The silence in the debriefing room was almost reverent as General George Hammond folded his hands across the desk, eyes fixed on the team before him. Jack O'Neill sat at his usual spot, his posture relaxed, but his voice was tight with restrained urgency. To his right, Samantha Carter sifted through some of the results of her sensor data and notes, occasionally glancing at Daniel Jackson, who was scribbling something on a notepad as if he were in a reality of his own. Teal'c, ever vigilant, stood by the coffee machine, arms crossed, his deep gaze trained on nothing and everything.
"Colonel," Hammond began, "Let's start from the top. What did you find on BP6-3Q1 upon arrival?"
"Upon arrival? Nothing." Jack said.
"Nothing? That's hard for me to believe, Jack, because you were gone for nearly six hours." Hammond said with a pointed stare.
"Is that why you insisted on hours of testing and froze all our planned missions?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. We need to know what happened to y'all out there. The MALP stopped transmitting after you entered the stargate. We were unable to contact you and never received any communication from your side. When you did not return, we planned to send a rescue team, but the stargate didn't allow our team entry into the BP6-3Q1."
"Well, you can stop using that code. The planet's name is Svoriin." Jack said.
"So, there was something on the other side." Hammond said with a sigh. "Explain."
Jack exhaled noisily.
"Short version? A planet full of folks who could give the Goa'uld a serious migraine on a good day."
Hammond rubbed his face before he turned his attention to Samantha and Daniel.
"Give me the detailed version since Jack here is too busy with something else to give a detailed report." said Hammond, shooting a disappointed look at Colonel O'Neill.
"They introduced themselves as the Elysian Federation, hinting that they're an interplanetary entity. The planet Svoriin is not their home planet but their colony. Their home planet is called Elysium, with their capital city, Elysia, hosting their ruling government." Sam explained.
"They're a technologically advanced human civilisation capable of fighting the Goa'uld on even footing and perhaps more." Teal'c said.
Hammond looked at Teal'c in surprise.
"Have you encountered these people before?" Hammond asked curiously.
"I have not. This is the first time I've heard about such a powerful enemy of the Goa'uld." Teal'c said with a frown.
"So, these Elysian people were waiting for you on the other side when you arrived." Hammond said, leaning forward with interest.
"Well, not exactly. As I said in the beginning, when we stepped into Svoriin, we were literally in nothing." said Jack.
"You're not making much sense to me, Colonel." Hammond said with a sigh.
"That's what I said to 'em as well." Jack said, jabbing his thumb at the rest of his team. "I still don't get how we saw nothing and somehow ended up on their moon."
"It was most likely a technology that created illusions and blocked out all sound. They must have also used inertia dampeners, facilitating our smooth travel to Zoria without triggering a physical reaction in us." Sam explained.
"Zoria?" Hammond asked curiously, looking pointedly at Captain Carter.
"The moon of the planet Svoriin, sir. The Elysians constructed a military installation on the moon to defend the planet against an invading force." Sam explained.
"So, you were taken to this moon base." Hammond prodded.
"Yes, sir. We were disarmed, and we were under observation until a man named Cerberus came to talk to us. He introduced himself as the director of the base and explained a plague had wiped out the natives of Svoriin."
"A plague?" Hammond said in alarm.
"Yes, sir." Sam nodded before explaining more, "Director Cerberus explained the planet was infested with an insectoid species which reproduced by injecting a venom into a host, and this venom absorbs matter and energy to create more bugs."
"Because of the nature of these genocidal bugs, the Elysian High Council declared the planet off limits to everyone." Daniel said, picking up from where Sam stopped. "As I understand, we were fortunate enough that the stargate was placed inside the green zone where the Elysians had cleared the bugs. Otherwise, we might've been attacked by these bugs."
"I see." Hammond nodded, filing the genocidal bugs to the back of his mind for now. "So, you talked with these people for hours and managed to do what exactly?"
"Well, we weren't talking for most of it. We were fighting." said Jack.
"Fighting?" Hammond looked at the others to see whether Jack was serious.
"Pretty soon after we were filled in on what happened to Svoriin, Zoria was attacked by Heru'ur." Teal'c said.
