Author's note
I come to you with a new little chapter, I hope you will like it!
At the end of the chapter, I put some notes and information for those who want, don't hesitate to take a look.
I wish you happy reading, I did my best!
English is not my natural language, so I apologize in advance if this is difficult to read.
Chapter 5
His revenge would be terrible! He didn't yet know who! He didn't yet know where! But he would not cease searching for the culprit to the ends of the galaxy if necessary! Several months had now passed since the affront he had suffered on Chulak, the destruction of his fortress, his palace, and the death of his wife! "Amaunet!" he thought with fury. Ever since his palace had collapsed on his deceased wife, all Jaffa under Apophis had learned to fear their God more than ever before. The lack of results in finding the responsible party had led to more deaths at his hands than ever in Goa'uld history, and to top it all off, someone had stolen a Ha'tak from him!
These two events had cut him even deeper than the betrayal of Teal'c and Bra'tac! Teal'c, the shol'va, had something to do with this, he knew it deep down, but no one could find him. The other high masters were making fun of him, not only did his first prime betray him, but on top of that, his queen was killed on a world under his control and an unknown enemy was chaining raids on different crucial worlds of his, notably Naquadah and Trinium mines. He was pillaging everything, ore, weapons! To address this problem, he had to deploy Ha'taks to protect these worlds, and the other Goa'uld did not hesitate to seize their chance. In almost four months, he had gone from a future supreme lord to a lordly buffoon struggling to maintain his territory and title!
But he had to regain his composure; he had made too many errors in judgment in the heat of his anger. He had to first repel the opportunists and reestablish his place among the Grand Masters. He had to save his anger for his wife's assassins. Observing from the Pel'tak of his ship, the battle before his eyes turned to his advantage, and soon Chronos and Sokar would have to retreat. Soon, yes very soon, he would obtain retribution!
(SGC/Earth)
Jack really thought there were way too many people at the SGC lately. Three months ago, more than five hundred ODSTs had been assigned to the base to carry out raids on different worlds of Apophis, and Jack had to admit that the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers from the Spirit of Fire were nothing like regular soldiers—fast, precise, efficient, and all single-minded to top it off, because you really had to be a bit off to agree to jump into a metal coffin from orbit!
But the results spoke for themselves, their entire mission through the gate had been a resounding success. Exiting the mess after eating, he was getting ready to join his team now that it was complete after two months of hiatus. Being from the ONI, Daniel was under the orders of Professor Anders despite being part of an SG team; the latter had requisitioned him in Antarctica after discovering various objects in the secret room of Abydos. Particularly a small tablet written in ancient script referring to the legendary lost city of Atlantis, which Anders had tasked Daniel with translating.
Arriving at the elevator, he came face to face with the archaeologist from his team, head down, a cloud of depression above his head was not hard to imagine at that moment. "Hello, Daniel!" He said to him in an exaggerated manner, feigning offense at being ignored.
«Hello Jack.»
The lack of conviction in his voice made O'Neill sigh quite loudly as the elevator doors closed on them. "Daniel, how much longer are you going to sulk like a child!"
"I'm not sulking!" Jack sniffed at this poor defense; thanks to the tablet and the ancient database of the outpost, they had managed to find the address of the gate where Atlantis was located, a planet named Lantea in the Pegasus galaxy whose address consisted of eight symbols. Obviously, the idea of getting hold of the city of the builders of the Stargate and the outpost was too good to pass up, so the admiral had authorized the use of the ZPM found on Abydos to check if it was still there. But alas, the address remained unanswered, either Atlantis had been destroyed, which wouldn't be impossible after 10,000 years, or they were making a mistake somewhere.
"It's been ten thousand years, Daniel!" We tried and it didn't work!Atlantis was destroyed, so what?! You have an entire outpost filled with archives to translate and plenty of other trinkets found in the pyramid to study! The archaeologist's mood remained as dark as ever, so Jack chose to change the subject. "By the way, any news on that Goa'uld who tried to infiltrate our base?" About a month ago, the base's AI declared a general alert; its sensors detected the presence of a symbiote in a host who had tried to infiltrate the base. After its arrest, it had been taken to an ONI facility.
"Well, it seems that our intruder is named Hathor, goddess of love in many cultures, she mainly represents all excesses."
"Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll?!" Jack joked, and while they had captured the queen, all the technology she possessed had been recovered and sent to Area 51 to be studied, particularly the sarcophagus, which had particularly piqued the interest of the scientific teams.
Arriving at their destination, they were greeted by Teal'c and Carter, discussing pleasant things if the Jaffa's smile was any indication. "Hello to you two!" Jack exclaimed as Daniel followed them silently.
"How's it going, Daniel?" "Asked Sam, troubled by the man's silence, but he didn't have time to respond before O'Neill did it for him."
"Still sulking as you can see!" followed by another verbal sparring match between the two on this subject, much to the amusement of their two remaining teammates. Today's exploration was definitely going to be lively!
Their argument continued into the locker room where SG1 geared up for their exploration mission today. Their equipment hadn't changed much except for the fact that Carter and Daniel had dropped the helmet in favor of a cap for Sam and a hat for Daniel, their HUD now in a pair of glasses like Jack's. Only Teal'c had chosen not to wear anything on his head, neither helmet nor HUD, preferring to rely on his senses for defense. Their radio had also disappeared, now replaced by a small earpiece; the new miniature crystals had made it possible to lighten the personnel's equipment. (The same earpieces as in Stargate Atlantis)
The veteran SGC team finished getting ready, their mood much better thanks to their leader's antics. It was time for a new adventure!
(Spirit of Fire/In the Sky Above the Outpost)
Cutter looked out the window as numerous Pelicans could be seen transporting various structures. A few days ago, he had given the order to dismantle the ancient outpost to reassemble it in a stronger and more defensible location. After all, ice had never been a reliable protection for a planetary defense system.
He turned just in time to see Ellen and Dr. Zelenka enter the bridge as the intelligent AIs, Serina and Ayiana, materialized on the holographic table of his ship. "I was starting to think you had forgotten about me!" Welcoming them, his tone much more relaxed than his words suggested, they gathered around the table, and the meeting could begin.
"Dr. Zelenka wanted to make sure not to forget anything!" After all, we have crossed a significant milestone!
"Uh... yes," he began, feeling uncomfortable. Seeing the discomfort of her scientist, Anders chose to come to his aid. She pressed various buttons to make a hologram appear, which caused Cutter to take a step back.
"My God, what is that thing?!"The hologram of a strange creature floated in the air, several translucent pink and purple gas bladders were on the back of the thing, it also had small elongated heads with six sensory nodes resembling dark eyes and four tentacles that could split into very small microscopic cilia.
"This is a creature that the Forerunners made and that we managed to reconstruct ourselves thanks to the data matrix recovered on Trove!" It's called Huragok!
Cutter looked at this thing with a skeptical expression before looking at Ellen, "I don't remember giving you permission to create this thing!"
Ellen ran a hand through her hair. "Actually, yes!" You asked that all the teams do what was necessary to bridge the technological gap between us and the Goa'uld or Covenants!
James adjusted his cap "You know, Ellen, for someone who openly criticizes Catherine Halsey, you are starting to look more and more like her!"
Anders frowned at that. "I didn't kidnap children to brainwash them and turn them into weapons, did I!"
No! "You think you're God by creating a complete biological life, it's worse!" But despite his words, James couldn't really blame him; it was his fault after all. For over a year, he had put so much pressure on the research teams that it was only natural for them to find solutions wherever they could!
