Light-years away the ships which made up the 'Helping Angel' taskforce exited hyperspace, rendezvousing with the TDF Waverider which had scouted ahead of the main force, just as Harriman was informing O'Neill and the rest of the joint chiefs. As they activated their massive sublight engines the ships cautiously moved out of the sensor shadow of Tollana's sole moon allowing those on the bridges of the two Minerva's, seven Argumas and single Waveraider recon frigate to get their first look at the world which had been the second bane of the system lords, with Earth being the first since they started using the stargate to explore.
As they slowly left the orbit of the moon, on a course to enter orbit around the once majestic green, purplish blue and soft gold planet, scanning for any unexploded ordinance or power cores from death gliders, the bridge crews began to notice it was now a very sickly shade of grey with several super volcano's still erupting with clear visual evidence of what the crew of the Archangel called a 'Rain of Death' looked like, the fact that even from high orbit they could make out the pattern of impact craters which showed that the Goa'uld had used more than the standard weapons fire found on a Ha'tak that had been fired from orbit. As each major and minor seismic fault line was covered in creaters, confirming that Anubis had hoped for the total eradication of the Tollan's with both plasma weapons fire and geological upheaval.
Whatever weapons had been used to impact the planets natural fault lines had caused a series of natural disasters ranging from volcanic eruptions to earthquakes which had rearranged the continental make up of the entire planet, leaving the surface of the planet a nightmarish landscape that Tolkien would be proud of.
The remains of what was once the crown jewel of the Tollan people was noted on the scans, however the damage was much heavier than had been reported by SG1 with nothing greater than a single story standing of the once mighty metropolis between the orbital bombardments and natural disasters. The ships did detect several structures deep underground, which though significantly damaged where still intact, and yet the only life signs that they could detect in those areas where those belonging to native animals whom had taken over the city as nature reclaimed the land.
For the next ten minutes the various ships scanner crews continued to slowly expand the range of the scanners looking for human life-signs, while the hanger decks of the converted Argama class explorers the deck crews began loading the new Nightingale class medical transports with Zentron designed M.A.S.H. units in the hopes that somewhere below the orbiting ships some remnant of the Tollan's had survived.
After almost twelve hours, by both the task force and the TDF Defiant, a highly detailed picture was made of the surface which wasn't promising. What had once been a civilization of nearly ten billion living in several cities and orbital habitats, was reduced to a handful of one hundred thousand humans, this was a far cry from what the crews had been expecting to find when the mission had been planned. With the precision of thousands of hours of practice and training, orders where quickly dispatched and every single Nightingale was launched from the taskforce on course for their designated areas, with the cargo-bays of the Defiant's compliment of Starmax filled with both combat engineers and para-rescue field medics.
Utilizing every transport that was with the taskforce, the rescue effort entered the atmosphere. With a roar of their engines powering them through the highly polluted air towards the surface. Onboard scanners automatically crosschecked their location with that of the orbiting ships to confirm and guide the multiple flights of rescue craft towards their intended areas. One of the Nightingale's from the TDF Argus closed in on what appeared to be a village on the top of a hillock overlooking the destroyed capital a few miles in the distance. Making a slow pass over head the medical transport carefully circled around the village.
Within the village some of the inhabitants ran for cover within a cave, that had prior to the attack been the entrance to a Trinium mine, while others took up a defensive position to watch as the strange white transport moved above them. Calling in the sighting the flight crew discussed their next course of action with the leader of the on-board medical team.
"Most of them ran away, it is almost as if they thought we were going to attack them." Said the co-pilot as he continued to fly the transport.
"Lieutenant, these people have been attacked from orbit, and reduced to living in caves and stone huts after being a highly advanced civilization. What did you expect, the red-carpet treatment?" Snorted major Ferro from the pilot's seat as the lead para-rescue looked out the windscreen of the transport.
"Ok, let's set the M.A.S.H. module down in that field on the edge of the village at three o'clock. Then take us down along-side it. we have no idea if these people have gone native or not, so once we land close the blast shutters between the cockpit and the med-deck." Replied the medic.
"Gone native sir? If you believe that then shouldn't we get some of the marines down here." Ferro asked worriedly as they began the landing approach sequence.
"Major, these people are disaster victims, the last thing we need is some jar headed marine down here getting trigger happy. At this moment these people need help, so carry out your orders and let my people do our jobs!" The medic ordered crossly at the pilot who despite his rank was still new to the realities of the universe.
With that said the medical transport hovered a few feet off the ground and released the MASH unit it was carrying on its external cargo mount at the back of the transport as several combat engineers jumped out to deploy the modular field hospital unit and connect it up to the systems of the transport that landed alongside.
Once the medical transport was down and connected to the MASH module, the rear ramp was lowered and the senior medic, who had spent several years at the SGC, walked down noting that the smells coming from the fields and village reminded her of uncle's farm on the outskirts of Betws-y-Coed in north wales. Exiting the ramp, the medic paused to take a look at the makeshift barricade at the entrance to the mine, which looked like a cross between an old second world war air raid shelter and the high-tech mine that it once was, with an older woman and a man that looked to be in his late forties standing in the middle without any cover looking directly at the medic as the combat engineers working on setting up the MASH camp and a portable landing pad for the larger Argo shuttles. Believing that they might be the best chance at making peaceful contact she began to cautiously approach the barricade.
Looking at them, she could clearly see the evidence that they had at once been a highly advanced civilization, just based on the remnants of their clothing and advanced looking weapons which were aimed at her and her team over the defences, weapons that included a fair number of Staff weapons and cannons, and although the clothing was in tatters with obvious patches, it still had the look of once being highly stylized garments of high quality. The older woman, despite having to lean on a staff weapon, carried herself as if she was born to a position of leadership and looked familiar from the numerous medical exams she had taken part in at the SGC, and the mission briefing that everyone in the taskforce had attended on the notable members of the Tollan's whom they may encounter.
"Has you master finally sent you to finish what he started after leaving us with nothing!" Demanded the clearly unafraid.
"Excuse me ma'am?" she replied, holding her arms up in the universal sign of being unarmed. "We are not here to harm anyone at all, the reason for our deployment is one of humanitarian needs."
"I highly doubt that in the extreme. If you are in fact here to render humanitarian aid and to rescue my people as you claim, then please enlighten me as to who are and the name of your people."
"I am lieutenant colonel Yashima of the Tau'ri Defence Force exploration corps vessel Argus attached to the taskforce 'Helping Angel' which was dispatched by command, we have had dealings with your people in the past."
"Now I know that you are lying!" Spat the woman. "The people of Earth are primitive and lack even a single FTL capable craft!"
"Ma'am, if you will forgive me for saying so, you do not look much better than people just out of the Bronze Age yourselves, when you are calling us primitive." She replied diplomatically, causing a few of the people on the barricade to chuckle. "The galaxy has changed since the last time that our two nations interacted, general O'Neill thought that you might be difficult and instructed me to inform you that Skaa'ra is well."
"That proves nothing. Since both the Nox and the Goa'uld where also present for that particular tri'ad, therefore your answer means nothing."
"If I mention the cat Schrodinger, would that ease some of the tension we are experiencing?"
"Who was it that gave me Schrodinger?" The man asked, speaking for the first time since they had started talking in this meeting after the Nightingale had landed.
"Colonel Samantha Carter sir."
A quick but hushed conversation, with the clear majority of it being played out between small hand signals and facial gestures, saw the woman slump slightly before the obvious sound of weapons being placed on to safe was heard.
"Please forgive our caution. My name is Narim a friend of hers, is she here?" the man now identified as Narim asked.
"No sir, at this time the colonel is currently deployed elsewhere, however I'm sure that once your people are safe that you will be allowed to the comm-system or given a PADD to send her a message to let her know that you are safe." Yashima said politly.
"I am Trevell, high councillor of the Curia." Trevell said introducing herself. "Do not think for one moment young lady that the Tollan people will be indebted to you for the aid you appear to be offering and will provide you with working examples of our technology in exchange for this assistance." She continued, her voice laced with a high amount of arrogance, causing several of the Tollan's on the barricade behind her to face-palm at her stubbornness.
"High councillor ma'am, look around you for a moment. At this moment in time the most advanced piece of technology you appear to have is the ability to make fire and construct log cabins. I do believe that is one area where we do not require instruction or aid in that matter." She said once again verbally slapping Trevell down and making Narim and the defenders chuckle. "Now if you could please have your people move down to the field, it would be greatly appreciated."
"For what purpose?" Trevell demanded, her face nearly purple with rage, but having seen the starnge structures going up around the transport was curious.
"There is what we call a mobile army surgical hospital, or M.A.S.H., unit being deployed ma'am, we need to know if there are any major medical issues, so we can have the correct teams standing by prior to the beginning of the evacuation process." Yashima responded causing several of the Tollan's who heard this to break down and cry with relief.
However, not all of the relief efforts initial contact where as successful and a number of individuals believing that they were under attack fled into the deeper areas of the cave systems. In one case, as an Nightingale transport was approaching it was fired upon by the survivors with salvage staff cannons before it could land.
In the mean time several MASH units and mobile command units were being established all across the planet to assist with the rescue effort and several modular shuttle and supply docks where deployed as the transportation would take several weeks. Those whom required more medical aid than the MASH and hospital pods and stations could provide where sent directly to one of the orbiting ships and their escorts.
Eating rations and wearing new clean clothing for the first time in just over two years, destroyed what little emotional control the adults who survived had left, allowing them to cry tears of joy as they came to terms with the truma that they had suffered. Teams of councillors that where trained to deal in the grief and survivors guilt began to circulate throughout the camps which had been set up aiding those in need. For the first time since the destruction of their second home-world, the Tollan's would have a chance to begin the long slow process of healing their collective psyche.
Rescue had come at last.
