Through the Gates of Babylon

by Lord-Malaki2036

An Earth Alliance expedition stumbles upon a discovery that will change the history and the future of them and other races for the foreseeable future.

10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Io Transfer Point- Sol

Ships and stations hovered silently above the volcanic moon while Jupiter was visible in the background. The planets Great Red Spot being one of the most iconic features of the Solar System. During humanity's expansion of its space industries, it was noted that Io was rich in metals, ores and gasses to help humanity expand even further. Its many volcanoes made for extensive scientific study and usage for its colony based geothermal power. The other moons around Jupiter provided rich quantities of water some of which got shipped to the unusually dry moon. Like other moons, many of its craters held mining outposts and even some laboratories that conduct experiments in drilling deep beneath the surface.

Today Io is one of the largest transfer points in the Earth Alliance. Many stations, trading posts, and orbital refineries were positioned above the volcanic moon. Traffic each day numbered in the hundreds. Near the large jumpgate was Io Prime. A gigantic space station resembling an O'Neill Cylinder 3 miles long. Now the region sat empty save for the large groups of military ships. With news of the incoming Goa'uld fleet, space traffic was restricted to military vessels only.

EAS Pella- Hyperspace by Io Beacon

Captain Jack Maynard looked at the displays on EAS Pella. Dots were everywhere on the holographic screen showing a combined force of the EAS 5th and 6th Fleets. The 2nd and 8th were present near Luna. In his career he had shown exceptional skills in scouting and was placed in several reconnaissance units. He was able to procure a position within the Explorer's Division. Previously he was part of a medium range exploration group but got recalled here to assist in the defense of Sol. His ship sat in hyperspace just towards the edge of the beacon.

"Captain we are picking up unusual gravimetric distortions." His navigation officer reported.

"I bet good money that's the Goa'uld. Deploy the probes."

Tubes opened and three robotic devices shot out like a cannon. These probes were specifically designed to traverse the unusual nature of hyperspace. They would provide the parent ship with a tightbeam transmission and sensor feed.

"Receiving telemetry."

On the screen there were many of the pyramid ships. Their gold-plated hulls reflected the dim red glow of the hyperspace realm. Off in the distance another fleet could be seen. Both had the monstrous Shu'tak flagship in the center.

"Alright take us back to Io. Inform Vice Admiral Hammond."

EAS La Fayette- 5th Fleet Flagship

In a grouping of other Nova Dreadnoughts, Vice Admiral Arthur Hammond looked at the system holographic display around him. Multiple dots were around him representing dreadnoughts, cruisers, corvettes, destroyers along with many other support vessels in his fleet. Many others represented defense platforms along with the massive Orion Starbases that orbited Io. The Vice Admiral was one of many descendants of past military generations. His grandparents served in the military and their grandparents were known to have fought in World War 3. He rose to the rank of Vice Admiral after commanding smaller task forces during the Dilgar War and even performing daring rescue missions deep behind enemy lines. He made sure his officers and crew were trained in similar tactics he used in the war. There was no doubt in his mind about the effectiveness of the force he commanded.

"Admiral West and his fleet have completely reinforced positions around Io. Captain Maynard has reported in. Two Goa'uld fleets are almost here, one is heading here and the other towards Luna." His XO, Captain Hokama stated.

"Have all ships set to Condition One. Tell 15th and 16th Cruiser Divisions to maintain formation above Io." He looked over where a few hundred more cruisers were positioned around the defense grid and orbiting Orion Starbases. Each one with weapons charged.

Alarms sounded everywhere and everyone manned their battlestations. They all felt the hums of various systems powering up and engines ready to run.

Hundreds of jump points opened in a region behind the Io jumpgate. All of them spraying their deadly yellow bolts of plasma at various targets. Meeting many of the bolts halfway was the bright blue plasma cannons of Earth Alliance interceptors. Automated orbital defense platforms turned their particle beam cannons towards the nearest Ha'taks and fired. Bright red and orange beams slammed into the shields generating a light show that could even be seen from the other Jovian moons.

"Move to surround them on all sides.

The massive Earth Alliance fleets maneuvered to surround the Goa'uld fleet on all sides in a nearly spherical portion of grey and black metal with the orange glows of Goa'uld shields in the center as they soaked up massive amounts of firepower. Brief fireballs appeared among the fleets as Earth ships got pierced by plasma and Goa'uld ships got pierced by grouped firepower.

"Admiral we just got word that the 2nd and 8th Fleets are engaging Ra's forces."

He said a prayer to Charles who had been a friend of his since the Dilgar War. "You will win my friend." He turned towards his executive officer. "Give them salvo fire. Focus fire on the closest ships with the weakest shields."

Hundreds of smaller ships, both grey and gold buzzed at each other like hornets' nests going to war. The Starfury pilots shifted their tactics quickly upon encountering the Death Glider pilots that were cloned and uploaded with memories of advanced space tactics.

Kessel's Flagship

The last remaining First Prime of Ra stared at the screen as many of Tau'ri ships closed in. Already he realized this was a bad position to be in. The ships closer to the orbital defense systems and fleets were taking the heaviest of losses. Other System Lords and First Primes would have plowed through the fleets pounding him from above. But not him, he was not afraid to make more drastic moves.

"Have our Ha'taks close range to their stations. Burn them from the skies!" He ordered with his sharp booming voice.

Many of the Ha'taks and Hok'kesh moved away from the bombarding fleet and towards the orbital stations at high speeds. He knew the Tau'ri ships were slower than his own and decided to use that to his advantage. Bright yellow beams crisscrossed the void and pierced even the thick armor of the Orion Starbases like a hot knife through butter. Earth Alliance ships became quickly torn apart in the storm. Quickly almost nothing was left in orbit except the debris of stations, platforms, and ships.

"Scour the surface clean! Leave nothing alive!"

Yellow bolts fired in even more rapid succession cutting down remaining cruisers from orbit. More slammed deep into the surface stations below leaving glowing marks while others flashed briefly then vanished. Railgun, laser, and plasma batteries from defense arrays ceased as their ground stations were destroyed from orbital death. Now in low Io orbit, the ships began to hammer the surface destroying the stations and surface sites down to the regolith.

"Orbital defenders are down!"

"Christ…" Vice Admiral Hammond closed his eyes briefly. He never witnessed such wanton destruction since the Dilgar War.

"Admiral West is ordering us to pull back and regroup towards Io Prime

"Got it. Order all ships to pull back and regroup."

The large masses of metal turned and fired their engines to give them enough acceleration to head towards the green O'Neill Cylinder known as Io Prime. The fleet commanders made sure to keep the ships out of the firing arcs of the massive 3-mile-long hunk of spinning metal.

"The Commander of Io Prime is evacuating remaining military personnel to the shuttles. He says he's prepared to set the fusion reactors on remote overload and guns on auto.."

"Let me know when the shuttles are safe. Tell the Commander to fire off his remaining stockpile and have ships give plenty of distance from the station."

Io Prime opened its nuclear missile stockpile. Across its massive 3-mile-long structure, hundreds of missiles streaked out across the expanse like thousands of flares being shot into the sky. Those on the Ha'taks redirected their fire towards the incoming nuclear hellfire shooting down several missiles but not all of them. Many blinding flashes of light could be seen as nukes detonated upon the shields and enveloped the rest. While many survived the intense saturations, others did not and were immolated by nuclear fire.

This did not deter Kessel in the slightest. Bright yellow beams punctured the station at multiple angles. Huge pieces began to tear off and fly in many directions as the station rotated out of control. Soon its defense grid failed which allowed plasma bolts to slam deep into its structure, piercing multiple decks and sending melted debris flying into space. The next shots pierced its fusion reactors. Vice Admiral Hammond watched from the Nova as the station detonated in multiple sections. Even though the fusion explosion couldn't take any Ha'taks with them, they were satisfied with the results of the nuclear bombardment. Its sacrifice was not in vain.

The two fleets continued to pound those of Ra's First Prime. The remaining Goa'uld ships shields glowed immensely as energy and kinetic weapons hammered them down. On the La Fayette, Vice Admiral Hammond watched the battle. Having certain ships pull back as they took damage and reinforcing the front. On the holographic display he noticed a Nova on the other fleet spin slowly out of control and explode as a fusion beam pierced it in the middle.

"Sir… Admiral West's ship has been destroyed." His Executive officer somberly stated.

"What's the status of the Goa'uld fleet?"

"They lost about a quarter of their fleet, but they are going strong. We are taking some heavy losses."

Vice Admiral Hammond stood in shock for a brief second then pushed a button by his chair. "Open me up to the rest of the fleet."

"Channel open sir."

