Hello everyone!
Here we are with the sixth chapter of this story.
This has been so much fun to write so far and you guys have been so dang supportive, it just means so much to me.
And with that out of the way, let's begin the chapter!
Chapter Six: The Siege Begins
Time: September 6, 2005. Location: Lantea.
It has been two months since the second Gen. Replicators have been found by AR-1 and since then, a lot has changed.
The replicators were told to replicate until there was 250 replicators in service and once that was completed, the 250 replicators were sent out on a number of projects.
For one, all Alpha type bases were to now have a Forge on them to create the improved Alterran Drone weapons as quickly as possible, while a Forge was also put on moon base ALUCE. The original was on Atlantis on one of the piers and was currently working hard to get enough drones to supply the magazines of Drone weapons. Also, three additional new drone launchers were built, bring the amount of drone launchers on Atlantis up to six, increasing the offensive firepower of the base significantly. Each magazine can carry up to 50,000 of the improved drones, so a total of 300,000 was to be built for Atlantis, a considerable endeavor considering how much resources and time it takes to build a significant amount of drones. So, to cut down on time, each pier now has a single drone factory to build drones for that particular launcher.
So in summery, Atlantis has six drone launchers and now total count of six Forges to aid in getting the magazines for the launchers filled.
The Second Generation of Human-Form Replicators were twice as fast when it comes to construction compared to the first generation of Replicators, which were almost 1.5 times faster then the Tirolian construction drones.
Thanks to the efforts of the replicators, Atlantis was set to have all of her upgrades finished in only ten days, around the same time the SDF-1 was supposed to have her upgrades finished and then the SDF-1 will also be getting her official name and begin combat operations against the Wraith. Rumor was that the SDF-1 was going to be named after a famous person or state from the Robotech universe, however, the reality was that the SDF-1 was actually going to be named the Macross, after the island she had landed on and had accidentally destroyed when she lifted off the first time.
The ADF fleet was currently stationed at Moon Base ALUCE, where they were all getting a slight upgrade. The ships were getting Drone launchers with a control chair built for them. Each vessel, due to their size, would only be getting around 1,000 drones in total for the two launchers being built for the eight Platos.
The Second Gen. Replicators were instrumental to getting all this done, as they had been able teach the humans how to construct control chairs and then interface behind the chairs was finally understood.
Zor had also had a change to him, for now he was no longer a hologram, but now he was inside of a Second Generational Replicator body.
Zor had requested a single Replicator body be built for him exclusively, with no mind behind the body. This request had been allowed and now Zor no longer needed to appear as a hologram, even though he could if he truly needed to. Zor had been working even faster now, having over a dozen different projects ongoing that would allow the SDF-1 Macross to lift off on time, with her recently added upgrades.
The Macross would also have Alterran Drone launchers and a control chair from which to launch them. The grand total of Drones for the Macross was going to be 8,000 in four different launchers, each launcher having two thousand drones.
Due to the speed of the Replicators, these upgrades would not impact the Macross's launch in anyway.
Also, an additional 2 Hives and 7 Cruisers had been destroyed, bringing the grand total of Wraith vessels destroyed up to 9 Hives and over 18 Cruisers, for a total of 27 Wraith capital ships destroyed along with countless Darts and even more Wraith killed in these attacks.
However, ever since the last raid over a month ago, the Wraith have grown paranoid, never traveling in anything less then groups of 7 Hives alongside their Cruiser escorts. Also, it has started to become apparent that the Wraith are a highly territorial species.
The advanced sensors of Atlantis, alongside the sensors of the Platos have shown a developing pattern in Wraith patrols. Certain Hives and their Cruisers never go beyond certain points in space, drawing pretty definitive lines throughout Pegasus as the Wraith divided into different groups.
Currently, there was three sections of space larger then all the others. These were called the Big Three fractions, each one having their own name.
The smallest of the Big Three, called Gamma Fraction, had a grand total of 15 Hives alongside four times that amount in Cruisers, giving them a total of 75 vessels and their domain extended for 3,300 light years on the South-Western most part of Pegasus.
The middle sized member of the Big Three was called Beta Fraction. With over 21 Hives and 87 Cruisers, this fraction controlled 6,500 light-years and their territory was along the Northern part of the galaxy.
The final member of the Alpha Fraction. Have around 29 Hives with over 100 Cruisers with them and control over 7,600 light years on the Southern part of Pegasus.
The other various Wraith fractions steer clear of these massive goliaths and just focus mostly on the inner parts of the Pegasus galaxy.
Right now, we find Rick Hunter walking through one of Atlantis's many halls, talking with his subordinates Ben Dixon and Max Sterling.
The Hades was currently docked with the rest of the fleet up on Moon Base ALUCE, so he and Vermillion squadron were now currently stationed here on Atlantis until the Hades was done with her refit.
