On
the outer edge of Sector 1146, onboard the USS Daedalus,
the
Pegasus Galaxy.
The fighter-bay (a couple of sections below the bridge, and set much further back within the Daedalus' central structure) was jammed full of X-302 space-fighters, along various kinds of equipment and armaments that would give them their combat-ready edge.
A purely human-built design, borrowing heavily from Goa'uld death glider technology and aerodynamics, the X-302s were the second, more successful conversion of the Earth fighter aircraft in space. The dismal failure of their one attempt to make a hybrid of a downed Goa'uld death glider convinced the powers that be that it was better to work on their own, complete version of space-fighter, not take bits and pieces from alien craft, that could just pose more danger than it was worth.
They looked sleek, mean, and could fly like a bat-outta-hell. With a complement of four medium-ranged ballistic missiles and two long-ranged missiles, as well as Goa'uld-type 'bolt energy' weaponry for close-in fire, the X-302s were designed to battle other space-fighter classes. They could operate just as effectively in space or in the upper-atmosphere of a habitable world – either-or, they were still mighty hard-hitting monsters, definitely not a calibre of spacecraft to be taken lightly.
Major Edward Norris had gotten all the pilots and support personnel fired up and ready to do their duties; now he stood back out of the way as all the professionals went about their assigned jobs, doing the work they were paid for with the calm, precise skill he could always expect from those who were a part of the Air Force cadre.
He glanced down at his watch, and saw again that it wasn't working. It had been frozen by the EMP shockwave, just like every other piece of electronics that had been functioning at the time of the strike – Norris had known this, but he'd just forgotten about it. With a disgusted sigh, he unclipped the watch and threw the useless object into a rubbish bin nearby, then turned his full focus back to the literal hive of activity that was going on all around him, all across the wide open fighter-bay.
They must have only a matter of minutes left, Norris thought ruefully to himself. This was taking too long! They had to get the fighters out there, now!
# A #
Major Norris was close in his reckoning when he thought they only had a couple of minutes to go – but in fact, they had 30 seconds until the lead Jumper was within drone weapons range of their ship.
Then, if their intentions were hostile and the oncoming Ancient spacecraft was doing to destroy them, they could launch their drone assault upon them from a safe distance away, and there would be nothing any of them onboard the Daedalus could do to stop it.
Dr Rodney McKay was slowly winning the battle to restore more of the battle-cruiser's key secondary components, but the primary functions of the vessel, like helm control, engines, as well as offensive and defensive weaponry, were all stubbornly inactive.
Thanks largely to a venerable horde of technicians and engineers now at McKay's command, he was able to get some major work accomplished all over the ship, and some systems were being restored – but not enough to make anything they really needed to come online and operate properly.
The Puddle Jumpers all kept on coming, with the lead Jumper at least three minutes ahead of the others and almost within drone weapon range of their stricken vessel. It was now coming down to the finish-line – either in a few moments, a devastating drone attack would be launched against them all and they'd be obliterated, just like the Wraith cruisers were… or not.
"Those X-302s should be out there, right now!" Dr McKay boomed, looking across at Colonel Caldwell with an almost reproachful look, as if it was his fault that the space-fighters were not shooting out of the fighter-bay at that moment on an intercept course to meet the lead Jumper, and if need be, engage it in combat… "We've only got 10 seconds until they can fire upon us!"
Rodney tried to calculate in his head just how far the X-302s would have to travel to get within weapons-range with their ballistic missiles to take out that lead Jumper… and he didn't think they had a chance.
Not if the Puddle Jumper fired on them first.
The seconds ticked down, ever so slowly for those on the command bridge of the Daedalus. Two X-302 fighters shot out of the fighter-bay and streaked away from the battle-cruiser – the crew on the bridge could see the tiny little craft rocketing away into the depths of space, barrelling after the first of the five incoming Jumpers. McKay was glad that at least a couple of X-302s were finally airborne…
But then, the Jumper crossed the threshold… finally it was within range to fire upon the vessel with its drone weapons. And almost immediately, the Puddle Jumper's intentions were revealed to them all.
