Robotech: The Stargate Saga
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and universes that I am about to mangle around and mash together for my own demented author amusement – sadly all Robotech and Stargate characters and concepts remain the property of Harmony Gold and MGM respectively – I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please keep the legal attack dogs – also known as lawyers – firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no money to give to anyone.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Skull One
A Few Moments Earlier
Sitting in the cockpit of his beloved fighter Rick Hunter allowed himself a small smile as Earth's atmosphere gave way to the eternal star-studded ocean of space. Not for the first time recently he found that he actually missed being out here among the stars instead of just flying through the atmosphere of his blasted halfway to lifelessness homeworld. The great vacuum of space embracing his soul in a way that purely atmospheric flying just didn't anymore, he had no idea why.
Forcing his expression to calm he carefully maintained his position at the head of the escort arrayed in formation around the star goose shuttle that was carrying the bulk of the expedition team as they followed the flight plan orbital control had prepared for them. In another few minutes they would rendezvous with the Zentraedi cruiser that would fold with them to Mars orbit. Out of the corner of his eye he spied an oddity among the orbiting fleet of Zentraedi warships and looked over to see one of the two Asgard warships that were currently orbiting Earth – specifically the bigger of the two – hanging there in space. It looked so strange a chrome shape similar to an old Nordic war hammer with three towers at the back. It certainly didn't look that intimidating.
But then looks can be deceiving can't they Rick, he thought to himself thinking of a conversation he had had with Miriya and Max over dinner yesterday – the Sterlings having invited him and Lisa over for a bit of a catch up – evening about the Asgard. Miriya had informed them that the Asgard were one of the oldest known spacefaring civilizations in this part of the universe and were one of the few that were capable of intergalactic and not just interstellar travel. One whose fragile small appearance, even by the standards of micronian races, completely belied there utter ferocity in battle. A ferocity backed up by a level of technology that even the Robotech Masters couldn't quite match, technology that gave them some very lethal weapons from powerful ion weapons to an odd laser fan like beam that could disintegrate entire squadrons of battlepods – and even power armour suits like the Queadluun-Rau suits she and her sisters in the Quadrono's had flown – in a single sweep. Miriya had had no shame in admitting that as a race the Asgard had earned – in many pitched battles across multiple galaxies – the respect, admiration, and fear of the Zentraedi race.
Mentally Rick shook himself dismissing the memory, even as he admitted to himself that the Asgard had to be impressive to have such an effect on Miriya. While she had mellowed quite a bit over the last two years, especially since little Dana had come along, she still retained her fierce warrior pride. The same pride that had prompted her to get micronized and infiltrate the SDF-1 in the first place after Max defeated her in combat. For her to say a race was, as an enemy, both respected and feared by the Zentraedi was very high praise indeed. Instead he focused on his flying through the cluttered mass of Earth orbit as the remains of a sizeable chunk of Dolza's Main Fleet still floated in orbit, silent but – if you weren't careful – no less deadly than they had been when the ships had still been powered and capable of spitting out walls of missile and beam cannon fire. While clean-up was ongoing, with the wrecks being towed into the salvage bays of the factory satellite where they could be broken down and the alloys used in the hulls recycled, he had heard that it would be at least four years before the field – which had formed a sort of grim ring system around Earth – was fully cleared of the largest wrecks with smaller debris, like the shattered remains of fighters and all forms of battle mecha likely to take up to a decade there was just so much of it drifting around up here in a constant reminder of that battle.
A quick glance at one of his other screens showed that the rest of the squadron and the star goose were also moving carefully through the edge of the debris field, the ion wash of fusion turbine engines disturbing some of the finer debris making it fly around like glittering snowflakes – though these were made of bits of pulverized metals and ceramics and not frozen water. Some of the motes of glittering metallic confetti flaming momentarily as they encountered the hot ion wash especially from the fighter's engines.
In no time at all they were clear of the debris field and began approaching the Zentraedi cruiser that was going to be taking them to Mars. As they drew closer Rick manipulated his controls and hailed the vessel. While the cruiser would have already seen them on her sensor screens, and would be expecting them, it was still good manners to contact them.