"Heru'ur. Isn't that the Goa'uld that attacked Cimmeria?" Hammond asked in alarm.
"Yes, sir. Somehow, Heru'ur tracked the Elysians and launched an attack on their moon base with three Ha'taks."
"Ha'taks are supposed to be Goa'uld motherships, yes?" Hammond asked to get clarity.
"Yes, sir. Zoria's defences destroyed one, and their own ship captured the other two without suffering any major losses." said Sam.
"Really!" Hammond was pleasantly surprised to hear this.
For as long as he knew the Goa'uld, they were the undisputed power in the galaxy. Only the Asgard came close to being a threat to them. To learn that a human civilisation out in the stars was capable of defeating the Goa'uld gave him hope.
"They kicked some Goa'uld asses, sir. It was quite something to see." said Jack with a grin.
"Indeed." Teal'c nodded with what amounts to a smile for the stoic Jaffa warrior.
Hammond could also appreciate the sentiment of these two men. Never had he felt so hopeless when Apophis arrived with his massive ships, and they found their best weapons incapable of leaving even a scratch on those ships.
"So, we can say these Elysians are technologically on the same level as that of the Asgard or Nox." Hammond said.
"We barely scratched the surface, sir. Their moon base is protected by a combination of a multi-layered energy shield that can adapt its frequency spectrum dynamically and a series of energy cannons capable of shredding the shields of Ha'taks," said Sam, excitedly informing the General about anything technological that caught her eye.
"The Elysians demonstrated weapons capable of disabling a Goa'uld mothership from the surface. I witnessed their cannons shred Goa'uld shields with one attack during the battle. The power output was immense. This is an enemy the Goa'uld will learn to fear even more than the Asgard." Teal'c spoke, his tone like a chisel breaking through stone.
"Hold on," Hammond said, lifting a hand. "You're telling me they've got planetary defences strong enough to take down multiple Goa'uld ships? And they were not even on their home planet when they deployed these weapons."
"Yep. The Elysians have all the cool toys, General." said Jack. "Their ship alone took out two Ha'taks, and let me remind you they took those two ships intact."
"Colonel O'Neill is right." Sam said with a nod. "They have some kind of weapon that can disrupt energy. They deployed it against the Goa'uld and captured two motherships."
"It's also highly likely the Elysians have captured Heru'ur alive. If that is the case, then we might see another civil war amongst the System Lords once they realise Heru'ur is missing." said Teal'c.
"You mean the System Lords might fight it out amongst themselves over territory like they did after Ra's death?" Hammond asked.
"We think so, sir."
"If that is the case, then we might have found ourselves a powerful ally against the Goa'uld. They might be even interested in trade with us and help us prepare to face the Goa'uld threat." Hammond said excitedly. "This might just be what we need to convince those in Washington about the importance of the Stargate Command."
"Yeah, about that… I don't think they'll take the 'we humans should stick together' pitch." Jack said blandly.
"What is wrong?" Hammond asked, his eyebrows knitting together.
"They seem to know a lot about the political situation on Earth, sir. They know we're not a united people and just one among many nations." said Daniel.
"They know about us?" Hammond asked in alarm.
"Come to think of it, it's not that surprising," Daniel said aloud while his mind wandered, coming up with a theory.
"What do you mean, Dr Jackson?" Hammond asked.
"Well, sir, I saw runic language on some of their walls."
"Runic language?" Hammond looked lost.
"Sir, the ancient Britons, before the arrival of the Romans, were Celts. Though they were not a unified nation, the Celtic tribes shared a common culture, religious rituals, trade and many other commonalities throughout the British Isles. I believe the Elysians were Celtic slaves the Goa'uld took from Earth." Daniel explained.
"You think these people were once British and they might've rebelled against the Goa'uld." Hammond said with a thoughtful look.
"Yes," Daniel said excitedly. "They must have overcome Goa'uld tyranny and developed their society advanced enough for space travel. They might've worked out they were from Earth and travelled to our planet looking for intelligent life."
"They took one good look at us and promptly found there was no intelligence. They turned their ships back and never looked back until we came knocking on their doorstep." Jack said in his usual sarcastic manner.
"Somewhat crudely put, but what Jack said," Daniel said, nodding at his friend's assessment with an uncomfortable look.