Two drones were fired from out of the weapons-pods underneath the oncoming vessel, and streaked away at an astronomical speed towards the two X-302 fighters sent to intercept the Jumper. It was now unmistakable – the Jumpers were hostile, as they'd opened fire on spacecraft that were obviously human-designed, and this was going to get real bad for everyone on the Daedalus soon enough.
# A #
The
outer edge of Sector 1146,
the
Pegasus Galaxy.
The two drones covered the distance between the Puddle Jumper that had fired them and the oncoming X-302 fighters with incredible speed, and the pilots onboard both of the spacecraft from Earth banked and pitched their vessels all over the place, trying desperately to manoeuvre themselves out of the line of fire…
But to no avail – the drones, due to their Ancient technology, corrected themselves fluidly as they continued to bore in on their targets, making minute changes to their direction and speed up to the very moment of impact with the human-piloted space-fighters. The subsequent explosions obliterated both of the X-302s, along with the two men who had been at the controls the vessels.
The Puddle Jumper just swept on by the wreckage of the two spacecraft, bearing down upon the battle-cruiser with ruthless, relentless determination.
Another drone was lowered down out of one of the weapons-pods, lit up under its own energy, and shot screaming away from the Jumper at an unbelievable hyper-velocity. The drone tore through the distance between its own vessel and the Atlantean warship in mere moments… and soon enough, it made its indelible, appalling mark upon the Daedalus.
# A #
On
the outer edge of Sector 1146, onboard the USS Daedalus,
the
Pegasus Galaxy.
The rest of the X-302s were about to launch out of the fighter-bay after the initial two spacecraft – Major Ed Norris watched on proudly as the vessels all manoeuvred themselves into position, and saw the engines kick over…
The pilots started up their thrusters as the navigators (something the first two X-302s had lacked, in their haste to get out there and into the fight no navigators had been able to join them in time) all went through the last of their pre-flight checks, making sure in their rush no obvious mistakes had been made. It might be time to get into some serious dog-fighting, yes, but they would not be making any stupid, foolish rookie mistakes.
The Asgard-designed shielding that kept the fighter-bay protected from the void of space outside the ship rippled with energy, as it kept back the vicious environment of the stars and the cosmos… none of them ever saw the bright little comet-like drone weapon as it streaked in on them, flying straight towards their very position on the Daedalus!
The Asgard shield was NOT designed to withstand a drone weapon's firepower – a weapon of the Ancients. The devastating explosion that resulted from the drone's impact with the shield-cover tore right through the closed confines of the fighter-bay.
X-302 fighters were engulfed in flames or simply burst apart from the intense heat, as their plasma drives overloaded or their missile loads were cooked off. Personnel and equipment were obliterated from the intensity of the explosions, or sucked out into the void of space because the shield that had protected this portion of the vessel from such dangers had now been removed.
The last thing Major Edward Norris, the Tactical Officer aboard the USS Daedalus, saw before he too was vaporized by the supernova-like ferocity of the explosions, was a virtual WALL of flame racing through the fighter-bay towards him. And the last thoughts that he had were of his wife and children back home on Earth… and the rest of the crew of the Daedalus.
He hoped and prayed that Dr McKay would help steer them all back on track, and get the rest of them back into the fight…
Then, Norris thought, and saw, nothing else ever again, as the fireball engulfed him and his body was almost instantly atomised.
# A #
"The fighter-bay…" one of the junior officers reported breathlessly as he came sprinting into the room from the adjourning hallway, "it was struck by the drone weapon, completely destroyed that entire sector of the ship. Automated containment protocols were active, as that entire section of the vessel has been sealed off because of the breach… in atmosphere – when the bay's shield went down from the strike."
The entire battle-cruiser was still rocking slightly from the savage impact of the drone weapon – now they knew just where the device had struck, but not the extent of the damage. Still, Dr McKay knew just how powerful drone weapons were. He expected that a sizable portion of the Daedalus had been carved away by the Ancient device's detonation, and that every last person in that entire section of the ship was already dead… the casualty rate was going to be enormous.
