Jump Chain Gothic 4 - Confederation
Part 3
Aurora-Class Warship. Milky Way Galaxy.
I'd expected an odd sensation upon returning to this universe, but in fact I felt nothing at all. One moment we were in an alternate reality, one were the planet Annwn was inhabited only by medieval level humans, and the next we we had Annwn the city-ship on our scanners.
"A successful test of the reality drive" I said.
Since the drive didn't move the ship in normal space and because we'd left this reality in high orbit we had appeared in the alternate universe also in high orbit, now that we'd returned, again we were in high orbit, so it weren't for the scans we'd taken we might not even be sure it had worked.
"Yes" agreed Seven of Nine "We now have access to countless alternate realities, and the means to navigate them safely. Once I have gone all the data we have gathered from the test flight, we can begin scouting out other versions of this dimension".
I'd made sure that we had the means to always return to the reality we called home. It wouldn't do to become lost, as while it might be cool to wander through different versions of the Stargate verse I did want to set up the Confederation. Still we would be making small trips to other universes, and if things went really badly in this reality then now we had a way to escape.
"Have you decided what to do about the Asgard science vessel you were offered?" I asked.
The Asgard were retiring many of their older vessels to make way for a new class of ship which would surpass even the O'Neill class. From what Tyr had told me these new ships would be a combination of Asgard, Ancient and Federation technology, and even some Mass Effect tech was being added, as they were going to use quantum entanglement as a form of communication with the Asgard homeworld.
In return for the tech the Asgard needed to make this new and very powerful vessel the little grey dudes had offered us an old science vessel, which would have all its systems kept intact aside from weapons, and I would have jumped at the chance, however to make room for it in the space dock we'd have to get rid of the modified Wraith cruiser.
That wasn't my call as it was Seven's ship, her project. Granted it hadn't gone anywhere, but she'd nearly killed herself while assimilating the vessel. Plus she hadn't cracked all its secrets yet, and I knew her well enough to know she really wanted to.
"I have decided to take the science vessel" Seven told me.
Hearing this pleased me.
"Good you can use it to scout out alternate realities" I said.
Asgard ships could run even with very small crew and we had plenty of robots to help run a ship. Also Seven could recruit from the Confederation and its allies if she needed some more science types. I'd use one of my perks, which helped with keeping people loyal, to make the possibility of betrayal.
Still I was worried that someone, say a Tauri, might steal the design, which would lead to a series of events that resulted in this universe getting invaded by some unknown horror. With that in mind I decided to get Tali to install some really good, but non-lethal, means of securing the reality drives.
"I assume that you still wish for me to find a version of this galaxy that is under attack by the Ori" Seven wondered.
Indeed I did. Ori tech was just as great Ancient technology, and very similar to it, which made sense since the Ori and the Alterans started as the same race. However Ori tech was different enough to the Ancient stuff that it was worth studying.
"Yes" I told her "The type of phase cloaking used by Merlin is effective even against Priors so you should be safe if you encounter an Ori vessel".
My ship might be able to take on an Ori ship, but I'd rather not unless I really had to.
"Miranda Lawson wishes for me to locate versions of Earth that are in desperate need of aid" Seven informed me.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Did she say why?" I enquired.
Miranda was pretty much my second in command, she handled logistics for the most part, as such she rarely told anyone to go and do something unless it involved logistical matters.
"She wishes to increase the number of your companions" the former borg drone answered "We will attempt to recruit Samantha Carter and Jennifer Keller, as you have shown an attraction to the both of them. We will offer aid to any version of them we find whose world is in trouble".
Well adding to my harem could be considered a logistical matter, but I wasn't sure if I was comfortable offering help to some desperate Earth in exchange for a woman. From what I knew of those two human females they would take the offer if no other possibility presented itself, in order to help others, but they might resent me for not simply helping when I could.
