Chapter Three
Tollan Control Room
Tollana
High Chancellor Travell held on grimly to the edge of the main situation table as the control room buried beneath the Tollan capital city shook again and again. Tanneth's bombardment was moving back into the capital city now. There few remaining ion cannons were still firing upon his mothership but the weapons once powerful enough to blow even the biggest Goa'uld motherships from the sky with just a few shots were not getting through the new shields protecting Tanneth's ship. There sensors had shown that the shields were slowly weakening as volley after volley of ion cannon fire slammed into them, but unfortunately Tanneth had noticed it too and was now concentrating the bulk of his fire on the ion cannon network systematically destroying it leaving his gliders and Alkesh to bomb and strafe the cities.
The Stargate had been hit already so their was no chance of escaping to Earth through it – if the Tau'ri would let them come considering that Travell had made a deal with Tanneth to produce phase shift weapons for the Goa'uld one of whom had been targeted at Earth before a horrified, outraged Narim used one of the ion cannons to destroy the building where the weapons were being stored.
Travell was actually relieved that the weapons had been destroyed even though it had precipitated this genocidal assault. No civilisation would face the horror those weapons had been capable of inflicting – she'd been blind and desperate to save her people from Tanneth and his mysterious master that she hadn't really stopped to think about the implications of what she'd done when she'd made that deal with Tanneth. It was only when Tanneth had ordered that one of the phase shift weapons be readied to send through the Stargate to Earth that the full horror of what she had done had dawned upon her. There were six billion people on the Human planet and all of them would have been wiped out by that weapon and its fallout and their blood would have been on her hands. And Earth would have only been the first world. Many more would have suffered if those weapons hadn't been destroyed.
On of the control room staff turned from his workstation to look at Travell.
"High Chancellor our defences are almost gone. Our people are dying by the thousands. We must evacuate the planet before Tanneth turns his main guns back on the cities." Travell sighed. She had hoped that through some miracle someone – like the Asgard – would come to help them so she could avoid having to abandon Tollana as they'd been forced by increasing geological instability to abandon Tollan. It was why she'd sent that distress call.
"Give the evacuation order," Travell said softly a note of utter defeat in her voice.
"Yes your eminence." Before the controller could do as ordered the Goa'uld's orbital bombardment stopped leaving only the weaker explosions being caused by the attacking gliders and Alkesh.
"Your eminence a large unidentified alien ship has just entered orbit," another controller reported in astonishment. "Tanneth is moving to intercept them."
"Show me."
A monitor screen rose from the situation table showing her a view of space over Tollana as viewed from the orbital observatory satellites – those that hadn't already been shot down. The screen showed the image of a sleek alien ship gliding into orbit and Tanneth's Shalkra-class mothership moving up from its low bombardment orbit to confront it. The alien ship was of a design that she had never seen before and she wondered who they were. At the same time a new hope came to her that these newcomers might have the power to stop Tanneth and the slaughter of her people.
She intently watched the screen and hoped that they would be able to help.
Outer Limits Of Tollan System
A Few Moments Earlier
The U.S.S Resolution dropped out of warp at the edge of the system and immediately activated her stealth systems so that no one in the system would detect their presence unless they wanted them too. While the Federation lacked cloaking technology because of the Treaty of Algeron they had developed other forms of stealth technology. The most advanced being a multiadaptive force field that not even Borg sensors could penetrate and that was even with knowledge gained from the individuals who developed the first multiadaptive shield. It was that kind of stealth system that the Resolution was equipped with though her multiadaptive shield was considerably more advanced than the one developed by the Hansen's.
"Scan the system Mr Wu," Darien ordered to the young Chinese lieutenant who had replaced the late Ensign Q'rra as operations officer. "I want to know what's going on in this system."
"Aye sir." For a few moments there was silence on the bridge of the Resolution as her powerful sensors probed the system. "Sir I read one class M planet. A large ship is in low orbit and is firing on the planet. Weapons fire is impacting in densely populated areas and damage is substantial. I read multiple surface weapons firing back but there not penetrating the attacker's shields. Counter fire from the planet is steadily dropping off but the warship is continuing its bombardment. I'm also detecting activity in the atmosphere consistent with fighter and bomber style ships attacking the planet."
"There still firing at the planet even though they cannot be hurt," Darien said angered and appalled by the brutality. The Cardassians, Breen and Jem'Hadar had done such things during the Dominion War and he had seen the effects of there bombardments. To see another race doing it against someone who obviously couldn't really fight back – though they were trying – annoyed him. "Helm plot course to intercept the attacking ship. Mr Beech disengage our stealth system and raise our shields and deploy armour."
