Chapter 6
Grand Imperial Library
The Grand Imperial Library was the largest in the entirety of the Republic. It its shelves were copies of every book imaginable from the ancient warrior legends from ancient Centauri history, to sports all the way to the recent ones. Even new releases to the Centauri Republic contained books, old movies, series and playwrights imported from Earth. Some of the Republic's citizens had a liking for old Earth fiction including Dr. Who and War of the Worlds. Even comic books like Avengers and Justice League were popular which inspired Centauri media to create some superheroes of their own in both comics, film and playwrights.
Nobles like Londo could go deeper and access other manuscripts that regular citizens would have to pay lots of money to gain access to. He paid very close attention to passages in old manuscripts about a few Xon Leaders that were said to have glowing eyes and took control of other people by a wicked serpent. Many Xon would seek out these serpents to gain their powers. He compared it to notes from David Sheridan and found them to be eerily similar. This revelation was unsettling to Londo Mollari.
Being in the Nobility also meant he was privy to hear rumors. These rumors were ones that if he would explore and dig deeper find some semblance of truth. Londo had a knack for chasing any rumor he found interesting and stuck his nose in it. One rumor was of some fascinating archaeological finds found on the Southern Continent where the Xon lived. He remembered some of the top Centauri ground units being sent there to guard the region. He wondered what was so important there that they needed a military force to guard such a place. Nobles, guardsmen, workers spread rumors of artifacts ranging from magical invisibility-immortality rings all the way to advanced buried spaceships that would make the Minbari tremble. Londo brushed off rumors as conspiracy theory but knew there was a basis of truth. Such artifacts recovered would be sent to the Research Vaults.
There were two major Vaults. The Research Vaults were designed as a secure, sterile and advanced place to examine recovered materials from dig sites that couldn't exactly be published in media sources for various reasons. These people would work closely with secretive elements of the Centauri Ministry of Research and Development. They were known to look for and hopefully reverse engineer any advanced technologies recovered along with their origins.
The Archive Vault had access to the rarest of information regarding items, information, manuscripts recovered from archaeological digs dating back centuries. Many of these came from the Southern Continent where the Xon used to live and thrive. The Archive Vault had even more detailed on the rarest Xon artifacts recovered from digs.
Over the day he repeatedly requested access to the Research Vault and was denied. He did also try for the Archive Vault and was denied as well. At least now he would gain the attention of Emperor Turhan. If any Centauri Noble tried to gain access to secure information, it always raised the eyebrows of those closest to the Emperor and sometimes even him!
There were several things he thought were interesting. The first was that Mo-Goth and Li in mythology had glowing eyes. The second was that statues dedicated to Mo-Goth were found in both old Centauri and Xon Temples. Those were dated to well before the two civilizations had any contact. The only differences with Mo-Goth was that in Xon culture he went by Margath but the appearance was almost the same. Like Earth, the Centauri had conspiracy theorists and ancient alien enthusiasts that insist Li and Mo-Goth were aliens. Even the Great Maker was said to be an ancient alien astronaut. The fact that another alien culture had a "Great Maker" story with similar elements made them more believable.
Londo turned quickly as the door to his private study opened. Standing tall in his white garment style royal outfit was Emperor Turhan. Standing beside him were three guards armed with ceremonial but very functional rifles along with two of the Royal Seers. Those Royal Seers were a group of four telepaths that are strong and highly trained by both the Royal Court and Telepath's Guild. Two of the telepaths would remain with the Emperor while the other two would stay at the Palace so connections with the Royal Court could always be maintained. Londo quickly stood up and gave a respectful bow per Centauri tradition when the Emperor approached.
"You have quite a penchant Londo Mollari to dig into the business and chase rumors. Given circumstances on Earth I am not surprised." The Emperor quipped which gave Mollari a light smile.
"I mean no offense Majesty" Londo Mollari put his head slightly lower. He held Emperor Turhan in very high regard.
"Relax, this has not displeased me at all, actually the opposite. Come with me as we have much to discuss."
Londo followed the Emperor and the Guards down a hallway which turned down another door marked for senior military and imperial access. The Emperor stood in front of a door as scanners did their work to confirm his identity.
