DR: Everyone, this is the begining of the end. The final, apocalyptic battle is here!

O'Neill: Excellent (wraps arm round Carter)

DR: Though before we get there, I ought to just point something out: What Miranda did last chapter is as far as they have gone, and they won't be going any further for some time. Age wise Vega's almost nineteen while Miranda's mid nineteen, so we're totally legal here!

Chapter 34: The Showdown

The President sat in his chair, staring at the screen before him. It showed in ruthless, exacting detail, the progress the Colonials were making. They were blasting a path through the mined asteroids, a wall of laser fire that destroyed everything in its path. Now and again, the larger ship would send twin bolts, vaporising larger asteroids in one shot.

In the other occupied chairs in the chamber the members of the Inner Cabinet were slumped, faces twisted into agony. He'd killed them all, over several hours, over the failure of everything. The others had fled, running away to plead for mercy. All bar one.

The President had no intention of surrendering, or giving in. He was not done yet. There was one card left to play...

Moving his arm, he hit a switch that had sat, unused, on his chair for as long as it had been there. With a clunk his chair sank a fraction, before slowly rising up.

He passed through the ceiling, heading up a tube that rose far above. The inside of the tube was ringed regularly, and looked more like something out of a living creature.

Light appeared above, and he ascended into another dimly lit space, the lack of conventional lights offset by the arrays of display screens. A row of large windows looked out onto an empty blackness, highlighted only by a vast shadow.

As his chair locked into place, the President looked to his right. "Status?"

The man that sat to his right turned his head to face him. It was about all he could move, as dark material was wrapped around his legs and torso. From the base of his skull a thick cable trailed down and into the seat in which he sat. His right eye was replaced with a machine implant.

"All systems are operational my Lord. The crew are in place and ready for your orders." He hesitated, and then continued. "Will the rest of the Cabinet be joining us?"

"No. They have paid the price of failure." The President answered. "Have you ascertained where the others went?"

The woman – or more accurately the being that had started out as a woman - to his left answered his question.

"Yes sir. We've pinpointed the tracking chip of the Culture Minister to a point on board the Colonial cruiser. The other three are near the edge of the field sir."

The President nodded to himself slowly. "Ensure that you keep track of those three. We'll deal with them after we've destroyed these upstarts." Behind him the door hissed open, and the only other living member of the Cabinet stalked in. The Blue Sun Director sank into the chair just over the President's shoulder, to the sound of connections being made.

"Now then... prime all weapons, and stand by on the engines. Captain, prepare to crack the shell."

X-X-X-X-X-X

Achilles looked hard at the massive asteroid that lay at the heart of the field, in which somewhere the Alliance Cabinet sulked. He'd been notified that another three had abandoned their comrades and fled the field. The Ministers for Health and Finance had surrendered to the Rebel cruisers that confronted them, but the Minister for Transportation had tried to run. The cruiser had no choice but to fire on his ship, destroying it.

Achilles watched as turbolaser bolts stabbed into the rock, blasting apart weapon batteries. He'd given the Alliance Cabinet three minutes to surrender. They hadn't, and now he had no choice but to take the base by force.

Around Thunderchild the other ships also fired carefully, clearing more asteroids as well as knocking out other weapon sites.

After only a couple of minutes, the last site was destroyed. "All ships... hold fire." Achilles ordered, and it was a testament to his leadership that they all obeyed. "Stand by to launch the shuttles..."

A bright flash from the surface of the asteroid cut him off. More explosions blossomed across the surface, blasting tons of rock into space. Great cracks appeared in the asteroids surface, zigzagging along the length...

Another explosion, this time much deeper within, blasted several large chucks outwards. As more and more explosions blasted outwards, Achilles realised that there was something inside those explosions...

A massive shape loomed in the small cloud of rapidly expanding dust, gas and rocks. As the cloud thinned the shape began to resolve into a mighty warship, almost as large as a battlestar. Its body was a long, flattened bar, with sloped armour and a shark-like prow. Four huge engine pods were attached to the stern by thick tree truck like arms...

Achilles narrowed his eyes as he looked closer. This ship was clearly mutated too, just like the Nightbringers. Only this beast was even further corrupted, even more twisted. Spiny outgrowths jutted from either side of and just below the bow, from the rear of the tower-like structure on the dorsal surface, and from the keel. The engines spars were totally hidden underneath a thick organic covering. Thick outgrowths and organic lumps were all along the hull. Just in his field of vision Achilles could see four large turrets, each one mounting what looked like the main weapon system from a Lancer Frigate. From the positioning, Achilles reckoned there would a dozen all told.

Even as he opened his mouth to speak, one of the turrets shifted. The barrels protruded out from an organic blob, covered with overlapping curved plates that looked almost like bone, or the shell of a beetle. The other two on the upper starboard flank also turned, swinging about to bear on the Rebel fleet.

"All ship go evasive!" Achilles yelled. Dark purple spears blasted forth, striking with deadly precision. One struck Thunderchild right on the bow, the ravaging energy only just held back by the shields.

