The "over diversification," as one of the readers put it the last go 'round, was more a factor in my inexperience as a writer than it was any real desire to make the largest and most complicated cross-over in history. As such, the Redux only deals with Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, maybe Stargate Universe if I'm feeling adventurous, Battlestar Galactica 2003, Mass Effect, and minor references to things like Skyrim and Halo. Now, when I say "minor references" I mean MINOR references. I still used the names of the Dragon Priests from Skyrim for some of the Furlings, but that's it. I took out the Eragon references that made no damn sense, took out the Covenant which were just annoying me because they didn't belong, and only kept the part of Halo where Earth is the UNSC. Other than those two minor things (names of the Dragon Priests and the name of the UEG/UNSC) this story is just Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, and Mass Effect.
Chapter 26
First Strike
***Milky Way Galaxy (Norma Arm)***
**Dead Space (Ori Supergate)**
*Tok'ra Scout Ship (Cockpit) [a few hours after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]*
Jalen had been tasked with keeping an eye on the Ori's Great Gate, so he sat in his chair and waited. And waited. And waited. Then something happened. Two Ori Motherships dropped out of hyperspace and approached the Gate. The Great Gate activated and both ships passed through.
"This could be trouble," his Host mused.
"I agree," Jalen replied as he activated their comms system and sent a message to the Tok'ra homeworld. "Operative Jalen reporting from the Great Gate," he replied to the question that was about to be asked. "I need a line to the Council." Once the connection was established, Jalen reported the situation as it developed. "Two Motherships arrived in the system, dialed the Gate, then proceeded through to their home galaxy. Their purpose is unknown."
"Keep us informed," the Councilor ordered.
"We shall," Jalen replied obediently.
***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***
**Lantea (Surface)**
*Atlantis (Halls) [one week after SG-1's first contact with the Furlings]*
"Doctor Weir!" Doctor Keller called ahead as she jogged over to the woman in question.
"Doctor Keller. How is my head of medicine?" Doctor Weir asked in greeting.
"Uh, acting head of medicine, actually, and that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about…" Their conversation came to a brief pause as they entered one of the transports and were whisked away to the Control Tower.
"Hmm? What's up?" Weir asked, obviously in a good mood.
"Uh… I need to be replaced."
"Excuse me?"
"Look, after Carson…" Keller began before trailing off. "Someone had to step up and take over, and I'm glad to help out, don't get me wrong, but I'm not qualified to run a department of this size. You-you need someone… better."
With a small laugh, Weir said, "Everyone down there says you're doing great."
"Well, 'A,' I'm not sure that's true and 'B,' it's been pretty smooth sailing over the last few weeks. I think I've been lucky."
"Well, the IOA are reviewing candidates, but, to be honest, they're not that great at making quick decisions," Weir informed the woman with a smile.
"Yeah, so, a week? Two… weeks? I just haven't been sleeping very well. This whole 'being in control' thing kind of makes me anxious."
"Carson felt the same way his first few months," Weir assured her.
"I appreciate you trying to lie to me," Keller replied, somewhat put off by the thought of staying in charge.
"Look, I feel very comfortable with my life in your hands, and, at the end of the day, that means you're doing a pretty good job. Dealing with the pressure, it does get easier with time."
"Right," Keller said while releasing a calming breath. Then her panic came back. "Uh, how much time… exactly? Like, it'll get easier over the next two weeks, and then you'll replace me so I can go back to being a regular doctor?"
"I'll keep you posted," Weir replied with a private laugh.
"Thanks," Keller replied in a tone of despair.
Finally reaching the last stair case before the Control Room, Weir let out a sigh. She could already hear the argument that had her being called to aid the technicians. They were arguing about the new weapons systems. Sheppard wanted to tie the weapons directly into the city's power grid, and McKay was saying it was a waste of power. She took a deep breath to steel herself then ascended the final few stairs. There wasn't going to be a 'win' to this argument, she already knew that much.
To her relief, she entered the Control Room and Chuck called her name. "Dr. Weir?"
"Yes, Chuck?" Weir asked, hiding the fact that she was relieved to stall her forced intervention.
"The Apollo just dropped out of hyperspace," Chuck informed her.
"They're ahead of schedule," Weir mused.
"Probably just trying to show off. You know, being the new ship and all," Sheppard added as he dropped the argument… for now.
"Colonel Ellis, you've made excellent time on your first voyage here," Weir said in greeting as Chuck opened a channel to the ship in orbit.
"Thank you. I'm beaming down now," Ellis replied.
"Very well, we'll…" Weir began before a flash of light deposited the Colonel in the Control Room with several other people.
"Set up in the Conference Room," Ellis ordered the people that had beamed down with him. Then he turned tow Weir and said, "Doctor," in greeting.
"Colonel," Weir replied with a small nod. "Welcome."
"Thank you. Colonel Sheppard. Dr. McKay. This is going to make things easier. I'll need to brief you all immediately," Ellis said.
"What's going on?" Weir asked.
"I'd prefer to talk in private," Ellis replied while motioning for them to join him in the Conference Room. "Ever since the Human-form Replicators made a play for the city, we've had the Daedalus make regular reconnaissance fly-bys of their home planet," Ellis began explaining as everyone sat down in the seats. On the wall, a monitor turned on.
"Yes, we know," Weir replied.
"Two months ago, Colonel Caldwell took these pictures," Ellis said as the monitor displayed the images and he handed out physical copies as well.
"I'm sorry. What am I supposed to be looking at here?" Weir asked, more than a little confused.
"Nothing," Ellis replied callously.
"Excuse me?"
"This image was taken by the Daedalus as they left the galaxy on their way to Earth for the refits. The photos were taken in the very same location. They're building ships. A lot of them," Ellis pushed through as a new image showed several ships highlighted on the pictures.
"Why weren't we made aware of this?" Sheppard asked.
"I'm making you aware of it now," Ellis replied coldly.
"Well, if they're coming for us, we'll have a nasty surprise waiting for them," McKay said smugly.
"They're not going to get here. I'm here to inform you that, in precisely twelve hours, the Apollo, in consort with your team, will launch a surgical strike on the Replicator planet," Ellis countered.
"So, what? You're going to blow up their ships?" Sheppard asked, somewhat taken aback.
"That's right," Ellis replied with a nod.
"Just like that?" Weir stressed.
"Just like that."
"How the hell do you plan on doing that?" McKay asked indignantly.
"A set of Mark-IX tactical nukes housed in a custom-made weapons platform, code name 'Horizon'."
"How many nukes do you have?" Sheppard asked.
"The Horizon carries six warheads and four decoys. I'm going to need you to do a final inspection before we head out," Ellis replied, the last part directed at McKay.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. Six?" McKay asked, more than a little stunned.
"That's right," Ellis replied casually.
"That's not enough," Sheppard countered.
"The Replicators are self-replicating robots, which means that they can…" McKay began.
"I am aware of that, thank you, Doctor, but they're not like the Milky Way Replicators. Their ships aren't built from nano-cells, they're constructed of real material that can be destroyed. Six will be more than enough for now," Ellis interrupted him.
