Chapter Twenty-Four: Paying the Price
Still within the Goa'uld fortress, Carter continued to lead Crichton through the twisting maze of corridors, but always they moved upward. Towards the surface. It was a minor miracle that they hadn't encountered any more Peacekeeper commandoes or guards yet... Or did the lack of security have anything do with their apparent inside help? Crichton didn't really care all that much. Just as long they could find the door with the sign that said 'exit' hanging above it.
"Take the left corridor up at the next junction," Carter said.
Crichton was noticed that Carter was moving better alongside him. He wasn't supporting her weight as much as he had been a few minutes ago.
"How's your leg?" he asked.
"Better," Carter replied. "Instead of one big sharp throbbing pain, it's now just one big dull throbbing pain. It should be healed completely by tomorrow."
Crichton regarded her with amazement as they took the turn down the left corridor.
"You can heal that fast?" he exclaimed. "Now I'm really jealous. What other surprises do you have tucked away that I don't know about?"
"If you ask nicely," Jolinar suddenly spoke through Carter with a devious, not to mention teasing, smile, "I just might show you."
Crichton shook his head at the flirting Tok'ra. "As much as I enjoy a good game of show and tell, I'll have to take a pass."
"Ahem! Sorry about that," Carter now spoke, taking control from the Tok'ra for a moment. "I think that Jolinar has a serious case of cabin fever from being locked away in my head for so long. She has some... err... exotic needs."
"Two minds, different appetites, and one body to share between you. You ladies are going to have some serious problems to work out between the two of you," Crichton commented. "Just don't ask me to referee it."
Carter snickered. "Then where would all the fun be if we don't?" When she saw the worried look on Crichton face, she smiled. "Relax Buck Rogers, I'm just teasing."
"Could have fooled me," Crichton said in a grumpy tone as they approached the end of the corridor, which came to a T-junction.
"This is the place," Carter said. "Just through that outer wall is the way out."
Crichton remained doubtful. "I don't know Sam, that wall looks a little on the thick side."
Slowly, Carter stood up straight, no longer leaning on Crichton for support. He watched her as her eyes flashed brightly and Jolinar spoke aloud, holding the Ribbon device at the ready.
"You had better get behind me while I make us our own exit!"
Crichton didn't argue, especially from someone who was wielding a weapon that packed the punch of a howitzer at close range.
FIVE MINUTES LATER...
Scorpius, for the lack of better words, was NOT a happy man. He stood before a huge gaping hole in the side of the Peacekeeper base. The 'escape tunnel' leading outside measured roughly five feet around and reached fifteen feet through of heavy stone blocks of the outer wall. Just behind him, a large group of Peacekeeper Commandoes stood nervously at attention. They all sensed his growing anger, and none of them wanted to draw his attention.
Samantha Carter was indeed an amazing woman, who was just chock full of 'annoying' surprises. Scorpius frowned darkly before noticing a few red droplets along the floor leading into the tunnel. The Scarren hybrid reached down and dabbed his fingers into the still moist liquid.
It was blood. Human blood.
Raising his hand up to his face, Scorpius first sniffed the strange and somewhat odd smelling substance. His sense of smell was rather sensitive. After a moment, he licked the traces of blood off of his fingers.
He knew Crichton well enough to recognize that this wasn't his blood. It was Samantha's. If she were badly wounded, she wouldn't be able to get far, even if she had a symbiont helping her and Crichton to support her.
Snapping his fingers, Scorpius signaled the Peacekeeper Commandoes to follow him out through the tunnel, and onto the surface to continue the pursuit of his prey.
***
When Crichton had first lain eyes on the rocky terrain surrounding the Peacekeeper base from the air he'd thought that it would make great cover for an escape. However, at the time, he hadn't been counting on one of the escapees being wounded.
Although she did not complain, he could see that she was struggling to clamber over the uneven ground, around boulders and up rocky slopes. Jolinar was 'driving' because she was better able to block out the pain than Carter, but even she was biting down on her bottom lip against the need to endure the pure agony shooting up through her injured leg.
As they struggled onward, Crichton spoke softly as he continued to support Carter. "If the ground were a little more even I would offer to carry you."
In response, he heard Jolinar's voice answering. "That would be a very gentlemanly gesture, but it would also tire you out more quickly."
It was then, from behind his ear, that Crichton heard a tiny voice coming from his communication implant. "This is rescue ship calling John Crichton. Can you hear us? Over?"
Crichton smiled a big goofy grin. It was Colonel O'Neill. "I hear you loud and clear. Where are you?"
"We're on final approach. Just six minutes out and we've got a lock on your implant. How's Major Carter?"