"This is Vice Admiral Hammond; I'll will be taking charge of the remainder of the fleet. We will win this no matter what. Divisions eight through twelve start massed-fire protocols. Focus fire on the closest ships."

Four Ha'taks close to the barrage of laser and pulse fire died soon as their shields weakened. One ended up being finished off by a barrage of railgun fire as the tungsten rounds penetrated deep inside their hulls; some even going completely through the Ha'taks in some parts. A group of nearby Hyperion's and Olympus corvettes immolated from a series of fusion beams and rapid fire plasma pulses calibrated to overwhelm the interceptor grids.

"Sir! Receiving reports that the cloaked Tok'ra ship is heading towards the jumpgate!"

"What in the hell are they doing? Give me a channel to that ship now!" The Vice Admiral yelled in a mix of confusion. Were they trying to leave battle, or did they have a trick up their sleeves?

Meanwhile on a cloaked Tel'tak, Narjul and Dalwin observed the battle. They were given permission to utilize the cloak capable Tel'tak cargo ship to conduct any special operations deemed necessary. They observed the destruction of the orbital defense grid along with its fleet and the surface stations. Nobody called them for any special operations, and they felt sadness at hearing the loss of one of their Admirals. The losses to the Goa'uld fleet were just not enough and Narjul felt that he needed to decide quickly. He paid careful attention during the battle as the Tau'ri fleet drifted away from the jumpgate and the Goa'uld fleet began to surround it.

"You have their jumpgate codes?" Narjul looked over at Dalwin

"I do, I know what you are thinking. Its suicide!" Dalwin responded, knowing the idea was crazy even for him.

"Joliner made that sacrifice. He knew the stakes and it saved our people greatly."

Dalwin remembered. The Tok'ra had come across a human civilization called the Rennesy Commonwealth that was just exploring hyperspace upon discovering an old jumpgate inside their system. Unfortunately, they had started expanding during the War Against Sokar and sat near the middle of Sokar's and Setesh's Domains. The Tok'ra agreed to help them with jumpgate travel in exchange for some of the naquadah and other minerals present in the system. It wasn't long before the two System Lords noticed the fledging civilization and decided to take the system for themselves and the civilization as slaves. Ships were built and off-world colonies were set up through the Stargate. The Tok'ra were able to help them evacuate several million before the fleet defending their world was destroyed. However Sokar tried to intercept the Setesh fleet above the planet and both began a battle above the jumpgate.

Joliner decided to give the civilization extra time to evacuate and flew a cloaked Tel'tak towards the jumpgate during the battle. He activated the jumpgate remotely and opened another vortex from the Tel'tak. The resulting explosion destroyed Setesh's fleet and eliminated most of the fleet Sokar sent though it was a shame it was his First Prime's fleet and not Sokar himself. The Rennesy Commonwealth Head Magistrate Martinus Llwyd let the remnants of his fleet against Sokar's giving his people and the Tok'ra and his people more time to leave. He fell in battle as well but not before taking many ships with him. Joliner and his sacrifice were certainly not forgotten.

"Earth is slowly losing. Joliner believed that the few must be sacrificed for the many to live. We should do the same." He asked his host the same and he agreed as well. He was prepared to give his life to help Earth. "My host agrees."

Narjul heard the same agreement from his host as well. If either of their hosts didn't agree with the action, then they wouldn't take it. "I concur. Setting full power to the engines. Preparing jumpgate activation codes. Let Vice Admiral Hammond know what we are doing. Tell him its best if Earth ships got out of the blast zone." He stated.

Soon the image of a bald, slightly overweight man appeared. "This is Vice Admiral Hammond. Just what in the hell are you doing opening a jump point inside an active vortex! Are you mad!?"

"Vice Admiral Hammond sometimes a few must die so that many others be free. We understand that we may die in the process however we realize that our death will allow your people to live and defeat the System Lords for good. The people on those worlds will finally be free. This is our final decision. Please pull your ships away from the blast zone." Narjul added, not willing to retreat from his decision.

The Vice Admiral took in a deep breath. "Alright I will order my ships to pull back. We should be out of the effective blast zone soon. Good luck and may any real gods smile down upon you in the afterlife."

"Thank you and your people for welcoming us to your worlds. Good luck to you as well Vice Admiral Hammond."

Narjul pulled back on the sphere some to give the ship maximum acceleration. The cloaked Tel'tak raced towards the jumpgate flying past Ha'taks and Kessel's massive Shu'tak flagship. All of the ships in the Goa'uld fleet were focused primarily on the Tau'ri and thus did not notice the cloaked ship flying past them. Luckily for the Tok'ra very few System Lords utilized transphase detection sensors on their ships.

"Tau'ri ships are cleared. Kessel's fleet is in pursuit."

"Open the jumpgate." The codes were punched and soon the jumpgate lit up. A massive vortex soon appeared. He pushed down on another part of the panel which opened its own vortex inside the jumpgate. Quickly he piloted the Tel'tak on a direction away from the vortex as full speed.

The event caught the Goa'uld completely by surprise. The disturbance of two vortexes occupying the same space quickly overloaded the jumpgate struts. The energy reacted with the Quantium-40 within the structure in a similar way that explosions amplified by naquadah. The energy first washed over the shields of the nearest Ha'taks overloading them and melting the ships within seconds. The remainder of the blast wave severely impacted even ships further out and knocked the rest around like toy ships in a stormy ocean. First Prime Kessel's ship was far from the blast but even his powerful Shu'tak had its shields overloaded by the immense force of energy.

Vice Admiral Hammond took note of the now mostly destroyed fleet. "Everyone begin converging on targets. Give them all hell!"

The void was once again filled with plasma, laser, railgun, and missile fire. Many of the remaining Goa'uld ships no longer had any shield strength and those that did operated at mere fractions of their original strength. Shipmasters desperately tried to get their Ha'taks under control and in line but it was no use.

The last remaining First Prime of Ra, Kessel could only watch in stunned horror as his ships kept being destroyed. Looking out the window of the pel'tak he saw the rest of the Ha'taks being torn apart by the hailstorms of laser and pulse fire. Sparks flew as Jaffa tried desperately to fire guns and make repairs to the hyperspace engines. But it wouldn't matter. He had nothing to say, and he watched as multiple broadsides from the Nova Dreadnoughts converged on his ship. He saw the arms of his ships being sliced off and the shaking of explosions as his ship was being destroyed around him. An explosion by the pel'tak tore a hole open and he flew out into the cold of space with the rest of the Jaffa. He watched the Shu'tak get torn apart and wondered why his god wasn't saving him as blackness consumed him.

Luna Orbit- EAS Agamemnon

Captain Sheridan felt himself lean to the side as the massive ship conducted a sharp turn. He noticed the new pre-production Omega's had a better turning capability than previous cruisers and were tougher than the Nova Dreadnoughts. In addition to that they had a larger speed rating than the cruisers. Before the Goa'uld jumped into Sol he spent days preparing his crews for the battles ahead. Veterans from the Dilgar War joined them in shaping up reservists for battle along with new recruits. They took the ships to their limits and made sure to develop tactics to take advantage of the more advanced designs. He had recently learned that EarthForce is authorizing more production of Omegas.

Captain Sheridan looked at the display in front of him. Beside his group were many Hyperion Cruisers each letting their interceptors run hot as they prevented the deadly Goa'uld plasma bolts from reaching them. Other Hyperions and Corvettes were falling as rapidly fired plasma bolts overwhelmed their interceptor grids giving the small Goa'uld force an upper hand. The small grouping of Ha'tak and Hok'Kesh cruisers now approached his task force. It was now time to put their ships in the fray.

"Let's see how their shields hold up to this. Fire energy mines, full spread." Captain Sheridan ordered.

Multiple tubes opened which launched half a dozen missiles. Instead of the typical explosive warhead these carried Narn energy mines which was another weapon they reverse-engineered from the Centauri after they were driven off the Narn homeworld. Each mine held an anti-matter charge which could deliver a powerful blast that can pierce even the toughest armors. The series of energy mines detonated in the middle of the Goa'uld formation, washing over the shields and making them glow as the energies hit the barriers with intensity.

"That did it! Their shield strength has decreased by half." Tactical Officer Maj. Stevenson reported.

"Fire heavy lasers. Converge on the closest two targets."

The Omega's Agemennon, Epona and Artlo turned and brought their Narn heavy lasers on the Ha'taks. Bright orange beams mixed in with a few red ones of the human made lasers slammed into the shields. As one set of cannons cooled another would be charged and fired. After several hits they failed to stop the incoming barrages and both Ha'taks immolated quickly. Plasma bolts from other Ha'taks got intercepted halfway. Thankfully Captain Sheridan kept the Omega group out of the range of the Ha'taks fusion cannons.

