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-Four
Skull One
Mars
That Same Time
Captain Rick Hunter watched his monitors in quiet amazement as a small craft launched from the alien space station that had been hidden inside the asteroid moon of Phobos quickly but carefully pulled whatever the craft at the base of what he now knew to be some kind of exhaust shaft, for an industrial facility that they hadn't even known was there, up into orbit. The craft launched from the station wasn't anything special to look at, it was a cigar-shaped lump of metal – that his veritech's sensors revealed to be made primarily of trinium, whatever that was – eight meters long and four point seven meters wide, if you included the two small engines on retractable pylons mounted at the rear. The only really odd things to it visually was the fact that the hull was covered with a series of raised panels and groves that caught the light of the distant sun in odd ways. Plus there was the fact that the front and the back were sloped in a way that almost looked like someone or something had cut it at an angle with a knife.
What was impressive, however, was how it was getting the still unseen ship out of the cave/exhaust shaft where it had been sat for who knew how long. Instead of shooting a cable, or set of cables, with grapples on them down into the abyss the vessel was projecting a beam of focused gravitational/electromagnetic force from a point on its underside. It was honestly like something out of some pre-Arrival science fiction movie or series like Star Wars or Star Trek. The real-life take on a tractor beam was obviously working just like the ones in those old movies and shows did, slowly but surely bringing whatever it was that was down there to the surface and from there to his – and the expeditions – current position in orbit. Sensors clearly confirming that the unknown ship was steadily rising and would clear the lip of the shaft on the flank of Arsia Mons in another couple of minutes. From there it wouldn't take the drone ship long to bring it up here into orbit.
Rick had to admit that his curiosity about both the unknown ship and the ancient space station that had been hidden inside Phobos – presumably as camouflage, indeed something some instinct he hadn't known he had said that the asteroid had actually been constructed around the station to hide it – was reaching a fever pitch. He wanted to know more and not just about the ship or the station but whichever ancient race had constructed it and which he, somehow, had a connection to. The latter brought to mind some old tales that his grandmother had used to tell him before she died of cancer when he was nine, tales about how the Hunter line was connected to something that went back to the families' earliest origins in the confusing mists of Arthurian mythology. And that to this day that connection could bring great power if used correctly or cause great harm if used incorrectly.
A bleep from the comm brought him out of his thoughts. Blinking he mentally chided himself for getting distracted before answering the hail. Immediately Captain Raylen appeared on the screen. "Yes captain," Rick asked.
"Captain Hunter we have just received a call from UEDF High Command that I have been instructed to relay to your veritech," the Zentraedi officer replied prompting Rick's eyes to widen in surprise as this was unusual to say the least. "Admiral Gloval is waiting to speak with you."
"Put him through please captain," Rick answered, already having some idea of what this was going to be about. No doubt Admiral Gloval had questions about what he had seen and experienced while aboard the station and wanted to do a brief unofficial debriefing before he wrote and presented his report to command and from there the Defence Council.
"As you wish connecting you to Admiral Gloval now."
For a moment more nothing happened then the image changed and Admiral Gloval – and from the backdrop he was sitting in his office in New Macross City, over which dusk was clearly beginning to fall – appeared. "Ah Captain Hunter good," Gloval said in greeting, "sorry for butting in on you like this but we need to talk."
"It's quite alright sir," Rick replied, "is it about what happened with the station and Primus?"
"It is," Gloval confirmed then blinked before questioningly speaking again, "Primus?"
"The AI on the station had no name sir just a numerical designation. Before he teleported me back to Skull One he asked me for a name, I gave him one."
"I see. Right before we proceed I need to ask you are you alright?" Unsaid was the fact that the one who had asked him to ask was certainly Lisa Hayes.
"If I am honest I am a little creeped out by it," Rick admitted before explaining what he meant especially the fact that there was something in his DNA, some gene sequence that connected him back through the mists of time to whoever or whatever ancient alien race had built the station and everything that was apparently hidden on Mars. He even admitted the sense that he had that his late grandmother had known something about it in how she had always said about how there line was connected to something ancient, something lost in the mists of time and Arthurian mythology. But that something could be source of great power if used correctly or a source of great harm if used incorrectly.