"'For now'?" McKay stressed. "Isn't this a bit like poking a sleeping dragon? Why don't we just wait till Area 51 finishes the PWARWs?"
"Which one's that again?" Weir asked.
"Planetary-Wide Anti-Replicator Weapons," Sheppard replied with a casual dismissal of the question.
"The Asgard were capable of creating a satellite that could wipe out an entire Replicator planet. I mean, we've had some trouble making one of our own, but…" McKay again before, once again, Ellis cut him off.
"Look, would I have preferred taking out an entire planet at once? Absolutely, but this image is giving the IOA a lot of sleepless nights. The Replicators know the location of Earth, and, with these new ships, have the means to get there. We can't just sit on our hands while the guys at Area 51 try to come up with a solution. Now, this mission's primary objective is to eliminate key military targets. We'll come back and finish once the new weapon is up and running. Doctor, I'm going to need you to start your inspections as soon as possible."
"Well, yeah, sure. I just…" McKay began.
"Dr. McKay is ready to beam," Ellis said into his radio.
"Well, not actually read…" McKay began. This time it was the beam that cut him off.
"Okay. We're finished here. Thank you," Ellis said before gathering his photographs and walking out of the room.
"Can you believe this?" Weir asked, more than a little pissed. She liked the amount of supplies they were getting now that the Gate was open both ways, but the weapons going up across the city were appalling given the intended nature of Atlantis. This was just too much too fast.
"No," Sheppard replied in an awed tone. "It almost seems too good to be true."
"What?" Weir asked incredulously.
"Well, if those nukes do what Ellis says they do…" he began.
"Since we won back the city, we haven't heard so much as a peep from the Replicators," Weir cut him off.
"Well, obviously, they haven't gone away."
"No, but maybe they've decided that we are more trouble than we're worth, and the threat of our AR weapons is enough to keep them at bay," Weir stressed.
"You don't build that many ships to make a run at Atlantis. They're headed for Earth," Sheppard argued.
Fed up with her Executive Officer not agreeing with her, Weir stood from her chair and walked into the Control Room where Ellis was standing. "Colonel, may I have a word?"
"Sure," Ellis replied after looking up to see who was talking to him.
After leading the Colonel into her office, Weir said, "This mission is a mistake."
"It most certainly is not," Ellis replied matter-of-factly.
"It is an ineffectual first strike. You've got to know how dangerous that could be for us!" Weir argued.
"All due respect, Doctor, it won't be ineffectual. Besides, the IOA doesn't think we can wait."
"I think we should stall them. Try to open a round of negotiations."
"They're not a race of 'people.' They're a weapon. Try to keep that in mind."
"Weapon or not, they're sentient. Negotiating with them could buy us enough time to get that PWARW up and running. Now that the Odyssey's back and we have the entire knowledge base of the Asgard, it's a matter of building and shipping one of their weapons here. With the SGC having a power source that can hold the connection, it's not even asking that much!"
"Usually, I'd be more than happy to go twelve rounds here about who's right and who's wrong, but it wouldn't matter. I have my orders, and you don't have the authority to tell me to stand down. So, again, with all due respect, ma'am… I have a mission to execute." Without another word, Ellis stood up, left her office, then beamed out of the city.
***Local Cluster (Sol System)***
**Earth (Surface)**
*Area 51 (Shipyards)*
The intense flashes of light that illuminated the docking slip could be seen from every angle. There were welders working on the hulls of the two Battlecruisers resting in the slips around the clock. In orbit, another team was working on adding more weapons to the Clausus Cursor and a fourth team was working on analyzing the Baseship that the Odyssey's crew under Colonel Viride had brought back. They were making radical leaps in technology as Pac worked out how to improve the slip that was currently empty. If his methods proved useful, the other slips would be likewise upgraded. For now, however, it was a side project. Right now, the ships that needed upgrading were getting the bulk of their focus.
In the slip next to the one the Daedalus was currently resting in, the Odyssey's new systems were being studied. Already they were making plans to remove the Core from the Odyssey and install it somewhere that a space-battle-gone-wrong wouldn't destroy the legacy of the Asgard. That process was taking longer than most people thought it would. The Core was amazingly advanced and so deeply integrated into the Odyssey's systems that it was a miracle that Sam managed to shut it down at all.
That was another thing that warranted study. The Core's power source was incredibly powerful and would make a viable substitute for the ZPMs… if the matter of making the ship traceable could be solved. They were also going to set up a museum with the Asgard database as the main feature. Once the Stargate Program was disclosed, the sacrifice the Asgard made would be known to all. The museum would be a tribute the great race that had handed Earth what it needed to defeat those that would destroy them so callously.
With a rumble that made it through the thick walls, the roof above the Odyssey's slip opened and the Battlecruiser, once cloaked, soared into the sky. She made orbit in less than thirty seconds then decloaked. Another technology the SGC was now pushing the Yard Dogs at Area 51 to duplicate was the ship's cloak. That would be invaluable in any situation. Samantha Carter's reproduction of Merlin's phase shifting device was also being studied and improved on. Unlike Merlin's original device, hers was designed to be used on a large scale and there was talk of taking her machine and finishing it in the hopes of taking Earth out of phase in case the shield ever failed, which brings us to the Odyssey's reason for being in orbit.
The planetary defense shield consisted of a three-layered system of emitters. The primary emitters were very large satellites that could be easily seen from the surface despite their high orbit and even had room for people to walk around inside of their admittedly cramped interiors. Because of this, only six of them were made. In each was a cloaking device made by integrating a Puddle Jumper's cloaking module into the design, and a ZPM for power. The eighty meter 'shaft' was topped by an umbrella-like, six-pronged top. Each of the prongs was forty meters long and composed the actual shield emitters. These six primary emitters were maneuvered into position over strategical areas. If the sphere that is Earth were to be encased by a cube, the center of each of the six faces of the cube would represent the locations of the primary satellites. Once cloaked and put into place, the satellites would be incapable of moving on their own. The primary satellites were the 'stomach' and 'digestive system' of the PDS. They were designed to power the entire shield on their own. These had been produced by Area 51 and the Cursor's matter converters to keep their designs secret while producing them quickly.
Next were the secondary satellites. Measuring in at twenty meters along the shaft and with ten meter prongs, these were a quarter of the size of the primaries and were equipped with Neutrino Ion Generators that took up their entire internal space. Because of their size, they could easily be mistaken for a regular satellite and so a cloak was considered a waste of energy. These emitters represented the 'skeletal structure' of the PDS. There were two dozen secondaries for every primary which made a total of one-hundred-forty-four. The secondaries were stationary as well and were used to make it easier for the barrier to stretch over the planet. They took the field generated by the primaries, added their own power to it, then expanded it to the next secondary until the planet was covered. Because of the need to keep the designs secret and the intricate details involved in producing a Neutrino Ion Generator, these had been produced by a joint effort of the Odyssey's matter converters, the Alpha Site, and the Beta Site.
