CHAPTER TEN
Planet
PJ3-176,
Milky Way Galaxy.
There were enemy troops coming at her from all directions. Sam was close enough to the armory door, she could almost reach out and touch it... but the concentrated staff weapon fire that was coming at her from down the hallway to her immediate left made it almost impossible to move from where she was, sheltered behind a large stone pillar that was helping support the roof, high overhead.
The immediate response force to the call to arms was Tel'mar's own personal Elite Guard – a motley collection of humans and Jaffa, as far as Colonel Carter could tell, that had sworn an oath of fealty to the Goa'uld Lord and were willing to lay down their lives in his service. These people were tough, and dedicated.
Firing a quick double-burst of zat-gun bolts at one Jaffa warrior who was unfortunate enough to pop his head out just a little too far from around the corner to Sam's left, she killed yet another enemy trooper, only to be met by returning fire from the fallen soldier's companions. She was outnumbered, outgunned, and had little hope of making the very brief distance between her current covering position and the armory's only entrance.
Suddenly though, the door to the armory swung open, and a couple of camoflarged Spec Ops troops streamed out, laying down a whithering stream of bullets upon the massed Elite Guard that they could hit from their location. Carter watched in amazement as the four soldiers cut down two-thirds of the enemy's numbers inside of a few seconds, before any of them quite realized the new danger that they faced.
When the remnants of Tel'mar's warriors turned their focus towards this new threat, Sam acted, leaping out from behind her cover and charging the enemy positions while their attention was drawn away from her. The stunning bolts from her zat'ni'katel knocked the last five warriors out of the fight before they could act against her, and soon enough she was standing before her would-be rescuers, struggling to take in a breath due to the exertions of her desperate flight from capture.
One of the armed men saluted her crisply, then when Sam returned the gesture, reached out to shake her hand. "My name is Major Frank Conner, Ma'am. I've heard a lot about you, and I'm glad we could be of assistance here."
"Well I sure needed help when you all showed up, Major! Thank-you," Carter replied with a weary smile. Then Sam suddenly remembered her situation, and the fact that the rest of her team was still somewhere out in the wild, at extreme peril risking their lives because she had been used as a tool of blackmail. "I'm guessing that you're a security detachment from the Odyssey?"
"Yes Ma'am," the Major answered. "General Landry had us diverted from our own mission to come look in on the situation here. He was sure there was something in Colonel Mitchell's voice over the brief radio link they established that was... out of the ordinary. We were dispatched to investigate, and help you guys out if needed."
"Well, it sure is needed, soldier. I'll explain everything once I'm aboard the Odyssey. Colonel Emerson needs to hear what I have to say as soon as possible."
The Major nodded crisply. He ushered the Lieutenant Colonel into the armory, where four more soldiers were standing around the pile of gear the team had been stripped of when they were captured by Tel'mar's forces... how long ago that had been, Carter couldn't recall. She forced the disconcerting thought of the duration of time she had been under the Goa'uld's control slip away, and drove her mind back to the present situation.
Conner reached down into the pile of gear, searched around for a few moments amongs the equipment, and came out holding a small eletronic locator beacon, that would act as a beaming tag for the Asgard beam-teleports to lock onto. It was a device that allowed for easier tracking and extracting of Earth's personnel off-world by friendly forces.
Carter didn't resist when he reached out and clipped the locator beacon onto the front of her now completely embarassing dress. He didn't say a word about her attire, but Sam could see his eyes lingering a little too long on places of her body they shouldn't be, and she felt a rush of heat go straight to her head. Damn this!
Frank then pulled a long-range radio communications set from off his belt, and depressed the TALK button. "Odyssey, this is Major Conner. We have the Colonel. Request extraction on all locator beacons immediately."
There was a slight pause, then, "Roger that, Major. We've got you all on sensors, prepare for beam-up."
