Here's the next chapter for you all, questions will be answered and others will be asked. Note: I only own what characters i create, the names and places i invent and the ships and vehicles i seem to be designing in droves for this single story.
I would like to thank AlexanderD for all his help and i strongly recomend reading his story New Dawn. I hope he likes the character named after him Admiral Alec Xander.
For those of you interested in what some of the ships featured in this story look like here are a few sketches on photobucket: .com/albums/ae166/Senrab_Nomis/
Please review and i will respond. Or alternatively post in the thread for this story in my forum. .net/topic/84023/35075481/1/
Review Responses
AlexanderD: Its a bad day if i can't think up a cruel cliffhanger, they are so much fun. Realistically it is the only sensible option if you want to not be looked down upon by a race you owe so much to so i think this will keep the Asgard happy. Besides a lot of the LA were in the same position as the Jaffa so that settled it.
Shadows-of-Realm: That is something i have been aware of since i first started writing this. There are many dangers lurking in the deep black waiting to come out and play.
orionastro: Glad you like it. As i mentioned in my message current Tau'ri tech makes things like phasers and photon torpedoes rather pointless to develop what with plasma beams, mark ix's and drone weapons covering all bases.
jackpotdante: Minimum civilian casualties, check.
Jedi Carpet: I'm glad you think so. I was worried people might dislike the slightly soft handed approach.
Hydroplatypus: Everyone wants to see a threat emerge. I suppose if you want to hide something you put it in plain sight.
steamedgreal: I'm glad you are enjoying it.
laneteanscribe: Request achknowledged. I'll see what i can do.
Valley Forge
From the outside the station situated between two stations seemed quite peaceful, with no ships coming or going from her numerous hanger bays. In the space around it all was calm but the gate room was alive with frantic activity. Marching in line out of the Milky Way stargate was a procession of Titan battlesuits and eventually even the substantial space of the large gate room would be filled to capacity. Mechanical giant after mechanical giant emerged from the gate only to be followed by another one. Each one of the metal warriors looked pristine, almost like they had suffered no battle damage at all which in fact they hadn't their shields having performed flawlessly in battle against the admittedly low yield weapons the Lucian Alliance had wielded against them. There were no humans in the gate room, there wasn't room for them, and instead they had retreated back to the observation platforms lining the long sides of the gate room where they could marvel at their ally's latest creation.
Patiently the Vanir and Asgard that were piloting their respective suits waited for the rest of their race to emerge from the event horizon so that they could dial the Pegasus gate and return to the Vanir City on Vanheim. There the suits would receive maintenance and have their combat performance analyzed, with the results determining what the future would be for the suits design. Unbeknownst to the humans watching from above two of the suits pilots were in the middle of a rather heated debate while they waited for the time to pass.
"Look I'm telling you young one that nine times out of ten you are more than likely to come off worse from that one extra hit you couldn't take than a single knock out blow," argued a confident female voice.
"Well I am telling you that you are more likely to be bombarded by firepower and if you keep getting pummelled then you are going to go down if you can't take all the hits," a distinctly male voice argued back.
The other Asgard pilots who had resisted the urge to change frequencies simply rolled their eyes at the argument that had been going on for so long. What had in fact started as a calm and reasoned argument with scientific fact to back up their own arguments had eventually regressed to the point that the two were now trying to use metaphors to get their point across, and neither side was willing to back down.
"Freyr listen to your elders because we know what we are talking about. Barriers are all well and good until you get hit by something hard enough to punch through them and against something that can do that trinium armour won't hold out for a second."
"Maybe Skade but until we start seeing an enemy with a weapon capable of doing that then we are better off with barriers rather capacitor shields. These suits were designed to get in the thick of combat and in the middle of a battle in something this big you are only going to be a massive target for every gun the enemy has. Barriers will be able to hold out against everything thrown against you even if you are being hit from all sides, something the Ori proved rather well when they launched their crusade."
"A barrier shield drains far more power per second its active though because it is at a constant level of strength, the enemy only has to keep chucking rocks at you and eventually your crystal power cells will run out just from maintaining such a strong barrier, not to mention the fact that they are limited by how much power you can pump out. Besides with a capacitor shield you can resist a large burst of energy that would otherwise tear right through your barrier shields, not to mention that you can recharge so that you can keep fighting for longer."
