Boyzilla:
(Chapter 20) Once again, Gilgamesh's arrogance will be the origin of his future difficulties... as in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
(Chapter 21): Towing a derelict spacecraft with an Aurora-class Battleship, that's what I call class. For the disappearance of the Dakara Superweapon... let's say that the weapon has not disappeared definitively... this kleptomaniac Gilgamesh will soon have the opportunity to use it. I feel that one or two alien species will regret having met Gilgamesh. RIP.
Author Note: Starting from this chapter, each subsequent chapter will alternate between events in the Milky Way (SG-1 and Gilgamesh) and those in the Pegasus Galaxy (SG Atlantis/Hakuno). I finally managed to catch up with the accumulated chapter lags encountered in the 'new epic of Gilgamesh'.
Ragnarok
The orbit of Heruun planet, Pegasus Galaxy, on board the Aegis (Bilskirnir-Class, Asgard Cruiser)
In front of the control console, Rodney McKay moved an Asgard's stone to display virtual windows along the partitions. The sensors of the Asgard spacecraft reconstructed the blueprint of the Aurora-class Lantean Battleship heading toward them. The arrogant Canadian suddenly stopped working, and an expression of surprise appeared on his face.
"Oh?"
John Sheppard approached.
"What do you mean by this 'oh?', it's the 'Oh? ' in 'Oh, it's a nice surprise! ' or it's the 'Oh? ' from 'Oh, it's a terrible catastrophe!'. So which one, Rodney?"
Having resumed his work in front of the console, McKay replied.
"This is the 'Oh?' in 'Oh, we've already heard of this ship!'. According to the transponder code, this Lantean Battleship is the Sirius."
Sheppard frowned as he searched his memory.
"I don't think I know this ship."
Teyla Emmagan shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't remember hearing the name of that ship either."
McKay raised his arms to heaven with an exaggerated groan.
"That's what it's like to team up with people who don't have half my intellect. And don't expect Caveman to remember what he ate for breakfast, so..."
Ronon Dex (aka Caveman) cut him off.
"The Sirius is the wreck that orbited a black hole where Hakuno Hishinami was discovered."
McKay replied immediately, mockingly.
"That's what I was saying, unable to remember..." But the Canadian suddenly stopped speaking as he realized that the colossus styled in dreadlocks had just given the right answer. "Uh... yeah, that's it. How can you remember such a detail, Ronon?"
The Satedan smiled sarcastically.
"I memorized the dialing addresses of several hundred Gates, which must mean I have a good memory."
"Excuse me."
The four members of AR-1 simultaneously turned towards the screen which showed Fenrir's computer-generated image. Although the Asgard body was in stasis in a box a few meters away, his mind had been downloaded into the board computer.
"John Sheppard, I know the Tau'ri and although I am surprised at the progress of your species over the past five hundred years, it is within the realm of possibility for your species to ally with the Asgard. That's why I invited you aboard the Aegis. However, I never heard of the Asurans. My survival being tied to this ship, you must convince me they are not a danger to me and the Asgards as a whole before I allow them to embark."
John and Rodney exchanged an uneasy look. Fenrir was perfectly entitled to worry about his future guests... but he had left the Ida Galaxy as the war against the Replicators raged. Now, the Asurans were Replicators... another species of these mechanical creatures, with a different mentality... but they were still Replicators.
Teyla spoke up.
"I'll tell you what we know about the Asurans."
Teyla was a beautiful Athosian with tanned skin and blonde hair. As the only woman among the Atlantis Reconnaissance Team 1, she was not just here to fill the quota of female members. Her people used the Stargates to travel from planet to planet, selling and buying from the people they met. Teyla's experience of interacting with the strangest aliens made her the best diplomat among AR-1 members. However, it was not that great of a feat considering Ronon Dex and McKay were not particularly sociable. Even Attila the Hun has more sociable skills than them.
Teyla quickly recounted how a MALP crossing a Stargate had landed on Asuras. The first contact with the inhabitants had been peaceful. Originally, the members of the Atlantis expedition believed they met Ancients who had survived the genocide caused by the Wraith, 10,000 years earlier. The truth was more... disturbing.
Teyla Emmagan manages to explain that the Asurans were assemblies of nanobots connected in a subspace network without ever using the term Replicator... a true feat. Rodney intervened several times to explain the technical points. However...
