Roads Paved in Shadows
CHAPTER Fifty-Four
(updated 9/12/2024)
Planet Shang-La
Seat of power of the Ashtorath Empire
Six hours earlier
Lords Ashtoreth and Atargatis, the Goa'uld System Lords, known as the gods of the slain, were in attendance at this rare and almost unprecedented meeting. Of the four Ashtorath System Lords, the children of Ba'al, they were the most aggressive and most dangerous of the family of Goa'uld overlords. They were the ones who brought down the majority of the Lucian Alliance worlds and incorporated them into the grip of the System Lords. The war was so brutal that the Lucians were frightened enough to turn to Earth, a world and people they feared, envied, and hated, to ask for assistance. The representatives of the Alliance found it difficult attempting to treat with the UCW, in which Tollania was a member. The Terrans didn't trust them and the Tollanians absolutely hated them.
The talks were still ongoing.
The members of the UCW considered them little more than pirates, but Earth considered negotiation on the condition that all of the Tollanians kidnapped by the various families of the LA be returned. The Tollanians were delighted, the Lucian leadership enraged. However, they acquiesced to the demand. That, all of them agreed, was an indication of how desperate they really were. Earth and the UCW had them by the throat and the Lucians knew it.
The new System Lords and their not so veiled threats to the Free Jafa nations were the reasons why many of the larger independent clans were worried. The Ashtorath were growing in influence and power. That fear was pushing those clans towards the UCW in spite of their desire for complete independence after thousands of years of enslavement to the Goa'uld.
The Ashtorath army was growing as new worlds willingly joined the empire, not out of fear, but because of the power and strength being projected by the snakes. Not all things were threats and death. The empire was prosperous and getting richer, and for the smaller, less advanced world, that aspect was very appealing.
The Ashtorath feared few things, but they did fear the Tau'ri, the inheritors of the Asgard legacy. They also feared the UCW and their growing strength and power. The dreams of the Ashtorath was to crush the UCW and take their power and technology for themselves. But they weren't fools, and the UCW, namely the Tau'ri, possessed power and secrets the Goa'uld feared. It was more than just the Asgard technology and knowledge. They had the power of the Ancients. The knowledge was vast, and the Tau'ri and their minions were learning more every day.
So, when the Tau'ri warship arrived at the edge of the Ashtorath Empire's territorial borders, requesting a diplomatic meeting with one of the lead System Lords, the imperial leadership was alarmed. The Tau'ri hadnever requested such a meeting before, and some suspected it was a prelude to war.
Their greatest fear was that their blood enemies, the Tau'ri, blamed them for the slaughter of the Tok'ra. The UCW could be preparing to use that excuse as a pretext to declare of war, which the Ashtorath were not prepared for.
When the announcement that the Tau'ri wanted to speak to those in power, the Ashtorath made the representatives wait seven hours before they were allowed to proceed into Goa'uld territory. The ship was escorted by four heavily armed Ha'tak heavy warships. The UCW ship was ordered not to deviate from the given coordinates in any way, or they would be immediately fired upon and destroyed. The UCW ship Katagi complied. It would be another three hours before the ship and its escorts reached the imperial world of Shang-La.
Earth-sol system
Current time
The first wave of three hundred Drakh raiders, supported by eighty destroyers and another twenty heavy cruisers each over three kilometers in length, exited jump space far enough away to dress their lines and attack in a concerted wave, intending to overwhelm the meager number of defenders protecting the planet. Once they were removed, the planet killer would position itself and end this world with a finality it was famous among his people for. Sensors detected only forty-five ships defending the planet. It was a meager force, but Supreme Commander Ulyis wasn't taking any chances. The earlier encounter was a lesson learned.
The Raiders, hot and eager for payback from the humiliation heaped upon them earlier, underwent emergency deceleration as they approached the enemy ships. However, they didn't separate themselves from the slower moving cruisers. This was to be a combined strike. Quantum beams, precursors to the far superior and more lethal Shadow LASED-particle beams, were fine tuned to overpower shielded vessels like the Ha'taks and Earth Alliance shields.
The Drakh beams were attuned to burn through the Earthforce shields those humans had developed or rather had stolen from one the local races of the home universe. The humans there had improved on them, combined with the stolen Minbari crystalline armor. They were a challenge the Drakh wanted to test themselves against with the conquerors of the Minbari. But the next and real challenge would be the Ashtorath Goa'uld.