"And I keep telling that if you are going to be hit constantly a barrier is the only thing between you and getting pummelled into the ground," Freyr stated factly turning his suit towards the Vanir.
"And I keep telling that a barrier can only take so much in one spot before it fails and the excess starts leaking though," Skade argued turning her own suit to face the Asgard.
"Enough both of you!" yelled a male voice causing both Asgard to wince.
"Sorry Supreme Commander Thor," apologised Freyr. "I didn't know that you were listening to our little debate."
"A debate is just a quiet argument," stated Thor as the suit in front of the bickering pair turned around. "And you two were certainly not quiet."
Freyr winced as he realised that not only had he been overhead by the Supreme Commander but he had been standing only a meter away. Freyr may also be a member of the Asgard High Council and so of the same station but he had heard the legends of the great warrior same as any Asgard.
"Well tell us what you think then Supreme Commander and we can settle this once and for all," requested Skade politely.
"I think you two have both missed the point the other was trying to make," Thor stated calmly. "And as a result you have failed to realise that a solution already exists that satisfies both problems."
"And what would that be?" asked Skade curiously.
"A strength adjusting barrier shield powered by a capacitor and generator combination. In other words the same design that the Alteran city ships utilise," said Thor before turning round.
"You know that's actually a pretty good idea," admitted Skade.
"That's why he's the Supreme Commander," said Freyr.
"Indeed," said Thor with an unseen smile.
"You know," said Skade on a now private channel. "He reminds me of Njord in his younger days."
"I definitely agree with you there," said Freyr. The legends of Njord were just as well known as those about Thor.
"You know I heard a rumour that he was the one who captured the Lucian Alliance leader," said Skade.
"So did I actually," admitted Freyr. "But I thought he was on the O'Neill during that battle. I didn't think he was actually on the front lines."
"Well apparently he was," said Skade. "I guess the rumour must have been true."
"It certainly looks that way."
While this argument was going on the last of the Titans were emerging from the stargate and they were finally ready to send them through to the Vanir city on Vanheim. For this leg of the journey however there would be no need for them to simply walk through the Pegasus stargate as for the sake of speed and practicality transporters would be used. The inspiration for this idea came from the transport obelisk that Morgan Le Fey had used to periodically shift the location of Merlin and lab. Since the Vanir gate room lacked the ability to provide easy access to the rest of their city due to fear of a Wraith attack it would be a long and arduous task to bring the large group through on foot. So they were using the transport receiver which, as an act of friendship, the Tau'ri had gifted the Vanir with a variant of that was of their own design. As the group of Titans were beamed to other side they would be relayed to a dedicated hanger further away from the gate room and once there the pilots could finally disembark from the suits.
This particular technological upgrade was not the only change that the Valley Forge had undergone in the past two years. With a much larger fleet now in existence the need arose for a much larger port for the ships to potentially stop at during trips between galaxies, not to mention the fact that much larger ships now required a place to dock with the construction of so many Pegasus-class ships. As it currently stood though if one of those ships couldn't make it from one galaxy to the next then they were unlikely to make it the distance between voids so this wasn't considered a great issue since the ships were designed as mobile stations primarily. Some forethought had gone into this however when the design was first considered. It had been realised that a group of individual anchorages would be highly vulnerable since they could be individually targeted. So it was decided to add the option to add sections to the station that were also capable of operating independently. The original Midway II possessed docking clamps at either end to allow the station to connect to a modified station of the same class. The modified versions had open topped main hangers with each end having the openings on the reverse facing. The draw back however being that this left them slightly more vulnerable to attack due to the removal of half the defensive weaponry on that particular facing. To make up for the lack of armour though a secondary shield was added to cover the hangers and allowing for atmosphere retention. Aside from this particular design change the only other change was the addition of an internal transporter grid, the same addition the Valley Forge had, and the removal of the gate room. The main command area was left intact but the controls were relegated to those on the Valley Forge.
So far six of these modules had been constructed and were in position to be connected, a task which would be completed once the Titans had left. The limited number was due to the fact that the Tau'ri were currently negotiating with the Averians for the basic design plans for Hope.