Last of all were the tertiary satellites. Being half the size of the secondaries, the tertiaries were ten meters along the shaft, with five meter prongs and were only equipped with a Mark II Naquadah Generator as the room inside had to accommodate another feature. The tertiaries formed the 'muscle' of the shield with the barrier itself being the skin, the planet the body, and the control center the brain. As the analogy would suggest, the tertiaries, unlike the other satellites, were equipped with maneuvering thrusters which occupied the unused internal space that the Mark II took up. When the planet was attacked, the purpose of the tertiaries would be to maneuver into the area that's being hit the hardest and reinforce the barrier as much as was needed. If the attack was focused on one hemisphere, the tertiaries for the entire PDS could be sent to that one spot. If the planet was being hit from multiple sides, the tertiaries could go where needed and split up as the situation required. There were two dozen tertiaries for every secondary making a total of three-thousand, four-hundred-fifty-six.
To make things easier, the tertiaries would be controlled by a new automated system Pac had worked on with Sam. He called it a VI, or Virtual Intelligence. According to the AI, VIs were dumbed-down AIs with a very limited capacity for self-thought. The VIs were task-oriented and not very good at multitasking. As a result, they can do one task so well they operate on level with an AI minus the personality, the self-awareness, the capacity for learning new skills on their own without alteration to their code, the multi-tasking ability that makes AI so useful, and, Sam's favorite thing about the VIs, they don't talk back. Still, it would make sure the shield was reinforced where needed and that's all they needed.
**Earth (Orbit)**
*USS Odyssey (Bridge)*
Sam looked up from her tablet as she walked onto the Bridge to see Colonel Davidson sitting proudly in his command chair, Marks and Donnelly in their stations as well. "We're in position," Marks reported.
"And you're sure this will work?" Davidson asked.
"Of course," Pac replied with a beaming smile. The Odyssey had already received the upgraded holo-terminals in the Bridge, so the AI, broadcasting itself from the SGC, was able to use the holographic emitters to better interact with the crew. "This system is brilliant!" the AI exclaimed. "I see why the Asgard chose you as the Fifth Race. Your people are absolutely incredible."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere with Colonel Davidson," Sam informed the AI.
Pac blinked at her in confusion then his face changed to one of mild surprise. "I would never!" he declared after, undoubtedly, looking up the meaning of the word on Webster's Online Dictionary. "I mean every word I say."
"Deployment has begun," Marks interrupted the duo that had become quite the miracle pair in the past week.
From the missile tubes along the Odyssey's neck, the secondary satellites for this area of the planet were fired out. They glided out under the power of the temporary thrusters strapped to their hull and took up their prearranged positions. Another five stops later and the secondary satellites were all in position. All that remained were the large number of tertiaries that were still under construction. The industries on Earth capable of building their hulls were doing so while the SGC, Area 51, the Alpha Site, Beta Site, and Gamma Site all worked on building their more delicate and classified parts like the generators.
"And to think," Davidson said as he looked to Sam who had moved to the back of the Bridge to monitor the launching systems, "in a few more weeks, we'll have the entire thing operational."
"It is amazing," Sam agreed. "Especially given the timeframe. Ten years," she said with a nod to herself. "Ten years is all it took and now we have plasma cannons, ion cannons, beam weapons, shields, Naquadah Generators, Neutrino Ion Generators… I know we still can't produce them ourselves, but we have fourteen ZPMs right now. Fourteen!" Sam shook her head before continuing. "A planetary defense shield, we found the Lost City of Atlantis, met allies that are so advanced we're still studying their work," here she paused with a sad smile and a small laugh. "Thor said that this was a coming of age for humanity. I know that humanity isn't ten years old, but the Stargate Program is. We're young to be 'coming of age' already."
"Makes you think," Marks said thoughtfully. "If this is humanity at 'age ten,' what will we have accomplished by the time we're twenty? Or forty?"
"I hope we live long enough to see the answer to that question," Sam replied. "As it stands, we're still waiting for the Ori to make their move."
***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***
**Lantea (Orbit)**
*USS Apollo (Missile Bay) [ten hours later]*
Staring up at the massive casing for the missile system that hung above them, Zelenka said, "Well, the specs check out and we've loaded the target information. They're ready."
"Yep. It's good to go," McKay agreed. Then, with a sigh, he added, "This is a bad idea, isn't it?"
"We could tell them they're not ready. You know, there's a fault in the guidance system or something," Zelenka offered.
"I thought about that. They're going to have guys here to contradict us pretty quickly," McKay shot back dismissively.
"Yeah… but we're here alone. We could make them not ready," Zelenka continued.
"They're building an armada, Radek," McKay said with another sigh. "I saw them. They showed me the pictures. I'd feel pretty stupid if we break this thing only to have the Replicators show up and destroy the city.
"Yeah. Yeah, that would be bad," Zelenka agreed with a sad nod.
"I'll tell the Colonel we're good to go," McKay said, a note of sadness to his voice as well.
***Pegasus Galaxy (Asuran Territory)***
**Asuras (En Route)**
*USS Apollo (Auxiliary Control Room) [two hours later]*
McKay was moving from one person's terminal to another, checking readouts. Finally satisfied, he hit his earpiece. "All right. Horizon is online, the warheads are armed, and we are ready for final sequencing as soon as we drop out of hyperspace.
"Start now," Ellis ordered over the radio. "Open the bomb bay doors."
"We're still in hyperspace," McKay argued.
"We're coming out of our jump uncomfortably close to the planet. I don't want to waste any time. Just get it done," Ellis ordered again.
"Well, you're the boss," McKay replied with a sigh. After pressing a few buttons on the appropriate terminal, the Missile Bay doors opened to reveal the swirling tunnel of subspace. A beep alerted him to the increasing radiation levels in the Missile Bay and McKay pressed another series of buttons to activate a containment field that would stop the radiation from spreading. He mentally noted that the Apollo, having never had an Asgard aboard, didn't have the automated programming to activate the field on its own. He'd have to fix that later. "Ready to launch on your command. You're sure about this, right? I mean, like, this is the right thing to do?"
"Not the best time for that kind of talk, Doctor," Ellis countered.
"Right. Sorry," McKay replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Coming out of hyperspace in five… four…three… two… one…" Major Sara, the Apollo's helmswoman, reported over the ship's internal network. "Mark."
The Apollo dropped out of hyperspace and Ellis immediately ordered, "Launch the Horizon."
With one last breath to steady himself, McKay pressed the order to fire the massive missile carrying bombs that they never should've invented. Nevertheless, the Asurans were gearing up for war and something had to be done.
The Horizon missile dropped from the open doors of the Missile Bay. Its afterburner ignited and the missile flew towards the surface. Once it reached a set altitude and the heat of atmospheric reentry was no longer a threat to the nuclear bombs held within, the casing broke into separate sections, the warheads separated from the missile, and flew off to their designated targets. A few seconds later, explosions bloomed on the surface. Atomic clouds in the separate locations grew high into the atmosphere.
McKay and Zelenka shared mutual looks of regret before McKay looked down at his terminal. "We have detonation confirmation on all six warheads."
"Sheppard, you have a go for launch," Ellis informed the Colonel.
"Copy that," Sheppard replied as the Jumper slipped out of the 302 bay and cloaked. "I'm clear. Jump away."