Behind the thin line of protectors, his sensors detected Colonial warships, three of them. One identified as a Mercury class battlestar, a smaller warship and what was identified as a troop transport. All three were pathetically weak and were no threat to Drakh armor and defensive weapons.
It took a few minutes to address their lines, and the Supreme Commander and his senior commanders watched in anticipation. He had expected the humans to stand and fight a defensive battle, but he was surprised once more and those ships surged forth, firing their weapons at a range greater than his own ships. The results were devastatingly predictable.
The front line raiders, didn't stand a chance as UCW beams cut them to pieces and the raiders were unable to respond for another five seconds. Those five seconds served to tear them apart. The beams weren't laser or particle, but some kind of plasma beam, hot enough to burn through armor like a red-hot knife through butter.
Ulyis jumped up from his chair as he watched the slaughter. Those five second felt like years to him. Finally, his surviving two hundred thirty raiders fired their quantum cannons. Once more, he hissed loud enough for his subordinates to hear. The Earth ships were fast, far too fast for their size. the counterfire missed more often than not. When the counterfire did hit, they did little to no damage, while the small formidable ships raced towards the destroyers and cruisers, eager to engage them. The supreme commander was confused. They didn't even bother turning to re-engage, allowing free rein for his raiders to savage their planet. Instantly screaming, he ordered twenty of his heavy cruisers to support the destroyers. His had all the scent of a trap and seconds later he discovered he was correct. The Earth ships had fired a salvo of missiles computers identified as high-yield nukes. They were deadly, if what he believed them to be, was true.
But Drakh close range defensive systems were fast, fast enough to intercept all but one of the missiles. That missile hit a destroyer and vaporized it. The resulting explosion was larger than any of his new quantium-40 enhanced nukes and that was something to be truly feared.
The enemy was firing both their plasma and some strange high-speed projectiles that tore through armor in thinner areas of the destroyers and cruisers, effectively humiliating Drakh armor use for generations. However, modified Drakh heavy quantum beams were wearing down the admittedly very powerful shields, and in a few moments, those ships would be at his mercy. He had a moment's relief before new warnings began blaring. At least fifty Ha'taks appeared on their right flanks and ripped into both the destroyers and cruisers, who now diverted their full attention to this greater threat. Only then did the smaller Earth ships turn to run the raiders down.
The raiders had a running start and went after the floating space station that sensors had picked up. There was nothing around to protect it or the planet behind it. In the heat of battle, the Drakh believed that enemy ECM had blocked it presence from the sensors. It was an inviting target. forty raiders continued towards the planet, intending to use their nuclear missiles to destroy as many cities as they could before the planet killers did its job.
CDF Radiance
A very wide-eyed bridge crew looked on in stunned disbelief at the spectacle.
"Real energy weapons!" said Colonel Clifton Ramsies. "The amount of power… what was the measurement of the explosion again?" he asked the DRADIS officer in hushed tones.
"One point five gigatons," Lieutenant Ria whispered back. "A missile that size would be the size of a viper! How can they make a nuke that small and that powerful?"
"We'll ask them when this is over," Kunningham answered. Watching the screen.
This whole thing was a nightmare. Earth was in trouble, and they were fighting back against indescribable powers with indescribable powers of their own. If the Colonies had come, trying to force Earth to submit….!
He didn't want to think about it. Instead, he concentrated on the firefight between the UCW Ha'taks ships and the enemy. No doubt about it, those shields made all the difference in the world. The cruisers, however, weren't completely helpless. Each one of those monsters had four main beam cannons, and the cruisers had six. It made him suspect that they were prepared for these Jaffa. Four beams intersected one of the Jaffa ships and raked it with fire for almost four seconds. The shield collapsed and crippled the ship. But its armor was most impressive. It took another three seconds of concentrated fire to gut the poor ship. The destroyer was just turning to target another ship when one of the Tollanian variants used some kind of energy weapon different from the Terrans and gutted the ship from the engine ports to the front of the massive vessel. The beam was whitish-gray and whatever it touched simply disappeared, unlike the Terrans energy weapons, which had the effect of burning through everything. It was more than frightening and fears he suppressed intensified.