"Time to finish them. Have our corvettes ripple fire the nukes."

The medium sized group of Olympus Corvettes shifted their positions and turned towards a small group of remaining Goa'uld ships. The small ships accelerated forward and turned again to have their sides facing the Ha'taks. All the captains made sure to keep their ships out of range of their fusion cannons. Many missiles detonated in bright flashes of light. Several of the Goa'uld cruisers blasted apart. Two of the remaining Ha'taks were hit hard by the orange beams. Burning scars quickly replaced the hull as armor was boiled away into space. They were finished by another series of plasma pulses and well-placed laser hits.

Another small group of Ha'taks closed in with anger trying to get their fusion cannons within range. Many rapid-fire plasma bolts slammed into the Artlo while a few slammed into other Omegas including the Agamemnon. Its armor was holding well until several more bolts overwhelmed its interceptor grid. The ship slowly spiraled out of control. More bolts finished the Artlo along with an unlucky trio of Hyperion Cruisers.

"Give me another salvo of energy mines towards the nearest targets. Regroup for a direct assault!"

Each of the remaining Omegas turned sharply and fired the energy mines. The Ha'tak shipmasters tried to shoot them down but all that were doing was prematurely detonating the antimatter within. Even from a distance the blast waves still affected the ships and the energy burst briefly blinded the sensors of ships unlucky enough to be close. The energy mines that got through severely weakened the shields. He repeated the tactic again of firing lasers, many of them converging on close targets and piercing through. Some railgun and coilgun fire from nearby ships battered the remaining Goa'uld task force into gold and black plated scraps floating above the grey moon.

"All enemy ships near us destroyed. We took some hull damage and lost two of our plasma cannons."

"That's better than I anticipated. Regroup with Admiral Robinsons force and prepare another attack run."

Ra's Flagship- Star of Glory

The battle continued to rage above Luna. Already debris from many Tau'ri and Goa'uld ships was starting to get caught in the gravity well of the moon. New craters began to from stray shots, missiles or crashed debris. He had succeeded in destroying several lines of Tau'ri ships and even some of their defensive platforms around the moon.

Out of the window, Ra noticed a bright flash of light off in the distance. It was 43 minutes since he learned of Kessel's death over Io, roughly the same amount of time it took the light from the jumpgate explosion to reach him. A thought crossed his mind about retreating. But that could never happen. All retreating would do is give his son, brother or even Cronus an excuse to usurp the throne. He also knew it would give the Tau'ri time to prepare another invasion inside the territory of the System Lords. This time with Tok'ra help. He was Supreme System Lord afterall and he could not show weakness. Ultimately, he decided to stay and press forward. The war would be won no matter what and he could choose another set of First Primes or clone from a previous batch of experienced ones. Forces can always be rebuilt at Delmak and other systems. Looking at his fancy holographic display, he took quick note of a gap in the Tau'ri fleets. That was enough for him to decide.

He stepped forward from his decorated throne chair. "Pull our forces away from their moon and set full speed towards Earth! We can outrun their pitiful ships. Keep our Al'kesh and Deathglider wings within our fleet" He bellowed, not pulling from the modified voice he preferred. This would give him time to let their shields recharge to full strength and destroy the Tau'ri fleets in Earth orbit. After that he would strike down and burn the whole surface from orbit. He decided not to bother taking slaves. Ra decided it was best to keep his cloned expert pilots in the defense, only using them for offense sparingly. His ships were already slowed down thanks to a mix of the energy mines and having to recharge. However his ships in their current state could easily outrun the majority of the Tau'ri fleet.

Meanwhile in another part of the ship Amissa got to work. She put the last piece of the now finished explosive device by the engine. It was coated with a mixture of naquadah and other reactive materials that would certainly cause a chain reaction with the nearby humming reactor. Her enhanced senses triggered, and she very quickly ducked and spun out of the way to avoid an incoming object speeding towards her. A small metal dart was now embedded into the wall followed by the blue bolt of the zat fired at her. She realized that it was not directly aimed towards her but at the explosive she made. It was now as useless as a rock.

Ekresh wasted no time and fired subsequent bursts of blue electric bolts at her which she was able to dodge by running and hiding around a corner. "I knew I was going to find you. Now die!" He shouted angrily at her.

He rounded the corner expecting to find her but was momentarily confused with not seeing her. Suddenly he felt a kick on the top of his head followed by a one to the jaw. Another quick kick knocked the weapon from his hands. He realized that somehow, she was able to reach the ceiling and grabbed onto ridges and held herself in a slightly narrow spot where he didn't look. No problem, he could use his hands and blades to finish the job. He pulled out his special dagger and made attempts to slice her. Even a nick from the poisoned blade would finish her within seconds. To his surprise she moved quicker than he expected. Even with his cyber-organic implants he was having difficulty keeping up. It did not matter to him. She would be dead soon.

EAS Daedalus

"Sir the Goa'uld fleet is accelerating towards Earth." One of the tactical officers shouted.

"Full speed pursuit. Give them everything we have got. Redline the damn engines if we must." Admiral Robinson knew the Goa'uld would outrun most of their ships except the smaller Olympus Corvettes and Artemis Frigates. Fighter squadrons could also catch up to them, but they would be swatted down by the anti-fighter guns on those ships. He knew the only ships able to keep pace with the Goa'uld would be Sheridan's task force. "Have all Corvette and Frigate Division link up with Captain Sheridan's group. Tell the same for fighter and bomber squadrons. Are we still within range of any enemy vessels?"

"Yes sir a small group is by us but pulling away."

"Let's draw them out! The rest will be within the 8th Fleet around Earth." Admiral Robinson realized he could catch up to Ra's fleet as they got sandwiched between Earth and Lunar orbits. Already automated defense platforms in the extreme orbits of Earth were maneuvering to meet Ra's fleet. It would buy him and his forces enough time to catch up.

Many of the Olympus Corvettes, Saggitarus, and Artemis Frigates began to pull away and accelerate at full burn towards Sheridan's task force. They would still be able to quickly reach his group and have enough fuel to continue the fight. Laser and pulse fire from the Cruisers and Dreadnoughts slammed into the shields of a small group of Ha'taks. The shipmasters decided to briefly break away and gain a few more kills to satisfy Ra before returning.

"Converge all fire on nearest targets."

A broadside of lasers and pulse fire slammed brutally into the shields of the Ha'taks. It was known their shields were already weakened and thus they could more easily finish the ships.

Meanwhile in his Starfury, Lt. Commander Jeffrey Sinclair looked at his scanner briefly and noticed the shields were gone on two close Ha'taks that were coming within range of the fleet.

"Alright squadrons its strafing run time. Target enemy guns and their fusion cannons. Don't give them the ability to strike."

He pulled the stick and clenched his muscles to resist the g-forces on him. He pushed forward on the throttle to give his Starfury max acceleration. The pyramid ship quickly grew larger as he closed, and he began to dodge the bolts of plasma coming towards him and the rest of the squadron.

"Watch out for their guns. Break and take out many as you can!" He put a burst of plasma of his own on several guns which gave his squadron more safety as they followed suit. He spotted one of the massive fusion cannons and quickly shot a burst at the platform underneath right as he flew near the barrel. The resulting explosion tore a good section of the black painted hull surrounding the pyramid. Ahead he could see the large twin-linked plasma cannons. With another burst from his guns he took those out as well.

He noticed a small window on top of the pyramid structure. Sinclair had previously learned that it was considered the bridge and thought it silly that a race would design their ships with a bridge exposed. Sinclair activated one of the missile pods and fired a cluster of them towards the pyramid. All detonated inside. It wasn't long before the rest of the Ha'tak split apart from its reactor going critical.

"Great work squadrons! Pull back and refuel. We got more targets to catch."

Two more of the Ha'taks began spraying the Dreadnought group with even more rapid-fire rounds. Sometimes dozens of rounds a second. The overwhelming rain of death claimed dozens more Hyperions and an unlucky couple of Nova Dreadnoughts caught in the fire. A few bolts managed to slam into the back of Admiral Robinson's Flagship. The crew heard the impact and felt the subsequent jolt from the impacts.

Admiral Robinson was clearly aware his ship got hit.

"What's our status?"

"The last two bolts hit the engine compartment. Engines two and three are down. Maneuvering capability is limited!"

Admiral Robinson felt a brief wave of nervousness overcome him. This put his ship out of the fight as the Goa'uld fleet got further ahead. While the nearby Goa'uld ships were destroyed, the rest of the fleet now left weapons range. He did not like the idea of leading from the back, but the remaining ships would soon get time to catch up.