Right now the three of them were on the lower levels of the Western pier, right where they were going to do some reading when they heard a noise from down the hall.
Moving towards the noise, Rick swiped the rectangular section of the wall that had two blue glowing sections one on top, one on the bottom of the section.
The door opened with only a slight amount of noise and the three ADF pilots stepped through to find themselves in a large lab with equipment spread across the entire area, but that wasn't what caught their attention. No, what caught their attention was the three Veritech's against the far wall.
The first Veritech was of a model they had never seen before. It was much sleeker and smoother then regular Valkyries, plus the mecha was larger then a regular Valkyrie as well, being over 18 meters long compared to the 14.2 meters that the regular Valkyries were. Also, this Valkyrie had no hard points for missiles to be put on the wings, only a single gunpod was on the bottom and a pair of lasers where the laser turret were on the regular Valkyries. But even the gunpod was different, being slightly longer then a regular gunpod, plus a strangely familiar blue glowing part on the back, plus each of the barrels was slightly wider then a regular gunpod and this gunpod was also smoother then a regular gunpod as well. The Valkyrie was also colored white with red stripes much like how Rick had his painted.
The second Valkyrie was similar to the first in terms of design, only this unit was painted primarily dark blue with white much like Max's unit. Other then that, the two units were identical.
The Third Valkyrie was exactly the same the other two, the only thing differentiating this unit was a paint job of dark brown much like Ben's unit.
"Wow, what are those?" Ben asked as he walked closer to the brown unit, looking her over.
"Those would be the three ADF-VF-45 Pendragon Class Valkyrie's I created." A voice behind them said.
The three wiped around and saw the smiling face of Dr. Emil Lang only fifty feet from them, a cup of coffee and some donuts in his hands.
"Sir!" Rick said as he and his two fellow pilots snapped off a quick salute.
"At ease. Now, what do you think of these machines?" Lang asked as he took a seat at his desk on the far right of the hanger only 10 feet from the three pilots, a curious look in his eyes.
"Sir, I can honestly say that these three Veritech's are the most beautiful machines I have ever seen in my life." Rick honestly answered.
"I agree. The shear elegance and beauty in these machines is without equal." Max said as Ben nodded his head.
"That is good. We wanted a sleeker, more aerodynamic design when building these Veritechs. It is good that we accomplished our job." Lang said as he then stood up.
He then walked over to the three ADF pilots and said, "How would you like to be our test pilots for these new mecha?"
"What?" The three asked, completely stunned by what they had just heard.
"Would you like to be the three test pilots for these Veritechs? It would greatly accelerate our testing of the Veritechs if we have good pilots to put them through their paces. So, what do you say?" Lang asked the three men.
The members of Vermillion looked back at the Pendragons for a second and then quickly all said, "We agree!"
Lang chuckled at the three's enthusiasm to test the Pendragons, it was natural after all. The Pendragon was a mecha without equal and any pilot would give their right arm just to pilot it. Lang had already selected the three pilots to be the pilots and so he got their person colors painted on the Pendragons. He had been certain the three would agree, after all, there was no way a pilot would turn down the chance to pilot a mecha of the Pendragons caliber.
Lang then said, "Alright, I won't hold you three up anymore. The Pendragons still need a little work before testing can begin. Come back tomorrow and they will be ready."
The three ADF pilots nodded and then quickly left the area, leaving Lang alone with his projects.
Lang sighed and then opened his holographic interface and started working, all the while thinking about the Pendragons.
The help and effect of the Replicators on the Pendragons could not be accurately appreciated. They had sped up the process and made it so they had three prototypes now instead of months later, which is probably how long it would take given the speed of which the technology was being understood before they arrived.
The mental interface of the control chair and the Puddle Jumpers was finally cracked and soon replicated to the exact same capabilities of the Jumpers and was soon built into the frame, allowing the Pendragons to be controlled by thought rather then reaction. Also, each Pendragon had a AI built into the mecha that would continuously make near instantaneous adjustments to the mecha to improve the machines capabilities in regards to the pilot. Also, the Pendragon had Shadow technology built directly into the frame instead of being placed onto the frame after it had been built like with the current Veritechs. This allowed the Shadow technology to be placed in much more economical positions, while also accounting for the heat and such.
The drive pods of the Puddle Jumpers were also reverse engineered and now the Pendragon was even faster then the Jumpers. The Alterran built shuttles were capable of accelerating to 3,500 miles per second, or 12,600,000 miles per hour. The Pendragon can go 3,650 miles per second or at max acceleration in outer space, they can reach a monstrous speed of 13,140,000 miles per hour. The inertia dampeners were also beefed up so the incredible velocities and insane maneuvers wouldn't cause the pilots to become paste. In addition, the Pendragons had two of the new miniature Protoculture/Naquada Reflex Reactors that had been specially created for the mecha, while newly designed shield emitters would allow the mecha to take a insane amount of damage before finally failing. The frame of the Pendragon is many times tougher then the original Valkyries, as each Pendragon was built entirely out of Robotech Alloys with Trinium and Naquada added in for additional strength.
