Title: Emerald Ignition (6/7)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link.
Rating: Just a little bad language.
Spoilers: Anything and everything.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to other people. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: All the cards are on the table. It's time to change the future. Part two of Emerald Flame.
Author's Note: Nothing to say here, really. Hope you enjoy.
Lieutenant General Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart stood in the underground Tok'ra facility. Normally, he would leave negotiations to SG-9, the UNSC's diplomatic team, but the Tok'ra was the first group the UNSC had encountered that was both capable and willing to work directly against the System Lords. This meeting was too important to delegate.
SG-1 and SG-3 were present, the former because of the situation with Carter and Jolinar, the latter for security. Green Lantern was also present, having been instrumental in arranging for this possible alliance.
As far as the Brig could tell, everything was going smoothly, but the Tok'ra introduced as Cordesh/Firnan seemed unusually agitated. He would be keeping a sharp eye on him; something didn't sit right.
"Wait!" Kryse protested as she was strapped to the extractor. "There is a spy among you! Spare me, and I will tell you who!"
Garshaw of Belote was unimpressed. "And how would you know who the spy is?"
"Because I planted him, using this same technology you intend to use on me," Kryse answered.
"Then we will soon know who it is anyway, from Rosha," Sam -- or was it Jolinar? -- pointed out.
"NO!" Kryse shrieked. "I will not die this way! I cannot! I refuse to accept this!"
Her rant was interrupted by a thundering boom that shook the entire complex. Everyone looked around.
Xander looked up, "Ring, full planetary scan."
"Scanning..." the ring declared. "Four Ha'tak-class cruisers detected in low orbit."
He turned to Garshaw and said dryly, "I don't suppose we're expecting any other guests, are we?"
"General," Xander said, looking up at the innocuously empty-looking sky, "I can't stop them all. Even my ring has limits. Some of them will get through, and it looks like they're wanting prisoners, or they'd already be glassing the planet."
"Understood," the Brig nodded. He turned to SG-1's commanding officer, "Colonel, we'll need reinforcements. Get your team back to the UNSC, and send the First Battalion through, soon as you can, then head for the Alpha Site and have Hummel send as much of his brigade through as he can spare." He shaded his eyes and looked up, "This is going to be a big one. Don't forget the MANPADs."
"You should be the one giving those orders, sir," Jack argued.
"I am," the Brig replied coolly, deliberately misinterpreting. "This alliance could rest entirely on what happens here today, Colonel. I won't abandon that."
"What do you intend?" Garshaw of Belote asked, having overheard the conversation.
"You do not have enough time to evacuate your people and equipment before they strike, madam," the Brig answered. "So, we will fight to give you that time."
"Fight a System Lord? Head on?" she questioned. "Are you mad?"
"No, madam," he replied easily. "We are Tauri. We're professionals."
So, what do you think, E? Xander asked as they approached the first wave of Death Gliders and Al'kesh. Do we dance with these guys or blow through and take on the Ha'taks?
That depends, Alexander.
On what?
On how much you trust the UNSC.
Xander considered... then decided. Green pulses of energy blasted a path through the Death Gliders and Al'kesh, and he didn't even slow down. The Death Gliders wavered, their pilots indecisive, before several curled around in pursuit.
Xander smiled in satisfaction as he spun around and stopped. Giant green hand constructs reached out and grabbed the pursuing Death Gliders, then hurled them at a few of the Gliders that continued their journey planetside. They smashed into them and sent them careening into each other like billiard balls. Xander spun again and accelerated back towards the motherships.
Death Gliders entered the atmosphere, locking onto the chappa'ai's position. Not far behind them were Al'kesh troop transports and bombers.
The Brig peered through the targeting sight of the Starburst missile launcher, ignoring the lock indicator. "Steady..." he said. "Steady..."
"They're well within the envelope, sir. Permission to fire?"
"Not yet. Steady... steady... NOW!"
A forest of Starburst and Stinger missiles streaked up into the sky, several of them arcing under the Death Gliders and striking the more dangerous Al'kesh behind them.
"Cover!" the Brig bellowed. He shoved a shocked Garshaw to the ground as the surviving Death Gliders strafed their position. He rose to his feet and glanced at the Al'kesh troop transports flying low and hastily landing some distance away.
"Scorpions! Fire!"
90mm HESH rounds slammed into the landed troop carriers, turning many of them into flaming coffins, trapping their passengers within and dooming them to a dreadful, fiery end. Still, others remained unscathed long enough to off-load their troops, troops who found themselves in a lethal kill zone, covered by multiple overlapping fields of fire, both from tripod-mounted machine guns and handheld SAWs and assault rifles.
