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-Seven

Goa'uld Mothership

Deep Space

A Short Time Later

Tharos was nervous as he was escorted by a small posse of Jaffa through the corridors and hallways of the Goa'uld mothership that had intercepted his commandeered cargo ship a few minutes ago. This particular mothership had to belong to one of the higher ranking of the System Lords – possibly even a member of the High Council itself – given that not only did it belong to the new Sha'ha'tak-class, a class he only knew about from his host, but it wasn't alone. Instead with it was another two Sha'ha'tak, six regular Ha'tak and over a dozen Nar'kesh-class frigates. Only a top ranked System Lord could marshal up such a display of naval power for what was in all probability a patrol of borders or a System Lord preparing to launch a surprise attack upon someone.

Unfortunately he had not been able to see the identification markings on the hull before a plasma bolt had knocked his shields flat a moment before a full squad of Jaffa had ringed aboard. The Jaffa had kept their helmets deployed so he couldn't see their identification tattoos and, while they had been differential as a Jaffa should be to a god, they had given him no indication as to the identity of their master. Beyond telling him, after their brief initial talk when they'd ringed aboard and he'd surrendered himself, that their master now wished to speak with him.

"Oh please enough with the whole 'god' thing. We both know you are no god Tharos, just a body hijacking sentient parasite," Vince said from his prison at the back of Tharos' mind.

"Silence you insolent human. I am a GOD and you should be honoured that your body has become the vessel in which I will live out eternity," Tharos replied sending a mental blast of pain at the host to silence him. Somehow he wasn't surprised when the Terran didn't react, from what he had seen in his memories Vincent Grant and his entire race had been through a hell far greater than anything he could inflict upon him.

"Don't get too comfortable my kind will find you and take you out of me or get the Asgard to do it for us. Just like they removed Charon from Sergeant Reed."

"Don't get your hopes up I am never letting you go. Not with how useful your knowledge and experience with robotechnology is to me."

"That goes both ways. You may know about how some robotechnology, especially veritech fighters and destroids, works from my memories but I am also learning exactly how your technology works and the fact that despite your ego-filled protestations to the contrary it is not in any way magic."

"You insolent whelp!" Tharos screamed mentally at his host as he sent the strongest burst of pain he could summon up at his very insolent host. While he could tell immediately that the host was uncomfortable Vince point blank refused to scream, though he did get the distinct impression he was getting the mental equivalent of a death glare.

"You'll have to do better than that."

"Taunt me all you want it will not matter. What I want and need from you I already have and be assured Vincent Grant I will break you."

"We'll see about that Tharos."

"You can resist if you want but it will make no difference my victory is inevitable."

"My, my cocky bastard aren't you?"

"Silence."

"Bite me."

Tharos was distracted from his mental jousting match with his stubborn, strong-willed host as the Jaffa escorted him into an audience chamber. Ahead of him standing on a raised dais was an elaborate tall ebony throne with an illuminated white section where the Goa'uld's head would be when sat down on the throne. Tharos looked at it with quiet longing, vowing to himself that one day he would possess a throne like that and be able to decide the fate of millions based upon a whim. No doubt it would take him centuries, if not a millennium or two, to acquire the necessary power but it would one day be his as even the greatest of the Goa'uld – up to and including Ra himself – had had to start there long rise to power somewhere.

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

"You won't."

The heavy grinding stone sound of a concealed door opening distracted Tharos again and he watched as a door behind the throne opened and two individuals stepped through. One was a handsome male dressed in fine brown robes with elaborate gold thread and with a golden kara'kesh around his right hand. The other was dressed in far simpler black clothing and had the demeanour of a lotaur. Tharos could instantly tell that that was exactly what he was, while the other was definitely the System Lord as he could sense the presence of a fully mature symbiote - one of considerable age, knowledge, experience, and most of all cunning as no Goa'uld got anywhere without it – within the host. The robes and kara'kesh were also dead giveaways to who and what he was, as did the imperious air as he went up to the throne and sat down looking Tharos over carefully.

