CHPT 18: Sails Unfurled

Colonel Jack O'Neil looked at the assembled troops. He would be commanding a ground force made up of no less than 15 SG groups. He would have preferred more groundpounders, A LOT more, but the SGC dealt in small unit operations and just didn't have a few brigades behind glass ready to go. But, this mission, ideally, would have them supporting other ground forces more massive, mainly Jaffa, and attempting to capture or destroy a Stargate on board a Goaul'd mothership. And to do that, they had to get to it, first. So masses of ground troops, in this case, wouldn't really be useful. But when going into harm's way with teeth bared and spears pointed, well, Jack O'Neil felt better when there was lotsa spears. And much more teeth.

He took another look at Montaigne Deveraux, the Army Ranger Lt Colonel in command of SG-17. Deveraux looked back him resolutely. The flippness he had displayed on the mission to P3R233 was still there, but subdued. This was personal to him as well as the Rangers with him. O'Neil could see it in their eyes.

"You up for this?" O'Neil asked him.

Deveraux looked mildly insulted by the question. "Beg the Colonel's pardon, suh, but the situation gets worse the longuh we stand heah talkin' boud dis."

"Well, we can't rush these things too much. Don't want to risk a repeat of the last performance," O'Neil cautioned, "This is the encore. Time to blow the socks off the audience, y'know?"

Ranger Specialist Pat Tilman spoke up, "I'm just ready for my chance to hit my power cord, sir."

O'Neil smiled slightly and nodded, patting Deveraux on the shoulder before moving onto his next subject. He was bringing Captain Macy Killian along on this one, too. Yes, her team was scheduled for the long-term surveillance and cataloguing of the installations and artifacts on P3R233, but he felt there was a good chance that the scientific and technical expertise might be needed here.

Captain Macy nodded at him, and relaxed. She saw little sign of the previous disdain she had seen in him before they had embarked for the museum world. Not quite admiration, but he seemed to recognize the usefulness of her SG team. Besides, once you had been under fire with O'Neil and had acquitted yourself, he dropped a few of those barriers. He still had his misgivings, but he wanted them along. And now, they knew it. Well, there was that one archaeologist, Moorehouse. Ah, she and Daniel worked well together, so screw it. She sure had a mean stare, that one, O'Neil noted, seeing Moorehouse's defiant green eyes fixed on him.

"At ease," he said to her, flashing a bit of a smile. Rhonda seemed to relax a little bit, and her gaze was less intense.

"All right, Thor's people are gonna be beaming us up in just a little bit," he said, raising his voice just a hair. "Team commanders, just make sure people and equipment are accounted for. Oh, Dramamine, make sure you have some, 'kay?"

He then turned to his people. Daniel, Carter, Teal'c, all there. Daniel looked ready. Wow, intense. And not that scholarly intense, either. Almost a Teal'c intense. And Teal'c, almost Superman style heat vision, so intense. Carter? She was reviewing scientific data, what they had, anyway, of the phenomenon, this…darkness, and was wrapped up in it, looking for any clue they could get from it. So far, zip, but that never stopped her from trying.

He then noticed a figure standing a little behind them. Marine Major John Phillips, commander of SG-3. He was a Marine who had lost his command in the massacre at P3R233. He had wanted to come along on this expedition, too. But, O'Neil had nixed that, for two reasons. The grief of his loss still held heavy sway over him. And they needed to get his team restaffed quickly with qualified Marines, and that would be hampered if he were off gallivanting around the galaxy.

"Sorry, Major. I know the feeling of being left behind. I know the feeling of losing people under your command. But if SG-3 is going to get back on its feet, need you here whipping 'em into shape, know what I mean?"

"Sir, it's just that you are going out there into a serious situation, taking a huge percentage of our ground power. And this is just the thing SG-3 was established for. If you would just…"

"Major…there is no SG-3. And that's the point. For there to be another, you've gotta stand watch on the home front."

"Colonel O'Neil is correct," said Teal'c, now standing next to the two men. "Your experience at facing this foe will be essential, especially of Tanith and whomever he serves now succeeds in reaching Earth."

"And hey, that is a distinct possibility," O'Neil said, "That's what we're heading out there to prevent, but we could screw that up. If we drop the ball, need you here to catch it."

Major Phillips slowly nodded.

O'Neil met his gaze for a moment, and then turned back to his group. Carter was looking at him with a very concerned expression.

"What is it, Carter?" O'Neil asked, "That looks like your 'we are so screwed' look. Am I right? I would prefer it if it was your 'I've got a bad case of indigestion' look, but tell me the truth."

"Sir…I've just been going over some figures, based on what little we have seen of this Dark Force, and how quick it can act. How much time we have to take action if exposed to it…"

"Not a lot?" O'Neil asked, as the sound of Asgardian teleporters began sounding behind him.

"Sir…however this Dark Force works, I recommend avoiding direct contact entirely," Carter said, "Based on what I have, and estimations made, it seems to just get stronger, the more people who get under it's control. Almost an exponential level."

"Why? And what is it?" O'Neil asked.

"It's a god from an empty universe. And it needs sentient minds to occupy this one," Daniel said.

"Ok, that's creepy," Jack said as a series of teleports began around him, "Can we get out there and kill this thing, please?"

Eventually, the huge warehouse area that the SGC had used to rally the SG teams stood empty as the last white flash went out. In orbit, a battle group of Asgardian warships, stealthed against detection by Earth observation devices, gracefully peeled from orbit and headed forth to their coming confrontation.

On an approaching vector, a pair of fleeing Goau'ld motherships, their lights and windows enshrouded by darkness hurtled on, fleeing another group of motherships. Fire exchange, but still, the ships came on.