued her. She approached the area
A man in a tan jacket lay dying. His breaths and heartbeat were getting slower. Approaching him she felt another presence…inside him that flinched and reacted to her telepathic senses. It was desperate. The man's consciousness was fading but this beings wasn't. She felt the consciousness was inside and separated.
"Save me." She heard it speak. She had a feeling she should come closer against all logic but felt this being was really of no threat. Gina put the hood of her rain jacket over her head and reached out to touch him.
Within a split second something darted out of the mans mouth and into hers. She gagged realizing some alien creature was inside her. Now she ran, far as her legs could carry her. She quickly realized that something was merging and taking over. Without her control she stopped behind an abandoned building. She focused her mind on the creature, trying to override its controls on her.
"I will not hurt you please do not panic."
"Leave my body then!" She lashed out with her mind and realized this being was somehow extra sensitive to her telepathic attacks. She thought of the Bloodhounds though. If she went into a hospital they would learn she was a blip. If she started to freak out even more this would alert every telepath close by which could in turn alert the Bloodhounds.
"I can protect you from them. Do not kill me please, I do not want to die like this!" The being said in desperation. Merging with it she realized she can read its mind. Diving through she poured through its memories. A group of humans in a cave like environment looking at a holographic display of this section of the galaxy and another section to the right of it filled with symbols. Some looking oddly like Egyptian hieroglyphics. The vision forwarded to a conversation which in her mind she translated. Memories from the previous host poured in. "They worked together." She thought to herself. She saw a map of the local star systems. One she recognized as Sol.
"We are Tok'ra, we have a symbiotic relationship with our hosts. This is a lot to take in but I can help you. I was sent to investigate a civilization that formed out of the former domain of the System Lord Ra."
Gina sensed he was being truthful. She looked into Ra, evidently he was the same Ra from Ancient Egyptian Mythology. This was truly shocking and almost more than she could handle. She expected this to me some robbery gone wrong but it was an alien in a human body that got into a stupid situation. It was purely overwhelming. More memories flowed through her. This entity has taken a couple hosts during its lifetime. Thousands of years of memories, observations of wars. Pyramid shaped ships battled it out with others that were similar. He killed people holding staff weapons and a weird pistol type shaped like a coiled snake. Everything moved too fast and she faded out of consciousness….
….She woke up in her makeshift room. In the city of New Osaka there were plenty of old buildings which were left behind by colonization corporations, terraforming businesses and other companies that took up shop on the planet. She looked in the mirror and realized her bad eyesight had improved including hearing. The first thing she smelled was the scent of drying rain and plants. Even the air tasted more fresh.
Over the months she believed Ezraa; the Tokra symbiote that took part in her life. There was a Tel'tak cargo ship which was positioned near a mountain several kilometers from the city. They were able to move the ship within an abandoned group of buildings that had been a mining exploration dig which turned up nothing. She helped hide the ship which would help her hide as well from any Bloodhound or law enforcement sent to find her. She understood the mission Ezraa was sent on. The Tok'ra High Council picked up the presence of more civilizations in this region of space including one that rose from the Tau'ri homeworld. This was in response to the expansion the Tagrean Union which the Council predicted would meet this Earth Alliance in a short amount of time. It was decided to ascertain this and other civilizations and if they would encounter the Goa'uld.
Also in this time they went over many things together. The history of the Earth Alliance, major wars Earth fought in its infancy. World Wars I, II, and III. They went to First Contact with the Centauri which Ezraa recognized as the same host species of Mo-Goth. A Goa'uld in the coreward region which was given a minimal amount of Tok'ra attention. Ezraa was impressed by Earth's role in the Dilgar War and how they made the faithful decision to save other species from extinction. Ezraa thought the Dilgar were their versions of Goa'uld. Earth never conducted conquest and heavily assisted in rebuilding the League. It was a very different contrast to Ezraa. He never seen such a species get far like this. She understood Ezraa's mission was conducted in absolute secrecy even from other Tok'ra. Every so often a message was sent and acknowledged to be received by the High Council. Ezraa knew if Earth encountered the Goa'uld that the population would be very angry about the slavery, genocides, brutality conducted by the Goa'uld. It almost terrified him of what they would be capable of.