"Incoming vortexes… It's the Drazi and Narn Fleets!"

"Thank God. Have our cruisers full speed ahead to catch up. Get repair teams on those engines and whatever thrust we have let's use it." He felt waves of relief on their arrival.

Just ahead of the Goa'uld fleet hundreds of vortexes opened that poured the two-thousands of fast-moving Drazi warships and the few hundred of mostly slow but powerful Narn Cruisers. Joining alongside them was a few Brakiri Avoiki Cruisers along with a small fleet of Vree Xorr Saucers. The Goa'uld fleet may be able to outrun most Narn and Earth ships except for the newer Omega's but they certainly could not outrun the Drazi ships which were built for speed and maneuverability, nor would they ever be able to outrun the Vree ships.

"It looks like we will be tested today." Warleader G'Sten of the Narn said upon seeing the massive fleet of pyramid ships.

"I have always wanted a formidable enemy. Their ships are strong and crews vicious. It will be a glorious victory. Warleader Tirrak grinned. "Give everything to the engines and deploy them by group! Let's slay these false gods!"

"Have a glorious battle my new friend." G'Sten turned to his weapons officer. "Launch energy mines full saturation! Missile destroyers and cruisers move in attack formation."

The Narn fleet opened with its missile cruisers firing much more energy mines. All streaked far ahead of the Drazi fleets. Ra's shipmasters were caught by surprise by the sudden arrival of reinforcements and panicked to shoot the mines down. Even the ones that detonated earlier than expected still washed over the shields and reducing their strength. The Drazi Sunhawks maneuvered and dodged many of the plasma bolts while Narn Cruisers moved in and battered down shields with heavy lasers, gauss cannons and scores more missiles. Multiple Ha'taks soon fell to the combined arms as lasers and particle beam weapons cut deep into their armor. Many penetrated deep enough to touch off naquadah fuel, reactors and even the hyperspace generator creating explosions that tore ships open from the inside out. Other shipmasters maneuvered their Ha'taks to take care of the new arrivals.

To the surprise of both Earth and Goa'uld a few more ships joined the battle and engaged the Goa'uld fleet. Mixed in the Drazi fleet was a small group of Vree Saucers that fired streams of antimatter which heavily weakened shields for another group of Drazi ships to finish them off and joint Drazi-Narn forces to destroy the Ha'taks. A couple of Brakiri Cruisers ganged up on a lone Ha'tak that got separated from the fleet and destroyed it with a combination of green gravitic lancers and heavy lasers. Both the Vree and Brakiri decided to aid Earth upon learning of both the joint Drazi-Narn expedition and the Centauri assistance at Vega. The Goa'uld fleet was now trapped.

The Drazi fleet now split and flanked the Goa'uld fleets from the sides. Captains in the Drazi ships used their speed and were able to dodge plasma. Unlucky Drazi ships died in one shot as their weaker armor could not withstand even a glancing hit. However, the Drazi had speed and numbers on their side. Warleader Tirrak had his fleet continue pass after pass which caused chaos as Goa'uld shipmasters desperately tried to hit the fast attack craft.

The Narn Fleet was now in a better position. G'Sten ordered his Dag'Kar Missile Frigates for another volley as the Drazi began to pick apart Ra's fleet. Many more energy mines streaked towards the core of the fleet and the Drazi pulled back to watch them hit. Some of them even took out several more Ha'taks that suffered from weakened shields from the battle while others had shields to a mere fraction of strength. The Drazi again moved in, destroying more Ha'taks and Hok'kesh with each pass. They would coordinate their attacks with the small amount of Vree Saucers that superior sensors that allowed their captains to pick out weak spots in the Ha'taks. The Vree captains exploited this by swooping to the underside of the Ha'taks, spraying a mixture of ion bolts and antimatter streams from more powerful guns. These tore apart the Ha'taks in a spectacular fashion. Steadily the core defense fleet was becoming more exposed. Ra's fleet was now in even more trouble.

At the same time, Lt. Commander Sinclair noticed the battle surrounding Ra's fleet. Narn Frazi fighters joined in with Drazi Sky Serpants and swarmed some of the smaller Goa'uld ships. The specialized pilots on the Deathgliders quickly intercepted them. Al'kesh even swooped towards the smaller Drazi and Narn support ships which did not hold as many anti-fighter defenses that Earth ships utilized. A wing of Al'kesh bombers fired a mixture of plasma charges and bolts at a few Narn destroyers; destroying them in a pass.

"Squadrons form up on me. Let's help them out!" Sinclair ordered through the comms.

Sinclair hit the afterburners and headed towards the nearest group of Al'kesh at high speed. Even with the advanced engines the Al'kesh used, it was not long before the squadron caught up to them. Two lone Al'kesh were caught, and Sinclair's squadron opened fire. Much to his surprise, blue bolts only hit energy shields.

"Holy shit when did these things get shields too?" One of his wingmen shouted over the comms. He did not know but Ra and other System Lords had newer Al'kesh in production that had shields. Many still kept the older Al'kesh as they were still useful and no System Lord did not want to eliminate even old stockpiles.

"Guess his new batch is better than we anticipated. Don't get complacent out there, stay on your toes and away from their damn turrets!"

The squadron backed off and changed tactics. The plasma turrets of the Al'kesh turned to fire as Earth pilots weaved out of the way. A few unlucky ones were caught and destroyed by the rapid bursts of fire these bombers put out. The shield glow did not intensify as much from impacts which told him it was weakening quickly. Another series of bursts caused the impacts to penetrate. Sinclair fired another burst of plasma right into the engines causing the Al'kesh to explode. The one next to it died to another burst. His sensor unit told him a wing of Deathgliders was quickly approaching.

"Deathgliders approaching on our seven. Let's tag them!"

He pushed on the throttle and rolled the fighter to face the Deathgliders. He selected the closest one and sped towards it. He noticed it fire a rapid burst of plasma towards him before quickly turning away to dodge return fire. This pilot was definitely good.

"These pilots are better than the last ones we faced. Don't get caught unaware out there!"

He dropped his fighter and rolled to dodge another set of yellow bolts, already maneuvering to avoid the small group of fighters converging in on him. He rolled again as two of the Deathgliders sped past him, noticing the pilots in their cockpit. Sinclair pulled the trigger unleashing a burst of plasma which blew apart the nearest one. His wingman killed the other one.

"Squadrons form up on me and help those Narn." He ordered noticing the Frazi pilots having trouble against the Deathgliders. He accelerated towards a pair of Deathgliders harassing another pair of Frazi pilots trying to dodge them. Sinclair made sure to pilot his Starfury close at an angle that would line him up for a pass. Quickly he fired several bursts that destroyed both fighters.

"Thank you, human pilot." A Narn answered over the comms. He soon joined another group of Narn Frazi fighters that was shooting out the guns of an unshielded Ha'tak. They quickly got out of it's airspace as a Narn destroyer launched an energy mine at it which blew the ship apart. Another group of Frazi Fighters and Sky Serpents teamed up to take down a group of Al'kesh. The fast-moving fighters dodged bolts and weakened the shields with a volley of plasma and missiles. Soon the Al'kesh wing was nothing more than debris as Narn missiles took them out.

"Anytime." He replied and smiled. He looked over and spotted several Al'kesh engaging Drazi Sunhawks. Already several Drazi warships were being easily taken out. It was time for the new Badger Starfuries to see some action.

"Lion Squadron form up on me. Everyone else continue engaging the Deathgliders. Watch yourselves and your wingmen."

Lion Squadron was made up of the Badgers which was a new fighter-bomber Starfury developed by Earthforce starting over a year ago. They were armed with more powerful pulse cannons at the fore and aft portions of the ship along with many more missile and bomb racks. Now it was time to put these to the test.

The Badger group flew alongside Sinclair, quickly dodging shots from the plasma turrets in the back of the Al'kesh. They fired their linked pulse cannons that poured large amounts of energy into their shields. A trio of missiles slammed into one quickly overwhelming shields and sending the now shattered Al'kesh drifting. Sinclair had more targets selected and the Badger group flew head on towards another group of Al'kesh. This time they dropped a series of powerful bombs which quickly accelerated towards the ships. A group of Drazi fighters moved out of the way from behind the Al'kesh as the bombs impacted shields almost completely depleting many in one shot. A series of missiles from the Drazi finished the remaining Al'kesh. All the pilots were thankful for the assistance from the humans. Now the Drazi and Narn could focus more on the Ha'taks.

On the Star of Glory Amissa ducked and dodged the blade as Ekresh advanced. She could tell they were accelerating some but noticed they slowed down significantly. There was no viewport or anywhere to observe the ongoing battle outside, but it did not matter to her. She was going to accomplish her mission. He was surprised by how maneuverable she was along with her strength but still he was going to get the upper hand.

