PF5-210
Milky Way
Seven hours earlier, under cover of night, a lone cloaked Tel'tak touched down on the backwater world known to Earth as PF5-210. Approaching the planet cautiously, the Tok'ra piloted Tel'tak had carefully weaved its way through the small vessels comprising the systems security net. Were it not for the Tok'ra vessels own cloaking field, reaching the planets surface would have been impossible.
In the darkness of night, having set down miles outside of this world's single large city, the Tel'tak delivered its cargo. As they had done countless times in the history of their people, the Tok'ra were once more silently infiltrating an asset into harms way. Their cargo delivered, the Tel'tak silently slipped away to a far corner of the planet, to await an extraction request from the asset.
The asset in question was one who had served the Tok'ra well in this manner on many missions past. Doral, under various cover identities, had at times served as a minor Goa'uld Under Lord, brining many around him in the service of the System Lords to their end. Since the fall of the System Lords, Doral had found himself far busier than he had ever thought possible. On this day, Doral once more found himself playing the dangerous game in which he specialized. This time however, he had little idea what to expect.
Making his way from his drop off point, Doral moved silently through dense forest. Hanging low over the forest floor, a thick blanket of fog enveloped him. Every ten minutes, Doral stopped. Stooping down on his haunches, the Tok'ra operative listened closely for the sounds of a local patrol shadowing him. Thankfully, those unwanted sounds never came. For many hours this cycle continued.
Breaking over the snowcapped ridges in the distance, the golden rays of a breaking dawn began to cascade over the city in the distance. From where he stood, Doral could see a city far larger than what one would expect on such a backwater planet. Sunlight reflected off glass clad towers. Already, the city bustled with activity. Whatever was going on here, clearly the city was home to many. If this was the work of a Goa'uld, it was very unlike what one would expect, based on the thousands of examples throughout the galaxy.
Pushing questions of the significance of what he saw before him, Doral pushed on towards the city's outskirts. Crossing over from wilderness into a population center is always the single most dangerous portion of a mission such as this. Well aware of that, Doral's senses were heightened to an almost incredible degree. The soft buzzing of insects all around the Tok'ra operative gave him comfort, as wildlife tends to scatter in the face of an approaching threat.
Crossing from tree line to fertile farmland, Doral continued. Carefully picking his route around the plots of growing fruits and vegetables, Doral's heart skipped a beat. There, between two fields of produce, stood this world's stargate. While that was hardly cause for alarm, those standing guard around the gate were. Those guarding the gate took note of Doral at the same instant he took note of them. Casting their eyes upon the Tok'ra, the guards did something quite unexpected. Instead of opening fire, ordering him to halt, or place him under arrest, these guards instead smiled, waved good morning, and gave a very professional nod in Doral's direction.
Hoping not to attract unwanted attention, Doral parroted the gate guards gestured exactly. Examining these guards intently, Doral began to record their image into his memory. Several of the things he saw came as an uncomfortable surprise. These guards were not dressed as one would expect Jaffa to be. From where he stood, it appeared that they also lacked any forehead tattoo of allegiance. Instead, they were clothed in drab green uniforms, closely matching those once worn by SG teams from Earth. The weapons they carried also closely matched those carried by SG teams. As Doral continued to make his way on towards the city, he was struck by the realization that were these Jaffa, carrying symbiotes, he would have detected the symbiotes presence. That he did not was disturbing.
Nearing the city's edge, the Tok'ra operative took note of crops being hauled into the city. With these crops, merchants were present. In these merchants arms were brightly colored signs meant to advertise their wares. That told Doral that commerce existed on this world, and that was rare on worlds under Goa'uld control. While black-markets frequently existed, a free market style economy never did. Falling in among these merchants, Doral exchanged pleasantries, hoping to use the local inhabitants as cover for his insertion into the city.
