Chapter 7
Lightning Fervor
Helltanz's notes: Well here's chapter 7
-Chapter begin –
Raiden watched the reports filtered through the console, the Shinku Rai Tatsu shield systems were based around a series of projecting shield generators conforming to fit a general bubble around the hull. The Asgard forward weapons were angled to largely forward firing, the Beliskner had been built primarily to pursue and destroy, the second guns located further back that could fire to the side weren't nearly as potent. Not that it'd matter.
The Asgard had always limited the number of guns on their ships. Not that such normally mattered as the beliskner's forward rapid fire guns were designed to be rapid firing, but powerful as well, in addition to the forward cannons could rapidly destroy a Ha'tak class vessel.
It was why the Shinku Rai Tatsu, and the Flight 3 Ha'tak were such an innovation. The new shields, and reactors were simply that much of an improvement. The Beliskner was dead in the water, unable to move, and was just too old to stand up to the continued pounding from continuous weapon fire, certainly not after being ambushed.
The Asgard shields rocked as the weapons fired a dozen beams of highly focused energy and twice that many 110 centimeter hyperdense railgun slugs smashed into the Beliskner's protective bubble. It was weakening surely but steadily.
The sensor officer analyzed the feedback data from the Shinku Rai Tatsu's active and passive primary sensors. "Enemy shields are down to sixty percent."
Raiden nodded, their own shields were still in upper eighties. Still it wasn't wise to toy with such a ship, he moved his hands bringing the holographic weapons display up, the targetting sensors had already picked out places where it was best to hit. He ignored the the continued firing of the ships involved.
His ha'tak had joined the fray quickly battering the already weakened Beliskner further. No what Raiden wanted was test data, to see how well the Asgard shields reacted to antimatter weapons. The positron particle beams cut through the now depleted Asgard shields and ripped through the ship causing multiple secondary explosions in as the flurry of matter anti matter annhilations gave way to detonating subsystems of the ship. .
The system lord nodded pleased at the success of the new positron weapon. The ancients had created standardized anti-proton cannons late in their civilization, the technology had been quickly adapted by both sides during the war in heaven. Positrons were another antimatter particle, the equivalent of electrons, and had also been used int blast cannons by both sides. Suffice to say the system lord was quite pleased with the results.
-scene break-
Colonel O'neill was busy looking around "Hey guys." Jack waved at his team,
"Uh, Jack what's going on exactly?" Daniel questioned. "Nevada's subspace array is picking up so much heat radiation bleed off."
"Oh you know the usual Thor and I were on Thor's very nice and spiffy ship. Which had been infested by a hive for robot bug, and the goa'uld showed up just like every other day." He remarked as if talking about the weather. "Anyway Raiden's presently blowing the ship to hell, so he dropped us here."
"Then there is a goa'uld fleet in orbit?" Teal'c questioned,
O'neill gave a shrug, "Probably."
Thor spoke up, "Raiden has brought his primary escort squadron, however the Beliskner will be destroyed quickly, we must insure that any parts that survive the battle go through an uncontrolled renentry." The Asgard announced to the assembled stargate personel, before pausing, "The parts will then burn up in the atmosphere and that should destroy any of the surviving replicators." commented the asgard. "I will need to also contact the asgard high council, if you would permit me the use of your stargate?"
Hammond gave an affirmative gestured while Jack took a step forward, "Oh listen up we need complete assurance of these bugs destruction." the colonel stated taking over, "So lets get NASA and Area 51, and everyone else on the horn. "If we do make it through were going to need to make sure that we've got responses teams outfitted to deal with them."
Hammond turned to Sergeant Alberts as the man saluted "Sergeant,"
"General we have confirmation of the destruction of the Beliskner, Raiden has established a stable orbital position over the mountain, surface to orbit radar is tracking isolated debris clusters, tracking into the ocean. " The man paused, "Also the NID is on line two."
Whatever Hammond's response was going to be was cut off as as hologram unfolded of the system lord, "Your ancestors' tools were surprisingly effective at enhancing the Beliskner's shields." The hologram interjected, the improvements hadn't been enough, but still enough to buy a few minutes.
Jack paused, doing a double take, "Mine?" O'Neill asked confused, and not quite certain he had heard the system lord right. "You should stop popping in on people like that."
"Yes the Alterans." Raiden elaborated as the stargate gave a whoosh and Thor stepped away from the gate.
"Who?" O'neill asked, yeah he remembered Thor bringing it up ten minutes ago. "Is this another lets tell me something and expect me to know everything about it?" Jack turned to Thor turning his palms facing upwards.
"The Road builders." He added, surely the Tauri of the SGC were aware of the builders of the Stargate network, or one of them, after all there were Tauri who did know about the Ayeleid. So if they had been talking to the Asgard they should have known about both.
It took a moment for Daniel to get the reference, "Ahh. Its just we've never heard their true name for their race before." Admitted Doctor Jackson.
"It was something I hoped to address now that the Replicators had been dealt with," The Asgard remarked.
"Danny-boy best pester Thor later" Jack remarked rolling his eyes, "What do you want Raiden? I doubt you have time to be floating about like this."