Now onto the weapons. Each Pendragon could carry a total of 20 of the newest miniature Stargazer missiles in two internal missile bays and fired out of the two small missiles launchers, which are located underneath the cockpit, being alongside the gunpod. Each Pendragon has a single 58 mm GU-221 gunpod that fires 58 mm Protoculture enhanced rounds. The 58 GU-221 Gun Pod was designed to be the successor firearm to the GU-11 Gun Pod, using the newer Tirolian and Ancient technologies to create a superior firearm for their newest mechanized forces. The gun pod, much like the P91, fires Protoculture rounds at a rate of 1,500 rounds per minute at a range of 1.3 kilometers, which is a slight improvement over the regular GU-11. However, like the P91, the GU-221 outclasses its predecessor in the fact that the weapons don't have a limit to the amount of rounds they fire.
Much like the Staff Weapons found in the Milky Way galaxy, each GU-221 and P91 are so well engineered and use so little energy when firing, that they have a life expectancy outclassing their user. It was the same way with all the Protoculture technologies, they were probably going to be working without a recharge or change to the power cells long after each and every single current member of the ADF had died.
To round up the Pendragon's offensive capabilities was two 40 mm cannons on either side of the cockpit that on Battleoid and Guardian modes would be located inside the wrists of the Pendragon, unless they were being used, at which point the armor would lift upwards and expose the firing mechanism. Finally, there was the 15 mm twin beam turrets located on the head of the mecha.
The Pendragon also had sensor modeled exactly like the Puddle Jumpers, allowing them to scan across a solar system unlike the old Valkyries, which were still using their old sensors.
The Pendragon was much like a rose. Incredibly beautiful, but be weary of the thorns.
Lang personally thought the Pendragon was his best work yet, even Zor had been overwhelmed by the shear power the Pendragon could unleash. As for right now, no future plans were being made to the Pendragon as they were just worried about getting the darn things mass produced to help fight the Wraith.
However, the Pendragon was being used a test bed for new technologies that, if successful and usable, were to be used to design and create the new generation of Destroids. Already, several different plans for the Destroids were being designed, but until Project Pendragon was completed, they were not being pursued.
Lang then began to work on a simulation of how a Pendragon would act and preform and he must say, he was impressed by the capabilities of the Pendragon and he couldn't wait to see how the real Pendragon would stack up.
Lang then opened a folder containing his latest project. Inside the folder was schematics for heavily altered and redesigned Fold Boosters.
These Fold Boosters were apart of the process Lang calls, "Hull Polarization" which is when you send Fold Energy throughout the hull of the warship, causing the hull to grow many times tougher and more resistant to damage.
This is all well and good, but the reason Hull Polarization isn't being used is because of the simple fact there are a limited number of command lines and power-lines that can be built into the frame of a warship. Between the shield emitters, fold boosters, Shadow technology and numerous things, there is just not enough room on-board the SDF-1 or the Platos to install these Polarization emitters, as they are rather large emitters, much larger then shield emitters or Fold Boosters.
Plus, there is the energy constraints. As of right now, the SDF-1 has the highest power plants for a warship, each of her Reflex Reactors are two-thirds as powerful as a single Reflex Reactor on Atlantis, so the Reflex Furnaces on the SDF-1 are equal to two of the Reactors on Atlantis at full power, although plans were being made to increase the power of the Reactors on the SDF-1 with some new breakthroughs made only a few weeks ago.
However, the Platos only have two Reflex Reactors and together, they only equal a single Reactor on the SDF-1, so the Plato's only have access to a third of the power of the SDF-1.
So, in order for the Polarization emitters to be allowed to be put on warships, they need to be made smaller so as to fit on their warships and also to reduce the energy requirements for this technology. Until these requirements are met, the Polarization technology will remain just a pipe dream.
Lang sighed and then started working on getting the Pendragons ready for tomorrow. The Polarization technology will just have to wait until the Pendragons are done and then he can begin trying to get them to work. He was really hoping the Polarization technology could be made a reality, for it would greatly aid the ADF in their fight at all alien threats.
Lang quietly began to work, while Zor came in and began to to help him as the rest of the scientists assigned to the Project came back from their lunch break and began to work.
The Pendragons shall soar, very soon.
Meanwhile, in the main control room.
Chuck sighed as he continued to do his duties of activating the ancient Stargate in the gate room and also monitoring the space surrounding Atlantis.
It was a nice position and Chuck loved his job and did it well, but sometimes it did get rather dull.
