9: Breakout
Governor Valinno had been enjoying his dinner when the alarm had sounded. The dining hall of the temple was much the same as how the Calsharans occupiers had found it, with glazed tiled floors and stone columns along beige sandstone walls. A large mural occupied one wall, taken up with intricate carvings portraying some battle from far back in the planet's history, complete with distinctly Goa'uld iconography. Through skylights above, one could see the night sky and the stars that crowded it, along with at least one of Chulak's moons. It was an otherwise grandiose setting for dining, and it almost rivalled some of the great halls back home. Almost, for to Valinno, nothing could quite compare to the halls back home, such as in the Annex or the Grand Assembly Hall in which new High Protectors were inaugurated.
Valinno had his usual staff with him, among them Captain Dorvask, his aide Kalea and a couple of other officers from within the garrison. One was a young Lieutenant-Commander of the Navy, another a Captain of the small contingent of elite special forces stationed here. All of them were on their feet as soon as the alarm sounded, and Valinno found himself shovelling down several more pieces of the tender roast meat before him as he scrambled into action.
A Corporal charged in, outfitted in full combat armour. He spoke hurriedly to Dorvask, his voice low, and the bulky Captain nodded his head a few times as he acknowledged the information given.
"There are intruders in the compound, Governor," Dorvask said, his voice stern.
"They must be after the prisoners," Valinno replied. "Or me. Either way, I want you to get every available soldier you can find and hunt them down. Kill them all."
"Should I give a few men to you, sir? If these intruders are after you, you may need additional protection."
"Of course, Captain." Valinno started for the exit, followed by the other officers. Dorvask headed the opposite way, going off to organize the response to this brazen raid. Valinno hurried along for his chambers, and along the way he was met by a half dozen elite soldiers in black and silver-trimmed armour. His protection, as the Captain had promised. Whilst the ever-reliable Dorvask dealt with the intruders, Valinno would wait out the situation in his room. He was the Governor here, so it only made sense for him to place himself well out of harm's way. If anything were to happen to him, be it capture or even death, then the whole occupying force could fall into disarray. No army was any good without a strong leader.
John supposed that he should not have been surprised that their way out was compromised. Aithris had explained it in no uncertain terms through their communicators, and his honesty was admirable for he took responsibility for the loss of the cargo ship. He simply could not stand by and allow innocent civilians to be executed. John knew he would have done much the same thing had he been in Aithris' place. The problem now was that they had no easily accessible escape route, and in fact the only one that came to mind was the stargate. That was where Aithris was headed now, although how he would get through the security forces protecting it was anyone's guess.
John, Natalia, Daniel, Tesic and Bra'tac had found their way into the lower levels of the palace. Down here it was all grimy stone-block corridors, mildew and cobwebs, with flaming torches lighting the way. Bra'tac was at the front of the group, his knowledge of the palace's layout second-to-none. The others, at least Natalia and Daniel, had heard Aithris deliver the news concerning their change in escape plan. John, keeping up with Bra'tac, relayed the information to him as they raced down the winding, labyrinthine corridors.
"Our cargo ship's a no-go," John told him. Bra'tac glanced at him, and the group paused as they came to a T-intersection in the corridor. Distinctly Calsharan-made surveillance devices had been placed about these tunnels, and one of their cameras stared at the group now from the wall ahead of them. John raised his rifle and blasted it, the camera exploding into numerous blackened pieces of metal.
"Aithris is headed for the stargate. It's going to be under heavy guard. We're going to need a plan, once we get out of here."
"As your people say, one problem at a time." Bra'tac motioned to the left-hand corridor, and the group followed him. Further ahead was a large gate of sorts, and it was guarded by a pair of Calsharan soldiers. John and Bra'tac were the first to see these two, and their weapons were up and ready before the pair had a chance to react. Energy bolts cut down the flame-lit tunnel, sending both soldiers falling, their plasma rifles dropping to the floor. A thin haze of smoke wafted off of their bodies as the team came upon the gate.