"She's suffered a leg wound, but she's okay otherwise," Crichton reported.
"Who are you talking to now?" Jolinar inquired curiously of Crichton.
Before he could answer, Crichton heard O'Neill demanding loudly in his ear. "Who the hell was that I just heard!?"
"Ah," Crichton hesitated wondering what to say. "That answer is a bit too complicated to explain in the little time we have."
"Then humour me," O'Neill snapped, not in a mood for guessing games. "I haven't had a good laugh since I started this mission. Do you have a Goa'uld with you?" Then his voice softened with concern. "Are you two in danger?"
"No," Crichton answered quickly. "We're fine, O'Neill. It's just... " He looked over at Jolinar, feeling vexed, trying to find a way to explain Carter's new 'passenger and friend'.
Sensing something wrong, Jolinar's eyes blinked heavily before Carter spoke aloud. "I'm here, sir. We are fine, but Jolinar is back. I can't explain how it happened, but she is here. She saved my life again, sir.... and I doubt that we could have escaped without her assistance."
There was dead silence for several seconds before O'Neill was able to find his voice again. "Al-l-l-right! We're about five minutes out and we'll be bringing you up by using the transport rings. Find an open area and wait for us."
"Understood," Crichton replied. "I see a clearing just up ahead."
"Good. Just sit tight and keep your heads down. We'll be there before you know it. O'Neill out."
"What did he say?" Carter asked.
Crichton thought for a moment before answering honestly. "He sounded less then thrilled with the news that your friend was back from the dead."
***
The ride down on the Tok'ra shuttle went uneventfully, other than a little air turbulence, and completely unopposed. Any fighters that could have interdicted them had already been suckered out and destroyed trying to contest Galactica's arrival in orbit. Of having something the size of a small (very small, granted) moon, like the Galactica, covering your six from orbit helps too. The shuttle trembled slightly, once it finished its insertion into it's landing trajectory, as it met the gradually thickening atmosphere.
O'Neill was in the cockpit compartment as they made their final descent towards the surface. Teal'c was in the pilot seat, while Freya manned the co-pilot's console, keeping a close eye on the sensor board.
However, all that O'Neill could think of was... Jolinar is back!
But how?
This was the very same Tok'ra that had jumped into Carter's body to save itself from dying with its host. Not to mention the fact that Jolinar had nearly gotten Sam killed by that assassin who was trying to hunt her down! Okay, so it gave its life to save hers in the end, but that still didn't make it right. And now that self-interested worm was back?
His thoughts were broken by a deep gruff voice coming from behind him. "Have you located them yet?"
Turning slightly, he glanced up at the towering Luxan warrior. "We just had some communication with Crichton. They're outside the base, but Carter is wounded. It's slowing them down some."
D'Argo heard the concern in O'Neill's voice and tried to reassure the Human. "I know Crichton, and I can reassure you that he will not leave her behind. They will escape together or not at all."
"I know," O'Neill said before turning to Teal'c. "Time before we reach their position?"
"Three minutes." Teal'c replied.
It was still too long to wait, O'Neill thought. "Can't you get this tub to move any faster?"
"I already have the atmospheric engines at maximum, O'Neill," Teal'c said
"See if you can give it a bit more gas," O'Neill gently urged his Jaffa friend.
"I shall try," Teal'c said before throttling the engines a bit more. With some minor vibration, the shuttle's protesting engines surged ahead faster.
O'Neill nodded, a little better, not by much, but better than before. "What's the time before we reach the base now...?"
"Galactica to Colonel O'Neill," Colonel Tigh's voice suddenly broke over the shuttle's comm. "Come in! Do you read?"
O'Neill didn't like the worried tone in the voice of Galactica's First Officer. It must be bad news. "We hear you loud and clear."
"We have a situation up here and we will have to break orbit to deal with it. The Command Carrier has partially revived itself and is attempting to ram us. We won't be able to give you ground support if you should encounter resistance. Do you understand?"
O'Neill winced. That was bad!
"I read you Colonel," O'Neill replied. "We'll make do without your support. Just protect yourselves, you're our only ride home."
***
High above the planet Tobin, like a giant self-made cruise missile, the wounded and only half-functional Peacekeeper Command Carrier closed in on the Galactica. Seemingly determined to plow its bow section into the very centre of the Battlestar's hull and slice it in two.
On the bridge of the Galactica, Adama was equally determined to prevent that. "Helm, flank speed ahead and break orbit! Gunnery crews, fire at will!"
The Galactica tried to pull away from its orbit about Tobin, but inertia was against her. The planet's gravity well slowed her escape into open space like an anchor dragging behind them. Meanwhile, the Command Carrier continued to build on already incredible momentum as it drove down upon the slow moving Colonial warship.