AR-5 was coming back from their mission of going to a new planet called MLV-221. It was a decent sized planet, being almost the same size of Lantea. The reason for the trip was to check and see if the massive amounts of Trinium and Naquada the Ancient database claimed that was on the planet was still there. If it was and no one occupied the planet, a new Beta Type mining facility was to be built there.
The Beta Type bases were secondary outposts to be built in places were natural resources were extremely high. The Matter-to-matter beams can chance matter from one form to another, but construction would increase if the same materials were used instead of inferior ones. For example, a single ton of Naquada is easier to use and build from then take a ton of dirt. For first you have to change the dirt into Naquada and through this process you lose a large amount of material trying to get the superior material. For one ton of dirt you can get a single pound or perhaps two pounds of Naquada. It's why the Tirolian drones are much slower then Replicators, because Replicators can create the desired substance using nanites and their highly advanced matter-to-matter beams built into the nanites.
So, it was decided to try and get large amounts of Naquada and Trinium to try and increase construction. Robotech alloys are already artificially created so getting pure ores of them was impossible.
The Beta base is much smaller then an alpha base. A Beta Base is only 750 meter long, 350 meter wide and 150 meters in height. Each Beta Base can process and refine an astonishing 7,000 tons of raw Trinium and Naquada and get them refined to the highest possible level the Tau'ri know of in only a day's time, making them crucial for mass production of newest ADF technologies. She has sensors for detecting incoming warships, a Shadow Field working 24/7 and a few hundred Alterran Drones and that is it for defenses, but since the refineries are almost a mile underground, finding and hitting them is rather hard.
To get the ores, Tirolian drones absorb the dirt to create tunnels to the ores and when a large portion of the ore is found, mining drones come in and mine the ores using specialized beams. Once the ores are collected, the ores are sent back to the refinery via transportation drones. Once at the refinery, the ores are then quickly refined and then sent out to the bases that need them via shuttles specially created for the job. The shuttles are lightly armored, slow and have no weapons, but since they are simply designed to go through the Stargate and transport several hundred tons of ores using the pocket space technology the second Generation Replicators brought with them.
At this time, there is only one Beta type base in Pegasus. She is on the planet AX3-987, which is a smaller world then MLV-221, but AX3-987 has really large amounts of raw Trinium and Naquada.
Chuck sighed when he heard a beeping coming from the long range sensor console.
Walking over, he clicked a few buttons and the system showed a holographic screen that showed a series of small red dots at the outer edges of the sensor range.
Chuck stared at the screen for a few moments before he clicked his communicator and said, "Dr. Weir, Captain Gloval and Major Sheppard, please come to the control room, we have a Threat Level Alpha coming our way."
A few moments of silence before the people he called said, "We are on our way."
A few minutes later, the three leaders of the ADF were staring at the long range sensors.
"Why did we not detect them before now?" Weir asked Rodney.
"Well, because we took the long range sensors offline when we had to rebuild the power cables for the Reflex Reactors. We probably should have waited until we had shield capabilities to take them offline, but I guess we just forgot." Rodney said.
"So, we have run out of time. How many are coming and how long until they reach us?" Gloval said solemnly.
"We have in total 9 Wraith Hives and over 36 Cruisers for a grand total of 45 Wraith vessels. At current speed and heading, they will reach Atlantis in just over 4 days." McKay said as he read the sensor screen.
"Wow, that's a lot of firepower coming our way. Can we fight them off?" Sheppard asked.
"Well, one on one our Platos can take down a Hive ship no problem, but against 45 ships? Our fleet of nine will be destroyed. We won't have the drone launchers completed by then and we will have to launch them with the refits half done, which will significantly reduce their fighting abilities. The SDF-1 on the other hand will have her refit done and can take down quite a few Wraith ships, but the fact of the matter is, the Cruisers and Hives will take down the Macross's shields long before she has the time necessary to wipe them out. And Atlantis will also not be close to being completed by the time they get there." McKay said, showing several screens with images of the Platos refit being done, while a cross section of Atlantis showed numerous areas where the ancient city-ship was not yet done.
"So, fighting them is a bad idea. However, we have no choice. We have to hold Atlantis, no matter the cost. However, we should definitely start evacuating the Athosians and the civilians on Neo-Macross to the Alpha bases. Should the worst happen, at the very least we have fall back points." Sheppard said.
"I agree. Start evacuations immediately. Try and get the civilians to the Alpha bases as quickly as possible. Also, recall all of the Replicators and get them working on finishing Atlantis's upgrades. Maybe we can shave several days of the time table if we get them here." Weir said.
Zor ran then numbers in his head and then grimly said, "Even with all the other replicators here and helping us, we will only shave off three days from the time it will take to complete Atlantis. We will still need to face and hold off the Wraith for over 24 hours before we can raise the shield and fire off our particle cannons."
The whole room was quiet as they thought of having to face and fight a Wraith force of this size for 24 hours straight without their hardest hitting weapons.