Carter stood beside Conner, and across from the other four grim-faced, tense SF soldiers, as Asgard-designed and engineered transporter beams engulfed them all, and their bodies were teleported at near-light speed up to the orbiting Odyssey spacecraft, flying high above the planet.
# SG1 #
In a small alcove cut into the side of the mountain on which his fortress was built, overlooking the city of Menphal far below, Tel'mar rushed towards the open side hatch of the Al'Kesh bomber, glancing back at his First Prime, Denamor, to make sure the man was able to keep pace with his long, striding canter. "Hurry, Denamor, there isn't much time!"
"I'm coming, Lord Tel'mar," the man heaved, as he threw himself forward that last short distance, to join the Goa'uld inside the Al'Kesh before the Unas' big, clawed hand slapped down on a control-panel, and the hatch slid shut on automated hydrolics systems.
"We are ready, Yar'ren," the Goa'uld Lord said in a deep, commanding voice, shouting back towards the front of the bomber, where a Jaffa warrior was crouched in front of the elaborate control systems that operated the Al'Kesh. Slowly, the bomber rose up off the floor of the hidden bay from amongst the other Goa'uld space-faring vessels, then its rear drives powered up and the craft shot off into darkening evening's sky.
Before they traveled very far at all, Yar'ren activated the cloaking device onboard the Al'Kesh, and the mid-range bomber disappeared for all intents and purposes – both visually, and from any detectable sensors.
Tel'mar strode forward to stand by the Jaffa pilot's left side, and watched on in silent contemplation as Yar'ren went about the task of maneouvering their vessel out over the capital, then away to the west, putting as much distance between themselves and the Tau'ri mothership hovering in orbit in space high overhead.
Denamor slipped into his now-comfortable position by the side of his Lord, and thought of what might been... they were running away from their capital now, driven out by two enemy forces that Tel'mar had no hope of standing against.
The Tau'ri, who obviously did not want to work with them and desired to destroy the Goa'uld control of this planet, had extracted their captured soldier Colonel Carter under hostile fire from Elite Guard and warders from the dungeon; and the Ori rebels, forever massing and pressing forward cautiously all along the frontier between their two territories, were now driving forward against Tel'mar's loyalist troops in large thrusts.
It was seemingly inevitable that their empire here on this world would crumple, so Tel'mar had decided that it was time to flee – or, when his stubborn sense of glory and invincible divinity kicked in, to retreat to gain new strength and resolve to recapture this bastion of his imperial kingdom.
"What is our destination, My Lord?" Yar'ren asked respectfully, glancing up inquisitively towards the Unas who loomed over his shoulder.
"The space-docks of Remarz Tor," Tel'mar said with a grim smirk. "I want to take our remaining Ha'tak up to meet this Tau'ri warship. We shall see how the renowned Tau'ri warriors stand against our own motherships in battle."
There was a moment's pause, then Denamor inquired, "Is the mothership ready for a fight, Lord Tel'mar? It barely survived the engagement with the Ori gun batteries three weeks ago, when we lost the last two vessels."
For a few seconds, the First Prime of Tel'mar had thought he had gone too far by voicing his concerns. The rage that flickered across the Unas' face was intense indeed. But the Goa'uld at last gave a smile.
"Yes Denamor, the Ha'tak is ready for combat. The repairs to the vessel had been round-the-clock, and the mothership is now fully prepared for war. I had not planned to take it into battle against the forces of the Tau'ri, but we shall destroy their cursed vessel before making our escape into hyperspace above this world," Tel'mar explained.
His eyes gleemed with barely-concealed fury. The Goa'uld Lord could hardly believe he was explaining himself to his own First Prime, supposedly his most loyal servant. It was a sign of the desperate times Tel'mar faced, that he did not kill Denamor outright for his insolence. He needed the man, as the figurehead general in command of the god Tel'mar's fighting forces across his empire. They would follow their Lord, yes, but they respected and admired Denamor for his courage and tenacity.