"I have listened to President Levy giving her speech declaring war against the Goa'uld Empire. My advisors and citizens of the Republic have voiced concerns over this new alien empire attacking the Earth Alliance. It has come to light that this empire may not be as 'new' to this region of space as previously thought. In fact it is very likely they were active on Centauri Prime itself several millennia ago.
"The legends of the Gald are still talked about to scare the children. My father used to tell me of such stories when I was a child" Emperor Turhan stated with his noticeable deep voice and accent. He noticed Mollari had a drawing in his hand of the Goa'uld serpent.
"I remembered those stories as well. I was always fascinated by the ones of giants and monsters. I remembered my cousins being told to eat well or the monsters in the forests would eat them. I thought it was a silly thing to tell the children."
They entered a large room which had a special tram on one of the tracks. It was in a large tunnel, bigger than the underground subways he visited in New York. Centauri Prime did have an underground transportation system that certainly dwarfed that of most Earth Cities. Most military bases had underground transportation for sensitive materials that couldn't be bothered to be transported by air or shuttle. Therefore, underground trains had to work.
"It has been discovered in recent years that some of the old legends have a lot more truth than just mere myth. The magnetic tram continued to accelerate.
"Yes. David told me these Goa'uld shared names with some of Earth's old mythology. Old gods from thousands of years ago. It is not uncommon to find someone who believes that old gods were aliens visiting us long ago. Even the Great Maker was said to be one"
"if you asked me that many years ago I would say it was unlikely. Now I say its true with absolute certainty." They both exited the tram once it came to a complete stop. All of them walked inside a hallway which led to a large square room utilized by numerous people working on computer equipment. On several tables there were old rusted artifacts which were being cleaned up by a computerized laser. "As you know the Imperial Archeology Commission has been granted to do digs in former Xon holdings." They both walked into a room where encased in liquid was a Xon. This one looked more different though than regular Xon seen in artwork and depictions. The Emperor and Londo took David Sheridan and some Earth officials on a tour in some Centauri war museums where they were shown artifacts and history from the Xon Wars. Sheridan joked that the Xon looked like a Centauri on Steroids with sharper teeth. This held some truth as the Xon were larger, taller and more heavily muscled than the average Centauri. They wielded heavy armor, swords, and axes that could cut down more than a man at a time. Even the primitive firearms had trouble.
This Xon looked more reptilian. The shape of the skull had more ridges around the side of the head. Skin also bore the appearance of slight scales. It was faint but very noticeable. Arms, legs and head were larger and had a thickness that looked like it would give the being an unnatural strength. Londo looked unnerved by the thing.
"A glacier in the Xon continent collapsed recently and revealed the remains of an old temple…one older than any found on this planet. We found frozen coffins which contained some well preserved Xon…and this..thing.." Emperor Turhan said.
Londo was well educated in the sciences. The paragraph on the touchscreen explained everything. This Xon had significant amounts of DNA from another species. Someone was creating hybrids.
"Those in the scientific communities have long speculated that the Xon were an artificially created race. This proves them correct. Even I thought the Xon were made by somebody." Londo stated. The thought of a Xon starfaring race made his blood run cold. Scientists over the years have studied the Xon. Abnormalities in their genetic code, bone structure and cranium have pointed to evidence of genetic engineering. In more rare cases, evidence of unusual implants were discovered in old Xon burial sites. Some ideas came around that aliens genetically altered the Xon to see how they would fare as a civilization. Others theorized they were made as a warrior race.
Next to the corpse was the remains of a snake like creature pulled from the neck. It was mummified and still in good condition. It looked almost exactly like the creature in the photographs he received from David Sheridan. On a table in a corner of the room was a statue coated in gold. It was that of one of the Xon gods, Margath. The depiction was close to the Centauri God known as Mo-Goth. It was too close for it to be mere coincidence.
"The same Goa'uld that visited Earth have also been active on our very homeworld. Mo-Goth and Margath are one and the same. The Goa'uld that visited Earth likely would have been in contact with the ones that were here which leads me to my next points. The Ministry of Exploration has been inspired by Earth's drive of exploration. An expedition using an explorer fleet has headed out past Anterean Space. Its public mission is to chart worlds corewards of us. Its true purpose is to hopefully find this civilization, their descendants or other potential enemies of the Republic. We cannot afford to be caught off guard."
"Anterean Space? What did you offer them to allow passage through their territory? You must have given them one hell of a deal!"