The second struck a Lancer head on, and everyone could only watch in horror as the frigate was ripped apart by a chain of explosions that ran right down its spine.

The third struck the Rosetta. Her shields held for a moment... then buckled, allowing the tail end of the long bolt to smash into her starboard midsection. The whole destroyer bucked and twisted about as a massive blast ripped through her starboard batteries.

"Athena!" Apollo yelled as he watched his sister's ship twist from the hit. Anxious eyes watched as the destroyer slowly righted itself, a gapping hole in her starboard hull.

Achilles' narrowed eyes snapped back to the hostile... just in time to watch as from a long double row of dark ports that sat amidships on the titan, a volley of plasma blasts lanced out as the monster's engines fired, pushing the vast bulk forwards.

Almost two dozen bolts crashed into the fleet, the high density plasma blasts burning through hulls with ease to consume the air and crew within. The Wolves Dancer took a hit on the nose, barely shrugging it off thanks to the thickly armoured prow. Several more blasts splashed off Thunderchild's shields.

Shocked by the sudden assault, the fleet flailed about as the monster slipped into the asteroid field.

Achilles' eyes burned as he focused on the ship. "Recover all craft. Helm, plot a pursuit course." He stepped to the communication screens. "Get me the Rosetta! And the other ships too!"

Athena's face came on first, looking dishevelled. Her hair fell about her face in a mess, and in the background the wailing of sirens could be heard. "Athena! You all right?" Achilles asked, the anger from before gone.

"We're okay here Achilles. The hull's compromised, but she'll hold together." Her eyes narrowed and flashed dangerously. "Go get those bastards!"

Achilles nodded, before looking at the other screens. "Phoenix, assist Athena. Everyone else, tend to your wounded crews, and make best speed back out of this death trap. We're going after that ship."

He looked over to his XO, nodding. Silently nodding in response, the major turned and leaned over the helm crew.

Thunderchild's engines flared brightly, easing her forward as she arced round, heading after the mutated monster.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Three hours later Achilles was sat in his quarters, going over the data he'd been sent, and the small amount they had gathered from the brief encounter. Lieutenant Fairchild had recognised the ship design beneath the mutations, though it had shocked her. She had sent over what data she'd had.

Mid way through the Unity War, the Alliance Military had designed a 'Dreadnought' class vessel, intended as a war winning ship. The titan would be capable of ploughing through any Independent formation, dealing enormous damage on all sides and absorbing vast amounts in return. However, before the prototype could be built the Independents Fleet had been broken in one single battle, so the project had been shelved, then abandoned.

Clearly, it hadn't been as abandoned as everyone had thought.

Achilles frowned as he looked at the layered image before him. The original, archive plans were displayed, with the sensor profile of the mutated version overlaid on top of them. What had once been a clean lined, sleek warship had been twisted into something bloated and corrupt.

The comm chimed. "Sir, we're approaching the planet."

Achilles sighed. "On my way."

On the way to the bridge Achilles considered what he would be facing. The Alliance Dreadnought had put on a surprising turn of speed, burning hard away from the fleet. Achilles' ship had been slowed up by activated traps in the field.

The Dreadnought also had deadly weapons. When Thunderchild had emerged from the asteroid field they had found one of their allied rebel Unity cruisers. It had been torn to pieces, with no survivors. The remains were molten and twisted, clear signs of plasma damage.

However, once clear of the asteroids Thunderchild had began to overhaul the Dreadnought, which had last been seen using a planet's gravity well to alter course without slowing down.

Not that it would help them. Fast as it was, the dreadnought was no match for the Colonial battlecruiser in speed...

"Sir, we have a partial contact on scanners to port... rising above the planets horizon..."

Achilles frowned, a cold knot in his gut. They had just started their own slingshot move around the planet... Abruptly he realised what was likely to happen. "Shields to full, now!"

The energy shields snapped up, barely in time as the Alliance Dreadnought fired. A huge, dense dark-red beam lashed out from under her prow, to smash into Thunderchild with such force that it was still felt, even with the force shields. Then the beam burned through the shields and crashed into the rear end of Alpha Bay. The impact sent a shiver running throughout the battlecruiser.

In the bridge, Achilles snarled as alarms began to wail as the entire rear sector of Alpha Flight Pod began to turn red. The Alliance ship had turned into the gravity well, using it to make a sharp turn and bringing themselves up behind his own ship. Fortunately, the speed built up was now released, catapulting them outwards.

Still, they were in a dangerous place. "Hard a starboard! All power to stern shield!"

As the Dreadnought roared past like a freight train, it unleashed a rolling broadside into Thunderchilds stern. Plasma splashed off the reinforced shields, while pulse cannon bolts sent ripples racing outwards. So intense was the pounding that at points the shields yielded, allowing small amounts of weapons fire to slip through.