On the virtual screen, Fenrir slowly blinked his huge black eyes.
"I see... they're Replicators."
Teyla looked wryly at McKay and the scientist who immediately came to her rescue.
"You're not entirely wrong, we made the same mistake initially. That is why, even now, we continue to call the Asurans 'the Pegasus' Replicators'. Nevertheless... there is a crucial difference. The Milky Way's Replicators are simplistic creatures with one goal: to replicate themselves. They form a single collective mind, a collective subspace network. All blocks are connected in the subspace network and constantly exchange information. They are devoid of any individuality; each block is just an extension of this gestalt. On the contrary, each Asuran is a differentiated individual with a human-like personality. The nanobots forming an individual constitute an autonomous organism. They can communicate through the subspace network with nanobots that are part of another organism. Nevertheless, the two individuals retain distinct personalities and a certain level of independence of thought."
"I understand."
"After some initial difficulties," Teyla said, "we allied with the Asurans to fight the Wraiths."
The Asgard looked at her with intensity.
"What do you mean about initial difficulties, Teyla Emmagan?"
Lieutenant-Colonel Sheppard took the floor.
"Our first meeting was peaceful, but not very gratifying... the High Councilor Oberoth, the leader of the Asurans, considered that his people had nothing to gain from forming an alliance or trading with us. However, when he learned that we were settled on Atlantis... he became hostile, believing that we had stolen the Lanteans' inheritance, an inheritance that rightfully belonged to them. Subsequently, there were several limited clashes between us and the Asurans. Fortunately, not all of the Asurans shared Oberoth's obsession with the legacy of the Ancients. New elections were held and the Asurans elected Hakuno Kishinami. She proposed an alliance to fight the Wraiths, a more direct menace for us and them."
"So the question is whether I can trust the High Councilor Kishinami," Fenrir wisely replied.
After hearing the Asgard's response, Ronon Dex burst out laughing.
"You should not worry. She needs help defeating the Wraiths... so as long as the Wraiths are there, you'll be on the same side."
Sheppard was surprised.
"Have you changed your mind about Kisinami? Until now you called her a toaster and now you sing her praises."
The colossus shrugged his shoulders.
"I haven't changed my mind. But as long as she's killing Wraiths, that's fine with me."
McKay looked to heaven.
"Blessed are the simple-minded."
The Bilskirnir-class cruisers were massive vessels, measuring 1,400 meters in length, which was nearly six times longer than the Tau'ri's BC-304. However, compared to the Sirius, the Aegis looked like nothing more than a landing craft. It was barely longer than the height of an Aurora-class Battleship.
The two spacecraft were in orbit, connected by invisible rays. Over the last two hours, there had been a feverish activity aboard the spacecraft. The Aegis had suffered damage during numerous space battles against the Wraiths, and as a result, she was no longer able to open a hyperspace window. The hyperthrusters had to be brought back online so that the Bilskirnir-class cruiser could reach Asuras on her own.
Hakuno, who was sitting in the command chair of the Sirius, began to get bored. Although the huge front canopy offered a breathtaking view of Herrun's orbit and the damaged Asgard spacecraft, a perfect silence had settled on the Bridge. All the lights and indicators on the two consoles accessible by turning his chair were a serene green..
Sitting in front of their consoles facing the glass roof, the other six members of the command team had nothing to do.
Except for the entrance door between two guards in brown and beige jumpsuits, the back of the bridge (a circular piece) formed another arc of circle covered with secondary consoles and screens. Each panel gave information about the main systems: armament, sensors, engineering... and the operation of the Sirius was optimal.
Which was perfectly normal, the ship had just come out of the repair yards. All systems had been restored, rebuilt, or completely replaced.
Moreover, as a Replicator, Hakuno did not need the manual controls, her mind was connected to the computer network of the Sirius, and she perceived the subspace murmur of the exchanges between the various embedded computers.
One of the Asurans dressed in a white jumpsuit who was sitting in front of the communication console turned to Hakuno.
"We're receiving a message through the Stargate, Commander."
Hakuno blinked... oh yes, that's right... she was the commander of the Sirius. After being reprogrammed by the Moon Cell, the computer was designed to obey only her commands.
"On screen."