She jumped over another railing and down to another level. She managed to trick him again and fell on top of him as he jumped as well. Suddenly, the ship shuddered which caused him to maneuver and throw her on the ground. Within moments he held the dagger towards her. She tried to resist but his strength overpowered hers even with her augmentations.

"Die!" he said quietly as he pushed the blade into her heart ending her.

The blackness that Amissa experienced was quickly ended by a flash of light. She got to her feet, grabbed the dagger and pulled it out of her chest. Unknown to Ekresh she also had cyber-organic implants of her own. These ones managed to stop the bleeding and kept her from dying but not for long. The cyber-organic implants acted upon death, temporarily granting intense speed, strength and agility, she ran up to the now surprised Ashrak and he attempted to throw a punch at her but she blocked it. His face turned into more shock as his strength was matched. She received the implants some time after the Tok'ra encountered an Ikarran sleeper ship. The surviving Ikarran people were able to help the Tok'ra in reverse engineering Anitek armbands into a cyber-organic implant which could be added internally rather than outside the body. In exchange, the Ikarran survivors were moved to another planet where they slowly rebuilt their civilization. Some Tok'ra even searched their old ruined homeworld looking for artifacts.

She wasted no time and gave the Ashrak a few more rapid punches and stabs. She sliced the tendons dropping the Ashrak to the ground. In a swift motion she raised the knife and within two more slices she cut off his head and kicked it down the hall. Amissa soon also dropped to her knees and slowly became more exhausted. The advanced poison was still taking its effects and it wouldn't be long before she would succumb to it. The nanotechnological poison was something even Ikarran technology would not be able to reverse. She clenched her jaws and forced herself to stand up once more.

She jumped above to the level where her explosive device was. Amissa continued to forcefully keep herself together and focused on the box by the wall. She opened the box and primed the Goa'uld bomb inside that she modified. It was her backup in case her previous plan was foiled. The main reactor was too far for her to make it however the glowing shield generator was just over the railing. As blackness began to close in, she shuffled to the railing and looked down at the glowing generator below. With her last bit of strength, she dropped the primed bomb and fell to the floor. Soon she heard and felt the explosion. She smiled knowing she had succeeded in her mission. Her last thoughts were of her friends as darkness consumed her.

On the pel'tak Ra felt the ship shudder. He knew the explosion came from inside the ship.

"M'lord our shields are down! Explosion came within the ship!" a Jaffa exclaimed in shock.

Ra could only stare ahead in shock. For the first time in thousands of years he was in shock at events surrounding him. How could a primitive civilization possibly beat him? He led the Goa'uld through wars, destroyed Sokar, even stalemated the Asgard. He continued to feel impacts on his great flagship as plasma and particle beam weapons from the reinforcements hit. Ra was speechless for there was nothing he could do to save him or his fleet.

In the distance a small group of black ships roared through the debris from the battle with engines at maximum burn. Captain John Sheridan found a hole in the Goa'uld created by the Narn and Drazi engaging them and decided to exploit it fully. Lasers and missiles spread out to destroy surrounding Ha'taks as they came upon the monstrous Shu'tak.

"Arm those warheads. Full saturation! Coordinate with the Vree warships to kill that thing. Make sure it's dead for good!" Sheridan ordered.

The 'experimental nukes' Admiral Robinson mentioned were the high yield naquadah bombs taken from the supply ship raid. Dozens of missiles each contained a warhead with one of the bombs combined with a nuclear warhead which would amplify the yield by several times. The missiles raced out and sped towards the Shu'tak at high velocity as plasma turrets desperately fired to shoot them down. The fast-moving Vree ships came from underneath and continued to destroy the massive arms with ion cannon, antimatter bolts and torpedo fire thus preventing effective return fire against their fleets. Ra's eyes glowed in enough intensity to cause his face to glow as well as anger, rage and shock overcame him. He could not hear the other Jaffa giving reports or desperately asking him what to do next. The next thing he saw was the brief flash of light as the nuclear warheads detonated.

And thus, the nearly ten-thousand-year brutal reign of the most Supreme of System Lords ended in flashes and explosions as the Shu'tak was annihilated with him in it. The false god was surely no more.

Cheers erupted on Captain Sheridan's ship and others as it was confirmed that Ra's ship was indeed destroyed. Multiple crews embraced and celebrated as they won. The battle was long and vicious, but it was not in vain.

Meanwhile in the rest of the formation the shipmasters realized their god was killed. Panicking: they fled. Most headed towards the territories held by Ra and others towards the worlds held by Apophis. Others decided to inform Apophis of the death of his brother. A few decided to end their lives by ramming Earth Alliance ships hoping to meet their god in the afterlife. They only succeeded in taking out a few Hyperions and an unlucky Omega prototype before being overwhelmed by massive firepower.

Beta Durani

EAS Eisenhower

Rear Admiral Eva Thornton already focused on the battle as the two fleets slugged it out with Apophis's fleet. Her Dreadnoughts already suffered beside her. Many having holes punched from plasma bolts and sheared armor. Remnants of destroyed Hyperions and frigates floated in the distance. The combined Earth and Centauri fleets having pulled back. This was clearly intentional.

"Goa'uld fleet within range of asteroid outposts." Captain Cliffords stated

"Remote activate the guns and let them run hot."

On the asteroids, massive guns and missile racks popped opened and aimed towards the Ha'taks. Massive amounts of energy released which brutally battered the shields. The nuclear missiles fired and streaked towards the fleet in all directions. White flashes of light that enveloped multiple ships washed over the shields. Some powerful enough to overwhelm a portion of the fleet allowing Centauri warships with ion cannons to move in and destroy a few more ships.

Meanwhile on Apophis Shu'tak Pride of Chulak he observed the battle rage. Already his numbers were dwindling at a steady pace even though he was taking larger numbers of Tau'ri and Centauri ships. He would not be led into another trap with asteroids set to detonate and had his fleet bomb the asteroids from distance until they were nothing more than spreading rubble. He had ordered his fleet to focus on the Centauri fleet for they had stronger weapons which battered down even their powerful shields more easily.

It wasn't long though before gaps started to open up in his fleet. He had a similar number of Al'kesh, some with shields from the more elite ships he kept. He also had the same cloned expert pilots flying Deathglider squadrons. Apophis saw the Centauri Sentri Fighters fly in and clash with the Deathgliders. He wondered if Li or Margath left them there for that empire to later field against them. It was a worry of a System Lord for an empire to use their ships against them.

A squadron of Starfuries teamed up with another squadron of Sentri fighters and rained the mixture of plasma and particle fire against a group of Al'kesh that had previously destroyed a Vorchan with plasma charges. The two rear plasma turrets sprayed multiple pulses, claiming a few Centauri pilots. Quickly the shields of the Al'kesh went down and one after another they fell into flaming debris. Another group of Al'kesh swarmed another Vorchan, dropping plasma charged that detonated in the region between one of its wings and the center hull tearing the wing completely off. The resulting explosion pushed the rest of the burning ship away. A group of Darkner Frigates responded and fired their ion pulses claiming the group of Al'kesh that had already killed a few ships.

By another Vorchan, Sentri pilots were firing particle bolts at Deathgliders that already shot out the Vorchan's guns. A group of Starfuries joined the Sentris and quickly dispatched the Deathgliders so the Vorchan cruiser could pull back. Near the Vorchan was a Primus Battlecruiser. It fired a series of four bright orange beams of its powerful x-ray laser cannon at a close Ha'tak. This allowed its shields to be weakened enough for another series of shots to overwhelm it, slicing through to its reactor, and splitting the Ha'tak in multiple pieces.

Elsewhere, a group of Sentri fighters dropped a series of homing mines at a group of incoming Al'kesh. These mines were specifically designed to quickly accelerate towards a target and detonate its charges. They were intentionally used for anti-fighter operations but now would be tested as an anti-bomber weapon. The series of mines quickly sped towards the Al'kesh destroying some of the unshielded variants while the ones with shields attempted to dodge the rest and fire plasma turrets. The distraction allowed a group of Darkner Frigates to fire ion pulses that cut through the Al'kesh in a single salvo. Soon, Apophis was realizing that his fighter and bomber wings were nearly depleted.

"M'lord I…." His navigator paused in confusion and a noticeable amount of apprehension." I am receiving terrible news. Ra and his first prime have fallen in battle against the Tau'ri. They are fleeing to Ra's domain and others want to pledge fealty to you m'lord." His Navigator reported.