They had held on and and lost so much while attempting to just survive, but survive they had. That this rescue had come from the people of Earth was what the remaining members of the former Curia found to be most troubling. In their arrogance, that had developed after giving an highly advanced power source to their original neighbours, they had pre-judged the people of Earth to be just as primitive and warlike, however if that was the case then how was it that they had come to Tollana with a fleet of ships to take them to a new world and salvation, rescuing the people whom had been but a stones throw away from trading freedom and salvation so that the Goa'uld could bypass their treaty with the Asgard to destroy Earth.
While the various transports where concentrating on the medical needs, flying back and forth to the orbiting Argama's. The two Minerva's, The Waverider and Defiant, were carrying out the secondary mission. The mission planners, when working out the various scenarios for this mission and hoping for the best, realized that if there were any survivor's on Tollana, then they would need aid in building up their once impressive society and technology.
Therefore, the Waverider the battle-carriers where under orders to recover as much of the Tollans technology and any computer systems that they could, since they knew from SG1's mission reports that the knowledge which is contained within would allow the survivor's a technological and scientific base to fall back upon, rather than have to re-learn all that they had known.
Not that the former Curia knew that the people whom they had once claimed as primitive where going to these extremes to ensure their peoples future.
-{[]}-
Combat Log Date 56507.2, Commodore Kira Hudson recording.
It has been just over two years since our trans-dimensional jump and have now ran into our first major problem. The information in the computers that lieutenant Cochran's team has been using has been exhausted and we are not finding any clues as to how to continue.
As such the lieutenant has been making extensive use of the long-range observatory that command installed for our mission to chart system Omega 325, before the deep space monitoring fleet detected the Promethean fleet heading for Lantea, looking for anyway to recreate the jump, and he says he is getting closer to an answer that we need. Of course, he has been saying that for the last year and a half now, while the crew has been playing the role of the Triolians to the people of this dimensions Earth as they establish themselves as the Tau'ri Defence Force.
It has provided a good opportunity for us though, as major O'Neill and colonel Sisko has all of the Blood Haze pilots and centurions are now trained to Macross Fleet standards adding a third squadron to our veritech forces, although the commanders of the three squadrons don't seem to like each other. She, Granger and the XO are keeping the animosity from getting out of hand, so I've given them orders to stay out of it. I hate to say it but it seems to actually have done some good, since the three squadrons have become frighteningly loyal to their squadron leaders and fostered a sense of competition between them and a little bit of competition within the units is always healthy.
That being said though, the monetary has begun to wear on the crew so I requested a data packet from the TDF which contains the entire Army Navy competition that started as I was leaving after watching the Helping Angel taskforce launch. Although we are in a different dimension there are a lot fans onboard and I figured we could take some time between duty shifts to relax and enjoy this Earths version. I just hope that Navy does well… I don't need to owe colonel Sisko another fifty bucks because of those bums…
The chiming of his desks comm-uint brought Hudson's typing of the log to a pause while he looked up. "Enter."
As the doors to the flag-suit opened allowing the ships executive officer Karina Dvorak to enter carrying a half dozen PADDs into the room, a sly and sadistic smile on her face.
"Are those the latest status reports?" Hudson asked with a grown as he leaned back in his chair behind his desk.
"Yes." Dvorak replied as she took a seat in front of him.
"Great." Hudson replied his voice filled with sarcasm, before taking a sip of his raktajino. "Has Delta two reported in yet?"
Dvorak nodded. "Yes Kira, Heero said they where preparing for the fold as we speak."
Hudson picked up one of the PADDs with the latest status reports on and began to read through them. "What happened to chief Joxon?"
"She slipped in a puddle of reactor coolant on the flight deck of ARMD one," Devoak replied, after swallowing the bite of sandwich she had from the desks replicator unit. "She broke her wrist, Kirsty says she will be back on duty in a few hours when she has set it."
Hudson frowned, and Dvorak instantly knew that he wasn't happy. "You know how I feel about safety accidents, sub-commander." His voice low, almost a growl. "Especially when it involves my chief of the deck."
Before Dvorak could even respond, Hudson had pressed the comm-unit on his desk. "Get me the COB." He said, after a moment the gruff voice of master chief Mendez could be heard through the link. "Chief, I want you in the flag-suite now." Hudson said closing the link before the veteran Macross fleet non-commissioned officer had a chance to reply.
"Kira…" Dvorak began cautiously, but never got a chance to reply as Hudson held up a hand to forestall her.
"We've had fifteen accidents in the last month since we returned from Earth," Hudson brooded, "our people are getting careless."
"I agree that the crew has been a little accident prone as of late Kira, but I don't think that they've been careless." Dvorak said defending the crew, while think when did she start to think of the Sandline Galactic, Archangels original crew and her own saviours as 'The Crew' than just different groups.
Hudson fixed the executive officer of the ship with glare like a laser beam for a split second before he spoke, but when he did his voice was filled with resolve and a firmness that Dvorak had come to respect from the man that had saved her life back during the war when her scout frigate was shot down as it observed the battle at Babylon II, and she had fallen in love with.
Sub-commander Dvorak." He began, "we're not on Babylon II anymore. Neither Cutter nor Dux Atriums are stomping around the command decks looking for somebody to court martial and you're not the mobile forces controller. You are the executive officer now."
"I understand that sir." Dvorak said, her imperial training coming out.
"Do you?" Hudson asked, raising an eyebrow in question realising the signs of her imperial training taking over.
Dvorak looked across the desk at her commanding officer, for a long moment studying her face. After what seemed like several minutes, Dvorak realized that her lover and friend still had the best darn card face she had ever seen, she couldn't get a read on him at all.
"Look Kat," Hudson said, his voice softening a little as he used his pet name for her. "we've been trapped here for two years now and admiral Cutter used his authority to make you the first officer because he wanted someone I could trust at my side to keep my from letting my heritage from getting the best of me, as we work out how to get home. I wanted you because you're someone that I've known since that disruptor prison camp on Eden Prime during the war. You're an excellent officer and you have the potential for command, but it takes more than that to be an executive officer."
Hudson waited and watched as the words sunk into his lover and executive officer through her imperial training. It pained him to do it, but she needed the guidance like he had after the war, and that was what Hudson was here for, to mentor her for eventual command of one of the Daedalus II class drop ships the Archangel had aboard. It was that thought which gave him an idea.
"Let me ask you something?" He said leaning back a little, "In all your time aboard ships of the imperial fleet, including the Blood Haze, did you ever see Prefectus Atriums lose his cool?"
Dvorak blinked at this slight change in the conversation as she shook her head. "No sir."
"And in comparison, how many times did the ships executive officer flare out on somebody who had habes in infernum up?" Hudson pressed.
Dvorak raised an eyebrow at this and smirked, having gotten the point. "Too many times."
Hudson nodded as he nicked one of the chips from Dvorak's lunch, as the implications of what he was pointing out began to sink into her. "I'm betting that Atriums never got pissed because that was the Dux's job. If there was a problem with the crew they solved it, keeping him from being involved. His job once he got his orders from Hansa imperial command was to make the decisisons, and the Dux's was to implement and supervise them."
"I think I see you point." Dvorak said finishing her light lunch.
Hudson nodded as the door chime sounded. "Then I consider the matter closed." He said pointing to the door. "Now go out there and explain it to the master chief, telling him just 'how disappointed you are' about the recent safety reports, he'll take care of the dirty work after that is what he is there for."
"By your command." Dvorak said with an evil smile as she saluted.
Hudson waved her off with a small grin and went back to the never ending reports.
-{[]}-
The squadron ready room for Phoenix squadron was buzzing with activity as Marauder entered from the rear hatch, looking around and gagging the atmosphere in the room. Once he had the measure of the room he shouted. "ON YOUR FEET!"
Immediately, the group of rowdy pilots whom made up the 271st veritech fighter wing, commonly called Phoenix squadron, went quiet and snapped from their seats to attention as their leader made his way to the front of the briefing room. Once there he took in the faces of the men and women in front of him, before growling "Seats" at them.
Quietly the assembled pilots took their seats, but Marauder could see the look of contempt on the former Sandline Galactic pilot who was rescued from Phat's prison complex, captain Wright 'Bullseye' O'Brien. Of course, he wore that expression along with the black-eye that Marauder had given him for being and insubordinate dolor asinae.
Three days prior, when he had transferred back from training the pilots for the TDF, Bullseye had protested that he should be the one to be in command since he was a veteran of both the disruptor war and the Frontier incident. Major O'Neill, the CAG, had not so politely disagreed with him and told him to suck it up. Of course, this had been unacceptable to the disgruntled pilot who had then gone up the chain of command, all the way to the commodore. When even Hudson had told him to stick a sock in it, he had decided to make his protests more vocal, in the way of always attempting to second guess and cut down the squadron commander at every chance he got.
Finally, it had all come to a head a few days prior when Marauder had been trying to brief the squadron, a rowdy bunch at the best of times, on an upcoming mission when Bullseye had spotted off about how the current plan sucked and how he could come with a better one in his sleep. He had been confident that Marauder would tell him to do so, at which time he would present his plan to the squadron, thus gaining their respect for outsmarting the kid of a commander.
He was wrong.
Marauder had, without any preamble, walked straight over to him and decked him with a right cross as hard as he could to the face. Bullseye had been knocked out before he had even hit the deck plating. The medics had informed him that it had taken a whole hour for him to come back around, since they refused to use ammonium carbonate, from being unconscious, which was news which was satisfying to the still pissed captain.
Of course, neither man had made anything of it, pilots never did. It was the unspoken rule within the Macross Fleet, Zodiac Forces, Imperial Fighter Wings and Sandline Galactic, that what happened within the unit stayed in the unit, so officially it was recorded as a hand-to-hand training accident in the medical logs, but his actions had made his point though, and since then he hadn't had a single problem with any of the former Sandline pilots.
"Listen up Chicks! As you all know we have the C.A.P. around the station from 1800 today." Marauder began, "Scheduled rotations are on the board outside, but I'll tell you up first is Black-eye and Long Sword." Marauder noticed the flash of anger on O'Brien's face as he referred to the new nickname that the squadron given him, in honour of his black-eye, which Marauder just returned with a smirk. "That being said," he said as he continued, while a few of the pilots chuckled, "unless Slytherin and Raven fuck up on this last C.A.P. run, then Dragon squadron will finish this rotation with a ninety-seven percent rating."
