Record keeping: First, this is the full chapter with more coming up. In this story, I am following up on all of the small arcs present, so it is taking a little more 'filling' to get to where I want to get to. I haven't even started the Cyrannus Race conversation, or the Tau'ri talks at the Cylon border with the Colonials, and then there is the Cylon situation before we even touch the earth Alliance. Did however, get to the Tollanian arc coming up in Chapter 52.
Unname123: you asked: What would the colonists think and feel about the Prime Directive of the Star Fleet?
This is a good question. To be honest, there are many answers to this. Many authors have written about the possibilities and have their own opinions. As for myself, I think the answer is complicated. If the Colonists are pre-holocaust and searching for the 13th, they would be confused and freaked out. This would be because of aliens, the advanced technology, the approaches as well as the religious attitudes. But a lot of the colonials would find it fascinating and would want to know more and would probably embrace the differences. That would cause cultural upheaval, which is a reason why the Prime Directive was established in the first place. If the situation was post-holocaust, I don't think they would like it and here I mean the politicians and religious leaders. Earth is not what they thought and would feel it was contaminated and would fear it. The normal Joe and Jane refugees may not be as affected and would just want to go somewhere where it is safe and forget about the religious implications and political difficulties and …the aliens. I refer you to 'The Pheonix and the Wolverine by Clavina is an excellent example. There are others on this site that reflect the views of Starfleet and BSG2003. Many believe the Colonials would have severe problems. I half agree, but I also believe they are more open than some would assume given the reality of running into such a situation.
EvilTheLast: I hope I can meet your expectations. There are a lot of holes I need to address before I start fighting and this and the next chapter will cover that. I haven't even touched the Cyrannus System or the Cylons or the Cylon Colonial border yet. Before I even get to that, I need the setup and Tollanian situation down pat. If I don't, it will be choppy trying to fill things in after the fact. I also have to make sure that I do not underestimate the Shadows. And deal with the Shadow Asgard fights.
gunzen said: couldn't you just have waited to post the whole chapter?
Yep, I could have. But I chose not to. I do that sometimes.
Road paved in shadows
Chapter Fifty-One
Earth:
Atlantis Command Center–Twelfth Floor
The senior staff of Earth Alliance, the Colonial contingent, military officers and staff of the UCW, Free Jaffa, and to the shock of many people present, two Asgard, were present, looking very upset.
Admiral Kunningham was again stunned by the presence of yet another group of aliens that in no way resembled humanity. The various reptilian types, and those long-neck dino aliens, and the Nox, with leaves and vegetation growing out of their hair, were strange enough, but he got used to them very quickly. But these Asgard aliens disturbed him. They were clearly non-human, but they had some characteristics that reminded him of humanity. The hair and beard looked–unusual, and he noticed that the Tollanians were staring at them as well. In fact, the Tollanians looked stunned they were present at all.
And everyone deferred to them, which was something he found most interesting. These were the same aliens who refused to establish communications with his ship. That had angered him, but he decided to reign in his temper. Apparently, these aliens were not to be trifled with. He was taking nothing for granted these days. It was another of a series of First Contacts that Isahan was going to have the pleasure of dealing with for the glory of the Colonial people; he thought sarcastically.
The city of Atlantis interested him in the same way as had Lemuria. It was obviously bigger, and the thing could fly! It was another wonder that the Earthers took for granted. They changed city ships like one changed a pair of shoes. It made him wonder just what type of defenses and offensive capabilities the flying stations possessed. He couldn't imagine that this place didn't have extensive defensive systems hidden away from his view. Just as importantly, he needed to know just how many of these stations did the Tau'ri and UCW had?
The Quorum would no doubt go crazy once they read his report on this item.
It was another concern he needed to be worried about. Where was the line between jealousy and fear? How frightened would his people become if the UCW chose not to share something that seemed unlikely? And what would happen if the Cylons got hold of such technology?