"Even so, I say we stand and fight. We will not abandon this city and we shall not allow the Wraith to come in and take our home. We will stand proud and strong and fight until there is no one left to fight. If the Wraith want this base, they shall have to go over our dead bodies to do so and if it comes down to it, we can always detonate a torpedo inside Atlantis. That should destroy every part of Atlantis and prevent the Wraith from using any of it, correct?" Sheppard asked.
"Yes, a single torpedo detonated within any part of Atlantis will utterly obliterate the city and destroy any and all traces of our technology so the Wraith can't find or use any." McKay said.
"Okay. Then lets go and get a torpedo and place it in one of the main hangers and wire it to a computer, that way we can remotely detonate it if the need should arise." Gloval suggested.
"I don't like the idea of destroying Atlantis, but the Wraith can never find our Alpha bases or the location of Earth. No matter what. I approve of this plan." Weir said.
"As do I." Gloval said, agreeing with the need for this plan.
"Alright. It will only take about thirty minutes to wire in the torpedo. I will go get started on that." McKay said as he left the meeting room.
"Me and Zor shall start evacuating the civilians." Lang said as he and Zor left the room as well.
"I will alert our space forces and tell them to try and get as much work done on the refits as possible to try and limit the combat performance drops they will experience. See you all soon." Gloval said as he went to Macross, dark thoughts going through his head.
"We can't win this. We just can't. We aren't ready to be attacked by a force this size. But even so, the men and women of the ADF shall fight, even if it costs us our lives." Gloval thought as he went to transporter booth that will take him to the Macross.
"I guess I shall make the announcement. Prepare our ground troops. Try and find the best ways to defend this base." Weir ordered Sheppard.
Sheppard nodded and then walked out of the meeting room, headed directly for his office to call all the major heads of the ground forces to get them started on working on plans.
Weir walked out of the meeting room and then walked over to control area and then said to Chuck, "Give me city wide."
Chuck nodded and then clicked a few buttons and then a click was heard in Weir's ear, signalling that she was about to be heard all across the city.
"This is Dr. Weir speaking. I am making this announcement to tell you all that a sizable Wraith fleet is on it's way to Atlantis." Weir said, her voice being heard all across Atlantis.
All across the ancient city, the members of the ADF stopped what they were doing when they heard that and listened in on what Weir was about to say.
"As you all may know, Atlantis is not yet ready to face a threat of this size. We are nearing the end of our upgrades and the refit we started a year ago, but we still not capable of raising the shields, firing our weapons and more importantly, we can't dial Earth." Weir continued on, her voice firm and strong as she delivered this devastating news.
Everyone living on the city were now starting to grow afraid, their position was very bad and victory seemed to be a distant hope.
"I am not going to lie to you. Our chances of winning this engagement is very small. However, we must not allow the Wraith to get Atlantis, but at the same time, we must try to save and keep Atlantis alive. I do not wish to destroy our home. But if the Wraith get this city, they will have the ability to find Earth and then our home planet will come under attack from the Wraith. Earth cannot win that fight, even with the Ancient Outpost in Antarctica. We must stand, we must fight, here and now to protect Earth." Weir said, her voice growing steely determined to keep this base alive.
Everyone who heard her agreed, this was their home and the Wraith will never take it from them as long as they lived.
"I know that the chances for us living is small, so I am not going to order you to stand and die. I ask you, please, stand and fight with us. Please fight for our home. If you don't want to, you can join the civilians in the evacuation to the Alpha bases. We will need your strength should Atlantis fall. All those who want to stand and fight, report to Major Sheppard in his office. All those who want to leave, please come to me in my office. That is all." Weir said as she disconnected the line, all her energy drained.
She then walked to her office and slumped into her chair, completely drained from having to deliver that devastating speech.
An hour later Sheppard arrived and said, "Weir, I have a line going down ten flights of stairs to my office. Every single member of the ADF has volunteered to stand and fight, even the cooking staff."
Weir was shocked and said, "No one has expressed a want to go the Alpha Bases?"
Sheppard grinned and said, "Nope. They are all willing to fight and die for this base. Guess they we all inspired by your speech and how you have run this base for the past year. You have made mistakes Weir, but at the end of the day, you are the greatest person I have ever had the pleasure of serving under and everyone on the base feels exactly the same. We are willing to stand and die with you."
Weir was stunned for a few moments from the words of complete and utter faith Sheppard had in her command style. She had never though she had made such a difference in the lives of those living in this city and to hear they were willing to follow her into the valley of death was humbling.
Weir smiled and wiped a few tears off her eyes and said, "Just so you know Major, you have been one of the best subordinates I have ever had. It has been a real learning experiences working with you."
Sheppard smiled and said, "Still, we need to send some of our personal to the Alpha sites to keep them safe. I would suggest at least 2,000 armed personal in total along with all the non-essential personal. They need to keep the civilians safe from harm."
