Olympus Station- Mars
David Sheridan was one of the most prominent men in the Earth Alliance. His skill in diplomacy, negotiations, and instincts were almost unmatched in Earth Alliance space. Sheridan had achieved much in his time including securing borders, trade deals and even preventing a war between the Drazi and Narn after the Dilgar War.
One of the defining characteristics of him was his enjoyment of unknown contacts. During his time as Ambassador he managed to procure trade agreements even with far off League races after the war. He knew most of the ambassadors of other powers including smaller ones by name. He even secured a trade treaty with the Deneth Commonwealth, a new minor power that discovered how to operate their jumpgate just a jump away from Jericho. Sheridan requested multiple times to be on the assignment to send a diplomatic liner into Minbari space for official first contact.
He maintained his calm composure; with some classical music to play in the background to maintain his calm emotional state. David Sheridan had handled asylum requests before. Some from the Centauri and Narn while man others had been from the Dilgar War. He would hear their requests but knew he had to negotiate for information in return. Getting information now was key to this as Earth was facing the prospect of war against an unknown power.
Soon the doors opened and under escort entered two men. Both human and middle aged. Their garbs were simple tan-orange primitive with closed sandal style footwear. He read in the dossier that they had symbiotes inside them like the Kor-Lyan. They also had translators with them so English would be the spoken language here. He recognized the Tok'ra from the files as Kasif/Salmesh and Erris/Narjul. The human name was followed by the symbiote name, respectively.
"Greetings and welcome to Earth Alliance space. I am Ambassador David Sheridan; sit down and have some drinks." He stated firmly as he watched the two Tok'ra drink water. "Now it's not every day we get asylum requests from people fleeing oppressive governments especially ones we don't have contact with. Now yours is interesting. You happened to be spying on a government that we know virtually nothing about. Before this we only knew the old Egyptian deities as myth and legend. Since this government is now hostile to Earth we need to fill our knowledge gaps of them.
The two Tok'ra looked at each other. "We are willing to do that." They had helped other powers in the past before. They were few but enough to stand against one or two System Lords. Some of these powers fell to other empires a thousand years ago while the rest fell to Sokar.
"Do the Tok'ra have a governing body we can contact? Are there other members of your race nearby?" David asked. If Earth could establish a dialogue with whoever governs the Tok'ra it would be very useful indeed.
Salmesh knew more about the High Council. Due to security measures he couldn't give away their location and he wasn't ready to have these humans know it just yet. However, he knew someone that could relay a message. The High Council would already know that the Earth Alliance was going to be attacked but if word can be passed that they would be a useful ally then
"Our world's location is a secret… I do know the location of an outpost though where one of our operatives are. They will be able to send messages to the High Council." Salmesh was a leader among the Tok'ra. He had infiltrated Ra's ranks for several years along with Narjul and Dalwin. There was an outpost the Tok'ra operated that could make trades and mine Naquadah. The problem with this was that the outpost was close to the direction of Ra's borders and what he identified as Deneth which had a close relationship to Earth. "Unfortunately, the world is close to Ra's fleet." Salmesh stated honestly. He was unable to put any more Tok'ra at risk when their numbers were so few. Thousands were now reduced to just several hundred. All scattered through the various domains and some allied worlds. Salmesh had more to offer that would help the Tau'ri. "We have much information that will help you gain an advantage over the forces of Ra."
"What kind of information?"
"We have been embedded into the System Lord Domains for centuries. It has been a fight, but we have succeeded in taking down many of them." Narjul stepped in. He talked about the War Against Sokar and the mixture of Goa'uld that fell to the Tok'ra. Setesh, Hathor, Osiris, many others fell. Many of the other Lords that pledged to Sokar also died. Unfortunately, it was this war that devastated the Tok'ra. Many were killed during purges and failed assassinations that would expose Tok'ra cells and some networks. It took many decades before some of these networks could be rebuilt.
David knew these guys were their version of spies. All embedded deep within Ra's Domain and the other System Lords. They were questioned by telepaths on their truthfulness and shown to be honest. Still they would have to gain his trust like he would theirs.
"In the next room I have people that work for the security and best interests of Earth. They are the ones you can give this information to." David stated clearly. "You can also show them how that ship works and operates. Now… I won't ask you to compromise your group but everything you know to fight these Goa'uld is extremely useful. If you agree to help them; I will make sure your asylum is granted and you will be fully protected in secure quarters." David Sheridan promised.
The two Tok'ra looked at each other. If this were a primitive world, they would be apprehensive about handing technologies over. That has happened in past events where primitive worlds have been given technologies and ended up destroying themselves. This was a well-established expanding interstellar power; one that would be able to utilize the technologies extensively and responsibly. Even if they did not run into Abydos it was certain they would run into other Goa'uld powers or even a Tok'ra base. This man Sheridan appeared trustworthy and confident in the abilities of his government. They made their decision to help.