Marauder waited a few seconds for the hissing and booing which echoed around the room to die down, finally raising his hands for silence and to calm the pilots back down.
"Now captain Revell and centurion Bach, believing that their high and mighty Dragons and Raptors can easily wn over a bunch of malcontents like us, have challenged us to a little contest. If we can beat the Raptors ninety-six point five and the Dragons predicted ninety-seven percent efficiency rating, they say that they will clean the pilots head for the next two weeks, each."
This announcement was, of course, meet with a rousing cheer from the group, even O'Brien.
"But!" He said, cutting off the cheering pilots. "If we lose, we have to clean their crap for a month."
"Ain't gonna 'appen, Boss Man!" one of the pilots called out from the back of the room, with several others joining in.
"Good." Marauder replied with a nod. "Since I've already accepted and there is no way in the seven rings that we are going to lose to those stuck up lizards."
"HOO-RAH!" The room chanted as one.
Marauder nodded, satisfied that he had motivated his pilots. "Now get out there and kick there scaled ass!"
Marauder waited a few moments, watching as his pilots filled out of the briefing room before picking up his PADD's and following them out. He had just reached the hatchway onto the hanger deck of ARMD one, when the general announcement tone of the P.A. system went off.
"Pass the word through the ship and base." Lieutenant Welsh's voice said. "Captain Andrews to the Bridge immediately. I say again captain Andrews to the bridge."
"Great," Marauder said rolling his eyes as he walked towards the nearest lift, "what now."
-{[]}-
As the last of the medical ships from 'Help Angel' taskforce first wave jumped away from what was once the most advanced planet in the Milky Way galaxy, a cylinder type ship, the size of an Apophis class mothership, with numerous metal spikes sticking out of its frame exited hyperspace. At a quick glance it appeared to be organic even with the large metal engine fused on to its aft hull, moving it into a stable orbit.
Just then the Defiant, while the Asgard basilisk class destroyer Medusa moved into a lower orbit between the planet and the unknown craft.
"Hail them." O'Neill ordered as they moved closer.
"No response sir." An airman said from the lower section of the bridge. "Unknown vessel is changing its profile… energy spike! There charging weapons!"
"Shields up! Level one battlestations!" O'Neill ordered as the bridge lighting dimmed while the alert claxon sounded.
"Incoming!" The ships tactical officer said a second before the entire forward section of the organic looking ship glowed and a large beam of accelerated plasma and metal lanced out and shoot towards the new Defiant class battleship. The blast splashed across the shields, making them glow for several seconds, before dying down again.
"Hostile weapons signature is a seventy-five percent match to the Ori plasma weaponry." A technician announced from the lower bridge. "Shields are holding sir." The tactical officer announced a second later.
"It will take more than that to get through the twin ZPM powered shields." Carter said a hint of pride in her voice that the new shield system worked like it had been designed.
"Lock Tristan's one through four on target and return fire." O'Neill ordered.
The Defiant continued to accelerate turning all four of its twin barrelled XM50 Tristan beam cannons to lock on while they charged up, after a few seconds they all fired, sending out eight green phased beams of plasma energy which slammed into the semi-organic vessel, tearing through its shields like a hot knife through butter and into the hull.
"Their shields have collapsed, minor structural damage to their space frame." A scanner technician reported. "Reading a build-up in their hyper-drive sir, they're running."
"Keep firing." O'Neill ordered, as the Defiant launched a second salvo, this time it was followed by a wave of wombat anti-ship missiles that where narrowly avoided by the other ship jumping away by an FTL jump.
"Contact has jumped sir." The tactical office informed O'Neill, annoyed that he had missed. "Readings show it was a hybrid FTL sir, similar to Ori ships based on the radiation signature that they gave off."
"They have Ori weapons and engines, just not there shields." Said the ship's captain, colonel Lee from his seat next to O'Neill.
"Sir our own systems are based off reverse-engineered Goa'uld & Zentron designs." Carter informed Lee, who was a relative newbie to the TDF Fleet.
"Defiant this is Thor, please respond." Thor said over the comm-link between the two ships.
"We're here." O'Neill said, as the comm-officer put Thor up on the main screen above the bridge forward view ports, where the blast shutters where retracting.
"I was able to scan the alien ship and identify which species was operating it. According to my scans the crew was Tesh." Thor continued, stunning the bridge crew of the Defiant.
"I thought… they had disappeared." Asked the helmsman, major Cameron 'Shaft' Mitchell who had read everything he could get on the Stargate program while he was recovering from being shot down in the 'Battle of Earth', breaking the silence on the bridge that had been present for the last two minutes.
"According to my scans, they have gone through a mixture of extensive genetic manipulations and cybernetic enhancement." Thor clarified having examined the data from his scans against the historical records in his ships databanks. "They are no longer the Tesh of the Alliance, they are the result of their race being tampered with by the Ori and regrettably they can no longer be returned to what nature intended them to be."
"Servents of the Ori that are like the star trek's Borg. Just what we need." Mitchell deadpanned.
"Can you track them?" O'Neill asked over the comm-link.
"I already have." Thor replied, tapping into the Asgard's Milky Way sensor net. "According to the Dodstalismanene sensors, they appear to be heading for the ship gate in the Draconian Alpha star system."
"I thought all the ship-gates where sent into stars?" O'Neill asked raising an eyebrow, as he recalled a briefing packet that the Asgard had put together on the Ori, the war and the history of the Great Alliance.
"The Draconian one was the only one which we were never able to deactivate and send into a star." Thor explained, a touch of sadness in his voice that O'Neill and Carter picked up on. "Unlike the other ship-gates, it was moved into the system via an older FTL sling similar to how you recovered Arcadia to the Sol system. The Draconian gate was deployed there by the Ori themselves during the war. We never discovered the purpose and any ship which we sent through never returned."
"Well if they have switch sides and become allies of the Ori then they need to be stopped." O'Neill said, his mind in full on planning mode now.
"It has been theorised that the Draconian gate operates with an advanced identification system to allow access and safe transit. Ships without this IFF are unable to safely transit the gateway." Thor confirmed, before a beeping interrupted him. "A theory which now appears to have been correct, I have just detected an IFF signal being used when the ship activated the gate.
"Can you duplicate it?" Lee asked, having read only a fraction of the mission reports from the SGC and SG1.
"Already done colonel Lee, there was a virus program written into it which my computers have destroyed. I am transmitting it to you now." Thor said moving a control stone, a second later the comm-officer nodded indicating that they had received the transmission. "I was also able to access their ships data base before they were out of range… they have changed their species name, they now call themselves the Inusannan at this time."
"Doesn't that translate from Zentron to mean hoarder." Carter asked having worked with Jackson and the linguistics division of the old SGC to make the translator used by all TDF forces.
"That would explain their attempt at grave robbing." Lee said in a hushed tone.
"Helm power up the hyper drive and set course for the Draconian Alpha system. We're going after them." O'Neill ordered. "Send a message to TDF command, tell them we're going to need a few more ships for this."
"I will recalibrate my ships re-sequencer to neutralise the Inusannan's themselves while leaving their homeworld and technology intact. We may be able to discover what allies the Ori have within not only this galaxy but elsewhere as well."
-{[]}-
"Captain Andrews reporting as ordered sir." Marauder said as he stood to attentions in front of Hudson at the plot table on the bridge of the Archangel.
Hudson looked over at him for a moment before nodding at his salute. "Relax Marauder," he said, causing the pilot to immediately comply by placing his hands behind his back in the classic at ease pose. "Delta two is going on a survey mission." Hudson said Pointing to the map on the holo-table. "I want you to assign four Thunderbolts to go with them to provide air support if required."
Marauder looked across the table from him at the senior offices. "Not a problem sir, when do they leave?"
"As soon as you select them?" O'Neill replied before taking a sip of her coffee.
Marauder was quiet for a moment as he thought of all the pilots who he would want to send on a mission like this, after several seconds he said. "I'll send Deadshot, Dasher and Red Alert."
"That's only three captain." Dvorak said curious as to who he would pick to be the fourth member of the flight. "Who is the las member of the flight?"
"Me, ma'am." Marauder replied with a small smile on his face.
Instantly Hudson, Dvorak and O'Neill turned towards him, there expression a mixture of curious and worry.
"Why you captain?" Hudson asked raising an eyebrow in question.
"Sir, one of my instructors at the academy said 'the only way to lead when you are in command, is to command,' and it is what I intend to do sir." Marauder replied. "I refuse to send my people out on any mission that I wouldn't take on myself."
Hudson considered this for a couple of minutes, then looked at O'Neill. "April, any objections?"
O'Neill shook her head, showing that she had no problems with the younger pilot leading the mission, Hudson nodded his agreement with her assessment. "Pack you gear for a week-long stay aboard delta two and report to major Maxwell in thirty minutes."
"Yes sir." Andrews replied, snapping to attention.
Hudson nodded to him, and Marauder did a quick about turn and left the bridge heading to his quarters to grab his go-bag and space flight suit.
As Hudson watched the young captain jog off, he gave a smile to the two woman near him. "You were right to put him in charge after the jump April, it's made the world of change in him."
-{[]}-
Marauder was moving down a corridor inside the connecting arm of ARMD one and the main body of the Archangel with a brisk step, his go-bag over his shoulder when a voice shouted his name from behind him, bringing him to a halt. Turning around slowly he saw his opposite number from Dragon squadron, and ex-girlfriend Jenny 'Angel' Revell, stalking towards him. Bracing himself mentally for what was about to come, he said, "Yes captain, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I just heard about your new assignment." Angel said as she planted her hands on her hips. "I hope that this isn't going to throw your squadrons CAP efficiency this rotation, since I don't want to have to pull your slack, and I'm sure that Bach won't either."
"Don't worry about it, my guys know how to do their job and will be just fine." Marauder replied smirking, "Besides, I've told them about the bet and there is no way they will lose a bet of any kind."