Crossing the threshold into the city proper, the Tok'ra operative studied the multistory buildings around him. At street level, local inhabitants filled the walkways around these buildings. On their faces was not the grim look of an enslaved people. These people looked secure, happy, and decidedly free. Oddly, this city looked strangely like Earth, in the days before disclosure. Wonder of how that could be perplexed Doral.
As the throng of merchants Doral walked among came to an open air square, filled with what looked to be thousands of humans both purchasing goods and selling goods, the most shocking sight of the journey filled the operative's eyes. High above the far end of this marketplace square, a large electronic billboard stood. This billboard was similar to the screen Doral had seen at a Redskins game during a recent visit to Earth. It was what played on this screen that stopped Doral in his tracks.
There, on the screen, images of SG teams engaged in vicious gun battles with Jaffa played out. Between each combat sequence, frames filled with patriotic slogans filled the screen. Listening closely to the narration accompanying the on screen images, Doral attempted to memorize each word.
"Valiantly, O'Neill, slayer of gods, destroyer of worlds, fought for your freedom. Were it not for O'Neill, and SG-1, humanity would remain in the clutches of the old gods. Through service, you give thanks to the slayer of gods. Under the watchful eyes of O'Neill, and his vigilant underling Enlil, your freedoms stand secure. Believe in O'Neill as he believes in you." The message proclaimed repeatedly.
His mind racing, Doral pondered what he was seeing on screen, and all around him. Enlil was a name he knew for fact as a former Goa'uld Under Lord. That fact did little to mesh with a city filled with humans, looking much like Earth, and guarded by what seemed to be personnel from the SGC. Every minute spent here raised more questions than could be answered. Did Earth have a hand in this? Was this nothing more than an elaborate ruse by Enlil to secure a place of power?
Turning on his heels, Doral retraced his path into the city. Moving as fast as he could discreetly, the Tok'ra operative headed in the direction of his drop off point. Though cutting his intelligence gathering mission far short, Doral decided that all of this Egeria must know quickly. What this discovery meant for relations between the Tok'ra and Tau'ri, Doral did not know. Only time would tell.
P9Q-717
Milky Way
Since his arrival on Possara, Major Carlyle had risen in stature among those leading the Lucian Alliance. No fool; the Alliance leaders were fully aware that their recent addition reserved his allegiance strictly for himself. That fact went far in selling Kefflin as to how valuable Carlyle could be. Intelligence provided leading to the successful operation against the Tau'ri freighter also helped greatly.
Aware that Carlyle apparently had an intelligence network of sorts throughout the galaxy providing him information; Kefflin happily provided a small vessel for Carlyle's personal use. After several jaunts off world, Carlyle's frequent departures soon became commonplace. It was this freedom of travel that Carlyle, and the ISA, depended on. Failure of the mission was a certainty if that freedom of travel was taken away.
Following standard tradecraft, a meeting schedule existed between Carlyle and his ISA contacts. Any deviation from this schedule would serve to sound the alarm that something was amiss. Keeping to that schedule, Carlyle found himself walking through the village where he made initial contact with Cordry, his unwitting ticket into Alliance ranks. Strolling through the village, Carlyle followed a predetermined, yet highly random route.
Strolling through the marketplace, he moved from booth to booth, stopping momentarily at each to pick through their wares. This was not a random act, but instead a surveillance detection run. While Carlyle appeared to be window shopping throughout the market place, he was instead looking for any sign that he was being followed. Though the Alliance had little reason to suspect him of anything, it was entirely possible that intermittent surveillance could be present.
Exiting the marketplace, the Major strolled down one of the wide avenues of the village. Moving past the tavern, he continued on towards the village temple. Stepping into the darkened stone structure, Carlyle's eyes took a moment to adjust. Within the temple, the Major saw a single hooded individual in attendance. Stepping up to the candle laden alter, Carlyle went about lighting a single candle, and quietly speaking a small prayer. From there, he moved to the third pew, and took a seat. Now, it was a waiting game.
That wait would not be a long one. Two silent minutes later, the hooded figure several pews away stood. Making their way directly to Carlyle, this figure sat directly beside the Major. Neither individual looked at the other. The hooded figure also left their hood in place, for a moment.