On the other side was a larger dungeon, mostly plain and floored with dirty stone. The place smelled of sweat and human waste, and at least one occupant lay dead in a corner, their pale sunken features suggesting that it had been at least a few days since their demise. As such, their body was starting to smell, and that in turn only added to the unpleasant stench that pervaded the air here.
There were four men scattered about the dungeon, one of which stood near to the gate, evidently a lookout for the others. His gaze lit up as Bra'tac and John appeared, and he called for the others, getting their attention. Four Jaffa men, one of whom was distinctly familiar, not to mention a fair bit larger than the other three.
John had met Teal'c a few times over the years, and they had shared some brief snippets of conversation on those occasions. The large Jaffa was not easy to miss, and John watched as he slowly rose to his feet, his face carrying some obvious bruises and a few bloodied cuts. His black undershirt was dirty and torn in places, stained with blood. He had been beaten whilst imprisoned, unsurprisingly. Yet, judging from his stoic expression, the beatings had not broken him. Teal'c was a man not easily broken, and despite the pain he was no doubt in, he rose to his feet and followed his compatriots to the gate.
"Master Bra'tac," Teal'c said. He was taken aback by the old man's presence, even if he hid much of it well. "You did not need to come here."
"I would never leave you behind, Teal'c." Bra'tac's tone was matter-of-fact, the statement clearly one he did not wish to argue. Teal'c glanced to John, recognition flashing across his face. Recognition became outright joy when Daniel appeared, joined by Tesic and Natalia.
"Daniel Jackson." Teal'c's face lit up noticeably. "It is good to see you. However, you did not need to come."
"No one gets left behind, remember?" Daniel said. Teal'c gave a curt nod in understanding. He knew that old creed all too well.
"I am grateful for your assistance."
"Stand back," Bra'tac ordered, and the others took a few paces back from the gate as he leveled his staff weapon towards the lock. From somewhere down the hall, guttural voices and heavy footsteps became audible. John directed his attention down the hall, Natalia and Tesic shifting their weapons towards the source of the noise.
"We need another way out," John said, right as a pair of Calsharan soldiers appeared at the far end of the hall. Weapons barked, Natalia's P90 sending forth a stream of armour-piercing rounds that kicked up dust from the nearby walls and tore into the ageing stonework near the Calsharan soldiers.
More enemy troops appeared at the opposite end of the hall. The team was caught from both directions, and they fought a fighting retreat into the dungeon. Some small amount of moonlight found its way inside through a few square-shaped and barred-over windows near the ceiling. This suggested they were close to the outside, if walled in by thick stone. Getting hemmed right into a dungeon was far from ideal, and John could see little other choice in escape route.
Daniel opened fire down the other end of the corridor, working the pressure-pad trigger on the plasma pistol rapidly. One of the Calsharan soldiers down the hall fell, smoke wafting off of the hole in his chest. He was replaced within seconds by another. Judging from the sheer amount of very Calsharan-sounding voices that could be heard barking and relaying information from both flanks, it seemed the entire garrison was working its way down into the dungeons.
"Bra'tac, may I borrow that?" Teal'c held out one hand, indicating the staff weapon clutched by his old mentor. Bra'tac handed it to him without question, the trust between the two men going beyond the need for words. Teal'c, still somewhat unsteady on his legs, trudged back into the middle of the dungeon, his gaze directed for the rear wall. John followed him, as did Bra'tac, the others keeping by the gate and engaging the increasingly determined enemy soldiers. They had little choice but to back into the dungeon themselves, blue plasma bolts cutting down the hallway, sparks flying as they connected with the gate. Chunks were blasted from the stone walls near it. Natalia hurriedly reloaded her P90, beads of sweat having appeared upon her brow. That brow was set in a grim line, her attention focused solely on the fight at hand.
