So who figured out the answer to the question Vejovis posed? How does someone become stronger without changing themselves in any way?

"What the hell is that?" Sheppard asked out loud as he was almost blinded by the glowing mass in the tank. "Who the hell is that talking?"

"It's Vejovis," Janus said through the com.

"Where is he?"

"Judging from the images being transmitted from your suit…those pods."

"They're all Vejovis?!"

"I'm afraid so, that was his solution."

"You make more of yourself and you grow stronger," Sheppard realised. "That's the answer."

"Such a limited imagination, so…human," Vejovis mocked. "The answer is not simply to make more of you, but to become more of yourself. To gain more of yourself."

"What does that mean?" McKay asked.

"Watch little human," Vejovis said, apparently having heard him. "Watch and maybe you will learn how limited your minds are."

In the pods the eyes of the Vejovis clones shot open. The Tau'ri and Asgard Valkyries in the room could only watch as the beings bodies warped and changed, turning into pure energy. Each and every one of the clones had ascended upon waking. Instead of leaving for a higher plain however their energy forms were sucked out of the pods and into the conduits. The conduits actually glowed as the ascended beings passed through them before they reached the large tank. As the forms hung around the central glowing mass like planets around a star an energy field started to glow around the tank, collapsing inwards until the ascended were pushed into the large glowing blob of energy. It mere moments the original glowing mass was all that remained. With its task complete the machine shut down and the compressive energy field shut down, allowing the energy being inside the tank to emerge. The glowing mass changed, growing arms, legs and a head until it was once again Vejovis, lighting bolts flickering across his body.

"Do you understand now?" he asked, his face set in stone.

In a split second Janus and Morgan were in front of him.

"What have you done Vejovis?" Morgan asked, horrified at what she had just seen.

"What I must to see this through without our kind interfering," Vejovis replied calmly.

"How?" Janus asked. "It shouldn't be possible to simply merge two ascended together even if the two do share the same DNA. This…you, you shouldn't exist!"

"They weren't simply clones of my body Janus," Vejovis replied. "They were complete copies of me, mind and body. That is what makes this possible. At first it was simply a matter of merging two identical beings together, but now I am so powerful, so complex, that I assimilate them into my very essence. Their strength becomes my own and I am now the most powerful ascended being in existence. You thought I was like the Ori? The Ori were pathetic, leaching power from their blind worshippers like parasites. I don't need followers since my own body now generates as much power by itself than Adria ever had. And unlike her I can maintain this power in my body and replenish it. Do you see now? I have no weakness for you to exploit, no power source that you can sever my connection to. I am power and you cannot hope to challenge me!"

"So why use this power to support a monster like Zarin?" Morgan asked. "Or have you really become so twisted that you see him as an ally?"

"Don't be foolish Ganos," Vejovis chastised. "Zarin is a tool, nothing more. He will unite the people of this galaxy and exterminate the Wraith for their crimes. Then a new order will be brought to this galaxy, one where Zarin is not at the top."

"And then what?" Janus demanded. "You rule over the people of this galaxy as a tyrant? Making them bow down to your will? How is that better?"

"No," Vejovis stated flatly. "I will not be the one to shelter and guide the lesser races. That task is reserved for my children."

"What children?"

"I have not been idle these past centuries. When I realised that Zarins plan had merit I decided to alter it. The Zarasians will not be the rulers of this galaxy or any other. My children, the children of our kind, will be the ones to do so. That is how I have assured the future."

"You would revive the Alteran race?" Janus asked, shocked at what it would mean.

The last incarnation of their civilisation, the Lanteans, had vanished from this plain of existence over ten thousand years ago. The Alteran race now existed solely as ascended beings and nearly all the remnants of their former civilisation had fallen to the ravages of time. Atlantis was the last standing monument to their race's technological prowess and that had barely survived.

"I already have," Vejovis said proudly. "My children live Janus. They are safely away from here, sleeping, waiting for the time that they are ready to take on their mantle. Once Zarin has completed his work here they will be ready to guide the seedlings and restore our great race to its former glory."

