Colonel Jack O'Neill glanced at the rest of his team as they prepared to go through the stargate for the first time since the end of the latest recruit-training period a few days before. Several other SG teams had gone through the gate on routine missions already but SG-1 had been sat on the sidelines since they were still only down to three members – what with Daniel still being aboard the Resolution as she orbited Tollana helping with the rehabilitation of Sarah Gardner. Having no idea when Daniel would return from the Federation ship and not really wanting his best team to sit on the sidelines indefinitely General Hammond had assigned Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey to SG-1 until such time as Daniel Jackson returned. Now they were off on a routine mission to P9L-2950.
"Chevron Seven locked," Lieutenant Morris announced from the control room just as the wormhole burst into existence with the familiar 'kawoosh' of vapour before settling into the normal shimmering event horizon.
"Move out," Jack ordered starting up the ramp. Quickly the four of them walked up the embarkation ramp and stepped through the stargate – Hailey doing so a little nervously as it was only her third trip through the gate.
Hammond watched them leave from the control room. As the last of SG-1 stepped through the stargate he suddenly had the strangest feeling. The feeling that something was about to happen, something big, something that was going to change everything.
*****
Zipacna's FlagshipOrbiting P9L-2950
Rumak was startled when the ships sensors – although barely functioning thanks to the serious damage the Rapier's torpedo had done – detected a burst of activity from the chappa'ai down on the planet. Sensors now registered four life signs exiting the gate. Three Humans and one Jaffa. Must be the Tau'ri, he thought, and it has to be SG-1 the team that that sho'vah Teal'c is a member of. Oh what luck. Anubis is already pleased with us over the capture of that Federation vessel; he'll be even more pleased if we deliver him the Tau'ri.
"My lord sensors just picked up a burst of activity from the chappa'ai on the planet below," he reported to Lord Zipacna who was once again sitting on his throne at the rear of the peltac. "Four life forms have just come through. Three Humans and one Jaffa."
[The Tau'ri,] Zipacna said knowingly. [What wonderful luck. Rumak take a team down to the planet and bring them to me alive, especially the sho'vah Teal'c. Anubis has been hoping for an opportunity to make an example of him.]
"As you command my lord," Rumak said turning from the console and bowing to his god before leaving the peltac.
Sitting on his throne Zipacna smiled as he anticipated the rewards that Anubis was likely to bestow upon him first for capturing a Federation vessel so they could analyse its technology and determine exactly where this fearsomely powerful group of Humans and unknown aliens was located so they could neutralise its threat – if they could without starting a major war that the Goa'uld would have no chance of winning. And two if he brought him the Tau'ri team SG-1 especially the sho'vah Teal'c. Zipacna abruptly grinned evilly soon Teal'c was going to pay the price for betraying his god.
*****
P9L-2950 Ten Minutes LaterSG-1 moved out from the stargate in the routine that was familiar to three of them. Hailey kept close to the others remembering as she did so her last trip through the stargate. She'd been having discipline problems at the academy – and had been deeply jealous and resentful of the fact that she hadn't automatically been the smartest person they'd ever had their and she'd hated constantly being compared to Major Carter – who it had to be admitted was just as smart as she was. That was until Major Carter had taken a personal interest in her and had shown her the stargate – which had utterly amazed her, and it had made her knuckle down to her studies so that when she was ready she would be sent to the SGC. And now here she was on her first mission as a full-blown member of the SGC.
They'd been walking for a good ten minutes when a sound – that was dismally familiar to O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c – filled the air. A second later a pair of Goa'uld Death Gliders came from behind a nearby mountain and closed on them each firing a volley of bright gold phaser pulses at the ground around them. The pulses were noticeably brighter than those normally fired by Gliders that indicated immediately that they belonged to either Anubis himself or one of his lieutenants. The phaser blasts slammed into the ground around them in a circular pattern. Soil exploded, the scrubby grassland before the forest they were heading for vaporised instantly and rocks melted into small puddles of sluggish lava. The concussion waves of the blasts knocked SG-1 off their feet.
"Back to the gate," O'Neill commanded getting back to his feet, raising his P90 and firing a burst at the Gliders as they came around for another pass. Naturally he missed from this range.