Teal'c raised the staff weapon, aiming it at a small stretch of the rear wall that appeared somewhat newer than the ageing stone blocks around it. Almost as if someone had put a hole there once and the people in charge here had arranged to have it filled back in. A weak point, and one Teal'c took full advantage of. The staff weapon thundered, and part of the wall exploded, debris scattering. Again and again, Teal'c blasted into the same newer patch of wall, causing it to crumble, stone bricks and mortar giving way with ease under the might of the energy weapon. Moonlight filtered in, a cool breeze following. They had their way out.
John wasted no time taking advantage of this improvised escape route. He barked at the others, ordering them to fall in. Natalia took up the rear with Daniel, covering the others as they climbed through the hole and into the cool night air. Calsharan soldiers appeared at the opened gate, plasma rifles firing. Bolts struck the rear wall, with one missing John by mere inches before it ripped a chunk out of edge of the hole.
John was last out, seeing to it that Natalia and Daniel were well clear. He kept up the fire at the encroaching enemy soldiers, backing through the hole as more Calsharans started pouring in. As he emerged, he suddenly felt himself gently nudged aside. Bra'tac was at the hole then, and in one hand he held a spherical device about six inches in diameter. A grenade of Goa'uld design, and with a twist of one hemisphere he armed it, red lights blinking when he threw it back through the hole.
"Get clear, Colonel Sheppard," he said, turning to the Colonel before he started running down the grassy slope before them. John followed him, with only seconds passing before the grenade went off. The noise from within the dungeon was that of a loud thump, with a thick cloud of dust suddenly billowing out of the hole. Several shouts were heard from amongst it all, cut short by the sudden detonation.
They had a gentle incline ahead and forest before them. There was the odd house along here, flanking a dirt trail. The group was scattering some distance ahead, heading along the trail and through the surrounding trees. Teal'c tossed Bra'tac his staff weapon, and the old man caught it with a deft hand. Behind them, Calsharan soldiers appeared along the top of the wall, opening fire into the night with their weapons. The blue bolts of energy, vapour trails left in their wake, lit up the night with sharp, blue light.
A Calsharan armoured car appeared from the left flank, barrelling down a dirt road before skidding to a halt. Atop the car was a large-mounted gun, and it was manned by a Calsharan who, had his visor been raised, would have been seen wearing an almost gleeful expression as he hit the trigger on the large weapon. A thick, rapid stream of plasma bolts spewed forth from the barrel, slicing through the dark night, tearing into two of the escaped Jaffa who were promptly mangled by the spewing plasma. John threw himself into a crouch behind an old, rotting tree stump and raised his rifle, taking careful aim in the seconds it took for the Calsharan gunner to adjust his own aim.
Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and pulled the trigger. The blast hit the gunner in the side of the head, blowing a sizeable chunk from it and otherwise cooking his brain inside his skull. The gun stopped firing, yet that was not the end of it. Five more soldiers emerged from the vehicle, among them the bulky officer whom John had seen at the public execution earlier that day. The very one who had so easily hammered a nail into a man's head using only his bare hands.
Daniel was suddenly beside him. The others were scattered, and John had lost sight of Natalia and Bra'tac. Teal'c was somewhere up ahead, with Tesic with him. Both had turned to the newest enemy arrivals.
"Get going, Daniel," John said, turning to the archaeologist. "Regroup at the stargate cordon. Find Aithris. That's an order."
"Don't tell me you're going to insist on staying behind to cover our getaway?" Daniel frowned, using one finger to push his glasses a little further up his nose.
"I'm just saying, I'll take up the rear." John let fly with a volley at one of the Calsharans further down the trail, the blue-white energy of the Ori weapon illuminating the dark around it. Daniel let out a sigh, knowing better than to argue with him.
"I'll cover." John kept on shooting, hoping to pin down the handful of Calsharan soldiers that were about twenty metres downrange. Bra'tac and the others had apparently slipped into the night. Daniel rose to his feet and started running the same way. John saw one of the Calsharans take aim at the fleeing archaeologist, and so with another volley he forced the soldier to duck down, putting him behind a fallen tree.
