Chapter 16

SGC

"I don't understand how this is possible." General George Hammond sat opposite General Hank Landry in the SGC briefing room, the two men engaged in a private conversation of the utmost importance. "How long have we got to prepare?"

"If they continue at the speed they've been travelling at, they'll be here in a little over a month."

"How the hell did they manage to advance their hyperdrives so quickly?"

"My only guess is that the Wraith known as Todd or one of his scientists used the information they learned when they captured the Daedalus in 2008. It's the most logical explanation."

Hammond sighed. He knew that would come back to haunt them in the future. "I take it our ships are on the way back from Pegasus?"

"Yes, they are. Teal'c is already back on Chulak, rallying the Jaffa." A frown crossed Landry's face. "Hopefully it'll be enough."

"Hopefully."

Caprica

Colonel Bolton stared at the mighty Battlestar floating in space. It had been mere hours since he had returned from Earth, with both a crew to repair the Ares, and the news that the Wraith were coming to the Milky Way. It was a dark day, and it made the discovery of the Ares all the more important. If the SGC were to stop the massive Wraith fleet advancing towards the planet, they would need every ship and ally they could muster.

The Asgard were lending a helping hand, they had sent a number of their own scientists to help upgrade the Ares. This would move things along drastically, and the Ares would have shields and energy weapons within days. They admitted it would be harder to upgrade than the likes of a 304, but it would be ready well before the Wraith attacked. Bolton knew this should have given him some semblance of hope. But it didn't. The Wraith were coming for Earth, in a fleet of unprecedented size. He wasn't afraid to admit, he was scared.

Atlantis Conference Room One

The mood in the conference room was solemn. The meeting was much smaller than the one the day before, with O'Neill, Daniel, Roslin and Adama the only people in attendance. The news had come like a dagger to Roslin. They had finally found Earth, only to discover that it could soon be wiped out by an enemy even worse than the Cylons. An enemy that would use the people of Earth as food before disregarding the planet itself.

"What can we do to help?" The President of the Colonies knew there wasn't much that her people could do, but they had only just found their long lost brothers, she wasn't about to let them be destroyed without doing everything she could to help stop it.

"Well..." Jack began, "Since this little piece of news hit the headlines we've decided it's best to re-evaluate where we stand in regards to upgrading your ships."

Adama looked slightly surprised. "What exactly does that mean?"

Daniel leaned forward, straightening his glasses. "It means that we have a team of Asgard prepared to board the Galactica to begin restoring your ship to it's original glory, and upgrading it with both a hyperdrive and shields."

"We can' give you plasma weapons yet. However, we are willing to provide you with nukes of a much higher yield than those you currently use. If your willing to give the go ahead, of course." Jack knew it was too early to start giving their allies the Asgard energy weapons, and Thor agreed with him. However, if the Galactica was going to pack a punch against the Wraith, it was going to have to have some sort of upgraded weaponry.

Laura smiled. "That is very generous of you and the Asgard General. We are of course happy for them to proceed with the upgrades." The President knew she would have been stupid to say no. "What of our people, the ones you found back in the Colonies? Will they be coming to Atlantis?"

"No." Jack replied.

"Can I ask why not?"

"We don't intend for Atlantis to stay here. We need every ship we can get if we're to stop the Wraith. The IOA have made it clear to Colonel Carter and myself that Atlantis is to join the fight."

"What does that mean for our people?" Adama asked, hoping that the rest of the fleet would not have to remain behind, alone in the Pegasus Galaxy.

"Once the Asgard have completed upgrades to the Galactica they will begin working on any of your other ships that can be made battle capable. Atlantis itself will be able to carry part of your fleet, and the Samantha Carter will carry the others. Again, with your permission. The Asgard will also be upgrading the Cylon Basestar in return for information about their resurrection technology."

Roslin was unsure of what to make of this. "Will the fleet be taken to Earth?"

"No." Daniel replied. "Only the battle capable ships. The rest will be taken straight to your new home planet, before Atlantis and the Asgard ship move on to the battle. Your battle capable ships will only need skeleton crews, and we will have a number of our own people aboard to help your people operate them."

There was a brief pause before Roslin spoke again. "...We accept."

Atlantis Control Room

Colonel John Sheppard walked into the Control Room to see Samantha Carter ending a conversation with Dr. McKay, currently on the Heracles. As the screen went black, Sam turned to greet him.

"How's he doing?"

Sam smiled, something she found hard to do at that particular time. "The good news is Rodney and his team should have the Heracles operational long before the enemy fleet reaches Earth. They expect to be able to leave at the same time as us."

"That's good news. Kind of why I'm here actually, I came to ask when you think we'll be able to leave. The sooner we get back to the Milky Way Galaxy the better."

"Well, we've got people working around the clock... The Colonials have just given the go ahead for their ships to be upgraded, so hopefully we'll be ready by the time the Asgard are finished."

"Those little guys work fast."

"And so will we."

"Okay. I've got to go and brief the Colonial Pilots on Wraith battle tactics. Just let me know if you need me." The Colonel turned to leave, but was stopped before he could exit.

"John..." Sam hesitated, speaking in a quiet tone of voice.