"Admiral, enemy gunboats are jumping in away from the city station. I think it's a diversion, sir."
"Let me see," Kunningham all but roared as he pushed his way towards the main DRADIS screen. They were a light second out, but at their speed, they would be in position in seconds. The UCW hadn't seen that coming? Frack!
It was an amateur mistake! "Prepare for emergency jump. We've got to intercept."
"Calculating sir. Thirty seconds to emergency jump!" faster computers, were another item not available on Colonial ships as standard issue. These new prototypes were designed specifically for this mission. There were some at home who balked at such innovations, remembering all too well how effective the Cylons were at hacking other machines. Kunningham and the other commanders weren't part of that group. Anything that gave them an edge fighting them was useful. That increased computational speed was being put to use, this very moment.
"All weapons at the ready. The Junis are signaling that they are ready."
"Nukes free. All weapons active. Alert vipers at the ready. All fighters and raptors preparing for launch five minutes post jump."
"All defenses at full auto."
"Ten seconds, nine, eight, seven. Six…"
"BELAY The JUMP!," the Admiral yelled. "I repeat. Cancel jump!"
The Colonial DRADIS systems picked up something that wasn't there a moment earlier. There were at least twenty large satellites - defensive platforms that weren't visible moments earlier, seemingly appearing from nowhere. The vein on his forehead throbbed as he realized, or should have realized, that those defensive systems were there. They had always been there. It was just that his systems couldn't see them for the exact same reason why he couldn't see Lemuria until his own raptor was on top of the city. it was the same as the UCW fleet disappearing from DRADIS and visuals, and as he thought about it, it had also happened during their first contact with the UCW Race ships. UCw stealth was superior to anything the Colonials possessed, and he continually missed. It was as if he wanted to dismiss those capabilities and, by doing so, it would somehow allow his mind to maintain some sense of superiority. It was foolish of him, and Kunningham vowed never to do it again.
The Earther platforms were huge, almost a half kilometer in diameter. The tri-beam weapons system, which had a range of one and a half light seconds, hit the alien gunboats again at a range those ships couldn't match. Again, their armor was useless and in seconds, half of their squadron ceased to exist. The survivors fired dozens of nuclear missiles at the planet and immediately went evasive, clawing their way towards deep space. Earth was having none of it as they mercilessly continued firing while the enemy was still in range. as fast as they were, and they were very fast, none of them made it to safety. None of the missiles survived the platforms defensive firepower.
In spite of that display of power shown by the UCW, Kunningham was secretly pleased by their efficiency and effectiveness. It gave him more ammunition in keeping the Quorum and his own military from making a horrendous mistake. The proof was there on his recording.
"Focus on the Lemuria. We will assist if necessary." From what he'd seen so far, he sincerely believed they didn't need his help. But if they did, then he'd be ready to assist in any way necessary.
The XO continued, staring at the tactical displays. He looked worried, but he also appeared deep in thought.
"Spit is out," Kunningham whispered, not wanting to let the bridge crew hear.
"Everything we've seen so far," he said in hushed tones. "The Cylon fleet trailing us didn't have a chance."
The admiral's face darkened for a moment. In the heat of this conflict, he had forgotten about the toasters. Ramsies was right, Now, for the first time, really for the first time, he knew what Jackson told him had to be true. It wasn't just that he knew it.
He believed it.
What was going on at the colonies, no one could confirm, but he had a guilt edged priority to warn his people and keep them from assuming that the Tau'ri, and by extension Earth was a lonely, weak, almost defenseless colony, desperately in need of help. Earth didn't need the Colonies., but it was the other way around. The Colonies needed Earth. And his people needed to be respectful when asking for help, too. He would impress upon them these facts, if they survived. Then he would make sure that his people knew what was happening and what they dared not do.