Initially, he had wanted to discuss the Cylon problem with the UCW, but that was canceled the instant the enemy ships entered the Terran system. The moment he was informed of the intruders, every DRADIS system in the fleet began active scans targeting the system and came up with nothing, which he hated to admit wasn't surprising. What further disturbed him was the revelation that the enemy ships were in something called jump space. He was aware of hyperspace and that the Terrans used it, but he assumed that movement was required to remain in hyperspace and that those same laws went for this 'jump space', too. Neither he nor his crew understood the physics of what was a new science to them and they were groping in the darkness, trying to uncover what was going on. The fact enemies could hide in other dimensional space worried him and rightly so, the Colonies would never know of the threat until they were actually attacked. This was exactly what happened. It was time to go back to school and start all over again. But now, he and his staff needed to listen to O'Neill carefully and hear what he had to say.
General O'Neill stood to the left of a huge two-hundred-inch screen, holding his laser pointer. Looking at the assembled crowd waiting for him to begin, he stifled a smile. The Colonials are looking uncomfortable, but at the same time, very excited. He understood why. They were about to be let on secrets that they'd been trying to uncover since they arrived here. The Earth Alliance reps were just as interested, and because they asked for asylum while offering every piece of technology they possessed, it helped to boost their case.
He believed that the UCW and IOA were going to assent. Earthforce was going to be a problem the UCW was going to address immediately after they dealt with this upcoming invasion. Someone had tried to nuke the Tollanians using an Ashtorath Ha'tak using a Free Jaffa IFF ID. The Ashtorath weren't stupid, and the blame would have immediately fallen on them since the same warship was known to have nuked the Tok'ra. It was clear someone was attempting to place the blame on them. For all intents and purposes, it felt like a feint, a deception meant to deflect from the real perpetrators. The UCW was about to blow the scheme wide open. War with the snakes now was the last thing anyone needed.
On the other side, the Asgard presence shocked everyone as it announced that they were alive and well and about to make their presence known to everyone.
Shiplord Atvar and his senior staff were sitting in their specially made chairs waiting patiently, as they always did during meetings. Security was alert, and Atlantis's command and defense systems were active and linked to Lemuria and the sensor array. The UCW military was linked in. It was time to start.
"We don't have much time," he began. "Our sensor net has detected an increase in speed by the enemy ships, a couple of which are already in our system. They're submerged in what we refer to as jump space. JS is another form of hyperspace, separate from our version of hyperspace, and it has its own properties. We were aware of this dimensional space, but never had any use for it, and we didn't have enough resources to study it. That's being rectified and with help from our Earth Force associates here," he said, pointing to the refugees, "our understanding of that science is about to take off." He then pointed to the image appearing on the main screen. "This is an image of the enemy, or some of them," he amended.
The Vision of a giant ship, shaped like a huge black glistening arachnid, filled the screen. The image was being viewed in real time, and some of the observers noted the slight movements of the leg-like spines that protruded from the body of the ship.
The Colonials just stared, flabbergasted. There was no other word to describe what they were looking at. It filled them with disgust and a desired to kill it and everything inside. It definitely wasn't Cylon by any stretch of the imagination.
Commander Eddleson said aloud what everyone was thinking. "What kind of nightmare creature designs something like that? Is that thing alive? How big is it?"
"Yes, it is alive as far as we can tell, more so than a Wraith carrier," O'Neill answered. "It's one point three kilometers in length. The second one is larger. Both are planting beacons throughout the system. The beacons are required for accurate entry into normal space. Captain Sheridan?"
Captain Elizabeth Lockley-Sheridan, wife of Captain John Sheridan, formally of Earth Alliance, stood up and began to explain.