Accustomed to the telegraphic style of their commander, like all other crew members, the Asuran pressed on a luminous crystal slide.
Immediately, a virtual screen appeared, floating above the main command console. The translucent screen materialized a clear image, allowing Hakuno to recognize her interlocutor.
"Thena."
The young woman nodded.
"Yes, it's me, High Councilor Kishinami. I'm calling you because we just found out that a large number of Wraiths ships are heading your way."
On the screen, Hakuno Kishinami tilted her head.
"... that's all."
Eyes ready to come out of her head, Teyla Emmagan looked at Hakuno whispering something like 'She's too cute' (the 'Head Tilt effect' as diagnosed by Dr. Boyzilla). Less affected, John Sheppard sighed, thinking quickly.
"We must evacuate the Heruuni before the Wraiths arrive."
Hakuno nodded her head.
"Yes. Put the greatest number of people on board the Sirius and the Aegis, and evacuate the others by the Gate."
"High Councilor Kishinami, I have a better idea."
Fenrir had just spoken. The screen split in two, allowing duplex communication so that Hakuno could hear directly the Asgard scientist.
"As you may not have forgotten, I was exiled away from the Ida Galaxy after destroying several populated planetary systems. I took advantage of this long ban to conduct studies on the degeneration of the Asgard. Nevertheless... I admit I've also used some of my time to improve the Isa Device. I have an operational copy on board. We could turn Heruun's sun into a black hole... and wipe out the entire Wraith fleet."
A group of six Wraiths cruisers, escorting a Hive Ship, had just emerged from hyperspace. These spacecraft were made of techno-organic materials, with a hull similar to that of an insect but as strong as the best armor known to the Tau'ri.
On the virtual screen projected along the partition, the space battle looked like swarms of moving points. The HK drones and the Jumpers launched by the Sirius faced the Darts. The squadrons whirled around like furious wasps, chasing and confronting each other amidst the clouds of Ancient drones and the plasma fire of the Wraiths Ships.
The Aegis turned majestically, passing behind the Sirius to avoid the Hive Ship's fire, and pursued a Wraith Cruiser. The Asgard Cruiser had six heavy Ion guns arranged in two groups of three in the side nacelles, which fired white-blue energy projectiles that hit the enemy ship. On the pursuit screen, Sheppard saw the explosions ravaging the rear of the Wraith vessel. Suddenly, the cruiser stopped accelerating and drifted away laterally, leaving behind a trail of organic fragments, various debris, and frozen atmosphere.
"Main propulsion destroyed, the enemy ship is adrift" commented Fenrir.
The Asgard was flying the Aegis as... well as if she was his own body. However, as he caught up with the spacecraft in difficulty, continuing to make new breaches in the other hull, a violent shock threw Teyla to the ground. Ronon Dex caught up with the Asgard sarcophagus while Sheppard and MacKay clung to the control console.
A screen lit showing a view of the back of the ship. The image trembled, veiled by the bluish light of the shield solicited at full power.
"Two cruisers are chasing us," Fenrir reported.
A new salvo shook the Aegis, which trembled violently.
"Shield at 70%. Damage reported level IV, sector 66A and 66B. Breach at level III, sector 56B" added Rodney.
On board the Sirius, the situation was much less tense.
Majestic and almost invincible, the Battleship faced the Hive Ship, the two gigantic ships crossed space in opposite directions.
The space between the ships was streaked with bluish plasma shots characteristic of Wraith's weapons, golden projectiles from Lantean Pulse Weapons as well as swarms of drones that maneuvered to strike the techno-organic ship by targeting her weak points.
As explosions continually shook the organic armor of the enormous Wraith ship, the Asuran ship was wrapped in an energy shield of a dark translucent brown color.
Until then, the two cosmic titans had received only minor damages.
Sitting in the command chair, Hakuno transmitted her orders through the subspace connection that linked the Pegasus Replicators and the Sirius computers.
[Change course in, top, 30 seconds. New course 310°. ]
At the same time, she was reorienting the drone launchers.
[Batteries B2 and C2, concentrate on the Hive Ship. Battery A2 concentrates on the squadron of Darts in sector 340. Battery A1, fire on the Wraith cruiser in sector 30. Battery B1, fire on the Darts wing in sector 125. ]
And the Sirius turned, chasing after the Hive Ship, while two Cruisers suffered severe punishment and dozens of darts disappeared in a rapid succession of explosions.