Meanwhile in the other room both Allan Kinsey and Major Allison Simmons observed the meeting. Doctor Sarah Jackson sat with them delivering translations of what the two Tok'ra have been saying to each other in their personal room. Most of it dealt with how much Earth could be trusted and an individual named Amissa utilizing some operation against Ra. It was nice to know they still had operatives on his ships. The Tok'ra spoke no plots against Earth nor did they seem to know about the surrounding space. They did seem as desperate as they claimed; both human and symbiote.
Allen Kinsey got recruited into the EIA in his younger days when the organization discovered that he was a notorious computer hacker going by the name SpaceRobot. He would go around to various colonies, hack major financial firms, criminals, and even wanted individuals and expose all their data and secrets. Some of his hacks have resulted in the arrests of individuals in the defense contracting industry and even one CEO for embezzlement. Some of them have been caught leaking secrets to the Narn and Centauri in exchange for massive amounts of credits and even one that sold secrets to the Dilgar. He got picked up when a member of Centauri House Mollari wanted to hire him to hack into House Refa holdings. The fact that a Centauri House had a vested interest in a human hacker made the EIA put a taskforce and utilize a sting operation. With a rumor of a Centauri operative that was supposed to meet with him the task force captured him on Beta Durani. Even though he would never deliver any secrets of the EA to the Centauri he was offered either a career with the Intelligence Agency or prison.
For over 10 years now he served with the EIA. During the Dilgar War he served on a team that cracked captured Dilgar computers and systems from captured ships which allowed Earth Force to gain more advantages over the Dilgar. His team managed to crack and intercept Dilgar communications which gave them many advantages. Earth Force would always be a step or two ahead of them during the war thanks to joint EIA/EFNI efforts
It was during the joint efforts in the Dilgar War that he landed on a joint task force with Major Allison Simmons of Earth Force Naval Intelligence. Major Simmons joined initially as an enlisted but got selected for Naval Officer Career School during her career. Her aptitude in studying Narn military buildups during minor skirmishes led to her selection and commission as an officer. Working with Allen Kinsey they were able to complete a vast intelligence project which projected the complete tally of the Dilgar military, fallback locations and even secret sites off of Omelos which led to Earth Force getting access to some advanced facilities hidden from both the Dilgar public and galaxy at large. Most were recovered intact which allowed Earth Force to gain a treasure trove of advanced technologies; most of which were being studied to this day. All of this helped led to her promotion to Major and to work with the heads of Military Analysis.
She set her personal data pad down on the table as it received increasing news reports from military sources. "Argus Array in Jericho has picked up an increase in tachyon blips way out there. At first it was small but now they are increasing. Signals have been getting stronger each day."
"Sounds like a fleet is there. Too far and risky to send a ship but close enough we can pick up at least something. Hopefully, we can get those Tok'ra to show us the basics of Goa'uld technology and can say how big the fleet is." Allen stated.
"What's more they picked up an anomaly near the Io Gate. Looked like someone popped an airlock so they sent a ship to check it out. They found bodies floating there. No ships were detected crossing that path so these guys blasted them out into space. Telepaths already verified they were telling the truth about them being those Jaffa they mentioned." Major Simmons replied.
"Biosciences division is gonna love that! Find out what makes those symbiotes tick finally." Allen stated enthusiastically.
"We need a way to detect their ships. Their cloaking device renders them invisible to all our best sensors. We could only detect their incoming and outgoing jump points. Even their hyperspace technology seems different. They enter the same dimension but do it differently. Their vortexes are smaller but make similar tachyon bursts. They definitely got a good look at our fleet so they will know we are a force to be reckoned with." Major Simmons said confidently.
They both looked at the monitor to see David Sheridan leave. He entered their room shortly afterwards, adjusting his suit and tie.
"I struck a deal with them. They will provide all information to Earth on the Goa'uld and Ra. They will be permitted asylum in return. Both are even willing to show us how their ship works so we can let the tech folks handle that" David Sheridan said happily.
Soon the two Tok'ra stepped in. Both wore a light orange and tan outfit with a brown sash going down their shoulder. Both Allen and Allison recognized the Tok'ra as Kasif and Narjul. They knew that Kasif was the one in charge.
"These are the three people you will be working with. You will be provided comfortable living quarters and meals. The galactic net is available for you to view history and the state of galactic politics. You can ask for me at anytime and I can provide whatever help I can." Sheridan added.
"Thank you, Ambassador Sheridan." Kasif stated.
Narjul pulled out a device that looked like a sphere on top of a plate. He pushed on a small control panel on it and a holographic projection came out revealing a small portion of the galaxy. All of them recognized the section as the Galactic East. One of the large territories had the symbol of Ra. Others corresponded to Apophis, Heru'ur and Ba'al. The rest of the symbols were not even Egyptian. Doctor Sarah Jackson recognized them as Greek symbols and one looked Chinese. One symbol was that of a blue sphere surrounded by curved crescents. None of them had no idea about that one but recognized it was rimward of an area of space held by the Minbari; an uncontacted power the Centauri warned them to not go near.