Thousands of years of warfare culminated into this one moment, showing at least one System Lord why the Tauri were to be feared. Practice made perfect, and thousands of years of war, unrestricted and unrestrained, produced the deadliest masters of war in the galaxy.
For even a god can die.
It was these thoughts that passed through Hyperion's mind as he stood on that devastated battlefield. Hyperion was one of Cronus's longest serving and most loyal underlords, serving him as Heru'ur had served Ra, as his military commander and advisor. He was one of the few who had survived battle with the thrice-damned Olympians, and yet, he knew fear.
His current host served him well. It was the son of one of those very same Olympians, a hok'taur of impressive physical ability. Nirrti had tried to sway his loyalties before, but her interest in his host was limited, as she was far more interested in a hok'taur with advanced mental abilities rather than mere physical prowess.
More fool she, in his opinion.
He curbed his fear and strode forward, his shield protecting him from the withering weapons fire that scythed Jaffa down like so much wheat. One of the Tauri armored vehicles swiveled its massive cannon around to point at him, and he simply raised his staff weapon and fired a flurry of shots at the barrel.
"Jesus Christ!" Cpl. Dustin Higgins swore as he ducked his head back into the Scorpion 90. "Damn bastard melted the muzzle!"
The coaxial machine gun chattered to life and spat 7.62x51mm NATO rounds to depressingly little effect, the bullets splashing harmlessly on the underlord's energy shield. "Don't worry! We'll replace it!"
"We don't have any spares!"
"I'll think of something!"
Hyperion send a kinetic pulse from his kara kesh at the armored vehicle as he advanced toward it. The shockwave rocked the Scorpion 90, and he stopped by its side, taking a moment to grab it and heave.
"Holy f*ck!" the crew chorused as the eight-ton vehicle was tipped over onto its side.
He turned and sent another kinetic pulse out, toppling a tripod-mounted Ma Deuce and sending its crew flying.
The Brig studied the underlord carefully, then caught Teal'c's arm as the Jaffa defector made to stand up. "What are you doing, Teal'c?"
The former First Prime looked at the general and answered, "I will challenge the underlord and kill him."
"No, you won't," the Brig retorted. "Watch and learn." He turned, "Major Sharp!"
The Royal Marine who commanded SG-5 looked over, and the Brig flashed him a series of hand signals. The major nodded and relayed the orders. Grenades were unclipped.
Hyperion looked up in surprise as two dozen metal balls were hurled in his direction. None were thrown accurately enough or with enough force to be a threat, which in itself was warning enough. The last place he wanted to be was in the middle of a swarm of the Tauri equivalent of tacluchnatagamuntoron, but before he could move, he was bracketed by weapons fire. The bullets couldn't harm him, but they slowed him down in his efforts to get away from the Tauri tacs. And there were so many of them.
Then the grenades detonated.
Most of the grenades were unable to harm Hyperion, the fragments slashing through the air only to be stopped by his energy shield, but a few were within the borders of his shield. Most of the fragments from those few shredded his legs into hamburger, while the rest flew upwards into more vital and more sensitive parts of his anatomy.
"And that, Teal'c," the Brig said with satisfaction, "is how we fight on Earth."
Up in orbit, Xander had singled out the lead Ha'tak and charged, weaving through the defensive fire. He wasn't particularly anxious to test the energy-absorbtion capabilities of his uniform against vehicle-grade weapons, but it was proving difficult to evade, moreso as he drew closer.
Unlike Apophis, these people were taking him seriously.
Alexander?
Xander jerked in surprise, Jesus, E! I'm a little busy here right now!
I have an idea, she said. Then she explained what her idea was.
With a mental shrug, Xander decided to give it a try. He switched his ring to broadcast, "Attention, Jaffa! The time for waiting is over! The Sentinels return, and the days of the false gods are numbered! Who will stand with me? Who will die a slave? And who will die free?!"
There was a long moment of stillness... then the defensive fire started again, at an intensity that risked melting the barrels.
I don't think that worked, E!
On the contrary, Alexander, two of the ships have stopped firing on us.
Really? Xander looked... and nearly got his head shot off.
Pay attention, Alexander!
"Shel kek nem ron!"
The battle cry thundered throughout the hallways of the Ha'tak. The seeds of revolution had been planted long ago, by Egeria, Queen of the Tok'ra. She had been Ra's consort, and therefore, held the allegiance of quite a sizable force of Jaffa, a force that seemingly vanished the day Ra imprisoned her.
When a goddess wielding a power greater than any of the gods turns around and says the gods are false, including herself, what else is one to believe?
At their former goddess's behest, they hid themselves, lurking and waiting, and through the generations, the truth was whispered and word was spread throughout the ranks of the Jaffa. Of the day when the war for freedom could begin.
And today was that day.
Author's Postscript:
One more chapter in this part.