Daniel's first hand observation of just how deadly the little ship actually was came only a few days later.
Mitchell had come into his little room and woken him up with a careful nudge.
"We're exiting hyperspace, Daniel."
He came awake instantly – really, he'd only been dozing, anyways – and headed out to the bridge to join her.
"I ask that you are silent during the exchange," Talon told him, taking over for Mitchell. "It would not do for the Goa'uld to know that I have another person on board with me."
"Won't their sensors tell them that?"
"The ship is impervious to sensors." Talon said, thumbing the toggle that Daniel now knew was the hyper drive engine shut-off switch. A moment later he felt them slow, and stars were once more visible outside the main view screen. Daniel saw a second later that stars weren't all that were visible. A Goa'uld mother ship was looming near to them – impossibly large next to the tiny ship. Around the Goa'uld ship were several smaller ships, which were still larger than Fugly.
They were hailed instantly, as Talon had expected. Word spread quickly about the MO of the little ship, and although the ship hadn't been seen since the ambush, there was no mistaking who it was.
"This is Metaphous. I have no quarrel with you."
It was a far cry different than the normal arrogance of the Goa'uld, and Daniel felt his jaw drop in surprise – although he didn't say a word as Talon touched the communications toggle.
"This is Talon. I am told otherwise. You joined in an attack on my ship and for that you will pay."
"Lies! I have no reason-"
There was a silent alarm blinking on the heads-up display. The mother ship was powering its weapons and targeting Fugly, even as the system lord tried to deny his involvement. Daniel looked over at Mitchell, but Talon was calm as he touched the weapons panel, and brought the shield-breaker to bear on the mother ship. A moment later, the shields were down, and in desperation the Goa'uld fired at the ship. Fugly rocked slightly when the blast hit her shields, but it wasn't much of a jolt, and the answering volley from Talon was deadly. The mother ship blew up silently, but in a spectacular explosion that made Daniel acutely aware of just how glad he was Talon was on their side.The explosion also drew in the smaller ships around the mother ship, and without their shields, they were easy prey.
"You can talk, again, Daniel." The voice was Mitchell's now.
"Holy shit." Daniel looked down at the ship's sensors. A moment ago there had been a large ship next to them, surrounded by a small flotilla of attackers, and now they were the only ship in the area. "Is it always like that?"
"Like what?"
"You let him have the first shot."
She nodded. "Talon subscribes to the shoot first and destroy them immediately thing, but I can't just gun someone down like that. Not even a Goa'uld. So he lets them have the first volley – although with Fugly's shields, they don't stand a chance."
He could believe that.
"What now?"
Talon was already on the communicator, however, and he heard her sending a message to someone named Tao, explaining where she was and telling him what had happened. Nothing particular, just saying that Metaphous was no more and she was laying claim to his territories and his assets. Then she turned back to him, and it was Melony once more who spoke.
"I'm going to send a message off to Jack to let him know it's begun. Is there anything you'd like me to tell him?"
Daniel shrugged, still a bit shocked at how quickly things had happened.
"Tell... tell him that I'm fine, and we'll see him and the others soon."
She nodded, and ran a finger along the device strapped to her wrist.
..............................
"It's happening."
Jack was in the briefing room with the others, standing in front of the window that looked down on the Stargate and the embarkation room. His voice was steady, but his thoughts were a million miles away and more.
"What did the message say, Colonel?" Hammond asked from the chair he was sitting in. They'd called Jacob, who'd just come through the Stargate and was on his way up the stairs at that moment.
"They've taken out Metaphous."
This wasn't Jack. It was Jacob.
Everyone turned to look at the Tok'ra.
"How do you know?" Hammond asked his friend.
"We intercepted a message from Talon's first prime to one of his subordinates, telling him that Metaphous had fallen and to start moving in on his territories. Since Colonel Mitchell said she was going to go after him first, we have to assume she succeeded."
"We don't have to assume it, Jacob," Jack said. "I got a message from Melony about an hour ago telling me she'd done just that, and that she was on her way to find the other one."
"Paleneus?"
Jack shrugged.
"She didn't say."
"That's who she said she was going to go after next," Anderson said. He'd been very quiet since Jack had received his message. Mitchell had sent a personal one for Brad, and he'd been brooding in the corner of the briefing room since Jack had passed it on to him. Of course, Jack was brooding, too, so no one thought anything of it.
"I guess we'll just wait and see what happens..." Jacob said, softly. "The Major System lords aren't going to be able to ignore her for long. Metaphous held a large territory, and if Colonel Mitchell and Talon are in control of it now, her own holdings are incredible. Probably as big – if not bigger – than any of the major system lords command."
"If she successfully deals with Paleneus, she will be unstoppable," Teal'c said.