"We'll pick you up in an hour," Ellis informed the Colonel before addressing the helmsman. "Get us out of here."
***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***
**Lantea (Surface)**
*Atlantis (Conference Room) [one hour later]*
Zelenka and McKay stood in front of a monitor showing footage of the Horizon explosions with Ellis and Sheppard standing nearby. "There is so much radiation interference, it's hard to get an accurate yield calculation from the scan telemetry," Zelenka informed the Colonels.
"Please, there is more than enough data. It's not like we're trying to take out a person, here. We're talking about massive chunks of a city," McKay countered.
"Someone, just please tell me if we hit our targets or not," Ellis demanded.
"All right, if this data is right… then all of your primaries and most of your secondaries have been incinerated," McKay replied.
"Excellent," Ellis said before leaving the room.
"Huh," McKay huffed as Sheppard followed the Colonel out of the room. "He's a ray of sunshine if ever there was one."
Sheppard made it the top of the stairs before he noticed Weir walking towards him. "Welcome back," Weir said somewhat awkwardly.
"Thanks," Sheppard replied in kind.
"I hear congratulations are in order."
"Yeah, you heard right."
"How was the mission? Was it a success?" Teyla asked as she and Ronon walked up behind Weir.
"We did get all the ships," Sheppard replied.
"I wish I could've been there to see it," Ronon said.
"Space battles are always a lot more exciting on TV than they are in real life," Sheppard assured them. "That, and it wasn't really a battle."
"Dr. Weir! You're going to want to see this! We've got a contact, just came out of hyperspace!" Chuck called from the Control Room.
"Is it broadcasting IFF?" Weir asked as the group ran up behind him.
"No, ma'am," Chuck replied, his tone obviously worried.
"Wraith?" Ronon asked.
"It's very small. I doubt it," the technician replied uncertainly.
"Raise the shield," Weir ordered as the small object approached the planet.
"It's taken up a geo-synchronous orbit above the city," Amelia reported.
"What is it?" Teyla asked.
"Maybe we should have the Apollo check it out," Sheppard suggested.
With a nod, Weir opened a channel to the Apollo. "Colonel Ellis," she began.
"We already en route," Ellis cut her off.
**Lantea (Orbit)**
*USS Apollo (Bridge)*
"It's right ahead of us, sir," Sara reported.
"Shields?" Ellis asked as he took his seat.
"Affirmative. Shields are up," Sara replied.
"Okay, I've got a visual," Ellis reported to the city below. "It looks like a satellite of some sort." As he gave his report, the satellite shifted in orbit and his view of it was altered. As it came around and 'faced' the Apollo, Ellis was shocked to see a Stargate in the middle of the satellite. Shaking off his surprise, Ellis said, "It's a Stargate."
"A Stargate?" Sheppard asked.
"That's right," Ellis replied.
"I thought you said it was a satellite?"
"It's both. It's a satellite, but in the middle, there's a Stargate."
"What could be the purpose of that?" Weir asked without expecting an answer.
"No idea," McKay, nevertheless, replied.
"It just activated!" Ellis reported as the unstable vortex settled back into the event horizon.
"The Gate?" Sheppard asked.
Ellis was about to reply when a red beam shot out of the Gate and slammed into the Apollo's shields. Sparks flew from the consuls around the room and Ellis ordered, "Get us away from it!"
"Sir, the satellite is turning again," Sara reported.
"It's hitting the planet!" Chuck reported over the still open channel.
Steam rose from the oceans as the beam moved across the water. Its target was clear… it was headed straight for Atlantis.
"It's a sustained beam!" Chuck reported as the city shook under the barrage before settling again.
"That is bad for a dozen different reasons!" McKay needless informed them all.
As she retreated from the satellite, the Apollo fired off a barrage of missiles. The missiles impacted the satellite, a shield harmlessly absorbing the thermonuclear detonations. "It's protected by a shield," Ellis said more to himself than the people on the planet below. "Give me some options, McKay!"
"The shield's taking its power from the beam. I registered a slight drop in output when you fired on it," McKay reported.
"Could I get a nuke past the shield?" Ellis asked.
"No. Probably not," the scientist replied irritably.
"I'll get in the chair and give it everything we've got. Maybe that'll collapse the shield," Sheppard said.
"I said slight! As in point-zero-zero-two. I doubt any amount of firepower is going to collapse it while that beam is active," McKay argued.
"Sir, we used to think the same thing about the Ori," Ellis' tactical officer, Major Dell Porter, suggested.
With a determined nod, Ellis ordered, "Open fire, all batteries."
The sixteen, brand-new plasma cannons freshly produced by the Gamma Site and fully operational powered up and let loose. A second later, the four ion cannons mounted on the hangar bays, two slung under each bay, joined in. Then the plasma beams' capacitors were fully charged and the beams joined the fray. Last but not least, the coaxial ion cannon finished its charge sequence and fired.
The plasma bolts had little to no effect against the powerful shield. The ion cannons rattled its orbit, but otherwise the satellite was fine. The plasma beams caused the shields to flare brightly and fluctuate wildly, but, again, they seemed to have little to no real effect. Then the coaxial ion cannon fired.
It was designed by the Asgard to be a lower yield option to the plasma beams, but with more potential. A beam was a beam and the capacitor could only hold so much energy, but the coaxial ion cannon's power was proportionate to the length of the axis it was mounted on. A ship the size of an O'Neill would have a drastically more powerful shot because the ionic energy would have more time in the acceleration chamber. Because of this, the cannon had more kick than any other weapon on the recently completed and highly modified Battlecruiser.
The coaxial ion cannon round slammed into the satellite's shield and the satellite was shoved off course by a few dozen meters. Its beam went wild as the satellite tried to stabilize its orbit and the red beam went wide as a result. The stress was taken off the city, but now it had a new target.
"The satellite is adjusting its aim!" Sara reported. No sooner had she finished saying it then the satellite's beam struck the Apollo and more sparks erupted from the terminals in the back. Somebody really needed to work out a way to keep that from happening.
"Report!" Ellis roared.
"Shields are falling fast. We're at eighty percent… seventy percent… sixty percent," Sara replied.
"Engineering, give the shields everything you've got!" Ellis ordered.
"Aye, sir!" Novak, currently on loan from the Daedalus while the ship was being upgraded, replied.
"Shields are back up to seventy percent, but we're still losing them fast!" Sara reported.
"Dell?" Ellis asked, a hint of fear in his tone.
"Their shield is fluctuating, sir," he reported, "but this is a war of attrition and I'm not sure we can win it."
"Colonel, you're not doing enough!" McKay shouted over the line to get the Colonel's attention.
"We're giving it all we've got!" Ellis argued.
"Yes, and it's not enough," McKay said again.
"Then we'll join them," Sheppard said before the man walked off. Weir called after him, but to no avail.
"Shields are at fifty percent," Sara reported.
"Sir, incoming weapons fire from the surface," Dell added as Atlantis' new surface-to-orbit ion cannons fired en mass. With the city's powerful sensors grid, targeting was easy even given the distance and the interference the beam's energy was causing for the Apollo's own sensors.