"Zentraedi cruiser DLV-61892 this is Captain Rick Hunter leading the Mars Exploration Team. We request permission to enter formation with you," he said.
"Captain Hunter this is Captain Raylen you are clear to enter fold transit formation with us," the cruisers commanding officer answered even as an image appeared on his comm screen showing the image of a fairly average looking Zentraedi – well if you could call any fifty-foot-tall giant alien average – with short chopped red hair and the familiar mauve skin tone. "It is an honour to have you with us Skull Leader."
"The honour is mine captain," Rick replied, understanding instantly that the Zentraedi commander was showing him respect one warrior to another by answering directly instead of having one of his ship's communications ratings do it. "We'll be in position in another couple of minutes. What is the status of your fold computations?"
"We have almost finished them," Raylen answered immediately, "once your ships are within the radius of our fold sphere we will be able to make the final sequence of calculations. It will not take long we should be able to fold to Mars orbit in another five minutes. Do you wish me to inform you when we are ready to fold?"
"That won't be necessary," Rick replied, "once the computations are complete commence the fold operation."
"I understand," the Zentraedi answered with a nod and a smile of understanding, guessing that the famous – or infamous depending on who you talked to – micronian ace he was talking to didn't want to waste time beating about the bush and just wanted to get his mission underway. It was a very good, almost Zentraedi-like mindset. "It will be as you wish. As soon as our computations are finished we will initiate the fold. We will speak again soon."
"That we will captain," Rick acknowledged with a nod knowing he and Raylen would end up speaking again at some point during the mission on Mars. Especially if Raylen had to bring his cruiser down into the atmosphere to extend towing lines to pull the mysterious ship hidden in a cave on the flanks of the Arsia Mons volcano free of the surface – or rather subsurface – of the red planet. On the comm screen Raylen nodded back and Rick turned his attention to leading the shuttle and its escort into position directly underneath the Zentraedi cruiser.
It took another few minutes due in no small fact to the star goose, while a significant improvement over the original NASA space shuttles that had proceeded it, was not exactly the quickest or most manoeuvrable of spacecraft. But eventually they were all in position and he sat back in his chair to wait, gazing up seeing the deep green – with the odd purple highlight here and there – hull of the Zentraedi warship. Like many Zentraedi warships it had clearly seen better days as everywhere he could make out areas where the outer hull had repaired itself to cover breaches – looking very much like scabs over a wound – though the breaches would still be present under the outer hull, in addition to seeing numerous small pits and dinks in the hull from micrometeorite impacts and far too many blackened smudges on the hull – the legacy of laser hits – to count.
"But then that's why there's the plan to refit most of them," he muttered to himself as due to how high ranked he was in the Robotech Defence Force these days he was privy to quite a number of the plans that involved the Zentraedi. One of the many initiatives underway – and which would pick up pace once the factory satellite finished its own repairs – was to repair and refit as many Zentraedi ships as possible, especially now that they knew that they shared this galaxy with a dangerous and hostile spacefaring civilization in the form of the Goa'uld Empire. Many would still be crewed by full-sized Zentraedi but quite a few were planned to able to be operated by mixed crews of both full-size and micronized Zentraedi as well as Terrans.
A bleep from Skull One's computer brought him out of his thoughts on what was being planned and what had been agreed with Breetai for the Zentraedi fleet. Giving his screens his full attention he noted that the veritech's sensors had indicated that the cruisers fold drive was powering up and that phased graviton and beta-phase tachyon particle production onboard the cruiser was rising rapidly. Here we go, he thought a moment before a blue flash outside caught his attention, a second before space around the squadron, the shuttle and the cruiser became enveloped in the fold sphere. A sphere that never ceased to remind him of a whirling ball of frosted glass. A moment later it turned into a translucent slightly blue conduit as the cruiser descended into the particular realm of subspace used by fold drives. He allowed himself a slight smile and just sat back to watch the strange beauty that came with fold travel…
…which only lasted a second of two before the tunnel turned back into the sphere before that too evaporated into nothingness. Immediately ahead of them he saw their destination, the planet Mars hanging there in space like a somewhat tarnished ruby. Between them and the planet itself was the irregular whitish-grey mass of Phobos the innermost of Mars two asteroid moons. They would pass very close to the fast-moving moon, in fact Phobos moved so fast it crossed from horizon to horizon twice every Martian day, in order to enter the atmosphere relatively close to the region known as the Tharsis Bulge. From there it would be a short flight south to Arsia Mons the southernmost of the three massive extinct shield volcanoes that made up the region.