There were several bright specks of light which represented colonies and a web. None of them reached any of the local races in this region of space. It was also explained that each world held a Stargate.
"Those three symbols.." Doctor Jackson pointed to the Greek looking ones and the Chinese one in the distance. "Who do they correspond to?"
"Those are the domains of the System Lords Cronus and Pelops. Cronus is allied with Heru'ur and is the sworn enemy of Apophis. Pelops has stayed outside the influence of the System Lords and their activities." Narjul explained. "The last symbol is that of Lord Oshu; he took the place of Lord Yu-huang Shang Ti after he died in the War Against Sokar. Like Pelops he is focused inward on his own Domain and cares little for that of the other System Lords." He continued. Both Domains were a distance from the main System Lords and thus didn't gather much attention. He further explained that the System Lords were hundreds strong at one point but due to wars, infighting, and assassinations they have only been reduced to over a dozen. A good number of the assassinations and wars have been caused by the Tok'ra.
Allen Kinsey made sure to note that. The distrustful nature of the System Lords could be taken advantage of. Getting two or more of them to fight wars against each other could easily prevent them from going after Earth. To Doctor Jackson it interested her that the Goa'uld abducted from many regions of Earth in the past.
With a hand motion, Kasif was able to zoom the holographic projection on the area where Earth Alliance was a short distance from the main Goa'uld holdings. The speck known as Abydos along with Ra's Domain was just a short distance from Jericho.
"Your worlds are the closest to the Domain of Ra. Abydos was a mere mining world for him on the fringes of his territory." Zooming in he focused on a series of blips in between Jericho and Abydos. "As we speak he has been gathering a fleet. He will call his underlords and banners that have sworn fealty to him to provide ships and resources. It is likely one of them could come to his aid in exchange for favors." Kasif stepped in to explain.
"We have allies of our own." Allen knew the Drazi and Markab had substantial fleets same with the Brakiri. There was still rebuilding of the League but so their fleets would be of use. Sheridan could convince some of them to provide ships should this war go badly.
"The Tok'ra over many centuries always monitor the communications of the System Lords." Kasif handed Allen a small crystal. "This contains their communication codes and frequencies. Their tachyon communications are different, but we can help you intercept even their most secure ones. Ra will likely send an Ashrak out to a world to gather information before attacking."
Major Allison Simmons recalled the video she received from Beta Durani. The one where the invisible figure moved as its cloak was revealed in the rain on a motion detecting wildlife camera hidden in the trees.
"Are Ashrak equipped with a cloaking device or suit that allows them to change appearance" She decided to ask.
"Yes. Ashrak use their invisibility to gain intelligence, perform assassinations and sabotage enemy ships. They are ruthless and efficient killers. However, their suits are limited to invisibility only. They never utilized appearance changing technology. Animals have been able to detect them." Narjul explained. To Major Simmons they reminded her of the Spectres and their damaging attacks.
"We are aware of one in our territory and it is being dealt with. We have dealt with something similar used by another race we fought against. They were elite assassins as well, but we were able to neutralize them." She stated, remembering the many reports of the Spectres. Intelligence and military personnel had counterintelligence training on invisible enemies as the Centauri were starting to get into using Changeling Nets. She was thankful though it was only slightly different and still animals such as dogs could detect them. She would pass that information onto Major O'Neill as she was used to fighting Spectres.
Narjul placed another crystal into the holographic projector. This time it showed a scene of ships shooting at each other. All of them had the same pyramid style design surrounded by a superstructure in the middle and bottom. Some larger and others smaller. Fighters darted about. The fighters reminded her of Centauri Sentri Fighters and the space station looked close in style to a Centauri Starbase. She would try to figure out the connection later. Perhaps Londo Mollari would know something and David Sheridan can ask him.
Both Tok'ra gave extensive descriptions of Goa'uld ships and weapons. All warships except Al'kesh and Death Gliders used shields. Capital ships used long range plasma cannons and sometimes beam type weapons. All utilized missiles using a Naqadah warhead. They went down a list of classes:
The Shu'tak was used as flagships and battleships.
Hok'kesh were cruiser type ships. A pyramid shape with a flat top and surrounding structure. Larger than a Ha'tak.
Ha'taks were destroyer equivalents and quite common in all System Lord Domains.
Al'kesh- Bomber role. Heavily armed. Also used as scout craft. They were the ones used to scout out territories, domains and areas for future expansions or conquests.
Death Gliders- Fighters.
"They will orbitally bombard a planet before landing ground forces consisting of Jaffa. Many of them use a full armor suit with staff weapons on the wrist. Many will carry a separate larger staff weapon for greater destruction." He continued showing images of various Jaffa, with helmets either looking like the heads of birds or snakes firing energy bolts from wrist mounted weapons. There were a few hover platforms where Jaffa manned staff cannons. They looked like a ground force GROPOS could easily handle.
"Do many of the people on these worlds know their histories? Have there ever been rebellions by slave populations?" Doctor Jackson asked recalling what Sakif told her about the history of the rebellion on Earth.