"I am Ba'al," the older Goa'uld said as he looked over the prisoner his Jaffa had taken after they'd intercepted a cargo ship passing through the newest parts of his domain. A cargo ship bearing the markings of one that had belonged to Hades before he was brought down by a bunch of unknown aliens in powerful green ships and the Asgard. He could tell that the prisoner was both another Goa'uld and a very young one at that, one who had only just reached maturity and was in his very first host. Ah those were the days, Ba'al thought knowing that while it was always fun breaking in a new host nothing was quite as great as doing it the very first time. He still well remembered breaking in his first host. "And you are?"

"Lord Ba'al my name is Tharos," Tharos replied with a bow of his head. "If you will be kind enough to allow it I would like to enter your service."

"Well at least you have some manners and know your place Tharos. Far too many young Goa'uld do not. As for allowing you to enter my service I will consider it. But first I have questions, questions that require answers. If you answer me well I will look favourably upon your request to enter my service."

"I will do my best to answer your questions my lord."

"As you should. The cargo ship you were captured in bears the markings of that idiot Hades. How did it come into your possession? Did you flee Hades' throne world during the attack by the unknown aliens and the Asgard who brought him down?"

"The Zentraedi my lord. The aliens who attacked Hades at Elysium are called the Zentraedi, they're a race of giant bioengineered humanoids from another galaxy and were sent by my hosts people to attack Hades after he led a raid on their world via the chappa'ai and took one of their people, a Zackary Reed, as prisoner who was then briefly made into a host for Lord Hades fleet commander Lord Charon. Charon has since been killed by the Asgard."

"Interesting. Then how did the cargo ship come into your possession?"

Tharos bowed his head again and carefully narrated the events that had happened from maturing inside the prim'tah pouch of the Jaffa who had carried him for a decade, to being placed in stasis. How he had been taken out of stasis by a human who had placed him inside his current host before threatening him to attempt to acquire his obedience. Ba'al smirked as he explained how he killed the human for daring to threaten someone who should be their god, before arranging his escape from a giant space station with the cargo ship after arming and placing on a timer a plasma charge that the Terrans had foolishly left unguarded.

"Interesting you showed great initiative in escaping. You have potential young Tharos. Now tell me a bit more about these Zentraedi and your hosts species, Terrans I believe you called them. You said that these Zentraedi are giants and come from another galaxy?"

"Indeed they are giants my lord. In their natural form a Zentraedi stands anywhere from forty to fifty feet tall with some individuals, such as their current leader a Commander Breetai, standing as tall as sixty feet. They were created by a race previously unknown to us to be tools of war and conquest for their creators, in much the same way we created the Jaffa, who my hosts race only know as the Robotech Masters. They were sent to this galaxy after a lost ship and ended up at war with my host species. Who through a combination of clever tactics, the exploitation of a weakness in neuro-somatic conditioning used on the Zentraedi to ensure their obedience by the Robotech Masters, and sheer dumb luck ultimately defeated them and destroyed the vast majority of the Zentraedi fleet. The remaining Zentraedi ships now serve them."

"As they should as is the rite of conquest," Ba'al answered even as he inwardly shivered at the thought of such massive creatures and how powerful these Terran humans had to be in order to have brought them to their knees. He almost said that Tharos had to be lying but he had long ago learned how to read other Goa'uld and knew without a shadow of a doubt that the younger Goa'uld was telling the absolute truth. Which revealed quite a few interesting things as well as potential new threats – like whichever extragalactic race created the Zentraedi in the first place. "Though I am interested in learning more about these Robotech Masters. What do you know of them?"

"Very little my lord. I believe that they are likely to be human and possess a very high level of technology possibly comparable, or greater, than that of the Tollan."