"Shields are at forty percent! I've got hull breaches on decks three, four, five, and seven," Sara shouted as more energy started bleeding through the barrier. "Sir, we need to withdraw!"
"Novak, divert all available power to the shields, weapons included," Ellis ordered in a defeated tone. Turning to Sara he added, "Get us out of here, Major."
"That's it!" Dell said in an inspired tone. "Sara, get us behind the beam."
Atlantis kept up the pressure, her ion cannons slamming into the satellite's shields, as the Apollo gunner her engines and fled. The satellite didn't change targets back to the city. It swept its beam through space, the energy barely missing the shield. Then Sara changed their course and took them right for it. As the Apollo barreled towards the killer satellite, the beam had trouble keeping up with them until the ship roared past the far smaller object. No longer in the line of fire, Sara tore open the fabric of reality and took the ship into subspace.
**Lantea (Surface)**
*Atlantis (Conference Room)*
"The Apollo just jumped into hyperspace," Amelia reported.
"Satellite is retargeting Atlantis," Chuck added.
"The Apollo's back," Amelia continued as the beam hit the city again. When the beam went wild again and the satellite dropped lower into orbit, she added, "They're forcing the satellite down!"
Another round slammed into the shielded satellite and its orbit was degraded further. The fourth round clipped the satellite in such a way that the satellite started flipping through the air out of control, the beam spitting lethal energy in all directions as the satellite lost control. As the heat of reentry started to drain the shield and its orbit became unrecoverable, the Apollo switched power away from the coaxial ion cannon and fired the only weapon they had they knew could kill an Ori Mothership. Beams of blue energy stressed the shield in tandem with the stresses of reentry and the beam shut off entirely to provide more power for the shield.
The bright streaking of the satellite's rapid entry was out-shinned by the Apollo's shields burning like a glorious halo as the ship chased the satellite down, firing the whole way. The Battlecruiser broke off a few hundred meters above the ocean and the satellite crashed into the water. A round of cheers went up in the Control Room and across the city as the Apollo flew towards them. Then the beam shot out of the water and hit the small ship again. Gunning her engines for the second time in the battle against a Stargate strapped to a satellite, the Apollo flew around Atlantis and let the city's far more powerful shield intercept the beam.
"Well that was short-lived," McKay griped. Running a scan of the ocean floor, McKay laughed and said, "It's stuck! The satellite is stuck pointing in one direction."
"One direction means a very limited angle…" Zelenka pointed out.
"Which means it can't chase us anymore!" McKay finished. Snapping his fingers as he so often did, McKay ordered, "Move us out of the beam's path!"
"You got it, Doctor," Chuck replied as the city started moving across the surface of the ocean. As the city's outer most point moved past the satellite's range, the red beam of death shot into space… then it shut off again.
"Subspace rupture!" Amelia announced.
"Dial the Gate!" McKay roared. Chuck didn't waste time asking which planet to dial. He just hit the first buttons that came to mind. A second later the Gate activated and the Control Room was cast into an uneasy silence.
"Rodney? What's going on?" Weir finally asked.
"They're back!" Amelia announced as the satellite reappeared in orbit.
"I'm not sure, but we just bought ourselves thirty-six minutes to figure it out," McKay replied as his heart rate slowly went back to normal. "What planet did you dial?" McKay asked.
Chuck looked over his terminal before replying. "New Athos," he informed them.
"Okay. Everyone give me five minutes without questions," McKay demanded as he started looking over the terminals in the room.
"Colonel Ellis, how are things on your end?" Weir asked into the comms system.
"We've taken some damage, but nothing too concerning. The armor the Asgard gave us can really take a beating, and having a ZPM for the shield helped a lot," Ellis replied.
"Wait," McKay interrupted them. "That's it! Colonel, get up there and give that satellite everything you've got!"
"We've already established that everything we've got isn't enough to crack that shield," Ellis pointed out.
"That's when it's drawing power from the beam. Look, it's essentially a stripped down ship. It's got a hyperdrive, a navigational system, and a shield. Without the ZedPM on the other side pumping power through to sustain it, the shield won't be anywhere near as powerful as it was. Now you can compare it to our belief that the Ori were invincible," McKay explained smugly.
"Alright, Doctor, we're on our way," Ellis replied as the Apollo broke through the atmosphere and opened fire on the satellite.
From his place manning the sensors, after having ran up from the control chair, Sheppard said, "Their shield is buckling!"
"Subspace rupture," Amelia announced as the satellite jumped away. "They're gone."
"That's not good," McKay said worriedly.
"Why is that not good?" Weir asked.
"They got away intact," Ellis replied.
"What? No, not that. I mean, that's not good, but that's not what I was talking about," McKay countered. "That thing has a heavily modified Stargate that's capable of overriding Atlantis' control crystal. Look," he said in an irritated tone when no one understood what he meant, "we figured out a long time ago that, when there are two Gates on the same planet, whichever one was put there first is the 'Home Gate.' Whenever a wormhole is dialed in, it connects to the Home Gate before any other Gate. That Stargate just broke that rule. To do that, you have to have a newer model Gate. A Pegasus Gate taken to Earth would override the SGC's Stargate so that any incoming wormholes would connect to it. To do that to a Pegasus Gate, you'd need Atlantis' master control crystal. To do that to Atlantis, you'd have to…"
"Build a newer Gate," Weir realized. "It's the Replicators!"
"I hope so," McKay replied.
"You hope so?" Teyla asked.
"It's either them or we've discovered another super powerful enemy. That, and, if it is them, we know what they're capable of. They have the means of producing an unlimited number of ZedPMs. Stargate Command has faced attacks like this before in the past. If you channel enough energy through a Stargate, you can keep it open indefinitely. If the Apollo hadn't have forced the satellite out of orbit, forty minutes from now we'd still be under attack. I'm certain that jumping into hyperspace and cutting off the Gate was the last thing they wanted to do, but we forced it to happen and now we've got the upper hand. For the next thirty… three minutes, they can't attack us. That being said, I can guarantee you that they'll be back and dialing in to pick up their attack the exact moment our Gate shuts down."
"They can do that?" Ellis asked.
"You said it yourself, Colonel. They're weapons, not people. They calculate things faster than we can think them," Weir replied. "It was dumb luck that we managed to get this far."
"I disagree," Amelia countered. "The Replicators couldn't have known what advances Earth has made in the past few weeks. There's no way they could've planned for the Apollo's upgrades. It's more than luck, Doctor."
"So what do we do?" Weir asked.
"We could cloak the city," Zelenka suggested.
"Sweeping the beam across the planet near our last known location would eventually find us and the shield would be offline so we'd be screwed, moving while cloaked would give us away that much faster since the waves we'd create would be impossible to hide, and moving to another part of the planet then cloaking still leaves them with an infinite Gate connection and a weapon with limitless power sweeping across the planet looking for us," McKay shot back.
"Then we could submerge the city. That would, at least, attenuate the beam's energy during the next attack."
"I'd rather avoid the part where we get attacked again," Weir replied.