"I'm afraid our retreat is blocked off O'Neill," Teal'c replied with his normal stoicism. Jack turned back towards the gate and swore as he saw a large posse of Jaffa blocking their path.
The Gliders came in again firing another vicious volley of phaser blasts that thundered into the ground around them, again creating concussion waves that knocked them over. Their playing with us, Jack abruptly realised, they could have killed us in their first volley if they'd wanted.
"Colonel," Carter shouted as they got back to their feet. Jack followed her gaze and cursed again as he saw another squad of Jaffa coming out of the trees ahead as well as from the right. The tactician's part of his brain acknowledged that it was a very well executed pincer movement. And with the strafing runs of the gliders keeping them contained in this same spot they were at a serious disadvantage. How are we going to get out of this one, he thought, now would be a good time for Thor or Freyer to show up with an Asgard battlecruiser or two.
At that moment the approaching squads of Jaffa started firing at them with zat blasts obviously having orders to take them alive. And why not, Jack thought, after all were Goa'uld public enemy number one. They will want to do that torture us, kill us, bring us back to life, torture us, kill us thing.
This past through his head in the second before he brought his P90 up and opened fire. Carter joined his fire while Teal'c and Hailey fired at the Jaffa closing in from behind. Sparks erupted from the chest armour of three of the advancing Jaffa as armour piercing bullets ripped into them and the three Jaffa dropped. A forth Jaffa had his head blown off by Teal'c's staff blast.
A zat blast struck Carter and she went down in an unconscious heap. Jack fired at the Jaffa who'd zatted Carter. The Jaffa collapsed as bullets tore his armour to shreds. Then a zat blast caught Jack and all his nerves screamed in pain before he blacked out.
Seconds later Teal'c and Hailey were hit and downed as well but not before they took out five more Jaffa.
*****
Rumak approached the four unconscious prisoners and was surprised to see that the male called Daniel Jackson was not with them, in his place was a young blond haired Human female. Which was a curious development indeed. After a moment he shrugged, his god would figure it out later.
"Bind them," he ordered his men. "And have the transports brought over." As his men rushed to obey Rumak looked deliberately at the sho'vah Teal'c. Your punishment begins now sho'vah, he thought, once Anubis gets through with you, you will be begging for death but it will never come. You will suffer forever sho'vah.
*****
Peltac Zipacna's Flagship A Short Time Later"The prisoners are secure in the holding cells my lord," Rumak reported as he knelt before his gods throne. "I am also pleased to report that the Federation prisoners have regained consciousness."
[Excellent Rumak. As always you serve me well and shall be rewarded,] Zipacna said.
"You honour me my lord," Rumak replied humbly.
[Rise and attend your station.] Zipacna ordered his first prime. Rumak immediately rose obediently and went to the main console. In the meantime Zipacna signalled his lotar to pour him some wine.
The sensors bleeped as Rumak got to the console. Three Shalkra-class motherships had just dropped out of hyperspace on the edge of the system. Identification transponders showed that they were part of Anubis' fleet and were thus no threat.
"My Lord our reinforcements have arrived," he reported. Zipacna smiled.
[Excellent,] Zipacna said taking the freshly poured glass of wine off his lotar. Things were going very well indeed.
"The lead ship is hailing," Rumak reported.
[On screen.] The view port shimmered and changed to show a holographic image of a Jaffa – still bearing the insignia of Cronos – appeared on the screen. The Jaffa bowed to Zipacna.
"My lord," the Jaffa began. "Lord Anubis has dispatched us to assist with your repairs and to take the Federation prisoners and their ship to him immediately."
[Very well. Come along side and begin transferring personnel and equipment immediately. We will prepare the Federation prisoners and their ship for transfer immediately though it will take some time.]
"As you command my lord," the Jaffa replied bowing again before breaking the signal.
Zipacna leaned back in his throne and smiled. This was turning out to be a very good day for him. He could expect a large promotion from Anubis for all of this.
At that moment the sensors chimed urgently. Rumak looked down to see that a Federation warship had just come out of hyperspace and was coming there way fast. Ugh oh, Rumak thought with an internal shiver. What had happened to Tanneth and Osiris at the hands of the Federation was common knowledge amongst the Jaffa in Anubis' service. Sensors showed that the Federation ship was the same design as the one orbiting Tollana – but it was impossible to get any real readings since the ship had its shields up and was moving towards them at very high speed on what was clearly an attack vector. Their reinforcements were launching Gliders and moving to intercept the incoming warship.