Rodney snapped himself out of the stupor he found himself falling into, and looked over the sensor console again, concentrating, trying to gauge just what it was these unknown foes had in store for them.
He didn't actually think they planned to destroy the ship outright anymore – there had only been one drone attack so far on them directly, on the section of the vessel that the X-302 fighters had been launched from. No. Rodney McKay got the sinking feeling that they were actually planning on storming their ship, and trying to take it by force of arms…
Just who in the hell were they dealing with here? McKay wondered.
# A #
Onboard
the lead Puddle Jumper, on the outer edge of Sector 1146,
the
Pegasus Galaxy.
The pilot had done his duty well to get them safely to this point – Kolya told him so, and the young Genii beamed with warm, honest pride at the compliment. Then, the Commander turned to his small, robust skirmisher team, and looked over every man and woman in the tightly-packed rear compartment in turn.
He was immensely proud of every single member of this assault team, chosen out of the larger Strike Force Kolya led because of their combat experience, and dogged determination to succeed at all costs in meeting their objectives. There was no other group of Genii Acastus Kolya would have wanted to go to war with.
"Genii, we are going into combat! And let me tell you now, not all of you will live through this day!" Acastus began. "But know this – your bravery and sacrifice, if made in honourable battle with the enemy, will live on through the ages. We have struck a mighty blow against the Wraith on this day, the most savage blow our people have ever delivered against the scourge of the Pegasus Galaxy! You are all already legends upon the Genii people – now let us etch our name into the stones by taking our glorious prize, and casting our foes down without mercy!"
The roar that the Genii shock-troopers gave back to Commander Kolya because of his stirring words was deafeningly loud, in the confined space of their spacecraft. Acastus grinned broadly at them all, as he checked his auto-pistol and ammo cartridges, made sure his grenades were securely clasped to the belt he wore round his waist, and his combat knife was sheathed in its scabbard…
They were almost upon their target. It was almost time to take their prize.
# A #
On
the outer edge of Sector 1146, onboard the USS Daedalus,
the
Pegasus Galaxy.
"They're landing on top of us!" McKay shouted, looking over at Colonel Caldwell, Ronon Dex, and the rest of the bridge crew with incredulous wonder. "I think they're going to try boarding the ship, and taking control of the Daedalus by force!"
"No… really? That's what you believe their plan is?" the Colonel asked, finding it quite hard to accept.
"Yes that has to be it – it's the only reason we're all still alive and kicking right now," Rodney said, trying very hard to keep his voice level and at a reasonable timbre. He was not going to let the situation overwhelm him, no way no how. "That Puddle Jumper out there is of ANCIENT design. We have a few of our own Jumpers back at Atlantis, as you're quite aware, Colonel, and you have to understand this – they are WAY the hell beyond anything we have at our disposal. That one Jumper could easily destroy the Daedalus with just a couple of drones travelling at hyper-velocity, as we saw with the Wraith cruisers. So the fact that we are still here right now, and that the Jumper is setting down as I speak on some section of the vessel's outer hull, lends credence to my theory that the people responsible for all this are going board us and fight for control."
"Okay that's fine…" Caldwell said. "Now that we might actually have an enemy to fight, on something like equal terms, I say we give these bastards some payback! I want fire-teams assembled to repel boarders on all levels, and sweeper-teams to go through this entire ship from top to bottom – anything that doesn't have an SGC insignia, dies. Got it?"
Soon, orders were being carried out and commands bellowed all over the place, as the crew of the Daedalus began to unlock weapons cabinets, and disperse with a vast assortment of guns and ammunition. Colonel Caldwell withdrew his Beretta handgun, and then passed McKay a handheld radio.