"Without these creatures, James, we wouldn't have had this meeting for at least 10 years!"It's them who did the majority of the work!
Cutter sighed "Very well, tell me what they have that's so wonderful?!"
Ellen clears her throat The Huragok are sentient biomechanical beings that were originally created by the Forerunners to maintain their technology and, in some cases, biological beings. They are remarkably useful and docile and are extremely patient, so you don't have to worry, they are almost resolutely dedicated to their work. Seeing that she had James's attention, she continued, "The specimen we created had numerous defects and eventually died, but it was able to create many other Huragok before succumbing to its deficiencies!"
"Are you saying that these Huragok are capable of creating each other?" Damanda James looked at her scientific supervisor.
Ellen nodded "Yes, Admiral, these entities are not different from our AIs except that they possess a biomechanical body to interact physically!"... they use these cilia to build, repair, and manipulate machines at a nearly microscopic level. They learn at an unprecedented pace and store this information for future reference if they need to repair the same thing twice. Due to their biomechanical nature, the Huragok have the ability to interface with electronic forms of data storage, "downloading" the data directly onto also seem capable of "reading" the biological signs of life; Since we created the first one 5 months ago, these things are the main reason for our remarkable progress!
Sighing to himself, James had to admit that if these things were as effective as she claimed, then it was worth it; Turning to the other scientist, he gave him permission to take over.
Taking a deep breath, Zelenka continued, "Thanks to the Spartan team, the study of the vessel now listed under the name Ha'tak has not only allowed us to have a precise idea of the Goa'uld's strike force, but it has also enabled us to obtain what was lacking in our space technology!" Serina then displayed the holographic image of the Ha'tak, and Zelenka continued, "As you know, the Goa'ulds use slaves to build their ships but also to fight in their place. They keep only their most complex technology for themselves, in order to consolidate their image as gods..." This time, it was Ayiana who displayed images of different devices found in the Alteran outpost. "It means that their technology is simplified to the maximum so that their slaves can build it. When we tried to reproduce the ancient defense shield, we had a lot of trouble; only the Huragok were able to do it because it was too complex. But fortunately, the ship allowed us to understand the basics of energy shield technology, and from there, our attempts started to show much more than just a little success!"
Cutter then nodded, "If I understand correctly, we now have shields more powerful than those of the Goa'uld?!"
Serina then replied, "More or less, Admiral!" If the structure of our new shield is significantly superior to that of the parasites, the power of a shield also greatly depends on the energy source that powers it! Alas, this is probably the area in which we are making the most limited progress!
Faced with the gloomy atmosphere created by her colleague, Ayiana resumed, "Even though they will not be immeasurably more powerful until we have a more powerful energy source, they are nevertheless sufficiently superior to those of the Goa'uld to give us the advantage!" Her zest for life, in perfect contrast to Serina's cynicism, brought a brief smirk to Anders and Zelenka's faces. The AI continued, "Thanks to the SGC and particularly SG1, we encountered a people called the Orbanians. During our exchanges with them, we obtained plans to build our own Naquadah generators. With these plans, we were able to adapt our deuterium fusion reactors by adding liquid Naquadah, which, as you can understand, drastically increased our energy production!"
Ellen then resumed, bouncing back with good news, "The shield technology and our new energy source are not our only innovations!" James then turned to her with an arched eyebrow, "What, you think that when they made me head of the ONI more than a year ago, I was just going to twiddle my thumbs?!" she said with a mocking smile.
"I didn't say anything, Ellen!"
This time, the image of a heavy Paris-class frigate appeared in place of the previous holograms, and Ellen began to detail their future fleet. "Let's start slowly, the 12 point defense cannons now fire Hard-Light bullets, which indirectly solves our ammunition and storage space problem!" she said under James's interested gaze. "Unfortunately, we are still new to this technology, and while they fire powerful Hard-Light projectiles with kinetic striking force, they do not have the burning characteristics of Plasma bolts!" I'm afraid we still have a long way to go before we reach the level of the Forerunners!
Cutter nodded as he saw the advantage of having point defenses with unlimited ammunition. Seeing that James made no comment, Ellen continued, "The 26 missile modules have been modified, 16 of them now house a stock of our new drones, the other 10 remain equipped with M58 Archer missiles, although I don't understand why?!"
Cutter looked at her then, finding her incomprehension legitimate in the face of her refusal to equip their ship with only this marvel. "If these weapons are as effective against capital ships as you sold them to me, then it would be a shame to waste them on taking down smaller, less important targets!"
A small light could almost be seen on Anders' head in response to this, Zelenka was astonished by the Admiral's reasoning and had to admit that indeed it was well thought out. "That's why he's the boss!" he thought to himself.
"Besides the 3 M2475 Shiva nuclear missile silos and the 12 M2950 Harpoon nuclear missile silos, all enhanced with Naquadah, our greatest innovation lies in the MAC cannons!" Said Ellen, excitement evident in her voice, "The new Magnetic Accelerator Cannon Mark IV 94B1E6 is enhanced with Naquadah in the same way as our Mark V. The 600-ton projectile is propelled at a new speed of 12,000 km/s, which is 4% of the speed of light, for an approximate strike of 10 gigatons!"But its real improvement lies in its new firing system, which allows it to fire 3 shells consecutively in a single charge!
If Cutter was delighted with this development, he did not expect Serina to speak up. "Unfortunately, despite our study of the Ha'tak, it must be acknowledged that we still struggle to manipulate the plasma, even though our research is yielding more encouraging results!"
This time, Cutter stood up straight with his hands behind his back. "So we still don't have an anti-ship energy weapon?" Only the negative head shakes from the people in front of him were given as a response. "Stop me if I'm wrong..." He began, and Ellen and Zelenka exchanged a glance, genuinely thinking that James was going to reprimand them severely for their lack of results. "… but if I understood correctly about this 'Drone,' its energy head is what allows it to penetrate shields and is responsible for its explosive power?"
"Uh... yes!" Zelenka then confirmed while adjusting his glasses, not seeing where the admiral was going with this.
"I was wondering if it was possible to make this same head in a giant model, and what would happen if we mounted them on the heads of our MAC shells?" At Cutter's question, Ellen and Zelenka froze in place, their eyes wide as saucers, as if someone had just revealed something that had shaken the very foundations of their world, while the two AIs had already begun calculating the possibility of such a thing.
Ellen was the first to come back to reality. "If we could do this, our shells could then penetrate the shield technology in the same way drones do, and with an explosive power proportional to its size, its power should be able to destroy a Ha'tak and most Covenant ships in one shot!" James, you are a genius!
"According to our calculations, it should be entirely possible to manufacture such a projectile!" Thanks to the confirmation from the two most advanced AIs of the UNSC, Ellen and Cutter could see the prospects that this would open up for them!
Ellen then resumed on a much calmer note but no less pleased with the scientific team, engineers, and intelligent AI she had trained to improve their technology after more than a year of non-stop work! "Of course, James, I'll skip the details on the transport rings, sublight engine, more powerful sensors, sub-spatial communication; except maybe its new A-3 Titanium armor!" To this, Cutter looked at her as if she had a second head. Did they have an alloy called Titanium A-3? Or? When?! Giggling, she continued, "The Titanium A-3 gets its name from the three ores that compose it, namely Titanium A, Naquadah, and Trinium, all in a perfectly balanced mixture for maximum resistance!"