"I hope so," She hissed, "because Bach and I are not going to pick up for you so that you can go off and play explorer."
Marauder came to a complete stop just before the airlock door into ARMD one and spun to face her, anger in his eyes. "You know, I am getting real sick of you crap Jenny," He snarled, forcing Angel to take a step back, "I font personally care how you feel about me nowadays, but this chip on your shoulder is getting stale after nearly six years."
Angel glared at him but didn't respond.
After a few seconds of exchanging silent glares at each other, Marauder turned and walked through the airlock. "I don't have time for your shit Captain. Spend more time worrying about your own people and not mine or Centurion Bach's."
-{[]}-
The Defiant eased through space near the large blood red version of a stargate, fifty time the size of a normal stargate, which was floating silently in orbit of the nearby gas giant. Behind the battleship where three Minerva class battle carriers, the Ark Royal, Elision and Elysium and the large new Dulfim class assault carrier called the Dulfim.
"We're entering range of the super-gate now sir." Carter reported from the primary comm-scan station.
"Send a message to the other ships, we'll go in first and if they don't hear from us within thirty minutes then call it off. They will have to find another way." O'Neill ordered.
"Sending the defence de-activation transmission." The comm-officer said as the Defiant continued to accelerate towards the still active ship transit stargate, "Code received, approach vector established, transmitting to helm."
"All hands level one battlestations, raise shields and activate all weapons." Lee said as the forward blast shutters closed around the bridge view ports.
"All systems show green across the board, approach run has begun." Mitchell said as the Defiant came up beside the 'edge' of the blood red stargate. "Activating IFF now… crossing the event horizon in three… two… one…"
A moment later they were gone in a flash of pseudo-motion as they crossed the threshold of the event-horizon.
-{[]}-
"All hands brace for deceleration." Mitchell warned as the Defiant lurched back into normal space. Immediately every proximity sensor started blaring as they detected a massive amount of debris in the surrounding area. "FUCK! Brace for evasive manoeuvers!" He said as he rolled the ship so its shields narrowly scraped a piece of what looked like part of Atlantis.
"Navigational sensors show that we are in the galactic core." Carter said, glad that she had insisted that all bridge stations have fighter craft type seat belt harnesses. "There are damaged and destroyed vessels all around us. The majority of them look… ancient, if you'll excuse the pun sir."
"Any signs of the Inusannan's?" Mitchell asked as he levelled out the ship and maintained a steady course after the evasive manoeuvers.
"Send a message to the fleet, let them know our co-ordinates and status." O'Neill ordered the comm-officer.
"Not yet." Carter said shaking her head, before suddenly her screen lit-up like Christmas. "I am however detecting a number of defence drones within the debris field that have just gone active."
Within the debris a dozen death-glider sized drone fighters activated having detected the intruding Earth ship just as the other four ships exited hyperspace. The drones immediately moved to attack the Defiant and fired off bursts of blood red plasma at the ship.
"The drones are equipped with low powered versions of the Ori weapons." Carter said. "Shields are holding." She added having slaved the shield display to her station.
"Mitchell, see what you can do about them." O'Neill ordered.
"Yes sir." Mitchell nodded as he jumped out of his seat at the helm heading for the hanger deck.
"Hanger Deck ready the Exus for launch." Lee ordered through the phone style comm-unit built into his chair.
-{[]}-
One by one the Defiant's compliment of six Star Cobra's launched from the linear catapults and veered away. Mitchell was the last one to be launched in the new TS-MA4F Exus class hyperspace capable fighter and almost had to immediately to perform an inverted barrel roll to avoid a stream of fire from one of the drones. He quickly evaded the barrage and moved deeper into the debris field as a pair of drone continued to pursue him. He past the destroyed hulk of what could have been an Asgard ship and quickly ducked behind it, before manga locking on to its hull lunching two of its four M16M-D4 wire guided gun-barrels as he cut his engines.
"Got you now you little buggers." Mitchell muttered as he waited.
The drones flew past him as he fired, catching the drones in a cross fire from the GAL-868L2 beam cannons of the gun-barrels and the twin MAU-M3 duel linear guns slung underneath the main body of his fighter. The blasts from the gun-barrels broke through the weak shields of the drones only to be destroyed a second later from the 38.5mm slugs of the linear cannons. He then recalled the gun-barrels as he deactivated the magna lock and powered his engines again to take off to destroy the remaining drones which were dog-fighting with the star cobras in the debris field.
"These damn things are only fifty feet wide," Mitchell cursed as he jinxed around a hull fragment and through a hanger type pod to avoid another drone. "Even with the Asgard and Zentron based upgrades they're a hell of a lot more manoeuvrable than a Cobra, even my new ship is struggling." Suddenly the CIWS arrays on the task force opened up vaporising the remaining drones, as well as three dozen extra which were just about to attack. "Well I guess that works." He admitted to himself as he joined the star cobras in an escort position around the Dulfim.
-{[]}-
The Orion class fortress dropship Delta two, exploded into existence from a purplish blue cloud of a hyperspace window above the planet that their charts had listed as P2A-347. Immediately several small unmanned ghost fighter drones launched to perform a recon sweep of the outer system as the pilots on board began their final pre-flight checks, readying their thunderbolt veritech fighters for action.
On the bridge, the command crew was busy with their own post fold operations checklist.
"Fold reversion complete sir, we're in orbit P2A-347." The ships destroid and executive office major Maxwell reported. "Drones are away and the lunching system for Thunderbolts are charging now."
Colonel Sisko, his combat hard suit shinning and spotless, nodded as he looked at the comm-scan display which was being overlaid on the main viewscreen, "Report all contacts." The MACO trained colonel ordered.
"No contacts sir, all comm-scan sweeps are clear." Maxwell reported.
"No contacts sir, the visual scanners and drones are clear." Lieutenant Williams the helm officer said.
"Understood." Sisko said, taking a sip of his raktajino. "Launch the CAP and have the ground team prepare and assemble on the hanger deck."
"Yes sir." Maxwell replied, picking a head set from the rarely used air-ops station near him. "Marauder this is core control: All systems transferred to fighter probe, launch when ready."
Up on the launch deck inside his Durandal type Thunderbolt, Marauder was busy with his pre-launch sequences. "Marauder this is core control: All systems transferred to fighter probe, launch when ready." The voice of Maxwell said over the comm-link.
"Roger control," He replied switching his frequency from the command channel to that of the air-boss. "Engines switched from standby to active, mag-lock for linear catapult locked and stable. Navigational data updates downloaded, life support systems all green. Durandal zero, zero three ready for launch."
"Confirmed zero, zero three, twenty seconds for space doors." The controller said, before the large doors opened and the launching lights on the linear catapult lit up as the air rushed out around him. Behind him his fighters two Shinsei Industry stage II thermonuclear reaction turbine engines began to whine as they revved up for flight.
"Launch!"
As the linear catapult rocketed his fighter forward, Marauder was slammed back by the G-forces into his seat, as the familiar feeling of a high speed launch expelling his fighter from delta II. As he streaked away from the Orion class fortress dropship, he looked to his right to confirm that lieutenant Ann 'Dasher' Bishop-Rowe had launched as well, seeing her fighter forming up alongside his with another three ghost drones, he activated his comm-link to their mothership. "Core-control this is Marauder in delta zero, zero three, CA is away and on station." He reported as he throttled down to cruise speed to save fuel.
Back on the bridge of the dropship, Sisko nodded in acknowledge of the report but continued to watch the comm-scan display in silence as the two Thunderbolts and a dozen ghost drones flew away from his current command. Although an Orion class fortress dropship were designed to operate independently, they were mostly attached to colony fleets on an SDF class ship, so being detached for a solo mission was something new for a colonel, who before the jump, had spent most of his career either assigned to space station, starbase or on established colonies.
"Duo, have them make a high orbital pass over the northern continent." He said to Maxwell, as he turned to face Granger who was hovering near the plot table at the rear of the small bridge with ensign Hall, who was the top transport pilot from the rescued 'Sandline Galactic' pilots and crew.
"Well Granger," Sisko said, raising an eyebrow, "This is your show now, how would you like to proceed?"
Executor Granger turned to face the plot table, activating the holo-map of the planet they were in orbit of with a serious expression on his face. "According to the data from the probes we launched when we first arrived in this dimension, the site we are looking for is here." He said, manipulating the map so that it zoomed in on a valley just south of the CAP's predicted flight path. "This is supposed to be the location of the quantum beacon, but recent scans show no sign of it. According to the legends' from the Jaffa nation, it is supposed to be the resting place of a Dreeman of the Stars."
"But why here?" Sisko asked, "Why not on any of the other planets with a stargate?"
"Because, when I ran the data from Stargate command against the data from home with lieutenant Cochrane, we discovered that this world is one which the Praeambulus landed and settled on." Granger said, "That and it was the first way-point of the Megaroad-1 after it launched and vanished, so that they could take a year to replenish their supplies before folding out towards the unknown."
"Why didn't they just stay here, back home I mean?" Hall asked, since history was never his strong suit, unlike the Hansa Executor and flight lieutenant Kusanagi seemed to be.
"Because of this." Granger said, opening a file from the computers databanks. "This is a digital scan from one of the former Orb Unions historical archives, it details the journey that the crew was to make from Zentron to their designated colony system in the Triangulum galaxy."
Skimming the file almost too fast to read, till he found the passage that he was looking for before he quoted it. "And so the crew of the Mighty-road did settle for a time in the valley of the Horntail on a world burnt by the Masters. There did the crew struggle to rebuild their stores as they were hampered by storms that the Masters conjured. After a year, the admiral did announce to the colonists and crew 'We will leave this place for it is not our home'."
Sisko scratched his chin for a moment in thought, thinking over the centuries old log entry. "It sounds as if they had some trouble on this world back home."
"Correct, and the long range observations that have been made from the Archangel confirm that hypothesis with this dimensions world as well." Granger replied, pulling up a full version of the planet again. "It seems that when the planets orbit takes it to the far side of system, it passes through a region of sub-space distortions within the plasma field on that side of the system, and the subsequent temperature and magnetic field drops generate massive electrical storms which react with the planets thermosphere to create a type of subspace stasis field over the whole planet similar to that of the Pendar defense system that last all night."