Suddenly though, the Jaffa pilot Yar'ren had the nerve to speak. "We are abandoning the planet to the Ori, Lord Tel'mar? Surely this cannot be so!" Yar'ren said with the indignant rage of a true believer, whose views on the ways of the universe had been shaken to their core. "You are a god! Truly, a god cannot be beaten and forced to flee from the lands of his people."
Tel'mar glanced across at Denamor, who nodded his head slightly in understanding, before the Goa'uld replied to his warrior's challenging remarks. "Listen Yar'ren, there are many things that you cannot comprehend in this universe. Trust in me, and know that I will always look out for those who embrace the benevolent wisdom of my teachings in their hearts."
As the Unas' paw rested lightly on Yar'ren's left shoulder, Denamor moved in swiftly, siezing a thick handful of the Jaffa's hair and tugging his head back savagely. His right hand came flying up from his side, sliding a razor-sharp dagger across Yar'ren's throat and slitting it open from ear to ear. The warrior's deep red lifeblood splattered out of his mortal wound, splashing across the side of Tel'mar's face and across the side of his tunic as the youthful pilot shuddered, convulsing briefly before laying still and motionless at last.
The First Prime of Tel'mar quickly lifted the Jaffa's body up out of the pilot's chair, and dragged it back out of the way before taking Yar'ren's place at the controls of the Al'Kesh bomber. "You can get us to the space-docks, Denamor?"
"Yes, My Lord," the man replied with confidence.
Tel'mar smiled. He was sad enough to have to decieve Yar'ren just moments before his under-handed murder, but there had been no real alternative. The Goa'uld Lord was indeed running from this planet. There was no denying it. But this was a hopeless situation, and Tel'mar knew there was little alternative to self-exile besides death.
# SG1 #
In
orbit over PJ3-176, onboard the USS Odyssey,
the Milky Way
Galaxy.
After having given Colonel Emerson and Major Conner an abbreviated update on events as far as she knew them, Lt Colonel Samantha Carter found herself standing on the bridge of the USS Odyssey with the other two officers, looking down through the viewscreen at the planet far below. Sam had quickly changed outfits back into the more comfortable, familiar dark green BDUs that she was used to, and was very happy to do so, before heading up to the bridge to brief the two senior officers of the interstellar battle-cruiser.
Paul Emerson glanced up at the other two from time to time, or looked past them through the clear screen down onto the green-pastured world under his ship, but for the most part his attention was firmly fixated on the reports coming through to his station from other parts of the vessel – status reports on their combat readiness, for the most part, as well as the current conditions of vital operating systems.
"What do you suggest for our next course of action, Colonel Carter?" Emerson asked Sam at last.
"Well sir, I think we should target the fortress I was just held in, first of all," Samantha replied honestly. "It is the main stronghold of the Goa'uld Tel'mar that hasn't either fallen to the Ori, or rebelled against him. We might even strike out, and manage to kill the Lord before he escapes – though he's probably well away from the area by now."
"Are you sure that's a wise move, Colonel?" Major Conner replied. "Begging your pardon Ma'am but I ask with the upmost respect – are you sure hitting back against Tel'mar in this way isn't more of a personal reason, than a logical strategic course of action?"
Carter took this comment for what it was; an observation made by a fellow officer on her own recommendation, and an assessment of her own decision-making processes just after being liberated from an enemy stronghold. He was only trying to look out for her, and also to make sure that the rest of them all stayed safe and got out of this alive. But Sam also knew she was right about striking the fortress next.
"Colonel Emerson, this isn't about me at all," Colonel Carter replied, straight up and with as much sincerity in her voice as she could muster. "The Goa'uld are just as much a problem here as the Ori. If we hit out now against the demoralized, weakened forces Tel'mar still controls, then we can take out one of the factions on this world. This can allow us to hit back against the Ori forces without worrying about being betrayed or attacked by the Goa'uld Lord and his minions."
Colonel Paul Emerson accepted Sam's argument to strike the fortress first with a nod of his head, then sat back in his chair and contemplated what she had said. "Major, do you have any suggestions?"