John heard the crunch of booted feet trampling on dried leaves somewhere behind him. He swivelled around, firing a shot on impulse, putting it in the armoured vest of the Calsharan officer he had seen earlier. Captain Dorvask grunted, his armoured vest absorbing some portion of the damage. John fired again, this shot grazing the Calsharan's arm. The plasma pistol he clutched fell from his grasp.
Dorvask was now barrelling down on John with his yellow eyes alight with fury, and John went to fire once more, only for a swift kick from the bulky Calsharan to send the gun flying from his grasp. It landed somewhere in the dark, well out of his reach. The playing field had suddenly become a little more level.
Dorvask growled, throwing a punch that John ducked under, scrambling to one side as the Captain threw up another kick that only just missed the Colonel. John pulled himself along the dirt and leaf-littered earth, although his speed was not like it used to be. Dorvask sent another kick that caught him in the stomach, leaving him gasping for breath and sending a sudden wave of nausea through him. John fell back into the dirt, having little chance to recover before Dorvask was on him again.
The next punch hit John in the chest, further compounding his shortness of breath. He fell onto his stomach, pain wracking his torso. Dorvask, pointed teeth bared in a malicious smile, grabbed John by the back of the neck and lifted him to his knees. His grip was like that of a vice, and it sent further pain shooting down John's spine. It felt as if he was about to break his neck, and with the strength present in the Calsharan's arms this seemed well within the realm of possibility.
Energy weapons fire lit up the night then, and Dorvask grunted as a pair of staff weapon blasts connected with his side. His grip on the Colonel eased, allowing the human to scramble free. Dorvask turned to the shooter, still standing despite the smoking holes present on his torso.
Teal'c had emerged from the dark, staff weapon in hand. He did not give the Calsharan a chance to respond to the attack, and instead blasted him twice more. Now Dorvask did go down, his chest marred with blackened armour plating and burned flesh, where metal and muscle had been forcibly melded together. Dorvask's eyes remained wide open, albeit lifeless, staring vacantly at the night sky above.
Teal'c put out a hand for John, his expression the usual stoicism. John took the offered hand, with Teal'c lifting him easily back upon his feet.
"We should re-join the others," Teal'c stated.
"Yeah." There was a brief pause, before John figured it best to keep the awkward silence from taking hold. "Thanks for the save."
Teal'c gave him a nod, before he turned and started jogging off into the night. John followed, taking up his fallen rifle from where it had come to rest amongst some dried leaves nearby. His chest ached and his neck hurt, but he was alive. That was more than could be said for Captain Dorvask.
John had likened the cordon around the Chulak stargate to 'Checkpoint Charlie'. Aithris had a limited understanding of Earth history, and this reference in particular escaped him somewhat, but he could certainly acknowledge that the cordon was indeed a 'checkpoint'. A temporary metal fence had been set up some distance from the stargate, incorporating much of the open field that the stargate sat in. Small, carefully placed and carved boulders were spaced around the stargate, an indication of the reverence the Jaffa of old had once held the stargate and the Goa'uld who had made use of it. Much of these monuments had been swallowed up by the Calsharan security checkpoint, which comprised of a gate at the front and the rear, along with four guard towers, one at each corner. There were a good dozen soldiers on duty, including two mounted gun emplacements, one at each side of the compound. Sharpshooters were in the towers, working searchlight beams that cast brilliant white illumination through the night.
Aithris was on a stout hill some distance from all of this. With the elevation he was on, he could look over the walls and into the compound itself. There were two large prefab structures there, little more than plain grey rectangles that served as barracks and storage. A handful of Calsharan soldiers milled about within, three of which were seated around a fire cooking what appeared to be a dead four-legged animal. A native creature that had fallen prey to the meat-heavy appetites of the Calsharan occupiers. Aithris could smell it from here, roasting over the open fire. He scrunched up his face upon detecting the scent. He knew full well the humans loved their meats, but the Calsharans took this love to a whole other level. He supposed it made sense, as the Calsharans were almost exclusively carnivores. Nomads, on the other hand, had long ago eschewed meat-eating. Aithris had come to appreciate many of the fine plants found on Earth, not to mention the many cheeses.