The system lord had already turned to Daniel, "I have a text you maybe interested in its rather useless to me but you may find it of some use." After all the humans of Earth might end up causing more chaos for the other system lords, "It concerns another group of Alterans known as the Ayeleids if you are interested the planets listed there have very interesting ruins." Besides Sokar was getting far too active when it came to Cronus and Heru-ur, they needed to throttle back the conflict.
O'Neill made a point of clearing his throat. "You blew up the Beliskner right? What do you want?"
"The Beliskner is precisely what I'm here to talk about." Raiden remarked. "The replicators are an issue and as we have all determined kinetic energy weapons are the most effective against them,
O'Neill whistled and nodded. "Sharp on the ball aren't you." He added sarcastically, "Yeah we got that much, look Thor said you were in the neighborhood I think we'd all like to know why?"
"Why because I had business of course, understand of course the present situation is untenable, I have more pressing concerns than one little world, exceptional valuable or not."
Jack got serious, "Okay, that tells me someone else wants earth, and is willing to move on it."
"A lot of the system lords want earth, Sokar however would be the only one one more than willing to pay the price in blood to take it, and hold it. Sokar doesn't want a burned out husk, burning the major cities from orbit to win, he'd do it but it'd be..." Raiden paused, "a very controlled burning."
The assembled humans grimaced, "Sokar's fighting the other system lords."
"No Sokar is fighting some of the other System Lords, there is a difference, even Sokar's great fleet can't withstand the entirety of the System Lords collective force of arms. No he'll win a decisive victory over Cronus, and negotiate a favorable peace agreement with him, and then he'll be declared a member of the high council" and that would be the end of that conflict. Sokar would in name, and drama, take Apophis's spot amongst the high council.
"So he's going to waltz in and trash Cronus's shit and get a seat on the council?"
"Crudely put, but yes Sokar's goal is avenging his last defeat, with Ra, and Apophis dead he needs only to score a victory on Cronus, since he has killed Apophis. Heru'ur will then inheirit a sizable portion of Apophis, and Ra's domain."
"Which makes him one of the strongest, right?" Raiden answered to the affirmative. Heru-ur and Cronus would be gaining great swathes of territory, and likely strengthening their alliance with each other. Given how Heru'ur was developing his fleet it was a powerful combo, especially if Cronus was brought up to speed technologically.
"Another Asgard vessel approaching, "he commented, "We shall resume this discussion another time, perhaps over tea. I wish you luck in dealing with the replicators Thor," Remarked the system lord.
"It is an appreciated sentiment."
Raiden vanished in a flash of light.
"What was that about?" asked the Colonel raising an eyebrow.
"Professional courtesy." Daniel remarked. "I would think."
"Oh the Thunder." O'neill announced
"Storms."
"Whatever." The commander of the Earth's premier stargate team commented with a wave of his hand. "About the replicators, and about the Goa'uld we're going to need to deal with all that."
"I agree O'neill, there is also much you should be made aware of about the Ancients..."
-scene break-
Raiden, and Sokar had the Goa'uld well in hand in their direction, though by all evidence it did seem that the Others were also backing players. It was particularly why he left helping of Sokar to Hircine, and to a lesser extent Malacath. In the mean time he did have more pressing issues... well in that cared more to deal with them than he did other agendas.
The seneschal bowed, "Prince Phobos is expecting you. Honored Dread Father."
Truthfully he paid the man no attention, this world itself resembled Nirn as it had been once upon a time, or Medieval Earth, but more like Nirn. The planet itself was more like Nirn, as there were humans, and non humans inhabiting. Magic was particularly prevalent. The dark god walked towards the doors, which were pushed open by two separate winds as he approached them. "Phobos," Normally he wouldn't both with such trivialities as visiting his ward, and a boy in name, and appearance in name only.
Phobos was a man, and safely on the throne of this miserable little world. The boy was more than capable of seeing to his own defense, with his own magic. It also wasn't like he needed help, he could more than fend for himself. The platinum haired prince nodded. "Dread Father, I welcome you to my home."
He suppressed a chuckle, if the boy had been expecting a pleasant chat he was sorely mistaken. "Indeed I have good news. In some four years of earth, new guardians…" Sithis spat the term though there was a mix of disgust and amusement mixed together. In the end though for all the potential of amusement disgust one out, "Will be chosen. As to the whereabouts of your sister she is more likely on this particular continent." Sithis indicated North America on the map." He had considered Europe as an option, but with the girl's immense magical potential he surely would have heard something from the Black hand responsible for the continent. "The nation known as the United States is the most likely the location. Its neighbor to the north another,as you know since I have repeatedly told you the Guardians are generally chosen from a single area. I would suggest the north eastern and western coastal regions due to metropolitan development. Though there are native practitioners of the arts so do not immediately act on the first signs of magical energy. They have had nine years to suitably settle do not expect this to be easy." Sithis withdrew a bottle. "On a less ill boding note. This is the blood of Sanguine, an alcohol so potent it will loosen any man's tongue with but a single drop." The Daedric lord pulled back his hand and gave the blonde a warning glance, "It will also give you a nasty hangover not indifferent to having a Daedroth use your skull as a drum. When shared among friends and allies it strengthens ones resolve and dedication to the cause, and as I said no man who drinks this may speak false or deceive. Be moderate in its use such wine is not easy to come by. "
"Thank you." Phobos responded readily accepting the alcohol. Phobos's taste were... not profane, but he was more than a little spoiled. Still he was visiting, and he was a guest.