"I see that is interesting," Gloval said once he finished frowning thoughtfully. "Do you remember anything in detail about what she told you?"
"I'm afraid not Grandma died of cancer when I was nine," Rick answered before pausing, "though Aunt Maria might know since in my family the women have always been the lore keepers while the men were the farmers, ranchers and after the Wright brothers flew the first time the pilots. It might be a good idea to send someone to go and talk with her about it or wait till I get back and I could call her or fly to Denver to see her. Though I would need permission to tell her why I was asking."
"We can discuss that when you return," Gloval replied though Rick got the distinct impression that the former master of the SDF-1 was inclined to allow it, "though I don't see any problem with it as anything that could shed some light on this mystery would be worth a risk. Though while we are on the subject of the station I actually have a favour to ask you, though it is a favour only you are within your rights to refuse it without any blowback from me." The not that I would do that anyway went unsaid as Gloval would be well aware that doing that to him would garner Lisa's wrath and his surrogate daughters rage would be the very last thing he would want to deal with.
"You want me to go back to the station," Rick asked wondering if that was what the favour was about.
"Indeed," Gloval admitted, "we need quite a bit more information about the station and what's on Mars before I can take this issue to both the Defence Council and the Executive for a decision on whether we activate the terraforming facility or not and which mode we use. It would save us all considerable time if you would go back there and get Primus to give you a bit more information on what is there and what it can do. Though as I said this is a favour I won't order you to go."
"I'll do it sir."
"Are you sure?"
"I am. I will be lying sir if I said I haven't been very curious ever since Primus mentioned it to me."
"Alright go. Oh and Rick thank you."
"Your welcome."
"Gloval out."
The communication with command, relayed from the hyper comm arrays of Raylen's cruiser, closed down and Rick took a moment to collect himself. Then he opened both the squadron command channel as well as a communications link with the Zentraedi cruiser. "This is Skull Leader. Command has requested that I return to the station that was hidden inside Phobos to get some more information out of the AI," he said, "while I do that continue with the recovery operation. Lieutenant Sinclair you're in charge until I return."
"Understood sir I won't let you down," Lieutenant Peter Sinclair responded from one of the other Valkyrie's.
"Understood Captain Hunter," Captain Raylen added a second later. "Would you like me to dispatch a squadron of fighter pods to support and escort you?"
"That's very kind of you Captain Raylen though it is unnecessary," Rick replied, "just continue with the recovery operation until I get back."
"Understood and it will be as you wish. Raylen out."
As soon as the communications channel closed down Rick brought Skull One's fusion turbine engines out of idle. Then he brought the veritech around and hit his afterburners, shooting away from Mars orbit towards Phobos and hopefully some more information and answers from Primus.
As he travelled it became obvious that Primus hadn't been lying about doing away with the rock that had concealed the station for so long, making it appear to be nothing more than an asteroid that had gotten caught in Mars gravity and had been in a slowly decaying – as in a few centimetres per year – orbit that would see it smack into the red planet in about ten million years. Though he was still too far away to be sure it looked from the changing shape that quite a few sections of the overlying rock had been removed somehow – as there was no sign of debris on sensors – and the station had stopped moving and was now hanging stationary over Mars. It had also moved up into a higher more stable orbit, though how he wasn't sure as there were no ion trails from engines.
At least engines as we understand them, he thought recalling some of what he had heard about the engines that the Goa'uld used on their ships and fighters. Instead of using reaction engines – albeit very advanced ones based on ion fusion - in the way they and the Zentraedi did the Goa'uld engines generated and manipulated both gravitational and antigravitational forces that alternatively pushed and pulled the ship in whatever direction it wished to go. From what he'd heard the Asgard ships seemed to use the same sort of technology for sublight propulsion. How that could possibly work and not rip the ship apart through spatial distortion he had no idea, but that was something for the eggheads like Doctor Lang to figure out not a veritech pilot like him.
He pushed aside those thoughts as he drew much closer to the station. He could clearly see now that a deep crevasse now completely dissected the rocky surface, through which he could clearly see a silver-grey metallic hull. Additional sections of the overlying rock were periodically shimmering with golden light, seeming to blur before fading away revealing more of the metallic structure underneath. Abruptly the sensors bleeped informing him he was being scanned. A moment later the comm chirped with an incoming hail, which he immediately answered causing an image of Primus avatar to appear on his screen.