"My lord a Federation warship has just come out of hyperspace," he reported keeping his voice level but only just. Invisible behind him Zipacna's eyes glowed brightly as the Goa'uld felt a shiver of fear and panic. "It's moving towards us on intercept course. Our reinforcements are launching Gliders and are moving to intercept," Rumak continued.
[Battle stations,] Zipacna ordered keeping his voice level hiding his inner feelings of fear and panic. [Launch our own Gliders and order our other ship to do the same. What's our shield strength?]
"Sixty percent my lord," the Jaffa at weapons replied even as an alarm sounded throughout the ship summoning all Jaffa to stations.
[Transfer as much energy as can be spared to the shields,] Zipacna ordered. [Rumak stand by to initiate evasive action.]
"Yes my lord."
*****
Cell LevelZipacna's Flagship
A Few Minutes BeforeColonel Jack O'Neill groaned as consciousness returned. His whole body burned with pain from the zat blast. He knew from prior experience that it would fade after another couple of minutes but that never brought him any comfort. He absolutely hated getting zatted.
"Steady Colonel O'Neill," an unfamiliar male voice said. "You were stunned pretty badly." With a frown on his face Jack forced his eyes open to see a young dark haired Human male dressed in some kind of flight suit standing over him. The style of uniform looked very similar to the uniforms that the people on the Resolution wore but there were some differences. For one this guy's uniform seemed to fit more tightly and was made of a material that shimmered where it caught the light. The colour scheme was different as well, the uniforms main colour was grey instead of black and his shoulders were red instead of grey and he didn't wear a coloured undershirt. Despite the differences though it was clear that it was a Starfleet uniform.
"Who are you," Jack asked sitting up.
"Lieutenant Peter Buchannan of the Federation ship Resolution pilot commander of the attack fighter Rapier," the young man replied. Jack looked around to see two others in similar uniforms to Buchannan in the room and they weren't Humans. One looked almost like a human-shaped mouse though he was completely hairless, the other was an insect-like humanoid with small chitinous plates instead of skin, four arms and a thin pair of antennae that extended from the top of its head. Jack was surprised to see though that the insectoid had eyes that looked more or less human instead of the normal compound eyes of an insect.
Then he looked for the rest of his team but didn't see them.
"Where's the rest of my team," he wondered.
"We're in here O'Neill," Teal'c said and Jack looked to the right to see Teal'c in the next cell.
"You okay Teal'c?"
"I am fine O'Neill. Major Carter is just starting to regain consciousness. Lieutenant Hailey is still unconscious however." O'Neill turned to look at Buchannan.
"How did you get here?"
"We were testing the modifications that would allow our ships to travel in hyperspace," the mouse-like alien said. "They worked almost as planned. When we arrived in this system the stress started to cause a depolarisation in the war…"
"Ahh," O'Neill said with a dismissive gesture. Tark gave the Yuridian equivalent of a grin guessing correctly that Colonel O'Neill didn't like hearing technological details. He guessed however that Major Carter in the next cell – since she was a scientist as well as a soldier – would be a different story.
"Colonel O'Neill this is Lieutenant Tark," Buchannan said in introduction. "He's the engineer on the Rapier. Beside him is Lieutenant Shirr the tactical officer."
"What you are trying to say is that you were testing your new drives when something went wrong and the snakeheads jumped you," O'Neill said nodding a thanks to Buchannan for the introductions.
"Snakeheads," Tark questioned.
"The Goa'uld," Jack said rolling his eyes.
"Oh."
"The Goa'uld did jump us as you surmised Colonel O'Neill," Shirr said and O'Neill was shocked to find out that her voice sounded more or less like a Human females though their was a faint rasping quality too it. "We did however manage to destroy a large number of Gliders and one of their motherships. We seriously damaged this very ship before they captured us."
Before anyone could say anything else an alarm began sounding throughout the ship and the synthesised voice of a Goa'uld spoke, naturally in Goa'uld.
"What did he say Teal'c," Jack asked.