The battlestar's turbo laser batteries opened up with a flash of searing fire. The blasts ripped and gouged into the Command Carrier's hull, causing tremendous damage. The carrier's heavy armor plating began to buckle, giving way to the awesome pounding. Soon, the blasts started to pierce deep inside its forward superstructure. Within microns, the entire bow of the huge carrier looked much like a burnt out fire blackened log dotted with glowing embers.
Still, plowing through the wealth of defensive fire, the Command Carrier continued its death run towards them, altering its course only enough to stay on target.
Colonel Tigh watched in frustration from one monitor as it became obvious that the Battlestar's weapons were failing to stop the approaching enemy ship. Since they were trying to make a run for it, they couldn't afford the time and lost velocity to turn about so that they could deploy their more powerful bow mounted turbo lasers cannons.
"Estimated time before impact?" Tigh barked.
"Forty-five microns," Omega answered with a noticeable tone of tension in his voice. The Command Carrier was growing ever larger on his console monitor.
"Standby to fire solonite missiles," Colonel Tigh commanded. "And order all squadrons to stop that Carrier at all cost. Get that ship out of our patch of the sky!"
...Forty-microns before impact...
***
Captain Apollo's voice boomed over the comms. "Blue squadron! Silver Spars! Talyn! Go for the engines! Hit that ship with everything that you've got!!"
They all pounced as one, like a school of hungry piranha on unwary prey. Every Viper opened up with turbo lasers and any solonite missiles that they were still carrying. Talyn closed in and unloaded with everything he had. The Galactica now started to launch volleys of their own anti-ship missiles.
"I know what they're planning," Aeryn called out. "A Peacekeeper Captain did it once when he was facing a superior Scarren fleet. He plowed his damaged Command Carrier into their ranks and overloaded his ship's reactor. The explosion wiped out half of the Scarren fleet. It's a classic maneuver now. Every captain knows it, and knows how to use it, if he has to. Destroying his engines won't be enough! The Command Carrier's forward inertia will continue to carry towards the Galactica and he will still be able to detonate his reactor once he feels that he's close enough. We have to destroy it completely!!"
And they would have to do it in under thirty-five microns... which was nearly impossible. Not completely impossible.... but nearly. It can be done... provided you can pay the required price.
***
In the Command Area of Talyn, Athena looked almost frantic. "Thirty microns before it impacts the Galactica," She turned to Crais. "Does Talyn have anything else in his arsenal?"
The Leviathan Captain was quiet, as if in meditation before opening his eyes and saying, "Talyn! Open communications to Captain Apollo."
***
"This is the spot," Crichton said as they entered a small clearing devoid of any oversized boulders. Nothing, but small rocks and pebbles, much like a gravel pit. "Now we sit and they'll be here any minute."
"Thank God!" Carter groaned, happy to sit down and get off her feet. Her leg was killing her.
Carefully, Crichton helped to ease her to the ground. As he did, he saw fresh blood soaking through her pant leg. "I should take a look at that."
Carter shook her head smiling. "And have you fondling my leg? I don't think so!" The blond Major grinned. "Wounded or not, Jolinar might find it too much of a turn on."
Crichton laughed as he dropped down beside her. "It can't be any worse when Chiana and I got stuck in an elevator for three arns on some commerce planet a while back."
Carter's eyes flashed and Jolinar spoke. "And what happened?"
"Oh, so you're interested in hearing this too, huh?" Crichton smiled at the Tok'ra. "All right. This was when Aeryn was off on Talyn with the other 'John Crichton'. The two of us were out buying some supplies and we were on elevator when it just stopped between floors and we couldn't get out. At first we just talked to pass the time while waiting for a repair team to arrive, but eventually she had other ideas to help make the time... well... go faster."
"Clever girl." Jolinar smirked.
"Clever enough," Crichton nodded. "I can't say that I wasn't tempted by the idea. She had been hitting on me for a while with her steady flirtations, but I was still hoping that Aeryn would come home. Then there was the fact that I valued Chiana's friendship more than a roll in the hay, and I just didn't want to ruin it. I told her that much and strangely, Chiana respected that rather than being offended."
"This Aeryn must be truly special. She is lucky to have someone like you that is so loyal."
Jolinar watched, as Crichton seemed to zone out. His eyes just stared blankly at some distant point on the horizon. After a second, he took in a breath and continued.
"I'm lucky to have someone like her and my friends. You wouldn't believe the number of times that I've come close to losing out here. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have lasted as long as I have. All I wanted for a long time was to get home, but now that most of us are about to part ways... I'm going to miss them."