The other members of my little harem had joined me because they wanted to come with me, and because there was something in it for them personally. Miranda just wanted to escape her father, and find a home for her sister, which we'd done since we'd left her in stasis back on Voyager as it returned to Earth. Tali came mostly for the advanced tech, she loved to tinker. As for Seven, this was all about moving closer to perfection by better understanding the universe and all that jazz.
"Well I guess if we find some version of them that's agreeable we can take them on" I said.
For now I had other things to focus on and before recruiting anyone we'd have to find a version of Earth that actually needed our aid, and still had people to offer.
(Line Break)
Annwn. Milky Way Galaxy.
While Jonas Quinn was the Langara ambassador he had many duties back home so the Langaran I most saw was a Commander Voltz who was in charge of the few soldiers the Langaran embassy was allowed to have here. Voltz was also here to represent the Langara Defense Council. Which was a organisation that oversaw the defence of the whole planet.
With him were a couple of Langaran weapon's experts. An engineer, who'd designed many of the current firearms the Langaran armed forces used, and a scientists who specialised in the physics and chemistry involved in the use of projectile weapons and rocketry.
The Langaran leaders had been pestering me for weapons technology for a while now, and finally I'd given in, due to the fact that Langara had been raided by some rogue group of Jaffa who had tried to steal some naqahdriah, which like naquaha, could be used for power generation or to enhance the power of destructive devices, like nuclear weapons.
This worried me greatly as the FJN (Free Jaffa Nation) was made up of a warrior race with a powerful military, and with no Ori invasion they had no one to fight. Sure they could battle the Lucian Alliance, but as of yet the FJN and the Alliance were leaving each other alone.
Also because Gerak was still leading the FJN I couldn't go to them to find out who these Jaffa raiders were, and it was possible that the marauders actually worked for him. Sanctioned or not I had to wonder why they wanted naquadria if not to fight some enemy.
I could go to Bra'tac, and perhaps would, but he seemed to have enough on his plate as it was, and I was worried overburdening the old Jaffa. Still I should make some enquires even they didn't go anywhere. Perhaps I would seek out Teal'c.
Thankfully the very small amount of naquadria they'd taken was about the same amount that the Langaran's had gifted to the Confederation a short time ago. Which was enough for Seven of Nine to study, but nowhere near enough to make a bomb or a power generator.
I guessed that the Jaffa raiders had actually been after the naquadah which had been stored in the same secure facility. The Jaffa, who'd arrived on the planet in a cloaked cargo ship, had killed more than a dozen Langaran guards, only losing one of their own, before stealing some of the stored naquah and leaving.
The Langarans simply didn't have the firepower they needed to deal with Jaffa warriors, however today I would change that. Thanks to one of the perks I'd picked in in an older Jump, which was called: Smash Those Metal Motherfuckers, I was somewhat of an expert in the firearms used in the later part of the 20th century as well those used in the early parts of the 21st century.
Of course could have provided the Langarans with energy weapons, but there were a few valid reasons for me not to. For starters I didn't want to give the Langarnas any weapons that could be used against my group.
Therefore projectile weapons were the best to give them as not only did I have armour that standard bullets were pretty much useless against, I also had kinetic barriers, and even our environmental shields, which weren't meant to stop attacks, could handle a few bullets.
Another reason was that I didn't want to give the Langarans anything that they could use to destroy themselves with. Langara was made up of three nations who had a long history of going to war with each other, and only the dangers of the larger galaxy kept them working together. If I gave them enough tech to make them feel safe from outside powers they might turn on each other again. I couldn't risk that.
Also if I gave them advanced tech for free they'd only ask for more, and then they'd have no reason to join the Confederation. Members of the Confederation would get much better stuff and be the envy of other worlds, which would hopefully attract other planets to join with me.
Last of all was that the Lanagarans were an industrialised people, and if I gave the weapons which were only a few decades ahead of what they had now once I gave them the knowledge behind these weapons they would be able to re-tool their own factories to produce the weapons and ammo they would need. This would prevent them from becoming dependent on me for spare parts, replacement weapons and ammo.