Drakh Command carrier K'myn'tye
The supreme Commander growled to himself as his raiders ordered to strike at the planet utterly failed in their attempt. Those weapons platforms had a range that exceeded any of his ship's capabilities. That was painfully obvious in the first few seconds. Trying to salvage the situation, he quickly ordered those raiders to fire all of their missiles at the planet to do as much damage as possible while using those weapons as a distraction. He initially believed that the Earth defenses were woefully inadequate. He was wrong. This would be a better battle than he assumed it would be. He and his masters had underestimated these creatures. And he wished he had the whole first fleet with him instead of simply a fourth of the First Fleet. Watching Drakh missile being destroyed with impunity, given their great speeds approaching a quarter light speed, was frightening as much as it was exhilarating. It indicated how much the DRAKH needed to improve. Every missile was destroyed long before they could reach the planet.
Ulyis's attention was also focused on the single Earthforce Omega protected by two alien ships. It was relaying information about Drakh jump points just before they opened. That had happened twice before his people could determine the origin of the targeting information. The first time his forces jumped into the battle, the warships fired a dozen high-speed missiles into the heart of the jump points and butchered that squadron while destabilizing the jump point himself. Hyperspace was disrupted and many ships in his fleet had to prepare for heavy disruptions as well as the huge amount of nuclear energy. Several ships were vaporized by the explosions. The second time, those same ships used their beam weapons to lay wasted the raiders and three destroyers coming through another jump point.
His people were hot and eager for revenge and two cruisers, and two destroyers were headed for the Earthforce ship and its two presumed to be UCW protectors. He wanted to see their deaths, but he had other concerns. The Earth forces were slowly tearing his destroyers and cruisers apart. They were tough and attacked in superior numbers. He sent more forces, but the Omega had thwarted those numbers. But it also appeared that the UCW were at their limit.
He had sent his forces in piecemeal. It wasn't working, therefore changes in tactics were required. Now, he ordered his entire fleet to attack and readied his reserves from the motherships. Those extra ships would add their power in this slaughter.
The Shadows appeared, prepared to add their power to the fight, and the Supreme commander was pleased. Everyone had underestimated these humans. No more. Shield or not, they were all going to die, and then all of their worlds would follow. Then the Goa'uld would be next unless they submitted to the power of his masters.
Earth Alliance Omega warship Storm Front
Captain Elizabeth Lockley-Sheridan's command was acting as little more than a space traffic controller at the moment, but what she was doing was critical. Her ship had detected two emerging jump points and had directed UCW fire in their directions, resulting in the destruction of a little less than a score of Drakh capitals and raiders. The result had been that her ship was now a prime target. God bless the UCw for having two of their really big ships protecting her. They called them the Corona Borealis class warships. They differed radically from the smaller 304s, wreaking havoc among the Drakh, and she had no doubt that they were more powerful. The two ships stood by her port and starboard sides like heavily armed sentries. She was glad to have them. Even with her ship's Minbari enhancements, she would have been hard pressed to fend off five of the Drakh raiders at one time, especially as they were supported by two destroyers. Her Omega could defend itself against one destroyer if it were in top condition, which it wasn't, but the numbers coming against her were overkill. They obviously believed she was responsible for predicting jump point exits and wanted her dead.
Her lidar, radar, and tachyon systems tracked the incoming ships easily. Her stealth disruption systems, taken from the Minbari and improved upon, would do nothing to keep them from shooting holes in her ship. That wouldn't do.
"All weapons set to maximum. Release all secondaries on nuclear missiles and prepare to launch, max yield."
"Captain, Drakh CIWS will kil pour missile before they hit," he reminded her. We have to disable their defenses first without particle, laser systems directed energy weapons first."
"I know, James," she answered, not looking at him. "I'm not depending on them to hit their targets. I'm depending on our friends over there to cut them to pieces. Our nukes are going to be the clean up."
Lockley was confident that the UCW would keep their promise. This was something that John had insisted, and General O'Neill readily agreed, to make sure nothing happened to his wife's ship, hence the escorts. The enemy had already fired several dozen missiles, all nukes, at them, and every one of them had impacted on the extended shields from her escorts. The captain knew that they were well within range of UCW weapons, but so far, they had not returned fire, allowing her to initiate the first shots. Well, it was time.
"All particle beams, lasers and neutron beams, fire!"
Earthforce particle and laser beams shot out followed, but the pilfered Minbari devastating neutron beams lashed out and hit the first destroyer. The ship buckled and fell out of formation. Immediately, her escorts began firing just as the Drakh fired their most powerful quantum cannon beam weapons. Those beams were so bright that even with the filters, the light was almost blinding to the naked eye. Those beams erupting from the destroyers. the cruiser, and raiders splashed across the energy shields and dropped them five percent before the retaliatory fire, punched holes into the larger vessels and completely obliterated the raiders.