However, the fight remained undecided... the Wraiths enjoyed an overwhelming numerical superiority.
In Hakuno's mind, there were three countdowns in progress: the evacuation of the population of Heruun using the planetary Stargate, the repair of the Aegis hyperdrive, and the arrival of the enemy fleet spotted by the hyperdrive detectors: several hundred Wraiths ships...
The Isa Device was to be triggered after these three counters had reached zero... but before the fleet reached fire range.
They had to hold the Wraiths until then.
On the main screen, the Wraith Cruiser briefly appeared to inflate and deform before being replaced by a huge ball of ignited gas.
"Yeah!"
"Well done!"
John Sheppard and Rodney McKay congratulated Fenrir. But the Asgard did not respond. The ship turned abruptly, passing in the middle of a swarm of Darts that strafed her shields.
As the dazzling white beams of the Transporter Arrays captured one Dart after another, catapulting the Wraiths fighters back into hyperspace with no hope of returning, the Aegis's Ion cannons concentred fire on one of the Cruisers pursuing her.
Surprised by the sudden volte-face of the Bilskirnir-class cruiser, the two ships reacted slowly.
[Redirect batteries A1 and A2 to Wraith Cruiser number 1] emitted Hakuno on the subspace link.
Caught under the crossfire of the Sirius and the Aegis, the spacecraft exploded.
[Redirect batteries A1 and A2 to Wraith Cruiser number 2].
On the screen, in front of Kishinami, the second ship was maneuvering away from the ephemeral sun generated by the explosion of her twin. Swarms of drones hit him smashing his armor, exiting through breaches of the hull, and returning to the damaged ship. At the same time, the Aegis's ion guns targeted the Cruiser's bow, inflicting further damage.
The Last Master of the Moon, while focusing primarily on this part of the confrontation, did not forget the rest of the battle.
Suddenly seeing that Darts' icons were multiplying around the Wraith Hive, she realized that new squadrons were taking off from the Dart Bay. The fact that each Hive had hundreds or even thousands of fighters was a massive advantage for these ships in any space battle.
Fortunately, Hakuno knew this characteristic and took it into account.
[Squadron 34/1 and 37/2, attack.]
The two squadrons of Puddle Jumpers cut off their cloaking device, becoming visible again. They immediately fired at the entrance to the Dart Bay. The explosions were so numerous that it was as if the Darts were diving into a sea of fire.
Passing a Wraith Cruiser transformed into a drifting wreck, the Aegis trembled as several plasma cannon batteries struck her shields.
"Shield at 50%... 45%... 40%..." MacKay said in a strangled voice.
Showers of sparks fell from the ceiling while the sound of an explosion was followed by a decompression forcing blast doors to seal the breach. On the diagram representing the Asgard Cruiser, the number of sections in red increased with each shot, some flashed indicating that they had received critical damage.
"We can't stay in the Hive's line of fire any longer," says Ronon.
"I know," Fenrir simply replied. "I am currently using all the power of the generators to strengthen the shields."
Simultaneously, the Aegis passed behind the Sirius. Masked by the Asuran ship, she was temporarily safe, even though squadrons of Darts continued to swirl around her, like swarms of mosquitoes. Unfortunately, the shields had barely begun to recharge as the last three Wraiths Cruisers advanced within range.
While the Aegis arched like a wild horse, Ronon Dex smiled with satisfaction From his perspective, the people the Wraiths hated could not be fundamentally evil.
"For them to be so determined to kill you, you must have enraged the Wraiths, Fenrir."
The battle now looked like a chase.
In front, the Aegis sought to flee, pursued by two cruisers (the third had turned into a ball of ignited gas). Behind, the Sirius fired at the Wraiths with her bow weapons, while her stern weapons fired at the Hive which followed her while hammering her rear shields.
Suddenly a virtual window appeared above Hakuno's console. Although the image was blurred, the Last Master of the Moon recognized Fenrir.
"The Aegis is lost. I will teleport to your ship."
"Understood."