"Stay on the line with us, Doc, and let me know as soon as those other four Jumpers arrive," the Colonel commanded. He was now back in his element again, and Rodney was out of his – it was time to fight these sneaky cretins. "I want to know what they do and, if they try to land on the Daedalus and unload some boarders, I want to know where the hell they do it!"
"I've got it," Rodney said back. He was glad that he could help, in the best way that he knew how – with his mind. "I'll stay right here and relay important information when it becomes necessary."
"Good – stay safe, McKay. We're going to get through this." Caldwell rushed off the bridge with most of the senior staff and crewmembers; they were all armed in some fashion or other with small-arms weapons. As Ronon was about to head out of the room after them, he turned to look back at Rodney McKay.
"You did well today, Doc – this wasn't your fault, and you've tried your very best to work a way out of it. For that, you've earned my respect."
And with that, the big man was gone through the doorway. He had his personal blaster pistol in one hand, and his great-sword hanging down in its scabbard from his left hip. Ronon was DEATH incarnate – Rodney had seen him fight, so he knew just how much trouble those boarders, whoever or whatever they were, would be in when they came across his long-haired companion.
"Thank-you," McKay whispered after Ronon Dex. He turned to look around the mostly-empty bridge, took in the sight of the two young officers left back to guard him, and sighed. Well, this was going to be one very interesting hour…
# A #
The sweeper-team Ronon Dex commanded consisted of him, and four young Air Force technicians he doubted knew the business end of a gun even if they were staring down the depths of a barrel, looking death in the face – they were novices, in other words, kids barely out of school who would probably do more damage than good, and somehow get HIM killed along the line.
Dex would have much preferred working alone…
The sound of metal being cut away echoed down the corridor, and Ronon Dex moved cautiously towards the noise – he made sure that his 'team' stayed well back behind him, and made as little noise as possible as he crept forward.
Round the last corner, and there it was… sparks were flying down from the roof, as someone was slicing through the reinforced metal panelling with a cutting-tool. They were almost done, too – Dex and his men just stood back and watched as the last of the metal was cut through, and the heavy slab fell to the ground below with a mighty clang.
"Intruders detected in my sector," Dex whispered softly into his handheld radio, and then immediately switched off the device before the hissing, cackling response gave away his position too early. Reinforcements would be quick to respond, despite the fact that he was now off-air.
The first soldier dropped straight down to the ground from the hole in the Daedalus – from the Puddle Jumper above, Ronon reckoned.
The boarder righted himself, swung his rifle up from where it had been pointed towards the ground, glanced quickly around his environs… and found himself looking straight down the barrel of the blaster of one cold customer, Ronon Dex.
A second later, the man was dead, his body flying back into the wall behind him – there was not much left of the trooper's head, just a bloody, gore-splattered mass of blood, bone and brains.
For a split-second, a head appeared in the shrouded opening in the roof. Ronon took a couple of pot-shots a the figure, a man, but missed his target. Dex quickly ducked away, as a monstrous amount of weapons-fire swept through the hallway, carving up the ground where he had been standing but a moment before…
These guys were quite annoyed, Dex reckoned, and laughed heartily. After all, he'd just taken out one of their own, and started up a whole lot of trouble with the first face-to-face kill of the entire episode. Ronon had absolutely no regrets about it, either.
It wasn't him who had started the fight.
# A #
One of the secondary functions Rodney McKay had been able to get operational again was the security camera network, and so he was able to punch in a relayed picture of the first round of action directly to a video-monitor up on the bridge.
And when he saw the first man to jump down from the breach in the ship's hull, saw what he had been dressed in and the weapons he'd been armed with, McKay felt like he was going to vomit.
Oh crap, not the Genii… after all the hell that they put him through every time the team ran into these people, Rodney would have been quite happy to have lived out the rest of his days never having heard from them ever again. But it didn't seem like he would be so lucky.
"Colonel Caldwell," he said over the handheld radio, "Ronon's made contact with the enemy, and has even managed to kill one of their troops. They're Genii, sir. This is very bad. These guys are extremely skilled fighters, and are dangerous as hell. Be careful."