"Gentlemen" I said to the three human males in the room "After some thought I have decided to share some weapons technology with you".
Naturally this got me their undivided attention. But when I lifted the cloth off the table I sense their disappointment. No doubt they'd been expecting energy weapons of some type. However I knew that by the time I was done that they would once again be eager.
"Right now the military forces of your planet are decades behind the Tauri, and centuries behind some human civilizations" I started by saying "Mostly you use what we call bolt action rifles".
Bolt action was a type of firearm action where the handling of cartridges into and out of the weapon's barrel chamber was operated by a person manually manipulating the bolt directly via a handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon, as most users are right-handed.
When the handle is operated, the bolt is unlocked from the receiver and pulled back to open the breech, allowing the spent cartridge case to be extracted and ejected, the firing pin within the bolt is cocked (either on opening or closing of the bolt depending on the gun design) and engages the sear, then upon the bolt being pushed back a new cartridge (if available) is loaded into the chamber, and finally the breech is closed tight by the bolt locking against the receiver.
Bolt-action firearms (or "bolt guns" colloquially) were most often rifles, which is what Jonas Quinn's people used, but there are some bolt-action variants of shotguns and a few handguns as well.
From the late 19th century, all the way through both World Wars, the bolt-action rifle was the standard infantry firearm for most of the world's military forces. In modern military and law enforcement use, the bolt action has been mostly replaced by semi-automatic and selective-fire firearms. However the bolt-action design remains popular in dedicated sniper rifles due to inherently more rugged design, and are still very popular for civilian hunting and target shooting.
"Say hello to your new best friend the Kalashnikov AK-47 " I said. "This is an assault rifle, which is a selective-fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. The Kalashnikov AK-47 is a Tau'ri-made firearm of the assault rifle pattern, which was designed in late 1940's".
A lot of this wouldn't mean much to the three men in front of me, but it was best to give them all the information I could, and it wasn't as if it would take much time.
"The AK-47 is one of the most copied weapons in the history of assault rifles" was what I said next "Even the version of the weapon we've made here follows the design because it will be easier for you to use these weapons if they are kept simple".
Cameron loaded the AK-47 that was one the table and then fired a few shots at the target that had been set up earlier. I didn't know what this room had originally been meant for, but now it was a firing range. Cameron showed them how the assault rifle was superior to the firearms they were used.
"On Earth assault rifles were first used during World War II" I went on to say "They combine the firepower of a submachine gun with the range and accuracy of a rifle. And your technology is at that level so retooling your factories to produce assault rifles won't be difficult".
They weren't so disappointed now, but neither were they eager.
"If these are Earth weapons then why don't we simply buy them from that world?" Commander Voltz asked.
A good question.
"Well I'm not selling these weapons I'm giving them to you" I told him "And even if Stargate Command were willing to sell you these weapons they wouldn't help you make your own so you'd be dependant on them for replacements and ammo".
The Commander was very surprised.
"You're simply giving us this technology?" he wondered.
I nodded before carrying on with my sort of sales pitch.
"While I think the AK-47 would be a good standard firearm for your soldiers, if you're going up against Jaffa then your more experienced soldiers, the kind of men you should have guarding your naquadah stockpiles, will need something a bit more deadly" I told the three men "Such as this the PKM general purpose machine gun, which is a belt-fed man-portable machine gun which is also made by the Tau'ri".
Cameron used this weapon to put holes in the target we'd set up, which was a dummy that was wearing a replica of Jaffa armour. This was an amusing sight as the PKM was a hefty weapon and Cameron didn't look big enough to lift one, nevermind fire it with any accuracy.