As the ships began to pull away from each other, Thunderchild responded, her turbolasers stabbing back at the black monster. Despite the dreadnought's speed several hits were scored all along her port side. Organic material was flash-boiled and the metal hull was blasted apart. However, the dreadnought's thick hull, much thicker than anything else built in the system, stopped all but the megalaser bolts from penetrating.

On the bridge Achilles' eyes narrowed as he watched the dreadnought pull away. "Pursuit course!" He ordered sharply, before stepping down and over to his XO, who was leaning over a console near the rear of the bridge. "Damage report?" He asked heavily.

"Heavy damage to Alpha landing bay: Launch Bay Alpha Three totalled." The ensign reeled off. "Substantial structural damage to Alpha Flight Pod.

"Lower engineering decks are losing atmosphere, engineering teams pulling back. Beta Bay is in flames sir, but the Fire Chief reckons it's under control."

Achilles nodded slowly. "Casualties?"

The ensign didn't answer for a moment. "Burn victims arriving at the Life Centre from Beta Bay. No contact at all with Alpha Bay crew."

"Understood." Achilles murmured, pain filling his eyes. They hardened into icy shards however when he looked forwards once more, at the four bright motes ahead that marked the engines of the Alliance Dreadnought. Beyond the tiny cross that was the ship lay a vast reddish purple cloud.

Achilles had to think for a moment to place the formation. It was called the Forlorn Nebula, named since it might have been another star in the system. The gravity well suggested that there was something at the heart of the formation. A few craft had tried to probe deep within the nebula, but all contact had been lost with them all.

And it was clear that the Alliance Dreadnought was heading right for it.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Anything?"

"Negative sir. Sensors still scrambled."

Achilles sighed in frustration as he stared out of the window before into a thick murk. They had entered the nebula twelve minutes ago, snapping right at the heels of the Dreadnought. However, the dense clouds of dust, ice and gases scrambled sensors, rendering them almost blind. The shields too were useless: the constant friction and lightning discharges had threatened to overload them before Achilles had ordered them powered down.

Now they were practically crawling through the thick murk, almost totally relying mostly on visual tracking. The sensors barely worked, range and resolution constantly changing as they passed through different mixes and densities of gases. Tension was running high throughout the ship as they pushed onwards. Viper pilots sat in their messes, stood down from alert: With the bays damaged, there was no way for them to land. The Gunships were also trapped within the larger ship, as the damage to the bays prevented them from taking off. Everyone knew that the Alliance ship was out there, somewhere.

Achilles was the only one who entertained doubts about that. The Alliance could have doubled back, left the nebula, and they wouldn't know about it until they too left. But what if they hadn't? The Alliance could hide out in here for years, dragging the war out long beyond that which the Colonials could sustain themselves. Achilles knew that there were only three ships that could take on this dreadnought; Thunderchild, Galactica & Pegasus. Neither battlestar was fully refitted yet, and while the Tigers had the killing power, they lacked the hull strength to go toe to toe with that...

Suddenly something angular loomed out of the murk, long hard edged spars jutting out from a central point. A point that was right on top of them...

"All hands, brace for impact!" The XO yelled, scrambling for a nearby hand rail. Around the bridge crewmen leaned forwards and griped the upper edges of their consoles, pushing themselves into their seats.

Thunderchild's bow brushed against the object, and it shattered into thousands of shards. The raised arm that stretched over the prow ahead of the bridge crumbled as it was rolled along the hull, the fragments washing over the bridge like a wave.

Achilles breathed again. Ice. It had been a gigantic ice crystal, easily larger than a destroyer. But it had no strength to it. It had been as delicate as it had been threatening... and beautiful.

"Sir, sensors are clearing a little. Picking sensor shadows of other ice crystals."

"Very well. Helm, avoid them if you can." Achilles felt a stab of remorse for the destruction of the crystal they had run in to.

Slowly and gingerly Thunderchild picked her way through the ice field, twisting and rotating to slide between the spars of ice. As they though the gases cleared a little, allowing the crew to see more of the crystals, see some of the fine, pure structure...

A crystal ahead exploded, blasted apart with green flame. Streaks of green light lashed out from a shadowy form ahead, beyond the ice.

"Return fire!" Achilles bellowed. "Aim for the flashes!"

Red darts stabbed back at the shadow, which could now be seen to have the outline of the Dreadnought. Bright glares marked hits, before a volley of purple bolts shot back. A shiver ran through the ship as one struck a solid blow.

"Forward cannons, fire!"

Twin red-orange beams stabbed out, piercing the murk. One went high, and was slashed downward, slashing across the dreadnought just ahead of the engine spars. The other shot out in front and then was dragged along the whole length of the ship, over the portside plasma batteries. Flames erupted all along the gash in the Dreadnought's side.

But even as it slid back into the murk, it fired back. A pair of pulse cannon bolts smashed apart one of the beam laser emplacements. Others glanced off the armour on the starboard 'wing'.

Then one struck the stern, and the bridge was plunged into near darkness.