# A #
The
city of Atlantis,
the
Pegasus Galaxy.
The debriefing had been long, thorough, and very informative to Dr Elizabeth Weir. She was able to get the opinion from both Teyla Emmagan and her Athosian kinsman, Malden, that the Genii Oskar was worthy of further interview and verification, but seemed quite honest and cooperative. John Sheppard was a little less convinced about Oskar than the other two, but believed the intelligence operative might just prove to be a valued asset, if the worth of what he had to offer was real and could be confirmed…
After the meeting was over, Lt Colonel Sheppard and Teyla Emmagan went down to one of the sparring rooms to practice John's blunt-force combat training, with a pair of wooden training clubs each as weapons.
Malden joined them both for a long while as a quiet, silent observer. He was so quiet and observant, that soon the two combatants forgot all about him as they duelled against each other intensely… and they did not even miss his presence when the Athosian slipped out of the room, making his way confidently through the hallways and corridors of Atlantis.
He knew how to move with purpose, with an air of drive and determination about him that seemed to indicate Malden had a place, a reason for being in that section of the city – people were less likely to question the presence of an Athosian striding around the place if it looked like he had somewhere to go. At least, that was Malden's reasoning, and for all intents and purposes it was proving to be a right assumption.
The 'guest quarters' where the Genii spy, Oskar, was staying in were quite easy to find – they were the ones Malden located with the armed Special Forces soldier standing outside the only entrance.
He waled right on by the trooper the first time, giving the young man a smile and a slight nod as he went. Then, ten minutes later on his way back past the same guard standing in front of the same door, the Athosian launched into action.
Malden flicked out a hidden dagger from underneath his clothing, and before the soldier at the door could notice it or react to the danger, he charged forward and plunged the blade deep into the man's neck. The trooper's eyes blanched wide open in horror, and he tried to struggle with the Athosian, attempted to wrest the knife out of Malden's grasp and pull the dagger out of his neck – to no avail, his assailant was just too strong and determined.
There was a great deal of blood pouring out of the deep wound – he had hit an artery with the strike, so that didn't help the situation much. Within thirty seconds, the SF was dead, and Malden let his body slump lifelessly to the ground by the doorway. He pulled the blade out of the man's ruined throat, and wiped the excess blood off on the dead soldier's uniform. Then Malden opened the door with a wave of his hand over the correct panel, picked up the dead body by lifting it up under the arms, and half-dragged, half-carried the corpse into the room beyond.
Oskar was sitting on a couch across the room from Malden as he came in, and looked up to see the Athosian dragging the dead sentry's body into the room. He hardly batted an eye.
"It was incredibly fortunate for us about that assassin of Cowen's, turning up the way she did…" the Genii said to the Athosian, as Malden handed over an auto-gun he had been allowed to carry within Atlantis. Oskar clicked back the hammer of the weapon, loading a round into the firing-breech. He was ready to perform his duty.
"Indeed it was. Commander Kolya did not expect you to make it into the city for at least a month, if at all," Malden replied. "Thanks to the Grand Master sending his killer after you, thinking that you were going to turn over vital secrets to the Atlanteans and not, in fact, sabotage their operations irreparably in the Pegasus Galaxy…"
He looked over at the Genii agent, at the man he had known for the better part of half his life – at his case officer, the intelligence operative who had recruited the Athosian so many years ago to spy for the Genii. Oskar gave him a broad grin in return.
"Well, we are both here now for Kolya and his troops. Let's do our duty," Oskar stated with grim determination. Leading the way, Malden moved back out into the corridor of the city, and Oskar followed close behind, his auto-gun up and at the ready to fire…
They headed straight for the ZPM Outlet Room – the heart of Atlantis, where its one fresh, fully-charged Zero Point Module resided, powering up the city from this key position. The men had every intention of destroying that Zero Point Module, and doing as much damage to the triangular console that housed the energy cells so that no other ZPMs could be placed there.
Malden and Oskar planned to strike at the very heart of the city itself!