"Come here often?" Vala Mal Doran asked, as she removed her hood.
"Not nearly as often as I would like." Carlyle replied with a smile.
"How are you holding up?" Vala asked.
"Day and night, I am surrounded by petty thugs that want nothing more than to destroy my planet. How would you feel?" Carlyle asked.
"It would be a stroll down memory lane for me. Makes me envious." Vala smirked.
"General Frost asked that I tell you what a great job you are doing. I think he is proud of you. That is surprising to me as I often doubt that man has a sense of humor." Vala stated.
"What does a sense of humor have to do with any of that?" Carlyle asked with a dubious squint.
"Nothing at all. I just thought I should mention it." Vala shrugged.
"Is my nanite still transmitting?" Carlyle asked.
"It is, regularly. According to the General, we are getting 'good take' from it, whatever that means." Vala replied, making quotation gestures with her two index fingers.
"On my end, I think something big is going on. Whatever it is, Kefflin is playing it very close to the chest. The only bright side of all this is they trust me. I am hoping that results in more access sooner or later." Carlyle stated.
"We have a package for you to take back with you." Vala said.
"How big?" Carlyle asked.
"I didn't ask. I can guess though. Who knows, they might even tell me." Vala mused.
"The package…I am talking about the package." Carlyle explained in annoyance.
"Oh so am I. No fun to be had here I see. The three men who were with Cordry, do you remember them?" Vala asked.
"I do." Carlyle replied.
"They will be returning with you." Vala explained.
"Any risk in that for me?" Carlyle asked with some concern.
"None at all darling. They are on our side, and have no clue who you are. All they know is that an asset is in place, and will make contact should it be required." Vala explained.
"I will take that at face value." Carlyle grimaced.
"Go to the tavern, you will find them their. Good luck." Vala finished.
Silently, Vala rose and returned to her previous place several pews away. Once their, she bowed her head as if in prayer. There she would remain until well after the Major's departure. Carlyle, rising from his pew, exited the tavern. Stepping out into the light of day, the mid day sun was dazzling to his eyes. After his eyes adjusted, he made his way into the tavern.
Normally full of individuals of questionable moral purity, the tavern was somewhat empty today. In the rear of the tavern, at a table by themselves, sat the three Lucian Alliance soldiers. Their journey to get here was one Carlyle did not know. Never would he have guessed that these three men were mental copies inhabiting cloned bodies. These in fact were not the men Carlyle thought they were, but instead highly motivated copies. Had Carlyle known that the three men sitting at the table thought themselves Asgard spies in human bodies, he would have laughed aloud.
Stepping towards the wooden table where the three men sat, Carlyle noticed each turning their gaze towards him. Amongst themselves, they conferred in hushed tones. Nodding in agreement, the three men again turned their undivided attention towards the new arrival standing before them.
"You are Cordry's men." Carlyle stated.
"We are." One of their number replied.
"Do you have a name?" Carlyle asked.
"I am Pollux. I speak for the others." The Lucian Alliance soldier answered.
"Tell me Pollux, how is it the three of you managed to elude capture by the Tau'ri?" Carlyle asked pointedly.
"My men were unconscious, but I was awake and unable to move. I know it was you that killed the Tau'ri firing on us. I watched as Cordry and yourself made your escape. We opted to remain here, hunting the Tau'ri that were sure to come searching for their missing team." Pollux lied skillfully.
"How went the hunting?" Carlyle asked, fully aware that the man's lies were his cover, and meant to further Carlyle's cover.
"Not nearly as well as yours, but we manage to kill two." Pollux continued.
"Did you dispose of the bodies?" Carlyle asked.
"We carried them to the gate, laid them in front of it, and dialed. The gate destroyed the bodies and their equipment." Pollux replied.
"That is a wise method of disposal. Why did you make no effort to return to the Alliance?" Carlyle pressed.