"Aye sir." The multiadaptive shield – which was useless for combat – came down and their regenerative multispatial shields rose in their place. Simultaneously a thudding sound could be heard throughout the ship as the ablative armour generators deployed. Weapons systems automatically came to full readiness.
The impulse engines engaged and the Resolution rapidly accelerated to full impulse power or .65 c. Driven by her mighty impulse engines the powerful starship crossed the system in just a few moments moving into orbit of Tollana on a direct interception course with the Goa'uld mothership, which was only just starting to react to the surprise arrival moving from its bombardment position to a higher orbit to confront the starship.
On the bridge of the Resolution everything was calm and orderly as the crew went about their duties during a red alert with competent efficiency. Captain Darien Parker sitting in his chair kept both eyes peeled on the view screen as the ship glided into orbit. The planet was beautiful – like most M-class planets. But right now its beauty was marred by the thick smoke plumes he could see rising into the atmosphere from the fires burning in the planets cities.
The ship most responsible for the destruction was sitting in orbit. It was a big ship too, Darien noticed, about twice the size of a Galaxy-class starship and had a very bizarre design. The main body of the ship appeared to be a massive pyramid structure. A large double-hulled ring surrounded the pyramid taking up the central third of the ship and held to the base and hull by massive struts that no doubt contained connecting corridors, power conduits and other things important to the function of a starship.
"Tactical analysis Mr Beech," he ordered calmly.
"The alien warship is very heavily armed," Beech reported consulting the tactical sensors at his station. "The ship is protected by a type-six deflector shield," Darian raised an eyebrow at that type-six deflectors were old technology by Federation standards and hadn't been used in almost seventy years.
"There main weapons are a form of phased energy pulse cannon," Beech continued, "however the energy pulse is closer to that of phase cannon instead of a true phaser. The warship appears to have two different sizes of these cannons. I read eight large primary cannons and twenty smaller secondary turreted batteries probably for antifighter use as opposed to capital ship engagement. The ship is also armed with plasma based torpedoes analogous to the first Romulan plasma torpedoes. I read twelve torpedo banks. They've got a lot of weapons sir but there no match for us. Or shields can easily withstand there fire and our own weapons are vastly superior."
Beech's sensors chirped.
"Sir the alien ship is targeting us," he reported.
"Return the favour target them," Darien ordered. "Mr Wu hail them."
"Channel open sir."
"Alien vessel this is Captain Darian Parker of the Federation starship Resolution. Break off your assault on the planet and leave this system in peace immediately or we will be forced to engage you."
"Sir there responding." A Human – or Human looking alien – in lavishly decorated robes appeared on the screen and the way he looked at them made Darian immediately dislike him. The alien commander's demeanour screamed arrogance, hostility and over confidence. And he looked at them as though they were a bug at his feet that he could step on.
[This does not concern you Human,] the man said in a strange deep and distorted voice that was Human yet at the same time wasn't, his eyes glowed briefly as he spoke. [If you know what is good for you, you will leave this system now while I am feeling merciful.]
"This does concern me," Darian replied standing up and moving closer to the screen. "You're firing upon defenceless people intent on wiping them out. Where I come from that's called murder and genocide. I've scanned your vessel your firepower is no match for mine. As I see it you have two choices. Leave peacefully…"
[I find your insolence amusing,] the man replied and he really did sound amused. [What is my second option Human!]
"If you don't leave peacefully I will make you leave. And it won't be pleasant."
[You dare to threaten a god. I have put up with your insolence long enough. I offered you the chance to leave and you have refused. Now you will feel my wrath.] The alien disappeared from the screen.
"Well that could have gone better," Darian said moving back to the command chair as the Goa'uld mothership opened fire on them.
A stream of bright gold energy pulses shot out from one of the motherships main guns. The Resolution's forward shields glowed a soft blue at the points where the pulses impacted, effortlessly blocking the attack.
The deck beneath Darien's feet only shuddered slightly.
"Return fire," he ordered calmly. A bright orange beam of phased particle energy shot out of the upper forward phaser strip. The beam streaked across the starlit blackness of space to impact the enemy ships shields punching them well into the red area of the spectrum and making the ship shudder noticeably.