He had been waiting here for about ten minutes so far, searching for any sign of Colonel Sheppard and the others. None had appeared so far, and he wondered with some mounting dread that perhaps something had gone wrong. However, his worries were soon allayed by the alertness that suddenly took hold within the compound in the field below. Soldiers spurred into action, those around the fire running for the perimeter walls. The guards at the main gate shifted their attention towards the trail that wound its way from the forest and into the field. Something had caught their attention, and Aithris surmised that it had to have been John and the others. They were on their way. And if they were on their way, he would need to do something to impede their resistance here.
Aithris stayed low, moving through the undergrowth with a practiced stealth. The bushes and shrubs cleared towards the base of the hill, opening onto exposed ground. There was a good thirty metres of it around the perimeter walls of the compound. However, the guards in the towers and walls were distracted by the apparent incoming enemies. None paid much attention to the right flank, from where the Nomad approached.
He darted between boulders, the darkness helping to cover his movements. Calsharan night-vision was still ample, however, and so he kept his eyes on the guard at the nearest tower. Aithris carried a standard 9mm SIG pistol, a decent enough backup weapon but not one that would help him against Calsharan armour at this distance. He needed to get in close.
The guard in the tower turned his head, golden-yellow visor directed towards the main trail. Aithris, his legs swift, darted towards the base of the perimeter wall. He stopped with his back against it, and his hands searched for any indication of an opening. The wall was temporary, comprised of thick metal sheets that had been locked into one another and fixed off with sturdy bolts. Aithris found a steel post between two of the sheets, whereupon three pairs of thick metal flanges were exposed. In each flange, on either side, were two bolts. The ends poked out only about an inch apiece, but for a Nomad this would be enough. He could climb it, and this is exactly what he started doing.
He launched himself up, hands grabbing one set of bolts, his feet landing on those under him. With a heave, he was able to scramble up to the topmost flange, his fingers barely grasping onto the ends of the bolts. A human may have had difficulty climbing with such a limited hold. For a Nomad and acolyte of the former ruling Council of Sanctuary, it was significantly easier, and his fingers found a hold on the top of the wall a moment later.
The guard tower was a short distance to his left. Quietly, Aithris hoisted himself up and over the top of the wall, coming upon the fire-step platform that put his waist roughly in line with the wall-top. The guard in the tower had his back turned, standing on a platform a good metre higher. Aithris moved for the rear-end of the platform, grabbing hold of the edge and lifting himself upon the guard tower level, slipping in under the railing.
He was on his feet then, and the guard turned around right as he came upon him. Aithris trapped the armoured soldier in a headlock, fingers finding the release at his helmet. A quiet hiss escaped from within as the helmet came away, falling to the ground below. The young Calsharan male underneath raised his gauntleted hands, clutching at the arm around his neck. Aithris met the soldier's struggle in turn, keeping his grip, his violet eyes fixed in a firm, determined glare as he attempted to subdue the soldier. He ensured the soldier could not shout, and before the struggle could drag on any further, Aithris pulled the combat knife from the sheath at his waist and plunged it into the back of the guard's neck.
The soldier let out a gasp and a quiet moan as his life left him in an instant. He fell limp into Aithris' arms, and the Nomad pulled the blood-soaked blade free before he gently laid the body at his feet. He felt little for what he had just done, far beyond the point of feeling anything for the people who had attacked his home. They had not destroyed Sanctuary, that had been the work of the ancient enemy; however, the Calsharans had certainly started the destruction and had killed many of his people before their attack had been interrupted. Aithris had been taught to be merciless towards his enemies, and he found he could be especially merciless to the Calsharans.
It was odd, then, to realise that he had considered a Calsharan a close friend not all that long ago. Valkas Kavellan had been a member of SG-1, before he had departed with Joanne to fulfil their destinies one-thousand years in the past. And now Aithris was killing similarly young Calsharan soldiers and feeling practically no remorse over it. It was amazing how quickly and radically things could change.