"When navigating the dimension we call jump space, we require beacons to get to our destination. There are no waypoints or markers for reference points. Jump space is chaotic and without the beacons, ships can and have been lost. Without beacons, reentering normal space is extremely hazardous. One could jump inside a planet or come out too close to a star. These …things," she said, pointing at the Shadow vessels, "are mining the solar system for their main fleet." The disgust and horror in her eyes were evident as she stared at the ship. It conjured up nightmares and, thinking about it, she didn't know why. She prided herself on being strong. This image should not have affected her so completely.
Not wanting to look at it, she continued. "We destroyed the beacon close to Earth's moon, but that has served only to let them know that we know it was discovered. It's likely the reason why the fleet has increased their speed. They probably know we're here, but they might, and I repeat, might not believe that you're prepared for them with the forces you have. Again, this is conjecture, but they might assume our ships are the only ones able to see into hyper, correction. Jump space. If that is true, then they will come at us with everything they have, now that their secret is out," she explained. "One more observation. I don't think those spider ships need beacons. They are living, space dwelling entities. And have their own form of navigation. The beacons are for the others coning."
Admiral Kunningham needed to understand. "Why?" he asked. "I understand the secret is out, but Earth can't see into this jump space. The element of surprise is still on their side."
"No, Admiral," our ships have the ability to see into jump space far enough to give a warning. Earthforce ships are prime targets. With us out of the way, they believe Earth is completely blind. Personally, "I don't think they're that stupid, but I also believe they believe it is a good probability."
"Admiral, our sensors can see everything," O'Neill corrected. "The modification was easy once we knew what to look for."
The general looked vicious in Kunningham's eyes. He approved because that was exactly that attitude that was needed right now.
New Tollania
A soldier of darkness, some called her.
Sentient creatures, those primitives, called her people warriors, savages, monsters, thralls to the masters. The She was uninterested in their opinions of her people. Let them think what they wanted. Her people knew who they were.
What they weren't were servants, as many of the lesser races and prey believed. They were associates, and like their associates, whom some believed were their masters, they believed in the eternal struggle for survival because it made one strong. The belief was hard-wired into their very souls. Unlike the Shadows, their people were aggressive hunter-killers. The associates believed in subterfuge, spinning webs of lies and deceit to capture prey. Different tactics, but the same goal.
Chaos.
If the Shadows engaged in their little games with her people, it would be at their peril, and the same would happen if her people underestimated the masters. If provoked, her people would drench their associates in blood, just as they would do to her people. There was a truce between one another, and it worked. This was why the two got along so well. The only real difference was there were more of the Shadows than her people.
Her species reproduced slowly, the aggressive mating dangerous to both sexes during mating season. Therefore, they chose to be subservient to the Shadows. Their connection was strong, but it was also one of convenience. Weakness shown on either side was not tolerated. The words Master and Servants meant nothing, not to her people. Let the others think what they would.
The Shadow Empire was powerful. However, the Vorlons were stronger. And the game the Shadows and Vorlons played proved that time and time again. The number of defeats was evidence that the Vorlons cheated, but it could not be proven.
It was a true misfortune that the battle was over before it began. All was not lost, however. There was a new game in motion, one without Vorlon interference. Her people were needed, and they acted willingly. Her people were not simply soldiers or thralls, haphazardly used and tossed away. The Shadows knew better than to do something so foolish. Her people were always assigned specific targets, ones whose deaths triggered events beneficial to their associates. Those deaths triggered suspicion and wars, causing the younger races to descend into fear and then conflict. Conflict made one strong, as the survivors eventually discovered.
This time was to be no different. The deaths of a few worlds in the UCW, the obliteration of the Tok'ra, generated fear. The destruction of the Tollanians would have removed UCW's most powerful member. By all reports, the Tollanians were the scientific heart. Destroy them and the UCW was crippled, perhaps fatally, and the Ashtorath would take the blame.