Weir nodded and said, "I agree. How you determine which men go to the Alpha bases is up to you."
Sheppard nodded and then started to leave the room before he said, "Do you think we can send a message to Earth?"
Weir shrugged her shoulders and said, "Rodney's worked miracles before, why should now be any different?"
Sheppard nodded his head and said, "Touche."
Sheppard then walked back to his office to try and determine which 2,000 men he would have to send to keep the Alpha Bases safe.
Time: September 7, 2005. Location: Lantea.
Once again, the meeting room had Gloval, Weir, Sheppard, Zor, McKay, Lang inside and now Teyla and Fran were inside the room as well.
"Okay. I have gotten the 2,000 men selected. They were not happy they were being sent away from the battle and not fighting alongside their comrades, but after explaining a little bit, they finally relented." Sheppard reported.
"Neo-Macross and the Athosians are almost evacuated. The Alpha Bases are at maximum capacity, but can hold and feed their new population." Lang reported.
"My people have all been told of the danger and are trying to be as helpful as they possibly can." Teyla said.
Weir nodded and said, "That's good. That really has helped make the evacuation process much easier. Gloval, what's our fleet status?"
"The Archangel and Dominion were not yet started with their refit so they are completely capable of fighting at maximum capacity. The Hades, Ares, Hermes and the Athena, however are not done with their refit, but can fight nearly the same as usual because they only installed the control chair and that is it on them, so all they got to do is get the missing armor plating on them replaced and they can then fight. The Enterprise and the Tartaros however were about 56% done with their refit and so even with three days, they will not be done and will have a massive drop in their fighting capabilities. The Macross however will be completed before the Wraith arrive and so will be fighting at her full power. No chance for a shakedown cruise, but matters little. All we have to do is raise shields, point and shoot at the Wraith, nothing fancy." Gloval reported.
"Good. That is better then I expected. Rodney, Zor, Fran, how does the rebuilding of Atlantis go?" Weir asked.
"Well, as I said before, even if we push ourselves beyond the breaking point, we aren't going to get Atlantis done before the Wraith arrive. However, if we focus only on the shield emitters and the power lines, plus the Reflex Reactors, we will only have to hold out for about an hour. Then we can raise Atlantis's shields and then it is simply a matter of getting the weapons finished, which we can then do at our leisure since the Wraith will just be firing at our shields and they will not go down." Rodney said.
"Yes, it would be the smart thing to simply focus on the parts that are needed for the shields to be raised and then work on the weapons once the shields have been raised." Zor agreed.
"My people are working their hardest. I am sorry it isn't enough." Fran said, a sad tone in her voice.
"It's okay Fran. Even Replicators can't do the impossible." Weir said.
"I would like to make a suggestion. We can send a transmission to Earth by combining all of our improved Naquada generators to the gate, but we will only get 1.5 seconds. Now, if we send the data to Earth in the form of hyper compressed data burst, we can send all the designs for the particle cannons, reports from the senior staff, everything we have learned about Atlantis and Tirolian science, what we have found in Pegasus and a few other things." Rodney said.
"Really? Why didn't we do this before?" Sheppard asked.
"Well, because there is a high chance of failure and a small chance our generators will be fried. However, thanks to Lang, Zor and Fran, we have been able to minimize that possibility." Rodney said.
"Do it. Get as much as you can into those seconds." Weir said.
"Got it. Also, perhaps we can put in personal messages into that second. Might help with moral amongst the members of those from this Earth." Rodney suggested.
"Seriously, all that in only 1.5 seconds?" Weir said, slightly shocked.
"Perhaps, I am not sure. We will have to wait until all the data I intend to get into the message is compressed and then we will see if there is enough time left for personal messages." Rodney warned.
"Alright. Go." Weir said.
"Going." Rodney said as he quickly left to get the compression started.
"Gloval, what is the status on our Destroid and Veritech forces?"
"All of the Destroids and Veritechs are prepared and ready. We have chosen large areas the Destroids and stand on and fire from. Also, the Stargazer missile launchers are able to be fired, but reloading them is going to be a bit tricky since that pocket dimension tech hasn't been added onto them yet." Gloval reported.
"Alright. So we can fight and hopefully, we will be able to last for an hour. Everyone, we will reconvene in an hour. Dismissed." Weir said as the meeting room doors opened.
Sheppard followed her out and said, "Weir, I just wanted to let you know that we only have 350 Mark 6's in the armory. I am assigning them to group leaders and other senior staff."
"Good idea. What about P91's, do we have enough of those for everyone?" Weir asked.
"Only just. If we break even a few, we aren't going to have enough for everyone." Sheppard replied as the walked into her office.
"Well, at least we have enough for everyone. What about other weapons likes grenades and other firearms?" Weir asked.