"Piles of money, resources and some old hulls. We have allowed some of their ships to even join our fleet. They can claim any worlds we find that suit their biology. It also allows us to chart new hyperspace routes, claim new worlds, and set up monitoring outposts. If the Xon are under the control of this Goa'uld then the Republic is in trouble." The Antereans were a newer spacefaring race that ran into the Centauri in the past 40 years. Their preferred worlds were incompatible with Centauri and most other species as they were acclimated to much colder climates. Trade relations were established instead of merely making them a conquered race. The Antereans built up a powerful military considering they have bordered an empire that has both expanded and contracted in the past millennium. Thankfully no military confrontations have occurred, and relations were kept peaceful.
The Centauri Republic operated an exploration division like Earth that was called the Ministry of Exploration. Explorer ships consisted of a larger Primus cruiser minus most weapons. Most of the hull was fitted with advanced sensor arrays including materials for jumpgate construction. Escorting it were several Vorchan class ships, mining ships and refinery vessels. This was the first major exploration expansion in almost a century!
"We will help the Earth Alliance. You still have authority over your House Fleet. Take these orders and tell David Sheridan we will help Earth in any way we can." Emperor Turhan stated confidently. He knew if Earth could be helped, it would open the door for the sharing of vital intelligence, resources, and improving the safety of the Republic.
Emperor Turhan handed Londo a datapad with orders to head towards Regula. Both knew that there was a route from Regula towards Vega. Mollari knew that Vega was a huge mining system where Quantium 40, alloys, gasses and other minerals were extracted from asteroid belts and gas giant rings. Several civilian shipyards were in the system to help with the expansion of mining operations. It would make tactical sense for an alien empire to attack that system. It was projected they could use it as a place where they could jump towards Centauri border worlds. A nightmare scenario waiting to happen.
"I have a transport waiting for you above ground. You always have a direct line to the Royal Court and a line to me."
"I will never fail you Majesty." Londo gave a respectful bow.
"Thank you, Londo Mollari."
Londo Mollari soon took the orders and headed toward the above ground station where his transport would take him back to the Palace where he could notify David Sheridan of the Emperor's decision. As the Emperor walked back towards the Tram, two women in white approached and joined them in heading to their secure vehicle.
"Your visions came true Lady Narila."
The Emperor had a consort of 4 Centauri women. These women were high level telepaths that always had a link with each other to convey information about the Emperor or Republic activities to each other. Two of them women were always close by to the Emperor. On occasion it was known for one of them to dream the future. Lady Narila had a series of dreams regarding archeological finds. One made by humans and the other by Centauri. Following dreams were of Centauri in chains, being forced to mine Quantium 40 and other minerals. Others were being controlled to become part of their armies. Another dream involved darkness surrounding the worlds between Earth Alliance and Centauri space. Part of that dream involved President Levy giving a speech which Centauri news stations covered. When a telepathic consort had such dreams, they were listened to.
"I saw Londo in a further future after this. Before I had the dreams about the Darkness coming."
"So he survives?"
"He has to. I told you about the dream where he sat in your chair. Much older."
Emperor Turhan smiled at that remark. "Londo Mollari's journeys to Earth have helped our relations greatly. The Republic will have to return like a lion if it is to survive. I need to get all the Ministers together. There is a Republic to save."
EAS Daedalus- Flagship 8th Fleet- Hyperspace near Sinzar
Admiral Charles Robinson was considered both the best and most challenging to work with. He hailed from The Bronx district of New York City. After a run in with the law he was given a choice, join Earth Force or jail. With Earth Force, he turned his life around. After enlisting he was accepted at an Earth Force college, became an officer and served as the Captain of a Hyperion Cruiser taking part in many battles of the Dilgar War. He eventually made Admiral due to his many accomplishments during the war which included rescuing a stranded refugee fleet in Hyperspace, even leading a task force to turn around a battle that was about to end badly for Earth Force. His final action in the war came afterwards when a renegade Drazi fleet attempted to raid Omelos and the peacekeeping force he commanded above it. He successfully persuaded the fleet that outnumbered him to turn back without a single shot fired. It was rumored that his deep sharp voice made the Drazi commander nervous enough to turn around. Admiral Robinson was a man whose voice and appearance was easily recognizable as he stood over 6ft with dark skin and had a definite muscular build. Rumor had it he once pulled a 5-Ton during a Strongman Competition on Earth.