The Ha'tak was a captured Free Jaffa ship, and the crew used by the Soldiers were Ashtorath, captured by her people. The whole crew was consumed except for one. Their commander was implanted with a Keeper who rapidly took over the body and minds of both the Jaffa and infant Goa'uld. Once the controller was matured, the Jaffa had no choice but to obey it. Once implanted, it could never be removed unless one of the masters ordered it to do so. It couldn't be cut out. Even a small strand remaining in the victim's body was enough for it to regenerate. They were merciless and extremely useful things. Creatures, genetically engineered by the Shadows.
Three planets, part of the Protected Treaty worlds, were wiped clean of humans. But it was the Tok'ra mission that began the road to failure. The Ha'tak was somehow tracked, and because of that, the plan to destroy the Terran-Tau'ri had to be accelerated. The Tau'ri would not be allowed time to prepare themselves for what was coming.
The heart of the Tollanian people needed to be cut out. But with the discovery and destruction of the Ha'tak ship, the mission failed. The Tollanians were too diligent and responded too quickly, blowing the ship out of the sky. All of her people were lost, and she was on the run from the humans.
They were tracking her by some unknown means, while she raced towards the city where the leadership was located. With her resources decimated, her objective remained the same. Disrupt the Tollanian organization by killing every one of their leaders. The Tau'ri were strong but technologically retarded without being aided by the scientific understanding of their Tollanian minions. So was the belief of her associates.
Evidence appeared to contradict those conclusions, but her associates were too eager to destroy the one threat in this galaxy they feared. The Goa'uld were nothing. Therefore, they focused on the Tau'ri before they became too strong or before the Earth Alliance humans could claim this Earth's technology.
The soldier was unconcerned with the Shadow's overall plan. What she wanted was to complete her mission before she was hunted down and killed.
The humans were hunting her with atmospheric capable warships. That the humans were so concerned enough was considered an honor by one of her kind.
The Tollanians' warships were hunting her, three of them. Their sensors were so powerful, she could feel them from fifteen kilometers distant. The She looked at the specks in the sky, searching in the wrong direction for now. partially phased, she moved around and through the huge plants that reached dozens of meters into the sky. They were alien, not like the purple vegetation of home. It wasn't important. But what was important was that those large alien plants offered her some places to hide. However, they soon discovered they were incompatible with her phasing abilities. She was injured and had to be careful. She had fed earlier, which was enough to stop her wound from getting worse, but it wasn't enough to begin the healing process. The Soldier needed more.
Ten minutes later, she discovered a human group sitting next to a fire for warmth. Why they were there made no sense to her because it did not match her data on these Tollanian aliens. The Tollanians were known to prefer dwellings in constructed units and cities, not living out amongst the vegetation. The humans presented an opportunity, and her need overwhelmed her caution.
The hunting ships were irrelevant at the moment. The reasons why the Humans were in the wild were unimportant. She needed to be at optimal functionality. Phasing through the huge wooden plant, she was on them, and they never even saw her coming.
The first one, she believed to be male, died without a sound as she plunged her claws into his main body cavity. Her physiology joined with the male and converted his body into something it could use. Every cell in her body blended with the male's body and she sucked it dry of useful nutrients and discarded the husk.
Unlike the Wraith, the soldiers of darkness and her species physically joined with their prey and changed the biological structure of their targets into something that they could use, much like a spider injecting poison into a captured insect and breaking the body innards into mush to be suck out at the spider's leisure. But the alien also psychically joined with its prey, allowing it to be tracked and consumed later if the soldier chose to do so. That relationship could last for years, if the soldier needed substance, long term. It would track and feed over and over again for years if necessary.
She fed and as she did; the soldier relished the flavor, never taking her eyes off the frozen human female staring at her dead husband as the She drained the human dry of its fluids. The husk dropped to the ground before the other three smaller humans fully understood what had happened. The female human screamed, tried to gather her children to run, but she was far too slow. The nine-foot creature reached out and used the hooks on its arms and claws to snag her shoulder, digging deeply into her flesh. The She dragged her back, and immediately began feeding, this time by clamping down with her maw and tearing huge chunks of flesh and swallowing. The female Human lasted all of twenty-horrified seconds.
