Not much action in this chapter either i'm afraid, but don't worry about it. The coming chapters are going to be packed with one battle after another, hence the need for these building chapters. The war is about to go from the frying pan and into the fire people. Until then here is a little something to tide you over.

Weir

Sheppard stared through the one way window at the man in the interview room. Korvus was now looking in much better condition than he had been before, having showered and been given a beige jumpsuit to wear in place of his unwashed clothes. Frankly he looked bored, constantly staring around the room and looking for something to distract himself. The room however was a plain as they came and was spartanly equipped, with two chairs, a table and the bunk set into the wall being the only furniture.

"So he checks out then?" Sheppard asked the only other person in the observation room.

The figure stepped out of the shadows to reveal a non-descript middle aged man with dark black hair. His name was Mr Smith and he was the one with direct command over Smith, Smithy and their colleagues.

"The scans on the modified Zatarc detector all came up clean. There were a few blips but all within the expected margin for error given the emotional level that the sensors operate on," Mr Smith explained. "However the memory recall device we attached showed images that correspond with the story he told us. He's battered, bruised and slightly shell shocked but we can trust him, and he's already provided us with some valuable intelligence."

"So Smithy was right then."

Mr Smith smiled. "I've found that his instincts usually are."

"Right…so are your boys and girls ready?"

Mr Smith raised an eyebrow and for a moment Sheppard found himself thinking of a certain Jaffa. "Colonel, we're always ready. Just say the word and we'll deploy."

"You know your objectives?"

"Find out the cargo of the ships leaving the capital, locate the missing Calium people and identify the on site Zarasian command hierarchy," Mr Smith replied. "Like I said Colonel, we're ready."

"Okay then, let's get this show on the road."

"Thank you Colonel, it will be my pleasure." He tapped his earpiece. "This is Mr Smith. We have a go. I say again, we have a go."

Throughout the vessel nearly a dozen men and women dressed in peasant garb stopped whatever they were doing and headed down to the cargo hold where their equipment was waiting for them. Most of them had been waiting together in the mess hall, laughing and sharing tales about old times while others had been alone in their quarters or walking through the ship. Now though their expressions turned into blank masks as deeply ingrained professionalism took hold.

Standing out amongst the dozen people in peasant garb gathered in the cargo bay was a tall man and thin man in a white lab coat with combed back silvery hair and half moon spectacles. He was known simply as the Doctor, often called Doc for short, and he was the designated medic for this outfit.

With a nod to a technician standing by at the console the group and the metallic boxes around them disappeared with a familiar chime and bright white light.

Mr Smith strode through the ship to one of the hanger bays, heading directly for a single specific transport shuttle. This particular model had been specially modified for use by him and his people. The cargo areas inside the shuttle had been modified to create a command and control centre as well as a communication suite and intelligence centre. It was the perfect mobile operating platform that he and his people required for missions such as these. The craft was already fully crewed and ready for departure, and with his command it engaged its overpowered cloaking device and soared off into the depths of space. Moving as slowly as possible in order to avoid detection the large craft gently descended into the atmosphere, its presence almost impossible to notice amongst the planets powerful magnetic field.

Smith and Smithy had not been idle while they were waiting for further orders. They had searched the house top to bottom. Like they had suspected the house had long been abandoned however it was solidly built and wasn't in danger of falling down anytime soon. The lack of furniture was made up for by the rather sizeable, and thankfully dry, basement. By the time the rest of their team beamed in they had relocated the transport beacon to the centre of the basement.

"Looks like the party is about to get started," Smith noted.

"Guess we have the go ahead then," Smithy added.

"Ah gentlemen," Doc said as he took in his surroundings. "Good to see you again."

"You too Doc," Smith said. "Mr Smith not with you?"

"Mr Smith is on Eagle One," Mr Smith said through his earpiece. "I'll be co-ordinating with hatchling from here."

"Copy that Eagle One. Orders?"