"Impossible! It is a Tau'ri trick." Apophis said dismissively. He tried to initiate communications to Ra's flagship. Nothing. On the holographic display before him he saw nothing from the Ha'taks near Earth. Same for Io. He confirmed it with his other shipmasters. His Navigator was correct.

Apophis looked out the window of the ships before him. The battle was getting worse for him and losses were approaching a third of his fleet as the Tau'ri and Centauri ships closed range after eliminating his fighters and bombers. He realized if he lost more then he would not be able to stand up to his rivals. Cronus would spot that and take his territories as his own. He would never allow his rivals to overcome him.

"Send a message to all of Ra's shipmasters that I will accept their fealty. Tell those who are in his domain that I will reward them if they pledge fealty to me. Retreat and set course for Chulak. We will build more ships and I will avenge my brother!" he shouted with anger. He would have to call up for the other System Lords to meet him at Hasara. There he would tell them of the Tau'ri and their allies. The combined force of the System Lords would certainly be able to destroy all who opposed them.

"Yes…yes m'lord." His Navigator replied in shock. The Goa'uld fleet found an opening away from the battle and quickly opened vortexes.

"They're retreating! We won!" Captain Cliffords said with joy.

"Give them broadsides. Rotate us and bring all guns to bear!"

The group of Nova Dreadnoughts and Centauri Primus fired a massive final barrage of laser and ion cannon fire. This was joined by a remaining saturation strike from nuclear missiles and antimatter torpedoes. They were able to catch up to the remainder of Apophis's fleet before they could jump catching a dozen Ha'taks and obliterating them before they made their escape. Apophis and the last of his fleet were already in hyperspace and thus evaded the barrage.

"We won. Have all ships recover fighters. Send medical teams to all ships to evacuate wounded personnel." Captain Cliffords said in relief.

"A lot of us died. We are still outclassed in too many areas. We also don't know how fast they can replace losses or the strength of their allies."

"Have all damaged vessels head to drydock. We all deserve to celebrate this. Send a message to EarthDome and tell them what happened. We are not finished yet but we are going to be off for a wild start.

Geneva, Earth

Outside the Presidential Building that overlooked Lake Geneva celebrations were underway. Similar celebrations were held in each city on Earth and its colonies as victory over Ra and Apophis was achieved and the Goa'uld were driven from Earth Alliance territories. Everywhere else, people celebrated by lining up outside recruiting offices and other stations waiting to take the fight back to the Goa'uld. Inside the conference room of the large building complex, President Elizabeth Levy and others filled glasses with champagne from a case of several bottles. Today certainly was cause for celebration.

"To our defenders. They did their best and it paid off. Special thanks to our allies in Narn, Drazi, Brakiri, Centauri and Vree that helped too" She toasted. Already resolutions were being passed that would wipe out some financial debts owed to Earth and allow much more in joint efforts in rebuilding. Sentiment on Earth was flowing more toward inter-species cooperation which she liked to see. They clanked the glasses together and drank. She looked over at General Lefcourt, EIA Director Yuri Serkov and Ambassador David Sheridan.

"I need the full picture. How much did we lose and what can we do to survive the next wave?"

General Lefcourt opened the folder. "Joint Chiefs may be happy we won but the cost was high. We lost roughly half our total fleet strength with some of our Lunar Bases have been destroyed along with three-quarters of our colonies on Io. The people we were unable to evacuate at Jericho and Dakota was lost. We are looking at a couple million dead across the Alliance." The General stated solemnly. The victories only slightly gave an upswing to his darkened mood. The losses made the President bury her face in her hands. These losses were many times what was lost during the Dilgar War.

"On the good side, our Omega prototype did excellent. They achieved a better loss ratio than we previously thought. The Narn weapons, including the energy mines, did astounding work along with the Narn and Drazi fleets that arrived in time to help save our asses. We are still outgunned, outmaneuvered, and they beat us in armor with those damned shields of theirs. Gaps still need to be closed otherwise our odds of surviving future waves are extremely slim even with allies." General Lefcourt added.

"Maybe not. We have plenty of time to close some gaps. Madam President according to the Tok'ra the loss of Ra will fracture them deeply. Once they realize he's dead each System Lord will want his territory, planets, armies and ships. Each time in their history when a major System Lord dies, they go to war and will be focused on each other. They will be at each other's throats too much to focus on us." Director Serkov briefed. He was riding on hope that the Tok'ra were right.

"Which gives us time. Time is something we desperately need right now. We also need technologies that can close our gaps and stay in the fight longer and survive. What's our shipyard and science status?" President Levy asked.

"Our shipyards will be able to produce newer Omega's at full capacity and our engineers are already finding ways to make improvements on the Narn heavy lasers. The Centauri and Vree sent a few scientists to help us with work on antimatter research and more powerful lasers along with cracking some of the gravitic propulsion the Goa'uld use The Centauri were not too happy with the Narn helping us, but their Emperor is pushing hard for better relations. I am sure they will love our interceptor systems too. I would like to thank you David Sheridan for getting some help from the Brakiri and Vree." General Lefcourt added.

"Much appreciated General Lefcourt." David Sheridan turned a page to give a briefing. "Both the Brakiri and Vree felt they owed some debts to Earth and thus were able to join in with the Narn and Drazi Fleets. Both felt it would be very 'bad for business for everyone' if Earth fell. Unfortunately, I couldn't procure advanced weapons, but I was able to get some sensor packages from the Vree in addition to the previous beacons they graciously provided. The Brakiri got some more lucrative trade deals out of it as well which they certainly want to protect it." Sheridan informed. He also knew the Brakiri were worried they would be next as well hence the small fleet they sent to help Earth.

The Brakiri Syndicracy was another power that existed in League space by the Narn, Drazi and Abbai borders. They formed a system of government called the Krona which emphasized business dealings and wealth above all else and ruled from four large megacorporation's. When the Earth Alliance first encountered them, they discovered that the Brakiri had been listening to Earth's radio broadcasts for a long time and adopted some of Earth's culture. Brakiri diplomatic groups appeared wearing business suits and negotiating trade deals. Ever since, the Brakiri was one of the Earth Alliance's biggest trade partners. The Brakiri also had a large criminal underworld with a lucrative black market dealing with trade of illicit goods and rare alien artifacts. This was something a few Earth Officials were willing to turn blind eyes to in exchange for some technology that can be reverse engineered.

The Vree was like the Brakiri in that they utilized and are ruled by Trade Guilds. They were a race concerned greatly with exploration and trade and had visited a few races during their industrial and information ages. They were known to have visited Earth during World War Two along with performing abductions which gave into the 'greys' legends on Earth. The Vree are also one of the most advanced of the League, having a greater knowledge of hyperspace than the supposedly enigmatic Minbari. They were known to have advanced temporary beacons which could last months in hyperspace instead of just a few days like many other races had.

"I hear a lot about this 'Stargate' and that the Tok'ra have found a few worlds with advanced technology. Even with the Goa'uld focused on each other its only a matter of time before one or more notices us again and decides we are a threat. We need to be ready for the next one no matter what. Tell me about this Stargate." President Levi asked.

"One of the devices we discovered on Abydos is called a Stargate which can allow near instant travel to other planets. The Goa'uld use these for trading and troop transportation but there are many worlds long abandoned or they don't pay any attention to." Director Serkov pulled up an image of the large circular structure. "We can either remove it from Abydos or use the world as a forward operating base, sending teams out to each planet. The EIA can send operatives to other worlds and monitor the Goa'uld as well. Much as I like the Tok'ra I don't want to rely on them for intelligence. We need our own network out there." The EIA Director continued to advise. Like many he did not want to rely on promises from a power slowly losing strength.

"More teams can be sent out to examine places for advanced technologies or even allies. The Tok'ra have mentioned other races out there that have fought the Goa'uld and won. We need to find those allies and make contact. Diplomatic and exploration teams should be a part of whatever projects are devised. Explorer Divisions can use the advanced sensors from the Vree and plot hyperspace routes to these worlds where we can establish bases and trade routes." Ambassador David Sheridan expanded on the idea.

"I read the exploration reports from the Abydos system. Those moons are full of Quantium-40 and other valuable resources. I agree with establishing a base there along with mining operations to keep fleets replenished. Watch the system for a few weeks and make sure Apophis or some other snakehead doesn't go in. We are taking a hell of a risk, but it has an extremely high reward. I have been told that Abydos was considered backwater even for Ra so we will be ready for anything. The Tok'ra even said Ra rarely visited there so maybe the others won't. Still, I suggest a large force be ready. Recon mission first and I have just the team in mind. General Lefcourt smiled.

"Missions are a go. Watch and secure Abydos and establish the Stargate Program. You can have all the funding you need. Before we go, I need some other updates with other events. What's going on with the Ch'lonnas situation?"