"I say we scan this city the Colonel says the rest of SG-1 are headed to, Alden, as well as the surrounding area," Conner said firmly. "We locate them, then get the hell out of here and leave PJ3-174 to its fate. As far as I gather from what the Colonel's told me, it's a lost cause anyway."
There was a long moment's silence, but then Sam Carter broke it at last by saying, "We can't just abandon this place, no matter what anyone says. If we start to give in here and now, we'll be running and dodging the Ori forces all the way back to Earth, when they're right on our doorstep and there's nothing more to do but to give in or die."
Colonel Paul Emerson nodded slowly. He looked up from his reflective contemplations, and smiled very slightly.
"Colonel Carter, I agree with your argument." Conner's shoulders slump down besides Sam, but they both ignore this and carry on, and the Major said nothing to challenge their decision. The commander of the USS Odyssey opened a channel directly to his weapons-control centre, and gave the order directly to the Captain in charge of this vital system, "Captain Davis, ready forward silo 1 for immediate launch."
The order was received and carried out. When one of the crew shouted out that silo number 1 was prepped to fire, Emerson shouted, "Target the fortress and launch the missile!"
They all watched as the Mark-8 tactical nuclear weapon streaked away from the undercarriage of the massive battle-cruiser, and flew down towards the surface of the planet far below, straight and true. Sam Carter looked on with trepidation, and hoped that what she had helped argue for was the right course of action, and that the damage to the nearby capital city would be minimal.
She knew that if the explosion was aboveground, the devestation wrought by a Mark-8 nuke would level everything within three miles, but the destructive capabilities of the weapon would continue outwards beyond that point in decreasing intensity. Hopefully though, the missile's bunker-busting capabilities would reduce the device's effective yeild to the kill-zone only.
# SG1 #
Planet
PJ3-176,
Milky
Way Galaxy.
On the world below, no-one inside the fortress had any idea that they were about to die until it was far too late. The missile flew into the southwestern side of the massive stone-mason structure, punching right through the reinforced wall's extensive battlements and bringing the fort's barrier crashing down along that side. But it did not stop there – the impact hardly lessened the nuclear weapon's flight.
It continued to drive down through the fortress, punching through private quarters, halls, kitchens, armouries, and then finally the dungeons and lower storage rooms, until finally the device detonated deep underneath the looming stronghold. Everything was vapourized in a blinding flash, then engulfed in a fireball that spread upwards through the fort, and blew up and outwards from there, blasting half the mountainside apart in a fiery explosion that rocked the ground for hundreds of miles in all directions.
Smoke, flames and debris were all hurled up into the sky from the epicentre of the detonation, and soon wafted over the city of Menphal. There was nothing left of the fortress that had been such an imposing fixture on the mountainside above the city for so many generations, save for the massive crater, the choking smoke and ash that blew down upon the capital due to the prevailing winds, and the chunks of rock, granite and masonry that feel down from the darkened sky above.
Every last living thing in the fort at the time of the nuclear warhead's detonation was as good as dead. No-one could possibly have survived such prevalent destruction.
# SG1 #
In
orbit over PJ3-176, onboard the USS Odyssey,
the
Milky Way Galaxy.
The Odyssey did not spend long in orbit over the city of Menphal – but reports had filtered in via the ship's atmospheric sensors and relay points that the nuclear strike had been a clear, textbook affair, and that there was minimum damage to the nearby city and only a slight rise in radiation levels.
In all, things had turned out splendidly, as the primary target had been eliminated, with little to no collateral damage. The crew on the bridge of the space-craft were all quietly jubilant with their successes, but Emerson quickly reigned them all in by ordering that they immediately set a course for the city of Alden – the known location of SG-1's target, the High Temple of Tel'mar.
This mission was not over yet, for any of them... and their vessel was about to cross over into Ori territory, in search of the rest of Stargate Command's missing flagship team.