"That's a natural reaction," Jolinar said comfortingly. "They wouldn't be your friends if you didn't feel that way."
"I have been through so much, I'm wondering if my dad will even recognize me when I get back," Crichton said, as he picked up a small stone and examined it.
Once again, Carter took her turn to speak to him. "He's your father, Crichton. Of course he'll recognize you."
He nodded before tossing the stone away. Suddenly, he smiled. "Jolly Sam!"
"Excuse me?"
"Jolly Sam!" Crichton laughed at Carter. "That'll be your new nickname. It'll help to cover all the bases when I'm not sure whom I'm speaking to. Especially when you walk into the room and I'm not sure who's in control at the moment."
Carter shook her head. "And you think that I'm the crazy one in this duo?"
He winked at her. "It's that or I'll have to get you a rotating name tag."
The two of them were still laughing when Crichton's tiny communicator implant kicked in again. He heard O'Neill's voice. "Crichton do you read us? We're thirty seconds from your position. We're approaching cloaked and we'll be engaging the rings immediately to bring you on board. We are detecting a large group of Peacekeepers about a half-mile from your position, so we need to do this fast. Get close to Carter and standby."
"Understood," Crichton replied with a joyful grin. They were finally getting off of this rock and away from Scorpius. He shuffled closer to Carter who stared at him with curiosity written on her face. He smiled at her letting her know what was going on. "Your Colonel is about to beam us up. Get ready."
***
It was all or nothing with very little time left. Apollo followed Captain Crais' instructions and he ordered every Viper in position with a clear shot to focus all their firepower on one area of the Command Carrier. It was the vessel's fuel storage area for its Prowlers. Although it was well armored and deep within the carrier, Crais was confident with Talyn's powerful and accurate cannon, he could punch through to it with the Colonials' help.
Athena watched her console. "Eighteen microns before it reaches the Galactica!"
Crais knew they had to hurry. He had no doubt that Captain Souchis would probably self-destruct his ship once he got within five microns of the Battlestar. "Talyn, with everything you have! Target and FIRE!!"
The Leviathan Gunship unloaded a steady and massive steam of cannon fire into the port side of the Command Carrier. Within seconds, the intense blast had drilled through its hull, boring deeper and deeper, through deck after deck, until the brave little Leviathan exhausted his energy reserves. Unable to continue firing, the Gunship pulled up and away allowing Apollo and his Viper squadrons to drop in for their shot. The Colonial Captain shouted over the comms, praying that this will work.
"Blue Squadron! Silver Spars! FIRE!!"
Conducting the attack in a rough 'in line' formation of two's and three's, the lead group fired into the gaping hole that Talyn had created. Laser torpedoes, as well as any and all remaining solonite missiles, were poured in, continuing to bore deeper. Once they got too close, the leading Vipers would pull away allowing the Vipers behind their shot, each of them trying their best to strike those fuel tanks.
"Blow up you bastard!" Sheba muttered angrily under her breath as she took her turn to hammer the target area now.
Aeryn was trailing just off of Sheba's starboard wing as she fired her last remaining solonite missiles into the Peacekeeper ship.
Instantly there was a flash erupting from deep within the severely wounded Command Carrier. Fire exploded out like a volcano from the cavernous hole that Talyn and the Colonials had dug in its flank.
"WE DID IT!!" A jubilant Sheba shouted over the comms, then her eyes widened. "Ohh shit! Everyone jam the turbos wide open, and get the hell out of here!"
She saw more explosions shaking the dying Peacekeeper ship. It was going up like a roman candle. Entire sections of the huge dreadnought, some the size of football fields were being ripped away by the denotations rippling through it.
"All Vipers retreat!" Apollo ordered. "Everyone get clear!"
***
Down on the surface of Tobin, Scorpius was leading several squads of Peacekeepers, numbering nearly one hundred men. He was monitoring a small hand scanner, which showed two Human life signs just about a half a metra from their position.
Looking ahead in their direction. He judged that Crichton and Carter were probably hiding amongst the boulders and planning an ambush. Then his superior Scarren vision detected a moving distortion in the air, slowly settling above the spot where Crichton and Carter were located. It had the apparent outline of a ship.
Ah! A Goa'uld ship hiding behind a cloaking screen, he thought.
Scorpius turned to a nearby heavily armed Peacekeeper and extended his hand, and asked quite politely, "May I borrow that Tak launcher that you're carrying?"
***
Teal'c carefully guided the shuttle into place over Crichton and Major Carter's position. Next to him, Freya prepared to use the transport rings to bring them aboard. And just behind him, he heard Colonel O'Neill speaking into the comm. system.