"Well, that's not good, gentlemen. You know as well as I do that our program is under pressure from the government. If we can't show some tangible benefits, our funding will get cut." Hammond said with a tired sigh.
"Well, we got the medal to show for it. Wonder whether the Pentagon will be happy." Jack said with a snort.
"A medal?" Hammond asked with a confused look.
"Yeah, a piece of shiny gold the folks in space gave us for shooting down a couple of Jaffa attacking their base. Not that they needed our help anyway with their massive tanks doing most of the job." said Jack.
"They have tanks?" Hammond asked with surprise.
"Oh, yeah. Massive hunks of metal with massive cannons and some kind of zat guns. They're a peach on the ground if they're on your side." said Jack, staring dreamily into the distance, hoping to get one of those babies in his hands.
"I discreetly inquired about those tanks, sir. It seems the Elysians use them in difficult terrain to serve as forward positions and defensive bunkers against Death Gliders. They call it the Titan." Sam explained.
"Titan tanks." Hammond tested the name and found himself shivering a little. "Well, that's a bit strange, isn't it? It seems they developed a weapon system similar to ours."
"The concept might be similar, but the capabilities are vastly different, sir." said Sam.
"How so, Captain?" Hammond asked, his focus now entirely on Samantha.
"Their tanks have mounted cannons capable of shooting down a Death Glider, sir. They also have metal armour that can deflect plasma fire from the Goa'uld staff weapons. The zat guns are also ineffective on their armour." Sam listed off the capabilities of the Titan tank she observed.
"Shielding?" Hammond asked curiously, banking on the expertise of Captain Carter to notice such things.
"I observed no shielding on those tanks, sir. They have undoubtedly developed advanced metallurgy to make an alloy capable of withstanding energy-based weapons." Sam explained.
"Any chance they might be willing to part with such knowledge?" Hammond asked hopefully.
"We have no idea, sir. They might if we can convince them we'd only use any weapons they provide strictly against the Goa'uld and no one else." Jack said honestly.
The Pentagon had conducted some rigorous field testing using the staff weapons they recovered from defeated Jaffa. The fact that those weapons were capable of blowing a hole through their best tanks was rather alarming. It made an average Jaffa warrior that much of a threat. This, combined with the fact that their nukes could not even put a dent in the shields of Goa'uld ships, made their military assets worthless in any serious battle.
The only reason they survived Apophis' invasion was because of SG1 and their tenacity to pull off miracles even from the jaws of defeat. Hammond was keenly aware that miracles only happen rarely. He couldn't plan the planetary defence based on miracles.
At the same time, Hammond was aware that the war hawks in the Pentagon and Senate oversight committees would never agree to confine any technology found using the stargate to be employed only against interplanetary enemies. It was more likely that the Pentagon might be alarmed that a foreign power with space capabilities might've done reconnaissance on their planet, and they didn't even know about it. He could already sense an emergency committee hearing arising from that revelation alone.
'At least we found someone willing to talk about the Goa'uld.' Hammond mused.
"I'll need a full report on these Elysians. I want it as detailed as possible, and I don't want any detail missing from it." Hammond ordered.
"Yes, sir." Samantha said, nodding succinctly.
"Sir, what about our medal. Can we get it back?" Jack asked, making Daniel shake his head and Sam roll her eyes.
Hammond eyed the man with exasperation.
"It has some sentimental value," Jack added, seeing everyone's reactions.
"You'll get it back after our containment team declares it safe." Hammond said with a sigh.
"Yay! Guys, we're getting our shiny piece of gold back." Jack smiled innocently as he punched his fist in the air in victory.
Hammond shook his head. If nothing else, he could always trust Jack to keep things entertaining in the base.
******
Harry stared at the wreckage in Zoria's orbit with a frown. The Ha'tak destroyed by the ion cannon was scattered across the cislunar space, leaving them all with a herculean task of cleaning up the wreckage. Any delay in cleanup would result in the wreckage being spread wide, which could potentially hinder the transport rings.
"I want that wreckage removed as fast as possible." Harry ordered.
"We're refitting the jumpers to debris sweeping equipment in the hangers, sir."