"Captain Hunter I was not expecting to see you again so soon," the AI said in greeting, "is there something that I can do to assist you?"
"Primus I need to come aboard and speak with you for a bit," Rick replied. "My superior officers want to know a bit more about you, the station and the facilities on Mars so we and the government can make a more informed decision as to how to proceed from here."
"Of course you may come aboard. I would never even attempt to stop a descendant of my creators to come here," Primus replied, "and I am quite prepared to provide you with the information that you require. How do you wish to come aboard? Access do the main docking bay is now possible allowing you to land alternatively I can transport you aboard."
"If it's alright Primus I would prefer to land," Rick replied having had enough of being teleported around for one day. Though he did have to admit it was definitely a quick and economical way of getting about.
"As you wish I will transmit you docking instructions now. I will meet you after you have landed."
"Thank you Primus. I will see you in a few minutes," Rick replied even as Skull One's computer bleeped to let him know that it had received the instructions from the station. He wasn't at all surprised to find that the instructions were written in a format that the veritech's computer could understand from the word go. Primus had no doubt learned the programming language used by the computer from his mind since he frequently handled his own maintenance issues with Skull One – only letting others do it when it was either something he couldn't deal with – which was fairly rare to be honest – or he was busy with other tasks and didn't have the time. A situation that was becoming sadly more and more common as he took on more and more duties as needed, honestly sometimes it was a wonder he even found time to sleep anymore.
He pushed aside those thoughts and instead focused on following the provided instructions.
Ten minutes later Rick climbed out of the cockpit and gazed around at the vast docking bay that he had just landed in. This place was huge with several large docks – that from their size would comfortably accommodate even a Zentraedi command dreadnought like Breetai's flagship – around the room and dozens of smaller docks. All of whom were currently empty, the spaces dark and silent, but he imagined that when fully operational and in service this place had had to be at least as impressive as one of the bays on the factory satellite.
As soon as his boots touched the metal deck Primus materialized a holographic avatar right in front of him. The artificial intelligence smiling warmly – seemingly quite genuinely – in greeting. "Welcome back aboard Captain Hunter," Primus said in greeting.
"Thank you Primus," Rick replied, smiling back as he quite liked the AI even if the circumstances of their first meeting was not ideal with the station's secondary operating system essentially abducting him in order to bring Primus online. He also saw an opportunity here to gain a bit more information beyond the information that Admiral Gloval had asked him to acquire. "This bay is certainly impressive what kind of ships would be docked here as some of those bays are large enough to accommodate even a Zentraedi dreadnought and at four kilometres long those things are the biggest spacecraft we have ever seen."
"Since my systems recognize you as the station's default administrator since you activated me I can answer that question," Primus admitted, "the docks here are capable of supporting almost all the sizes of vessel in my creators, your distant ancestors, fleet with only the largest vessels like the mobile outposts and cityships being unable to dock here. While this station primary purpose is to oversee operations on Mars, operations that never resumed after my creators returned to this galaxy following their defeat in a war against a species called the Wraith it can also act as a supply station for their ships. Hence why most of my storage bays are full; with the exception of the drone storage bays beyond those present here as part of the stations weapons array I do not have any."
"Weapons array! The station is armed?"
"Of course. In addition to the presence of shields the station is armed with two quantum slicer beam cannons, four drone launchers, twelve neutron pulse cannon turrets and twenty-four phased plasma point defence arrays. But you need not worry beyond the shields and the point defence arrays I cannot operate any of the stations weapons systems – hardware lockouts prevent it."
"I see," Rick replied knowing that would relieve his superiors though there would be some, like Colonel Matthews, who probably still wouldn't like the idea of an alien station so armed being present in Sol.
"You however would be able to use the weapons should the need arise," Primus continued, "you, or anyone else with the correct genetic marker, would have to be sat in the control chair you were in earlier in order to access and use the systems."
"That's another thing my superiors will want to know about," Rick admitted, "the people who built you and the facilities on the planet below."