"Admiral, the Sinzar Senor Nets have picked up multiple hyperspace distortions by the main planet." His tactical officer, Major Melissa Stiverson stated.
Sinzar was a relatively new mining colony. It was a cold world in the middle of an ice age but had some spots near the equator where valuable minerals were discovered underneath some of the ice. The world also served as a staging point for some exploration missions heading spinward and rimwards including a listening post to observe neutral space. A small military outpost was also present in the system for special operations to conduct environment training and scenarios without prying eyes of wandering civilians. As it was a new colony, it only hosted several thousand people. A small population compared to the hundreds of thousands that populated worlds like Jericho.
"What's the status of the evacuation?"
"Last transport left yesterday. Everything else is just automated sensor nets and automatic defense grids plus a couple Oracle Scouts near some asteroids." His Executive Officer Captain Steven Davidson stated.
"Good, have the fleet prepare to jump. Keep distance between us and their fleet."
"All hands, all hands prepare to exit hyperspace." The XO said through a handset that was transmitted through each ship.
In near perfect unison, the fleet of several hundred exited hyperspace. They took typical battle formation. Nova Dreadnoughts worked with several escorts consisting of Hyperion Cruisers along with a mix of Olympus Corvettes and Frigates. Soon the Olympus Corvettes and Missile Frigates took formation to the front of the fleet.
"Goa'uld ships dead ahead." Major Stiverson stated. On the video monitors they could see the gold pyramid outlines of various ships with surrounding structures in black armor. Multiple of them were placed in front, towards the sides, above and below a large capital ship that dwarfed them all which was identified as the Shu'tak.
"Is….is that gold on their ships?" Admiral Robinson asked incredulously.
"Sensors indicate it is gold around their hull. These guys must like to show off." Major Stiverson replied.
"I've never seen anyone decorate a ship in gold before. Hell, not even Centauri trillionaires decorate their ships in gold. Never thought we would encounter a race of alien showoffs. Reminds me of that fucking weird cult leader in Florida. Thought he was Jesus after getting dust and bought gold, decorated himself and barricaded himself. Took several days before him and his weird followers were detained."
"Looks like their hull fragments would sell a lot on the galactic net." Captain Davidson quipped which brough a smile to the Admirals face.
"Well then, their pimped-out rides will be their downfall. Open a channel on all frequencies."
"Channel open sir."
"Goa'uld Vessels this is Admiral Charles Robinson of the Earth Alliance Ship Daedalus. You are in violation of Earth Alliance space in hostile action against Alliance citizens. You are ordered to leave all Earth Alliance territories and protectorates immediately and return to your borders. If you refuse to leave, I will utilize the full fire and fury given to me to remove you from this space!"
"Enemy ships charging weapons and moving into attack formation!"
"All ships fire at will. Mark deployment pattern epsilon."
The large Earth Alliance fleet spread their rank as ships in stacked and staggered formation, spread 40 miles apart in all 3 axis to position themselves to surround the more compacted Goa'uld fleet. Space soon erupted as bright yellow bolts fired at a rate of over a dozen per second from the Goa'uld fleet streaked towards the main capital ships of the Earth Alliance. Multiple bright flashes of light appeared in the space between the fleets as interceptors ran hot to block each shot.
"Give me a saturation strike. Have railgun and missile frigates fire salvos at lead ships in conjunction with our cruisers."
Flickers of orange flared and spread out as the mixture of kinetic and directed energy hit the shields of Ha'taks. Railguns impacted first followed by missiles and energy bolts. The energy wash made the entire shields of multiple ships glow as each round hit.
"Can we get an idea of their shield strength? We know they can't be invincible."
"Some energy fluctuation in lead ships. Our high velocity railguns seem to be more effective. Some of our interceptors are starting to be overwhelmed! Enemy ships are closing in and launching fighters!" Major Stiverson shouted as her computer beeped warning signals of multiple bogeys.
"Launch our fighters and continue to engage their warships. Have our ships rotate to give their guns cooldown time."