"Occasionally. There are times where a slaves and populations revolt against Jaffa rule. Few have been successful, but most have been put down brutally to send the message that further rebellions will be met with death." Kasif mentioned. "The Jaffa will be sent out to execute the families of the dissidents. Even children are not left untouched."
Those words made their blood run cold. All three knew they once the public knew about the atrocities of the Goa'uld they will be out for blood. There will be fury unlike anything seen in history when they learn about human populations under alien enslavement. Even if the other Goa'uld powers didn't get involved they knew they wouldn't be immune from Earth declaring war against them.
Beta Durani
Major O'Neill and Master Sergeant Dillon watched the slightly red glow outside the window as the shuttle made its entry into the atmosphere of Beta Durani. She felt a slight lurch as the shuttle slowed down its descent and began moving through the clouds. It was night currently on this side of the planet; she saw the familiar pattern of city lights and moving vehicles. Off in the distance she could see the lights from other cities and towns.
"Didn't expect them to call me out of retirement for this!" The muscular dark-skinned man shouted. When they told me about a Spectre type thing at Durani I thought someone was pullin my leg!"
"When did you make Master Sergeant? You kinda dropped off after Tirrith and Balos?" She asked. She remembered him as a mere Sergeant before.
"They had me pull some special ops around the League. Rounding up old Dilgar squads that tried to hide out after the war. Cleared out some planetary pirate garrisons too. I managed to call up some of the ole crew. There are about only a couple hundred people with our expertise. I managed to get five people coming along. They arrive tomorrow morning bright'n early.
"Should be enough. Close to our small crew back on Tirrith."
"We are coming into approach into Michaelson Base. Please do not unbuclkle until we have landed." She heard the automated voice coming through the intercom.
Both Maj. O'Neill and MSG Dillon was quite familiar with Michaelson. The base was a GROPOS installation used for mountain training, special forces, medical and cavalry, more particularly the 10th Cavalry Division. It was also home to the 522nd Battlefield Intelligence Brigade; one of the top intelligence groups that provided its support to GROPOS operations during the Dilgar War. The base held proving grounds for testing of battlefield tactics and organizational training. She gave training exercises to several units there. It was also there where she learned to hate the place too. Dillon for a time served as an instructor as well.
Organized crime, prostitution, drugs, etc from New Osaka made its way into the military structure there at Michaelson. It was likened to Fort Hood back on Earth that had notoriety for drug rings, crime, and prostitution that many soldiers took part in. Not a week would go by without some newsworthy incident of drug smuggling, drunk crashes or even a Centauri prostitute hooking up with a soldier and getting away with sensitive information they would carry.
The shuttle landed with a slight bump. Major O'Neill left and gathered her bags from the shuttle compartment. She thanked the pilots with a return salute down to the ramp where she was met by a Sergeant. He stood and rendered a sharp salute upon seeing the officer come down the ramp. He stood by the 4th Generation Humvee. MSG Dillon followed her
"Good morning Major! I am Sergeant Gibson and I am here to take you to your barracks." Both recognized his patches as belonging to the Military Police Detachment.
"At ease Sergeant." She returned the salute and handed him her bags. "Any updates?" She had ensured base security had been briefed prior to their arrival.
"Major Kowalski and Jason Ironheart arrived earlier yesterday. We received the word about possible infiltrators, so we had extra patrols and security posted. Rest of the troops are just being told to watch out for suspicious activity." He stated. She knew that they will be placed at one of the SF Training and Development Centers. These buildings usually held a company sized group of troops. Each building would hold its own indoor firing range, tactics center, dining and recreation facilities. They would have it all to themselves.
Off in the distance they could see some Rangers running for early morning physical training. Revile was only a few hours away which meant that the duty day was going to start though most of the troops were up earlier than that. During hyperspace transit she already took her naps but the thought of another Spectre like infiltrator made her nervous. Armored MP Cars drove by conducting their increased patrol routes. Some teams were on foot around the perimeter of buildings.
Soon they arrived at the building. Sergeant Gibson grabbed her bags and put them on a transport cart to where her room would be. The next building over both could see other soldiers smoking cigarettes.
"Anything else I can do for you Major?" Sgt. Gibson asked.
"Actually yes… Can you post patrols around here? More particularly K9 Patrols." Major O'Neill remembered the effectiveness of dogs at sniffing out Spectres. It was discovered during the Spectres infiltration of Earth that dogs could sense them somehow. One got attacked by a guard dog during an infiltration of EIA HQ in Geneva. Another during an infiltration of a space station at Epsilon Eridani. After that it was decided to utilize dogs to find any Spectres hiding. She was a bit relieved to receive intelligence that the Tok'ra utilized a similar method to sniff out the Ashrak. The intelligence on that arrived a bit before landing.
"Yes, Ma'am I can have that arranged." He replied, not thinking too much of the order. "Here is my contact information in case you need us. Anything else you need?" He asked after handing her his office card.