"Your people have no knowledge of them? I suppose that is not surprising since the last of them left this plane of existence a long time ago. If you wish I will transcribe information on them to a crystal for your later review. Including the parts that are most relevant to yourself and the legacy you, and certainly others, carry inside your very DNA. I will also give you a personal copy of the later to review on a reading device as I can tell you are curious."
"Indeed I am thank you Primus."
"Though while we are on this subject maybe you can answer me a question."
"If I can."
"When you were scanned earlier an anomalous energy signature was detected in your body and it is still there now. It is not harmful and actually seems to be helping you in some fashion."
Rick blinked and looked at the AI in confusion for a few moments. Then he realized what it was that Primus was on about, it was a known side effect of a protoculture based power source – though until they'd met the Zentraedi they hadn't known the name of the power source – like the protoculture energizers that powered battle mecha including veritechs. They emitted an ambient energy field that was not in any way harmful to organic beings and in fact seemed to help them by among other things making it much harder to get sick and make things like flying and – when necessary – fighting with battle mecha easier. He said as much to Primus causing the AI to do some blinking of its own.
"Interesting," Primus commented, "could you tell me a bit more about this protoculture? There is no reference to such a material in my database."
"I'm the wrong person to ask about that," Rick answered, "I'm just a veritech pilot, I know what protoculture can do but that's about it. You'll need to talk to a robotechnologist to know more about it. I can see about arranging a meeting."
"That would be wonderful. Now I believe you have other questions?"
"Indeed. Let's start with the industrial facility that you say is down on the planet. What exactly is it and what can it do."
"It would be better to show you," Primus admitted before waving a hand and suddenly in a shimmer of golden light the room around them changed to the same chair room Rick had been in earlier. Rick blinked and looked around in surprise before realizing he'd been teleported again. "You are not used to transporter beams?"
"No. Until today I didn't even know they existed as both ourselves and the Zentraedi just use shuttles when we want to get back and forth from orbital ships and structures. Until today transporter beams like that were supposed to just be the stuff of science fiction."
"I see I apologize if I have startled you too much then."
"It's alright Primus just a little bit of warning next time please."
"As you wish," Primus acknowledged with a nod before gesturing to the control chair. "Please sit and relax into the interface. I will then take you on a tour of the facility and answer questions about both it and the terraforming facility. If you like I will also transcribe the information to a crystal."
"That would be great Primus," Rick answered even as he walked up to the odd throne-like chair, taking a moment to study it in a bit more detail this time noting the odd grey colour and the fact that the headrest was inset with crystals plus the pads where his hands would rest glowed softly with various colours, then he sat down. Immediately the chair, once again reclined, and he felt the system scan his mind again but only for half a second – like it was just confirming his identity – before the interface unfolded in his mind.
It was different this time.
Before beyond feeling the system start up Primus – and being greeted by him – he hadn't really felt much from the interface except when Primus was showing him the terraforming facility. This time however he could see the entire station in his mind's eye, could feel all the data flows running through the station and knew he could interact with any of them in an instant if he so choose. Seeing one system especially active he focused on it slightly and could see exactly what was happening to the rocky shell that had encased the station for so long. It was being quickly but methodically dissembled, section by section, by the station's transporter arrays which – after breaking down the rock – rematerialized it as a fine dust deep within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
"The rock came from there as well," Primus told him, seeing which system had caught the human's attention, "it was just brought here and through molecular fabrication assembled into the shell of the asteroid you knew as Phobos."
"Fascinating," Rick commented even as he did the mental equivalent of hitting the home button and finding the main directory inside his head, the system waiting for him to choose what he wanted to access or do. "As much as I would like to explore all the systems of this place this way we should get back to the issue that brought me here."
"Indeed," Primus agreed and Rick immediately felt the impulse to close his eyes. He did so and suddenly information began to fill his head as he suddenly seemed to be standing in a dark cavern on, or rather beneath, the surface of Mars. "Welcome to Industrial Fabrication Plant 104. This particular fabrication plant was created thirty-seven million years ago shortly after my creators first began settling in this system though the systems have been periodically upgraded since.