On the diagram depicting the Asgard's Bilskirnir, almost no part of the ship was intact. Large sections of the vessel were in ruins, and fires were burning everywhere. Even the computer center, which was situated in the heart of the ship, was affected. The lights flickered, and the ventilation system was unable to clear the smoke.
The hologram of Fenrir was clouded, and it seemed unstable. His voice sounded metallic as he said, "Do not worry. The stasis chamber has an autonomous power supply that can keep it functional for three Earth days. However..." There was a dry noise, and the members of AR-1 turned to a drawer that had just opened under the main console. Inside, they found a metallic sphere adorned with all kinds of pins. "... My consciousness is in this receptacle. You must disconnect it from the computer. But if you do that, I will no longer be able to command the Aegis."
[Cut the shield!]
In the heat of the battle, the order might seem suicidal but it was essential. An Asgard Transporter could not teleport passengers through a shield.
Simultaneously, Hakuno ordered all the batteries to fire at maximum power.
A dazzling white light condensed into several human figures surrounding the stasis chamber that was Fenrir's prison.
[Raise the shield.]
The interruption lasted less than a second and no shot hit the Sirius... Kishinami's sense of timing was unmatched.
Without taking care of her guests, the High Councilor of Asuras focused on the ongoing battle.
The Wraiths Cruisers finished destroying the Asgard spaceship but only survived for a few seconds. Now only two capital ships remained the Sirius and the Hive Ship. They revolved around a fictional point, at the barycenter of their position, surrounded by Darts and Jumpers, firing at each other with all their weapons.
The battle appeared to be a fair fight between equally strong opponents. However, the Sirius was created by a more technologically advanced civilization and shields powered by a ZPM. Her commander was a better strategist, with a better-coordinated crew.
After five minutes of violent confrontation, the Hive Ship was nothing more than a drifting wreck, which broke apart into several fragments ravaged by explosions. Suddenly one of these parts turned into a dazzling plasma sphere. The fireball expanded, devouring the other fragments.
Only a few swarms of Darts remained, which the anti-aircraft defenses quickly eliminated. Suddenly, a succession of jump windows opened, and nearly two hundred ships came out of them. They slowed down fantastically when leaving hyperspace. Twenty Hive Ships were forming the heart of fifteen armadas composed of corvettes, cruisers, and scouts. These ships were already starting to launch swarms of Darts.
Rodney McKay, assisted by an Asuran technician, opened one of the consoles to connect the Asgard computer module containing Fenrir's consciousness to Sirius mainframe. When the Canadian closed the drawer, a translucent window appeared and the virtual image of the Asgard scientist looked at them calmly, slowly blinking his eyes. Although he remained unconscious for several minutes, the Alien was now connected to the Aurora-class Battlecruiser's sensor system, and he knew everything he needed to understand the situation.
"Well, I see the enemy has arrived. Since the Asurans have completed the evacuation of the Heruuni, I will activate the Isa Device," the scientist said.
The impulse sent by the central computer propagated at super luminic speed and activated a small satellite that had been released into the orbit of the sun a few hours earlier. The result was almost instantaneous. The star was replaced by an intense gravity field that appeared optically as a dark disc from which even light could not escape.
Surprised by the formation of this collapsar, most of the Wraiths ships were instantly trapped in the gravity vortex. However, the Sirius immediately opened a hyperspace window to escape successfully, even as the planets were being crushed. Apart from the Asuran Battleship, only one Hive Ship passed into hyperspace before the implosion of the planetary system.
Justifying the Viking legends, which described Fenrir as an evil giant wolf whose liberation heralded the 'twilight of the gods', the Asgard scientist had just triggered a cosmic catastrophe comparable to the legendary Ragnarok.
Level 27, Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Earth, Milky Way.
The briefing room was nearly rectangular and adorned with the coat of arms of the SGC and the American flag. It had several flat screens and clear glass plates displaying representations of the galaxy to support the conferences held in the room. Seated around a long table were SG-1's four members, Bra'tac, and Major General George Hammond. They were listening to the Tok'ra Selmak explaining a holographic image of the hierarchy of the Goa'uld Empire.
"The invasion of the Replicators resulted in a situation that was unprecedented in the history of the Goa'uld. Never before has a Pharaoh been able to hold more power in his hands than the Systemlords collectively had."
"I understand," interrupted Jackson. "The Goa'uld Empire operates under a feudal system. "The Pharaoh is the ruler of the Empire, but he cannot afford to alienate the majority of the Systemlords."