"We have enough firepower to take down a small army, but that is what we are going to be facing. I would suggest when the Wraith start landing troops, we lock down all the hallways and doors and force the Wraith to go the we want them to. We can create very nice kill zones using Atlantis's hall ways and such. I will go look and find the best areas for kill zones." Sheppard said.
"Good idea." Weir said and then Sheppard left her office.
Weir sighed and looked out of her office, seeing the large Gate room spread out before her. For over a year had she and ADF fought tooth, nail and claw to keep this city safe and out of the hands of the Wraith, no matter what the cost may be. And now, the Wraith were coming to wipe them out and take this city from them.
She knew that the ADF would fight to their deaths to keep Atlantis safe, but in the end, they were still probably going to have to destroy their beloved city and go to the Alpha site.
Weir just couldn't stand it. All the sacrifices, all the deaths and all the pain that the ADF had suffered to keep Atlantis safe and now it was going to be made inconsequential because the Wraith were coming. They had risen so high and now they were going to be brought down just like that.
Weir was trying to be strong, but the possibility that all their hard work could be reduced to ashes in just five short days was starting to get to her.
Weir shoved those thoughts aside and tried to work on the dozens of issues she had to address and quickly, before the Wraith arrive.
After a few hours, Weir, Rodney, Sheppard, Gloval, Lang, Zor and Fran were all once again gathered in the meeting room to discus any new developments.
"Well, it is official. I managed to get the algorithm so well done we can get all that technical data down into .5 seconds, leaving us with a whole second to put personal messages in. I can get the entire thing set up in about an hour or so and then we can dial Earth." Rodney said.
"That's good. This should definitely raise the moral of the troops from the Atlantis Expedition." Weir said.
"However, this might decrease moral amongst the former RDF members, since we don't have family in this reality." Gloval countered.
"I think we should still do this. Sending personal messages can help get stuff of the Expeditionary members chests." Sheppard said.
"I agree. The RDF members may have an issue, but they can still at least be assured that those of them with family here in this reality, they are safe at one of the Alpha type bases." Lang agreed.
"Okay. Ford, go around and collect personal messages from all of the Atlantis expedition members and then give them to Rodney." Weir said.
Ford nodded and after a few more minutes of discussing tactics and others things that needed to be talked about before the siege, the group once more left the meeting room.
A little while later...
Sheppard was staring at the camera, unsure of what to say. These were going go possibly be his final recorded words and he just couldn't come up with the words.
After a few minutes, he finally said, "To General O'Neill, I would like to say thank you. Joining Atlantis, seeing Pegasus, meeting the Robotech Defense Forces and becoming the head ground military leader of the ADF, it all wouldn't have been possible if not for you. You convinced me to come here and despite the threat of possible immediate death, I have not once regretted coming here. Now, about Colonel Sumner. I admit, that I was the one that shot and killed him. At the time, I thought it was the best course of action. Sumner was being fed upon by a Wraith Queen and by the time I found him, he was already an old man. I knew I couldn't save him, so I decided to put him out of his misery. I would hope that the SGC can take care of Sumner's family if he has any. We never have found out if he did have a family back on Earth, so if he does, please take care of them. Finally, to my father."
Sheppard stopped, unable to form the words he so desperately wanted to say.
Eventually, he said, "To my father, I am sorry. Sorry I wasn't a better son. I did a lot of things I am not proud off and I regret. Destroying our relationship and never talking to you dad was one of them. I wish that I could go back and take back all the things I said, all the painful, horrible, awful things I said about you. I can't go back and change what I said and did. However, there is one thing I wish to do right now. Dad, I forgive you. Everything you said about me, I forgive you for it. I just wish, I had done that years ago. I guess it's true what they say: hindsight is twenty-twenty. Just know, that no matter what happens next, I love you, and I wish I had been a better son. Goodbye dad."
Sheppard then turned off the camera and took a few seconds to compose himself. That had been one of the most emotionally challenging things he had ever done. He wiped away a few of the tears that had run out of his eyes and then he came out of his quarters, strangely, he felt good. Like a giant weight that had been weighing him down was now gone.
Sheppard took the camera off and then gave it to Ford, who then went around and gave it to the members of the Atlantis Expedition who wanted to send personal messages back to Earth.
McKay was one of the last members to take the camera and just like with Sheppard, he found himself unable to form the words he wanted to say.
He had been such a arrogant jackass to Jeannie, his younger sister. She had wanted to abandon her career and become a mom, something McKay did not support. He never liked her husband and saw him as dragging down his brilliant younger sister. They had heated argument and never spoke a word to each other since then.
After a year with Lang, Zor and the others McKay had finally learned humility, sure he still was a bit arrogant, but he wasn't so overbearing anymore. He liked to think he had become a better man because of the others. His greatest regret was that he might never be able to show Jeanie or tell her how wrong he had been.