Deciding that they might as well get started he sent a brief message to the Zentraedi cruiser to inform Captain Raylen that they were beginning their approach to Mars. A message that was immediately acknowledged by communications ratings aboard the alien warship, before opening up the command channel. "Skull leader to escort group and shuttle," he said, "this is as close to orbit as the Zentraedi can safely fold, we'll have to go the rest of the way on conventional engines. Everyone start your engines and follow me."
Even as a chorus of 'rogers' came from the other pilots Rick pushed his throttles forward. Superheated ions burst from the veritech's engines and Skull One burst into motion almost like a startled rabbit. A glance at his screens showed that the rest of the escort squadron and the shuttle had matched his manoeuvre and were all in formation heading first towards Phobos and from there Mars itself.
As they drew closer to Phobos – they would pass within a few hundred kilometres of asteroid moon – Rick began to feel like something was off as a strange sensation ran through him. Huh what's this, he thought even as scanned his instruments looking for any sign that something, anything, was awry. All his instruments read normal, there was nothing wrong at all. The feeling came again, and this time he got the distinct impression that he was being scanned and evaluated somehow.
Frowning in concern he was about to reach for the comm unit to call the Zentraedi cruiser and ask them to scan the area in more detail – the cruiser had far more powerful sensors than a Valkyrie did after all – looking for anything out of the ordinary. However before his hand could do anything Skull One lurched to a halt as though it was suddenly snagged on an arrestor cable, the gee force of the sudden stop throwing him forward against the controls knocking the wind out of him. Simultaneously all the dials, lights and screens in the cockpit went dead as did the engines and the protoculture energizer module providing power to the entire fighter.
"What the hell?" he grunted as he straightened back up in the seat, wincing at the new bruises he knew would soon be decorating his torso. Blue eyes widened in alarm when he became aware of the complete and total silence as well as the sudden darkness of the cockpit. A blackout, he thought, why would Skull One suddenly have a black out? Before he could begin attempting to diagnose – and hopefully fix - whatever the problem was a curious tingling sensation filled him and a strange humming sound suddenly filled his ears…
…a moment before everything vanished in a shimmer of golden light.
Zentraedi Cruiser DLV-61892
A Few Moments Earlier
Standing in his command blister Captain Raylen watched with a small smile as the veritech squadron, and the shuttlecraft they were escorting, broke away from his ship and began advancing towards Mars. He never tired of watching the mechamorphic fighters that the Terrans referred to as Valkyries in action, even if just flying along like that. Every movement of the fighters signified their power and ability, which had come as a very nasty and frequently very terminal surprise to many a Zentraedi warrior before Breetai forged the current alliance with them, as did the twelve missiles hanging from the weapons nacelles under their wings and their centreline mounted gunpods – Captain Hunter had been unwilling to allow the veritechs to proceed on this mission without being armed just in case something happened and they ran into trouble.
Raylen understood and approved of the Terran aces caution. There were after all some marauders out here – mostly from those Zentraedi from the Main Fleet who while they'd survived the battle that had seen Dolza reduced to a cloud of plasma and dust hadn't joined Breetai and the Free Zentraedi Forces afterwards, instead choosing to wander around and presenting more than a few security headaches – who wouldn't hesitate to attack defenceless ships but would think twice before challenging a squadron of Valkyries. Especially Valkyries who were being commanded by one of the two most lethal Terran aces – who had killed hundreds or even thousands of enemy Zentraedi during the war – but which, if pressed, could call upon the fire support of his cruiser's guns and missile turrets. Not to mention the sizeable armada of fighters and battlepods still carried aboard.
He was about to turn away, to resume the numerous other duties that came with commanding a Zentraedi warship, when Skull One suddenly stopping dead in space on the holographic screen caught his attention. The veritech didn't change modes to stop like it normally would, instead it just froze in place as though something had literally grabbed it and stopped the plane dead in its tracks. Simultaneously Skull One's engines died as it all its running lights as all power was lost. At the same time the sensor stations on the main level of the bridge below came alive.