"Direct hit," Beech reported. "Their shields are down to forty percent reading some damage to their outer hull. They are firing again." Multiple streams of phase cannon fire shot from the Goa'uld mothership as every primary cannon that could be brought to bear fired, secondary cannons joined in sending out streams of twin pulses. The barrage impacted the Resolution's shields, which again withstood the assault without flinching.
"Obviously these Goa'uld cannot take a hint," Darien commented as the deck shuddered with slightly more force than before but nothing like the violent jolts there would be if they were engaged against any enemy in there own universe who had weapons that matched there own or exceeded them in some cases like the Borg.
"There firing torpedoes," Beech reported. On the screen the Goa'uld vessel sent a salvo of plasma torpedoes – of a kind not used in there universe in a hundred years – streaking across space towards them. The torpedoes impacted the forward shields and detonated each blast looking like a small sun. The Goa'uld followed there torpedoes with another round of phase cannon fire. The impact rocked the Resolution but her shields held. "Forward shields at ninety-five percent. Regeneration in progress."
By this point Darian had had more than enough of this farce of a battle. He had hoped that the Goa'uld would give up once they realised that they couldn't hurt him but he could easily destroy them. But obviously the Goa'uld were too arrogant and too stubborn to release that they were hopelessly overmatched and that in this instance discretion was the better part of valour. It was time to end this.
"Helm attack pattern delta four. Mr Beech target there shields are weapons systems. I want them disabled not destroyed."
"Aye, sir."
The Resolution burst into motion again and immediately went on the offensive sending another fully powered phaser blast into the Goa'uld ship. The Goa'uld shields collapsed and the penetrating beam cut into the motherships side causing a major hull breach. The mothership literally seemed to stagger back in space from the force of the hit, plasma and debris shot out of the burning gash in its side. Like a predator pouncing on its prey the Resolution swooped on the Goa'uld mothership firing more phaser blasts this time hitting weapons arrays. Had the beams been still at full power the mothership would have been instantly annihilated but in accordance with his captains orders Beech had reduced the power of the beams so they were just sufficient to demolish the motherships weapons arrays without seriously harming the rest of the ship.
"Helm bring us around to face them then all stop," Darien ordered as small explosions erupted across the mothership at the points where its weapons banks had once been.
"Aye sir." The Resolution came to a dead stop then gracefully pivoted in space so that her bow was facing the now toothless Goa'uld mothership.
"Hail them Mr Wu."
"Aye sir." The Goa'uld commander appeared on the view screen now standing on a smoke clouded bridge. Darien could see fires burning behind him. The alien spoke immediately.
[I will make you suffer for this insolence Human,] he growled.
"Oh really," Darien replied with a laugh. "And how do you plan to do that? You're ship is defenceless. Your shields are gone and your weapons systems are destroyed. I could destroy you in an instant. But I do not want you dead. If I had wanted that you would not be talking to me now. I could have blown you out of the stars with my first shot had I wanted to. Now I will ask you one last time. Leave this system."
[Or you'll what.] Darien smiled a grim smile.
"Mr Beech lock a photon torpedo onto the Goa'uld ship and prepare to fire on my command. Target the main power core."
"Aye sir. Torpedo locked and ready."
On the screen an alien voice – this one sounding completely human – called out in a language the universal translator didn't catch. No doubt whoever it was Darian guessed that they were informing the enemy commander of the lock on. A look of pure hatred crossed the Goa'uld's face as he realised how dangerously close to dying he was. He knew that if the Resolution fired his ship and everyone on board would be reduced to a few stray atoms nothing more.
[This isn't over Human,] the Goa'uld snarled after a moment. [You will die a thousand painful deaths for this insolence. I will hunt you to ends of the galaxy.]
"I wouldn't if I were you," Darien replied. "If I encounter you or your kind again I will not hesitate to blow you out of space," his grey eyes turned hard, "attack me again and you will die."
[We shall see about that. You shall feel the wrath of the Goa'uld this I swear.] The transmission ended as the Goa'uld stopped transmitting and the mothership returned to the view screen.
The Goa'uld warship was pulling away out of orbit and moving out into open space a slick of glowing wreckage and burning plasma trailing behind it. Around half a dozen small craft came up from the planet dodging bright blue-white energy bolts shooting at them from the surface, about three didn't make it and disappeared in balls of superheated plasma. The survivors hurriedly caught up with the bigger ship and nestled in close to it. A moment later the badly damaged Goa'uld mothership opened a hyperspace window and disappeared taking its remaining gliders and Alkesh with it.