After a few minutes, McKay finally started to speak.
"Hey Jeanie. It's been awhile. I know that I made a lot of mistakes, oh how many mistakes I made. I am brilliant scientist, one the of best if you ask me. But a loving brother, that I have always failed at being. A good man, a good brother, hell even a decent human being, that is one subject I have never been able to master. I have always been an arrogant, pretentious bastard who thinks himself as god. I haven't been there for you, ever. I was never just there for you. It always had to be about me, I could never share the limelight with you and yet I had the gall to get angry at you when you choose to be a mom." Rodney said, as memories of when he was younger played through his head.
"I never tried to get to know your husband, never learned who he was as a person. Also, Madison, my niece. I don't think I have seen her since she was born. I am truly sorry, for everything I put you through. My selfishness and penchant for self worship is what truly destroyed our relationship and I am so so sorry." Rodney said, his voice slightly breaking as tears stared to flow down his eyes.
"I hope that I will have the chance to make things up to you, to try and repair the damage I caused. But, if I can't, if the message contains the last words you will ever hear from me, I just want you to know three things Jeanie. One: I am sorry. Two: You are in incredibly brilliant woman. Three: I am so honored, to have been your brother, even if I never deserved it. Good bye Jeanie, I hope to see you again one day." Rodney said as a few more tears came down his face.
He quickly wiped them away and then turned off the camera. After waiting a while to calm himself down, Rodney left his room and gave the camera to Ford.
Ford continued giving camera's to people and having them record messages until they were all done.
Once the messages were all recorded, Ford then took all the cameras and gave them to Rodney, who took those hours of footage and combined them together with the all of the scientific data, mission reports, etc.
Once he had combined them, Rodney hyper compressed them to make it so they could transmit all this very quickly.
Once he was done, he took the hyper compressed data and placed it on his laptop.
He then went to gate room where Weir, Gloval, Sheppard, Fran, Lang, Zor, Ford and Teyla were all waiting.
The upgraded Naquada generators were all connected to the gate, ready to power the ancient device.
Weir then said, "Ready?"
Rodney nodded and then Weir said, "Chuck, dial the gate for Earth."
Chuck nodded and then began to punch the buttons on the DHD, each symbol on the clear crystal buttons glowing.
The same symbols appeared on the ancient Alterran device in rapid succession until the number reached eight, displaying the address of their home.
Just as always, the circular device flared up, sending forth a stream of water-like unstable vortex energy that stayed out for a second before receding backwards.
Rodney was prepared and had a program developed so that the very second the wormhole was established, the hyper compressed data would be sent through.
Like clockwork, the very moment the wormhole was established, the data was transmitted across the wormhole, going millions of light-years in seconds before they reached the computers at the SGC.
Walter was currently on duty at the SGC when the gate flared up, an unscheduled off-world activation.
However, unlike before the moment the wormhole was established, data was sent through and then after a few seconds the wormhole disengaged.
Samantha Carter, one of the most brilliant scientists Earth has ever known was near by and quickly began to work on the data, which was oddly in a hyper compressed form, something not many people outside or even inside the SGC knew how to do.
Once opened, however, she instantly knew who sent the data.
"Where did that data come from?" Walter asked.
Sam looked Walter in the eye and said, "Atlantis."
Back on Atlantis, everyone was quickly leaving the gate room and going to go prepare for the coming attack.
"Well, there we go. If they didn't get that data, we don't have a chance for try two. Let's just hope they got it." McKay said.
"Yes. Let's hope." Weir said, just before she then too left to continue getting ready for the arrival of the Wraith.
Atlantis faces her darkest hour, with the oncoming storm of a Wraith fleet nearing them when they are not yet ready.
However, even against the impossible, the ADF will never give up.
Come and try to claim Atlantis Wraith. To claim Atlantis, you shall have to fight for every inch of space and then every inch of Atlantis herself. No matter what happens, the ADF will make you pay in blood and lives for Atlantis.
Never shall the ADF surrender, no matter the cost.
And that is that!
I am really excited for this next part, which is obviously the Siege of Atlantis. One of the better story arcs in the series I think. The mood, the tension, everything just built for five episodes and that just culminated everything that had been going on for the entire season into story arc. The resolution of the Siege is just another showing of the Atlantis crew's endless ingenuity and creativity.
Also, finally, the Pendragons have made their first official appearance. Can anyone tell me what Veritech the Pendragon is based off of? Guess correctly and I shall give you a shout out in the next chapter.
Some minor character development also was shown here, I hoped I preformed admirably to show the pain and unresolved issues inside of John and McKay.
And that is it, so as always, if you have comments, criticism or concerns, leave a review or P.M. me, always appreciated.
Until next time, this is StrikeFreedom10, signing off.
PLUS ULTRA!