"We know from experience that three ZedPMs can hold back the oceans for ten-thousand years, yes," McKay said, ignoring Weir entirely, "but Wraith weapons are nowhere near that powerful as this satellite. A sustained beam would cut through the water with a great deal of efficiency. Combined with the weight of the ocean, we'd probably end up taxing the shield more by submerging it. Not to mention, the Replicators just learned a lot about us. They know the Apollo's a threat, but they also know that Atlantis has weapons. If I were them, there'd be sensors on that satellite which means they probably know we have all three ZedPMs powering the city."
"Which means they'll respond accordingly," Zelenka added in a tone of defeat.
"What do you mean?" Weir asked.
"Right now, it's a battle of three ZedPMs versus one. They only used one because they're patient and only one is needed to power the Gate, the beam, and the shield. With a simple matter of waiting, they could destroy Atlantis given enough time. Even with three ZedPMs, the shield will only hold as long as the ZedPMs have a charge. Once their ZedPM get low, they'll switch it out. We don't have that luxury," McKay replied.
"And the Replicators will add more ZPMs to the beam," Zelenka added.
"Which means?" Sheppard asked.
"Which means that, the next time they fire on the city, it'll be with the force of multiple ZedPMs instead of just one, the shield will be depleted that much faster, and we will die that much sooner," McKay shot back.
"Which brings me back to my point," Weir injected forcefully. "I'd rather avoid the part where we get attacked again."
"It's a beam coming from an object in orbit…" McKay began to argue before trailing off. He snapped his figures excitedly and started looking through the database.
"Are you going to finish that sentence?" Sheppard asked.
"It's a beam coming from an object in orbit. As such, even if we're under water or cloaked, there is nowhere on the face of this planet that that thing cannot get us."
"You don't think…" Weir began.
"Yes," McKay answered the half-asked question.
"Is the stardrive too banged up?" Weir asked.
"No, the Replicators fixed all the damage we did with the drones. We just need a new planet," McKay replied without looking up.
"But ideally…" Weir began, again McKay cutting her off.
"It may be the only way," McKay finished.
"What?" Ellis asked.
"Got it," McKay said as he brought up a database entry of a planet with a large ocean and no native populace.
"What's going on?" Ellis asked. Not being present for their ramblings meant he had no idea what the people were doing as they spoke.
"We're leaving," Sheppard replied smugly as he caught onto what the other two meant.
"Leaving?"
"Now that's the best idea I've heard all day," Chuck said with a smile.
Hitting the city's internal comms, Weir said, "May I have your attention? As you all know, we have found ourselves in a spot of trouble. The reality is, that no matter where we try to hide on this planet, the Replicator satellite will be able to find us. They have already told us they're a patient race, and I'm not willing to risk everyone's lives testing that claim. Therefore, Dr. McKay has come up with a rather ingenious way for us to escape the satellite's range altogether. In the next few minutes, we will fire the city's stardrive and head into space. Atlantis is leaving this planet."
"Just one problem," McKay said. "It'll take us more than thirty minutes to get the systems ready and everything valuable strapped down. We're going to need a diversion."
"You want the Apollo to fight the satellite again?" Sheppard asked.
"Would someone lower the shield so I can beam down?" Ellis asked irritably.
"Is it safe?" Weir asked.
"Sure, but do we really want him down here?" McKay replied.
"Rodney," Weir said in warning.
"Fine," McKay said with a huff as he lowered the shield. Colonel Ellis appeared a second later.
"So what's the plan here?" Ellis asked.
"We need the Apollo to go back to Asuras and destroy their Gate facility. If we do that, it'll force them to build another Gate to shot the beam through, or they'll have to steal one from another world. Either way, it buys us the half hour we need on top of the half hour we have. That hour will give us all the time we need to break orbit and jump into hyperspace before they can dial in again, but the attack does have to happen right as our Gate goes offline. Destroying theirs while it's active will amplify the explosive force by several magnitudes. When SG-1 detonated a Mark IX next to an active Gate, it covered seventy percent of the target planet. That would buy us some serious time!" McKay explained.
"We don't have a Mark IX," Ellis countered.
"Then we just need to get one," Weir said matter-of-factly. "Amelia, where's the satellite?"
"A few light seconds away," the woman replied after checking their long ranged sensors.
"If the Apollo launches now and attacks the satellite, would we be able to dial Stargate Command before they can get into orbit and dial in?"
"We'd be cutting it close," Chuck replied. "They'll send that satellite our way the moment they so much as think the Gate's been shut down, and it takes longer to dial eight chevrons than it does to dial seven."
"So dialing Earth, requesting the Mark IX, then having them dial in before the Asurans can wouldn't work?" Weir asked.
"No, it wouldn't," Chuck replied. "Stargate Command uses a supercomputer to dial its Gate. Their dialing process is slower than everyone else's because of it, but we've used the computer to override the Gate's core functions on more than one occasion. Long story short, they wouldn't be able to finish dialing in before the Replicators could."
"And even if we dialed them and requested the bomb, the Odyssey would be four days out," Ariella added.
"What about the Cursor?" Sheppard asked. "They gave it a ZPM and Asgard ships are faster than ours by default. Would that work?"
"We don't need a Mark IX," Ellis interrupted them. "It would have the largest yield, yes, but that's not the point of this. We don't need to destroy seventy percent of their planet, we just need to destroy the Gate facility. Personally, I would love to have a copy of the weapon Anubis had on his flagship. Shooting their Gate through a pyramid with that thing outright destroyed Abydos."
"Whatever the plan is, we need to figure it out as soon as possible. We'll start tying down anything valuable, but once they dial in, that beam will start taxing the shield. If they amp up the power, it's possible the strain will be too much for the ZPMs to power the shield to hold it back and power the engines," McKay interrupted.
"Stargate Command is currently gearing up for a full-on assault at the hands of the Ori. They won't send another ship out of the galaxy, and wouldn't have sent the Apollo if the Replicators hadn't been building ships. The Cursor won't be coming, but we don't really need it. If the Odyssey can destroy an Ori Mothership, than the Apollo can take on a few Replicator ships. The plan is as Doctor McKay said, but without the Mark IX. We'll hit them a Mark VIII instead," Ellis replied.
"The Mark IX wasn't designed to destroy hostile ships," McKay countered in an annoyed tone. "The Mark III through VIII were. Using the Mark IXs like you did, while useful, goes against their given purpose. They were designed specifically to destroy an active Gate because nothing short of a Mark IX can destroy an active Gate. If you don't destroy the Gate, the plan fails."
"Then what do you propose, Doctor?" Ellis asked.
***Perseus Nebula (Aralakh System)***
**Fourth Planet from Aralakh (Surface)**
*Unknown City (Outskirts)*
The dark robed figure moved like a shadow from one place to another. Most avoided it. Some dared to look at it. Very few stood their ground against it. It had purpose. It moved with that purpose. That purpose took it to the Great Temple. It ascended the stairs and guards stood in its way.
'I don't think your plan is working here,' Widget said in Sieon mind.
'Then we go to Plan B,' Sieon replied with a sigh. Shrugging his shoulders, Sieon let the robe that covered his armored form fall away. No longer hindered by it, he raised his hands, body glowing, and reduced the duo of guards to atoms drifting in the breeze. That got him noticed.