"At what cost?" Sheppard asked, finally daring to speak.

Vejovis merely stared at the human, as though he had found an interesting insect.

"You want the Alterans back on this plain of existence that's fine by me," Sheppard said. "I know a lot a people who would welcome them back, hell a friend of mine would probably sign up to one of your universities just so he could learn from you. But not like this. We don't want rulers, we want to be free. We gave up slavery and that whole master race crap a long time ago on my world. Your people want to help us, teach us about the universe then that's all well and good. We know we have a lot to learn but we won't pay the price of our freedom. We won't be ruled over, not by your race or any other."

"You don't see it do you? How insignificant you are in the grand scheme of things?" Vejovis asked, like he was talking to a particularly dense child. "You are just a tiny cell of this great thing you call the universe. No more powerful than a bug in the grand scheme of things. My people have been around for millions of years. We crossed galaxies before your race was walking on two legs. Without us you would stumble across the universe blindly, not truly realising what you see around you. You think you are free, you are rampant! You spread like a virus, fighting each other, fighting anyone you come across or deem a threat. I have seen your world and it is chaos, no unity, no order. My children could give you it all; order, enlightenment, knowledge and protection. But no, you would turn aside these gifts for a path that could eventually lead you to self destruct!"

"We're not perfect," Sheppard said.

"No, but then neither were we or your kind Vejovis," Thor said, as his hologram appeared beside his human ally. "You fought with the Ori, split from them and eventually left this plain because of them. They are a young race, but the Asgard have seen that they have great potential and we are proud to call them allies and the Fifth Race. Just as we were proud to call you allies before you abandoned this plain. It is thanks to them that my race still lives and if they make mistakes we will be there to help them, because that is what allies are supposed to do for one another."

"You dare," Vejovis growled, finally losing his cool.

"Leave the lower plains alone Vejovis," Thor stated. "This is our domain now, not yours. Find another galaxy for your children to live in, preferably an empty one."

"I have no quarrel with you Asgardian," Vejovis stated. "But you should know that your race in its current state cannot hope to stop the numbers that Zarin commands."

"You underestimate the ingenuity of the Alliance of Great Races," Thor replied. "We have much at our disposal that you have yet to see. Zarin will have a much harder time than you believe."

"I can see that trying to persuade you is pointless. Very well then, I shall just have to clean up my mess and be on my way. Caretaker!"

"Yes Master?" asked a familiar orb, dropping out of a hatch in the ceiling.

"Activate self destruct and set it to fifteen minutes. That should give you all enough time to get out of here and keep the others happy that I am not interfering, just cleaning up after myself."

"Self destruct activated. Countdown is set for fifteen minutes. Detonation of lunar, surface and subterranean facilities in fifteen minutes."

"All forces commence full retreat!" Sheppard ordered. "All ships be ready to bug out immediately once all forces are aboard."

"You're bluffing," Thor said. "You'll disengage the self destruct the moment we're gone."

Vejovis smirked. "But only so long as you are gone. It's your choice, stay and die or leave and live. Make sure you pick the right one."

He looked at the two ascended beings. "Now as for you two. As you are no doubt aware the conversion process strips down our bodies to the bare minimum needed for survival and the remaining matter is converted into the energy equivalent needed to vaporise it. As a result each ascended being has approximately the same level of power, with the difference being so marginal that it is practically insignificant."

He flicked his wrists and Morgan and Janus collapsed, panting, as they were struck by a surge of directed power.

"You two were just struck by ninety nine percent of my original forms power. Just a little guarantee that you won't be interfering any time soon." He noted the shocked faces of the organic and synthetic life forms in the room. "Oh don't worry about these two. I'm not going to kill them since that isn't my nature. However I will be taking them away from here for now."

They could only watch on as he willed their bodies into the air, leaving them hanging like puppets on strings. In a flash they were gone, leaving the corporeal beings alone in the room.