"The Goa'uld computer was calling all hands to battle stations," Buchannan informed him. "I guess our distress call must have reached Captain Parker after all. We weren't sure if it would considering we were badly damaged when we sent it and considering the distance between here and Tollana."
"How did you understand what the computer said," Jack asked. Peter pointed at one of his ears.
"Universal translator implant," he explained. "Every Federation citizen is implanted with one at birth. Most races do that. It enables you to understand other species."
"We better prepare for a battering," Jack said. "What's Captain Parker likely to do now. If the approaching ship is the Resolution?"
"That depends on how pissed he is," Buchannan replied. "First he'll either use the Resolution's phasers to destroy the Goa'uld shields or he'll use an energy dissipater to disable all systems at once. Then he'll either beam us back aboard before blasting this ship out of space or he'll send Commander Beech over with a boarding party."
The ship abruptly shivered with the subspace shockwaves of explosions in space.
"Guess were about to find out," Jack commented.
*****
BridgeU.S.S Resolution
A Few Moments Before
Captain Darien Parker sat quietly furious in the command chair in the centre of the bridge as the Resolution dropped out of hyperspace with shields up, armour deployed and weapons systems at full readiness. All through the ship the crew manned their battle stations ready and waiting to engage the enemy. Darien hid a grim smile. He was about to teach the Goa'uld that they couldn't go around harassing Federation ships without there being consequences. He would rather not do this but the Goa'uld were bullies. And some bullies only seemed to understand direct force and the Goa'uld seemed to be one of them. Therefore he would deal with them as such.
"Sir sensors detect five Goa'uld motherships present in system," Lieutenant Wu reported. "We ready four Shalkra-class motherships and one Ha'tac-class mothership. One of the Shalkra's is badly damaged. The energy residual on its hull is consistent with quantum torpedoes. We're also reading a debris field consistent with the mass of a Ha'tac-class mothership and a number of Goa'uld fighters. Energy residual in the debris is consistent with Federation weapons."
"Looks like Lieutenant Buchannan put up quiet a fight," Commander Urlet commented from her station. "Any sign of the Rapier lieutenant," she asked Wu.
"Scanning." A moment's pause. "Sensors show that the Rapier is being held in a hanger bay of some sort on board the damaged Shalkra. I'm also reading a concentration of life signs on one of the lower levels near the engineering sections. I read four humans, one Yuridian, one X'rishi and one Jaffa."
"That's strange," Urlet commented. "Maybe the Goa'uld have captured an SG team that might explain the extra Human life signs and the Jaffa."
"Perhaps," Darien agreed. He rotated the command chair to look at Daniel Jackson and Sarah Gardner who were standing near the entrance to the ready room where they weren't in the way. "Doctor Jackson how many Jaffa are there in the SGC?"
"Only one and that's Teal'c," Daniel replied looked concerned. "Whichever Goa'uld this is he must have captured the rest of SG-1. Considering how long I've been here General Hammond will have temporarily assigned someone to SG-1 in my place."
"Sir," Lieutenant Commander Beech called out. "The Goa'uld have seen us. Three of the Shalkra's are moving to intercept us and are charging weapons. All five Goa'uld ships are launching fighters."
"Lieutenant Wu open a channel to the Goa'uld ships," Darien ordered. He would give the Goa'uld one chance to be reasonable, it was only fair to them. They knew how powerful his ship was, if they decided to challenge him rather than cooperate then it was more fool them.
"Channel open sir."
"Goa'uld motherships," Darien began in a commanding voice. "This is Captain Darien Parker of the Federation starship Resolution. You are holding on of our vessels and its crew. Release them immediately or we will open fire. This is your only warning."
"No response sir," Wu reported.
"Very well if that's the way they want it," Darien said with a sigh. "Close channel. Mr Beech ready transphasic torpedoes target the three approaching motherships. Fire as soon as they are within range."
"Aye sir," Beech replied as he selected transphasic's from their inventory of torpedoes and watched his stasis lights change to green as the torpedoes were immediately transferred from the firing racks into the tubes. Then he targeted the three Goa'uld Shalkra-class motherships that were approaching. Ahead of them were coming a virtual swarm of fighters that he could quickly eliminate with the Resolution's phasers. He watched, as the range to the motherships would down. Soon they would be in effective targeting range for torpedoes. His finger hung over the fire control key ready to fire.