The She was satiated now, and her injuries were healing quickly, and she was regaining her strength. The young ones were now running away as fast as they could.
However, they wouldn't get far. She would not allow any witnesses. The Soldier of Darkness easily ran down the two young ones, and with several swipes, ripped them apart. No survivors were allowed to send an alarm. Quickly, it turned and continued towards Tollanian city. her wounds began to heal as the nutrients were incorporated into her body. Suddenly, her instincts were screaming at her. Her presence was revealed, and the war vessels were heading in her direction. She wanted to hide, but the vessels had locked onto her. Her phasing ability did not keep them from finding her.
Earth:
Atlantis Command Center–Twelfth Floor
"Therefore, from your argument, Captain, it is your opinion they will come after you first?"
"The secret is out," Captain Elizabeth Lockley-Sheridan said. "They'll come after our four ships at the same time. We are a reliable source of information about when and where they'll come out of jump space. Those few moments can make a lot of difference. We will be a prime target." She paused for a brief moment. "That is assuming they believe we are your source of information, which we are, to some extent."
"
"Yep, you're going to be a target," O'Neill said, taking over. "Your people witnessed the attack on Lemuria. We survived, so I say this now. All of your crews will be relocated to Lemuria or Earth, except a skeleton crew on the Storm Front manning the scanners. We can see the enemy, but with your help, we can estimate exactly where they will exit into normal space. That work's to our advantage. We will protect your ship and pull you off when things get hot."
"With respect, General, may I ask how?" John Sheridan asked. He knew his wife would choose to stay on her ship. Her vessel had the most advanced sensors, and she wouldn't abandon her skeleton crew. "A shuttle would be eviscerated in short order, and even a shielded ship wouldn't last long against a dedicated attack."
"Their safety is our concern, and we will not abandon them," the general told him. "We have matter transporter technology. We can grab your people and put them on Lemuria in seconds."
"What is transporter technology?" Kunningham half-asked, half-blurted out loud. If it was what he thought it was.
Impossible!
"We can bring a person from here to there," Jonathan simplified, serving to aggravate the admiral and Colonials, listening due to the utter lack of details.
"We have matter transporter technology. We can grab your people and pull them to Lemuria in seconds."
"You mean, like the Vree slip tech?" She began quickly explaining to everyone's benefit. "Vree technology allows one to step through a dimensional portal or hole, allowing one to step through from one place to another."
The Colonials looked at everyone in utter shock.
"No," Thor intervened, stopping everyone in their tracks. "It is different."
Elizabeth continued after recovering from listening to the strange, almost Vreetanoid-like alien. "I look forward to experiencing this method, I think."
"It's safe," a smiling O'Neill told them all. "We use it all the time." Then he turned to the admiral. "Do you think you used an elevator to get to the twelfth floor?" and watched as the man turned a new shade of purple. He turned back to the Colonials.
"You've given us sanctuary when you didn't have to," David Sheridan announced. "We intend to help in whatever way we can."
"We will protect your people," O'Neill said in a way that brooked no argument. "Admiral, we've given you the coordinates for the delegation fleet. We want them to leave as soon as possible for the alternative site. Like now. We know two of your ships are undergoing recalibration and repair. We will tow them to the site."
"Thank you for your concern and help. However, I must again protest. The Radiance and our Minoans are the best warships humanity has to offer. We should be in the front lines fighting with our brethren," Kunningham stiffly announced.
He was seething. He should be there, in the front lines, making a difference, and the UCW was relegating his Colonials to rearguard duty. The Colonies needed to prove that they could stand with their brethren and had something to offer, which so far seemed to be considered dubious at best by the Earthers.
He still reeled at the revelations of the past few days. The Tau'ri were so advanced. He was beginning to feel insecure as everything started clicking into place. Just what did the Colonies have to offer these people and the UCW?