"No Sergeant. You're dismissed." She stated plainly. He saluted once more and drove off.
Now it was time for them to get the rest they needed.
Ekresh examined the outer perimeter of the base carefully. Off in the woods he watched as troops jogged and performed other physical training on the base grounds. He observed the vehicles performing convoys outside the base towards training grounds and shooting ranges in the distance. He made a mental note of the buildings that housed the troops, airfields, dining facilities and motor pools. None of the vehicle patrols ever noticed him and he was smart enough to avoid the dogs around. These people took security seriously.
He was aware most smart System Lords operated espionage groups to conduct intelligence and perform sabotage. It was no secret that they spied on each a lot. Sokar had an elite organized espionage group that was based out of Delmak. Though the building was kept a secret he was still able to get inside during the war and gather enough secrets to make Selket more than happy. Fleet communication codes, battle plans and planetary holdings were more than enough to help the other System Lords win the war even at high losses.
In the Library he managed to secure a map for Michaelson Base. He studied where each building was and their function. One of the buildings was called the Battlefield Surveillance and Intelligence Center that was headquarters to a unit called the 522nd Intelligence Brigade. From the description it was their version of an espionage unit. He could walk in and obtain what he needs to give Ra an advantage and leave. There already was a route analyzed for him to make an escape in case things went wrong. Confident in his plans he decided to jump over the fence.
SF Barracks and Training Center
It seemed morning had arrived earlier than expected. Indoor PT was conducted followed by a quick breakfast. Now everyone was sitting down in the briefing room as a holographic image came up. Majors O'Neill Kowalski approached the image which was that of the footage received from the wildlife cam.
"Alright everyone!" She raised her voice. "You are here because all of us have fought Spectres during the War. Well now we have a Spectre type infiltrator confirmed to be on Beta Durani. Some new alien power wants to know how tough we are so they sent an infiltrator to see it. We have orders to preferably kill this infiltrator, but capture is an option if possible. I do not like Spectres and neither do you. MSG Dillon here is one of the badasses I had the great pleasure of serving with so he will brief you on the rest." She stepped back and let him step forward.
"We are being equipped with paint grenades for our launchers. Sometimes the simple solution is the best. It's a reflective paint that will shine on sensors like a thermal going off. We also have a badass from the Psi-Corps in the room. Jason Ironheart, some of you remember him being on missions with us back on Balos. IF we capture this guy, he will be sure to rip the guys mind right out. Once he gets line of sight it will be game over for Spectre wannabe. Now let's arm up and take our patrol routes. All of us will be
The rest of the team got up and took their arms from the Arms Room. All would carry shortened PPG Rifles with their PPG pistols holstered to the side. Major O'Neill would take no chances. She already had K9 Units patrolling the outer perimeter of the building. Jason Ironheart decided to step outside for some fresh air. From the outside he could see the building for the 522nd and off towards the distance near the woods. He cleared his mind and let everything drift toward him.
Jason could feel some tenseness from the team. But they all felt very confident in their abilities to work and function. Some were even excited to be on this mission. He had a feeling to look off into the direction of the woods for a while until he was distracted by a man coming from behind.
"Jason I'm glad to see you back with us!" Major Kowalski said over to him. He rembered Kowalski as one of the few guys not scared of the Psi-Corps and respected him as a person once he proved himself in the field. "Sense anything out there?"
Jason did sense something for a very tiny moment. A tiny fragment of telepathic emotion that of attention towards them and one searching for something. Non hostile but knew he was being watched. This was something a trained telepath could do to hide themselves. "Major do we have any other Psi-Corps here?"
"Far as I know you're the only one here. Think there is a blip out there too?" Major Kowalski knew of the blips. They were rouge telepaths that did everything they could to escape Psi-Corps custody. Jason didn't really care for finding blips and never took part in recovery of rogue telepaths unlike some other Psi-Cops.
"Maybe. I don't think we're the only ones watching out for that Ashrak."
Ekresh watched as people took a smoke break on the outside of the Intelligence Building. He kept a respectful distance as to not arouse attention and was unnoticed. He darted across field and parking lot always careful to time his movements over ground that didn't cause much sound. Nothing seemed to draw the attention from any of the patrols and he made damn sure to stay away from the dogs. However he didn't know if any would be inside the building but that was a risk he was willing to take.
Now was his time to make a move. There was a soldier smoking from his cigarette exactly right next to the door. Inching closer he was able to maintain quiet as he approached just under a foot away from the unsuspecting man as he took a couple more puffs and placed the cigarette in the disposal. He spun and turned just getting inside as the door closed. The soldier taking the smoke break did not notice anything as he went past with only inches. Now the next part was harder. He came up behind a soldier moving through the hallway and timed the steps together to reduce the sounds of movement. Stealth was key here. There was no map for him to utilize on the inside of the building, so we had to look and listen.