He was inside the compound now. Weapons fire erupted near the main gate. Soldiers were shooting into the darkened field. Towards whom, Aithris could not determine. Presumably, John and the team were in range. He had to act quickly.
There was a parked armoured car near the stargate itself. Aithris leapt from the guard tower, somersaulting as he landed, his powerful legs absorbing much of the impact. An ankle-breaker for a human, not so much for someone like him. Two soldiers were nearby, weapons at the ready, eyes surveying their surroundings in case of intruders from other flanks. They had failed to notice the Nomad slip-in and bypass them entirely, instead keeping to the inside of the perimeter wall before circling his way for the armoured car.
Calsharan vehicles, like so much of their machines, used sophisticated power cells to function. Such power cells were derived from Ancient technology, and like a powerful zero-point module, could be rendered extremely volatile under the right circumstances. The one of a vehicle such as this was small, and compact, carrying adequate power to keep the vehicle running indefinitely. Aithris, through his training, had been taught all about such devices. He had also been taught just about everything his people knew of the Calsharans, which was a substantial knowledge base.
At the rear of the vehicle, Aithris pulled open a small panel there. Underneath a sturdy alloy shield was the power cell, little more than a glowing blue cylinder about the size of his fist. It was fitted firmly into the vehicle's engine. Making some adjustments to the surrounding components, he was able to create a feedback loop that created a rapid build-up of energy inside the power cell. It took some fiddling, as the safety features and fail-safes built into the machine were specifically designed to prevent such a thing. Each second he spent adjusting the device reduced the chances of John and the others making it. With this weighing on his mind, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the tell-tale flare-up of energy within the cylindrical power core. Again, all that information he had had drummed into his head when he had been much younger was paying off.
He had moments to spare. Aithris moved for the driver's side door, yanking it open. Reaching in, he started the engine before he released the handbrake, allowing the car to start rolling forwards. Pushing it along, he sent it on its way towards the main gate, where most of the soldiers here had gathered.
Those standing in the open gate were the first to see it coming, seemingly confused when they saw the empty vehicle trundling towards them. Blue vapour was escaping its rear now, vapour that promptly turned into flame. Seeing this, the soldiers knew what was coming and started to scatter.
Aithris found himself watching the impending destruction. However, his attention was diverted when a Calsharan trooper appeared off to his right, appearing from around one of the main prefab structures. The Nomad was spotted immediately, cast in the light from one of the portable fixtures nearby.
Aithris pulled his pistol in an instant. The Calsharan opened fire. Aithris returned the gesture, finger rapidly working the trigger on the pistol, putting several bullets into the Calsharan's torso. Sparks flew, the rounds doing little else but pinging off of the sturdy armour. A plasma bolt clipped Aithris in the side, and the force of the impact and the pain it brought sent him falling.
The rolling armoured car exploded then. The night was suddenly cast away by the brilliant plume of rising blue fire that took the place of the main gate, the roar of the detonation filling Aithris' ears as he fell, a burning agony at his side from where he had been hit. The concussive wave knocked him right over, as it did for the Calsharan who had shot him. A thick cloud of dust blossomed forth, brought up by the detonation. Aithris heard Calsharans shouting, some screaming as the searing blue fire enveloped them. One of the guard towers was simply knocked aside, as if it were little more than twig. The prefab tent closest to the gate went with it, coming apart in the detonation with smouldering fabric and scorched metal shards showering all around.
Aithris slowly rose to his knees, hand clutching his side where the plasma had clipped him. The pain was intense, his clothing there scorched, flesh rendered raw and bloody and blistered from the heat of the plasma bolt. Blood spilled freely from the point of impact. It appeared that the shot had not been an outright direct hit, but the wound was bad enough to cause some concern. Like most Nomads connected to the ruling Council of Sanctuary, he had been imbued with nanite implants intended to enhance his senses and speed his healing. They were likely what was keeping him on his feet now, as any human or Jaffa would have been knocked down from a wound like this.