Zelenka then looked at James "Of course, Admiral, we continue to work. Just the Forerunner data matrix you brought back from Trove occupies our days. There are, so to speak, millennia of knowledge in various fields." As you already know, it is thanks to the Huragok that we have managed to improve our mastery of Slipspace to travel two thousand light-years per day. And although it is still far inferior to what the Forerunners were capable of, a group of these creatures continues to work on it permanently, and soon we will be able to go even faster and further!
Cutter then tried to reassure the scientist, "I hold nothing against you, Dr. Zelenka!" The work and progress you have made are beyond my wildest expectations, and in just a little over a year! You can be proud of yourself!
"Well, let's move on to the next topic!" Ellen then intervened, nodding to the AI, which made the image of the Frigate disappear to display the one of the device she had recovered on Abydos. "We have named them ZPM, Zero Point Module, just like the Forerunners. It seems that the Alterans also used zero-point energy. However, it should be noted that the Forerunners were much more efficient in this domain because, unlike the Ancients, the Forerunner generators do not deplete, although there are advantages and disadvantages!"
Zelenka's confusion seemed to be visible on his face as Serina explained to him, "While the Forerunner generators are, so to speak, a source of infinite energy, they are also gigantic, requiring a ship of a very large size just to accommodate them. The Alteran ones, on the other hand, have a limit and can therefore run out, but they have the advantage of not being bigger than a car battery!"
"Personally, I only see drawbacks!" Cutter's comment made everyone look at him in surprise.
Zelenka more than the others "Why?… I mean, there are only advantages to being able to take them wherever you want so easily?!
James nodded. "Certainly, but easier to transport also means easier to steal!" "It would be regrettable if our enemies obtained such a source of energy by boarding an isolated ship!" Once again, Zelenka agreed that he hadn't seen things from that perspective.
Ayiana then took over the conversation. "Thanks to the Forerunner data matrix, we have the theory, and thanks to the ZPM, we have a physical medium to study, but alas, our research is far from being as fruitful as we had hoped!"
Ellen then nodded her head, "Yes!" I fear that if one day we have access to vacuum energy, it will not be before decades of work and effort! She then looked at Cutter, "I suppose we're off to hunt for ZPMs then ?!"
Cutter completely understood where Ellen was coming from; all the research of humanity in their time on vacuum energy had ended in disaster, and he much preferred that those of this era take their time rather than tear apart spacetime! "Yes!" Thanks to the outpost, we have a star map where all their other outposts in this galaxy are listed, there's a good chance there are other ZPMs there! I have already sent several Prowlers to their location to check, and the acquisition of one of them has already been confirmed!On a world listed as Praclarush Taonas, the team has already started dismantling the outpost, but the hostile conditions of the planet will slow them down significantly! On the other two, one of them was destroyed when the solar system was engulfed in a black hole and the other was just a ruin with nothing inside! The last one, on the other hand, could pose problems for us!...».
Taking a brief pause after getting lost in his thoughts, he continued, "But I do have a question on a completely different topic!" Earlier, you mentioned your research on Slipspace, but according to the Red Team report, what the Goa'uld use, that uh..…
"Hyperdrive Admiral...!"
Thanking Zelenka, he said, "… this Hyperdrive seems superior to our Slipspace in every way, why not explore this direction?"
Anders and Zelenka looked at each other, visibly quite satisfied to broach the subject, and Ellen then continued, "This is due to our latest creation from scratch, James!"….. » The hologram of an unknown device appeared then, "... let me introduce you to the hyperspatial field disruptor!" She said proudly, letting a silence linger that was meant to be mysterious, but faced with the others' gazes, she cleared her throat, embarrassed, before continuing, "The Disruptor is a device designed to disrupt the subspace field in order to force any ship equipped with this type of propulsion that enters its range to exit their Hyperspace!" Cutter then looked at the projection, astonished. "Our Slipspace works differently, our ships won't be affected, but it will prevent the Goa'uld from appearing directly behind our defenses!"
"Impressive, what is its range?" Cutter's question made Ellen grimace slightly.
Zelenka then resumed, "Quite short, I fear, however, these are quite small beacons, so a certain number placed in various locations throughout the solar system should be able to force any ship equipped with Hyperspace to drop out of their FTL and arrive at our location with their Sublight engines as soon as they cross the boundaries of the Sol system!"
Cutter then leaned on the holo table "Well Ellen, you didn't lie to me when you said this meeting would be the kind I like!" You can be proud of yourself! When will we have these wonders in operation?
Ellen smiled, delighted by the praise. "It must be recognized that without the Huragok we wouldn't have a tenth of our innovations, they allowed us to gain a huge decade!" As for the deadlines, well, right away actually! I mean, the frigates currently under construction for the past three months will benefit from this technology as soon as they leave the shipyard by the end of next month.
Cutter nodded once more, "Well, because I want the Spirit to benefit from most of this technology too!" The hull of my ship is still suffering from the battles against the Covenant destroyer on Trove. We have postponed its return to the garage for as long as possible, but it has too many damages to leave it as it is!
"One of the three Orbital Shipyards should be operational within a week, Admiral!" Said Serina to Cutter, "With the five already operational on the planet, when the three in orbit are finished, we will have eight production lines!" A good start, if they played their cards right then things wouldn't be so desperate for them! However, as Cutter began to leave the room, Ander squinted at him, something that had been bothering her about James for some time now.
And obviously, Ayiana shared these concerns because she turned to her and said, "The admiral worries me more and more these days!"
Ellen sighed brilliantly, "James also left a family behind!" He drowns himself in work to avoid thinking about it! As expected from the very first day, James was not the type to talk about his emotions to anyone.
She just hoped he would get over it one day.
(Sometime later/SGC/Mass)
Samantha Carter could be found with a tray in hand, filling it with various foods available in the cafeteria. Today's mission had once again unfolded in the most improbable way possible, and the worst part was that this kind of thing only happened to their team! Arriving on a planet where a MALP had been sent several weeks earlier, they found themselves in a volcanic landscape, the complete opposite of the trees they had observed the first time. Except they had found survivors, scattered all around the Stargate. She and her team had immediately contacted Earth to help evacuate them, and although their lives were no longer in danger, none of the survivors had regained consciousness. So she was there, waiting for them to wake up, while Colonel O'Neill had gathered all of SG1 to grab a bite together.
Arriving at the table, she couldn't suppress a smile at Jack's reaction to the titanic amount of food on Teal'c's plate. Sitting next to Daniel, she began to eat the fruity paste in front of her. "Still no sign from our guests?"
Looking up at Jack, she quickly swallowed, "No, according to Dr. Frasier, their lungs have indeed suffered quite a bit, no wonder where they found them!" Continuing to eat, her attention was drawn to Daniel.
"I was unable to determine which ancient people of Earth they are from, but if we believe the analysis of the devices found on them, they are a very advanced race!"
"It was really not the time!" Jack's exclamation made the others look at him, surprised by their reaction, Jack didn't understand, "What!" Don't tell me you forgot that in a few days more than a thousand soldiers are going to arrive for a large-scale operation on a Goa'uld planet! Even the SG teams will be part of it! Their silence astonished Jack; the whole base had been talking about it for days now!
"Another offensive on an Apophis world, Colonel?" Looking at Carter, he simply shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know, the meeting of the section heads who will command the operation hasn't taken place yet!" Taking a bite from his own plate, Jack changed the subject. "By the way, Carter, I heard that the research and development section of the base was working on a new weapon?"
Sam had a smirk. "Yes, it's a weapon we are trying to create from the Goa'uld Zats, the Particle Magnum!" A sidearm with three firing modes: Paralyzing, lethal, and incendiary, but we are still far from producing a prototype!