Now she saw the Transphasic Sensor Network pick up the unusual ship along with the person it dropped off. They elected to not set off the energy wave which would reveal any cloaked objects as to not reveal themselves to the Ashrak. Gina knew of the Ashrak; they reminded her of Dilgar Spectres. Though most information about them was classified it was well known they were the elite forces of the Dilgar. Utilizing invisibility suits to infiltrate, assassinate and gather intelligence. They did succeed in stealing secrets of other races. The Ashrak were just as ruthless.
Gina took a deep breath. "Will you alert your High Council?"
"No. It is too risky now. Deactivate all technology and turn off the sensors. Ashrak have equipment that can detect Tok'ra technology. If he does then he may move onto us."
"Do we hide or track him? She pondered. She was only a street fighter and knew nothing about martial arts or even advanced hand-to-hand combat. Thankfully her Symbiote knew and showed her everything he learned. She also had some of his weaponry including some she knew how to get from the Beta Durani Mafia. Whatever arms she wanted they would have.
Ezraa paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts. He had successfully killed Ashrak before. Even captured one, he knew that Gina really cared about the Earth Alliance and her fellow humans. He appreciated that a lot of them cared about other races enough to save them. He grown to like this civilization.
"We track him. He cannot be allowed to gain the secrets of Earth. Your telepathy would certainly be an advantage. Leave soon as everything is turned off."
Gina agreed and began shutting off everything in the warehouse save for some small drones equipped with Transphasic Rods that could pick up cloaked objects and beings. Those small drones went into her coat pockets. She put her hair into a ponytail and put on her dark coat with a hood over her head. On her side was both a Zatniketal and a PPG Pistol. She checked both and decided to head out into the rain.
High Mars Orbit
Olympus Station was one of the larger Orion Starbases that was in Mars orbit. Outside the observation window they could see the night side of Mars along with a few spots of light which indicated domed cities.
"First time on night shift huh?" Technical Sgt. Robert Ivers asked his new partner. He was training Specialist Rosha Brillis on the sensor equipment. She was the new LIDAR and Sensors specialist that finished her training back on Earth. Her first assignment wasn't due to be in a ship just yet but on the orbiting Mars Stations. The Olympus was selected as it did serve a good training station for new recruits.
SPC Brillis took a sip of her energy drink to stay awake and focused on the screens. She was able to easily discern the flight patterns and movements of ships coming in and out of orbit, out of the stations and even capital ships that crossed into orbit. She was appreciative of the fact that her Sergeant quizzed her on ship profiles, transponders and when to pick up a ship that had no transponder. She had joined in order to help pay for some college courses Earth Force was offering.
Night shift so far was easier and less stressful. Traffic decreased some as more people went to sleep, and some ships stayed on autopilot. She understood that Earth Alliance was at DEFCON 3 which meant more ships and more patrols but traffic lightened up some as the crews changed their shifts. The news that one of the explorers fled from hostiles made her nervous. She however was ready for anything in her service including war.
She was also quick to notice a moderate sized blip which appeared far from the traffic.
"Sergeant I have a contact! Unknown." This got her awake and wasn't one of his training tricks or simulations. This contact stayed in its position and the screen was of the real traffic data. Sgt. Ivers shifted his chair closer to her.
"You know what to do with unknown contacts." He said. He was also ready to take over if this ended up being something else beyond his trainee's ability to handle
"Unknown vessel you are to activate a transponder and maintain communications with the station. Please respond." She grabbed one of the video feeds and zoomed in on the craft. She was definitely more awake now. This ship matched nothing she seen before.
"Sergeant this isn't any ship I recognize, and the computer isn't recognizing its profile either. Wait its sending a transmission."
"This is Salmesh of the Tok'ra, I am here to surrender ourselves to your government in exchange for asylum from our enemies. There is valuable information to be provided which will be useful to you" The voice said in slightly accented English.
"What the…." She thought to herself. She never imagined being in a first contact situation so soon. It was covered briefly but it required senior leadership to handle it.
"Sergeant I think I should call the CO?" She wondered out loud
"Yeah this is definitely something to wake him up for." Night shift just got way more interesting.