Several of the rooms consisted of a large table with many chairs. He deducted they were meeting rooms. Others served as chairs and desks for some type of personal quarters. Nothing that indicated communications equipment or where secrets were stored. Until he overheard a soldier state to his superior that he was heading to communications. He followed that solider down the hall and into a room surrounded by computer equipment. This was the goldmine for him. He observed the soldier utilize the computer equipment accessing it through biometrics. If he could access communications, then it would be easy to detect orders being sent out to fleets along with potential battle plans. Something useful for once.
Utilizing a special scanning tool, he was able to locate the data crystals within the computer. He pulled out a small crystal coated in a black substance that could interface with alien computer systems and download data. The black substance spread out in some tendrils and easily interfaced with the computer. Data was now being copied into the crystal which he could use to decrypt it on Ra's ship and figure out the true extent of Tau'ri forces.
Meanwhile Master Sergeant Dillon watched from the outside of the SF Building watching towards the direction of the 522nd Headquarters. Both him and Sergeant Salukov; a soldier of Russian descent watched as some of the soldier had a smoke outside the intelligence building. The soldiers appeared relaxed up until they got a notification on their wristpad. They both looked alarmed all of a sudden and threw their smokes out and ran back inside.
"That's not right.. Sgt. Salukov said trailing off at the activity.
"Yeah something is not right we should check it out." Master Sergeant Dillon ordered. Soon enough Major O'Neill and Major Kowalski came through the door in quite a hurry.
"Intelligence guys just reported an unusual data drain. That must be our guy. I am having security get stationed on all exits. Alarm is silent as to not spook him." Major Kowalski shouted while keeping his rifle at the low ready. All the troops had grenade launchers attached to their rifles.
Ekresh moved silently through the corridors; satisfied with the device downloading the data from the equipment. He approached a different exit when he noticed something wrong. Several soldiers in adjacent halls and outside were running soon after he pulled the device. A guard dog snarled at him as he approached the exit. Looks like they took their data security seriously after all. The risks were well understood and it was now time to leave. With speed he bolted through the set of closed doors and came face to face with a team of soldiers. Time began to slow for Ekresh; thanks in most part to the cyber-organic implants given to him by Selket. The nearest soldier looked like he was about to fire up until Ekresh landed a swift kick to the soldier's face. He took the soldiers PPG Pistol and tucked it in his garment. Escape was the better option to take rather than a firefight.
"That's him open fire!" He heard a female voice yell. Next thing he knew there was a loud bang that briefly disorientated him. The next thing he felt was his legs give way. He just couldn't get his legs to run and they began to feel weaker very quickly. Ekresh knew what it was as he turned to see a dark-skinned man staring at him and focusing intently. A mindripper. Ekresh knew what mindrippers were capable of. The Tok'ra utilized whatever mindrippers they found to interrogate high level Jaffa and find Ashrak. They had the ability to jam the connection between the symbiote and host or even kill the symbiote with their mind. It was another reason for the cyber-organic components. Using all his focus he drew the PPG Pistol he grabbed and fired three bursts at the man causing his to duck. He felt control come back to him once more and summoned his implants to give him a running boost and jumped over the wall.
He noticed quickly there was now a bright orange substance on him. These Tau'ri were pretty ingenious to use primitive methods in making his cloak ineffective and that meant now he needed to hide to clean it off. There was an escape route he mapped out that would take him close to a waterfall. That area would be perfect for him.
He ducked at a sudden electrical noise that he recognized as a Zat'nik'tel firing from a direction different from the soldiers. He quickly dodged the successive bolts and dove for cover behind a tree keeping distance from himself and his attacker "What is a Tok'ra doing here? Did they track him to this planet?" Turning his head, he saw a woman in a black coat that was tracking him with murdurous intent. Ekresh focused on a denser part of the woods where he knew the waterfall and river. He kept running; If he kept good enough distance, he could lose them easily and stay hidden until he could clean this paint off of him and restore his advantages. The blasts from the Zat were getting further away which meant that the Tok'ra was losing track of him. The Tau'ri were either in league with the Tok'ra or getting help from them. Escape was more important and this information needed to be delivered to Ra.
There were still the sounds of yelling behind him as he approached the trees and rocks that hung close to the waterfall. The sounds now droned out his rapid movements and he turned around to see the mass of soldiers approaching.
Ekresh jumped into the path of the waterfall and vanished.
"Fuck!" Major O'Neill shouted. "Post search teams. Have the Weather Modification guys make it rain day and night. He won't get away again."
Gina and Ezraa watched as one while the special forces unit they witnessed tried to capture the Ashrak. She was about to turn around when she all of a sudden couldn't feel or control her muscles. Everything was now paralyzed.
"Gina… I cannot take over.. we are being blocked."
"It's a telepathic block. Very strong…." She strained and tried to focus. "I can't break free…its coming from that Psi-Cop." Her arm holding the zat felt even weaker and she dropped it. She was powerless now to stop this.