"Captain sensors indicate that a gravitational-electromagnetic force beam of some kind has locked onto Skull One," the Zentraedi officer in charge of the sensor section reported. "In addition we are picking up a high powered, directional dampening field that has also locked onto the veritech, disabling all power onboard."
"Source," Raylen demanded, even as he noticed the rest of the veritech squadron and the shuttle veering around the stationary, helpless veritech with one of the other fighters moving towards Skull One likely to attempt to render assistance.
"Both beams are coming from somewhere beneath the surface of Phobos," sensors reported, "sir we just picked up an energy burst consistent with a matter-energy transport beam, we are now no longer detecting Captain Hunter's life sign inside Skull One's cockpit. As with the other beams the transport originated beneath the surface of Phobos."
Raylen's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't like this one bit, first there was a gravitational-electromagnetic force beam of some kind, then a directional dampening field and now a matter-energy transport beam. The latter was especially concerning as the Zentraedi had only encountered matter-energy transportation a handful of times in their entire history as it was technology that few races had. Not even the Robotech Masters had the technology, though knowing them they would be actively trying to develop it. Which meant that whoever was behind this, whoever had abduced Captain Hunter, they were undoubtably a very powerful – and thus extremely dangerous – race.
"Move us closer to Phobos and begin running in depth scans of the asteroid see if you can locate Captain Hunter's life signs," he ordered at last. "Communications instruct the shuttle and most of the escort group to continue with their mission to the Martian surface. Then contact both Commander Breetai and Admiral Gloval."
"Yes captain."
Alien Installation
Inside Phobos, That Same Time
Rick Hunter grunted as the golden light vanished and he landed on his butt on a cold metallic floor, pulled down by an artificial gravity system. What the hell, he thought as he climbed to his feet and looked around curiously finding himself at the end of a corridor. The walls were made of an odd bronze-coloured metal while the floor was made of a material that resembled black and white marble but was clearly metal. Overhead in patterns of three odd crystals flooded the corridor with diffuse white light that almost reminded him of the lights on the SDF-1 if slightly harsher as the light didn't quite feel as warm.
The corridor was also completely deserted. There was no sign of whoever or whatever had brought him here, nor any sign of how they had done it. He could only conclude that the golden shimmer had been some kind of real-life transporter beam. For a second nothing happened then he again began to feel something, like something was tugging on his mind wanting him to advance into whatever this place was. He glanced at the small computer pad on his wrist and noted it was completely dead, meaning he had no comms so couldn't call the rest of the veritech squadron or the Zentraedi cruiser for help. He was completely on his own here, wherever it was. The tug on his mind came again.
"Alright whatever you are I'm coming," he said aloud even as he drew his standard issue MP-84 laser pistol from its holster on his belt. Only to see that like the computer on his wrist it was completely dead, the e-clip inside either somehow completely drained of power or just being prevented from working somehow. Which made the weapon about as useful as a paperweight. Grumbling and swearing under his breath he put the pistol back in its holster, then setting his shoulders began walking down the corridor.
After a couple of minutes he came to a T-junction in the corridor though it was immediately obvious which way he was meant to walk as only one side of the T was open. The other being sealed off by a pair of doors that looked to be pretty damned strong, certainly stronger than anything he would have been able to damage with his pistol even if it had been working. Thus he walked down the open corridor which eventually came to a staircase, which in between the steps had softly glowing alien glyphs and symbols that, somewhere in the back of his mind, felt almost familiar. This is getting really weird now Rick, he thought to himself as the strange tug in his mind prompted him to climb the stairs. Another corridor was beyond, though this one was much shorter, at the end of which he could see an open room.
Finally hoping for some answers, maybe whoever his abductors were they were waiting in there though they would be in for a rude surprise if they expected him to be defenceless just because his laser wasn't working, Rick picked up his pace. Somewhat to his disappointment there was nobody in room, indeed the only thing that was in here was an odd, almost throne-like, chair with some kind of pads set into the front of the arms that glowed from within standing on a raised dais.