"Had we returned and been tracked, the entire Alliance would have been placed in jeopardy. Refusing to run that risk, we remained here. Will you return us to the Alliance?" Pollux asked.
"I will. To be safe, we leave now." Carlyle announced.
"You have a ship here?" Pollux asked.
"Of course not! We will go through the gate. My vessel is safely tucked away on another world. From there we will travel to Possara." Carlyle replied in an annoyed tone.
Minutes later, Carlyle and the three new additions to the cause made their way out of the village. ISA efforts against the Lucian Alliance would soon take on a new tone.
Destiny
Seated in the interface chair, as he often was, Rush sat fully engrossed in research. Often, as a majority of the ancient vessels crew lay fast asleep, Rush came to the interface room. To a mind as mercurial as his, solitude was many times the only thing that gave him solace. Cigarettes and coffee finished a close second in that very personal race.
Filling the circular interface room, spanning out in front of the interface chair, holographic screens of information hovered midair. What had started as an unspoken question of wonder, thought of during his shower, had taken on a life of its own. That single question of wonder grew over many days, until it refused to be pushed aside. Finally, that question blossomed into something larger, bordering on obsession, racing to the forefront of the mind of Doctor Nicholas Rush.
Manipulating the holographic screens of data before him with his mind, Rush marveled at just how he had missed what he was seeing displayed before him for so very long. Tracking back through reams of sensor logs covering the entire history of Destiny's mission since launch to present, an incredible discovery was taking shape. On several of the holographic displays Rush saw areas of cosmic microwave background, their location where sampled, and the signal strength within each location.
On other screens, Rush laid out highly detailed navigational overlays, filled with star charts. Overlaying this data with signal strength and signal location data, it looked as if the unspoken question that had haunted Rush for days was quickly turning from an interesting hypothesis, and instead a very likely answer. That answer brought many new questions with it though. In an effort to further prove or disprove his ever growing hypothesis, Rush continued to examine the data before him, while bringing in new data relevant to the current data set.
What Rush was seeing spoke of not only an intelligence before the universe began, but a highly organized intelligence surpassing even the wildest of expectations. In areas where a CMB signal fragment was present, matter had gathered forming a galaxy. In areas of higher CMB signal strength, denser amounts of matter had gathered, forming clusters of galaxies, and accompanying satellite galaxies. Areas lacking detectable CMB signal fragments remained empty, often ending up as the void between galaxies.
Pouring over this discovery, Rush's mind raced. What could this mean? In his mind, this represented the distinct possibility that these variations in CMB signal strength found within individual message fragments had served to influence just where matter had gathered after the big bang. It was very possible that this overall message had shaped the very form, fit, and finish of the universe itself! It might not be just a message, but instead an actual set of instructions on how this universe would be built.
As often happened after finding an answer of sorts, Rush's mind went silent for several moments. In these moments, he ceased to be a driven scientific mind, a member of Destiny's crew, or an individual possessed of an active mind. Silence filled every corner and crevasse of his mind. For those few moments, Nicholas Rush knew peace. Out of nowhere, that peace came to a sudden end. From behind Rush, a feminine voice softly began to recite a poem he knew well.
"Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art- Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night And watching, with eternal lids apart, Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite, The moving waters at their priest like task Of pure ablution round earth's human shores, Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask Of snow upon the mountains and the moors- No-yet still steadfast, still unchangeable, Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast, To feel for ever its soft fall and swell, Awake for ever in a sweet unrest, Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath, And so live ever-or else swoon to death."
"You always loved Keats. That is Bright Star, is it not?" Rush asked.
Out of the corner of his eye, Rush saw a sight he thought he might never see again. A smile on her face, her blonde hair in a neat bun, and well dressed as always, this traced her fingertips over Rush's forearm as she walked by. Savoring her presence, Rush felt his heartache at the sight of his late wife, Gloria Rush.
"You have been taking better care of yourself I see." Gloria said softly.