One major change to the modules design was the lack of a fighter compliment. While Valley Forge had at first possessed F-302's those were the only fighters present on the upgraded station. The additional modules hangers had not been equipped with 302's but Tau'ri recon drones. At four metres long, one and a half metres wide and a metre in height, and bearing a passing resemblance to a stealth bomber, these slightly boxy craft were arguably the most un-aerodynamic aircraft the Tau'ri had ever produced. But equipped with stealth technology, anti-gravity, an advanced crystal processor and a mini naquadah generator they were high tech enough for this to matter little. Adding onto the list twin plasma blasters, eight naquadah-potassium rockets and the ability to operate independently or remotely and they made ideal scout and patrol craft. The recon drones were present on every 306 in the fleet, and had been ever since the Weir had been launched, possessing their own hanger below the puddle jumper hanger. To date though the drones had never been needed and so had never been seen in action but if they could ever acquire the plans for Hope then the fighters on the station would be replaced with these automated defenders.
Atlantis
The millennia old city rested gently on the calm ocean surface, the sky a clear blue and the sun shining down. The past two years had been the most peaceful that the new inhabitants had ever experienced since the first of them set foot in the city seven years ago.
On the observation deck on the command tower Richard Woolsey leant against the railing and reflected on what had brought him to this time and place. Although he had not been the appointed leader of the expedition, or even a member, for as long as most of the unsung heroes who called this city home he had found a place here. At first the cities inhabitants had viewed him with a certain amount of hostility, he was a by the book man appointed by the IOA to enforce their will, even if that will was misguided. It wasn't long before he had had his eyes forced open and he came to realise that the rules are there for a reason but you can't always follow the rules and do the right thing. The rules are all followed in an ideal universe, and the Pegasus galaxy was not only far from an ideal universe at times but operated with its own rule book entirely. In a galaxy where there are space vampires knocking on your door that are more than willing to either eat you or settle for blasting you into the stone age you have to adapt to the circumstances.
Being out here in the grand universe, not trapped on a single world, you quickly had your horizons broadened. So the rest of the city had come to accept him as a leader and as an individual. He had definitely changed in just that first year alone, but he could see that it was a change for the better. The people in this city were his responsibility and that meant he had to do what was best for them, even if he rest of the IOA disagreed with what was best for them.
In the background he could hear the gentle hum of the stargate powering up. Straightening he turned and walked into the control room in time to see the sixth symbol lock into place.
"What have we got Chuck?" he asked. It had taken a while but he finally remembered the gate technicians name correctly.
"Unscheduled off world activation sir," Chuck replied as the seventh symbol locked and the event horizon formed, the kawoosh was contained by the shield. "Wait…receiving IDC. Its Midway sir."
"Lower the shield."
With the shield lowered the travellers were free to step through. From the event horizon emerged the business suit clad form of Carl Strom, along with the rest of the IOA representatives.
Woolsey decided to borrow one of McKay's lines of choice for situations like this.
"Oh crap," he muttered.
Out loud he said "Welcome to Atlantis," and attempted to sound sincere.
The silence that radiated from everyone else in the control room was deafening. You could hear the sound of a pin drop.
"Now that we're all seated I have to ask, what brings you all here?" Woolsey asked.
The expedition leader and the other members of the IOA had eventually relocated to the conference room after the IOA members had been given a brief courtesy tour of the great city and been assigned temporary quarters. With all the IOA board members sitting across from him the atmosphere being created seemed almost oppressive. It almost looked like he was being called before the IOA members to answer for his actions.
"Well," began Carl Strom, the head of the IOA. "We so rarely get the chance to get out and see the universe we hear so much from you all about. But with the opportunity presented by the removal of the Lucian Alliance threat and Destiny's rest period we thought it was about time we do something to change that."
"So here you are," said Woolsey, more dryly than he intended given the circumstances.
"Here we are," said Strom, with a faint smile playing on his lips.
"I must admit it is nice to be back in Atlantis," said Shen, the Chinese representative, sickly sweetly. "I look forward to spending more time here."
The unspoken implication was not lost on Woolsey. He remembered the last time she had come to Atlantis while he was in command she had to usurp him from his position. He fully intended to make the time that she, and the rest of the IOA, spent in Atlantis as short as possible, and more importantly limited.