"We'll have to limit our surveys to the daytime then." Sisko said, having been caught on Pendar for a year as a sergeant, "I don't want anyone to be on the surface if we can avoid it." He finished, turning to Hall "Go ahead and begin planning your missions, I want to get the ground team dirtside to do a recon during the next daylight cycle of the site."
"Yes sir." Hall replied, looking at the target zone again and practical landing and base camp locations.
-{[]}-
"We're clearing the debris field sirs." Carter said as the sensors cleared of debris. "I'm picking up a large structure ahead at blue twelve… estimated size is fifty kilometers long and twenty-two kilometers wide."
"The Inusannan's built something that big surrounded by black-holes." Lee asked blinking at the LIDAR returned image of it on the forward screens. "That thing is five times the size of Arcadia… there must be millions of Inusannan's over there."
"It is possible that they moved it here through the ship gate like we moved Arcadia to Earth." Jackson said, having arrived on the Elysium, while Carter began to think furiously of what technology was to needed to counteract the gravity and radiation of the black-holes that the scanner where detecting.
"Sir, I'm showing four ships launching from the station." The tactical officer said, "Profile match identifies them as the same ship that we faced over Tollana, sir."
"Have Mitchell and the Star Cobras maintain their defensive position around the Dulfim, they won't be of much use here." O'Neill ordered looking at the tactical display. "Have the Minerva's close in and destroy those cruisers, as soon as those ships are out of the way all fighters are to destroy any defence platforms and long ranged weapons on the station."
The three TDF battle carriers accelerated towards the Inusannan's cruisers, activating all of their weapons. The cruisers where the first to fire sending out four beams of hyper-accelerated metal sheathed in plasma at the advancing TDF warships. The shots impacted the shields of the three battle carriers and battleship almost as they had been fired, yet the ZPM power arrays of the Asgard/ Zentron hybrid designed shields simply shrugged it off allowing the human ship to continue.
The task-force returned fire a moment later, first with their twin barrelled Triston beam cannons then a time on target strike from the three battle carries 50cm Isolde's firing a salvo of Lucifer rounds. Unlike their targets, who separated their fire at the approaching battle carriers, battleship and assault ship, the Earth built ships teamed up with two of the Minerva's concentrating their fire on one of the cruiser's.
The eighteen beams of energy from the Tau'ri ships struck two of the cruiser's, collapsing their shields before the slower traveling Lucifer rounds punched through their armour like it was wet tissue and into their reactors, vaporising them and dropping the other cruisers shields by 50%.
"Take evasive action NOW!" O'Neill practically screaming the order as the first ship started to charge its main weapon again.
The four warships broke apart as the Inusannan's fired again, this time copying what the TDF ships had done in the previous salvo and fired on the Ark Royal. The two beams were able to break through the battle carrier's shields and tear into it, cutting through one of the launch decks forcing it to retreat back to the debris field for cover. The other ships retaliated with a time-on-target strike which destroyed the third ship, while heavily damaging the remaining one.
"They're trying to ram us." Carter said as the constant bearing decreasing range alert popped up on her screen.
"EVAD! Hard to port thirty degrees down." Lee ordered, "Giv'em a broadside Mr Lupin."
The Defiant rapidly decelerated, swing to port as all available weapons swung to track the ship on a collision course, using its momentum to acquire the correct firing solution. The Tristan cannons fired a moment later, spewing six beams of green high energy beams across the empty space and right into the core of the dying cruiser, vaporising it in a massive explosion that dropped the Defiant's shields to 25%.
A moment later two flights of Starmax's and bomber configured Star Cobra's lead by a single Exus class star fighter moved towards the surface of the station, strafing the numerous point defence, missile tubes, mid and long range plasma and MAC cannons. After the last of the turrets was destroyed by a pair of cruise missiles from the Ark Royal, the signal was given to the Dulfim to move in and secure one of the docking bays that the cruisers had launched from.
"Shaft, reports that all of the outer defences have been neutralised." The air-operations officer reported.
"Hyperspace windows opening green ten through orange five." A comm-scan tech said. "Asgard ships arriving now sir."
"Have the marines prepare for boarding actions." O'Neill ordered nodding to Carter and Jackson that they were going in as well.
"The Medusa and four other Asgard ships have jumped in, they are using the re-sequencers on the station now." Carter said. "Inusannan bio signatures are dropping… I'd estimate that it will take about forty-five minutes to an hour to clear the station."
"Helm take us in… nice and slow. Stand down to level two alert status." O'Neill ordered as he moved to head to the armoury to gear up with Carter and Jackson.
-{[]}-
As his Durandal slid silently through the void of space above the world listed as P2A-347, Marauder checked his cockpits instruments for what felt like the hundredth time. Again showing the same. Nothing.
"I'm not reading any other contacts except you, the ghosts and Delta II." He said to Dasher in her ESINT equipped Thunderbolt.
"Me neither sir." Dasher replied. "Maybe we should call this one sir."
Marauder had no objections, they had already been out on patrol for nearly five hours and his backside was beginning to protest its conferment to his exo-suite.
"CONTACT!"
That simple word brought Marauder out of his lethargic haze and instantly his hours of training and actual combat honed reflexes began to kick in. "Were?" He demanded is eyes scanning his readouts and out of his cockpit at the space around them.
"Planet-side sir." Dasher replied, her voice tight as her own training kicked in. "Radio contact, repeating beacon on the old UNS frequency zero-one-zero."
Marauder calmly nodded but didn't make any other type of response, wondering why the frack they were picking up a pre-space war one civilian S.O.S. as he switched from the short range communications he had been using with Dasher to the long-range one. "Core-control, Durandal zero, zero three."
-{[]}-
"Sir, I have a priority one signal from Marauder." The comm-officer said.
Colonel Sisko, who had just settled into the command chair so that he could enjoy a cup of Trojan tea, immediately stood sighing as he walked over to the plot table. "Patch him through." He ordered picking up the headset.
"Marauder, this is drop actual."
"Actual, this is Marauder," Marauder replied from his cockpit over the comm-link. "We have a repeating radio contact on civilian UNS zero-one-zero from the surface of the planet."
Immediately, Sisko turned to face Granger who was huddled over a scanner reading the results of the survey of a comet that was passing through the system. "Granger, you said there wouldn't be any life here."
"All of the probes and readings said that there shouldn't be." Granger replied, going over everything that the probes had gathered about the system before they lunched from the Archangel on a PADD quickly.
Sisko considered the situation for a moment, before making his decision.
-{[]}-
Inside his Durandal, Marauder was growing impatient for an answer from Sisko, finally after nearly five minutes, he was contacted through the comm-link. "Marauder, actual. Drop down to the deck and investigate but stay sharp." Sisko ordered. "I've got Deathscythe and a flight of ghosts posting to high orbit for over watch. Pull out at the first sign of trouble."
"Understood drop actual. Marauder out." He said, noticing five new contacts moving away from the dropship as he switched back to the link with Dasher. "Ok Dasher, weapons hot, let's go and check out the landscape."
Hitting their afterburners, the two veritech fighters and three ghost drones plunged into the deep blue atmosphere, instantly causing the fighters to engulfed in a blanket of flames caused by their re-entry into atmosphere.
"Uh sir." Dasher said, her voice a little nervous and unsure about the atmospheric entry. "Is this normal?"
In his cockpit Marauder smiled as the heat shield closed over his canopy. "It's a little hotter than normal lieutenant, but that is due to the higher oxygen content on this planet."
"O… ok." Dasher said the sound of a gulp being picked up by her helmets microphone. "So… so a Thunderbolt can take this then, right?"
"Just relax Ann." Marauder said, mentally laughing his ass off at her nervousness. "The ionization is about to kick up and we're going to lose coms for a minute or two. Just hold her steady and watch your instruments and you'll be fine."
Dashers reply was cut off by a sudden burst of static which heralded the start of the communications blackout that faced every ship that entered a planetary atmosphere. Marauder watched his own instruments as the glare on his rear view camera was washed in the flames from atmospheric entry. "Ionization levels are dropping." He said to himself as he re-opened his comm-system again. "Hay Dasher, its Marauder you still there kiddo?"
His signal was met by static for nearly thirty seconds when the voice of his wing-mate returned. "Marauder, this… is… Dasher," she responded sounding like she had been breathing hard. "all good…over here."
"See," He said, "nothing to it?"
"That's easy for you to say." Dasher replied, her breathing back to normal. "This was my first time doing a fighter only re-entry."
"You mean you didn't do this in basic?" Marauder asked shocked, as he planned to talk with major O'Neill when they got back as he had a hunch that Dasher wasn't the only pilot on the flight roster with no re-entry experience.
"No sir. It was cancelled due to an accident by the cadet display team." Dasher said.
Marauder shook his head, he had heard about the accident and the numerous rumours that had flown about regarding it, including the one about a member of the team having gone against the rest when his mother the CMO of the Macross-D and her captain had called into question his honour and told him that he was a disgrace to the honour of the crew of the Macross-D, while he had been stationed at starbase 001 in the Zentron home system. "Well then I take it that you learnt something new today. Now stay on my wing and follow me in, we're going to make a low-level pass of the target at 1,000 feet then head back out to angels fifty and orbit."
"Right with you boss." Dasher replied.
-{[]}-
"It's a good thing that Thor and the other Asgard cleaned this place out," Muttered lieutenant La Flaga as he walked with three of the legendary SG1. "This place is spooky enough as it is sir, and I grew up in Amityville. What did he call them again… swarms, flying around?" He asked, glad that general O'Neill said he should act as if they were friends and relax around the rest of them.
"I'm picking up a massive power reading coming from down that tunnel." Carter said as she guested with her rifle, which she had attached a hand scanner. "I think that tram should take us nearly all the way to it." She added as they stepped onto it and it began to move slowly along its track.