"If it comes down to it we can't fight something like him," Sheppard noted. "After all this time he could powerful enough to take on the whole ascended collective."

"I know," Thor replied. "However there might just be a way, a weapon capable of dealing with him."

Sheppard's eyes widened. "Damn it, we need to talk to Tomin."

"That could be a problem."

"Why?"

"I am receiving a distress call from his ship."

"So much for radio silence. Let's just hope the Zarasians don't pick it up. As soon as we get everyone aboard set a course for the Liberum fleet."

"Anything else you would like me to do?" Thor asked, and Sheppard could have sworn that there was a hint of sarcasm in that voice.

"Yeah start beaming out everyone you can before this damn self destruct goes off."

As an afterthought he fired off a burst from his rifle and into the large tank, shattering the glass into a million pieces. As he walked out of the room with his rifle slung over his soldier he tossed a thermal grenade into the remains of the open tank. As the door whisked shut behind him the room was engulfed by a small explosion as the grenade detonated. The glass covers of the stasis pods shattered and the energy matrix compression machine was wrecked beyond repair, short of having every single component replaced. As they left the allied soldiers planted explosives and destroyed every piece of valuable technology they could find. Vejovis may be planning on reclaiming this facility at some point but he was going to have to do some extensive repairs after the allies finally left.

Onboard the O'Neill Thor patiently waited for the self destruct countdown to elapse. The last of the alliance soldiers had been beamed up moments ago and now they were waiting just to see if they needed to leave one final parting gift.

"Supreme Commander the countdown has expired and there is no change to the enemy structures."

Thor mused on the implications. It meant that Vejovis had simply used the ploy as a way to force the allies to retreat. He must have known that the allies could not afford to simply throw away lives in what would have been a futile endeavour to potentially capture some Lantean level technology.

"It figures," Johnny said, his hologram standing next to the Supreme Commander. "He would have been nuts to blow up a fortress like that."

"Yes he would have been," Thor agreed.

Johnny smiled a grin that would have made a shark proud. "Guess we'll just have to do it ourselves. With your permission of course Supreme Commander."

"There is no need to waste ammunition," Thor replied. "One round into the hanger should be sufficient for now. We'll come back later if necessary."

"Are you insane Asgardian?" Caretaker asked. "You have nothing capable of overwhelming the shielding on the lunar facility before you are destroyed. If you wish to continue this suicidal action then, by all means, please continue and I will update my databanks on your species to include a penchant for futile attacks."

Thor turned to look at the AI which he would like nothing better than to use for Grodin target practise. He had deliberately returned air to the containment field just so that he could get a little revenge on the annoying glow ball.

"Watch," he stated simply.

"Watch what?"

"This," Thor replied proudly as a glowing yellow projectile shot from one of the Hellstorm cannons of the Thor. "I have found that if the Tau'ri specialise in one thing it is in making powerful weapons. This is their latest creative innovation and now you shall bear witness to the power of Hellstorm."

Caretaker watched as the projectile moved at speeds almost to fast for the human eye to follow but were simple for the AI's artificial eye and the facility sensors. In a fraction of a second it crossed the distance to the lunar shield. Caretaker expected the projectile to strike the shield. It had seen the weapon in action already and while the explosive power was impressive the shield was more than capable of withstanding such a blast. What seemingly defied all reason though was when the projectile passed through the impenetrable shield and pierced the hanger entrance doors like they were both nothing. Part of the advanced AI's subroutines was trying to determine just how in the name of its creators that was actually possible. But another part of it was acknowledging the fact that a nuclear device with a blast radius of over two hundred kilometres was now inside the lunar facilities walls. For the first time in its existence the AI felt what could only be described as fear.