"That is concerning," Ba'al commented displaying an impressive amount of understatement. The Tollan were perhaps the most advanced human civilization ever encountered by the Goa'uld possessing a level of technology and scientific knowledge that far surpassed their own. Something that made them both extremely powerful and extremely dangerous though thankfully they were largely isolationist sticking to their homeworld, its handful of colony planets and two or three protectorates – including their neighbouring world of Serita – and generally didn't interfere in Goa'uld affairs.

Unlike some of the other smaller empires who would try their luck whenever they thought they could get away with it. The reptilian Tlak'kahn were especially infamous for it, the only reason the Goa'uld hadn't wiped thew out of existence for such insolence was it would have been more trouble than it was worth to take them down given they had a comparable level of technology. Thus they would only mount moderated strikes back when they pushed their luck, thankfully the Tlak'kahn weren't stupid and generally knew when to back off in order to avoid a potentially devastating war between their respective empires.

The fact that there was another empire out there, one that was apparently extragalactic in origin pointed to an extremely high level of technology, as powerful if not more so than the Tollan was not good news. As was the fact that Tharos didn't know a huge amount about them and the true level of threat that they posed.

"Indeed my lord."

"Given the information you have provided me, and the fact that you have been truthful with me, makes me inclined to grant your request to join my service. However before I agree I have to know what can you offer me? Bear in mind that due to the ongoing civil war in the Empire I have little time to spare with frivolities and false promises."

"I assure you my lord you will not be disappointed."

"Let me be the judge of that what kind of things can you offer me?"

Tharos nodded and began explaining that thanks to his host he had considerable knowledge of the technologies used by Terrans and Zentraedi alike, the technologies they referred to as robotechnology or robotech for short. While they didn't have access to the alien protoculture fuel source he explained that he was confident that he would be able to adapt most of the technologies he knew of to work with naquada instead including most of the weapons and mecha technology.

"Interesting," Ba'al commented already seeing how he would be able to make use of such technologies to improve his own position in the geo-political power games that were part and parcel of life in the Goa'uld Empire, possibly even allow him to challenge Ra for the coveted title of Supreme System Lord. Even if the latter was not possible, Ra was after all an extremely cunning and dangerous opponent which had enabled him to rule the Goa'uld Empire with a fist of solid naquada for eight millennia, any improvement in his place in the hierarchy of the System Lords once this long and painful war with Sokar was over would be most welcome. "And you are confident that you will be able to adapt these technologies to work with our own in a timely manner?"

"I am my lord."

"Very well then. Knell."

Instantly knowing what was going to happen now, there were quite a few advantages to genetic memory, Tharos knelt before Ba'al's throne. For his part Ba'al stood and walked forward, stepping down from the dais and placing his hands on the shoulders of his soon to be new lieutenant. "Tharos by the rite of the High Council of the System Lords, I Ba'al offer to admittance into my service. Know that if you accept this that success will be rewarded, failure will be punished and any deceit will be met with swift retribution. Do you understand and accept this?"

"I do my lord."

"Excellent then Lord Tharos I welcome you to my service, may you serve well and with honour you may rise," Ba'al said completing the simple but age-old ritual of accepting a new lieutenant into the service of a System Lord. Removing his hands from Tharos shoulders he stepped back a few paces and clapped his hands once as the new subordinate stood. His lotaur stepped forward in response to the summons. "Assign Lord Tharos some chambers and ensure that appropriate clothing, along with a kara'kesh and an attendant provided. Then assign him some appropriate lab space and computer resources."

"Yes my lord," the lotaur acknowledged with a bowed head before looking, reverently at the other if lesser god who was in the room with them. "Please follow me Lord Tharos I will ensure that your needs are met for now and arrange for some attendants to be assigned to you."

Tharos nodded and swiftly followed the lotaur out of the audience room. Ba'al for his part returned to his throne and sat down thinking and plotting just how he would be able to use these latest developments – and assuming that Tharos could deliver the technology and weaponry he promised – to his advantage. Not to mention the fact that Nerus was certain not to like a new lieutenant with scientific and technical knowledge that he didn't have it would certainly prompt the fat fool to try and compete with Tharos for his favour which meant he might stay out of the kitchen for once and work in his lab to develop new technology for his embattled forces.