A second later the three Goa'uld ships entered torpedo range and his finger stabbed down on the control and with hollow thumps three transphasic torpedoes launched from the forward torpedo tubes. Simultaneously the three Goa'uld ships launched a massive volley of plasma torpedoes at the very limits of their range.
"Evasive action ensign," Darien ordered to Ensign Mills. The Resolution's torpedoes found their targets and passed through their shields as if they didn't exist before striking the hulls of the motherships and detonating completely destroying the three ships and their unfortunate Jaffa crews. The subspace shockwave created by the multiple detonations shook the Resolution but did no damage as her shields were designed to stand up to far more powerful subspace shockwaves than the one that hit her.
Then the Goa'uld torpedo salvo reached her. Goa'uld plasma torpedoes – like the early Romulan plasma torpedoes, which they closely resembled – lost strength over distance due to flaws in the plasma sustainer field which allowed plasma to seep out. Flaws created by the unstable nature of the plasma itself. The Romulans themselves had only recently solved that problem. Since the Goa'uld had fired their torpedoes from the very edge of their range the torpedoes had lost almost sixty percent of their strength by the time they reached the Resolution but that didn't mean that the didn't pack a punch in numbers when the slammed into her shields and detonated. The Resolution's shields glowed like a nova with the force of the multiple detonations and the ship rocked violently.
Darien Parker held onto the armrests of his chair as the ship rocked beneath the force of the viscous barrage. Sparks shot out of some back up power relays and some primary fuses melted into puddles as power surges overloaded them.
"Damage report," Commander Urlet ordered.
"Forward shields at sixty percent," Lieutenant Wu reported. "Shields regenerating now. Primary fuses blown on several EPS relays. No other damage reported. Minor casualties in the primary hull sickbay responding."
The swarm of Death Gliders came in at that moment firing heavy volleys of pulse phasers that ripped into the Resolution's shields. Individually the duel pulses fired by the Gliders were not very intense but in great numbers the impact was formidable. Nevertheless the Resolution's shields only glowed softly under the assault. The deck beneath everyone's feet only shivered slightly.
"Return fire Mr Beech," Darien ordered.
"Aye sir." Beech's hands danced across his console. The strip-like phaser arrays on Federation starships had a number of advantages over fixed position weapons such as those used by the Goa'uld, their arc of fire was wider, they cooled quicker but their greatest advantages were that the whole power of the array's emitters could be focused into a single blast from one emitter which enabled the other emitters to rapid cool and recharge – this was the normal practice in most engagements, or each emitter on a given array could be individually targeted ideal for taking out small fighters. Beech used that feature now to attack the Gliders.
Dozens of bright orange energy beams lashed out burning Glider after Glider out of the sky. And the arrays fired rapidly sending beam after beam out and each beam struck an enemy target. Such rapid fire quickly drained the capacitor of each emitter but its effect on the Glider swarm was devastating. Almost all of them were blown out of existence leaving nothing except rapidly dispersing clouds of disassociated ions as an epitaph. The few remaining Gliders swiftly decided the discretion was the better part of valour and veered off to rethink their strategy.
"Good shooting Mr Beech," Darien commented.
"Thank you sir," Beech replied. "Forward dorsal phaser array capacitors have been depleted repowering now. Estimate several seconds to full power is restored."
"Ensign Mills take us towards those remaining two motherships. Mr Beech target the Ha'tac and destroy it. Phasers only for the Shalkra – limit targets to shields and weapons systems."
"Aye sir," came the replies from the respective stations.
The Resolution came around and shot towards the remaining two motherships at full impulse power. As they closed in Darien tapped his combadge.
"Bridge to transporter room one."
"Yes sir?" Chief Reiger answered immediately.
"Ms Reiger as soon as the shields on that Shalkra go down I want you to lock onto all the prisoners and beam the aboard. Also use the cargo transporters to beam the Rapier to the main shuttle bay," Darien ordered.
"Aye sir."