It did not have time to dwell on those feelings though, or even acknowledge them however as said device promptly exploded. The explosion wasn't visible from the surface of course since it was, after all, near the centre of the moon. However it was more than visible to Caretaker since the AI experienced it close up. The hanger was the first thing to go. The walls, which admittedly were fairly sturdy, were nowhere near strong enough to withstand the naquadria enhanced blast at close range. The explosion quickly spread outwards after that, piercing through internal walls like they were nothing. Nothing could stand in the explosions path and when it finally relented, when the blast finally reached its maximum range, the majority of the lunar facility was a smoking ruin. Very little had been left intact and only the most valuable, most heavily fortified parts of the structure, had survived the blast wave. Ironically one of these things happened to be the central computer core that housed Caretaker which meant the AI was able to determine the full extent of the damage. Needless to say the normally quite vocal AI was rendered speechless. It couldn't even begin to calculate how long it would take to repair, no not repair restore, the facility to its former state.

"So what do you think?" Thor asked.

"I don't think he can," Johnny said, with an ear to ear grin. "Although I'm pretty impressed that the shield is still intact after that explosion, guess the generators must have been shielded."

"It is of no consequence," Thor replied. "It is time to go."

"Im…im…poss…ib…le…IMPOSSIBLE!" Caretaker eventually managed.

"So he can think," Johnny noted. "But apparently can't believe it."

"Jump to hyperspace," Thor ordered.

As the fleet vanished into hyperspace Caretaker, for some unknown reason, started screaming as though it were in absolute agony, at which point Thor silenced him again.

Jaffa Fleet

Those ships which could be repaired had been. All but two of the type D's now had hyperdrive by rerouting power through secondary conduits. The type C's however were not designed with as many redundancies and the damage inflicted had been severe. Only three of them had operational hyperdrives, making a total of nine ships capable of escaping the force that would soon be upon them. The infestation had been ground to a halt but the damage had been done, it was a miracle that not one ship had suffered a reactor breach. Actually it was probably down to the sheer paranoia of the Goa'uld that accounted for the protective shielding that had withstood the detonations. To think the Jaffa actually had something to thank the snakes for after all these years.

To say that Bra'tac was worried would be an understatement of epic proportions. They simply couldn't get the people and supplies off the ships and through the stargate fast enough. Their ships were large but the life support systems could only accommodate so many people at a time. Worse if they didn't leave soon then the enemy really would be upon them.

"What is our status?" he asked.

"We won't have enough time Master," a crewman replied, hearing the real question.

"Prioritise personnel over equipment," Bra'tac ordered calmly. He was supposed to be a symbol of order and could not let his true feelings be known.

"We already are Master."

I know Bra'tac thought, oh do I know.

"Master! Hyperspace window opening!"

The Zarasians are here, Bra'tac thought. There was choice but to flee with whoever they could take.

"Order all ships that can…" Bra'tac began before he was interrupted.

"It's the Arima and her escorts."

The Wraith flagship and her thirty sentinels, they couldn't ask for better reinforcements.

"Master Bra'tac," Echidna said. "My apologies for my tardiness but I was otherwise occupied. We are ready to assist you. How many ships do you have operational?"

"Nine of my ships, including this one, can escape from here. The rest are beyond repair in the time we have."

"Very well then I will take nine of them in the Arima's internal carrying space but the rest must be abandoned. I suggest you set them to self destruct."

"Nine?"

"Nine," Echidna stated firmly.

"Very well then."

Bra'tac turned to his communications officer. "Order our least damaged ships without working hyperdrives to dock inside the Arima. The rest are to be set to self destruct."

"Master do you not think that we could stay and maybe even…"

"I do not!" Bra'tac snapped. "You have your orders Jaffa. Kree!"

"Yes Master."

Of course Bra'tac wanted to fight, his pride demanded it. His experience though overrode his pride and told him how foolish it would be. The Zarasians knew where they were! Their fastest ships could be on them in an instant without any warning, a likely outcome considering that the Arima and the Wraith Matriarch that controlled it would be a highly prized target. He himself would not hesitate to exploit the opportunity so why would Zarin? The answer, he wouldn't. The Arima and her sentinels were a powerful force, easily capable of overwhelming most fleets, but should the Arima fall then the Wraith would be dealt a crippling blow. He really did not want to think what the Wraith Empire would be like without Echidna to keep them in line. Frankly he didn't trust most of the queens and current commanders as far as he could throw them and neither did a lot of people. In his mind they hadn't earned it just yet.