"Stand down from red alert," Darien ordered. "Keep a sensor lock on that ship until it leaves our range I don't want them sneaking back on us. And Mr Beech if they do return destroy them."
"Aye sir."
"Captain we are being hailed by the surface," Lieutenant Wu reported. "It's High Chancellor Travell."
"On screen." The image of the stately middle aged woman who was the leader of the Tollan people appeared on the view screen. The air around her was still thick with smoke but it was obviously slowly thinning. In the background they could here cheering.
"I do not know who you are or where you come from but on behalf of the Tollan people I thank you," Travell said relief and gratitude in her voice. "You have just saved my people from extinction. Had he been permitted to continue his bombardment Tanneth would have slaughtered every last one of us."
"High Chancellor Travell my name is Captain Darien Parker of the Federation starship Resolution you are very welcome." Travell looked surprised and more than a little confused.
"I know of no organisation called the Federation," she said. "And your name and your ships name are Tau'ri style names. You are from Earth are you not?"
"In a manner of speaking High Chancellor," Darien replied simultaneously wondering what a Tau'ri was. Was it what people from Earth were called in this universe? "We come from a different Earth to the one you know in a different quantum universe to this one." On the screen Travell was nodding in comprehension it was apparent immediately that she had a very good knowledge of one of the quirkier aspects of quantum physics.
"That it explains quiet a bit especially the advanced nature of your vessel. In this reality the inhabitants of Earth do not yet have starship technology and are only capable of reaching other planets through the gate system."
"Gate system?"
"Yes the Stargate network. You have no idea what I am talking about do you?"
"No I'm afraid not we will have to discuss it at a later date in the meantime my sensors show that you have sustained massive damage and heavy casualties. I have emergency medical teams and medical supplies ready to beam down to assist you."
"Captain Parker any assistance you provide would be most welcome."
"Then the medical teams will begin beaming down immediately."
"Beaming? Do you mean matter-energy transport?"
"Yes."
"Fascinating. We will be ready to receive your personnel and supplies. But I fear they will not be enough. Our Stargate and subspace transmitters have been destroyed. Would you mind if one of my people came aboard your ship to call our allies for some additional help?"
"No of course not. When he or she is ready to come aboard just hail us and give us the co-ordinates."
"Thank you captain. We will contact you again shortly. Travell out." Travell's image disappeared from the screen. Darien turned to Commander Urlet.
"Commander please tell Doctor Tarses to begin transporting his emergency relief teams and medical supplies to the surface of Tollana. And commander I want you to coordinate the relief effort."
"Aye sir."
A Short Time Later
Narim stood in the central courtyard in the remains of the complex that had once been home to the Curia. The bulk of the structure had been destroyed when a Goa'uld plasma bomb from an Alkesh destroyed the Stargate which had stood in this very courtyard. The naquada in the gate had amplified the explosion destroying most of the government complex.
From where he was standing he could see out over the rest of the Tollan capital city of Tosal – or at least what was left of it. Most of the buildings had been raised to the ground destroyed either by the Alkesh and there cargo's of plasma bombs or a pulse blast from orbit. A few buildings did still stand but most of those were burning or so badly damaged that they could collapse at any time. A premature dusk had fallen on Tosal a dusk created by the thick plumes of black smoke rising from the ruins of the city that also reflected a sickly orange-red glow from the fires.
Did I do the right thing, he thought guilty staring out at the smouldering ruins of the capital and the unknown numbers of dead and wounded. He didn't want to think about how many of his fellow Tollan lay dead in the rubble of there once gleaming capital. He couldn't help but feel responsible for there deaths. He was after all the one who had provoked this attack by destroying the phase shift weapons to save Earth and numerous other worlds throughout the galaxy. But in ensuring there safety – as his late friend Councillor Omoc had wanted – he had brought horrendous suffering down upon his own people.
"Narim," Travell's voice said from behind him. Narim turned around to see the High Chancellor standing behind him. There were no security guards with her so it was highly unlikely that he was about to be taken into custody.
"Yes your eminence?"
Travell didn't answer straight away instead she came to stand beside him and gazed out over the burning city. She shuddered at the sight of so much destruction, so much death.
"By all accounts I should have you arrested for bringing this down upon us," she said looking over the skyline that had once been so beautiful but was now marred by dark columns of thick smoke and the orange glow of fire. "But you did the right thing in destroying those weapons and in standing up to Tanneth you had the courage to do what I could not do. So I will not discipline you for acting on your conscience."