Plasma rounds slammed into his back, his barrier easily redirecting the energy away from his body. Ignoring the locals who were simply firing to say they helped to avoid the wrath of the Goa'uld who lorded over them, Sieon marched into the temple. As more Jaffa came running at him with weapons raised, his body glowed and gravity shifted. All around him, anything not bolted to the floor drifted into the air. Then, with a sickening crunch, it all came back down with the force of falling from orbit. Blood spatter coated the walls, the floor, and ceiling in equal measure as the Furling walked past the dead without slowing, his black armor now painted crimson.
In the next room, he gathered his biotics in his hand and fired a mass of swirling energy into the ceiling. As everyone and everything in the room was pulled towards the Singularity, he gathered a Warp in his other hand and threw the matter disruption bomb into the heart of the swirling mass. The explosion that resulted blew the ceiling into the room above, killing the Jaffa there as well, before debris rained down into the room he was in. Anything that would've crushed him either crumbled before it could hit him, or froze in the air as gravity obeyed his will. With a shifting of gravity and the lessening of his mass, Sieon rose into the air and ascended the first level of the temple. One floor down, another forty-nine to go.
Sieon, still floating in the air, looked around himself then shrugged to no one in particular. He gathered the energy of his body into his hand until the buildup of power was too great for him to contain. Then he raised his hand and fired a beam of dark matter into the ceiling above him. Flying up as the beam ate through the materials that composed the temple and made room for him, Sieon ascended the temple to the very top then stopped as he came to a hover before the Goa'uld who lived within, his hair and any loose fabric on his armor flowing around him like seaweed in the waves as entropic energy radiated off of his body.
He looked first to the Goa'uld, then to the small black box sitting beside him. "You have something I want," Sieon said in Goa'uld as he drifted down and his feet touched the floor.
"And what makes you think you're entitled to that which is mine?" the Goa'uld asked darkly.
"Do you truly wish to test the nonexistent power of your pathetic race against mine?" Sieon shot back with venom and force. "We both know the Goa'uld are nothing more than parasitic imposters. You are mortal. I have lived longer than you could possibly imagine. Now, I can either kill you and take what I want, or I can take what I want and leave."
"You can try, creature, but you will find that the power of the Goa'uld is far from nonexist…" the Goa'uld began before Sieon raised his hand.
The Host's face twisted into a mask of pain as a biotic field tore away at his insides. Finally the suffering stopped and the man collapsed out of the throne chair and vomited. Present in the bile was the warped remains of the symbiote's head. "What… what did you do?" the man asked.
"Destroyed that which is the Goa'uld," Sieon replied.
"Thank you," the man gasped. "Thank you!"
Largely ignoring the man's praising, Sieon walked over to the device he sought and grabbed the fourth of the data recorders Rana had scattered across the galaxy. Something was wrong with this one. It felt… light. Sieon looked around the Throne Room and made sure this was the only object matching the description Widget had given him then allowed his eyes to linger on the man before him. Leaving him would assure the man's death by torture, so he grabbed the man under the arm and teleported back to the shuttle that was waiting in orbit. The shuttle then jumped into FTL and appeared next to the Nex which was waiting in the void between systems.
"How'd it go?" Widget asked as Sieon docked the shuttle then appeared in the CIC.
"Something's wrong," Sieon replied as held out the data recorder, the man behind him looking around in awe. Since the two Furlings were speaking the language native to them, the man was left standing to the side confused as to what was going on.
"It's a fake," Widget informed him after a minor scan. Upon further scanning, he found something… interesting. "I know this technology," Widget mused.
"What technology?" Sieon asked.
"There's a microchip in the casing. It's similar to a Tau'ri memory unit."
"Then the Tau'ri have the box?"
"No," Widget replied as he hacked into the memory unit. "I said it's similar to a Tau'ri memory unit. There's a file on the card. It's… it's a message written in Furling."
"How does that make sense?"
"Because this isn't a search for twelve pieces of a map, it's a search for twelve pieces of a computer that reveals the map," Widget replied as a line of text appeared in holographic form in front of Sieon.
To Those Who Made This,
We owe you much in the way of thanks. The technology you have provided has given a helpless alliance what it needed to survive the wrath of those infinitely their greater. If this is ever recovered by one who can read this, then we wish to say that you are welcome amongst our people. We are where you left It.
"Where 'who' left 'what'?" Sieon asked, more than a little frustrated.
"Where Rana left the computer that reads the data on the memory units," Widget replied. "They found the computer."
"Now the question is…" Sieon began.
"Who's 'they'?" Widget finished with a nod. "And who's he?" he then added in Goa'uld to save the man the suffering of not knowing.
"He used to be a Goa'uld," Sieon replied absently. "I figured the Tok'ra would take him if not the people of Earth. I wasn't about to leave him there to die."
"Nice to see you taking in new people and not dropping them in the Brig," Widget said with a smirk.
"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Sieon asked.
"Nope," Widget replied before leading the man out of the room, the two conversing in Goa'uld since it was the only language the man knew.
***Pegasus Galaxy (Former Ancient Territory)***
**Lantea (Surface)**
*Atlantis (Control Room)*
"Alright, Doctor, we're in position," Colonel Ellis replied. "Are you sure these modifications will work?"
"Sure, just don't expect them to last. You're going to lose your weapons systems with the first shot," McKay replied.
"What?!" Ellis exclaimed.
"But the Gate will be destroyed and that's all that matters," McKay assured him.
"The Gate's shutting down in three…" Chuck began.
"The satellite's back," Amelia announced.
"Two…"
"Opening fire," Sheppard reported as the ion cannons started hammering away at the satellite. That part was, for obvious reasons, just for show. The Replicators had to believe they were still trying to fight.
"One…"
"It's not enough," Zelenka informed Sheppard though both men already knew it wouldn't be.
"That's it!" Chuck finished as the Gate shut off.
"They've dialed in," Amelia said.
"And… we're hit," Chuck finished as the city shook under their feet as the beam pushed its massive bulk down into the water. This time, however, the shaking was far more severe.
"I told you they'd add more power to the beam," McKay mumbled.
As the city stabilized beneath them, Weir said, "You have a go. Destroy the Gate then get the hell out of there! We'll meet you at the new planet."
"Copy that. Firing now," Ellis replied.
McKay wished he could see what it looked like. They had scrapped all of the Apollo's beam weapons and used them to make on, longer-sustained beam by splicing the capacitors together. All the Replicators would see was a ship in orbit shooting them with ion and plasma cannons. Then the beam would hit the Gate. One beam held for ten seconds. That's how long it would take to saturate the naquadah in the Gate enough to overload it. It's also how long the modified weapon would last before the Apollo lost beam weapons entirely to the unavoidable overload.
"That's it, their Gate is gone," Ellis reported.
An explosion in orbit caught their attention as the energy of one Gate overloading being channeled through another caused both to be destroyed. The satellite broke apart in orbit and Amelia smiled. That hadn't been the plan, but it worked to their advantage. Now the Asurans would need another satellite, and two Stargates to try that again. One of which they'd have to produce themselves to bypass Atlantis' control crystal.