Earlier, Lt. Commander Jeffrey Sinclair was increasing the force of his resistance straps on his exercise machine. While in low gravity environments, resistance straps were utilized for workouts on all muscles of the body. Anyone could push or pull with arms or legs to maintain muscle strength in the low gravity environment that most Earth ships operated in. This was always in addition to taking the specialized protein drinks. Pilots had to work out even harder as they would pull heavy G Forces in their fighters. Even with low level inertia dampeners a high level of physical and muscular fitness had to be maintained. He was counting his reps after each push when he saw the news report on the TV with the President giving an address.
"Computer increase volume!"
"….. a discovery that would impact ancient human and even galactic history forever…" He knew she was talking about the Lewis and Clark incident which included the destruction of the Knoxville.
"…..a race known as the Goa'uld empire which has brought humans to other worlds long ago to use as slaves. They have desired no peaceful contact with us and have demanded our surrender or our deaths. They now have crossed into Earth Alliance space in force to threaten our very existence and our sovereignty. We warned them to stay away from our space. They did not heed our warnings and are now poised to strike our colonies and ultimately Earth itself. We are now at war with the Goa'uld Empire.
"All pilots report to Ready Room, All pilots report to Ready Room at once!"
He threw on his duty gear over his PT shirt and turned a corridor to the Ready Room. It was darkened and pilots were seated to hear their ships executive officer, Captain Steven Davidson speak.
"Alright everyone we are going to Sinzar. Reports show a heavy enemy force is going there and pressing inwards. We will deny them the satisfaction and show them that Earth Force means business. Sinclair you will lead the Ghostriders and knock whatever fighters they have out of the sky. Our fighters will stay the hell away from their capitol ships and utilize escort patters around the Dreadnoughts and Cruisers. Tactical data on their ships, fighters and bombers has been uploaded to your ship's computers. Let's get out there and bash some skulls in!" Captain Davidson left to head towards the command deck of the ship.
He placed his Flight Suit on. These new flight suits incorporated the ability to keep blood flow in the brain to prevent high performance pilots from passing out due to loss of consciousness. Primitive inertial dampeners also helped reduce the effect of G Forces.
Sinclair turned down towards the ramp and into his ship. He double checked his flight suit to made sure it was sealed and pushed himself into his cockpit. The computer automatically turned on as he entered so he switched on to his comms "Alright Ghostriders focus on their fighters and smaller craft. Let the capital ships deal with each other and let's not get cocky out there. Sheppard you are my wingman this mission. Remember your training and stay close."
"Aye sir I'll stay right by ya." His wingman was William Sheppard, a new addition to the Squadron but already proved his worth in many previous simulated engagements and some raider cleanups in League space.
"You sound nervous there, just remember to trust your training and your fighter. Last thing you want is to be isolated. These are no longer simulator scores, and this isn't raider pest control. We don't know what their fighter capabilities are like so watch yourselves."
Both felt the lurch of movement once the transition from hyperspace to normal space took place. He hit the latch button to disengage from the dock. His fighter squadron took position in front of the formation but facing away from potential fire of the cruisers. In the distance he could clearly see the almost white planet known as Sinzar beyond them. Further out in the black of space he could see the gold and black glimmers of pyramid shaped ships. Including one massive one that dwarfed the rest. He listened to the transmission from Admiral Robinson of the Daedalus and its subsequent ignoring by the Goa'uld armada in front of him. It wasn't long before he could see smaller glimmers of light accelerating towards him. Their fighters were coming in extremely fast.
"Alright assume defensive escort positions and prepare for incoming! Stay the hell out of the warships firing solutions. Last thing we need is for us to get killed by our own guns!" Sinclair said through the comms.
The first detail Sinclair noticed was the fighter's similarity to Centauri Sentri fighters. His squadron cut their main engines as they approached the enemy squadron, quickly moving from the incoming fire as they engaged multi-directional thrusters. Each pair of Starfuries split some going towards the left, right, top and bottom. He flipped the Starfury around and fired a burst of plasma that incinerated the small fighter in front of him. Their weapons fired rapidly but the Earth Alliance pilots found quickly that the pilots in the Deathgliders weren't as well trained as EarthForce. They didn't stay in formation very long and eventually multiple fighters were caught isolated which was a death sentence in space combat. Many in the squadron scored kills as the Jaffa pilots fought back desperately.