"Standby Crichton. We're ready to beam you two aboard." The Jaffa noticed the relief in the Colonel's voice. He had obviously been fearing that something might have gone terribly wrong in this rescue attempt. He'd been muttering imprecations about someone named 'Murphy' for the last half-hour.
Just as Freya was about to activate the rings, Teal'c was scanning the surrounding terrain from their large cockpit windows when his eyes detected a faint flash from their left. A second later, he saw a small projectile screaming up towards them. It moved so fast that Teal'c didn't even have the time to open his mouth to shout out a warning before it struck them.
***
Crichton smiled as O'Neill transmitted a signal to notify them that they were about to 'beam' the two of them up. He glanced at Carter, saying playfully.
"Honey. Our bus has arrived."
Carter nodded happily. She could hear the gentle hum of the cloaked Tok'ra shuttle's engines as it hovered over them. In a few seconds, the transport rings would drop down to 'zap' them safely onto the ship.
"I was hoping for something with an in flight movie," she joked with him. "But beggars can't be choosers."
Then something streaked through the air. A missile? It broad sided the invisible shuttle and exploded. An instant later, the shuttle became visible with a huge smoking gash on its left side. It hung in the air a second more before suddenly lurching to the right, out of control.
Carter screamed as the shuttle moved away, losing altitude quickly like a falling brick. "NOOO!"
Crichton watched in horror as the shuttle impacted into the rocky terrain, despite the best efforts of whoever was piloting it to make it a controlled landing. The sound of metal screeching and buckling was deafening.
Beside him, Carter was
still screaming.
***
Looking quite pleased with his aim, Scorpius tossed the spent Tak launcher aside before addressing his small army of Peacekeepers.
"Remember, I want Crichton and Carter to be taken alive. If you should find any survivors in that Goa'uld wreck, they are not worth our time. Just kill them."
***
"That ship is coming apart," Colonel Tigh reported as he watched a monitor showing the disintegrating Command Carrier. "Sensors say that it's primary reactor is about to go super-critical."
"Lords of Kobol," Adama whispered. He knew that the carrier was far enough away to be no threat to the Galactica, but their fleeing Vipers were still dangerously close. Sadly, he could do nothing, but to watch and pray as the carrier finally exploded as its reactor failed. The brilliant explosion radiated outward, with the power of several Mass Destruction Bombs, threatening to consume everything in its path.
Including their fighters.
***
For Starbuck, the only other times that he'd run this fast was when someone was shooting at him. He looked over his shoulder and watched the growing blast wave slowly gaining on the fleeing Vipers. He felt confident enough that he would be able get far enough away in time, but it was the other Vipers trailing further behind him that he was growing more and more concerned about.
"Come on!" he yelled over the comm. "Move it people!"
***
Just ahead of Starbuck's Viper, Crais was also leading Talyn to safety.
"Oh, no!" Athena said, staring in dread at her console before turning her eyes to Crais. "I just did a check of the positions of the our escaping fighters relative to the speed of the blast wave closing in behind us... One of our trailing fighters, maybe two may not get clear it in time."
Crais looked at her in sympathy. "Who are they?"
***
The last two Vipers were moving like a couple of bats out of hell with the blast wave licking at their heels.
"Pedal to the metal, Aeryn!" Sheba cried to her wingman. She had her Viper's throttle wide open and the various engine gauges in her cockpit had their needles buried in the red.
Just one thousand feet behind her, Aeryn was also pushing her Viper engines hard. Try as she might, she couldn't shake the inescapable and ominous feeling in her gut that was rooted in what her sensors were telling the ex-Peacekeeper.
"I'm not going to make it, Sheba," she admitted. "But you might."
However, Sheba didn't want to hear it. "Shut up Aeryn! You are going to make it too. Just fly that damn bird! Push it until it breaks!"
From her Viper, Aeryn glanced behind at the fiery blast wave closing in on her. She was going to die... again. And this time, Zhann wouldn't be around to save her. "I want you to know that I valued your friendship, Sheba..."
"Don't talk like that Aeryn," Sheba shouted back, trying to fight back the growing tears. "I promised Crichton that I would look after you..."
"This is not your fault..." Aeryn was now crying too. "Please tell Crichton that I..."
The blast wave finally caught up with Aeryn's Viper and raging hellfire engulfed the tiny fighter.
"AERYN!!" Sheba cried out as her friend's Viper profile disappeared from her cockpit scanner.
Aeryn Sun was gone.
Author's Note: Worried about Aeryn? All I can say is trust me… I know what I am doing. Feel free to leave feedback or just to hurl flames. I value all my readers thoughts and genuine concerns.