"The last major systems upgrade, replacing the original power systems that had been powered by energy crystals of Furling design with potentia modules and carrying out general upgrades to the nano forges and fabricators, was completed approximately one hundred years before the outbreak of the Great Plague that saw the collapse of my creator's main civilization in this galaxy. The survivors of the plague would – after a short dark age lasting a hundred years – elect to leave this galaxy and so would pour the last of their resources into fully refurbishing and upgrading the cityship Atlantis and leave. This occurred five million years ago."
"But not this place," Rick asked.
"No the technology in the industrial facility was not refurbished though remains fully functional and only requires the restoration of power to be brought back into use," Primus continued "my records indicate that when my creators returned after the end of the war with the Wraith a plan was made to refurbish the refit the technology with their latest technology but it was never begun unlike the planetary reformatting plant which was fully upgraded.
Even without an upgrade the industrial facility is capable of producing many technologies that will be highly useful to you as well as still being millennia or more ahead of your current technology. In many ways by not refurbishing and upgrading I believe my creators have inadvertently done you a favour as while the technology is more advanced it is not, from what my sensors reveal from your fighters and the alien warship, beyond your ability to understand."
"Can you show me an example of some of the technology that could be made here?"
"As you wish."
Laboratory Section 12A
Robotech Factory Satellite
Earth Orbit, That Same Time
Lieutenant Vince Grant smiled as he finished securing the last connection between the new analysis console the eggheads working in this lab had wanted and the stations power grid. Awkwardly he stood up and tapped a few buttons on the consoles surface, for a moment nothing happened then the console hummed to life and began running through its startup sequence.
"There you go doc," he said turning to face the only other person in the room with him. Doctor Ryan Hamilton was the only member of the science team working in this lab, working to analyse a number of items taken from the damaged Goa'uld ships currently docked in one of the salvage bays, who had stayed to watch him work. The others, who included the Tok'ra Freya/Anise, having retired for the evening. "One analysis console up and running as requested."
"Thank you lieutenant," Hamilton replied with a smile. "The others will be pleased as punch to have this up and running tomorrow. It should make analysing this Goa'uld tech so much easier."
"Your welcome," Vince answered happy to be both showed appreciation for his work and the fact that this was done. He wasn't sure why the investigation teams had wanted this plugged in tonight as the station's normal technical personnel had had it on their lists for tomorrow afternoon. They, especially the man before him had made such a stink about it that Admiral Chase had asked him, after he was leaving his own job in the starship design rooms, to install it and get the irate eggheads out of his hair since he was quite used to robotechnology having worked on the SDF-1 for years. "Now let me just gather up my tools and I'll be out of your hair."
"Sure thing."
Hamilton watched as the athletic dark-skinned young man knelt down and began picking up his tools. He moved away slightly and reached for one of two items he had concealed under his desk behind the lip at the edge where nobody could see them unless looking directly up from below. Carefully, making sure to avoid making a sound and thus potentially alerting the other man that something was up, he removed it revealing an electromagnetic stun gun the modern robotech descendant of the taser.
He looked back at the lieutenant, still picking up his tools, and felt a smidgeon of guilt for what he was about to do. He knew it had to be done, the United Earth Government needed to fall. They needed to go down for the billions of people they had essentially murdered when they had committed Earth to war with the Zentraedi. While he and the other survivors of the Anti-Unification League – well those who had managed to keep their allegiance to the organisation a secret after Arnold's screw-up with Armour One – had always feared that the UEG would bring about bad things for humanity but even they had been stunned by the sheer scale of the disaster that had unfolded on their watch. Ever since then they had been searching for some means of getting payback, some tool that could let them bring this government and its military machine.
And now, thanks to a chance discovery on one of the captured Goa'uld ships and a careless comment by the Tok'ra, one had indeed fallen into their lap.
But now that he was in a position to execute the quickly thought up plan he hesitated. He knew Vincent Grant was a nice man, a family man whose wife was a doctor and was a few months pregnant with their first child. Was it right to take him away from all that? The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, he thought recalling one of his favourite phrases from classic Star Trek.