"Yeah?"

"...When I saw my father, and when you saw Dr. Weir... Do you think this is what they were trying to warn us about?"

John grimaced. "They're gone Sam. And those were just dreams."

"Now you see, I don't know if I can believe that. I know, it couldn't really have been my dad, or Elizabeth, but it wouldn't be the first time that an Ancient has tried to help us in an... obscure way."

"If it was the Ancients, I sure hope they've got our backs on this one."

The Colonels turned to look at a large Lantean screen showing scans of a massive Wraith fleet, a reminder looming ominously over the people in the Control Room working desperately and tirelessly to prepare Atlantis for her imminent journey back to the Milky Way.

"So do I..."

Teyla's Quarters

Teyla Emmagen stood silent, embracing her partner in the centre of her quarters. Neither had spoken for minutes now. The revelation that Teyla would not be joining her husband and son in returning to their people had come as a shock to Kanaan.

"...I... I don't understand Teyla... The Wraith are leaving this Galaxy for another, we can live in peace."

Teyla broke the embrace, a look of sadness on her face. "These people, the people of Atlantis... They have done everything they could to help me, to help our people, and to help our galaxy. Because of what they've done, our child won't have to worry about the next culling, or whether his own children will be safe in the future."

"But this isn't your fight..." Kanaan placed his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes.

"Yes. It is. No matter what happens to me, I know Torren will be safe with you. He'll grow to be a leader, and an amazing person. But I have to do this..."

"You don't Teyla. Colonel Sheppard even said so himself, he'd rather you..."

"Kanaan." Teyla cut him off before he could finish. "I have to do this." The way she spoke the words made Kanaan realise that there was no way he could stop her from fighting alongside her friends. They embraced once again, before Teyla walked over to Torren, asleep in his crib. He watched her, knowing that it could very well be the last time the three of them were together.

Galactica Pilot's Ready Room

John had only been aboard Galactica 15 minutes before it was time to address the Colonial Viper pilots. They'd only faced the Wraith once but that was enough for them to know that they were an enemy to be reckoned with. He stepped up to the podium, feeling slightly uneasy about addressing the Colonial pilots before him. He hesitated for a moment, before beginning.

"Hello... My name is Colonel John Sheppard, and as I'm sure you all know I'm here to talk to you about Wraith Battle tactics." He looked out over the crowd. Most were listening intently. "Now from what I've heard about Cylon raiders, the Wraith are quite different. You'll have to be prepared for the unexpected when you face them, and that can be hard. For example, the darts have been known to make kamikaze runs. We can't let them do this, not against Earth..." He noticed two young pilots at the back, chatting to each other and laughing quietly. "...While we should be able to... stop most of the Hive's fire in orbit... OK, will you two shut the hell up?"

The two pilots turned to face the Colonel. "Earth is in serious danger. If the Wraith take it and gain a foothold in the Milky Way, you can kiss goodbye to any hope of finding a safe haven. I need each and every one of you to be ready for what's about to happen. If you can't sit and listen to me for five god-damn minutes... then I guess we haven't got a chance."

The two pilots begrudgingly apologized, before Sheppard continued. "Thank you. Now as I was saying, we should be able to keep the Hives busy in orbit and draw most of their fire, but Darts will slip through. We need to be ready for in atmosphere fighting. We should be able to take a number of Hives out with a special weapons platform we have on Earth, but sadly that hasn't got nearly enough..." Sheppard paused for a moment. "...Well, I guess you could call it ammunition left to take on the entire fleet."

John continued to speak of the Wraith's abilities and how they could combat them, and by the time the Colonial pilots left the room they were feeling uneasy. He hadn't wanted to worry them too much, but he wasn't going to sugar-coat it. These people had survived for so long, the fear of destruction keeping them going and making them all great pilots. If that fear worked for them when the Wraith came knocking, he wasn't going to do anything to take it away from them.

The pilots piled out of the room, until the only two people left were the Colonel and Lee Adama. "Congratulations, I think you got their attention."

"Thanks..." John replied with a slight tone of worry in his voice. "I hope it'll be enough."

"They're good pilots. I trust that they'll do everything they can to help Earth."

Sheppard didn't disagree. He'd heard about the feats they'd accomplished and wasn't disappointed. "I just hope they go in there taking on board what they've been told. The darts are fundamentally different to the Cylon Raiders.."

A grin crossed Lee's face. "From what I've heard about darts, they won't have to try as hard."

"Yeah..." Sheppard returned the grin. "We'll see. So will you be the one leading them when the time comes?"

"No. I've been asked by General O'Neill to head to Earth tomorrow with a hand-picked team to take temporary command of the Battlestar Ares. He says his superiors want a constant Colonial presence on the ship anyway, even after the Wraith attack."

"Sounds good. I'm sure you'll make a good Battlestar Commander... again."

"I just hope I don't have to ram this one into anything to get the job done."

Sheppard chuckled at that. "No, that would be a bit of a bitch..."

The two men walked towards the door, and into the cold metal hallways of Galactica. "Maybe when we get through this I could teach you how to fly a Viper."

John's eyes lit up. "Now that sounds like a plan."