"Well I hope your personal report on your time spent here will be just as flattering as last time Ms Xiaoyi," said Woolsey. "Although since my command style hasn't changed in the slightest since then I cannot see any reason for it not to be."
Shen shot him a look that hinted that she was restraining herself. Politically she was backed into a corner since that report meant that he unofficially had her support providing he did nothing out of the ordinary.
"Your record of accomplishments cannot be doubted," said Coolidge, the American representative. "You have been quite successful during your time here, much like Colonel Carter during her time."
"It almost seems a waste of your talents to be stuck here," added Shen. "There hasn't been much for you to do here in the past two years that's worthy of your talents."
"It's nice to know how much I am appreciated by you all," said Woolsey, his experience as a lawyer coming into play.
"Even your more questionable decisions when you went against established protocol can be seen as having been beneficial in the end," said Jean LaPierre, the French representative.
"Of course when one is in such extraordinary circumstances one has to go with the flow as it were," said Russel Chapman, the British representative. "You see some extraordinary things out here and it's difficult to not be affected by them."
"Although with your success in Atlantis one wonders what would be next for you," said Shen.
"When such a time comes I will rise to the challenge," said Woolsey diplomatically.
Clearly they couldn't simply chuck him out for doing a job, which he had known from before they had turned up. Ironically Shen's positive review was working against them. Woolsey figured that they were trying to find evidence that he was being 'wasted' in this position since it had been so quiet lately.
"Of course a replacement for you would be hard to find," continued Strom. "But clearly the city benefits from being under the command of an IOA representative."
"I'm sure someone suitable will be eventually found," said Woolsey, rising from his seat to the surprise of the others. "However I am afraid we will have to consider this another time as I have an urgent appointment to keep."
"An appointment?" asked Strom surprised. An expression mirrored by the other IOA members.
"Nothing to worry about just finalising some negotiations with a man I have been fortunate enough to call a friend over the past two years," said Woolsey with a smile as he casually strode down into the gate room as the IOA members followed in tow.
"He should be arriving about now," and right on cue the stargate lit up.
"Scheduled off world activation," said Chuck with a smirk that went unnoticed by the slightly shocked IOA members.
Emerging from the shimmering event horizon strode Minister Jakose, straight from Averia.
"Ah Richard," said Jakose with a beaming smile, his eyes darting to the assembled IOA delegation. "It's good to see you again. I very much look forward to sealing this particular deal."
"Glad you could come Javin," said Woolsey shaking his friend by the hand. "I must apologise for any inconvenience this might have caused you."
"Nonsense, it was no trouble at all. What is the point of being the leader of a galactic power if you can't reschedule an important appointment? My people have been looking forward to further solidifying the bonds between us so why would anyone complain about moving it forward."
"Ah yes I have what you requested and I trust you have what we agreed on?"
"Indeed I do," said Jakose as he held up his hand to reveal a small white stone. "I took the liberty of having it put onto one of the Vanir's data drives for you. It should save you a bit of time."
"That was very kind of you," said Woolsey. "I'm sure Thor will appreciate it."
"But enough about business for now," said Jakose turning to face the IOA delegation. "I believe you have yet to introduce us."
"Of course," said Woolsey before introducing each of them.
"Pleased to meet you all," said Jakose after the last hands had been shaken.
"And you Minister," said Strom, who had finally caught up with the situation happening around him. "I believe you mentioned a deal that involves the Asgard in some way."
"A minor trade between our peoples," explained Jakose. "Your people are being kind enough to gift us with a mining world close to Hope and a stargate to go with it, along with an introduction to the coalition. You know they hold Richard here in very high regard, of course like me they have had the chance to get to know him quite well over the years and he has certainly earned their trust. "
"And what are we getting in return?" asked Coolidge attempting to steer the conversation in a more favourable direction.
"The design plans for Hope," said Woolsey to the utter shock of the IOA delegates.
"You mean the space station you designed as a fallback should your homeworld ever be lost?" asked Strom.
"Yes, but only the basic design plans," said Jakose.
"The basics?" asked Shen.
"Superstructure, internal layout and basic support systems including blast doors, life support, light and artificial gravity," Jakose explained.
"So none of the weapons, shields, power generators or command systems designs is included then," Shen stated flatly.
