Stargate Atlantis: S7—A Terrible Beauty2
Effortlessly the Tria burst out of the hyperspace window and smoothly transitioned to real space. John smiled and moved to his feet. He stared out the viewport at the planet amid the darkness and the stars. It was a white ball that was growing larger and larger as they approached. It was a frozen world without a Stargate. It had once been the secret location of an Ancient lab, and more recently the hideout of the rebel Asgard.
Now it was a wasteland.
The buildings were derelict, having been mostly destroyed in the successful attempt to obliterate the dangerous Attero device. Now the planet was void of life of any kind. It was isolated. It was forgotten. It was alone.
It was the perfect place for a secret meeting, or an ambush.
"Status?" John barked, circling round the bridge like a hawk looking for prey.
"No energy readings of any kind, sir. We seem to be the first ones here."
"Very good, major. Edwards, you have the helm while I am gone." John tapped his earpiece. "Team Foxtrot to the Jumper bay. Sheppard out."
"Detecting hyperspace window, sir!"
"Ah…our guests have arrived. Once they are clear transmit the coordinates. We'll be waiting for them." With a last smug glance at the bridge John sprinted to the Jumper bay. He wanted to reach the planet's surface before the Wraith did and keep the Jumper cloaked. There was no need to reveal that as yet the Tria was lacking beaming technology.
As far as John could tell it was ship's only weakness.
With practiced ease John flew the Jumper to the planet and landed near the abandoned lab. He led the men through the frozen waves of snow towards the dilapidated buildings. The air was cold, but manageable. Ice and frost crunched under the men's boots. In their black uniforms they stood out for a mile. John raised his hand and the group halted.
A beam of light descended from the sky. Lilac tones shaded the white snow then faded to reveal a group of Wraith warriors. Instantly the men's weapons lifted and were aimed. The Wraith responded in kind.
A few tense seconded passed.
Todd stepped out of the phalanx of warriors, open hands spread out to either side. "John Sheppard."
John scowled. He advanced, lowering his weapon reluctantly. "I told you to come alone."
"And so I have. One ship only. You really did not expect me to travel here by myself, did you?"
John grumbled a reply. "Let's talk inside. This way." He turned, glanced at his men. The look was enough to convey his orders. The men slowly lowered their weapons but kept their gazes locked on the Wraith. The Wraith lowered their weapons, silent.
Todd's chuckle was the only sound in the cold, cold air as he followed after John.
John stepped over and around the debris. It was just as cold inside the facility but it was somewhat protected from the snow and ice. He brushed off a toppled table and righted it. His touch made the console hum for a moment. He set down a laptop and opened it, typing codes with his chilly fingers. "All the intel you need is right here. Position, deployment, approximation of enemy numbers and projections of their course. More importantly you need to be at these coordinates in a week. We'll do the same, and converge upon them at this point." John watched the graphics as they came to life, illustrating his words. He straightened, turning suddenly. "What?" he snapped.
Todd was eying John speculatively, head tilted to one side. "You have an Ancient warship."
John smiled. "Yeah. Oh…did I fail to mention that?"
"This changes things considerably."
"Indeed it does, pal. Lucky for you right now we are on the same side. Let's get down to brass tacks. How many ships are you bringing to this fight?" John folded his arms across his chest, waiting.
Todd's eyes narrowed. "Our queen has decided that we shall commit four Hive ships to this enterprise."
"Four? We need more than that, buddy! You've got a whole damn fleet at your fingertips! We need half of that, at least, plus what we're bringing to the fight, plus our allies! Haven't you seen the numbers?" John glanced at the laptop and its display.
"Indeed I have, John Sheppard, but the queen's decision is final. She will not risk the entire fleet on a fool's errand."
"A fool's errand? I see." John glared at the Wraith. "If we don't kick these guys out now we may never get the chance again. You do see that, right? You need to tell your queen that this is our one and only shot at this."
"Our queen is aware of this, John Sheppard."
"Then you…hang on." John tapped his earpiece as it squawked. "What?"
"Another Hive ship has just arrived, sir, and is heading for us. Orders?"
"Shit. Shields at maximum." John eyed Todd. "I told you to come alone, damn it! Why is there another ship here?"
Todd shrugged. "I have no idea. Our queen must have decided that you might need more…persuading." Todd's smile was more chilling than the air.
John smiled. "Edwards…prepare to take it out."
"Sir?"
"You heard me. On my mark destroy it."