"Well, that bought us an entire day at least," McKay said with a smug smile.
"The Apollo has cleared our airspace. Are we ready?" Weir asked.
"Not yet," McKay replied in an annoyed tone. "They're still strapping down some of the more vital stuff we can't risk toppling over during reentry. We'll be ready to move in twenty minutes, and we have a day to get off-world undetected."
*Atlantis (Control Room) [twenty-five minutes later]*
"You ready, John?" Weir asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Sheppard replied from his place in the Control Chair. "What about you?"
"We're ready on our end. Fire the stardrive," McKay ordered.
As Sheppard focused on the city's engines, steam rose into the air en mass as the city's powerful engines flared to life and the ocean boiled around them. In the Control Chair, Sheppard focused his attention with his eyes closed and took the city up until they broke free of the planet's gravity well.
With a grunt of effort, Sheppard said, "I'm taking us into hyperspace." There was a lurch as the stardrive that hadn't been used in God only knows how long tore open the fabric of space and entered the realm of subspace. "We did it," Sheppard breathed a sigh of relief as the city barreled through subspace.
*Atlantis (Control Room) [one hour later]*
They were in hyperspace for an hour, the first of three that would be spent in hyperspace, and McKay was running another diagnostic on the stardrive. "How's it holding up?" Weir asked.
"Well, we're moving at about ten percent of our maximum speed, but that's because we don't want to push the engines too far too fast. It looks like the Replicators really did us a favor when they kicked the Ancients out of the city. They actually upgraded the stardrive."
"Nice to know something good came out of that," Weir said with a smile.
"You mean other than the three ZedPMs we got? Without that raid, the Artic Outpost and the Odyssey wouldn't have gotten their ZedPMs and the Odyssey would likely have been destroyed by now."
"Ma'am, I'm picking up a distress signal," Chuck interrupted them.
"A distress signal?" Weir asked. "From who?"
"I don't know, ma'am, but they're broadcasting on our IFF frequencies.
"Where are they?"
"A few light seconds off of our current course. It looks like they're over a Wraith lab world."
"Not just any Wraith lab world," McKay said as he read over the screen. "That's the lab where the Wraith were improving their hyperdrives. With the Daedalus as damaged as she was, we couldn't do anything about it."
"I remember General Landry saying he would get a ship in orbit as soon as possible, but that wouldn't be now. Not with the Ori coming," Weir said with a look of confusion. "You think they're in trouble?"
"They wouldn't be broadcasting a distress signal if they weren't," Amelia replied.
"John, drop us out of hyperspace," Weir ordered.
"What?" John asked, confused as he was not privy to what was happening.
"We've picked up a distress signal," Weir replied.
***Pegasus Galaxy (Wraith Territory)***
**Wraith Lab World (Orbit)**
*Relentless Annoyance (Combat Information Center)*
"Sir, we've got two unknowns inbound," the navigational officer reported.
"Shut off the signal," Colonel Walter McMillan ordered.
"Distress call is offline," the comms officer reported.
"Orders, sir?" the tactical officer asked.
"Get ready to run," Walter ordered.
To emphasize his point, a hyperspace window opened and a Wraith Hiveship dropped out of subspace. "They're scanning for us," the Colonel's Executive Officer reported.
"We knew this would be a risk," Walter replied. "What's the status of the hyperdrive?"
"Still unresponsive," the lead technician reported. "We can't fix her without more parts."
"Then we're stranded here until a friendlier species than the Wraith comes to help us," Walter said with a determined nod.
"Sir, the second unknown is…" the navigator began before they all went silent.
"That's a massive hyper…" another technician began before a city dropped out of the massive hyperspace window.
"Is that…?" Lieutenant Colonel Maria Weber, Walter's Executive Officer, half-asked.
*Atlantis (Control Room)*
"Wraith Hive, dead ahead," Chuck reported.
"Sheppard!" Weir began.
"I see 'em," Sheppard replied.
A second later, the city's ion cannon turrets came online and opened fire on the Hive. As the Hive and the city closed on one another, the plasma cannons added their fire into the mix. The city had several weapon emplacements, but they weren't fully installed yet. Only a third of what was scheduled to be added had been, and, of those, only half of them were actually able to be controlled by the Chair. Still, it was more than enough to eliminate a Hive without the beam weapons or the unnecessary depletion of their limited drone reserves.
From his spot on the balcony, Ronon came back into the Control Room with a smile on his face. "That was cool," he said as the remains of the Hive rained down into the atmosphere of the planet they were now orbiting.
"We're being hailed," Chuck announced as the Hive broke apart under bombardment.
"Put them on," Weir ordered. When a Human face appeared on the screen, Weir had to admit she was surprised. Then again, most life in the universe seemed to be Human. "I'm Doctor Elizabeth Weir, leader of the Atlantis Expedition. To whom am I speaking?"
"I'm not sure I know how to answer that question, Doctor," the man replied. "Or, I should say, I'm not sure you'd believe the answer. I'd like to say that I'm Colonel Walter McMillan, born and raised on Earth, but I'm not sure I would be talking about your Earth."
***Pegasus Galaxy (Unclaimed Territory)***
**New Lantea (Orbit)**
*Atlantis (Weir's Office) [two-and-a-half hours later]*
"I have to say, that is quite the story," Weir said as she stood up to leave her office. The Colonel followed behind her as she made her way to the Control Room. Getting the small ship the Colonel's team owned through their shield had involved dropping the city into breathable atmosphere, lowering the shield, taking on the ship, raising the shield, then finally getting back into hyperspace. In the end, it had added an extra half hour to their travel time. "We've had encounters with people from alternate realties before, but nothing like this."
"'Alternate reality.' Right," McKay huffed as the duo walked past them.
"Doctor McKay, if I was from your Earth, I assure you that your people would be as well-off as mine. My ship may be small, but it still packs enough punch to take on three Wraith Cruisers. Do you have particle cannons?"
"No," McKay replied, "but we do have…"
"Do you have anti-proton thrusters? Do you have honest-to-god laser beams? What about dark matter drive cores?" When McKay fell silent, the man finished by saying, "Our technology base is different from yours because we're not from your Earth. Everything we have is based off of the technology of another universe. Where I come from, Doctor Weir is dead, General Richard Woolsey leads the Atlantis Expedition, you were thrown in prison for selling Ancient technology on the galactic black market, the Korolev survived the battle of the Supergate and the Odyssey was destroyed, Earth was invaded and conquered by a race of sentient machines, and several other key factors that lead me to believe that your reality is not mine."
"We're entering the atmosphere," Chuck reported while trying to hide the surprise in his voice. That last one was one hell of a difference.
"I'll leave you to your work. I need to go inform my crew that we won't be going home any time soon," Colonel McMillan said before saluting Weir and walking off.
"That was strange," Weir said.
"General Woolsey?" Amelia asked.
"I am so glad I don't live in their reality," McKay added.
"What's the matter, Rodney? Afraid of a little jail time?" Weir asked with a smile as they dropped into the atmosphere.
"You wouldn't want to live there, either," he pointed out. "You'd already be dead."