"Excuse me, Colonel!" Jack's attention was drawn elsewhere as he turned his head to see a young soldier standing next to him. "General Hammond sent me to fetch you; it seems the refugees have woken up!" He is waiting for you in the Briefing Room! As one, the team rushed forward, leaving behind the young soldier who had just graduated from class to deflate from his stress.
….
Things seemed to have been well done because by the time SG1 arrived, a soldier came down the other staircase with two people from the volcanic planet following him, General Hammond was already waiting for them! They took their places on either side of the table, Hammond himself took the head seat, "Welcome to Earth!" I am General Hammond, this is Colonel O'Neill, Captain Carter, Doctor Jackson, and Teal'c. This is the team that found you in agony!
The older of the two men then spoke. "I am Omoc and this is Narim, our people and our world are called Tollan!" Although I commend your intentions, I must ask that you restore our equipment so that we can return to our world!
Although SG1 was taken aback by the man's hostility, Hammond was quicker to keep his composure. "I'm afraid that's unfortunately no longer possible. We tried sending other teams to see if there were more survivors like you further from the gate, but alas, we are unable to establish a vortex. It is highly probable that the gate on the other side has been engulfed by lava!"
"You were very lucky that we found you first!"Otherwise, you would have been... cooked! Then came Jack's sarcastic comment, seemingly aimed directly at Omoc.
Hammond then replied, "As for your equipment, I am afraid once again that I will not be able to satisfy you. You are in a military base, and I cannot allow unknown equipment to circulate freely!" However, I can ensure that it is sealed so that you are the only ones who can touch it!
Omoc and Narim looked at each other, somewhat dissatisfied with this news, but given that they were on an unknown world, they would take what was given to them, for now! Receiving confirmation, Hammond asked one of the guards to go fetch the devices recovered from the Tollans.
Deciding not to let hostility settle in, Daniel resumed, "If I may ask, what happened for your world to change so much in such a short time?"
After a brief glance, it was Narim who replied, "An... incident caused an orbital alignment shift of Tollan, so our people evacuated to settle on another planet!" We stayed to bury our gate so that no one would get trapped there, a ship was on its way to pick us up!
The Tau'ri looked at each other, wondering what kind of phenomenon could have caused such a tragedy. No one could add anything more until the guard arrived with a safe and the Tollan objects. Showing the objects, Hammond continued, "Can you confirm that these are your original devices and that we have not altered them in any way?" As Omoc and Narim took several of them to check, they confirmed that it was accurate. "This is a code-locked safe. Enter a code that you must remember, and I guarantee that no one else but you will be able to touch them!" Said Hammond, placing the devices inside and handing the chest to Omoc so he could enter his code. Once the chest was locked and taken away by the soldier, the conversation resumed.
"When was the arrival of your rescue ship scheduled for?" asked Daniel. asked Daniel.
Narim then made a face. "In about a year!" He replied, terrified at the idea of staying in this hell for so long.
"Maybe we can help you get back home if you have the coordinates of your new world." But before he could finish his sentence, Daniel was interrupted.
"There is no gate on the new planet we chose, it's off the grid!" Narim then cut off, definitively burying any idea of using the Stargate.
"And if you could contact them to let them know you are here, how long would it take for them to reach us?" Daniel then replied, trying to explore all possible options.
"Without seeing the arrangement of the stars in your sky, it is impossible to say!" said Narim politely, while Omoc remained as silent as ever. Hammond nodded to the guard at the entrance to dim the room's lights as the holotank came to life.
The two Tollans looked at each other, surprised but not shocked. The refined infrastructure of the base had already given them the impression that this people was more advanced than they had let on, but now they had proof by seeing a moving holographic technology that even they had never managed to master. Watching the hologram in the air, they spent the next ten minutes contemplating the stars visible in the Earth's night sky.
The Terrans, for their part, had suppressed a smile at the shocked faces and the newfound respectful behavior of the two Tollans. Clearly, they had thought that Earth was too primitive compared to them, which would have been true almost two years ago, but after seeing the holotank, their behavior had shifted from haughty to polite. The sigh and the defeated expression of the Tollans indicated to them that the news was not good.
Daniel adjusted his glasses. "A problem?" You can't find your new world?
"If so, it will take them much longer to reach your world than it would have taken to get to Tollan!" And if it had taken a year to reach their old world, then the other people in the room could imagine the time it would take to reach Earth.
"Maybe with one of our ships?!" Carter's question made the Tollans look at her in surprise.
"Do you have any?" This time, Omoc and Narim were truly surprised. Like all the Tollans, they had long thought they were the only advanced human race in the galaxy. The people they had met today had just proven them wrong! Except they were not the only ones looking at Carter in surprise, as the expressions of the others occupying the room clearly asked, "Do we have ships?"
Seeing where she was going, Jack broke the mood, "I'm really not sure the Admiral will let the Spirit play taxi so easily, Captain!"
"No, but we have others!" For the moment, Jack was at a loss for words because he wasn't aware of this fact.
"Let's see that, Saara!" Exclaimed Hammond, the constellations disappeared to reveal the holographic form of the base's stupid AI. Orange in color, she had the appearance of a young woman in her twenties, dressed in a white Nun's robe, with long red hair and green eyes.
"How can I be of assistance to you, General Hammond?!" she asked in an extremely soft and delicate voice, bringing a smile to Hammond's face. He greatly appreciated this little AI; her gentleness brought him relaxation in this stressful environment. SG1 was also smiling, but it was mostly out of satisfaction at the obvious shock of the two men in front of them, left speechless by the AI.
The two Tollans looked at each other completely lost; their people had never even had the idea to create such technology, and this slightly worried them. Who knew what other kinds of technology their host was capable of! Was he dangerous? Pacifist? The Tollans had just encountered a race against which their technology might not hold up!
"Yes Saara, do we have any available ships capable of FTL?" Hammond's question redirected their attention to the small shape in front of them.
"It will depend on the type of ship and the function you are looking for, General Hammond!" Replied the latter docilely.
"We need a ship capable of transporting a certain number of people to their world as quickly as possible!" Hammond watched with the others as the lines of code traversed the AI's body faster than before.
"To transport passengers without any combat whatsoever, I would recommend using the Egret Spaceliner, which can accommodate 600 passengers and requires 12 crew members to operate. These vessels are currently used to transport civilians from one continent to another, but certain models are already capable of FTL!" she said as the holographic image of the ship appeared beside her.
"In how much time will he be able to reach our world?" Asked then Omoc in a much calmer, respectful, and serene tone.
The little AI then turned to the Tollan, its polite smile still on its face, "Without knowing the destination, I'm afraid I won't be able to provide you with an answer!"
"Tollana is located about 65,000 light-years from Earth!" It was on the other side of the Galaxy, that was the common thought of the other people in the room.
"The Egret Spaceliner should be able to cover this distance in approximately thirty days!" said the AI, to Omoc's relief, who even allowed himself a small smile; they would be able to return to their loved ones sooner than he had imagined.
The general mood of the room had changed for the better. "Well, in that case, I will go ask if we are allowed to use one of these devices to help our new friends get home. Omoc, Narim, I will let you go inform the rest of your people about the developments in this matter!" said Hammond as the two Tollans bowed in a sign of respect and gratitude while he went to his office and SG1 returned to their tasks.