Jacob nodded his agreement. "If she isn't already."
Mitchell had come into his little room and woken him up with a careful nudge.
"We're exiting hyperspace, Daniel."
He came awake instantly – really, he'd only been dozing, anyways – and headed out to the bridge to join her.
"I ask that you are silent during the exchange," Talon told him, taking over for Mitchell. "It would not do for the Goa'uld to know that I have another person on board with me."
"Won't their sensors tell them that?"
"The ship is impervious to sensors." Talon said, thumbing the toggle that Daniel now knew was the hyper drive engine shut-off switch. A moment later he felt them slow, and stars were once more visible outside the main view screen. Daniel saw a second later that stars weren't all that were visible. A Goa'uld mother ship was looming near to them – impossibly large next to the tiny ship. Around the Goa'uld ship were several smaller ships, which were still larger than Fugly.
They were hailed instantly, as Talon had expected. Word spread quickly about the MO of the little ship, and although the ship hadn't been seen since the ambush, there was no mistaking who it was.
"This is Metaphous. I have no quarrel with you."
It was a far cry different than the normal arrogance of the Goa'uld, and Daniel felt his jaw drop in surprise – although he didn't say a word as Talon touched the communications toggle.
"This is Talon. I am told otherwise. You joined in an attack on my ship and for that you will pay."
"Lies! I have no reason-"
There was a silent alarm blinking on the heads-up display. The mother ship was powering its weapons and targeting Fugly, even as the system lord tried to deny his involvement. Daniel looked over at Mitchell, but Talon was calm as he touched the weapons panel, and brought the shield-breaker to bear on the mother ship. A moment later, the shields were down, and in desperation the Goa'uld fired at the ship. Fugly rocked slightly when the blast hit her shields, but it wasn't much of a jolt, and the answering volley from Talon was deadly. The mother ship blew up silently, but in a spectacular explosion that made Daniel acutely aware of just how glad he was Talon was on their side.The explosion also drew in the smaller ships around the mother ship, and without their shields, they were easy prey.
"You can talk, again, Daniel." The voice was Mitchell's now.
"Holy shit." Daniel looked down at the ship's sensors. A moment ago there had been a large ship next to them, surrounded by a small flotilla of attackers, and now they were the only ship in the area. "Is it always like that?"
"Like what?"
"You let him have the first shot."
She nodded. "Talon subscribes to the shoot first and destroy them immediately thing, but I can't just gun someone down like that. Not even a Goa'uld. So he lets them have the first volley – although with Fugly's shields, they don't stand a chance."
He could believe that.
"What now?"
Talon was already on the communicator, however, and he heard her sending a message to someone named Tao, explaining where she was and telling him what had happened. Nothing particular, just saying that Metaphous was no more and she was laying claim to his territories and his assets. Then she turned back to him, and it was Melony once more who spoke.
"I'm going to send a message off to Jack to let him know it's begun. Is there anything you'd like me to tell him?"
Daniel shrugged, still a bit shocked at how quickly things had happened.
"Tell... tell him that I'm fine, and we'll see him and the others soon."
She nodded, and ran a finger along the device strapped to her wrist.
..............................
"It's happening."
Jack was in the briefing room with the others, standing in front of the window that looked down on the Stargate and the embarkation room. His voice was steady, but his thoughts were a million miles away and more.
"What did the message say, Colonel?" Hammond asked from the chair he was sitting in. They'd called Jacob, who'd just come through the Stargate and was on his way up the stairs at that moment.
"They've taken out Metaphous."
This wasn't Jack. It was Jacob.
Everyone turned to look at the Tok'ra.
"How do you know?" Hammond asked his friend.
"We intercepted a message from Talon's first prime to one of his subordinates, telling him that Metaphous had fallen and to start moving in on his territories. Since Colonel Mitchell said she was going to go after him first, we have to assume she succeeded."
"We don't have to assume it, Jacob," Jack said. "I got a message from Melony about an hour ago telling me she'd done just that, and that she was on her way to find the other one."
"Paleneus?"
Jack shrugged.
"She didn't say."
"That's who she said she was going to go after next," Anderson said. He'd been very quiet since Jack had received his message. Mitchell had sent a personal one for Brad, and he'd been brooding in the corner of the briefing room since Jack had passed it on to him. Of course, Jack was brooding, too, so no one thought anything of it.
"I guess we'll just wait and see what happens..." Jacob said, softly. "The Major System lords aren't going to be able to ignore her for long. Metaphous held a large territory, and if Colonel Mitchell and Talon are in control of it now, her own holdings are incredible. Probably as big – if not bigger – than any of the major system lords command."
"If she successfully deals with Paleneus, she will be unstoppable," Teal'c said.
Jacob nodded his agreement. "If she isn't already."