He rose to his feet. The soldier who had shot him was nearby, slowly getting up himself. Aithris trudged over to him and promptly planted one booted foot upon the soldier's chest, pinning him. There, he raised his pistol and fired into the soldier's visor. It took a few hits to break, but only one afterwards to render the soldier inactive.
Reloading the pistol, Aithris looked towards the remains of the main gate and the guardhouse that had been there. The way was mostly clear, reduced to a blackened crater strewn with mangled scraps of metal. There were still Calsharans out there, although now they faced a more determined enemy seeing that a large portion of their compound was a smoking ruin. Aithris spotted that enemy approaching across the open clearing, specifically John and the others. Among them was a large man whom he took to be Teal'c. They were scattered, hurrying across the field, weapons firing.
Aithris took action once more, shooting at the soldiers he saw through the smoky haze that had taken hold in the air after the explosion. He drew their fire, a means to relieve further pressure from the team. Somewhere distant, he could hear a distant whine. It grew in volume, signifying the arrival of a Calsharan fighter. More than one, no less. The enemy was pulling out all the stops to get these intruders.
The compound surrounding the stargate had looked to be a problem, and yet it had been the only way forwards. There was certainly not another cargo ship simply lying around, and John did not fancy their chances in rushing back to town. The team, harried through the forests, had come to a momentary pause at the start of the open field in which the stargate was located. It was a brief respite, for their enemies not only pursued them from the rear, but now awaited them ahead. Word had been relayed to those guarding the stargate that the raiders were coming their way. Lit up against the darkened field, the sight of the compound only further added to John's growing weariness.
They had to cross open ground to get there. That meant a steady advance, cover fire and relentless incoming fire from the enemy ahead. John had taken a look at the team then, dirty and sweaty as they were, taking tired, laboured breaths.
"Staggered formation, we'll cover each other." He wished he had smoke grenades on him, or better yet, an air strike he could call in to level the place. Instead, they would have to do this the old-fashioned way. Like soldiers going over-the-top in World War One, they would be crossing into the no man's land of an open and protected field.
"Spread out. I'll take point."
The shooting had started as soon as they had entered the field. Plasma bolts cut through the dark, zipping by or striking the various small monuments dotted about the sandy clearing. And then, as if by divine intervention, the entire front of the compound had erupted into a thundering ball of blue flame. The shockwave had almost knocked John over, kicking up dust all around with a deafening boom that echoed throughout the valley and no doubt woke up the population of the nearby city. After the momentary surprise had passed, John rose to his feet and started to advance. The others followed. No point not taking advantage of this surprise explosion. John could only conclude that it was the work of Aithris, rather than an act of God. Regardless, it was exactly what the team needed here and now.
Most of the Calsharans near the front end of the compound had been swallowed up by the explosion. A few were still active, picking themselves up from the ground. John hurried ahead, weapon raised, working the trigger quickly, shooting down a Calsharan trooper who had appeared out of the risen smoke. Several gunshots sounded from within the compound then, the unmistakable crack of ballistic cartridges rather than any energy weapon. One of the soldiers near the remains of the gate and surrounding wall spun around, having been hit in the back. Bra'tac blasted this one, sending two staff weapon shots into the soldier that sent him reeling, smoke and flame erupting from his armour with each impact.
The team was within the compound then. Aithris stood towards the middle, one hand clutching at his side. It was bleeding, the clothing there burned and torn. John approached him, keeping an eye out for further resistance. The others spread out, checking the flanks. Daniel started for the stargate's dial-home device, pulling out his 'garage door opener' ID-device in the process.
"Keep an eye on the approach," John told Natalia. She had been moving for Aithris, some concern on her face from seeing the Nomad injured, but she turned around upon hearing the order and made her way back for the wreck of the front gate. John stopped a few metres ahead of Aithris, offering the Nomad a curt nod and small smile.