Earth posed a number of potential problems but Phobos was most interested in recovering his younger sister. Sithis, and by proxy though to a lesser extent so was Raiden, were interested in this but also concerned with the matter of the guardians. The Guardians of Kandrakhar would likely become Guardians of Earth as well.
There were millions of inhabited worlds in the Milky Way alone due to the interference of the ancients who had engineered machines to go about the process of terraforming worlds to sustain life. It'd been a largely automated process of course, the ancients rarely had had the patience to wait for anything.
Kandrakar was not one of those worlds, but it was the world that was used by the council who were a very annoying nuisance to the Dread Father. The world of Kandrakar existed beyond time and space because it was literally the result of the death of two gods at the very same moment in time and space.
The simultaneous deaths of an Aedric and a Daedric lord, It was for this reason that the world and the council were disliked greatly by both sets of gods in question. Kandrakar was of course hardly the only group of busybodies on the galactic seen but the fact of where they chose to reside did not endear them to the more powerful beings in the galaxy.
Sithis nodded, "When you locate the girl send Cedric." Advised the time traveler, unknowing of it as he was. "His abilities will be effective I am sure, however do not expect it to be easy war is brewing between the worlds. Powers will clash. Worlds are warring even now. Even now Earth itself is consumed in an alien attack... an attack by other worlders" He amended.
The attack itself didn't particularly concern him, these miserable shape shifters meant little to him. The mortals would likely not even loose a city over it, so he considered it beneath his notice. People would die yes, but such happened every day on a billion worlds across this galaxy.
-scene break-
In Sol, Raiden had waited aboard the Shinku Rai Tatsu the system lord surveyed the report from the long range sensors. He was already making plans for how to deal with the enemy. It'd been pulling away from earth when he'd arrived.
Two year ago not so long after the Summit the humans had finally managed to land 'Astronauts' on Mars. He hadn't cared, it'd been boring even with all the humans hopping about on their little blue world partying about such a meager achievement. They were always scrambling about with something or another.
No what had finally caught his eye were the intermittent signals being shot into space. Originally he'd assumed that they'd just been another of those silly little SETI satellite search things again, Raiden thought those were stupid as well. He was actually quite surprised the United States allowed such stupidity, but then again who could say.
"The ship does appear to be of crafted from biological matter, let us see how they like antimatter." Raiden smirked maliciously. He wanted all of the text data for his new weapons as he could. More to the point he needed specific data, yes he'd been collecting data all year but the ship had just completed a key refit. "Begin fold procedures arm all weapons fire as soon as we drop out from hyperspace focus all positron cannons on the center of the ship. We will take no chances despite being of inferior design and technology we will confront it as an equal."
The Shinku Rai Tatsu was a fairly large vessel at more than twelve hundred meters, the flagship held many lethal weapons but the ship Raiden now faced was larger by far perhaps equal to the scheduled Peacemillion's size. Not that he was particularly concerned.
Of course the Peacemillion, like a number of Raiden's newer vessels was designed by another being one in the actual employ of Sithis, was meant as a battleship. The Shinku Rai Tatsu was the same, to the point that though some weapons had been planned originally and the emplacements existed on the hull, complete with conduits, and everything, those weapons were just now being installed.
"My lord the rest of the fleet has arrived." Indeed they had, four more newly refit with positron cannon SRTs, the Shinku Rai Tatsu class's fleet syllable identification code, dropped out of hyper space flanked by Skyborne Calamity class battleships and hordes of type three Ha'tak.
Raiden nodded. In a concentrated blaze of light five pillars of light, caused by highly excited particles of energy, cut the unknown ship to ribbons. In truth he had more pressing matters to attend to. There was also the fact that Pendragon had not appreciated his destruction of the Beliskner a year prior. Not that he cared what the asgard commander thought, he'd spent the year fufilling his objectives, and it'd been such a good year too.
For centuries the goa'uld had claimed to rule the galaxy, but only in name, it was true that the bulk had been theirs. He looked around, the Jaffa were relaxed, pleased at their success. It was a quiet kind of pleased, a dignified kind of pleased.
He patted the genetically engineered Hok'tar's head gently, "Rei, carefully monitor the Earth, and Sokar's drones."
The Hok'tar, Rei, was all tall, lanky pale skin and dark hair in long tresses. "My lord their Hok'tar seem to have things well in hand, though I am tracking active military responses from individual governments."
That did make sense. The real focus was what the Hok'tar did, all scurrying against the aliens and such. The struggling of heroes against monsters. It was sure to be interesting to watch.
Chapter Conclusion
Helltanz's notes: So secret origin plays out largely off screen, though it is rather important to the plot.