A few moments passed while they closed upon the two remaining motherships and the handful of Gliders surrounding them. As soon as they entered torpedo range Beech fired a salvo of four photon torpedoes from one of the secondary torpedo launchers at the Ha'tac. The Ha'tac immediately began taking evasive action – though it was hampered by its orbit around the planet. Of the four torpedoes it managed to evade the first, which thundered down, into the atmosphere of the planet to pulverise a small part of the planets surface, vaporising a twenty square mile area of forest and starting a fire that wouldn't burn long since a storm front was moving in over the area. The other three torpedoes slammed home. The first one collapsed a section of the Ha'tac's shields allowing the other two to strike the armoured hull and the Ha'tac vanished in the raging firestorm of matter-antimatter mutual annihilation. When the blasts faded all that was left of the smaller mothership was a few torn fragments and a cloud of cooling plasma and dust.
The Shalkra fired a defiant salvo of plasma torpedoes back at them. The torpedoes slammed into the Resolution's forward shields and detonated lighting up the shields and shaking the ship hard.
"Forward shields as seventy-five percent," Wu reported just as they entered phaser range. The lower forward phaser array fired sending a bright orange phased particle beam into the Shalkra's shields punching them well into the red. Another shot followed almost immediately and the Shalkra's shields went down. Dozens of weaker phaser beams lanced out – as with the end of the first battle with Tanneth over Tollana the phaser blasts were barely at ten percent of their power and all hit a pulse phaser cannon or torpedo launcher with a casual accuracy which was frightening in itself. In seconds the Shalkra was helpless.
"Transporter room one to Captain Parker," Reiger's voice said abruptly over the intercom. Darien tapped his combadge.
"Parker go."
"Sir I've got the Rapier but I cannot get the prisoners. The section their in is too close to the ships power core, theirs too much interference for me to get a solid lock without pattern enhancers."
"Acknowledged," Darien replied closing the channel then he sighed. "Looks like we'll have to do this the old fashioned way. Mr Beech take an away team across the Goa'uld ship equipped with pattern enhancers and retrieve the prisoners."
"Aye sir," Beech replied starting to move away from his station. Daniel Jackson stepped forward from where he'd been standing with Sarah Gardner near the entrance to the Ready Room.
"Captain Parker it might be helpful if I go along," Daniel said. "I know the layout of a Shalkra-class mothership and I do have combat experience." Darien thought about it for a moment.
"Very well," Darien agreed after a moment. Daniel nodded and started to move to join Beech by the turbolift. Before he got more than two steps Sarah grabbed his arm. Daniel turned to look at her.
"Be careful over their Daniel," Sarah said.
"I will be don't worry," Daniel replied giving her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. In the time that he'd been here helping her recover from the ordeal of her possession by Osiris he and Sarah had rediscovered their old feelings for each other. Daniel had been surprised to realise that they were both falling in love again. Maybe we'll do a better job of having a relationship this time, he thought. Sarah released Daniel's arm and watched him leave the Resolution's bridge hoping her worry didn't show. Thanks to her possession by Osiris she knew how many Jaffa their were onboard a Shalkra-class mothership.
Unfortunately her worry did show.
"Do not worry Sarah," Darien said from the command chair. "Daniel is in safe hands with Commander Beech." I hope you're right Darien, Sarah thought, because I couldn't bare it if something happened to Daniel. Not now that we're so close to having the relationship that we've always wanted to have.
*****
Peltac Zipacna's MothershipLord Zipacna coughed on the thick acrid smoke filling the peltac as he picked himself up from where he'd been slammed to the deck when the first phaser blast from the Resolution had ripped into their shields. Despite having heard of the Resolution's power Zipacna was still astonished by what had just happened. Three Shalkra-class motherships – warships powerful enough to lay waste to an entire planet in a few hours – swatted like flies, the only other ship remaining in his fleet also blown to dust, the bulk of their combined Glider force blasted out of existence. Seeing the overwhelming might of the Federation ships weapons Zipacna hoped then and their that the Goa'uld were sensible and left the Federation – wherever it was – alone. If all of the Federations warships were as powerful as the Resolution then even the combined might of the Goa'uld System Lords and of Anubis would not have the slightest chance of even hurting them let alone defeating them. Any attack on the Federation would signal the beginning of the end for the Goa'uld Empire. Attacking them would be like attacking the Asgard – i.e. it would be suicide.