"What are you doing, John Sheppard?" Todd stared. Surprise and anger flared in his eyes and he took a menacing step towards the human. His feeding hand flexed in response.
"I told you to come alone. You broke that agreement, and I am tired of being lied to and treated like some fucking errand boy. Besides, you need to see this ship of ours is operational. And if you step out of line again I won't hesitate to use it."
"If you fire upon that second ship they will respond in kind, and so will mine."
"Then you better get back up there and make sure your ship doesn't join the fray. Take this." John snatched the laptop and shoved it into Todd's hands. They hastened out of the building and towards the tense stand-off of their parties.
Todd moved to the Wraith, speaking into a communicator on his wrist. He looked over at John. "I have tried to communicate with the other ship but they are jamming my signal. It could be a rival Hive…but I find that impossible."
"Anything's possible."
"If you give me time to try to contact them to—"
"You got five minutes." John tapped his earpiece, eying the sky. "Edwards, power up those missiles."
"You are bluffing!" Todd snarled, about to lunge forward. The Wraith aimed their weapons. Power sizzled in the cold air. The marines aimed their P90s but John stood, almost nonchalant as he kept watching the pale blue sky. "Rescind that order!"
"No. You better get back to your ship, Todd. Clock's ticking." John pointed at the laptop. "Be at those coordinates in a week. And next time…stick to our agreement."
Todd was formulating a reply when a beam of light cascaded down and removed the Wraith from sight.
"Let's move!" John and the men raced back to the Jumper. John quickly piloted the ship to the safety of the Tria. Once the docking bay was secure he sprinted to the command bridge and moved to the viewport. He ignored the snow dripping from his boots. "Status?"
"There's some chatter between the two ships now, sir. No overt hostile movement from either one, but the second one is powering weapons. It could be a ruse."
"Target the interloper."
"Sir?"
"You heard. If we don't show a strong hand now they will think they can roll over us later." John folded his arms across his chest. "Ready the missiles and target the most vulnerable areas. Let's see what this baby can do," he muttered softly. He knew he was being rash, reckless. Nevertheless the decision felt right and John always trusted his gut feelings.
He couldn't wait to see the ship in action, and power she possessed.
"Incoming transmission!"
"Put it on speaker."
"John Sheppard! If you fire upon the second vessel we will consider it an act of war."
"It already is an act of war since you broke our agreement. Don't you think I don't know what you're doing? You thought to find us outgunned. Well, you thought wrong. You tell that ship to stand down now or I will destroy it!"
"This was none of my doing, John Sheppard. They say they have orders to take you to our queen." The surprise in Todd's voice was evident.
"Really? Now isn't that interesting? I actually believe you for once, Todd. You better get clear. Our deal stands." John moved to sit in the command chair. His fingers stroked the controls, waiting, waiting. He watched as one Hive ship drew away and the other one grew nearer, nearer.
"Sir? Power levels are increasing. I am detecting a surge…like a tractor beam."
"Sonuvabitch. Fire missiles four, five and six now. Now!"
The ship seemed to hum and jolt as missiles flew from it. At the same time the Hive abruptly began to fire. John tensed as the ship maneuvered, but the lasers bounced harmlessly off the shielding as it was restored. Harmless bursts of pink light bounced along the viewport.
There was a sudden brilliant flash of light as a tremendous explosion catapulted the Hive ship in a death spiral. The ship shattered, breaking into shards as it was ripped through and through. John squinted even as the viewport darkened against the tide of light assaulting it.
Huge pieces of wreckage were catapulted through space. Many would land on the frozen planet beneath them unless they burned up in the atmosphere. Unmanned darts scattered like petals on the wind, as did the lifeless bodies of countless Wraith.
There was silence on deck as the bright light of the explosion slowly, slowly faded. The stars came back into view. It felt like the crew was holding its collective breath. None dared gainsay the military commander's decisions.
John could feel the ship like a living thing. It was as if he had unleashed a wildcat onto unsuspecting prey, and now had to reign it back in before it could do more damage. All of that lethal power was under his control, and now he understood the underlying arrogance of such men as Caldwell and Ellis. Even of the Ancients before they had been defeated by the Wraith.
It was as heady as a drug, and as dangerous.
"Input the coordinates for Echo Base," John finally spoke and the spell was broken. Normalcy was restored. "Status of Todd's ship?"
"It entered a hyperspace window, sir, before the attack."
"Good. Good." John relaxed into the chair, thoughtful and confident.
The Wraith would not dare to underestimate him again.