"Get yourselves set up and outfitted for stealth operations. The Doctor has the equipment you'll need. The only pieces of technology you're permitted to carry are tracking devices. You're to perform recon only."

"Understood, hatchling out."

While they had been talking the other agents had been busy setting up their equipment. The numerous metal boxes they had brought with them unfolded to take the shape of computer terminals and various other pieces of equipment. Several of them were nothing more than boxes, containing tools of the trade along with medical equipment for Doc to use.

Smith and Smithy both sat down on an unfolded medical table while Doc prepared an injection gun and a series of vials.

"So what is this new equipment you're giving us?" Smithy asked.

"Oh just a modified ear bud and spy camera," Doc said casually, right before he injected something directly behind Smithy's left ear.

"Son of a…a little warning next time," Smithy complained as his rubbed behind his ear where the needle had pierced his skin.

"Baby," Smith mocked before he winced as he himself was injected.

"Hurts doesn't it," Doc noted in that same casual manner.

"What was that?" Smithy asked. "I can feel something beneath my skin."

"A special microphone that works off the vibrations of your jaw," Doc explained. "Just whisper and we'll be able to hear you."

"So what's in the other two vials?" Smith asked.

"You'll see," Doc replied. He quickly proceeded to inject the two between the eyes.

"Well that was pretty painless," Smithy noted.

"I know," Smithy said. "Maybe it isn't working."

"It just takes a little time for the nanites to get to the optic nerve," Doc explained.

Both men suddenly looked alarmed. Nanites! No one had said anything about nanites. They had all heard the stories about nanites.

"Doc I'm going to ask you a question and I want an honest answer," Smith said slowly. "Is this safe?"

"Absolutely," Doc said, right before the two men doubled over in pain.

"That been said it will hurt a little," he added.

"A little!" Smithy furiously rubbed his eyes as the initial pain subsided. "It felt like the little buggers were trying to chew their way through. Why couldn't we use anaesthetic again?"

"No reason," Doc said offhandedly. "It would just take time to take effect. This way is quicker."

"There is always time for anaesthetic," Smithy retorted.

"I agree," Smith concurred, glaring daggers at Doc while blinking furiously.

"Simply the nanites establishing live connections to the signals being sent by the optic nerve," Doc explained as though talking about the weather. "Do we have a connection?"

"Yes sir," an agent manning a console replied.

"Picture quality?"

"At one hundred percent."

"Audio?"

"Also at one hundred percent."

Smith looked around at the other agents, who he could just tell, thanks to years of training and experience, were suppressing grins. "Are they all getting the same implants Doc?"

"Of course."

"You know I suddenly feel a whole lot better, how about you Smithy?"

"Very much so," Smithy replied. "Shall we?"

"Let's."

With that the two men stood up and readied their equipment. Although the two weren't allowed to carry any weaponry, including equipment, more advanced than a sword that didn't mean they didn't have options. Hidden amongst their person were a number of trinium throwing knives while beneath the gauntlets on their wrists was a retractable trinium blade.

"Ready partner," Smith asked.

"Let's go."

With that the two of them moved out of the house and into the streets, heading for the nearest dockyard.

As they walked through the streets they couldn't help but note that the number of humans had dramatically dropped despite the fact that the Zarasians had not actually ordered a curfew. Apparently the rumours about people going missing were spreading because as the sun began to drop below the horizon people began to hurry to their homes. They probably didn't want to push their luck by going out at night and not coming back again. This attitude suited Smith and Smithy just fine as it meant the number of reaper patrols was on the decline as the hour grew later. The fewer reapers around the easier it was to do what they needed to do without being noticed. They knew the other agents would be moving out soon, in small numbers and over a fair period of time so as not to draw attention to the supposedly abandoned building.