"Good." Harry nodded.
He oversaw the transition of the two captured Ha'taks into the shipyards of Svoriin. Since they captured Heru'ur's flagship, it was his hope that the ship's databanks would hold security codes and other crucial information about the rest of Heru'ur's domains and ships. Once that information was extracted, he planned to conduct military strikes deep inside Heru'ur's territory.
"Has the message been sent to Asgard about Heru'ur's attack?" Harry asked one of his aides.
"It has been sent, sir. We received a communique from Supreme Commander Thor that they received the notification as stipulated by the treaty."
"I'm surprised they even had the time to read the treaty." Harry said with a snort.
The Asgard were supposed to send a delegation to Elysium for the ratification of the treaty, but instead they left that responsibility to Korr, who was initially charged with the education of Cimmerians. At first, Harry thought the Asgard ruling council was using a delaying tactic. But then, the meeting with Korr was rather constructive, and they managed to formulate a binding treaty between their two governments. The Asgard's ruling council was quick to ratify the treaty after Korr sent them the negotiated document.
It turned out the Asgard were unable to visit because they were dealing with a sudden spike in Replicator attacks.
As one of the core agreements in the treaty was intelligence sharing, Harry had already received a package of information related to the Replicators. The fact that these things were once created by the Alterans made it easier to understand what the Asgard were up against. Though that doesn't mean he was eager to get involved in the war between Asgard and Replicators just yet.
However, he planned to request more data on the Replicators and determine whether the Disruptor Field weapon in his possession could be modified to target them.
An alert suddenly popped up on his wrist device. When Harry flicked the crystal surface, he saw a communicator beacon which was traced to the surface of Svoriin.
"Talk to me, Moody." Harry talked through the device after hastily putting a muffling barrier around him.
"We've got a bit of a situation down in the interrogation room," Moody said gruffly.
Harry knew the cadet training academy was built over the prison cells. It was a convenient location for Moody, who remained the head of the academy and the chief interrogator.
"Are the Goa'uld giving you any trouble?" Harry asked curiously.
"Yes. I have three host muggles claiming their symbiotes are Tok'ra. They vehemently oppose being separate from their snakey friends." Moody said.
"They said Tok'ra?" Harry asked once more just to confirm.
Moody nodded in the affirmative.
"I'll have someone deal with this." Harry promised.
Cutting off the transmission, Harry took a moment to consider the next move. He could potentially release the Tok'ra or keep them as his prisoners. Both had their advantages and disadvantages.
By keeping the Tok'ra captive, he could essentially keep his base a secret. But that point was moot, considering the Stargate Command of Earth knew of Svoriin and Zoria. Then again, he suspected SG1 or their superiors would never willingly share any details with the Goa'uld.
The same couldn't be said about the Tok'ra. If the Tok'ra saw a way to sow more chaos amongst the Goa'uld, they would most likely take it. Harry was also distrustful of the Tok'ra simply because they were a shadow entity with no stable home. Reciprocity was something Harry valued from an ally, and he suspected the Tok'ra were not a good ally in the long run.
Now, keeping the Tok'ra as his prisoners wouldn't serve much purpose other than keeping his base a secret from the rest of their comrades. On the off chance the Tok'ra learned he took two intact Goa'uld ships, they'd seek their comrades.
Starting any kind of relation with the Tok'ra on the wrong foot was not a welcome prospect in his mind, even if he didn't think much of the Tok'ra.
With all of this in mind, Harry came to a quick decision.
He tapped his wrist console and opened a channel of communication with the Unspeakables in Elysium.
"I have three Goa'uld who claim they are Tok'ra. I need to confirm they're who they say they are and see if you can extract valuable intel from their minds without alerting them. The files related to Tok'ra will be declassified for the team you assign this task."
For a moment, there was silence from the other end.
"Okay. Send them over." Croaker finally said.
"I want it done discreetly." said Harry.
There was no response, and Croaker promptly cut the connection.
It didn't take long for Harry to have the three self-proclaimed Tok'ra transported to Elysium through the stargate. While this happened, Harry decided to pay a visit to a special guest who had waited long enough. It was finally time to have a face-to-face conversation with Heru'ur.
AN:
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