"I received an unusual series of questions from the Tokati ambassador asking if we had 'lost colonies'. According to their ambassador, one of their ships recently ran into another group of humans flying around speaking a language that wasn't on Earth language files. They sent their version of a first contact package with cultural information and languages before departing along with receiving the Tokati and our language files. The Tokati relayed this information to us, and we are going over everything now. This group is also in the Ch'lonnas system, and we have a small scout group monitoring them. The Director and I are receiving continuing updates on the situation." David Sheridan stated. They all recalled that the Ch'lonnas were a known hostile race that performed many raids and bordered some newer civilizations. Ever since the Earth Alliance formed, they had to counter several raids and border skirmishes were not uncommon. Thankfully, fleets drove them back to their system and attempts diminished.

"We also have an archeology team being sent to Omelos to examine the discovery and persistent rumors of Egyptian artifacts uncovered there. A lot of people noticed similarities between ancient Dilgar names and ancient Egyptian. I hope to have more reports coming in soon." The Director added. He also wanted to find out why there was Ancient Egyptian names in their culture and history. It was more than just coincidence.

"Thank you, gentlemen. I will leave everything in your hands. And David, I would like to congratulate your son on killing Ra. I got some medals I'd like to pin on him and those that helped."

Ch'lon System- Close to the same time

EAS Pella- Oracle Scout

Captain Maynard glanced around his small, slightly cramped ship and at the display in front of him. He was glad he and his crew had a good rest before jumping back into space and doing more missions. He was as eager as everyone else to find out who these new players were on the galactic scene, especially given the recent events. The last thing everyone needed was more hostile powers on Earth's doorstep.

His small fleet of Oracle Scouts was fitted with sensors and some ELINT equipment. He had no specific orders to stay hidden but simply watch from a safe distance. Ch'lon was already a jump away from a medium-sized Earth colony that thankfully avoided having a Goa'uld fleet inside its borders. However, the newcomers that were fighting the vicious Ch'lonnas which made a lot of people nervous. The Ch'lonnas must have really made this new group angry.

"So, we are just gonna watch these guys bomb the Ch'lonnas?" One of his crew asked.

"Yeah, just passive observation. Nothing too crazy." He had strict orders to merely observe the battle as it took place and only to make contact if contacted first. His scout fleet was partially obscured by a cluster of asteroids a considerable distance from the aliens' homeworld. The Ch'lonnas were well known to be extremely hostile towards other civilizations and the first brief skirmishes that Earth fought against them were bloody. If this new civilization was determined to be hostile, he would make sure to get the hell out of there. He heard reports that this civilization may be a human one. That drove his mind wild with fascination.

The advanced telescopes transmitted a live feed of the battle. The defensive line of a few hundred rounded and pointy vessels of the Ch'lonnas was being approached by hundreds of large light grey blocky ships looking like something Earth would build began the tactics of launching missiles, followed by plasma bolts and lasers. Passive scans indicated these weapons were like those held by Earth, but they were more surprised by how well the newcomer's armor had held up. Plasma and particle beam fire from the Ch'lonnas ships would have to make multiple hits before one of the newcomer ships would be visibly damaged.

"Well, they are certainly not Goa'uld. Their drives seem to be fusion based like ours. Railgun, plasma and laser-based weapons too that are not too different from ours. Their armor seems to be the only thing more advanced though their missiles and railguns seem to travel at higher velocities." Captain Maynard observed. In his mind he hoped they would be an eventual ally of Earth.

"Captain; several ships are approaching our positions. It's the newcomers." His tactical officer advised him.

"Any signs of their weapons charged?"

"Negative sir. They are painting us with sensors and maintaining a distance. They seem to be cautious of us as we are of them. Receiving an audio-visual radio signal from the lead ship."

"Maintain position and open communications with First Contact Protocols. Let's see who our new neighbors ours. On screen."

The screen showed a bridge which did not look too different from one of theirs except for some more lighting and computer screens. There were a few more crew members, all of which were certainly human. Strapped in a chair was a woman wearing a light tan khaki-style uniform and short black hair. Her skin was of a slightly darker complexion as well. The crew on the ship wore similar uniforms and each had different pins on them possibly symbolizing rank. This woman wore brown sash across her chest. She said something in a language he could not hope to identify and noticed her turn and said something to another crew member. Suddenly, her words repeated in English.

"I am Captain Kheba Serama of the Tagrean Union Cruiser Kishir. Can I ask your presence in this system?"

"I am Captain Jack Maynard of the Earth Alliance Scout Pella. The race that you are attacking is the Ch'lonnas and they had some hostile actions in the past against us. We are here to ensure that this war does not spread as one of our colonies is a jump away. If I may ask, how were you able to translate our language so quickly?"

She leaned forward a bit and smiled. "Well, I am glad we share a common enemy. In our explorations we encountered a race called the Tokati who were confused by our presence and language. They thought we must be some sort of lost colony of a world called Earth, so they traded us some language files and nearby hyperspace lanes. We have been planning on sending out diplomatic envoys to other local races unfortunately we have been bogged down in this war. These insects fired on one of our diplomatic vessels and massacred its crew." She stated. The Ch'lonnas were one of the few insectoid races to be known. However they did not have a hive mind like the Gaim did.

Captain Maynard noted that this would confirm the report heard from the Tokati. "In that case we would like to learn more about how your people came to be in this area of space. I would like to transmit some coordinates to a diplomatic station, I can pass this information to my government, and we can arrange a meeting between our representatives. The Earth Alliance is always interested in extending and establishing peaceful contact with other civilizations."

"That is certainly acceptable. I will pass this information to our diplomatic organizations. In the meantime, I would like to drop a probe containing our language and basic communications frequencies."

"I gladly accept that. We will also drop one of our own. It also contains coordinates to the Kazomi system. It's in neutral space a jump away from here and contains a diplomatic station. I will send word that they will expect your arrival."

"Thank you, captain. I will also ensure that these Ch'lonnas do not escape to your borders. In addition to that I will let my superiors know so there are no misunderstandings. I will depart now to report this to my superiors. They will certainly be interested to learn there are others like us out there."

"Same to you captain." The viewscreen turned off. "Go ahead and retrieve the data probe. Set course back to Beta 7 and let EarthDome know of our findings. They will love to find what we learned."

EAS Lewis and Clark- Omelos orbit- Around the same time

Doctor Sarah Jackson sat in a briefing room on the EAS Lewis and Clark along with other members of an IPX Team which consisted of Doctor Sabar Sharim and a small security detail. She already had a feeling that this mission was due to rumors for some time regarding Ancient Egyptian artifacts and writing being found in old Dilgar historical archives. She had read a report from someone years ago regarding something that looked like an old Bastet statue recovered from Dilgar War and History Museums. She noted the similarities. Soon the doors slid open, and a man stepped out. She recognized him as an EIA Agent, Allen Kinsey. He shook her hand and sat down next to her, handing her a file folder.

"I'm sure you figured out by now why we are here. The little rumors everyone's heard over the past few years had more than a bit of truth to them." He handed the dossier over to her and the other members of the team.

"I knew it! I was right all along!" She exclaimed enthusiastically upon reading the first page which detailed clear findings of Ancient Egyptian style artifacts and writing.

"After the nova we went to Omelos to recover artifacts, historical archives, and anything else of benefit. We found two large anomalies, a manuscript with several clear Egyptian Hieroglyphics and that statue. One marking was in Dilgar and the other in ancient Egyptian. Many others yourself included found it very strange that they named one of their ship classes after an ancient Egyptian deity and with recent events that tells us its likely the Goa'uld visited Omelos in its past."

"They had three of them. Bashtet, Sekhmet and Nefr'tum. Sekhmet was one of their famous warrior tribes from ancient history. This tribe worshipped Bashtet and Nefr'tum. Translation aside those names are too close to Bastet and Nefertum. Hell, even the description is too close the Egyptian versions." Doctor Sharim stated in his noticeable Arabian accent.

"Sekhmet was also a warrior goddess." Doctor Jackson recalled.

"Turn to page three. This is the real interesting stuff." The EIA Agent stated.

She looked over at the third page and noticed several pictures. They were clear as day pyramids being excavated in a desert. Sand dunes were being cleared to uncover the massive structures. It looked too close to the ones in Giza. Definitely taller and wider at the base.

"The Dilgar found pyramids. Amazing." She was fascinated by all the implications, along with the disturbing realization that somewhere out there was a Goa'uld Dilgar or more. That terrified her more than anything. Even Docor Sharim's face looked shocked and nervous at the implications.

"This brings us to our next guest. Come in!" The doors slid open, and a man stepped into the conference room. Everyone looked in shock as they realized the man was a slightly older Dilgar male with white hair.