"Nor are the maintenance robots that look like scorpions," said Woolsey. "McKay and Zelenka were very fond of those designs I recall."
"From what I understand you are certainly going to be coming out ahead in the end though," said Jakose. "A very suitable replacement for your Midway station I believe."
"It will take a long time to build such a station though," stated Shen, determined to point out the flaws in this agreement.
"Thank goodness for friends in high places," said Jakose with a smile.
"What friends?" asked Shen.
In a flash of light Thor appeared before them, leaving the IOA stunned once again.
"Ah Thor," said Woolsey. "Excellent timing."
"O'Neill informed me that the trade agreement would shortly be completed so I made sure to get here as quickly as possible," said Thor. "My ships have already begun collecting the remains of Abydos and Asura. The excess neutronium we are collecting will be more than enough compensation for the task."
"What task?" asked Strom, once again playing catch up.
"Construction of the new Midway station and modification of the design plans to bring it up to par with your current technology," stated Thor.
"What kind of upgrades?" asked Strom, his curiosity peaked.
"Replacement of the beam weapons, heavy plasma cannons, light plasma cannons and missile batteries with Grodins, plasma beams, ion cannons and drone weapons respectively," said Thor. "The inclusion of neutrino-ion generators, your latest shield designs, industrial construction beams, matter synthesisers, an internal and external transporter grid, deep space sensors, a more powerful subspace communication array and a gate room like your current Midway possesses. We are also increasing the size of the arm hangers so they can each hold one of your Pegasus-class vessels. We'll also relocate the Valley Forge to wherever you require once the new station is complete."
The silence that followed was broken only by the slight snickering from the gate room technicians and other expedition members taking in the show.
"You know," said Jakose, with a face of mock hurt. "I think I might actually be jealous of you."
"We are very welcome," said Woolsey, with a small smile.
"Yes, we are," said Strom as he processed just what they would be gaining.
"For the sake of convenience we will be building the station in the same system as your mining world and then moving it to the void," said Thor.
"And here are the design plans for you Supreme Commander," said Jakose, handing the Asgard the data stone.
"Ah," said the Asgard, looking at the stone intently. "It has been a while since I saw one of these."
"I thought it might bring back some memories," said Jakose. "You get a piece of your history and Richard gets another great achievement to add to the list. It was a pleasure meeting you all."
As Thor beamed away he started to stroll away with Woolsey.
"Well that's the vultures dealt with I think my friend," said Jakose quietly.
"Thank you for your help," said Woolsey, gratefully.
"Think nothing of it. I've dealt with their kind in my time."
"I'm just grateful that I was able to stall them with that tour."
"They should never have given you even that amount of time to prepare a defence."
"Well now they know better."
The IOA members just stood there for a while, not quite able to comprehend how they had been so easily outmanoeuvred. Strangely though they got the feeling that, even though they couldn't see or hear anyone, there was a group of people standing right next laughing their heads off. They put it down to their paranoia, after all they couldn't think of anyone who could go completely unnoticed. Of course others know better.
In a flash of light from a hyperspace window opening and closing a Wraith hive emerged back into real space. The hive was one of the latest designs and was the personal ship that Todd used when he wasn't travelling on the Arima. The hive was gifted with all the latest upgrades, stronger bio-armour, additional power generators and naquadah power boosters.
As the ship settled into orbit Todd opened a channel to the city ship on the planet below.
"Todd," said Woolsey. "What can I do for you?"
"I have a message from the Matriarch, the Wraith are going to war."
Woolsey visibly winced. "What happened?"
"The Zarinites attacked one of our shipyards," Todd said in a grave tone. "Many Wraith are dead as a result."
"I'm sorry for your people's loss. I'll convene an emergency meeting of our leaders immediately. In the mean time why don't you take a transport down to the city."
"I'll be with you shortly."
Once the link was severed Woolsey immediately started issuing orders.
"Contact all ship commanders and off world sites and inform them to go on high alert. Send a subspace data burst to Earth informing them of the situation and tell Colonel Sheppard I want him here at once. Then send the same message to Minister Jakose. Oh and contact Thor and tell him I would like him present as well, it looks like our plans are changing."
Please Review. I'm still taking ideas, anything you think this story is missing let me know and i will try to include it.