"It is but I am not a Psi-Cop though I work for the Corps. I'm not going to hurt you." She heard a voice speak into her mind calmly. "You can read me and know I'm telling the truth. I may work for the guys you hate but I am not your enemy. The Tok'ra never told me they had one of their own out here." Jason Ironheart walked over and picked up the Zat'nik'tel and held it, studying it intently.
"Other Tok'ra are not privy to many operations unless it involves them. Our cells know what they need to do but not what each other will do. It maintains our security." It was the same explanation the other Tok'ra given Earth Force.
"How many of you are here in Earth Space?" He asked softly and observed for signs of deceit.
"Just me I was the only one assigned to this operation. I have no hostile intentions towards you or your people I promise you."
"Okay then. You are telling the truth." He released his telepathic grip on them. "And you're a blip Miss Gina. Don't worry this isn't a Psi-Corps operation. And I won't shoot you with this. Nice weapon though." He placed the Zat in his backpack.
"How do I know you are telling the truth?" She asked still unsure of his intentions
"Scan me." He removed his blocked but was still ready for anything.
She sensed he was truthful.
"You have to come with us though." He stated "This is the one who was shooting at the infiltrator. She's a Tok'ra and she has been honest." He continued
"Well this just got more interesting. Knew something was up when I saw someone shooting at our guy. Wouldn't mind having a gun quite like that. You have a lot of questions to answer. Bring her to the Mobile Command Center."
The Mobile Command Center was an armored vehicle designed for operations in many environments. It functioned as a special law enforcement vehicle to allow field operations, surveillance, and intelligence support.
"We met your people and we have met other Tok'ra. Didn't expect any to be running around in Earth Space. What do you know about him? How did you know he was here?" Major O'Neill asked.
"Goa'uld would send one here to gather information and intelligence before beginning conquest of your worlds. I had advanced sensors that could pick up cloaked ships and noticed an Al'kesh dropping one off according to my transphasic detection rods." It was time to gain their trust so he would have to explain everything else. "We have learned that some of the worlds in former System Lord domains have developed their own empires. My mission here was to determine the current state and if your people can stand up to the Goa'uld along with the chances of contact with one ore more Domains. As you are expanding we noticed your borders are…..close to that of Ra most particularly
"I know you're telling the truth so far. I appreciate that." Jason said thankfully.
"You are wise to shoot first. It is….extremely advisable for an Ashrak to be killed immediately. They are highly trained and enhanced with technologies that make them far more effective killers than they ever were before?"
"What kind of technologies"
"Cyber-organic. A creation that Selket obtained from an older race she discovered These will improve the physical and mental performance of the Ashrak along with helping them resist telepathic influence."
To them this Selket sounded more like a Jha'dur. In the final weeks of the war Warmaster Jha'dur was experimenting with cyber-organic soldiers and even had three Spectres fitted with such implants to improve survivability and combat capabilities. They were all killed on Balos but at high cost. Jason Ironheart briefly pondered if Jha'dur was with the Goa'uld or elsewhere.
"Now for this.. How do we find him? He cannot be allowed to escape."
"I have technology that can neutralize his cloak for some time. However your method of the paint bomb was very effective." Ezraa pulled out several metallic looking rods. "These are transphasic detection rods. They release a signal which neutralizes cloaking technologies, and any being tried to hide using phase shift technology." Ezraa was remarkably familiar with the transphasic technologies; having developed them with assistance from the Reetou. Just a few centuries ago the Reetou were useful allies up until the Drakh started to attempt infiltration and recruitment of races for their masters' war. The Reetou had warned about the Drakh and their masters thus going into hiding. Specifics weren't known but it was heard the Reetou had fought wars against the Shadows. Ezraa wondered if Earth knew of the Drakh and the dangers their masters posed as well.
"Are you going to send me back to the Psi-Corps after this?" Gina took back over and asked Jason with concern.
"No.. but not for reasons you may think. Now we have to make sure this Ashrak doesn't leave this planet alive." They all vowed to make sure of that.
This Ashrak was going to die this time.
Ra's Flagship
Amissa stood quietly manning one of the control stations on the Shu'tak. She watched and waited as the Al'kesh sent out returned except for one. Ra's First Prime Kassal; a strong looking man approached and bowed gracefully. She knew what this had meant.
"My Lord… All Al'kesh have reported back.. except one." He stated and took a step back as his god started to get angry.
"Tok'ra!" He shouted throwing a bowl of food across the floor. His slaves rushed quickly to clean up the mess caused by his anger. Ra brough his mind back into focus on the task at hand. "What is the state of the Tau'ri military forces?"
"The Tau'ri maintain many worlds and several large fleets. Their borders are very respected by other races. In our absence is this sector the domains held by Mo-goth, Margath and Li have expanded into an empire called the Centauri Republic. They trade extensively with the Tau'ri and have large fleets as well. It would be wise to take these new empires into consideration." Kassal stated. Ra depended on his primes giving information and reports even if he didn't like hearing the news.