"Ha! Looks like these guys fight worse than raiders. Let's mop the rest of them up!" One of pilots shouted through the comms. Ships in front of the formation including corvettes and frigates had dedicated interceptor systems which could stop incoming missiles and bolt fire. These same systems were also effective as an anti-fighter screen. The plasma bolts from the fighters that did hit the hulls did little more than leave scorch marks.
"They may fight poorly but lets not underestimate them. We don't know what tricks they have up their sleeves." Sinclair reminded the other pilots. He saw Sheppard fly by chasing after a Deathglider and firing a burst that shot off a wing followed by the fighter tumbling apart. He was relieved to know their fighter capabilities were poor but knew that had to make up for it in warship strength.
"Good shot Sheppard. Let's bag some of these bombers." Sinclair selected another batch of targets. It was one of the ships designated as an Al'kesh bomber. "Ghostriders lets take out these bombers before they reach the dreadnoughts! Sheppard you see any bogeys on our six?"
"Negative sir looks like we wasted them. Looks like we really showed them."
"Ill buy you a drink after this. I'm putting the next target on your screen. Lets give this guy some missiles." He selected an Al'kesh that was heading on a direct course for the Cleveland, a Hyperion Cruiser. They could see movement near the engines which meant its rear turrets was facing them. Sinclair selected the missile controls in his Starfury.
"Alright, Fire missiles on my mark…3…2…1.. mark!" Missiles launched from Sheppard's and Sinclair's Stafuries streaking out towards the Al'kesh. Both pilots split temporarily to dodge remaining plasma bursts from its two rear turrets. It succeeded in shooting down one missile but the rest detonated on its engine and underneath it. The shrapnel penetrated even the thick armor of the Al'kesh shredding its interior killing the crew inside. Its reactor consumed it in a fireball and some debris bounced harmlessly off the Cleveland.
"That's some beautiful rain Commander. Permission to do a strafing run on their warships?"
"Negative, continue to provide escort patterns. Other wings will perform strafing maneuvers and bombing runs. We hold tight here..."
Both their words were interrupted by a bright flash of an exploding Earth Force cruiser. Followed by another one. The battle outside was intensifying as nukes slammed against shields. Bright flashes of light illuminated the space between the two opposing groups of warships. In the distance they could see the rates of fire from enemy cruisers increase, some overwhelming the defense grids of Earth Cruisers.
"Enemy cruisers are spreading out and moving in. Reading more energy spikes!" Tactical officer, Major Stiverson yelled. All of a sudden several cruisers marked in blue changed into red which indicated their destruction.
"What the hell was that!?" Admiral Charles Robinson yelled as he noticed the concurrent live feed of several cruisers being destroyed by bright yellow beams. The Daedalus rocked as a beam glanced the side of the ship.
"High powered beam cannon. Looks like they charged their secondaries. Something our interceptors cannot stop. Enemy ships moving in!"
"Have flanks spread out and concentrate fire on their shields. Prepare to turn our ship 90 degrees to flank. Give me these ships a firing solution for this target." The Admiral selected a Ha'tak for a massed fire bombardment from a selected force in the flank consisting of several Nova's and Hyperions. "Let's see how well they can stand up to multiple broadsides!"
"90 Degrees flank aye! Targeting solution is on nearest Ha'tak." Major Stiverson stated.
"Fire!"
A mixture of red lasers, blue pulse and bright particle beams slammed into the shields of the nearest Ha'tak closest to his group. Massed continuous fire made the shields grow a bright orange before they got dimmer and collasped. Soon enough multiple holes appeared in the hull as energy weapons, railguns and some missiles pierced armor. Return fire from the Ha'tak soon stopped before it was consumed in a brilliant explosion as its reactor failed. On the bridge, cheers were heard as they brought down one of their warships.
"Rotate 90 degrees and prepare another firing solution. We know that concentrated fire can bring them down. Relay this information to the Fleet. They aren't so indestructible after all."
Another volley of massive fire struck down a close Hok'Kesh cruiser. In its final moments a bright yellow beam sliced out lancing a Hyperion cruiser separating it from its engines and letting the ship get consumed in fire. Another Goa'uld ship in the distance was consumed in nuclear fire as a saturated nuclear missile strike overwhelmed its shields. Bits of glowing wreckage soon replaced ships on both sides
"We're not killing enough of their ships. For each one we kill they destroy ten of ours!" Executive Officer Captain Davidson Blue symbols representing Earth ships began to go red. Soon multiple blips appeared on the sensor screen. "Multiple enemy reinforcements incoming!" All of them knew there was no way they could fight off even more warships.
