1: Dawn Of Thunder
Third Edition
Author: chaoseternus
When Earth is threatened, the USA and the UK join forces to protect our world…with help from an old friend.
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Chapter 4
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Ground Control - RAF ST Athan
"Control, this is Airhead 1-4-9, we are RTB, ETA 14hours, the components are now in a stable Martian orbit." the voice of Pilot Officer Reynolds came blaring through Lieutenant Peters's headset, degraded by static and the frankly excessive encryption that was being used
"Roger that, be advised Shunter's 1-5-1 and1-5-2 will pass by close approx. 3 hours and will be loaded."
"Roger."
Peters turned from the console, "Its confirmed sir, the first components are in place and more are on route, the Quarters for the construction crews are being loaded onto 1-4-6 and 1-4-5 now and the next 2 tugs are ready to be loaded once 1-4-1 and 1-4-3 land."
"We should be online within a fortnight, sir."
"Good, have SG-1 sent to my office please."
"Yes, sir."
The admiral turned and left the room, flicking his digital ID card through the reader by every set of doors he passed through to open them. Security was tight here, you couldn't go anywhere without ID or an escort, 'good thing too' Thompson thought.
He arrived at his office to find SG-1 already waiting; he quickly motioned the guard out before moving around and sitting at his desk, laying his arms on the varnished mahogany.
"SG-1, you have several space going warships don't you."
A cautious "yes"
"And Russia ?"
This time O'Neill gave a suspicious "yes"
"Any Space docks or repair facilities?"
"No, but as the Prometheus class is fully atmospheric." Carter began.
"And what happens when you receive damage that prevents you from re-entering an atmosphere?"
" Hammond attempted to procure funding for such a facility, but he failed." Teal'c intoned.
"We didn't fail, Right now we have begun lifting pre-constructed components for a large space station into Martian orbit, before the day is out the construction crews and their habitat modules will join these components in Mars orbit and begin to put the pieces together. Within a fortnight we will have an operational base which will include Space dock facilities capable of taking 4 Prometheus class vessels at a time, and then we will begin asteroid mining operations to provide resources for these facilities"
SG-1 shot up in their seats, shocked. This was not what they were expecting. The admiral didn't fail to notice this.
"You were expecting construction of more warships perhaps?"
"Well yeah, we are at war, more warships are…"
"Useless. Colonel, without decent support behind them, a hundred or more ships are useless without support facilities behind them. You see, while you and Russia have been building ships and reacting to the Goa'ulds, we have been planning. You are needed out there, but we intend to make damn sure you and your ships have the support they need, and it is much easier to build spaceships in orbit, away from prying eyes."
"How are you powering everything?" Carter asked, curious, the reply shocked her.
"Zero-point Energy Extraction"
"Buts that's impossible, you can't…"
"Not impossible, merely difficult, requiring a lot of expensive materials, and the collector also has to be designed for the solar system it is set-up in, the collector shape, we have been reliably informed, is different in every star system, which is were you come in."
"Naquadah Reactors." said Carter.
"Yes"
"Ah…" Jackson suddenly found himself the centre of attention, "reliably informed? By whom?"
"Oh, just an out-of-towner we know."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow, whilst Carter and O'Neill glanced at each other, 'who did they know?'