[Damage report,] he ordered before coughing again. Rumak struggled back to his feet and moved to the main console.
"Main power has failed my lord," Rumak reported. "Shields are down (cough), weapons systems destroyed, propulsion systems are out (cough)."
[What's keeping the (cough) ventilators from clearing this smoke,] Zipacna demanded.
"Ventilators are coming back on line now my lord." As Rumak spoke the emergency ventilators did just that and immediately cleared the smoke from the peltac leaving it in semidarkness lit only by the pale haze of emergency lights. "My lord internal sensors show that the Federation ship is gone from the hanger bay." Probably transported to the Resolution, Zipacna realised, I wouldn't be surprised if they have direct site-to-site transporter technology instead of ring transporters.
The internal sensors bleeped.
"Intruders," Rumak called. "Six Human biosigns have appeared on the level directly above the cell blocks."
[They're after the prisoners,] Zipacna said knowingly. [Rumak organise a security detail. We must teach the Federation that although their technology is superior to ours they cannot invade our ships at will.]
"Yes my lord."
*****
The away team of five Starfleet security officers and Doctor Daniel Jackson of SG-1 materialised on board the badly damaged Goa'uld mothership. They were all armed with pulsed compression phaser rifles, hand phasers, tricorders and photon grenades even Daniel who'd been taught the basics of how to handle Federation weaponry by Lieutenant Commander Beech – or Chris as he had Daniel call him when off duty. Daniel and the twenty-forth century Brit had become good friends in the short time that they'd known each other.
"Which way down to the cell block's," Beech asked with his rifle at the ready. They all had their rifles at the ready. Daniel looked at the inscriptions on the walls for a moment.
"Theirs and access point to the ships central core this way," Daniel said pointing to a corridor that disappeared to the left. "Once there we can get down to the cell blocks which are on the level below us."
"Lead on then."
They reached the central core – a massive shaft many meters across that ran the entire vertical length of the ship – in less than a minute. On the lowermost decks like here the core was always quiet easy to get to as it was on the uppermost decks, it was only on the central decks that it was difficult to get to the core mainly because the central decks were given over to personnel quarters, cargo bays and such.
They swiftly descended to the deck below and moved cautiously outwards towards the cellblock where the prisoners were being held.
A staff weapon blast abruptly hit the wall near them. Daniel whirled and saw a Jaffa advancing on them firing as he came. Without hesitation he raised the phaser rifle he was carrying and fired. A yellowish orange energy pulse shot out from the muzzle of the weapon and struck the Jaffa who dropped to the deck unconscious without a sound. As per standard Starfleet procedure the phasers they were carrying were set on heavy stun – since they wanted to avoid more killing if possible.
"We better hurry," Daniel said to Beech. "This area is going to be swarming with Jaffa soon." Beech checked his tricorder.
"The prisoners are this way," he said. "Lets move."
*****
CellblockJack O'Neill paced restlessly back and forth around the cell waiting for rescue to come. A couple of minutes ago a series of violent jolts had rocked the whole ship – jolts that according to the three Starfleet personnel in the room with him came from phaser blasts slamming into the ship. Then main power had gone leaving them in virtual darkness – here on the lower decks of the ship there wasn't much in the way of emergency lighting – there weren't even any of the open oil burners that the Goa'uld loved so much. It made seeing difficult. But still he paced – much to the irritation of the three Starfleet officers in the room.
"Colonel O'Neill will you please stop pacing," Lieutenant Buchannan said finally. "You're getting on everyone's nerves."
"Sorry nervous habit," Jack said apologetically as he stopped pacing. "Why haven't we been rescued yet your starship does have transporter technology."
"We are quiet close to the power generators here colonel," Tark said. "They might be interfering with the transporters targeting scanners and the Resolution might not be able to get a solid lock on us without the aide of transport enhancers."
"Transport enhancers," Sam Carter queried from the next cell. "What are they?"
"Small signal booster devices," Tark replied. "Their designed to enhance a transporter lock an boost the annular confinement beam. And before you ask the annular confinement beam is what keeps your atoms from being spread across the universe when you're being transported. It holds the matter stream together."
Before either Carter or Hailey – both of them being scientists – could ask how that was accomplished and how the Federation got around Mr Heisenberg's uncertainty principle their came the sound of weapons fire from outside the cellblock. They heard three staff weapon blasts followed be three phaser blasts.