Face determined he pointed the weapon at the broad back of the lieutenant as he was just finishing picking up his tools. Without further hesitation he fired, a pulse of energy emerging from the muzzle and shooting across the distance in the blink of an eye to slam into the centre of Vince's back. Vince cried out in pain and surprise as the energy washed over him before he fell forward and lay twitching on his back as the energy charge rampaged through his nerve endings.
Knowing he only had a few moments before the other man recovered – and presumably beat the living daylights out of him for his attack – he put down the stun gun. He whirled and opened the top of a small, ornate tank – decorated with hissing snake-like creatures – found onboard one of the Goa'uld frigates. Inside the tank was a mass of bubbling water and floating in it a newly mature Goa'uld symbiote. Without hesitation he reached in and grabbed the creature, resolutely pulling it out.
The Goa'uld writhed and hissed angrily in his hand, clearly not appreciating being handled like this by a mere human, prompting him to increase the strength of his hold on its fragile body. Its hisses turned pained and it stopped struggling and he loosened his grip – the sentient parasite having clearly gotten the message that resistance would just get its fragile bones – when compared to the strength of a human – crushed. Then holding it he walked over to the still twitching Vince.
"Forgive me but this needs to be done," he said softly before kneeling down – putting one knee in the centre of the other man's broader back – and placing the symbiote just below the nape of his neck. Without hesitation the Goa'uld burrowed into the other man – prompting him to scream in pain – and Hamilton stood back up. He took a few steps back and grabbed his second hidden weapon – this one an MP-84 laser pistol – as Grant writhed on the floor, fighting against the intruding symbiote before suddenly going still. Then he slowly stood up, moving awkwardly as though testing his musculature, then he turned around and looked right at Hamilton…
…with eyes that glowed.
"You have freed me from that tank and granted me a host human for that I am grateful," the Goa'uld said and though he outwardly showed no reaction Hamilton winced inwardly at the sound of the distorted inhuman voice emerging from that mouth. "Though I have to question why?"
"The why is not important right now," Hamilton replied pointing the laser pistol at the very dangerous being – yes better to think of him as just a being and not a human whose enslavement to a sentient parasite he had just been party to – in front of him. "What is important is that you will be coming with me."
"And if I refuse?"
"Simple you get lasered Goa'uld."
"Tharos, my name is Tharos," the Goa'uld said sounding annoyed, "and you are very confident. Pity you are so weak and cowardly as to attack someone from behind. You would have otherwise been a good first Jaffa."
Without warning and with a speed more like a striking snake the Goa'uld darted forward. Hamilton fired only for the blast to go wide, and then the Goa'uld was within arm reach. With a casual sweep it knocked the laser pistol flying before grabbing him by the throat and lifting him into the air as though he weighed nothing and not a hundred and sixty pounds.
"Since you freed me Doctor Hamilton and you have granted me more than you can possibly realise in this host I will grant you one small mercy even in spite of your insolence in daring to threaten one who should be your god. I grant you a quick death."
As he finished speaking the Tharos twisted his hand sharply. For Hamilton there was a sudden sharp pain in his neck accompanied by an extremely loud crack before everything went dark as the Goa'uld's inhuman strength snapped his neck like it was a match instantly ending his life.
Tharos smirked as he dropped the twitching body of the late Doctor Hamilton. At the back of his mind he could hear his host screaming and cursing in horror at the suddenness and brutality of the murder. He ignored him. Now to arrange my escape without anyone noticing, Tharos thought looking around the laboratory, searching for something, anything that he could use to create an appropriate distraction. After a moment of looking he found exactly what he was looking for…
…and smiled evilly.
Ten Minutes Later
Keeping to the shadows, using his hosts knowledge of the position of surveillance cameras and sensors, Tharos quickly but carefully made his way to the secondary hangar bay where the two-remaining intact Tel'tak cargo ships taken from the hangar bays of the fallen Charon's mothership were kept. There was only two guards on duty in the bay at the moment as life on this massive station was winding down for the night and it was fairly easy to slip past them and climb into one of the cargo ships.
Then he waited and checked the time keeping device on his hosts right wrist. If he was reading this right his little distraction would go off in ten seconds. He began a mental countdown of the final few seconds before he would be able to leave. The seconds drew on seeming to stretch out into eternity and Tharos began to worry that something might have gotten wrong, that in their investigation of it the people of this world – or that blasphemous Tok'ra, may Egeria be damned for all eternity, who was working with them – had disabled in a way that he hadn't been able to detect.