"Not exactly the Orient Express." O'Neill quipped as the tram began to move down the tunnel and deeper into the central core of the station.
"O'Neill." Thor said over the comm-link. "According to my scans you are approaching the heart of the station, be advised that I am detecting a considerable amounts of human bio-matter in that area."
"Yeah Thor there is!" O'Neill confirmed his voice filled with disgust while Carter began throwing up over the side of the tram.
"Sending you a visual now, sir." La Flaga said feeling a little ill as he turned on his Dragon Skin combat armours shoulder mounted camera.
Directly in front of them, hanging from a large assemble line was space craft with very obvious humanoid characteristics, as if it was being crucified.
"Oh dear." Thor said before dropping into his native language to curse the replicators for taking so much of the Asgard's time that they had been unable to truly monitor the Milky Way properly.
"That is one very large terminator." O'Neill said dryly, passing his canteen to Carter, who had drained her own when she was swilling her mouth.
"They… they used… humans… to build…" Carter said still horrified. "They must have been abducting humans and Jaffa from all over the galaxy for centuries to build this… thing!" She spat taking out her pack of mints and popping half the pack into her mouth to get rid of the after taste of her vomiting. "And it only seems half finished… it's only a bloody space frame."
"They were building an Ori ship?" La Flaga asked, only to receive a nod from O'Neill which said there was more but he wasn't cleared to know.
"This is worse than we thought." Jackson said, catching O'Neill's look at the young lieutenant, and gave a small nod in agreement to keep his mouth shut.
"O'Neill to Defiant. Lock one and beam this… thing out into space, I want it destroyed, use a task force wide alpha time-on-target strike, authorization for the Tannhäuser cannons is given." O'Neill ordered over his comm-link through gritted teeth.
"Understood." Lee replied a few seconds before the space frame of the human based Ori ship was beamed out in a blueish white light.
"Carter find the stations main computer core and clean it out." O'Neill ordered, in full on command mode, before turning to face the young lieutenant to give the order that he hoped he would never have to issue. "Once the major is done with that lieutenant I want you to place three mark XIII's right here at the centre of the station and three more next to its reactor… this place is to be nothing more than dust, understood?"
"Yes sir." La Flaga replied nervously as he saluted the most decorated senior officer in the TDF, before gulping as he realised that he was about the enter the history books, but being the first man to detonate the equivalent fire power of a small star all at once was not how he wished to go about it.
-{[]}-
"Commodore on deck!" The MACO shouted as Hudson walked into the operations centre of the hollowed out asteroid size moon that the crew had built, nodding to the sergeant but said nothing as he passed heading deeper into the room.
"What's going on?" He asked as he snagged a raktajino from the tray as he approached the main plot table where Dvorak was studying a holo-map from the scans of Delta II had sent them.
"Delta II just sent word back, it looks like they have found one of the early UNS explorers that made a jump and crashed." Dvorak reported taking her eyes off the map, before pointing to the crashed Gloria class UNS Exploration battleship on the map being displayed. "They've just landed two Argo's about two kilometres out and are moving in on foot. Their e.t.a. is one hour."
"Any signs of life?" Hudson asked hopefully able to increase their crew size and force.
"Marauder and Dasher did a low level flyby of the site and reported that the site wasn't recent. In fact, they said that there were signs that the ship had been partially buried with local vegetation." Dvorak said.
"What about Granger? Is he on the mission?" Hudson asked taking a sip of his drink.
"Are you kidding? He nearly launched an escape pod before Sisko, Hall and Maxwell managed to point him to the Argo's." Kusanagi said from her post at the new drone control station with a chuckle, along with a few of the other people in the room.
Hudson smiled too, imagining the tough as nails Hansa intelligence office that he had come to know over the last two years acting like a kid at Christmas with the chance to explore an early UN Spacey era craft without holding back like in the fleet museums. "Contact them and tell colonel Sisko to proceed with caution and that we will be folding into their orbit shortly."
"By your command." Dvorak replied. "I'll have the dock teams ready the Angel for launch and commence fold prep right away."
"Not yet," Hudson said with a grin. "I'm expecting a priority packet from the TDF so hold off for an hour or so."
"Something big?" Dvorak asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hudson just smiled as he walked back towards the exit. "Oh no you don't, it's a surprise."
-{[]}-
As the medical teams cleared the Tollan survivors safe for travel, a steady stream of transports to one of the medical Argama's in orbit. The first group of non-medical survivors to leave the destroyed planet consisted of five hundred individuals, including at her insistence Trevell would be among the first group to depart along with Narim.
The last nightingale transport that departed the make shift space-port for orbit carried these two aboard, seated in the two seats nearest the cockpit with a member of the medical team, Trevell and Nerim watched through the window on their right as the transport climbed skywards. Looking down upon the scared landscape below, they both saw first-hand the fate which had been dealt to the Tollan's. Mountain ranges flattened, forests in the distance charred to a crisp and a capital city, which had been their crown jewel reduced to rubble.
This sight had the two Tollan's feeling sick, along with several of the others in the transport from the sounds of it, at what their actions had caused.
Exiting the atmosphere the transport achieved orbit with every little effort. In the distance could be seen the eight ships of the second wave of the taskforce, passing closely to the Tokugawa both Travell and Narim gazed in wonder at the Argama class science ships. Nothing that the Tollan's had ever deployed or designed would come close to her size or power. Seeing the point defence weapons and main cannon of the science ship Travell couldn't help but sneer at the sight of the ship.
"That is a warship." She said, her voice laced with displeasure.
"No ma'am that is an exploration and science vessel." The medic replied politely.
"Young lady I can clearly see the weapons platforms all over the hull. Do not pretend to insult my intelligence and try to tell me that it is not a warship." Trevell protested as she pointed out the window.
"I promise you ma'am that the Tokugawa is an exploration and science ship. In fact, if you would look off to the right in the distance you will see the TDF Defiant and she is a warship second only to the Zentradi's ZSMF Archangel." The medic beamed with pride over the new TDF flagship.
Looking off into the distance they could see the TDF Defiant and three Minerva class ships Hood, Essex and Goto. Their design was unlike anything that the Tollans had ever encounter, much like the explorer and science class vessel that they had just passed. Being much larger than a Ha'tak the Defiant class was one which exuded technological superiority in their form and function. The amount of weaponry that they could see mounted on her hull made them realise that provoking her would be extremely bad, and very short lived.
Coming in towards the portside landing deck of the Minerva class TDF Interceptor and passing through the decks atmospheric containment shield from the lifeless void of space. Setting down gently on its docking pad, a few seconds later the transports rear and side hatches opened to allow the passengers and flight crew to exit the transport. Waiting at the foot of the short boarding ramp was a lone lieutenant who fired off a crisp salute, before escorting the newly arrived refugee's towards the ships secondary mess hall where a light late lunch was being served to those just arriving.
"Where is it that this ship is headed young man?" Trevell asked her voice full of pompous arrogance.
"Ma'am, for the time being our orders are to relocate your people to the Delta site." The lieutenant replied diplomatically.
"I wish to communicate with either the Nox or the Asgard. They may be able to better meet my people's needs and accommodation." Trevell practically demanded.
"That will be possible upon our arrival at the delta sight, as both will have a delegation standing by for us ma'am." The lieutenant again replied diplomatically.
"How far away is our destination, if I may be allowed to know?" Narim inquired, noticing that the young lieutenant while being diplomatic was getting annoyed with Trevell and her 'I'm better than you' attitude.
"Eight hundred light-years sir." Announced the lieutenant.
"It will take us two months to cover that distance young man, I wish to contact the Nox and the Asgard now." Trevell objected, pissed that she couldn't bully this Tau'ri officer like she did her own people.
"Again ma'am, they will be standing by when we arrive. Our estimated travel time is just under four hours, we could make it there in two, however we are allowing them a little extra time to prepare for our arrival at the other end." The lieutenant answered politely once again.
"Do not patronize me young man," Trevell sneered, "Earth has no such technology to travel at such speeds." She counted, her own sense of self-worth over riding her logical side.
"Chancellor, take a look around, look at the ships we saw in orbit of Tollana. I believe that much has changed." Narim asked before he walked over to the coffee machine to have his first sip of the Tau'ri drink since he had left the SGC.
With the last of the initial wave of refugees aboard the Interceptor and their cargo hold emptied of the relief supplies to the planet below. When this was achieved and the hanger and flight decks where secured the 350 meter long battle carrier broke orbit and passed Tollana's sole moon, once the Interceptor was passed it her hyper drive engaged pushing the mighty ship into hyperspace and towards the delta sight.
-{[]}-
Imperial intelligence officer executor Granger watched from the small hill top on a platoon of colonel Sisko's MACOs under the command of major Butler, moved in towards the crash site from all sides like a well-oiled machine. Surrounding the downed Gloria class ship, carefully and quietly they moved in timing it so they all emerged at the same time.
Granger was fascinated by the discipline that the MACOs where showing, even after two years they were showing more than the imperial marines, as they moved towards the potentially dangerous ship. From his position, he could almost see all of them as they moved into the small lake where the ship had come to rest after its crash.
Next to him major Butler stirred as his comm-unit came to life. "All Zeta elements, this is Zeta actual. Hold position and await move orders."
Granger watched as the MACO's halted as one and hunkered down to await further orders.
"Durandal zero, zero three, this is Zeta actual. You are clear to commence your run on the target." Butler said.
Above, the executor heard the unmistakable sonic boom of a fighter class ship descending from a high orbiting altitude. Watching the sky he first saw the sleek machine, first as a glint of light, then a black dot that steadily grew larger into the more recognizable form of a Durandel type Thunderbolt. He watched as it plunged down on a course which looked as if it would slam into the crashed ship, only pulling out at what appeared to be the last second firing a barrage of rounds which bracketed the ship, sending dirt flying into the air and not even coming close to the nearby MACO's.
Butler watched and waited as the dust settled for any signs of activity from inside the ship. At first they could only hear the sound of Marauder's afterburners as his fighter clawed its way back to its over watch altitude. Then, after several moments of silence, they heard it. The sounds of metal scraping on metal along with a thumping sound of heavy foot falls like a destroid.