"So what do you intend to do eminence?" Narim asked surprised that Travell was not going to punish him in anyway for his disobedience.
"I have a task for you," she said. "You know of the alien warship that saved us from Tanneth?"
"Yes I saw it on the shelter monitors."
"The ship is named the Resolution. Her commanding officer a Captain Darien Parker is sending down medical supplies and relief parties. But his help as generous as it is will not be enough. All of our subspace communication stations have been destroyed so he has agreed to allow one of us to go aboard his ship and use there's."
"For what purpose?"
"The purpose is twofold. First to call for additional assistance from our allies we are going to need all the help we can get to recover from this tragic sequence of events. I want you to be the one to go aboard the Resolution. Call all of our allies Narim, the Tok'ra, the Nox even the Tau'ri. They may not have spacefaring technology but they have the kind of resources we will need in vast quantities. Maybe the Tok'ra could help them to bring those resources here. Or they may very well call the Asgard for assistance."
"And the second part?"
"We are indebted to Captain Parker and his crew for coming to our aide, for saving us from genocide and risking themselves and there ship in the process. They could not have known when they came here that there weapons and defences were superior to those of the Goa'uld. They must be given information on the Goa'uld Narim. They must know that they have inadvertently got involved in a war. I just hope that they don't leave until were back on our feet again. For I doubt that we have seen the last of Tanneth. The Goa'uld always return, and in greater numbers always in greater numbers."
"I understand. How do I get aboard the Resolution?"
"Easy," Travell replied and manipulated a device on her wrist. "I have just sent you're exact co-ordinates to the Resolution. Do not move." Narim frowned then the strangest sensation passed through him.
It was a strange tingly sensation that although very strange was not unpleasant. The world blurred and for a heartbeat became nothing but a strange shimmering silver-white light surrounding him. Then the world reformed and the sensation vanished and he looked around in shock.
He was no longer on the surface of Tollana looking out over the smouldering capital city. Instead he was standing on a raised platform in a room that was obviously on a starship. Facing him was a tall muscular Human in his early thirties. He was wearing a jumpsuit that was mainly black but with a bar of grey over the upper chest and shoulders. Beneath the jumpsuit he was wearing some kind of red top that came to halfway up his neck. Four gold pins were attached to it on the side. A red band ran around the wrists of the uniform. The man wore a strange insignia on the left hand side of his chest. Standing behind him at a raised console was a woman in a similar jumpsuit, with insignia but her top and wrist bands were gold and she had no pins on her collar instead she had a single metal strip.
"Welcome to the Federation ship Resolution," the man said. "My name is Captain Darien Parker." He held out his hand in a gesture that Narim had only really seen Tau'ri use.
"My name is Narim," Narim replied taking the man's hand and shaking it. "The Curia asked me to come here to contact our allies."
"Yes I know," Darien replied. "Come this way." Narim stepped down off the pad and followed the muscular younger man out of the room and into a brightly illuminated corridor.
"Captain Parker I am curious how did you bring me onboard?"
"Transporter beam."
"Ah I see. We've experimented into transporter technology for more than a century but have never been able to produce a working transporter."
"Developing transporters is tricky," Darien agreed. "We've had this technology for three hundred years and we are still making improvements even now." The stopped at a set of doors built into the bulkhead. The doors opened at their approach revealing a lift of unusual design. "Bridge," Darien ordered once they were inside. There was a confirming beep from the computer and the turbolift started moving.
Strangely Narim felt nothing. If it weren't for the lights moving behind translucent panels in the walls he wouldn't even know they were moving. Good motion compensators, he thought. After a moment the lift came to a stop. The doors opened and they stepped out onto a bridge that took Narim's breath away in its combination of aesthetics, spaciousness and efficiency. Consoles around the room and built into the bulkheads were covered with displays showing the status of every system on the ship as well as sensor readings and other things.
"Welcome to the bridge," Darien said. "Lieutenant Wu will show you how to operate our subspace communications array." He gestured at a young man sitting at one of the front consoles facing the far wall which was entirely view screen showing Tollana and its single moon Korada. Narim walked over. The lieutenant got up to allow him to sit in the seat. Narim found it comfortable but not comfortable enough to completely relax in – which he assumed was the chairs purpose.
"You can access the main communications array through this panel," Wu told Narim gesturing at a set of controls on one side of the console.
Standing over near the command chair Darien watched for a few moments and smiled. Before moving over to the science station to see if Rakan had made any progress in finding them away home, if there was away.