(Spirit of Fire)
The imposing UNSC ship was once again in orbit above Earth, dominating the ODPs and space station with its size. James Cutter could be found with the newly promoted Admiral Jack Granger, with over 28 years of combat experience, making him a veteran, had been chosen by Cutter for this position after spending seven months aboard the Spirit learning alongside many other officers how to command a fleet in space battles. The discussion about Granger's future command of the upcoming 2nd fleet was interrupted by Serina. "Excuse me for interrupting you, Admiral, you have an incoming communication from General Hammond!"
Apologizing to Granger, he headed towards the commander's chair, and soon the secure link was established, and Hammond's image appeared before him. "George, Glad to see you again! How are things going down there? Receiving an awkward laugh from Hammond, he noticed that there was a transfer of supplies from the SGC to his Ship.
"As well as possible, Admiral, but once again something improbable happened with SG1, I'm sending you my report!" The encryption key validated, the report appeared before his eyes. Taking the time to read it under Hammond's gaze, the latter had the pleasure of watching James's eyebrows rise higher and higher as he read.
"Honestly, George, your number one team never ceases to surprise me!" Hammond let out an amused chuckle at these words, yes SG1 had this annoying tendency to get themselves into the most improbable situations. Taking a moment, he thought, "Serina, do we have any Egret Spaceliners equipped with Slipspace?"
"We have two of these ships equipped with Slipspace drives and ready for use!" Moistening his lips, he contemplated the possibilities of a future alliance with the Tollans; if the report was correct, the initial analysis of their technological level was very encouraging.
"Very well, George, I will requisition a ship for the Tallans. Serina will select the most capable individuals to initiate diplomatic relations with them and send them with transporters. They will take care of the Tollans from there!" You and your team must be ready for the big operation that will take place in a few days, I have authorized its initiation, the personnel will arrive at your base within 48 hours! Receiving confirmation from the General in charge of the SGC; the connection was cut, leaving Cutter to his tasks.
(A few hours later/SGC)
SG1 was in the elevator leading to the upper hangar to wish the Tollans a good journey and hand over the crate containing their device. Arriving at their destination, the elevator doors opened so the team could see the Pelican preparing for takeoff while Omoc was discussing with Dr. Elizabeth Weir and Richard Woolsey, both of whom were tasked with escorting them to Tollana and initiating diplomatic relations with the Tollan Curia. Narim approached SG1 with a cat cage, a gift from Sam, in his arms. "Hello to you Sam, Jack, Daniel, Teal'c!" He greeted them, particularly looking at Sam.
"Are you ready to go home?" asked Sam, a smile on her face, completely unaware of the man's obvious crush on her.
"Yes, although I must express some reservations!" he said with a slight wary glance towards the Pelicans. Sam smiled at Tollans' fear of the aerial vehicle, but she could not reassure him in any way because she herself had never been in one to this day. Narim turned to her, "We had a good exchange with the representatives designated by your government, you are a truly remarkable people to unite in such a way!" While Sam simply smiled, Jack had to make an effort not to sniff audibly at her!
If it were true that the unification of all the peoples of the Earth was a fantastic thing, the truth was that despite the creation of the UEG, there were still some terrorist groups that did not accept the new rules well. However, it was undeniable that the number of these isolated groups had drastically decreased.
Putting those thoughts aside, he accompanied his team and the Tollan to the group for a final goodbye and to wish them a good trip; they probably wouldn't see each other for a long time!
The Next Day/7:30 in the morning
Jack was in the briefing room with numerous other officers, each of whom would be the leader of their section during the operation that would take place in 24 hours from now. They all stood in front of the holographic table where the little AI was waiting with them for the General's arrival, a smile always as charming on its face.
"Hello everyone!" "In the next 24 hours, you will be at the head of the 2000 soldiers who will cross the gate to a planet under total Goa'uld control!" Hammond greeted them by diving straight into the heart of the matter, Saara then displayed a symbol while Hammond positioned himself right next to the table, visible to everyone. "For several months now, a small number of stealth Prowlers have been observing the comings and goings of a world under the control of the Goa'uld, now identified as Camulus, who embodies the role of a war god in Celtic mythology!"
Saara then displayed a landscape depicting a rather imposing hill on which three pyramids were located, with the one in the center being larger than the others. "Your mission will be to take control of all the infrastructure on this planet. Camulus is one of the weaker minor Goa'uld who have very few ships. It turns out that this planet is part of Camulus's secret territory, which no other Goa'uld is aware of.""Yes, Colonel?" said Hammond as O'Neill raised his hand.
"If this planet is unknown to everyone, how come we know where it is?"
The General then turned to Saara, who spoke up. "It turns out that this world has been cataloged by the ancient outpost as a planet where there is another one similar to Earth!"
Hammond then continued, "As you will have understood, this outpost is the main reason for our offensive!" The other objective is the elimination of this Camulus, this Goa'uld is currently in conflict with another minor Goa'uld, a conflict he is losing!According to all logic, he should be in the central pyramid, so expect fierce resistance from his Jaffa!
As Saara zoomed out the hologram to show that the gate was quite far from the pyramids, he continued, "The gate is located at a certain distance, which will allow you to control the terrain thanks to the element of surprise. The motorized units will provide support to the infantry. Keep in mind, ladies and gentlemen, that once all the forces are on the other side, we will send you three Jumpers as air support!" Hammond then redirected everyone's attention to the pyramids, "Beyond eliminating the Goa'uld and taking the outpost, we are going there to seize the Naquadah and Trinium mines and anything else of value in these pyramids." According to the reconnaissance Prowlers, a Ha'tak returns to orbit every two weeks, and since its last visit was at the beginning of this week, you shouldn't have anything to fear on that front!
Pointing to the ODST on his right and the Spartan on his left, he continued, "You know Major Vaughan from the ODST, he will be one of the two main operation leaders along with Master Chief Petty Officer Jérôme-092 from the Red Team Spartan, who is present here. While your role will be to lead your respective sections around the pyramids for a global assault, they will be the ones giving you your orders on the ground if needed. Any questions?"
"Any specific orders for the Jaffa under Camulus's command, General?" Hammond nodded at Colonel Zukhov's question.
"If they surrender, then you are authorized to take them prisoner, but not at the expense of your life or that of your men. If they cause too much trouble, you are authorized to eliminate them to the last one!"
For the next two hours, all the leaders fine-tuned the attack strategy down to the smallest detail.
H minus 10 minutes before the start of operations
Jack looked at the room by the door as he checked his equipment, Filled with 5 Warthogs, a Jumper at the back, and more than fifty people, he wondered how so many had managed to get in, and this was nothing compared to the 1500 soldiers and 450 other ODSTs in all the corridors of the base ready to hit the ground running! For this combat mission, no more exploration gear, that's why they all came in army BDUs, their helmets securely locked on their heads with visors down. He checked his MA40 and his ammunition stock. Carter, wearing the same armor, had opted for the new BR model, the BR75. Only Teal'c and Daniel had chosen to keep their weapons—Teal'c with his staff, Daniel with his MA5K.
Of the five Warthogs, two were equipped with M41 Vulcan chaingun turrets, one occupied by the Spartan team and the other by three ODSTs. The third was equipped with an M79 rocket launcher, and the last two were transport Warthogs loaded with all sorts of equipment and ammunition. Since he was part of the first group, he knew that others would be brought into the room after their departure to join them. "Impressive, isn't it!"
Jack turned to see Kalawsky coming towards him with an excited and stressed smile. He was equipped with a light machine gun M739, ready to get to work. With the SG teams participating in the mission, he was in the section under his command, Jack smiled at him and said, "It's for sure that this changes from exploring in a team of four!" Their attention shifted to the door, which began to activate. "Already!" Was the common thought of the two men, they hadn't noticed how quickly time had passed.