They quickly but calmly made their way through the streets, hoods drawn over their heads to slightly cover, but not conceal, their faces from view. This allowed them to move past the Zarasian patrols without attracting much attention. What people usually underestimate is how much intelligence can be gathered just by walking around the streets and paying attention to everything around you. Ten minutes of wandering around was enough to gauge the atmosphere and general state of mind of the locals, while just walking past a patrol lead to some very interesting discoveries. At the head of each group was a single cyber reaper. It appeared to be acting in an officer role, and was constantly looking around at its surroundings, presumably searching for threats. Clearly this one was more intelligent than the twenty regular reapers marching in formation behind it. Watching the back of each patrol was a single hulk, towering over its smaller cousins. The towering sight of the hulk alone was probably enough to deter any civilians from attempting anything stupid, or brave depending on your perspective, while the massive plasma cannon resting in its hands was just icing on the cake.

As they neared the docks the level of activity increased. Even during the dead of night the dockyards never slept with people unloading and loading transports, although there was a distinct shortage of ships being unloaded. There were more and more reapers about as well. The number of patrols in the local area had tripled and they easily outnumbered the meagre number of humans present. Worryingly there was even the odd behemoth prowling between the docked vessels. That was certainly enough to raise their suspicions about what was happening here. The only other behemoth they had seen was sitting in front of the presidential building like an obedient guard dog.

For hours they prowled around the docks in the shadows. The sun had long since set and strangely enough they had found nothing suspicious aside from the large amount of security present. Discretely checking the crates as they were unloaded revealed nothing more than basic necessities inside from the distant farming islands to supplement those produced on the island. The tracking data from the devices they had planted on the docked ships even confirmed it when they made the return journey. Even the number of people around had dropped significantly, since apparently three in the morning was too late to be up even for dock workers. They had considered going back to base when their search proved to be fruitless however they persevered and eventually their patience was rewarded.

Under the cover of darkness a craft that was definitely not of Calium design descended into the docks. The two agents recognised it from the data files on known Zarasian craft. It was a transport shuttle identical to the one discovered by the SPECTRE's. So the Zarasians were planning on moving something or someone under the cover of darkness when no one would notice. It wasn't a bad plan since the agents wouldn't have noticed the silent arrival of the craft if it wasn't for the sensor data provided by Eagle One. Apparently this wasn't the only craft arriving either but it had been the closest and so was the one they headed towards. Now the question was, were the craft here to pick up or deliver?

Moving silently through the shadows they were able to approach the craft unseen. Not an easy task with the number of reapers clustered around the idle craft. The doors were wide open and yet no one was making an attempt to head into the craft, although there was a single Zarasian officer standing just inside them, apparently waiting for something. The stance of the surrounding reapers suggested they were not expecting something to come from inside the craft and were looking towards whatever might be heading towards it. The fact they were all armed also suggested they were not here to help move anything. So either the goods being moved into the craft were being carried by someone else or they were making there own way onto the ship, which suggested people.

Their suspicions were confirmed when the doors of a nearby warehouse opened and the bright light spilled out onto the dockyards. The sudden light threw long shadows onto the ships and crates, shadows which were suspiciously human shaped. From their concealed position behind a number of covered crates they watched as the shadows began to move and a column of people marched in single file towards the waiting transport. Despite the gloom of the night they could tell something was off. Their movements were too uniform, almost unnatural. Those were the co-ordinated movements that drill sergeants spend weeks trying to in grain in troops but these men and women weren't troops, they were all dressed in civilian clothing. There were even some young children dotted along the line. Something was definitely off and it wasn't until the head of the column passed them by that they realised just what that something was. Clamped onto their backs like some futuristic back pack was a metallic bug like creature. It was a string. Each and every one of these people had a string attached to them, controlling their movements and leaving them prisoners in their own bodies. They were puppets under the complete control of the Zarasians. Suddenly it all made sense, all those missing people on the other islands and now here. Events like one must have occurred on those other islands as well. People being drawn to mysterious meetings where they would be detained and have one of those things attached to their backs. Now they being forcibly marched onto waiting transport craft and being shipped off to who knows where.