If the they were also a target for the Alliance, and they might be since the Alliance dealt in naquadah, I wanted them prepared just in case. Guns like these wouldn't help much if a few Ha'tak showed up in orbit, but short of installing some sort of planetary defence grid, which would be a massive undertaking, there wasn't much I could do about that kind of threat.
"You will also need semi-automatic pistols such as the Colt M1911A1 pistol and M9 pistol" I then added "Which are enough to kill Jaffa and any humans who come to your world looking to loot your stockpiles".
Of course they'd need some decent bullets for these weapons to be effective. Teflon-coated bullets, sometimes colloquially known as "cop killer bullets", were bullets that have been covered with a coating of polytetrafluoroethylene. These bullets were also used by SG teams and had proven effective against the Jaffa. However it wasn't actually the Teflon that made the bullets so useful against armoured foes.
"These pistols can provide cover fire, while submachine guns such as the popular FN P90 Personal Defense Weapon" I told the men "Which are commonly used by the SG teams, and can easily take down several Jaffa before they can fire a single blast from those clunky staff weapons"
Now they were getting eager. And I was sure that gifting them with these weapons would led to the Confederation and Langara becoming closer in the future.
"We'll modify the design of these weapons enough so that they no one thinks its the Tauri who are supplying you" I was now saying "And of course the design will make use of local materials, so that you won't require any aid from us to mass produce these weapons once you've re-tooled enough factories".
Of course the Confederation army, which for now was only made of attack robots had vastly superior weapons and kinetic barriers. I didn't arm the bots with weapons that could vapourise people unless we were fighting the Wraith, but even their Mass Effect weapons were better than anything Earth could make.
"What about their ships" the commander asked "Do you have anything we can use to disable or destroy the craft the Jaffa used to land on our world?".
I was a little worried about giving them heavier arms, as while they did have artillery they lack any real anti-air weapons, and if I supplied with heavy weapons they could use to shoot down Jaffa craft it might make them mad enough to attack the planet. However the Jaffa didn't have the industry or the knowledge to support their own military so if they did lose a cargo ship or two when trying to steal some more naquadah they were more likely to try their luck elsewhere.
Plus if they did attack a heavily populated human world that would get a lot of attention and the other major human powers might taken action in case they were attacked. Gerak wasn't foolish enough to piss people off that much.
"I do have something that can help you" I told the three men as Cameron picked up the largest weapon on the table "Take a look at this".
There was something hot about my Terminator holding that weapon, and while normally found her attractive all of the time, she looked even sexier now. I'd take advantage of her eagerness to pleasure sometime tonight.
"The FIM-92 Stinger is a man-portable Tau'ri weapon designed to attack flying craft from the ground" I told the humans "It consists of a disposable launcher and an infrared guided missile. It is a fire-and-forget weapon, which means after the initial lock-on, the missile guides itself to the target, allowing the user to move to another position. It has been shown to be effective Goa'uld Death Gliders, and several together should be able to take down even a shielded cargo ship, or at least drive it off".
Sure cargo ships had shields, but they were also much bigger targets than gliders and slower moving, also the small vessels would be vulnerable when they landed.
"Cameron if you please" I said.
My Terminator used the weapon to fire a missile which utterly destroyed the target. The sound, heat and sheer force of the weapon was felt by everyone.
"And you want nothing in return for these weapons?" the commander asked.
He seemed worried about that.
"You don't have anything I want" I told him.
While naquadria couldn't be replicated the Matter Furnace could produce it in small amounts. However I had much safer ways of producing energy.
"You must want something?" asked the military officer.
"Just closer ties with your people" I said to the commander.
The way he eyed the weapons let me know that the Langarans would take these weapons, and if the Jaffa raiders got killed, well that was just too bad,
(Line Break)
Annwn. Milky Way Galaxy.
It wasn't like Cameron to be late when I needed her to play her role as bodyguard. However just this once she put her own interest ahead of my needs it seemed, and despite the fact that I'd encouraged her to have personal interests I found this annoying. However I didn't verbally complain as aside from making me a hypocrite, it wasn't if anyone would care.