The atmosphere in the room instantly tensed, resolution set on everyone's faces! The Jumper used its built-in DHD to quickly dial the address, the event horizon burst forth! It was time "GO! GO! GO!"
….
The Jaffa stationed around the chappa'ai were on high alert at the sudden and unexpected activation, looking at each other, no arrivals were expected for months and no one else knew about this planet! They were therefore absolutely unprepared when smoke grenades crossed the vortex, quickly followed by unknown objects they had never seen before, which turned out to be explosive weapons at the moment their detonation took the lives of some of their own. A few seconds later, a beast of metal burst through the door, its mounted weapon eliminating all its fellow soldiers with barely believable efficiency. Using its weapon to take down the unknown vehicle, the group leader could only fire once before a sharp pain exploded in his chest, making him bite the dust once and for all.
When the three armed Warthogs had cleared the area around the gate, a true human tide surged from the vortex in waves, a vortex that could be maintained for a maximum of 38 minutes. It was planned to proceed in several stages. Jack watched as the various men and women dispersed into several groups corresponding to their respective sections. "Gamma Section !" he shouted, counting all the people in front of him.
"I believe all the personnel from the first group are there, Colonel !" He replied to him, Kawalsky facing him in the front row.
"Good !" "Our objective is to position ourselves to the west of the pyramids and establish a fixed position until the rest of our section arrives, let's not waste any time; Forward!" He exclaimed while running, followed by about thirty people, leaving behind an open Stargate and more than 150 soldiers already passed through.
Heading west, the group noticed that they had a visual on the pyramids more than a kilometer from their position, delving into the surrounding forest. The first skirmishes were soon heard, even from where they were; the sounds of MA assault rifles and other kinetic weapons echoed in the distance like thunder. Jack and his group soon faced their own challenge as a plasma bolt passed close to him while he took cover behind a tree. Returning fire, he was quickly joined by thirty marines in a heavy exchange, and the small group of Jaffa was soon overwhelmed. They attempted to retreat only to be gunned down once exposed.
"My Colonel, the second group of our section has just crossed !"
Turning his head towards Carter to signal that he had heard him, he then addressed the communications officer. "Sergeant, communicate our position to them, we keep pushing until we reach our target point, we don't stop !" He shouted the last part, pushing ever further ahead !
….
"Captain Steele!" Turning to the sergeant who approached him, he left the soldier he was speaking to. "Colonel O'Neill's Gamma section is two kilometers from their target point; they are the ones who encountered the heaviest pocket of resistance. The Alpha group, led by the Red Team Spartan, is heading north!" As for Major Vaughan, he asked me to let you know that his section has taken full control of the area around the gate! Nodding his head, he quickly knelt down as a plasma explosion came very close to them, the Jaffa entrenched above the hill at the foot of the pyramids had been bombarding them since they had reached their target point more than an hour after their arrival.
"Tell him that Beta Section is in position and that we have started to establish our defenses at the edge of the forest, we are under sustained fire from enemy positions!" All around him, heavy weapons responded at every opportunity they had, the ramparts and other defenses having already been set up thanks to the Instacret, he at least had decent cover. Getting up, he headed back to his command post. "Where is the Motorized section?" He shouted the question, his voice drowned out by the sound of various machine guns and assault rifles pouring bullets over the top of the hill behind the row of trees.
"He moves between each section post to eliminate the wandering Jaffa, Sir!" came the response from one of his men.
He suddenly turned around, surprised by a soldier using his rocket launcher against the enemy while the mortars unleashed hell up there. "Fortunately, they told us they weren't many!" He complained to himself even though more or less two thousand Jaffa had already been counted in front. "Sergeant Major Nantz!" He called out as a man nearby turned and approached him quickly. "Take a group of men and go establish a security perimeter to the Northeast, I don't want to be caught off guard if the Jaffa have hidden exits in the woods!"
Nantz quickly saluted and then left his section chief behind to head towards men he knew well. "Lockett!" Imlay, Mottola, Stavrou, Simmons, Santos, Kerns, Lenian, and you take your equipment, you will accompany me, we are going to establish a perimeter between Alpha and Beta sections; Sergeant Pilla, you come with us! As his group gathered, he observed everything happening around him. Being a former commando marine, fighting against aliens on another planet seemed a bit unreal to him. But he would do his duty!
…
Jérôme-092 was driving the Warthog through the trees while Douglas, next to him, was neutralizing the Jaffa passing right beside them. Alice, on the other hand, was not sparing the Vulcan, going so far as to clear the landscape along with the Jaffa!
"Arriving in 5 minutes, boss!"
Jérôme nodded to Douglas, when the 500 men of his section arrived, there shouldn't be any problem for them to establish themselves. Fortunately, the attack had completely caught the Goa'uld forces off guard, so their troops had been able to position themselves with more or less resistance. Watching the other two Warthogs clearing the area with them, he switched to the radio channel, "We disperse over a 300-meter perimeter until the troops arrive, secure the area!" Receiving an affirmative response to his orders, he stopped his vehicle and got out.
"I would have thought we would encounter more resistance!" A slight distrust clearly audible in their teammate's voice.
Douglas then turned to Alice, "According to the radio, the Gamma section encountered the strongest resistance, the access to the pyramid is on their side!"
Jérôme looked at the trees around him. "When our 500 Men arrive, we will start pushing towards the Pyramids, our arrival should force the Jaffa to disperse to stop us, it will free" Gamma, even just a little! If necessary, we'll send them two of our Warthogs for Blinder support!
A wave of soldiers soon arrived and, as expected, the real resistance began to show itself as they approached the base of the hill. Opening a massive covering fire, the Instacret could be placed without hindrance, and a war of attrition began, with both sides responding fiercely to the assault. Jérôme headed towards the communication post, "What is the status of the other sections?" It had been more than 4 hours since the operation had started and their progress was at best minimal, not good for them! The enemy forces were larger than expected.
Looking up to see one of the death gliders being shot down by Douglas's rocket launcher, his attention was drawn to a Jumper engaged in a dogfight with an Al'kesh; the presence of their ship indicated to him that all personnel were on the field.
"All our troops have arrived. The Beta and Liberty sections are in position and are trying to dig towards the pyramid. The Gamma section is really struggling; they are fighting 1 against 2. They need reinforcements!"
Nodding to the COM officer, he headed towards the Warthogs. "Corporal, take the three Warthogs, have the armored section provide support to Team Gamma, we need those structures!"
He didn't stop to watch them leave as he joined his team at the front, the battle was far from over!
….
Jack really felt like the heavens were against him sometimes, just for once, just for once, he wished it wasn't up to him to face the main enemy forces. The path leading directly to the pyramid was right in front of them, and it was swarming with Jaffa! Although he had commanded operations in his life, he had never been at the head of 500 soldiers whose lives depended on him, and it was very stressful. "Concentrate the mortar fire on the path!" he ordered as he weaved between his men who were taking cover behind their Instacret defense. Kawalsky had taken a small group to spread out on the right flank, and Lieutenant Tolinev was leading his to the left.
"Man down ! I need a medical evacuation, we need reinforcements right away !»
Jack grimaced at the various calls he heard on his helmet radio coming from different fronts. "Teal'c, you and Daniel join Lieutenant Eversman, we need a barrage to stop them from coming down this hill!" And as the archaeologist and the Jaffa left, he turned to direct his scattered troops on the field with only one thought in mind: "What a mess!"