Both prospects produced a soft, evil laugh to emerge from his lips. While he did not know for sure what would happen when Nerus and Tharos inevitably bumped heads – despite what his kind liked to project to their primitive human subjects they were not all knowing or all powerful – he was sure that it was going to be fun.

United Earth Defence Command

New Macross City

North America Quadrant, Earth

That Same Time

"What!"

The shocked exclamation from Captain Rick Hunter hung pregnant in the air as the veteran veritech ace himself stared in shock and disbelief at the man sitting opposite him unable to believe what he had just been told. He wasn't the only one as standing next to him Claudia Grant was equally as stunned by the news that had just been delivered to them.

The news that Roy was alive.

Sitting behind his desk across from them Admiral Gloval understood the surprised reaction of the two officers because he frankly shared it. He had been beyond surprised when Commander Thor had personally contacted him and asked to speak, what the Asgard commander had detailed and all the background circumstances that were behind it had shocked him more than almost anything else he had ever heard. Which considering how crazy his life had gotten since the SDF-1 had first fallen to Earth back in ninety-nine was saying something.

"How, how can Roy be alive," Claudia asked sounding borderline hysterical and with tears pouring from her eyes. Something that prompted Rick to put a comforting arm across his would-have-been and possibly would-be in the future sister in laws shoulders. He was fully conscious of the fact that Claudia had been put through the wringer in recent days first with thinking that Vince had been killed in the explosion on the factory satellite only to learn that he hadn't been killed. Instead something far, far worse had happened to him and that he was now a host to Goa'uld and out there somewhere in the galaxy causing who knew what kind of mayhem. "I saw him… I saw him die… I held him afterwards… I."

"The Roy Fokker you saw die was not the real one," Gloval replied, "he was a clone, loaded with a copy of Roy's memories and personality matrix everything that made Roy Fokker who he was/is, and put amongst us to cover the absence of the original."

"Explain," Rick snapped shock, anger and remembered grief at his adoptive older sibling's death clear to hear in his voice. Gloval didn't mind the snapped response as he well understood where the younger man was coming from, just as he was fully aware of how much Roy's death had emotionally torn Rick Hunter apart with only the fact that his skills as a pilot and leader were needed enabling him to survive it. "Who cloned Roy, why and when did they do it?"

"Roy was cloned by a renegade Asgard scientist called Loki who has apparently been hanging around this system in a cloaked science vessel, the Jontun, since Breetai's initial fleet defolded behind the moon on launch day," Gloval explained, "he actually followed us across the system under cloak the whole time, not helping us but periodically taking some of our pilots usually from disabled veritechs and replacing them temporarily with clones equipped with copies of their memories and personalities. Eventually he would switch them back, transferring the additional memories acquired by the clone back into the original's mind so nobody would be any the wiser. Roy was just the latest one he took and he was about to return him when the clone was mortally wounded in battle with Miriya and the Quadrono's."

"But why on Earth would he do that?" Rick asked both angry and confused, out of the corner of his eye he saw that Claudia was much the same. At the same time he winced at the memory that Roy – or should he think of it as Clone Roy now? – had been fatally wounded in battle with the elite Zentraedi warrior division that Miriya had commanded before Max defeated her the first time. Something that, when she had learned about it afterwards, Miriya had felt incredibly guilty about as that whole battle had been sparked by her pride which had been wounded by Khyron's taunting. It certainly hadn't been ordered by Commander Azonia though the other female Zentraedi had allowed it.

"It's a long story and a deeply personal one for the entire Asgard species," Gloval answered, "Commander Thor has given me permission to tell you both about it to help you understand but he does ask that neither of you repeat this to anyone without checking with me first. Is that clear?"