"Keep on your toes." Butler said into his comm-unit. "No-body fire until I say so."
Granger and Butler both watched as one of the bridge level outer hatches vibrated for a moment, then slowly the manual rotor wheel that was on the sealed door turned several times before stopping. Nothing else happened for neatly five minutes then slowly the hatch creaked open and from inside a foot emerged followed by the rest of the leg and body.
It was cobalt blue and covered in armour.
"By the seven who are one!" Granger gasped, eyes wide with shock. "Is that…"
"Yeah." Butler said with an almost animalistic sneer as he retched for his comm-unit. "It's a Zolan. Open FIRE!" The command, which was shouted into the comm-unit by Butler, was instantly obeyed and pulses of plasma and hyper-sonic slugs began flying at the armour plated death machine. For a second the Jaeger class battle drone attempted to raise its arms and level its squad support weapon at its enemies, but its decade's old damage combined with this new assault made the task impossible. It only took seconds for the historic robotic nightmare to collapse, its roaming red eye going dark as a round from Grangers R-class gauss sniper rifle going through its power core.
From all around the fallen drone the air was filled with shouts of 'clear' braking the quiet that had fallen after all the weapons fire had stopped. Cautiously the MACO's moved towards the fallen machine, keeping it covered at all times, as Butler and granger dismounted one of the VHT-3 veritech hover tanks that had been set up as an artillery platforms.
"That is, well was, a Zolan Industries Jaeger J-101-SD model." Granger said as he got a clear look at the heavily damaged drone. "Imperial history said that they were old when the UN Spacy made first contact with the Sentinel Alliance."
Butler grunted, his great grandfather had fought in that war losing his right arm to a vibrio blade on a J-175 Assassin drone. "Sergeant Derringer, take first squad inside and locate with extreme prejudice any more drones. Corporal Kitterman will stay here with second squad to back you up if needed."
The MACO's nodded as they replaced their weapons power cells and heat sinks, slowly entering the hatch and begun looking around the inside of the massive 1,100 meter ancient explorer class ship. They checked in every five minutes, but due to the ships size and setting proximity scanners, it was still nearly three hours before the recon squad reported the all clear.
"There are five more 101-SD chassis in here sir all destroyed." Derringer reported over the comm-link, "And sir… I think I know what ship this is."
-{[]}-
"Say again?" Dvorak said, incredulously, having done a spit take, as she listened to Sisko explain the find that the recon team had found.
"I say again, we have found the UN Spacey civilian vessel Tristar. She is crashed here on P2A-347." Sisko said over the speaker for the hyper-comm link as Hudson and Dvorak listened as he talked in shocked silence in the operations centre of Archangel Station.
"What's so big about the Tristar?" The warrant officer at the secondary drone operations station asked, history of the Macross Fleet and Zentradi exploration days never being his favourite back in school.
"The Tristar was launched between the first and second Robotech wars and was a test bed for the first ever fold drive. She had a civilian crew and ten Jaeger 101-SD mechs for protection." Hudson explained, "Her mission was one of deep space exploration and fold tests while the SDF pioneer was under construction, tagging any useful resources for NUNS."
"Like were doing now, to rebuild the Archangel's stores."
Hudson nodded. "Exactly, it was assumed that she had ran into trouble or had an accident because six months into her voyage, all contact was lost."
"Of course, that was when the Sentinel Alliance triggered the Skynet protocol and the Jaeger's attacked, so not a lot of attention was ever paid to it." Dvorak said showing how she had loved to study not even Imperial history but Zentradi history, especially early Macross Fleet history.
Hudson studied the map from the scans that the crew on Delta II for a moment longer before turning to the chief of operations. "COB, prepare the Angel for launch and jump. Sub-commander instruct Delta II to hold position and launch extra drones we'll be there shortly."
-{[]}-
Flaring into orbit from a hyperspace window, the battlefortress Archangel moved into orbit of P2A-347 alongside the Orion class fortress dropship Delta II, a moment later docking systems began to reattach the four-hundred meter dropship to its transit bay.
"Reversion complete sir." Newman said adjusting his controls slightly. "Docking systems activated and are guiding Delta II in now. Recon drones have been launched and report they will be on picket position at the outer edge of the system in ten minutes."
"Very well." Dvorak replied, as the ship shook from the docking clamps engaging around Delta II. "Set level two across the ship and launch the CAP."
"Aye ma'am." Kusanagi and Hill responded from their stations.
Hudson, Dvorak, O'Neill and Welsh all studied the map on the plot table at the back of the bridge closely, examining all of the details of the crash site.
"Before we left the station," Dvorak began, "Granger reported that they had restored main power and had begun repowering all of the core systems while doing a structural integrity check."
"Good, if we can salvage her, we could use a local FTL drive to keep her with us, expanding our force, and maybe get some information that we desperately need from her computers." Welsh said.
"Maybe." Hudson said, as he thoughtfully stroked his chin.
"I know that look." Dvorak said, her hand moving subtlety to the level one alert button on the rear of the plot table. "What's on your mind meus amor?"
Hudson shock his head slowly. "Nothing yet, I just have a feeling…"
"Should I send down Devil squad as re-enforcements?" Welsh asked, noticing Newman getting ready to have his replacement take over at the helm, while Ray did the same at the secondary tactical station.
"No, not yet." Hudson said, his eyes still looked on the map of the crash site. "Put them on standby in the pod deck, and tell Butler to put some speed on this."
"Will do sir. " Welsh replied, nodding to Newman and Ray as she moved towards the hatch off the bridge.
"In the meantime, April I want you to put three Thunderbolts with anti-ship loadouts on alert five and have a pair of Beta II's standing by to make a high speed run to the surface."
"Yes sir." O'Neill replied moving over to Hill and the flight-ops station.
-{[]}-
Granger examined the flickering display, which had to be fixed using engineering repairing 101 techniques, carefully as Butler moved up behind him. "The commodore says to get the lead out on this, sir." He said.
Granger absently nodded as he continued to read the flickering screen." I think I've found out what happened here." He said after a long moment.
"Oh," Butler replied, popping a mint in his mouth. "What was it then sir?"
"This," He said pointing to the screen, "is captain Fedorovich log. According to it, the Jaegers assigned to the crew turned on them shortly after a test of the fold drive which overloaded sending them to this dimension, similar to what happened to us. The overload surged through the Jaegers control software, triggering…"
"The Skynet protocol." Butler said in understanding. "It's what caused the whole second Robotech war."
"Yes, even in the Empire we know that." Granger responded having been taught that back in princeps schola. "Now according to the log, four of the Jaegers were inactive for the test but the other six were able to complete the download after the serge and attack."
"But we only saw one." Butler said, shifting his grip on his plasma rifle so he could aim it quicker.
"Yes, the other five were destroyed by the small detachment of Robotech defence force on board but not before the sixth was able to sabotage the life support, engines and fold drive. The remaining crew where able to set a course to make a controlled crash landing here."
"So the crew all died before the ship went down."
"Yes." Granger nodded solemnly, despite the evidence saying the ship had crashed over two hundred years ago. "But that isn't the most important part that I have found here."
"Oh, what is then?" The MACO officer asked suddenly feeling nervous like when he was with a recon team that encountered a Xenomorph nest.
"According to the access logs this data has been accessed already by someone." Granger replied.
Butler's rifle snapped up as he began scanning the bridge at this revelation. "How long ago?" he asked sending out orders over his wrist tac-pad.
"The time stamp suggest within the last twenty four hours." Granger replied, pulling his FN-116 assault rifle.
"Sir, there is movement from the bow of the ship!" A private called out over the comm-link.
Instantly, Butler was moving out of the damaged bridge and back outside to where the platoons radio man was waiting for him, Granger followed him after removing the data core that they had downloaded from the Tristar.
Neither saw the screen off to the side of the main door that was flashing.
SECURITY BREACH IN PROGRESS
ACTIVATE JAEGER DEFENCE OPTION
SKYNET PROTOCOL
-{[]}-
"Sir, I have a priority transmission from the salvage recon team. It's major Butler." Lieutenant Cochrane reported from the main comm-station.
"Put it up on the main screen." Hudson ordered, putting down a PADD with the never ending paper work. "Zeta actual, this is Archangel actual."
"Zeta actual here sir, we have a problem." Butler said, obviously looking at a smaller screen. "The executor has found evidence that the sites data has been accessed by somebody else within the last twenty-four hours."
Hudson took a moment to process this information, his Varauta side flaring slightly. "Get that download finished and your men out of the ship ASAFP."
"It's already done sir. We're already falling… wait one." Butler started, before the sounds of weapons fire erupted along with the sound of startled men.
"What's going on down there?" Hudson demanded as another explosion went off in the background.
"It's the Jaegers!" Butler replied, ducking down as an orange beam went across the screen. "The other four have been activated… ARGH!"
"The channels gone dead sir." Cochran said as the screen went to static for a second then back to the view of the planet, as Hudson looked at him for an explanation.
"Battlestations!" Hudson barked as he sprang into action. "Tell Ice Queen to launch the alert Thunderbolts and Beta II's now. Get devil squad down there NOW!"
-{[]}-
"Battlestations! Battlestations! Set level one battlestations throughout the ship! This is not a drill! I say again…"
Ice Queen bolted upright from her desk and immediately began running to the pilot's locker room. It took her only a moment to get into her flight suite before dashing of towards the hanger deck where her command variant Durandal Thunderbolt awaited her.
"Ok ladies, mount up and lets go!" she shouted across the bay as all the pilots climbed into their cockpits. "Chief, get this thing locked and loaded!"
It took only another few seconds for the deck crew to load her fighter into the launch tube and the inner launch door to close behind her.
"Durandal zero, zero one, clear acknowledge core control." O'Neill said into her helmet's mic as she engaged her fighters systems.
"Copy zero, zero one. Board is green all systems transferred to fighter probe. Launch when ready. Good hunting."