Teal'c had participated in many battles in his life, but he had never known one like the ones the Tau'ri fought, and he had to admit that they were much more skilled than the Goa'uld in this domain. The serpents were content to bombard planets with their Ha'tak and then send legions of Jaffa to be slaughtered, no matter what was in front of them. The Tau'ri, on the other hand, were organized, precise thanks to their radio communication on the field, and had a wide range of equipment to help the troops.
Heading towards Lieutenant Eversman's group, he was closely followed by Daniel, who occasionally returned fire at Jaffa stationed on a small earth promontory. Throwing himself behind one of the defense installations, he used his staff weapon to take down the enemy with mixed success. O'Neill was right, Goa'uld weapons were really not made for efficiency; he had seen it firsthand since he had laid his hands on human weapons. The only advantage of the staff weapons was the amount of ammunition, but that was really the only one! Seeing the Jaffa flee, he turned around only to see Dr. Jackson on the ground, smoke rising from his chest, he had been hit!
Heading towards the one who had become one of his many new friends, he grabbed him by the back of his collar to drag him to safety, propping him up in a sitting position, he bent down to see his face, "Are you okay, Daniel Jackson?!" He quickly realized that Daniel was alive, but the grimace on his face indicated that he was in pain. Looking at the extent of his injuries, Teal'c was relieved to see that the armor had stopped the plasma discharge.
"It's okay, but I feel like I've been charged by a buffalo!"
Despite his friend's reassuring statement, he watched Daniel catch his breath, his attention drawn to the radio that crackled, "…...bat….., I repeat, we have a casualty in combat, Dominick Pilla!" Teal'c and Daniel exchanged a glance, understanding that the same thought crossed their minds, that radio call could very well have been for him! This call reminded them that other soldiers were fighting and that not everyone had had their chance, he had survived and not them, his determination strengthened, Daniel nodded to his teammate, the fight continued!
(Several hours later/End of the night/30 minutes before dawn)
The battle was longer than expected; if the Jaffa were ready to die for their God, Camulus seemed ready to sacrifice all his men to save his own skin. While he was aboard a Jumper, John Sheppard had an unobstructed view of the battlefield, which was illuminated by numerous explosions. The plasma bolts and bullets, rendered incandescent by their propulsion speed, lit up the night in a macabre nocturnal spectacle. For an entire day and night, the fighting had been of unprecedented violence, as evidenced by the visible damage on the sides of the pyramids. Until now, all the Al'kesh and death gliders had been shot down, giving them air supremacy, but that was about to change. "I thought the Ha'tak weren't supposed to return for at least a week!" The sensors of his ship had just displayed the arrival of 3 Ha'tak in orbit above the planet.
"To all ground troops, be informed that 3 Goa'uld motherships have just exited hyperspace in orbit!" We will do what we can, but be warned that we only have five Jumpers left with ammunition!
Vaughan confirmed the receipt of the message as John exchanged a worried glance with his passenger, Lieutenant Aiden Ford. "Subspace communication, you think?"
Sheppard grimaced at Ford's more than likely hypothesis, "If that's the case, then right now, I like technology a lot less!"
Outside, the five Jumpers were leaving the planet's atmosphere, the three imposing flying pyramids towering before them. "I hope these Archer Drones are as effective as they say!" John shared the same thought as Ford because it was the first time they were being tested in a real situation. Outside, two drones launched from the weapon compartment of the nacelles, hurtling at breakneck speed straight towards the center of the ship. Aiden and John never knew if there were shields activated or not because the two drones penetrated the hull with an insulting ease to explode right in the Naquadah reactors of the Ha'tak.
"Apparently they are!" That was all Sheppard could say as numerous explosions erupted all over the ship's hull from the inside, the imposing vessel detonated like one of the largest fragmentation grenades in the solar system, ejecting debris the size of houses in all directions. It turned out that the Drones did indeed pass through the shields as the Jumper pilots could see the shields of the other two ships light up when the debris propelled by the explosion of the first one violently struck them!
"They've decided to take us seriously now!" Indeed, numerous icons of death gliders and Al'kesh appeared on the screen. "To all Jumpers, deal with the fighters; I have enough drones to take down the two remaining Ha'tak!" If it was true that the drones were powerful enough, getting close to the ships was much more difficult, especially with gliders trying to take you out, sticking to your tail while trying, and failing, to stop other Al'kesh and gliders heading towards the battlefield below! But Sheppard didn't want to fire the drones in automatic mode to cover the distance for fear they would be intercepted or miss their target. They fired once more, a drone went straight ahead only to suddenly turn around and hit the glider that was following them a bit too closely. Two other drones fired by another Jumper destroyed the other two that were coming straight at him. "Nice shot, Jumper 3!" Sheppard exclaimed.
"Markham and Smith, try to take care of as many Al'Kesh heading towards the ground as possible, we can't leave the ground troops defenseless!" Receiving confirmation, one of the Jumpers retreating from the space battle set off in pursuit of the large Goa'uld bombers, while the remaining four continued to struggle with numerous Death Gliders, the remote control of their Drones giving them a clear advantage!
Finally, after about ten minutes, the second mothership was destroyed by three extremely well-placed drones. The Jumper crew could unfortunately not celebrate their success for long because the last ship seemed to have abandoned the idea of shooting them down and began its descent towards the ground. "Damn it!"
….
More than 20 hours now that they had been fighting relentlessly, and as dawn began to break, Sergeant Major Michael Nantz could still feel fear and adrenaline coursing through his veins despite his fatigue. He and his group had received about twenty men as reinforcements, not to mention the loss of Pilla. They were all suffering from fatigue and lack of results, and to top it all off, they had just been informed that enemy ships had arrived in orbit. "We're not going to die here, Lockett!" he shouted.
"It would hurt me, sergeant!" Came the response, just as exasperated as him, crouching down to reload his MA5D, he saw Lockett rearming his BR75; Just at that moment, two Warthogs passed on either side to put more pressure on their enemy. One of the two vehicles, equipped with an M79 Rocket Launcher turret, unleashed a torrent of missiles on one of the newly arrived Al'kesh. Although it had a shield, it was not enough to prevent it from crashing into the side of one of the pyramids, adding more chaos to the situation.
"It's starting to get tight on ammunition here, sir!"
"I know, Imlay, stop shooting!" They're just waiting for that, an opening to get us! Applying more pressure, a group of about forty Jaffa fell back, their attempt to break through ending in failure. The Warthog armed with the Vulcan was doing a wonderful job of sowing fear in their ranks, but Nantz still had the impression that other Jaffa had joined their front as enemy reinforcements. Had another section faltered?
"Death Glider!" A warning came screaming through the ranks of the UNSC soldiers.
"Get down, Santos!" Nantz shouted to the young woman 5 meters away from him, she had just finished reloading, put her rocket launcher back on her shoulder, and waited a few seconds for the automatic targeting to lock onto the glider. Nantz followed the rocket with his eyes as it sped towards the glider but instantly regretted having done so as his heart skipped a beat when a massive ship emerged from the glowing dawn clouds. However, he immediately knew something was wrong because the ship was diagonal, flames and thick clouds of smoke were escaping from its hull in numerous places. A few seconds later, he understood why when he saw one of their Jumpers following it, pouring numerous luminous projectiles all over the structure. This was very bad; the Ha'tak was in free fall. "Goddamn it!... "
At the moment it approached the horizon, dawn lit up in white!