When both Rick and Claudia voiced their agreement Gloval began telling them what Thor had told him when he'd questioned the Asgardian supreme commander about the whole affair. He explained how before the beginning of recorded Terran history the Asgard – impatient with their natural rate of evolution – turned to genetic engineering and augmentation to improve themselves. How they inadvertently made a terrible mistake that didn't become apparent until it was too late to reverse it that half-sterilized the species, forcing them to turn increasingly to cloning to continue to survive. He went on to explain how over the next ten thousand years this led to increasing problems with genetic degradation due to replicative fading that had culminated two millennia ago when the Asgard stopped being able to reproduce naturally and even lost the sexual differentiation between male and female resulting in their current much smaller, more androgynous forms.

Seeing the other two officers were following, and from the frowns on their faces really not liking where this was going as he certainly hadn't when he'd been told about it, he continued with his explanation about how the Asgard began to get increasingly desperate to find a way of reversing the damage and saving their species from a slow extinction. How they started studying human DNA sequencing as human physiology was similar to what theirs once was before the mistake manifested itself. How recently Loki had gone rogue from the other Asgard to carry out more in-depth experiments, experiments considered both illegal and immoral by the Asgard High Council.

"Taking Roy was one of Loki's experiments?" Rick asked.

"It was the last actually," Gloval replied, "using Roy's DNA and the DNA of all the others he took, as well as reverse engineering the adaptive sequencing in Zentraedi DNA that allows them to withstand the micronization/macronization process Loki has created new Asgard bodies that are free of their self-inflicted plague and which will not only let them regain the ability to reproduce sexually but return to them the strength that they have lost over the millennia."

"Well at least some good might have come out of it," Rick commented feeling torn as on one hand he couldn't help but feel incredible sympathy for the Asgard for the dire reproductive predicament that they had found themselves in and wondered what they would have done to survive if they were in that position. But on the other he was furious with Loki for violating Roy and who knew how many more, possibly up to and including himself, in that way. "What about Roy when was he taken?"

"Just before we arrived back on Earth the first time," Gloval replied, "as you might recall Skull One was disabled for over an hour by an EMP from a nuclear missile striking a Zentraedi cruiser. That was apparently all the time Loki needed to take Commander Fokker, clone him, transfer memories and personality into the clone, and return it to Skull One."

"What about Roy now what's going to happen to him," Claudia asked.

"Commander Thor has returned Commander Fokker to us," Gloval answered, "he has been released from the stasis pod he was being held in and is currently sleeping in a secure room at New Macross City Central Hospital. According to Thor the sleep is a side effect of long term Asgard stasis on a human body and will end sometime in the next hour or two at which point he will wake up. Though he won't remember anything that has happened since Loki took him. I assume you would both like to be there when he wakes up?"

Rick and Claudia looked at each other then chorused. "Definitely." Prompted Gloval to chuckle slightly at the in-stereo answer. He would have been very surprised if either had given a different answer given how close both had been/were to Roy Fokker.

"I thought you two would say that" he said, "I have already told the commandoes guarding his room to let you in, Lisa is down there waiting for you now. When Commander Fokker wakes up she'll help you fill him in on everything he's missed over the last two and a half years."

"That's going to be a tough conversation for him," Rick commented knowing that Roy would be utterly horrified by what they would have to reveal to him, everything that had happened from the SDF-1 being exiled to space after the destruction of Toronto when the omni-directional barrier overloaded to the Rain of Death, to the discovery of the Stargate, the Goa'uld, what had happened to Nathan and finally Vince being taken as a host by a Goa'uld thanks to an AUL infiltrator and out there somewhere in the galaxy a prisoner inside his own body.

"Unfortunately that cannot be helped," Gloval commented.

Rick and Claudia both nodded. "No it can't," Rick admitted, "still it's not going to be an easy conversation for anyone involved. Roy's certain to ask about Loki what's going to happen to him."