Their discovery had already been noticed by hatchling, courtesy of the nanites streaming information from their eyes. Now they had orders straight from Mr Smith, plant tracking devices on the ship without getting caught. Reporting back they explained that given the circumstances it would be impossible to plant a tracking device without being caught or it being discovered. The reply took a few precious seconds to come through. Ironically the solution was to take a page from the Zarasian play book. A small container containing a radioactive marker would be beamed down nearby to their location, where it wouldn't be spotted, and they would paint the transport with the contents. Due to being on the edge of the island the transport inhibitor field was weakest, meaning they could beam down but couldn't guarantee exactly where it would appear.

They were fortunate in that it only landed a metre off target, although the fact that it was also a metre off the ground did cause them to wince when it hit the ground with a clang. The chime and bright light from beaming down was enough to draw attention already without additional noise to add to it. Thankfully though the container was retrieved without incident and, more importantly, without anyone coming to investigate. While not being discovered was certainly a good thing but not putting the enemy on alert was what would be key to pulling this off. Their greatest advantage was that all attention was on the column of people marching into the belly of the transport, which meant that by approaching the transport from the other direction they would have a better chance of avoiding detection. The problem though was that the transport was only so big and could only hold so many people. In other words it was quickly becoming full.

Moving as quickly, and as quietly, as they could the two men approached the transport, ducking behind crates whenever they sensed a reaper so much as turn its head, because there were still some around. The Zarasians weren't stupid enough to presume their might not be some nosey civilian looking around, or that a string might malfunction and one of their captives might try and make a break for it. The last thing they wanted was an uprising from the general population. That would undoubtedly result in a dramatic loss of resources, or slaves depending on your perspective. Luckily years of training and many more years of experience allowed them to approach the ship without being detected. It was the work of a moment to open the container and mark the hull with the contents. Once they had confirmation that there were now two radioactive markers being detected by Eagle One they made a speedy retreat before they were spotted. Along the dockyards other teams were performing similar missions, marking each of the transports that touched down with the same radioactive marker.

Their mission completed they returned to base to get some well earned rest while the results of their discoveries were determined.

Eagle One

Mr Smith stood in the middle of the command centre. Around him more than a dozen technicians were manning consoles which were relaying data from the agents, tracking devices and general sensor readings. All of which were being projected on large screens, thus allowing him to get an overall picture of the situation. His agents had certainly been busy during the night and he was proud of their efforts, especially given the alien environment they had been dropped into. Not that he would ever say anything more than a simple good job, they were expected to do their jobs well after all.

However they had nonetheless done a very good job all things considered, which meant that he now had a small goldmine of information at his disposal.

"Your people have certainly been busy," Sheppard, in holographic form, noted. Standing next to Mr Smith he couldn't help but admire the large amount of data that was being displayed on the screens. "Is it just me or do you have tracks on each of the Calium ships?"

"Yes we have," Mr Smith replied. "I also think we have some information you'll find very useful when it comes to planning your counterattack."

"Oh?"

"We've determined that the leadership elements for the Zarasians have set up their headquarters in the Calium presidential building," Mr Smith explained. "Now we've placed locator beacons around it so that you can determine the location easily, however the real interesting part is what we found when we ran an actual scan of the building. We've determined seventeen human life signs, which totals the number of Zarasian officers we believe to be on planet. The only other life signs are definitely reapers, and a single Wraith queen."

"That queen most likely being the controller for the reapers," Sheppard surmised.

"Exactly our thinking as well, which means we have a pretty good opportunity on our hands here to cut off the head."

"One thing I have learned Mr Smith is that no plan survives contact with the enemy, and things are never that simple. So what aren't you telling me?"

Mr Smith coughed and shifted awkwardly. "Well some of my people have noticed something interesting about the patrols."

Sheppard sighed. He knew something like this would come up. "Just tell me and get it over with already."

"Each one of them is led by a cyborg reaper, well more cyborg than the usual ones anyway, and they seem much sharper. Our guess is that they act as squad leaders and could in fact be networked together for co-ordinated efforts. Now they would have limited processing power but it means they won't be a pushover to deal with."