"You're here as guests of Earth and the UCW. You're not here to fight our battles. We won't place your crews, people, and ships in harm's way. You are going to be needed at home when we confirm what's happening there and deal with the situation with Earth Alliance."
Kunningham willed himself to keep from trembling. "The state of the colonies will not be known for several months at the earliest. Your probes in our system will take time to transmit the data and for you to receive. If we survive this attack, it will take nine months to a year to return to the colonies. We're here to make a difference now, to stand beside you."
Mister Woosley commented now, to the shock of the Colonials and Earthforce members. "We appreciate your concerns and offers of help. They are not being ignored, and you are not being disrespected. Far from it. But we know that your government would do the same thing under these conditions. We respect your capabilities, but your priority is for the protection of your diplomatic fleet, as is ours. But to clarify, we've sent three ships to the Cyrannus system two days ago. They should be there, assessing the situation, and should have initiated covert contact with your leadership already," the senior admin responded as innocently as he could. Then waited for the reaction from the Colonials and Earth Alliance. "And no, we did not have elements already there. The UCW ships left from the Sol system."
The looks of shock and disbelief made O'Neill's day. He did notice Thor shaking his head briefly.
The looks on the Colonial and EF faces were a cross between awe and absolute disbelief. For the Earthforce personnel, they realized that it might be possible. They were towed from the rift to Earth, dozens of scores of parsecs distant in a matter of a few hours. John believed that they were towed by the strange aliens identified as the Asgard. It had to be those people. He had no proof because his sensors never identified the ship that towed them. He never saw the ship itself, but he just knew.
Isahan was absolutely convinced that the Earthers had probes in the Cyrannus system, spying on them. It took a year and a half to make it to Earth, and these people were claiming they could reach home in less than three days. It was preposterous.
Frankus Kunningham was tempted to laugh in the general's face, but he stopped short. Every single UCw member from Earth to the Race, to Jaffa and those Asgard aliens, looked deadly serious. None of them hinted at this being some kind of joke. Their faces made him falter. Was the UCW, was Earth that advanced.
Gods!
Again, the importance of this mission struck him. Every one of his plans was shredded into dust. He was a stubborn man, not known to change his mind once he determined a course of action.
Today would be an exception. And those thoughts frightened him in a way he didn't believe was possible. The sheer amount of knowledge was intimidating. If he was intimidated, how much more would his superiors be? The Terrans didn't easily share, and his people would demand they do so for the same reasons he once did. And some would be foolish enough to advocate for war, vastly underestimating these people.
How resentful would the President and the others be against the Terrans? And what about the Cylon prisoners? Earth surely would not give them over and that alone would cause a political firestorm. Colonial resentment could linger for a generation against the so-called rag tag Thirteenth Colony, if that was even who they were.
"The Delegation fleet will leave within the hour," he announced. The next words hurt him, but he pushed through his emotions. "We will support your rear guard, but I retain the right to engage the enemy if I feel there is a need."
General O'Neill nodded. "I would expect nothing less." He inwardly sighed. The crisis was averted. "Elements of the First Fleet will engage first, followed by the Second Fleet as soon as we draw them out into normal space. We can't fight them in jump space, although that would be the ideal scenario. We need to draw them out. The problem is that we will be standing in the heart of the fire."
"Excuse me, General," Captain John Sheridan said. "We can hurt them as soon as they exit jump space. We acquired Minbari technology, which allows us to detect jump point activity seconds before the point became visible. It has to do with tachyon emissions. If we can fire into the openings just as the ships are exiting, we can do major damage. I don't know how strong those ships are, but it is stressful for ships and crews when entering normal space. They have to undergo emergency deceleration before they can maneuver. They are vulnerable. Also, jump space does not like weapons fire. A few dozen nukes will do wonders for this battle."