"Loki is currently being held aboard the Gungnir. When they leave orbit he will be taken to the Asgard High Council hopefully to answer for his crimes even as the other Asgard go over his data to see if it can help them without compromising their morality. As much as Roy will no doubt want to throttle Loki he will not be able to do so."

"That's going to go down like a lead balloon. But as Roy sometimes said that's the breaks."

"Very true. Right then do either of you have any further questions?" Gloval asked, when the other officers shook their heads still too stunned by Roy being alive again after all this time to really comment he smiled. "Then your dismissed to make your way to the infirmary. I do have another meeting of the defence council to go to but I would appreciate it if you would send someone to inform me when Commander Fokker is awake."

"Will do sir," Claudia acknowledged and Rick also nodded in affirmation. Then accepting his dismissal the two officers turned and left his office. Gloval watched them go for a few moments then pulled up a file on his computer, he hadn't been lying when he told Rick and Claudia that he had another council meeting to go to it just wasn't for another two hours. Which left him plenty of time to both review the first round of personnel considerations for the Stargate and review some information that Thor had forwarded to him from Loki's database. Information that revealed just why Captain Hunter was able to access and use the technology of the Ancients and how Loki had adapted it from him and other pilots he'd taken into his new Asgard body designs.

Secure Room

New Macross Central Hospital

A Short Time Later

It occurred to Roy Fokker that it was a long way back to consciousness. It felt like he was floating down a long tunnel, a tunnel filled with mist and fog that varied in thickness and viscosity from being next to nothing to being as thick as treacle. If that wasn't bad enough the tunnel had variable gravity all along its length as in some places he could move easily, others he struggled to drift forward even a few millimetres. But he persevered and was eventually rewarded with a bright light surrounding him…

…and he began to hear a beep, beep, beep sound that for a few moments puzzled him until he realized that it was a heart monitor. He could also feel that he was lying on a hospital bed, it had the characteristic feel of such a bed, and resisted the impulse to groan softly. Whatever had happened to him this time it had clearly landed him in the SDF-1's infirmary which meant he could expect not just lectures from Claudia and Rick about how he should take more car of himself but to have pints of blood taken from his body by those closet vampires called nurses.

"He's waking up," he heard Rick's voice say sounding quite relieved. Clearly he had been unconscious for quite some time which meant he could forget flying again anytime soon, despite the pressure that there understrength air group was under repelling relentless Zentraedi attacks there was no way any of the medical staff would clear him for flight duty unless and until they were sure he was physically and mentally up to the challenge.

"Roy, Roy can you hear me," Claudia said sounding hopeful and something else, something that said that she had never expected to be speaking to him again. What the hell had happened to him? Had he been in a coma or something like that? And if so for how long had he been sleeping?

"Claudia," he said softly as he forced his eyes, which felt like he had lead weights attached to his eyelids, to open. For a few seconds all he saw was blurred images and the impression of a dark-skinned figure looking down on him. A few blinks cleared the image and he could see that it was definitely Claudia dressed in her signature green marine officer's uniform. Though he immediately noticed the difference in her rank insignia as she was a major now and not a lieutenant.

"Roy oh thank god I never thought I would see you again," Claudia exclaimed as she swept him up in a bone crushing hug. Almost immediately he felt and heard her begin to cry.

"Ugh Claudia air," he complained as she was squeezing him so hard in her joy that he thought she was doing that boa constrictor impression of hers again and trying to squeeze him back into the land of nod.

"Oh sorry," Claudia replied gently pulling away and smiling, somewhat sheepishly, through her tears. Roy smiled tenderly and looked around to see Rick was in the room as well. His little brother looked a little bit older, a little more muscular and his uniform rank and squadron insignia had also changed as it clearly showed that Rick was now both a captain and the leader of Skull Squadron. The room around him also looked a bit different, the medical equipment had changed and he could see a few more holograms floating around.

"What happened," he asked looking around in confusion, "where am I? This doesn't look like the infirmary on the ship or Macross General."