"Okay you want me to sit down is that it," he asked looking up, wondering when somebody would answer him as he was starting to get both fed up, and annoyed, about being led around like a rat in a maze by this odd feeling inside his head. Getting the impression that that is what the feeling wanted he sighed and climbed into the chair.
The moment he did so the chair reclined in a manner similar to a dentist's chair and he felt a strange presence enter his mind. "Scanning… scanning," a mechanical voice said, seeming coming from inside his own mind, "genetic marker confirmed…. Initiating system start up. Accessing language centre… language designate English download complete… Primary start up complete… Initiating primary artificial intelligence matrix start up… start up complete. Initiating data transfer from secondary to primary artificial intelligence matrix… transfer complete… primary matrix online."
"Greetings descendant," a more human sounding voice abruptly said getting Rick's attention. Rick looked up to see what appeared to be an average looking Caucasian man with short brown hair and grey eyes, wearing white and brown clothing in a very odd style had appeared nearby. While he appeared to be solid given his sudden appearance Rick was willing to bet that he was looking at a very sophisticated holographic avatar of this place's artificial intelligence matrix.
"Who are you?" he asked, "are you responsible for disabling my veritech and abducting me?"
"I do not have a name Captain Hunter at least not in the way that you do," the avatar answered, "my designation is supervisory artificial intelligence one three five one seven. I did not bring you here, though the stations automated systems did as soon as the marker was detected and you entered transporter beam range."
"What do you mean marker? And how the hell do you know my name?"
"When sat in the control chair you were scanned by the security system during the course of the scan the language centre of your brain was accessed allowing me to learn your language. I learned your name and military rank at the same time," the AI replied, "by marker I mean a specific genetic sequence is present in you that instructs your body to make certain chemicals that affect the central nervous system allowing you to access and use the neural interface. It is likely that at some point in the distant past one or more of your ancestors interbred with one or more of my creators. That would explain the presence of the marker."
"So, you're saying I am part alien?"
"No. My creators were as human as you are just a few million years more evolved. Indeed, your kind were created here and in other galaxies in their image. You may know them as the Ancients or the gate builders."
"Ah no never heard either of those. But we only discovered the Stargate again recently. But enough about that do you mind telling me exactly why I was brought here?"
"Of course. A program was recently entered into the automated background processes, which is what stopped your veritech in its tracks and disabled it with an energy dampening field before transporting you aboard. I cannot say who entered the program as neither security nor power usage logs show any access by anyone since I was last shut down ten thousand years ago," the AI explained, "the program however is clear that if you are willing to assist me I am to give you full access to the manufacturing facility beneath the surface of the planet you refer to as Mars."
"Help you? How? And what kind of manufacturing facility?" Rick asked, wondering if this facility that was apparently concealed beneath the surface of Mars was anything like the automated production lines on the factory satellite.
"If you relax into the neural interface I will show you. Just lean back as far as you can in the control chair and I will do the rest."
Rick raised an eyebrow but, realizing he really didn't have a choice, decided to go along with what the AI said. Plus he was now quite curious. Thus he leaned back as far he could in the control chair – which despite its odd construction was very comfortable – and felt the interface expand to fill his entire awareness…
…and suddenly it was like he was no longer on the hidden station.
Instead he was flying through space towards the surface of Mars, passing the shuttle and the rest of the escort squadron which were continuing their approach to Mars having no doubt been told to by Captain Raylen, and entering the atmosphere. Within seconds he was over a seemingly ordinary crater before the interface took him down and he realized, with a jolt of surprise, that the floor of the crater was just a very well camouflaged, very large door. Beyond it a wide tunnel – that he instantly knew to be several kilometres in diameter – lined with the same bronze coloured metal as the station – led deep beneath the dusty, windswept surface of the red planet.
For several seconds he descended down the tunnel, descending to a depth of nearly a hundred kilometres beneath the surface, until it ended and he came to landing platform. Two entrances led off in different directions, the one to the right leading to what he somehow knew was the manufacturing centre while the one on the left went elsewhere. It was down that corridor that the interface took him, travelling a short distance along a wide corridor before everything opened into a vast cavern.