Secondary explosions tore apart the surviving warships, leaving one cripple destroyer floating helplessly, drifting away from the battle site. Any of the other damaged ships were struck by Storm Front's missiles. Nothing remained.
Lieutenant Chen began yelling for her captain's attention as alarms began blaring throughout the Omega. "Multiple jump points, more than a hundred, opening. They're coming through, all of "them."
"Oh crap," Elizabeth snapped when she glanced at their vector. Cruisers, destroyers, the raiders she thought of as gunboats, and several variants of all sizes in between were heading directly towards her position. "They're all coming in our direction. We need to move!"
"Captain, the Rothschild is ordering us to pull back with them. They're pulling back into orbit."
She didn't even think about hesitating. Her ship rumbled as it began moving in reverse. One of the Coronas was in front of her, its shields protecting her from stray shots. The Omega's own shields were already strained from months of combat against her own people. Her ship wouldn't have had a chance. Storm Front slipped behind the now-visible Global Orbital Defense platforms ringing the plant. Moments later, Lockley-Sheridan looked on in awe and immense satisfaction as hundreds of UCW ships inactivated their stealth systems and surged forward. This was what they were waiting for. They wanted the enemy out in the open.
Elizabeth couldn't help it. What she was observing at this very second was what Clark dreamed of. The sheer power this Earth had, would make the petty dictator wet his pans. This is what he coveted and had plans to take. In some ways, this enemy was in cahoots with Earth Alliance. But it appeared this group wanted to destroy the Tau'ri, which was antithetical to Clark's plans. It was possible that this group didn't want Clark to gain access to Tau'ri tech. now, that was an interesting theory she'd discuss with everyone if they survived.
This battle is what she, in her nightmares, imagined what the Battle of the Line against the Minbari might have been like. But this time, Earth wouldn't be a weak, almost helpless group of defenders fighting a superior enemy. Instead, the enemy was about to confront a pride of lions supported by an equally huge family of independent tigers. Those Asgard were waiting in the wings like a group of hostile looking jaguars waiting in the wings. The Drakh didn't realize it, but the UCW feline clans were more than ready to pounce. The enemy had those spider things waiting in the background and the UCW had their Asgard. Elizabeth couldn't help it. This was something she really wanted to see.
Cyranus star system
UCW 26th Emperor Jorpna
The UCW ship of the Race commanded by Shiplord Straha had eased through the Colonial star system for the last two hours, gathering data and intel and recording the devastation of the worlds in this fascinating star system. Three worlds, once viable, were now little more than dead husks, floating in space. The weapon used were modified explosive metal bombs or nukes as the Terrans called them. The enhanced nukes were not naquada designed but something similar in the periodic table. This element used by the Earth forces was not nearly as destructive but still hideous in its effectiveness. Whatever it was, was, highly radioactive, and the bombs detonated on the planets surface permeated everything. Anything that had survived the initial strikes must have died shortly after, unless they had somehow escaped those worlds.
Once more, he thanked the Emperor's past and the present emperors, both of them, for having the wisdom of having the Empire of the Race join the UCW. If the Earth Alliance of Colonials had encountered the Empire, its people would have had no chance. They would have suffered slavery or worse. With their union with the UCW, they were strong and getting stronger and had good, if not slightly addled neighbors, and that was something he found he could live with quite easily.
The other UCW ship, the 304 heavy warship Scott, was in the system as well, collecting data on the Earth Alliance ships. The Jorpna and Scott were cruising past them in cloaking mode and those ships never saw a thing, something that pleased Straha immensely. The Alliance ships had shielded vessels, not all that effective, but more than enough to crush the Colonial faction into submission. Near the edge of the system was a large structure, identified as a jump gate. He was witness to it in action when a convoy of Colonial ships escorted by Earthforce ships entered the swirling vortex and disappeared. The gate activated almost immediately and two dozen Earth Alliance warships entered in what was already a crowded system. Two hours was enough to see what was going on. The Earth Alliance faction was stripping the Colonies dry. His tail thumped in agitation and anger. The Race had conquered two worlds, but never in their imagination would they have stripped those worlds of their resources. They were incorporated into the Empire, not stripped.