Sheppard looked thoughtful for a few minutes before his expression brightened. "Well on the whole I suppose it could be a lot worse. We take out the head and they won't be able to co-ordinate well enough to put up too heavy a resistance, which is the last thing we want in the middle of a city. We'll just have to hit them hard and fast."

"That's all down to you of course, being a purely military matter."

"And speaking of military matters care to explain to me what that is?" Sheppard said while pointing to a screen showing a tracking beacon and a star map.

"Ah that," Mr Smith said innocently. "Yes I was just coming to that."

"Something you want to tell me?"

"Are you sitting down?"

"Does it look like I'm sitting down?" Sheppard asked sarcastically.

"I just thought it might help," Mr Smith replied indignantly. "We managed to place a tracking device on some Zarasian transports that landed in the dockyards. Several of them landed that night and I thought it would be a good idea to see where they were going. We've been tracking them for sometime now."

"So what was it carrying?" Sheppard asked.

"You're not going to like this," Mr Smith warned him.

Sheppard grimaced and replied in a voice that was practically a growl. "Just tell me already."

Mr Smith sighed. "People, Calium citizens to be precise."

"How many?"

"We don't know. Several hundred at least, in this shipment anyway. But considering how long they have been here we could be looking at upward of ten thousand, at minimum."

"I want all sensor data you have on those transports," Sheppard ordered him.

"Done, it's being transferred to you now," Mr Smith replied. "However I would like to take eagle one on a recon mission to follow them."

"Why Eagle One?"

"Because it's the most advanced stealth and scouting vessel we have in the fleet. We can get in and out without the Zarasians knowing we were ever there."

"And what about your people here?" Sheppard asked. Somehow he didn't see Mr Smith picking up sticks and abandoning his people in an alien environment and apparently Mr Smith knew that.

"I know what you're thinking Colonel but there is something you have to realise about us," Mr Smith explained. "We aren't like you military people. Yes we work together. Yes we try not to leave anyone behind if we can help it but that doesn't mean we're always together. A lot of our people usually operate on their own in the field and without contact with anyone friendly for quite some time. They'll be fine with what they have and support a mere transport relay away."

"Alright then," Sheppard relented. "If you think they'll be okay then you have a go."

"Thank you Colonel." Sheppard nodded to him just as the hologram disappeared. With him gone Mr Smith raised his voice to address the entire room, "You heard him people. I want this ship ready for departure in five minutes."

Eagle One

The small ship soared through hyperspace at speeds many would have thought impossible for a craft that was only fifty metres long. But equipped with the most advanced hyperdrive and power generation that her size allowed she was capable of reaching such speeds with ease. Emerging from vast emptiness of hyperspace on the outskirts of an alien star system the ship coasted the rest of the distance on her sublight engines alone, reaching an impressive fraction of the speed of light with their power alone.

Her current mission saw her searching the system that her tracks had entered, and then remained at for several hours before departing again. What was interesting was that the transports had then gone in different directions once they had departed this system, clearly they needed to investigate. They certainly had the time since Zarasian hyperdrives were much slower than theirs was after all. If they continued at their current speed they were likely to outrun the transports entirely.

Mr Smith sat in the command chair on the bridge of what was known amongst his people as his personal flagship. It was certainly a strange feeling, having a ship to call your own after having gotten used to just having a office to call his own back on Earth. He had seen some shocking things in his time, most in the last few years, but he did think he would be terribly surprised by what he would find here. So it was a shock to the point where his eyes visibly widened when then the HUD began to register hundreds of large contacts and the first of the massive numbers of capital class contacts became visible to the naked eye.

He found himself silently thanking whoever had insisted in equipping the ship with a stealth system which, on top of the cloaking device, bordered on sheer paranoia, because he had just stumbled upon a Zarasian armada bigger and more powerful than any had ever seen before.

"Oh crap," he whispered.

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