Eighteen Jaffa ships left that system with the Arima and her sentinels. Six remained behind to be destroyed as their naquadah generators overloaded. When the Zarasians finally arrived they found nothing but debris.

Liberatus

The Liberum flagship was in trouble. That much was obvious. The entire ship was crawling with the strange robotic insects. There had originally been others on the other ships of the fleet but that was now in the past. The strange bugs had somehow tapped into the ring platform controls and ringed almost all their number aboard the Liberatus before those that remained self destructed, rendering the ring platforms out of action for the time being. Their intention here was now obvious. They didn't mean to sabotage this ship but capture her. They were systematically wiping out anyone who opposed them and it was only a matter of time before the entirety of the ship fell under their control. The Liberatus was operating under a skeleton crew with the majority of the Liberum soldiers on other ships or receiving medical treatment on Concordia after the battle on Calium. They had no way to get additional troops aboard the ship and the bridge was in danger of falling under their control. The only other area of the ship being defended so heavily was the primary generator, or more specifically the containment field generator protecting the ship from the radiation being produced by the miniature sun powering the ship. If that system failed then the entire crew would be killed due to radiation poisoning, and not even a Prior could survive that.

Tomin was standing strong on the bridge, while the pests swarmed at him. No matter how many he cut down there seemed to be more and more of them. Some of them were even making kamikaze strikes against the defenders around the bridge, getting close before self destructing. Men, good men, had died as a result, wounded beyond the help of the finest medicine. If the brain is destroyed not even a sarcophagus would be able to mend the damage. Technology has its limits after all.

Outside the bridge, surrounded by his loyal soldiers, Tomin fought with fire, electricity and even telekinesis in a bid to hold back the never ending wave of insects. The tapping. The constant never ending tapping. Even over the sound of battle he could hear it and it was beginning to drive him mad. He was not the only one. Some soldiers were firing now just so that it wasn't so loud.

"Caius, Andose, status report!"

"We can't hold them," Andose replied, and Tomin could sense the older mans fear.

"We need help," Caius added. "We need your help."

"If we lose the bridge we're finished," Tomin retorted.

"If we lose containment we're dead!"

"I will not debate this!"

"You don't need to," another Prior on a different ship added. "The bridge is already lost. I…I can hear them screaming."

"What are you talking…about…" Tomin began before trailing off as he too heard the screams from behind him, from inside the bridge.

As his concentration slipped his telepathy allowed him to hear the mental cries from all around him.

It was almost as though someone was shouting in his ear, "They're in the walls!"

Wordlessly he turned and opened the door to the bridge. Suddenly the corridor was filled with blood curdling screams as the bridge crew were revealed to him. The bugs were everywhere, crawling over the bridge control panels and the tearing into the poor souls that manned them. Blood ran thick on the floor, pouring out into the corridor now that the door was open and the dam holding it back was gone. Tomin had to resist the urge to throw up. There was so much blood! Surely so much blood could not have come from a mere six people and yet the evidence was right there in front of him. The screams had finally stopped but in the back of his mind Tomin knew that didn't mean they were dead yet, just that the creatures ripping at their throats had finally severed vocal cords. Tomin did the only he could do, he raised his hands and used the skill that Andose had recently taught him. Arcs of lightning erupted from his palm to strike at consoles and the bugs that had pierced them with cables running from their bodies. In moments the consoles were rendered useless. The bridge had been lost. There was no point staying here.

"They tapped into your com system. They sent out a signal."

Tomin silently closed the door and turned around. Though he made no sound he let the full force of his pent up rage out in the only productive way he knew how. Lighting erupted from his hands as he strode forwards. The Liberum soldiers followed behind quickly behind him, finishing off those that his lightning had failed to completely destroy.

"Andose, Caius, we're coming to you now."

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