"Have we detected any of the Vorlons or Shadows?" He remembered the Vorlons appearing to those as the beings of light that inspired many of the populations to rise up and rebel against Ra along with the rest of the System Lords thousands of years ago. The Shadows stayed hidden but thrived in causing empires come into conflict with one another every thousand years. It was rumored that they influenced Sokar to start his war, but he had no evidence of this. Until now they had stayed away from the domains of the Vorlons and Shadows.
"We have detected none of their ships My Lord."
Ra put himself deep in thought. For him to succeed they would have to speed their way through Tau'ri space and quickly lay waste to their worlds and fleets. With data on their locations it would now be easier to attack. All they needed was the data from Ekresh as he was gathering information on any Tau'ri secrets. He did the same with Sokar and was able to predict where he would strike next thus allowing his fleets to gain the advantage. Selket was quite useful after all. More forces would be needed; even if a small defense force remained on his worlds he knew even his brothers would never dare strike him. Ra stood up from his throne.
"I want every banner and underlord called! Every Tau'ri world shall lay in ruin! He continued to shout in his booming style voice. "We will leave their fleets in flame and their population extinguished from the galaxy! It will be e a lesson to their allies that we will never be opposed!" He looked over at the Jaffa gathered around the Pel'tak. "Send an Al'kesh to retrieve the Ashrak. Should the Centauri or other allies come to their aid then they shall burn as well!" He vowed. Even if Ekresh didn't come back he would still attack. If he had to he would call his brothers for aid and let them split the spoils of war.
Amissa left to let another Jaffa took her place to man the station. She made way back to the cargo area on the Shu'tak carefully scanning and using a quick sweep with a transphasic rod to make sure the way was clear of Ashrak. Ra only kept one on the ship far as she knew but was aware there could be others. If the other Tok'ra took the Al'kesh to the Tau'ri then it meant they would warn them of what's coming.
She had her instruction to put together the primitive bomb with instructions given by the Tagreans. High powered but with materials and ingredients primitive enough to be looked over by sensors. Turns out chemicals used for farming can make effective high explosives. She would have to time her movements in between guard movements and getting her tasks done to avoid suspicion. Time for her to get to work.
Chulak- Palace of Apophis
Apophis sat on his throne overlooking the main city on the world. The city grew larger in the past couple centuries since the end of the War Against Sokar along with his domain. Other worlds granted him additional resources including more people swearing their fealty to him. People brought in feasts and wine for Apophis and his consorts to devour as everyone else tended to their own duties. Jaffa trained with wooden staffs off in the distance to prepare them for physical combat and top fitness. He watched as the two large doors opened and his First Prime Rya'c entered with another Jaffa he recognized as one of his spies Kellatas. Both bowed gracefully upon approaching the throne.
"My Lord, Kellatas wishes to deliver his report to you and you only."
With a handwave Apophis motioned for everyone else except him, Rya'c and Kellatas. Apophis wanted his First Prime to be there in case anything else were to happen. His strong form stood guard by Apophis's Throne much like his father did in the past.
"My Lord Apophis" He stood up confidently. "I report on an interesting development in the Domain of your brother Ra. Recently he has gathered his fleets, underlords and banners on a grand expedition into the Former Domains." Kellatas reported.
That got his attention. He had ignored the Former Domains like many of the others "Do we know why?"
"In our absence the worlds in the Former Domains have established empires of their own. The Tau'ri have been expanding ever closer to Ra and have shown up at Abydos. Ra now has decided to take care of the problem and sent his fleets. Heru'ur has either not noticed or cared about the actions of his father." Apophis recalled that the Tau'ri homeworld was the closest to Abydos.
Apophis considered his options carefully. He fought closely with Ra during the War against Sokar and managed to increase his favor amongst him to increase his Domain. Even slightly more than Heru'ur. He had to be careful however. In more recent years he noticed Cronus and Heru'ur building up their forces and domain as well. Attacks have already occurred back and forth between him and Cronus as their rivalry ramped up. Especially after his First Prime Teal'c and Prime Bra'tac have been killed by Cronus during his betrayal during the War Against Sokar. In response and revenge Apophis was able to take several important worlds that Cronus held dear before Ra stopped him and forced the two enemies to work together. He thanked Kellatas for his report and dismissed him.
Having more favor with Ra was important to him. He knew that Rya'c would run his Domain efficiently and effectively during his absence. Cronus surely would notice but he would never dare attack especially after helping Ra crush more enemies. Perhaps Ra would allow him to take vengeance upon Cronus for his betrayals. He knew Rya'c would enjoy that. He made his decision.
"Summon my fleets and I will lead a token force to assist Ra in battle. Rya'c I trust that you run the Domain in my absence. You have free reign to deal with any threats as you see fit….including Cronus." He ordered. If Cronus were to attack, he had no qualms returning quickly to crush him as well. The System Lords will be better off without such traitorous trash.
Rya'c smiled and approached the throne as Apophis left for his flagship. Perhaps Rya'c will avenge the death's of his father and Bra'tac after all. Cronus will surely pay the price soon enough.