Thirty-Six

"One Squad per Paladin, please make your way with your complete squad to the first empty transport. One squad per Paladin…"

"This has been organised in far too much of a hurry Comrade"

"Da," Stárshiy leytenánt Dmitriy replied, "but what else could they do? We react. This is not good for an army; reactive means the enemy is dictating the battle, reactive means defensive"

"Da," Mládshiy leytenánt Georgiy "but what other choice do we have? On Earth, we have intelligence apparatus; we know who is likely to attack and some idea where and when. We have some readiness, these aliens, they attack without warning, and we know not when they come"

Dmitriy shrugged, "perhaps, but I hear these Goa'uld, they come in sneaky, under stealth"

"Even worse," Georgiy replied, cursing mildly as a solider behind him stepped on the back of his feet, caught off guard by the sudden stop of the long winding lines movement, "and if it was us doing it I would applaud such tactics, it is the way to win a war, seize every advantage you can. But it wasn't, and I curse being the wrong side of such matters"

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," the two Russian soldiers turned as a voice spoke next to them, it was one of the walking wounded, the British soldiers invalidated out of the battle who had been fit enough to help with the mass movement of troops, "I hear you are about to go on the offensive, full airlift into the centre of Goa'uld occupied territory"

Dmitriy blinked, "we are three regiments! You cannot drop three regiments into enemy territory; no-one has the craft anymore"

"Four Regiments," the soldier shrugged, wincing as his arm moved within the confines of its sling, "a Free Jaffa regiment and one of your Guards regiments is securing beachhead by airdrop now, they drop in…" the soldier, whose uniform identified as being a Private of the Rifle Volunteers, Territorial Army stumbled, frowning, searching for the words, "space-warship? Ha'tak"

"That," Georgiy commented, "would have been something to see"

"Da," Dmitriy commented, "we go to reinforce then?"

"Indeed," the soldier continued, then "the line is moving now, you'd best move on"

"Thank you Comrade," Dmitriy waved as he walked forward, heading with his squad for the first open Paladin.


If an incorporeal could have blinked, Iblis certainly would have.

'Well,' he thought cynically to himself, 'at least I know where the missing enemy are'

He gazed up again, fuming, as two Ha'taks, both bearing the mark of the treacherous so-called 'Free Jaffa' began to settle on the ground just one mile from the hellmouth itself.

His rage grow as the main weapons fired, splattering across the shield that had been erected over the hellmouth itself. Iblis knew the unit he had brought was designed for portability rather then power, the two warships would batter through it soon enough and he had not planned on losing that primary protection.

The bulk of his forces were elsewhere, thoroughly pinned, this ccould be a real problem. Could the shield hold for another hour? He doubted it.

Could the warriors he had available to him hold the Tau'ri off for the remaining time? He doubted that too.

"Send a recall," he growled, knowing full well that the order he was about to give would result in a slaughter of his troops, but so long as enough survived to join his defenders here, he didn't care one iota. They would die for their God; that was good enough for him, "I want every Jaffa summoned here, I do not care if they are pinned by Tau'ri forces"

Iblis smiled, grimly, "and wake the supersoldiers"


"Jubilation mixed with sorrow and despair today as officials confirm that both the African Hellmouth and Stargate Command in Colorado Springs are firmly back in Allied control.

However, the price has been shockingly high; in Colorado alone over six-thousand people are believed to have died in the fighting, this is joined by two full regiments reduced to nothing at the African Hellmouth, and the reports are still flowing in.

Already, this year is being called by many as the Year of Death as the grand total officially breaks the three-quarters of a million mark. The end total will certainly be far higher, indeed, we will most likely never know exactly how many people really died this year and as yet, it isn't over.

London has yet to be reclaimed from the forces of the Goa'uld, and if they manage to awaken this 'hellmouth', some sort of ancient device buried on the outskirts of the city, then rumour has it, it will be game over. No-one has yet to say how the end will come or what exactly a Hellmouth is but rumours of a supernatural link have been laughed at by government officials"


"This was once a vibrant, beautiful city, now, thanks to military necessity, it is a maze of desolate and unstable ruins, half the buildings having collapsed under the sheer force of the nuclear device detonated in the skies above me, the other half severally damaged and swiftly crumbling.

Many question whether the city will ever be reborn, but it is unlikely, radiation levels are elevated in many areas, the streets are covered in the decaying bodies of the dead and rats and other vermin swarm through the streets.

Already, plans are being drawn up to bulldoze large portions of the city, perhaps even its entirety.

What is known for definite is that in the last six hours, no more refugees have been reported fleeing the city, nor have the Allied forces and aid agencies discovered any more survivors.

This is a nation wounded, its heart torn out far more thoroughly even then the Nazi invasion of the Second World War managed. Who knows if this country will ever recover?

Only time will truly tell.

Reporting from an ABC suit next to the defiantly standing Arc De Triomphe, this is NBC News…"


"Earths defences inadequate?

Yes, according to official reports leaked from the Royal Space Service today, this is the latest in a long series of incidents which are being cited as reasons for an internal investigation into the affairs of the Royal Space Service and Stargate Command following the nightmarish and still ongoing events of this year.

When asked to comment on why more money had not been spent on homeworld defence, sources stated limited budget, the need for secrecy up till the events of disclosure and commitments elsewhere.

This has already caused an outcry amongst many who state that absolutely nothing should have compromised the need to keep the homeworld safe, this argument has many followers, most no doubt reacting to recent events and yet how safe would Earth be without those 'outside commitments' and the advanced technologies several of them have provided to us?

This is a question that can never be truly answered, what can be said for definite is that humanity will no doubt never stop analyzing this years events and second-guessing every decision that has been made"