Had I desired to I could have summoned her, but since I was going to Stargate Command I decided to take Tali along for a chance. I rarely took her out anymore, and she was spending to too much time in her workshop, she needed to get out. Granted we were going to an underground bunker, but at the very least she'd get the chance to stretch her legs.
As to why we were going that was because there was a new threat. Some aliens, who were called the Stragoth according to some intel the Tauri had recently picked up. They came P3X-118 a planet in the Milky Way galaxy which had a Stargate. The Tau'ri visited this planet in 1999, sending SG-6, and the aliens managed to capture and then impersonate the team.
These impersonators came through the Stargate to Earth, where they managed to take over Stargate Command by impersonating all of its personnel while keeping the real personnel contained and heavily sedated.
After the Tau'ri managed to stop their invasion, Major General George S. Hammond, who at the time was the commander of the SGC, ordered that P3X-118's address be permanently locked out of the SGC's dialing computer, declaring the planet off-limits to all SGC personnel.
Now these Stragoth had returned, and as it turned out P3X-118 was not there homeworld, that planet had just been a staging area for their invasion of this galaxy, which had never happened. Perhaps because they hadn't the will or the means to take on the Goa'uld empire. As to why they hadn't invaded by this point in the timeline, I guessed that it had something to do with the Ori.
"Wait for me!" a voice called out.
I'd just used the DHD (dial home device) app on my omni-tool, which allowed me to dial a Stargate, and I'd sent a signal to let Stargate Command know that I was coming, I was just about to step through the gate when Cameron appeared. Had she been human I was sure she would have been out of breath.
"Where have you been?" I asked.
Cameron gestured to her outfit.
"I needed extra time to pick out clothes" she said "Like other females I'm fashionably late".
While I was pretty sure that this wasn't what fashionably late actually meant I was very certain that I didn't care. Also she was wearing a Confederation uniform, which was a somewhat formal military style black attire with some red and silver on it. Why she'd need extra time for that I simply didn't know. I could only assume that this was some attempt by her to act more like a human woman.
"Come on then" I said to the cyborg.
With that we both headed through the gate.
(Line Break)
Annwn. Milky Way Galaxy.
"Anything we need to worry about" Miranda asked upon my return.
I nodded.
"These aliens, who are called the Stragoth have the ability to mimic people using some sort of technology" I told her "Which I guess can't be too hard if we can do it".
Since we had phase cloaks for our armour, and personal cloak generators built into life support belts, which the devices that protected us with environmental shields, we'd never bothered with holographic disguises, but we did have the tech for that sort of thing.
"In exchange for some naquadah I got some tech of Stargate Command that broadcasts a signal which disrupts whatever holotech it is they use to disguise themselves" I was now saying "You can handle sending them a crate of naquadah, once we get the tech, have it looked over and installed in the gate room".
No doubt Seven would improve on this tech and Tali would install it before long.
"I'll transfer the files I got from the SGC on the Stragoth into the city's mainframe you can view it whenever you wish" I then said.
The Stragoth didn't worry me too much, they'd been driven off before and no doubt would be again. But nor would I ignore the danger they could bring. But until I had more information on these aliens, the SGC didn't have a lot on them, we'd have for them to make a move. Hopefully we'd be ready for it.
"I got a chance to question Teal'c about the Jaffa raiders" I mentioned "He knows nothing about this group, but he'll ask around. He also pointed out that not all Jaffa joined Free Jaffa Nation so its possible the Jaffa who raided Langara are working just for themselves".
My thinking was that would be trading their ill gotten goods with groups like the Lucian Alliance. But there wasn't really much I could about that right now.
"I'll have our contacts keep their ears open" Miranda told me.
Since it had been a long day I decided to head to my quarters and get some rest. No doubt tomorrow would be another busy day so I needed to sleep.