"You're in a secure room in New Macross General Hospital big brother," Rick answered smiling but Roy clearly caught a hint of buried anger there. Clearly whatever had happened had scared Rick enough that he was now seriously pissed about it. Which meant he was going to have to watch out for a while as while Rick didn't get mad easily when he did get mad he didn't calm down quickly or easily and in his rage could be… well let's just say he could be so cold that he would make Siberia in the depths of winter look like the Sahara at the height of the summer.

"New Macross?"

"Yes on Earth in the region near the Great Lakes, not far from where Chicago used to be."

"Chicago? Used to be?" Roy repeated confused, "what the hell is going on? Have I been in a coma or something?"

"You have Roy," Claudia replied, "you've been in stasis aboard a starship belonging to a race called the Asgard. A being called Loki had you there until other Asgard captured him and returned you to us."

"I've been a prisoner?"

"In a manner of speaking yes," Rick answered, "what's the last thing that you remember?"

Roy frowned. "We were engaged in yet another battle with the Zentraedi. I was in Skull One and we were trying to break through the last of the Zentraedi blockade to land on Earth," he said, "there was a brilliant light as a fusion missile took out one of the smaller Zentraedi warships, the EMP knocked my systems offline. There was another brilliant white light and what was almost like some kind of music and then I blacked out. Next thing I know I'm here."

"The light and music you heard was Loki transporting you aboard his ship he would have rendered you unconscious the moment his transport beam released you," a new voice said and Roy blinked and realized belatedly that Rick and Claudia weren't the only people in the room. Lisa was here as well. Ironically she was the only one who didn't seem to have changed that much.

"Didn't anyone search for me?"

"We didn't even know you were missing Roy," Rick answered, "you see after he took you Loki created a clone of you, transferred a copy of your memories and personality matrix into it and set it back among us."

"What so there's another me walking around?"

"No, no your clone was killed in combat with an elite Zentraedi squadron called the Quadrono's about a month later," Lisa answered, "we all thought that…"

"…that I was dead," Roy finished before going pale, "oh god Rick, Claudia I…"

"It's alright Roy we're just glad to have you back," Claudia said getting a nod of agreement from Roy. "We've both missed you terribly and we're just glad that you're not dead after all."

"Thanks I think," Roy replied before scowling. "How long have I been gone? How long did you all think that… that I was dead?"

"Two and a half years Roy," Rick answered. "A lot has happened in that time, especially in the last two months some good but a whole thundering lot of bad."

"Tell me."

"Are you sure you want to know now commander," Lisa asked. "You've just woken up and it's going to be a hell of a lot to take in."

"I need to know Lisa please tell me."

"Alright but don't say we didn't warn you," Rick replied, "I suppose we better start with the event that saw the SDF-1 be exiled from the Earth by the UEG under threat of being attacked by our own people."

As Rick, Claudia and Lisa began alternatively filling him in on the events that had taken place over the last two and a half years Roy felt a cold knot of dread begin to form in his stomach. He couldn't help but wonder if he had been better off in the stasis pod rather than face what he had a horrible, horrible feeling was going to be a potentially horrific reality.

Authors Notes: Well another chapter bites the metaphorical dust; I hope you all enjoyed it. I have to say that this particular chapter came together with absolutely phenomenal speed as I literally only started it this morning and here it is done and dusted ready for posting. While there wasn't any action in this chapter a lot of things for the future of the fic have happened here especially Tharos linking up with Ba'al bringing the second of the trinity of Goa'uld's who are going to be monumental pains in the backsides for our intrepid robotech defenders going forward into play. Also if anyone is curious as to who the Tlak'kahn are they were the principal antagonists in the short lived – thankfully – Stargate animated series Stargate Infinity. While the show wasn't that good it introduced a number of unique and very interesting species which I am going to be including as a means of making the galaxy far more diverse, and thus far more interesting, than it would otherwise have been. I hope nobody minds. Until next time.