Huge machines, that were currently dark and lifeless, filled the cavern with the path running between them. He was swept along that path until he came to a building and was shown a room in the very core in which a triangular pedestal with three openings sat two dark and lifeless consoles stood nearby with odd transparent screens hanging above them.
"What you are looking at is the central power hub for a complex constructed to reformat Mars into a life bearing world for the first time in millions of years. However by the time its construction was finished my creators had chosen to ascend to a higher plane of existence leaving the facility ready but unpowered," the AI told him. "If you will help me by placing the appropriate number of power modules in place and initialising the system I will as I said assist you with access to the industrial complex."
"What exactly can this industrial complex make?" Rick asked somehow knowing exactly how to think speak while this deep into the interface. "And what power modules are you speaking of? Where would I even get them?"
"The industrial complex is composed of a number of molecular fabricators and can manufacture most of my creators most common of technologies including some of those used on starships such as shield generators and hyperspace drives. However it cannot make weapons, those fabricators are only kept at military shipyards and sadly I do not know where any of those are.
"As for the power modules there are a number of them in storage here," the AI continued, "if you agree to help me start up the reformatting plant I will release all of them for your people to use beyond the three needed to provide the plant with power."
"Assuming I agree to help you how long would this reformatting – though we would call it terraforming – of Mars take?"
"It will depend on whether you want it done quickly or slowly. A quick terraforming would involve the activation of the terraforming plants built in time dilation device, this would take the planet out of temporal sync with normal space-time for several months during which time the planet would be transformed into a living breathing world with a full sustainable biosphere of plant and animal life. A slow terraforming would take several decades."
Rick was so stunned by that reply, and the sheer technological and scientific power it implied, that he violently sat up in the chair bringing him out of the neural interface simulation. The very idea that someone, some ancient human-like race that he was apparently somehow connected to, had the power to turn a lifeless world like Mars into a living breathing planet ripe to support life in just seven decades was mind blowing even to someone like him who had seen the incredible power of robotechnology. What was even more shocking was the fact that by speeding up time – if he understood what the AI was saying about the time dilation field was correct – it could be done in less than a year if necessary. It was frankly amazing not to mention somewhat terrifying that there had once been a race with that kind of power.
It was too much for him to comprehend. Thankfully this was not a decision he could make on his own, this would need to be forwarded to both the United Earth Government and the United Earth Defence Council for consideration. And certainly eventual approval given how mankind had long dreamed of terraforming Mars from a lifeless, radiation blasted dustbowl into a living, breathing copy of Earth.
"So will you help me?" the AI asked him.
"I would but this isn't a decision I can make," Rick replied, "I'm just a veritech pilot. This is something that's way above my paygrade and knowledge level. I'll need to pass your request on to my superiors and the government. Given how we have dreamed of terraforming Mars I don't doubt they'll agree but…"
"…but the form has to be followed," the AI finished for him. "I understand fully, the chain of command must be respected. I will transport you back to your fighter and release both the tractor beam and the dampening field. But before I do that is there anything I can do to assist you? Maybe something that will make your superiors more inclined to assist me?"
Rick frowned thoughtfully. "Well you could help with the mission that I was supposed to be commanding," he replied, "there's an unknown spacecraft concealed at the bottom of a deep cavern on the flanks of a volcano we know as Arsia Mons on the planet below. Is there anyway you could help us retrieve it?"
For a moment the AI paused and Rick sensed it was running a scan. "I have detected it," the AI confirmed after a moment. "Your expedition team is cruising through the atmosphere towards the volcano, and incidentally that cavern is not natural."
"It isn't?"
"No it's a currently sealed exhaust shaft for the industrial complex. If you wish I could dispatch a drone craft to retrieve it or at least bring it up into orbit."
"Bring it into orbit," Rick instructed at last, "and do you have communications?"
"Of course. If you wish to speak to someone just use the interface to think of who you want to speak to and how you want to speak to them either over audio visual link or via transmitted hologram."
I think audio visual for now, Rick thought before concentrating on the interface and find it incredibly, increasingly, easy to find and access this facilities communications array. Whereupon he began hailing the Zentraedi cruiser. For a few moments nothing happened then a holographic screen appeared in front of him showing the face and upper torso of Captain Raylen. To say that the Zentraedi looked surprised to see him would have been an understatement.