"Good idea," responded a jubilant Jack. Then, his face lost all emotion. "I can't tell you how serious this is. Compared to this, Anubis' attack was a minor skirmish. Back then, our resources were limited. That is not the case today, but the numbers are going to be a problem. As of this moment, I am ordering the remainder of all civilian ships to evacuate Earth space. Elements of the first fleet are here and covering Earth. The worlds under the protected planets are vulnerable and we have other elements of the First fleet are covering them, and we have sent an envoy to the Ashtorath backing them off, in case they try to take advantage of the situation, which we all know they would try to do. The Second Fleet will do the heavy lifting here, along with our allies. Our sensor net has a bird's-eye view of UCW territories well as the majority of the PPs. We will be able to respond if there are any problems. These people have come here uninvited, with hostile intent. We will make them think twice about trying it a third time. The Third Fleet is being held in reserve at our Alpha site. They can get here in a matter of minutes if required. But they will be allocated to protect the UCW worlds and back up the First Fleet protecting the PPs.
The instant the general finished, The Asgard commander actually stood up, clearly disturbed at what he'd heard. "To what incidents are you referring to? Did these people instigate some previous attacks on Earth or the UCW?"
"The consensus is that we think these people sent a nuke, more than one really, through the Lemurian stargate. The shield stopped it."
Thor didn't know about those attacks. He was angry. "Do you have any evidence that it was the Ashtorath who attempted this?"
"No, I don't think so," Jack answered. "The Tollanians have evidence suggesting the Ashtorath or even one of the Free Jaffa nations were responsible, but I don't believe it and the evidence they presented, only strengthens that belief. Whoever tried was the same ones who nuked the Tok'ra home base. They tried to make it look as if the Ashtorath were responsible. But it's a feint, to pull us into a war with them. Whoever they are, they want us dead."
"The scans indicate this enemy is not Vorlon, but they may be associates. When we find out who they are, we will determine if they are in association with the Vorlons, and we will make our displeasure known wherever they have fled to. They have obviously not heeded our last warning."
Kunningham couldn't help it. that name came up too many times. "Just who are the Vorlons?"
O'Neill paused for a moment. "Think of them as an extragalactic power who wanted to kill all the humans in this galaxy because they couldn't read our minds."
The Colonials looked aghast and confused.
Earth Alliance simply looked stunned. The Vorlons were considered the most powerful aliens known to the Alliance. They were First Ones, and these people fought them off?
Kunningham had another comment that needed to be addressed. "earth has significant resources, but your planet is unprotected. It's one of our main concerns. If you were attacked by the Cylons, if they get through your space defenses, your world could suffer bombardment. it's a weakness that surprised us when we arrived here. You have no orbital defenses other than your ships."
"We have orbital defenses. All of the UCW worlds have them. You just don't see them," Jack said. A slight smirk creased his face.
The admiral's face turned to stone. These people had invisible ships! Why not invisible defenses? "Understood," he whispered. With everything he'd seen, he should have known.
A short while later, the meeting was over and everyone was returning to their ships, including Kunningham, a man filled with far more questions than answers. Before he left, he saw Isahan trying to speak to the short aliens, who commanded so much respect amongst the UCW.
An alarm began ringing throughout Atlantis. The first elements of the enemy had finally entered the system. Immediately, the admiral ordered the civilian fleet to relocate even as one of the Earther craft headed towards the two ships still under repair to tow them to safety. He and his officers ran towards their shuttles, already preparing for liftoff.
It was beginning sooner than he thought. Now he would see what the Earth people could really do.
Minutes later, the delegation ships began jumping away while the EF ships moved closer to Earth orbit. Two of them would be towed a few moments later. All remaining civilian ships began evacuating Earth's orbit, leaving an invisible armada waiting for the enemy to make their appearance. The Kobollians on Earth hadn't had time to be evacuated, so they were stuck on Earth. Kunningham wondered if they were safer there than in the delegation fleet.
To Be Continued