"Superior sir, we will achieve orbit around the world designated Caprica. The world has suffered nuclear detonations, twenty-three according to our sensor. Those detonations were not modified explosive metal weapons. A large number of the population is still alive. There are no orbitals or land-based defenses."
Superior sir, there are thirty-seven Earth Alliance ships in orbit.
"Insert us without them detecting us," Straha ordered. "Perform a detailed scan and search for underground instillations."
"Yes, sir."
Shiplord Straha noticed the change. His crew was back to using Terran battle language again. It was just an observation since he was using it himself.
Now, feathered males and females of the Race? That he would not get used to. Perhaps the next generation would do better than he.
"Our subspace scans shall detect anything below the surface." Speaking of which… "Have we detected any subspace or higher space emissions from the Earth Alliance ships?"
"Negative. They do utilize extensive use of tachyons for communications. It will be best if we avoid having our ship interfere with their tachyon transmission beams. The beams might detect us. It is only a theory.
"It is a theory we should not text. Continue the scans. Avoid any interference with their transmission as much as possible."
"Yes, Shiplord. I will continue my duties as ordered."
About a half hour later, the scanner's specialist called for his superior's attention. "We have detected communications emissions, subspace in nature, very weak. Further scans have revealed an extensive underground installation three kilometers deep within the mountains I am projecting on the screen. It is well protected. However, a penetrator missile would wreck the installation. I conclude that the Earth Alliance faction does not know of its existence."
Straha took some time to study the data. "We are in partial agreement with your analysis and conclusion. I conclude that the Earth Alliance faction does not know about the installation, or that they wish for it to remain intact. I believe it is the latter. The EA's evolutionary progression is very similar to our Earth."
Did he just say 'our' Earth? That thought alone made him wish to bite O'Neill in his nether regions out of revenge. The Tau'ri was a truly corrupting influence. They were insidious. He would have to tell Atvar of his thoughts because he no doubt thought the same things. "The EA has weaponry that could easily eliminate this base, if they are aware of it."
"They may not be aware of its presence, Superior sir."
"I am pessimistic about your optimistic opinion." Strah responded. "Lock on to their command center, which is there," he ordered, pointing at the schematics. "Transport the holographic communicator there. I will not trust the Colonial Tosevites to treat one of our own with dignity or respect, given what we have seen with the diplomatic fleet. Communications, inform the Scott we are beginning. Navigational Specialist, avoid Earth Alliance ships in orbit. if any of their ships approach, adjust our orbit accordingly. Maintain cloak until further notice."
"It shall be done, Shiplord, sir."
Base Athena One-Caprica
At the center of the concourse of the underground military base, a small object appeared on the reenforced metal floor. It was round, shaped like an egg, bluish. Most people didn't even notice its arrival.
The top of the egg-shaped device opened, and a light pierced the room. That caught everyone's attention and three seconds later, an image of a Lizardian appeared above the device.
Of everyone in the crowd of people in the concourse, Joanna Adar, the wife of President Richard Adar and her assistant Tonya Kordis, were one of the first to see the image of Nignxe appear. His eye turrets were moving independently of each other, taking in everything. Then both focused on the women. The woman stared at the alien with a dead calmness that belied her normal demeanor. She took a breath and then let out the most blood-curdling, primal scream heard by mankind. To her credit, the frail woman didn't faint.
Tonya's scream was equally loud as her eyes bulged in terror, and she wet her pants suit. "It's a monster!
Both women panicked and were running away as fast as they could. Even while soldiers and guards were rushing in to protect them. The President's wife's personal security already had their guns drawn and were demanding that the creature lay on the ground. Not that they believed that the creature would understand. But they hadn't shot at it yet and the only reason why not was because there were too many men and women in the area and friendly fire was real danger.
"I greet you humans of the Cyranus system. I am First Contact Specialist Nignxe, a male of the Empire of the Race, part of the United Coalition of Worlds," he said. "I wait patiently as you allow your logic and intelligence to dominate your anxiety so that we may initiate civilized conversation."
"It speaks!" One of the security guards growled. "It's speaking Caprican standard!"
TBC