Selmak nodded in agreement. "That's exactly it, Daniel."
Jack O'Neill, shaking in his chair, crossed his hands behind his neck. "And now you're going to say that the Battle of Dakara changed that balance."
"Yes, Jack," replied Selmak with a brief smile. "The Tok'ra estimates that the System Lords lost more than 50% of their armies during the battle. Even Yu died."
Jack pointed at himself.
"Me? I'm okay, no need to worry. I'm always guaranteed to be 100% stainless and fine. Besides, I didn't participate in the battle."
Selmak sighed, looking up. It was an old joke.
Daniel answered in his place.
"Lord Yu... the Systemlord Yu-huang Shuan Ti... died in battle."
"Ah 'Yu' not 'you'... ok."
Selmak resumed the speech speaking with this voice so typical of the Tok'ra.
"Three Goa'uld took advantage of the Replicators' invasion. Apophis had fewer losses than the other System Lords, Anubis arrived after the end of the battle and therefore had no losses... But the main beneficiary is Ba'al. Not only because he used the Dakara Superweapon to destroy the Replicators but also because he obtained the neutrality, even benevolence, of the Free Jaffa."
Bratac was visibly uneasy as he wavered slightly in his chair. He couldn't comprehend why the leaders appointed to replace the Free Jaffa deceased at the Kresh'ta ambush were so favorable to Ba'al. The Old Jaffa suspected that it was the Goa'uld's deception at work. Ba'al was known to be a cunning and manipulative being, a liar and a cheater.
Leaning on the table, Samantha turned to her father.
"So Ba'al had gained the advantage after the battle. Is that what you mean, Selmak?"
"He won a Basketba'al point," said Jack while smiling.
Teal'c raised an eyebrow while Bra'tac showed no reaction. On the other hand, the other people gathered around the table had reactions ranging from exasperation to nervous laughter. O'Neill's humor was... peculiar.
Selmak massaged his forehead with a tired look while responding to his host's daughter.
"It was... until Anubis briefly took over Dakara, then crushed an alliance of three Systemlords. Now his Superwarriors are using the Stargates to attack everywhere. Only one of his Kull Warriors can attack an Underlord's fortress and slaughter all his Jaffa guards... The Kulls are invulnerable to Staff Weapons and can even cross force fields. We underestimated Anubis... he was able to simultaneously organize a military campaign against the Tok'ra, the Systemlords, and the Free Jaffa. Each battle was a showcase for the new weapons he introduced. Anubis seeks to demoralize as much as to defeat us."
Sam grinned.
"We were lucky that Gilgamesh stole the Dakara Superweapon. According to members of Phoenix 1, Anubis wanted to use it to kill all the Asgards present in the Milky Way."
"Certainly," Hammond replied. "But Gilgamesh remains an unpredictable factor. His actions are causing inconvenience to both us and Anubis."
As Major Carter was about to speak, the Stargate suddenly activated, triggering the alarm.
"Unscheduled Gate activation."
Jack O'Neill and the others walked towards the large bay window overlooking level 28. He witnessed the first chevron being locked in place.
"I bet those coming out of the Gate will say Anubis just attacked a new target," Jack remarked.
As everyone turned to look at him, the leader of SG-1 simply shrugged.
"The new event that happens just as after a complete explanation of the situation is so cliché. It's lacking so much originality and imagination, so typical of writers who rely on worn-out tropes."
A group of Tok'ra had just arrived through the Gate. General Hammond entered the Gateroom and was greeted by their leader, Delek - a young-looking man who arrogantly introduced himself as a member of the High Council. Selmak welcomed him coldly since Delek was an opponent of the Selmak faction which was favorable to the Tau'ri.
Delek got straight to the point and informed Teal'c, Bra'tac, and the others present that Anubis' fleet had set out from Erebus and was heading towards Chulak. Chulak was the first planet to join the Free Jaffa rebellion and had the largest Jaffa population in the entire Goa'uld Empire. Moreover, three of the Free Jaffa leaders, namely Teal'c, Bra'tac, and Rak'nor, were Chulakians. Each of these factors alone would be enough to make Chulak an attractive target, but the combination of all three made it irresistible for Anubis.