"Was that you?" He asked him, gesturing towards the carnage behind them. Aithris nodded his head. Always modest, this one.
"Truly a sight to see," John added. He stepped forwards, frowning at the bleeding burn wound at Aithris' side. "Are you all right?"
"I will survive," Aithris replied. His eyes shifted to Teal'c, who had approached from John's left. "Is this the man we came to rescue?"
"It is." John turned to Teal'c, motioning towards Aithris. "Teal'c, this is Aithris. He's a friend."
Teal'c gave a small, respectful bow of his head. From the look on his face, the ageing Jaffa was barely holding together. His imprisonment and the beatings he had received had taken their toll, one that had been exacerbated by all this running around and shooting. He would also have been on the verge of tretonin deprivation, a drug that was necessary for a Jaffa who no longer carried a symbiote.
"Let's get out of here," John added, quickly. He could hear the Calsharan fighters coming, a pair of them swooping in from the east. They were of the standard single-seater chevron-shaped variety, similar to an F-302 but with sleek curves across the front. Instead of a gunmetal grey, these fighters were a deep black, almost as black as the night sky behind them. Their forward-firing plasma cannons opened up as soon as they fell within range, peppering the ground through the compound with a barrage of large blue-white clusters of energy. The ground shook underfoot, dirt and flame erupting from each impact.
Bra'tac swivelled about and began firing his staff weapon at the pair, which were shooting off into the west now that their strafing run had ended. They would be back in a minute, likely with a heavier payload in store.
Daniel had dialled the stargate by then, the wormhole activating suddenly with its familiar surge of water-like energy before it settled neatly into the welcome sight of the standing puddle. He keyed in his code for the iris to be opened on the other side, before he motioned for the others.
"We're good to go," he declared. John motioned to Teal'c and Aithris.
"You two first. Daniel, see to them." John patted Aithris on the back, coaxing him in the stargate's direction. Wounded men first, and with that in mind he saw off Aithris and Teal'c, with Daniel helping the Jaffa along as exhaustion and physical stress began to take its toll.
The fighters were coming back. More ground troops were on their way, armoured vehicles audible across the field. They had seconds to spare. John called for Natalia, who came running right away. The pair hurried up the steps towards the stargate, both falling into the shimmering light of the wormhole. Before he stepped into it, John looked to Bra'tac, who remained standing some metres ahead, looking off into the distance.
"Hey, Bra'tac, you coming?" John could tell from the look on the old man's face that he was not. Bra'tac turned to him and smiled.
"Someone must lead the fight to liberate Chulak," he said. "With Teal'c going with you, I am left to fulfil his role. Go on, Colonel Sheppard. I have things here that must be tended to." He paused, briefly, before he spoke again, his smile enhanced by the confidence in his eyes: "We will meet again, I am sure of it."
John knew better than to argue with an old Jaffa. The man had made up his mind, and in the face of increasingly overwhelming odds, he started to run for the ruined compound gate. The fighters swooped in for the stargate, plasma fire lancing forth. John did not linger any longer, and instead threw himself into the wormhole. He made sure to pull Natalia with him, the pair falling into the cool embrace of the shimmering energy, Chulak disappearing behind them along with the many light years between it and Earth.
In a matter of seconds, they were home. The familiar alarm denoting a stargate activation was sounding off in the background, smoke hissing out of the hydraulics around the stargate itself. Lights flashed at the walls and several armed Marines awaited the group at the foot of the ramp. John waved for the technicians in the control room, yelling for them to turn off the stargate. With that said, the wormhole dissipated suddenly, the alarm silencing with it. Suddenly and starkly, the room was quiet. A sullen mood took hold, and John found himself lingering upon the metal ramp a few moments more, watching as Aithris and Teal'c were escorted off to the infirmary by a pair of medical personnel.
John could not help but think that the mission had not been entirely successful. They had saved Teal'c, certainly, but Chulak remained occupied. And the people here, those of the 'first world', the 'Tau'ri', seemed content to sit back and let it stay that way.