Admiral Robinson observed with anger as more ships were destroyed in 1-2 hits by those weapons. None of these ships were even able to send out lifepods before being vaporized. He knew his orders were to pull out if the battle got bad. He wasn't going to let any more in his fleet die needlessly.
"Pull back out of their weapons range and recall the fighters! Set course for Vega beacon and rendezvous with Admiral Isakov's fleet. We can rearm and hit them harder."
"Aye sir sending the order now. All ships withdraw at once. I repeat all ships withdraw at once."
Several more Hyperions and Corvettes were cut by the power beam cannons the Goa'uld possessed. A barrage coming from the rear guns of a Nova managed to drain the shields of another Ha'tak before it was finished off by two more nuclear missiles. As the final ships entered the vortexes, flaming debris drifted as the Goa'uld ships stayed in formation.
"We will come back. You haven't seen what we got yet." Admiral Robinson said under his breath. He vowed to win the next round.
Apelp's Flagship
"My lord, the Tau'ri have fled" First Prime Apelp smiled with glee as he reported to the 3D Projection of Ra and his Pel'tak. In the background a green planet could be seen with red glows from orbital bombardment. That told him Ra was successful in driving away the Earth Alliance fleet from the system he knew as Jericho. "I see you made their world burn. You truly are powerful." He gave a respectful bow to his master.
Apelp was one of the First Prime's of Ra. He was tasked with leading a force into this colony. To show his dominance and military superiority over the System Lords, Ra utilized two First Primes. Apelp and Kassel to command his largest fleets. In the last two centuries he has seen multiple Primes fall during the War Against Sokar. These two were the first and only to survive battles against the infamous Hell Lord himself. After winning major battles and surviving, he promoted them to his First Prime positions.
"They have fled this system and will continue to flee inside their borders. Soon we will strike at the heart of their territories and make each world burn. Did you suffer losses?" Ra had asked. Any losses had to be replaced.
"My losses were minimal, but their space fighters are formidable. They were able to take out our Death Gliders and Al'kesh." He would never dare lie to Ra
"Do not underestimate these Tau'ri. As primitive as they may be their ships and fleets are formidable. I was surprised at how well versed they were in the arts of war. Your fleet will be reinforced. Take them to their system known as Vega. Our scouts show they have large mining and refueling depots. Their ships will not be able to refuel, and their fleets will be stranded in the cold of space where they can be crushed." Ra had ordered before closing the hologram.
Ra's Flagship
Ra was pleased. His fleet hit the large Earth fleet and orbital stations present. Now they were destroyed with the remaining fleet fleeing before him. On the green planet below, he could still see the firestorm visible from his prolonged orbital bombardment. Hot debris glowed in many pieces in orbit from the remains of destroyed stations, ships and defense platforms. Other ships would soon arrive with greater fighter compliments to replace Deathgliders and Al'kesh lost. It was a victorious day indeed, however. He pressed on a red gem imbedded into his chair and soon a tall figure appeared as a holographic projection.
"First Prime Kassel. You have done great on this day. The forces of the Tau'ri fled before us and these worlds now burn before our fleet.
"Thank you, my lord." He bowed. "I am glad to serve beside you. Which world shall I target next?"
"Take your fleet and head to the world known as Deneth. That world is allied with the Tau'ri and they shall be punished. Their allies need to know fear and that helping the Tau'ri will only lead to death."
"With pleasure my lord!" He smiled and the hologram closed.
Ra stood up and looked directly at Ekresh. "Has there been any movement or changes in the other System Lord Domains?" He had Ekresh in charge of sending scouts back to the domains to report on any unusual activity and to check in with the various spies placed around. Most Ashrak made good spymasters as much as good infiltrators. The last thing he needed was Heru'ur, Ba'al, Camulus, or Cronus trying to encroach on his Domain. Destroying the Tau'ri and reclaiming the territory would further secure his position as Supreme System Lord for millennia to come and ensure that no one else would revolt against him.
"No, my lord. The other System Lords have been quiet. I am certain they have noticed the fleet movements of you and Apophis but they have been ignored. However, my spies report that trading of goods increases between Heru'ur and Vellamas."