"Captain Hunter are you alright," Raylen asked.
"I am fine Captain Raylen," Rick answered, "though getting teleported aboard an ancient alien base was not something I planned on happening today."
Raylen chuckled slightly, appreciating the humour. "I imagine not," he replied, "do you need us to come and get you I have been given authorisation by both Commander Breetai and Admiral Gloval to do so."
"That won't be necessary I will be transporting back to my veritech in another few minutes. However before I do that I need you to do something for me."
"Go on."
Quickly Rick explained what he needed the Zentraedi officer to do including the fact that this station was sending drone craft down to Arsia Mons to recover the unknown alien ship for them and bring it into orbit. Whereupon they would be able to fold it back to Earth for analysis aboard the factory satellite. As such he needed the Zentraedi to recall the expedition from the surface before they landed.
"I will do as you ask," Raylen agreed, "though what exactly has happened over there?"
"It's a long story I will make sure you get a copy of the debriefing I'm sure to get over all this."
"I look forward to it. Raylen out."
The holographic screen blinked out of existence as the communications link was closed down from the other side. Rick wasn't surprised as the Zentraedi were never ones for beating about the bush so to speak, they just preferred to say all that needed to be said and no more.
"I am ready to transport you back to your fighter now Captain Hunter," the AI told him as he stood up. "A drone ship has been dispatched to retrieve the unknown vessel from its resting place in the exhaust shaft. It will be in orbit in four minutes and will have the vessel in orbit within fifteen."
"Thank you," Rick replied, "but before you send me back how will I contact you to let you know my superior's decision?"
The avatar smiled slightly. "Now that I am online you need only approach the station and hail me," the machine replied, "the asteroid camouflage will be dissipated by the time you return as it is no longer needed. If the answer is positive I can either transport you aboard or open a landing bay for you to dock a spacecraft inside."
"Alright but before you transport me back there is one last thing we need to sort out."
"Oh?"
"Giving you a name as your current designation is somewhat cumbersome."
"I cannot find fault in that argument. As the first descendant of my creators to reactivate me you do have the authority to change my designation. What do you wish to call me?"
Rick frowned thoughtfully, milling it over in his head for a few moments until the answer came to him. "Well since your original designation's numbers were all primes we'll call you Primus."
"Understood my designation has been changed you may now call me Primus," the AI answered.
"Good now transport me back to my veritech, hopefully we will meet again soon."
"I look forward to it Captain Hunter," Primus replied before triggering the transporter beam and after a shimmer of golden light Rick found himself back in the cockpit of Skull One. Seconds later all the consoles lit up and a slight jolt ran through the airframe as both the tractor beam and dampening field was released.
Rick quickly checked his instruments making sure that everything was booting up as it should. Once he was sure everything was okay he brought his engines back to life and began to make his way towards the rest of the squadron and the star goose shuttle. All the while mulling over what he had experienced and learned on the station hidden inside Phobos, and figuring out just how he was going to explain it to the brass.
Authors Notes: Well another chapter bites the metaphorical dust I hope you all enjoyed it. This chapter has kicked off what is going to be the next two major arcs of the story, one of which is actually a major part of another over arching part of the back history that will be revealed in time. Though one of the things that I will be doing with this fic is actually showing just how incredibly advanced and powerful the Ancients actually were – as the canon shows had this somewhat irritating habit of giving them and other advanced races bad cases of chronic idiotitus in order for the SG/SGA teams to triumph every time this will not be happening here – I hope nobody minds.
Finally before anyone says Primus giving them access to an Ancient manufacturing facility is a bit much the facility while it is a boon isn't as big a one as you would think as while most Ancient technology is vastly superior to that of the Robotech Masters – indeed the Ancients could do things that would have even the smartest science triumvirate completely stumped – that is not true of their fabricators as theirs and those of the Masters actually work on the same basic principles just due to the need to build massive fleets of ships and fighters – not to mention all the ammo they need and the crews to run them – the speed at which the Masters fabrication technology can create something without error is considerably superior to the slower Ancient systems. Until next time.