"Gree.." He cleared his throat "Greetings everyone" He walked quickly up to Dr. Jackson and shook her hand along with Doctor Sharim and everyone else. His accented english was thick but understandable.

"This is Doctor Val'pann, a Dilgar archeologist that will be joining you on the expedition today. He has extensive background especially on the site we are going to."

"I thought the Dilgar were extinct?" Doctor Sharim asked with some surprise.

"Not entirely… During the Dilgar War we happened to capture a high value target who happened to be connected to the Supreme Warmaster and Imperium leadership. He told us about the real reasons for the war was their sun going nova early on along with other programs including sleeper ships and massive underground shelters that were planned backups. After the war we managed to recover almost all the sleeper ships and even the survivors in underground bunkers after the nova. Over one million Dilgar are now living on a planet under EIA control in a hidden planet away from public knowledge." He also knew of another Dilgar population living on the Narn colony of Shu but those were details he didn't need to disclose. "One of those evacuated was Doctor Val'pann. He was one of the best Dilgar archeologist with background in xenoarcheology. The Dilgar government sidelined him after he objected to the war, but he came to us after he noticed similarities between the ancient history between his and our own people along with these discoveries."

"The whole pyramids and artifacts."

"Exactly. We would have done a mission there but there was too much surface radiation for a prolonged expedition. However, it is now a bit safer, and we can go in longer but of course you will need protection. Doctor Jackson you are one of the few that is familiar with even older Dilgar dialects, correct?"

"Yes, I know all three plus their older writings." She was versed in the dialects of Prime, Tall, and Dark recalling that the three races of Dilgar lived in different continents on their now dead homeworld. The Prime Dilgar of Thraza rose to power and enslaved the other two after a brutal world war that involved nuclear weapons.

"Good. You will work with Doctor Val'pann and Doctor Sharim on the translations."

"What happened to the sleeper ships you weren't able to find?" Doctor Sharim asked.

"We determined that a small group went coreward in the direction of Tal'kona'sha space. At least that's what the Abbai call them. No one even knows their name besides that any expedition that goes there never returns. The other League powers unfortunately destroyed the ones we could not reach. Your main mission though is to find anything relating to what is likely Goa'uld Dilgar. Help set up a small base and we can get more archeology teams in the next few days to assist you. Good luck and I look forward to hearing your findings."

The three archeologists along with a small security detail made their way towards the Earth Alliance shuttle that was docked. They put on smaller EVA suits that offered additional protection against radiation and hazardous conditions before entering the shuttle. In transit they noticed the red-orange world had become larger and how much it was different. Before the war it was a blue-green-brown world like Earth. The nova caused most of the oceans to evaporate and even stripped away some of the atmosphere. No life remained except deep beneath the surface and remaining pockets of ocean. There was a lot of talk about using the world for terraforming experiments, but nothing would ever be agreed upon by the League. A joint research and monitoring station sat in orbit around the world with a small flotilla of patrol craft to deter any planet looters. They headed towards the location which was on the desert continent known as Thraza.

"Tell me about the Sekhmet Tribe. I know you named those experimental warships after them." The Arabic Archeologist inquired.

"The Sekhmet Tribe was an ancient warrior tribe that united all Thrazan Dilgar thousands of years ago. Their leaders were called the Warmasters and they held all Thraza after many wars. This was before the Imperium rose up and used the Warmaster ranks."

"So that's where they got the ideas. What became of the Sekhmet?"

"Yes. The early leaders of the Imperium longed for the glory days of the early Sekhmet tribes and received inspiration from them. We do not know what happened to the Sekhmet as they vanished around three-thousand years ago. There have been stories passed own about sky ships taking the Sekhmet to distant stars. Even just several hundred years ago there was an account of a flying pyramid that took Dilgar. All three of our civilizations reported this. Many believed that the Abbai were not the first to visit Omelos and that our civilizations were manipulated by alien influences within the past. It looks like we were right after all."

"What did you do during the war?" Doctor Jackson asked.

"I was a Combatmaster with an exploration unit. I didn't agree with finding technologies that would be used to further the war. I thought we would find technologies that would better our people, not contribute to the extermination of innocents." He spat.

Val'pann looked out the window as the shuttle touched down on the dead world. The wind was still blowing, and the remnants of buildings were seen showing little decay along with vehicles and some equipment. Close by they saw the massive pyramid that looked just a bit larger than the ones in Giza. They switched their headlamps on as they exited the shuttle. One of the team placed a small generator on the outside and slowly wheeled a line of lights inside.

"You may not need that. There is an old generator inside. I can replace a fusion cell in there and all the lights will come on." The Dilgar archeologist stated. He shone an additional flashlight on a small cube object located inside the entrance. He took out a small cylinder and placed it inside the cube. He pushed a few buttons which didn't work, and he slammed his fist on it. Suddenly, the object hummed, and the inside lit up. "I guess your human ways of percussive maintenance work after all." He said aloud getting a few chuckles from the team.

"No traps?" One of the security team asked as he stopped slightly outside the entrance.

"You ready to run from a rolling boulder, swinging blades, and surprise arrows?" The Dilgar asked.

"You watched Indiana Jones?!" Doctor Sharim asked in surprise on hearing a Dilgar know a famous film series.

"All 20 versions and the remakes. I quite enjoy your entertainment selection." He said smiling.

"Did the Dilgar ever make films?"

"We had a film industry like yours. However, it was mostly geared towards propaganda and keeping the population focused on support for nationalism, military, and xenophobia." He recalled most of the films showing extremely exaggerated Dilgar superior ships and weapons along with fictionalized accounts of wars along with exaggerated historical films.

"Glad you like them. I can suggest some more once we get back to the Clark." Doctor Jackson said as she looked at the walls inside the pyramid. Each had hieroglyphics painted but those of Ancient Dilgar. The placement on the walls reminded her of the Egyptian ones. They continued down a hall towards a series of stairs that led down and toward a series of chambers that was covered in a plastic tarp. Many artifacts were laying around and some were laying in opened boxes. Near the other side of the walls were several stone caskets.

"I'm going to scan those bodies." Doctor Sarah Jackson held her scanner over the first body. She looked at it in confusion at first and recalibrated it again. She got the same readings as before. There was no more doubt in her mind now. "These bodies are human!" She looked over at the inscription on the caskets and the walls. "This says that this is the tomb of the loyal First Primes of Bashtet and Nefr'tum. We can definitely confirm the Goa'uld were here."

"Now you can see why I wanted to come back to Omelos." The Dilgar added.

"Any other areas we should look at? Maybe they left some technology or artifacts behind?" Doctor Sharim suggested.

"Nothing yet. This place was excavated just months before the nova. We should head back to the shuttle and set up for the other archeology teams. Rebreather charges are getting low." The Dilgar archeologist advised.

They headed back to the shuttle with scans and images of the whole area that they would transmit to the Lewis and Clark. Soon another team of archeologists will arrive to excavate the site and search for any other anomalies.

Meanwhile on the bridge of the Lewis and Clark, Captain Kayleigh Reynolds noted the findings of the shuttle and that the team was safe. She was pretty relieved and glad to be back on the exploration front.

"Dilgar Goa'uld… I wonder how many other races they visited." Captain Reynolds said as she looked over at the EIA Agent on her bridge.

"Maybe all of them." Agent Kinsey stated. "Many races share some similarities with stories of their gods. Even the Abbai have a story about metal ships that could land on water and fly through the sky. There is an amazing account of several fish native to their homeworld being found on two other planets which they colonized. So, someone has been active long ago."

She took another sip of her coffee. "You never know the surprises exploration may bring. I'm going to…" She was cut off by the sensor alarms going off

"Captain!" Multiple vortexes opening up in extreme orbit!" Her tactical officer yelled. She almost dropped her cup.

"Raiders? We're not expecting the rest of the archeology team for another week!" She was hoping it would just be raiders or maybe random interlopers. The last thing she wanted it to be was more Goa'uld

"Negative. Reading over three dozen ships various sizes and configuration. Half of them… this isn't right…. Ma'am half of the ships are Dilgar warships. Rest are unknown!"

"Set condition 2 throughout the fleet! Charge up the hyperspace generators and alert Earth Force." A wave of nervousness swept over her. She was in this position at Abydos. Outgunned and outnumbered. She did not like it. "Open a communications channel and see what they want."

Meanwhile in orbit the Dilgar fleet took position with ships belonging to their sister civilization that long ago began on Omelos before being spread out among several worlds by old powers. Now they were back and soon that revelation would terrify the League that suffered wounds from the previous war and relentless campaigns.

The Dilgar have returned.