With those words she was thrown back as her fighter was hurtled out of the launch tube and into the black void of space. Looking to her left she saw several Thunderbolt mark sevens alongside a pair of Bata II combat retrieval drop ships dropped from the lower hanger and five decent pods launch.
"All Phoenix's on my lead." O'Neill calmly commanded, "Raptors hang back and escort the Bata's in."
Receiving acknowledgments from all the pilots and assault landers, O'Neill slammed her throttle forward allowing her fighter to shoot off towards the surface away from her mothership.
-{[]}-
"All Thunderbolts and Ice Queens Durandal are away sir." Hill reported from the flight ops into the buzz of activity that was the Archangel's bridge as she went to level one battlestations.
"Understood." Dvorak replied. "Instruct the Bata's to commence drop when ready."
"Yes ma'am." Hill replied, already sending the orders.
"Meer, prepare to break orbit." Hudson said as he finished pulling on his old N9 delta combat armour.
"Helm ready sir." Campbell said, disengaging the auto pilot.
Hudson looked at the charts and sensor readings being overlaid on the forward view screen as the blast shutters dropped. "All ahead one third, fifty degree up angle on the bow planes, come right sixty degrees."
"Aye sir!" Campbell said, turning to the crewman in Newman's seat. "Engines ahead one third, coming right to course zero-six-zero plus fifty on the bow planes."
Slowly the massive SDF type II battlefortress began her turn away from the planet and up into a higher orbit, allowing them the freedom to maneuver without the pressure of the planets gravity well.
"Now clear of the grav-well sir." Campbell reported after several seconds.
"Good now…"
Hudson never got a chance to finish his next order as Cochrane interrupted him. "Contact!"
"Where?" Dvorak demanded.
"Bearing three one five orange, one small contact, looks to be… confirmed one Goa'uld type cargo ship." Cochrane reported, as he began to track it with the passive targeting system.
"What are they doing?" Hudson asked.
"They are burning hard away from us sir." Cochrane responded.
"Contact Raptor flight, tell them to purse at flank speed." Dvorak ordered.
"Belay that." Hudson countermanded, "Send Ice Queen instead. Instruct her to plant an Alpha class tracker on their hull before they make it to hyperspace."
Dvorak looked at him with a smile, it was rare that he let his Varauta side out to play in public, but said nothing as Hudson went about his business.
"Sub-commander, get me Zeta actual." He said, locking his Varauta side back up under tight lock and key.
-{[]}-
"Sir! The commodore wants a sit-rep!" Privet Bowie said as he ducked back into cover as several plasma beams splashed against the cargo create he was using to shield himself from the weapons fire below.
Turning away from the cover he was using, having tossed a nightshade grenade, Granger took the head set from Bowie. "Archangel actual, this is Red Intel over."
After a few seconds of silence, which was punctuated by a mix of assault weapons fire, Hudson came over the comm-link. "What's the situation down there?"
"Zeta actual is down, he was hit by the 101's when they woke up." Granger reported, ducking back as a spray of rapid fire plasma shots hit near him. "We've taken down three of them and are holding our position over-looking the ship."
"What's the casualty situation?" Hudson asked.
"Sir, we have three wounded, two critically if we don't get them out soon." Granger replied.
"Did the techs get everything they needed?" Hudson asked.
"Yes sir. Full download of the computer core and she is salvageable." Granger answered, as someone shouted 'Frag Out!'
"Good job. Pull everyone back to the two Bata drop ships. We have Thunderbolts on a run to your position right now. You've got two minutes." Hudson said.
"Copy that!" granger said tossing the headset back to Bowie and another nightshade at the Jaeger. "Everyone fall back! Air Strike inbound in ninety seconds!"
Exactly ninety seconds later, Bowie, granger and the rest of the MACO's watched from the hill side a kilometre away as the Jaeger 101-SD mecha was vaporised in a cloud of smoke as Predator launched two anti-ship missiles at it, destroying all evidence of the drones existence… not to mention a small nest of Xenomorph's half a kilometre underground that the MACOs never knew where there.
-{[]}-
Several hours later in the main observation lounge, Hudson, Dvorak, Granger and the rest of the senior staff, minus Murdoch who was supervising the recovery of the Tristar, all looking at the data from the downloaded computer core from the Tristar.
"So whoever these people were, they were able to download the main computer core as well." Granger was explaining. "Chances are that even now they are attempting to recreate some of the first and early second generation UN Spacey Robotechnology."
"But who could they have been," O'Neill asked, glaring at Andrews for tagging the cargo ship.
"Archaeologists? Tomb Raiders? Privateers? It's anyone's guess." Granger replied, taking a sip of traditional Hansa coffee. "What we do know is that they are on a heavily fortified world that was once controlled by Yu, and that it will almost certainly come back to bite us and Earth in the butt."
"I agree," Hudson said, pointing to the map on the main display screen. "But are you certain that this star system is hostile now, as I recall Yu was while not friendly towards Earth, he wasn't actively hostile towards them either."
"Yes sir." Granger replied. "The latest information that Yu's former first prime was killed by a group called the Lucian Alliance, the Tok'ra have confirmed this as well. This," he said pointing at the system on screen. "is their main system, but it is only ten light minutes from a massive anchorage."
Hudson nodded and stroked his chine in thought. "Very well, well take twenty four hours to rest and recover the Tristar and then we will attack them, destroying any and all evidence of robotechnology from the Tristar."
"Twenty four hours?" Granger asked, curious as to the wait. "Why so long?"
"Because," Hudson said, turning towards the excitable man, who two years ago had been cold and distant from the rest of the crew, who now had a chance really test his skills. "The vast majority of the MACO's weapons need to be overhauled and the engineering section are recovering the Tristar, not to mention that almost all of them needed to report to medical for one reason or another with several senior members in intensive care, it will be sometime even with centurion Tomahawk's group supplementing them before we could send them out. Besides, I'd like the Star back at the station before we do this."
"Oh, alright sorry it is just that pre-ESUN era tech is a hobby of mine," Granger apologized as he blushed, "I'm sorry if I seemed… impatient. It's just that getting a chance to see first and second generation robotechnology other than in a museum, it's made me a little bit anxious."
Hudson nodded with a smile, "I understand completely. Now if we are done, I seem to have gained another moon of paperwork to get through before we jump."
Granger nodded and everyone began to leave the lounge. Hudson and Dvorak watched him leave with a massive smile on their faces.
"Seems like the Iceman is melting, and is big kid on Christmas morning with a sugar high." Dvorak said with a chuckle at the normally calm and controlled intelligence officer.
"That he does." Hudson agreed chuckling. "Begin fold prep and have some destroids sent down to the Tristar's recovery site. You have the con."
Dvorak said, as she giggled returning to the bridge. "By your command."
-{[]}-
Combat Log Date: 56535.2, commodore Kira Hudson recording.
The Jaeger's that we encountered at the sight of the downed UNS Tristar have all been destroyed, along with a nest of class three Xenomorph's that were discovered by the recovery teams. Cochrane, Granger and Kusanagi assured me that they were all older models from the second Robotech war back home, and due to an overload in the Tristar's first generation fold drive they ended up here and it isn't a vanguard of a new Skynet protocol, thank the maker.
Several of my family fought in that war. It changed them, and though I fought in the Disruptor war, I can still recall the look on elder Mills face and that haunted look he had in his eyes till he died. I think that when he died six months before the Disruptors destroyed the colony, it was the first piece he had known since the end of that war. I have no desire to see that kind of carnage unleashed here.
On a brighter note, that special package that I was waiting on from the TDF came in and the whole crew was thrilled. I've even heard some of the crew talking about showing them 'how it's done' next year as many of the crew are avid militarium Lundos fans, and getting a complete recording of the Army Navy games from last month did wonders for everyone, even the tight ass Murdoch he he he, and now colonel Sisko owes ME fifty bucks.
Those fans who were routing for the US Navy Seabees where severally disappointed when the obvious ringer Sam Anderson struck out against the US Rangers. I honestly think that it kept them from advancing beyond the second phase. If that hadn't happened, I think that the US Seabee's would have taken it over the Japanese Self Defense Maritime forces, oh well there is always next year.
In the meantime, we are preparing to jump to, what we believe is, the Lucian Alliances main research site. Once there we will sit at the edge of the system and send in Devil squad and Granger to clean house. I've told the MACO's under Butlers command to be proud that they only lost a hover tank to the Jaegers, equipment can be replaced our people cannot.
I'll close this log for now as we prepare to fold. This is the first time that we have really gone on the offensive against anyone here, Path's forces was really a rescue so that doesn't count, and I confess that my Varauta side is making me anxious about it, but we can't allow robotechnology to get out into this dimension. That genie nearly destroyed back home. Yet despite the challenge in this, it is a threat to great to ignore.
I'm looking forward to the next few days.
-{[]}-{[]}-
Authors Note
So I have been thinking that since I haven't really described the different ships that good, yet knew what they looked like in my minds eye, I have found images of them or as close as I can get online.
When it comes to the TDF Star Cobra I was thinking a mix of the F-302 and the Hammer Head fighters from space above and beyond and found this on Deviant Art. orig13 . deviantart 31d1 / f / 2008 / 079 / d /8 / xf _ 500 _ blackwolf _ by _ bagera3005 . png, and the Nightegale class transport is this I . pinimg 736x / 72 / ac / 09 / 72ac09fc251c9eea6c81eb2f2531b98f - battlestar - galactica - wolf . jpg that I found on a generic search with google for scifi tankers and transports.
As for the Orion class Fortress Dropship used by the MACOs in this chapter, I was thinking of other ships from a navel fleet and realised that a corvette would be an ideal design, and since I was writing this while listening to a debate on the Trident Missile system I did a search for a Trident class corvet and this was the first image that came up and it fits, vignette4 . wikia. nocookie galacticafanon / images / 7/ 70/ Trident _ Class _ Corvette . png / revision / latest ? cb=20110803200435, originally I was going to have it as a Stealth Carrier from Macross 7 that was detached from the side of the Archangel, like the carriers in Macross Delta, but thought that this would be a better design.