He need not have worried as seconds later the deck beneath him shook as the Goa'uld plasma bomb detonated instantly turning the lab and everything in the surrounding section into a sphere of superheated plasma. Secondary explosions erupting seconds later as damaged systems in surrounding areas detonated themselves.
The blasts shook the entire factory satellite. Immediately alarms began blaring in all compartments warning of the sudden massive, superhot fire that was burning in the compartments around the epicentre of the blast. Instantly the stations emergency systems and emergency crews began responding firefighting drones and fire control crews racing towards the inferno.
Chancing a glance out the cockpit windows Tharos smiled when he saw the two security guards in the room turn and race out, heading for their fire emergency stations. Immediately he started up the cargo ship, the naquada generator coming to life with a muted hum of power. After closing the airlock doors he went to the pilot's seat and brought the sublight engines online and began a rapid power up of the hyperdrive. It was generally not considered a particularly sensible thing to do, hyperdrives could be a bit finicky when you did things like that, but he was on a clock now as even with the distraction of the fire he knew from his hosts memory that security and station operations would have noticed the cargo ship powering up.
Something that was proven a second later as a crystalline chine began sounding indicating he was being hailed. Tharos ignored them as the hyperdrive – running a little hotter than it strictly should but still within tolerances and thus safe to use – came online. Quickly but calmly he entered a course that would take him into Goa'uld space, where he would be able to find someone to work for among the System Lords while he began planning and laying the groundwork for his own rise to the coveted rank of System Lord. The comm chime came again even more insistently and proximity sensors showed that the doors connecting the secondary bay to the main launch tunnel were closing.
"A good attempt but doomed to fail humans," he said smirking before pressing the control that engaged the hyperspace drive. A purple-blue hyperspace window formed in front of him, the sheering forces of the opening rip in the fabric of space time shattering surrounding bulkheads and triggering another damaging series of explosions through this section of the factory satellite. Under Tharos direction the cargo ship entered the window which closed behind it, leaving behind a horrific mess as the structurally compromised bay collapsed in upon itself.
Tharos for his part simply smiled and leaned back in the pilot's chair as through the windows he saw nothing but the shimmering purple and blue of a Goa'uld hyperspace conduit. He had done it; he had escaped and he brought with him a host who had considerable knowledge of a completely new form of technology. It was something that he was sure would get him a good place of power in the ranks of the underlings of the System Lords which would do…
…for now.
Authors Notes: Well another chapter bites the dust I hope you all enjoyed it. So now one of the Goa'uld who is going to be a major pain in the arse for our intrepid heroes has been introduced, the other major pain in the butt will be introduced soon, and I know that some of you are probably cursing me right now for making Vince a host. I did want it to be shocking who was taken, and that the whole thing was the result of stupidity by the remnants of the Anti-Unification League as they weren't all found and imprisoned during the massive UEG crackdown after they pushed their luck too far and briefly hijacked Armour One in 2005, having her just long enough to destroy Antarctica Base – which has also taken the Ancient Outpost out of play for now since it was close enough to be damaged and for the ice cavern its in to collapse – with a reflex missile before Roy Fokker was able to stop them by shooting out the bridge windows from Skull One. Needless to say this stunt is going to come back to bite them big time, well once the investigation is complete as Hamilton scrambled the security system in the lab before executing his deeply flawed plan preventing the local memory from uploading to the central computer. The local server has survived the blast but it is damaged and will take awhile for data to be recovered.
Finally before anyone accuses me of giving too much to Rick and the Hunter family its actually the means to an end. It's the start of a much larger arcing plot, that will go far beyond them and take Terran teams all over the galaxy looking for pieces of a puzzle. A puzzle laid by Janus through a little bit of manipulation with the time travelling gateship he built that will have a very profound impact on the outcome of not just the robotech wars but the coming war with the Goa'uld as well. As for what legacy the Hunters have – well beyond the ATA gene – in that chest I mentioned you'll find out though I will say now it is not a ZPM or anything like that, but something else. Until next time.