…
Daniel had recently begun to think that almost a year spent crossing the door had more or less prepared him for everything, but he was mistaken. The battles of the day and night were a perfect example of what Earth was increasingly going to face. But despite his fear, he had moved forward, if only to support the men and women who shed their blood here by his side! But while he could handle the ocean of Jaffa firing at them, it was absolutely no longer the case when an immense mothership crashed a hundred kilometers from their position, because despite the distance, the shockwave and the dust cloud resulting from the impact knocked everyone over, and as time passed, the winds and dust showed no signs of stopping, giving him the impression of being in the midst of a sandstorm!
The fighting continued, the cacophonous sounds of weapons echoing all around him. He could see the incandescent bullets continuing to pour towards the pyramid without ever diminishing, as if he were the only one dazed by the impact. When he found himself on the ground, he was unable to get up, the dust suffocating him like a toxic cloud. It was only thanks to the unexpected arrival of his teammate Samantha Carter that he was able to breathe again. She had activated the integrated respirator in his helmet and was currently guiding him by pulling on his arm as he followed her like a completely dazed zombie. His ears blocked by a dull noise, he didn't even notice that she had placed him behind one of the protective barriers and had grabbed his face with both hands, speaking to him quite loudly due to his lack of reaction.
Blinking several times, he was able to regain a sufficiently clear vision to see the worried expression on his face. "It's okay!" "Thank you, Sam!" She patted his shoulder, relieved, before returning to Teal'c and many other soldiers to offer her support. Daniel joined them a little while later!
From behind them, many other soldiers joined them on the front line at a run, Jack among them, "Is everyone okay?!"
Numerous positive nods were directed at him, at the same moment the radios in each of their helmets came to life."This is Colonel Zukhov. The Alpha section leader entrusted me with the command of his unit. Be informed that the Red Team Spartan has managed to infiltrate the central Pyramid to attempt to capture the Goa'uld Cumulus. His orders before departing were to organize a general assault if an opportunity presented itself!"
A few seconds later, it was Major Vaughan who spoke. "Well, we can say that we are lucky, this dust cloud is the perfect cover!" To all sections, general assault! "Take me to the top of that hill, FORWARD!" He shouted into the radio. In an unexpected but perfect synchronization, all the Warthogs and Mongoose from each Section charged into the assault, quickly followed by a tide of soldiers. If the Jaffa expected their enemy to take advantage of the limited visibility to attack, then they were few in number because none were able to react when the Vulcan-armed Warthogs leaped into the air, unleashing hell upon them!
As Jack followed the vehicles, he could see that their nearly 24-hour offensive had been extremely heavy for the Jaffa, if the considerable number of corpses on the ground was any indication, for their own losses were nothing compared to what he had before his eyes. Arriving at the foot of the pyramids, the battle had turned into a general melee. Jack was no exception when a Jaffa leaped at him, trying to stab him with a spear. He managed to block it with his MA40, and then a struggle of strength ensued, with each of them trying to aim their weapon at the other. Fortunately for O'Neill, a marine arrived to help him and struck the Jaffa with the butt of his MA5D in the temple, then emptied an entire magazine into his body, ending his life.
Looking around him, Jack saw that some Jaffa were starting to drop their weapons, raising their hands in the air in a sign of surrender, uncertain if they would be spared or not. Reflexively placing his hand on the side of his helmet, he switched to the general channel. "This is Colonel O'Neill, cease fire!" We have Jaffa surrendering here! "I repeat, Jaffa are surrendering!" Obviously, those in front of him were not the only ones, as very quickly fewer and fewer gunshots were heard until the only sounds heard were the shouted orders and the wind resulting from the crash!
Did they win?
(1 hour later)
Stretchers were being carried everywhere, transport Warthogs making trips to evacuate the men and women injured or fallen in battle, hundreds of Jaffa were kneeling with their hands behind their heads, arranged in several rows facing the pyramid, "Less than a thousand out of almost five thousand!" It was the nauseating realization that Vaughan made, throughout yesterday and all night, all their calls over the loudspeaker to tell them that if they surrendered they would be spared had fallen on deaf ears, it was only during their final assault that they had surrendered. The Red Team Spartan had indeed managed to capture Camulus alive, and he was kneeling before his Jaffa, his hands tied behind his back, while Teal'c was giving a speech trying to convince the survivors that the serpent was not a God.
Vaughan felt like vomiting, that bastard had such a hold over those poor Jaffa that they had fought to the end for him! When he saw the massacre they had been forced to commit, he felt like strangling that guy himself in front of everyone just to prove to those poor men that he was nothing divine! "What a disaster!" Jack, who was by his side, could only nod at his words as all the Jaffa bodies were lined up behind them, a white blanket placed over them. Even though they had been their enemies, they deserved the respect due to the dead!
Teal'c seemed to have an idea similar to his, as Vaughan saw him grab the Goa'uld under the arm to stand him up and take a few steps back to point his staff weapon straight at that bastard, "Shol'va!" That was all Camulus managed to say before being executed by Teal'c, the kinetic force of the plasma weapon sending his body flying 2 to 3 meters back.
"See!" "Behold your God!" Teal'c shouted, pushing the warm body of the Goa'uld in front of the Jaffa. Some of them began to rise under the tense gazes of the soldiers watching them, but the Jaffa kept their eyes fixed on the body in front of them, as if trying to convince themselves it was false. "Shel kek nem ron!" Teal'c shouted once more, cautiously stepping closer to the front-line Jaffa, the one in front of him took his arm.
"Shel kek nem ron!" he repeated Teal'c's words, a thunderous resentment for the Goa'uld rising from the depths of his bowels and heart. Little by little, these words began to be chanted everywhere until they became a true battlefield promising vengeance on the false god. The Tau'ri soldiers lowered their weapons while remaining cautious, keeping in mind that they had just massacred numerous Jaffa and that, although it was due to the influence of a tyrant, there were surely among those present friends or relatives who might hold a grudge against them.
During the hours that followed, Tau'ri and Jaffa worked hand in hand to tend to the wounded, account for the victims, and honor their dead! Although the loss of Jaffa lives caused deep sadness in Teal'c's heart, a part of him was happy that some of his brothers had freed themselves from their chains, but at no moment did he blame his Tau'ri friends; they had witnessed firsthand that they had tried to offer them a surrender, without success! No, in fact, he was rather grateful to them because he knew they could have simply chosen not to take any risks and massacre everyone with heavier weapons, but they had chosen to stop the fighting at the first sign of surrender. For him and/or for the Jaffa cause, thanks to them, the future Jaffa rebellion now had its first fighters!
He should contact Master Bra'tac, the freedom fighters are taking the army today !
-End of Chapter-
Here's a new chapter, tell me what you think of it! For those who want, I have put some info and comments below! stay safe!
Tau'ri personnel: 2000 base 500 reinforcements; 264 dead and 163 injured; total survivors: 2236
Jaffa strength: 4700; 3100 dead and 800 wounded; total survivors: 1600
For the character visuals:
Jack Granger just came from Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (one of my favorite games :p)
Captain Michael D. Steele, Eversman, and Dominick Pilla come from the movie Black Hawk Down.
Michael Nantz; Lockett; Imlay; Mottola; Stavrou; Simmons; Santos; Kerns; Lenian come from World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles
For Atlantis, I haven't yet decided what I was going to do with it, destroyed or not destroyed; But I would like your opinion on one thing, in the first version of chapter 1 when I wrote it, it wasn't the outpost that the Spirit found in Antarctica but the entire city under the ice. Tell me if you would have preferred this version or if I did well to change it?