"The cavalry's here," Jack said just as the sound of phaser blasts hammering the door to their cellblock were heard.
From their cell Teal'c, Carter and Hailey could see the door to the cellblock. A reddish glow appeared in the centre of the door and spread rapidly and then a wave of disintegration followed and the door was gone and six Humans charged through all of them carrying phaser rifles. Five were Starfleet personnel the other… his identity made them blink in astonishment.
"Daniel," Sam exclaimed in shock.
"Hi Sam," Daniel Jackson said a wide smile on his lips. "Stand back from the door. You two Jack." In both cells the SGC and Starfleet prisoners stepped back from the doors to the cells. Then Daniel and Beech fired their phaser rifles in unison vaporising the doors to the cells.
The liberated prisoners streamed out.
"Hey Daniel," Jack said giving his friend a hug.
"Hi Jack," Daniel replied. "I cannot let you out of my sight for a moment without you getting into trouble can I?" Jack pretended to look outraged but the smile on his face and in his eyes gave away his true feelings.
"Oh really? Usually its us who have to come and rescue you," Jack shot back. Daniel laughed and after a second Sam and Hailey joined in and even Teal'c's eyes flashed with mirth.
"Okay moment of levity over," Beech said. "Lets set up the transport enhancers and get out of here before we get up to our armpits in Jaffa. Pierson, Mabuto, Sanchez keep watch."
While the three indicated security officers went to the door to keep watch on the corridor outside the other two with assistance from Lieutenant Tark set up the transport enhancers in a large enough triangle for them all to get in.
"Okay everyone inside the triangle," Beech ordered. Quickly all thirteen of them got inside the triangle. Beech tapped his combadge. "Beech to Resolution can you lock onto us now?"
"Affirmative," Chief Reiger replied. "Energising now." As second later the tingling sensation of a transporter beam enveloped all of them and the world vanished in a blur of silver-blue light. For a second there was a feeling of nothingness and then the shimmering light transformed itself into transporter room one on board the Resolution.
Reiger tapped her combadge.
"Transporter room to bridge we've got them."
"Excellent," Darien's voice said from the intercom. "Send the destruct signal to the enhancers." Reiger keyed in a command on her console and a millisecond later it chimed.
"Transport enhancers destroyed sir," Reiger reported.
"Excellent. Commander Beech I want you and Doctor Jackson to return to the bridge. Everyone else bar your security detail goes to sickbay."
"Yes sir," Beech said even as he and the rest of the away team handed their equipment over to Chief Reiger so she could transport it back to the armoury. The bridge signed off. "Okay everyone you heard the captain."
"See you guys," Daniel said to the rest of his team and its temporary forth member Jennifer Hailey. He then left for the bridge with Commander Beech.
Jack watched his friend go. Daniel seemed to have learned an awful lot about Federation technology while he'd been here. It made him wonder if they'd been willing to teach Daniel how to use their technology would they be willing to share it with the SGC. If they did it would go along way towards evening the battle with Goa'uld – maybe even tip the balance in their favour.
"This way please," one of the security officers said. Jack sighed and reluctantly followed them to sickbay.
*****
BridgeCommander Beech and Daniel Jackson stepped off the turbolift and onto the bridge just as the sensors bleeped.
"Captain," Lieutenant Wu called. "Two Rashka-class Goa'uld motherships have just come out of hyperspace. They're heading towards us on an intercept course. Their shields are up and their weapons systems are powered."
"On screen," Darien Parker ordered. Images of the two Rashka-class motherships appeared on the view screen. They were enormous ships almost as big as some Borg cubes and they were barrelling right towards him at full impulse power. The incoming signal chirp sounded.
"We're being hailed by the lead ship," Wu reported.
"On screen," Darien ordered. A Chinese man dressed in the garb of an Emperor of Imperial China appeared on the screen. The bridge of his ship was different in design to the normal Egyptian look of Goa'uld ships – instead it had a much more Oriental look to it.
[I am Lord Yu Hang Shang Ti of the Goa'uld System Lords,] the Goa'uld said. [Who are you and why have you attacked one of our ships? Speak and speak quickly or be destroyed.]