Ra knew that the Domain of Heru'ur did border that of Vellamas, the new alien System Lord that quickly gained power around a thousand years ago. Even Ra was impressed with the short amount of time it took him to carve up and secure borders around his domain. He had spies watch him but that System Lord for now focused on his internal affairs." Ra had watched his son Heru'ur for some time now. He had gained some unusual new technologies but not enough to challenge his position.
As usual he heard absolutely nothing from the Domains of Lord-Emperor Oshu or Pelops. Both have closed their borders and maintained non-interference with System Lord Affairs. Ever since Yu died, Lord-Emperor Oshu has not even attended a Summit. It did not matter to Ra, however. Their domains were well away from his and the others. He saw no consequence in ignoring them.
"Imhotep has also expanded his borders but has not come into conflict with the others. He does not seem poised to strike at the others though his small fleet is growing." He remembered that Imhotep was a First Prime at first but moved up to minor System Lord and gained power after several others have fallen at Sokar's hands. He was seen by the others as very power hungry yet stayed within his limits and never attempted to gather a large fleet. Ra never considered him a threat however he would pay attention closely to that System Lord's actions.
"Good, after I have crushed the Tau'ri and taken their populations for myself I will inform the others at the next Summit. Then we shall have a vote on striking the other powers in this region down. Have you made any progress in finding the Tok'ra?"
"Yes..I have." Ekresh pulled out a wick and box full of unusual powder that he had discovered in one of the cargo rooms. Farming worlds are very used to creating primitive methods of explosives. He knew these two powders combines would create an explosive mixture. Internal sensors and inspections would not pick up anything unusual. "I found this in the cargo room. Someone is trying to build a primitive bomb." The cargo room had naquadah stored for repairs and some refueling. A bomb exploding next to the stored naquadah would be catastrophic.
Ra's eyes glowed in anger. "This Tok'ra will slip up once again. As sneaky as they are one will always make errors. I would prefer to capture this one alive…for interrogation."
"Yes my lord."
Ra sat back down and considered his options. If Earth was more primitive, he would have merely sent a large fleet to bomb the planet to the stone age and enslave the rest of the inhabitants. Now that Earth was more advanced, he thought the risk was too great to send a large fleet directly there. Each system had to be scoured to ensure no more threats were present. He and the other Goa'uld System Lords learned that lesson against Sokar. Kali and Morrigan launched an attack with their full fleet at Delmak which failed miserably as they were ambushed in hyperspace where their ships shields were weakened and more easily destroyed by Sokar and his general Moloch. He still knew that Moloch was out there..somewhere. After the Battle of Delmak his remaining fleet of ships vanished and have not been seen again. He learned long ago to never assume a System Lord dead until you have destroyed their body yourself.
"My lord, receiving transmission from Apophis!"
Ra waved his hand and the holographic form of his brother Apophis appeared.
"Brother, I am pleased to report that the Tau'ri have been routed from Cyrus! Their mining colony was annihilated and their fleet in full retreat."
"Excellent." He tapped another button which indicated a map of the surrounding space. "Join me in attacking their world of Beta Durani. You will have all claim to slaves, resources and spoils after we destroy the Tau'ri there. May our reign be long and endless."
"May our reign be long and endless!" He repeated back.
Towards the back of the Pel'tak, Amissa pretended to be very pleased with Ra. However, she did it to hide her nervousness. Not even she was immune to making mistakes and this mistake could easily cost her. She returned to her duties checking systems, making repairs. She knew Ekresh would discover her one day and she decided that would be the day she'd take everything down with her. It was decided that she would avoid the Cargo Rooms for a while.
She did have an advantage. Ekresh couldn't be everywhere and while Ra trusted him, he was still paranoid about Ashrak enough to line every room, hallway and crevice in his ship with Transphasic Sensors that would reveal cloaks. The last thing Ra wanted was to be assassinated by a Tok'ra with a cloak or Selket getting tired of him and offing him. If she tried to send a hidden signal surely it would be detected so that was out of the question. She would still work but under much quieter conditions.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ekresh leave down a hallway. Perfect, he was going the opposite direction she was intending on going. She walked down the hallway quietly and opened a door to her crew quarters. On the floor in a corner she felt the cloaked gel that hid a container. That contained her completed devices. She decided to make her move sooner rather than later.