Not since the days when he had first unlocked Destiny's master code had Rush seen his wife. Her standing her before him could only mean Destiny was communicating with him. Why, after unlocking Destiny's avatar, would the vessels artificial intelligence decide to communicate in this form?
"Destiny, why are you doing this?" Rush demanded.
"I know your mind is racing to answer the question as to just why Destiny is communicating with you using my image. Nicholas, you will never change. I always loved that about you." Gloria said warmly.
"Why Destiny? Why take Gloria's image?" Rush demanded angrily.
"Have you asked yourself if you are asking the wrong question?" Gloria countered.
"Fine, I will play along. What is the right question?" Rush scowled.
"All this time you have believed my image was Destiny communicating with you. I remember sitting on the bridge of this ship with you, while you demanded that I allow you to speak with Franklin, or help you in your little schemes. Destiny would have helped you Nicholas, had you been speaking with Destiny." Gloria replied sympathetically.
"So you are nothing more than a hallucination? Is that what you are saying? If that were the case, then I could understand why at the time I was hallucinating, but not now." Rush rebuffed
"Nicholas, I am not a hallucination." Gloria announced.
"Let us suppose that is true. Then why are you here now?" Rush questioned.
"As I did throughout our life together, I am here to standby you as you push forward." Gloria answered.
"What does that even mean?" Rush asked snidely.
"It means that you are on the verge of discovering something unimaginable Nicholas. That discovery will bring a choice though." Gloria replied patiently.
"A choice of what?" Rush asked.
"It will be different for each. For you, the choice will be needed between accepting things as they now stand, or taking the path your heart longs for. Whichever you choose, the status of things as you now know them to be is at an end." Gloria said, before vanishing.
As Gloria vanished, Rush felt a sudden cold emptiness filling is heart. In days gone by, a simple smell that reminded him of Gloria had reduced the man to tears. Now, he was married once again, and part of a mission he valued more than he valued anything else. Sealing out his emotions, Rush reined in an icy calm and control over his emotions.
"Destiny!" Rush called out.
Seconds later, the avatar of Destiny appeared in the interface room beside the interface chair. As always, Destiny wore a patient and serene look upon the holographic generated facial features.
"You called Doctor Rush?" Destiny asked upon arrival.
"Were you running a neural interface, using an image other than your current avatar a moment ago?" Rush asked.
"No, I was not Doctor Rush." Destiny replied.
"When I first cracked your master code, was it you I was communicating with on the bridge of this ship?" Rush questioned.
"At that point in time, my avatar functions were locked, and remained locked until yourself and Eli unlocked that function. While I was aware of the expedition presence, and coming to understand each of you, I was not able to communicate with you using an avatar." Destiny answered.
"Thank you Destiny, that will be all." Rush said in dismissal.
Sitting in the interface chair, Rush mentally disengaged the device. As the contacts retracted from his temples, the Scotsman leaned his head back on the headrest. If it was not Destiny, then who or what had he been speaking with? Just as one mystery was coming ever closer to an answer, another took its place.
M3J-570
Pegasus galaxy
Eighteen Hours Ago
Exiting hyperspace on the outskirts of the solar system containing M3J-570, USS Bunker Hill brought its powerful cloak online. Hidden from the view of prying eyes and sensors alike, Bunker Hill's sublight drive engaged, propelling the Athena Class vessel of the Tau'ri Fleet deeper into the potentially hostile solar system. Not since the final days of the war with the Wraith had an Athena Class warship silently skulked towards a Wraith controlled world.
Powerful sensors aboard Bunker Hill scanned throughout the solar system. Typically, where there are Wraith, there are Hive's or cruisers. Though the Wraith Fleet was believed to be destroyed, Bunker Hill's crew was taking no chances. Up until the return of Aiden Ford, those of Earth believed the Wraith to be no more. One truth in the universe was that each day brought a new and unpleasant surprise.
Moving closer towards the target planet, Bunker Hill's crew brought their vessels sensor focus fully on the planet in question. As told to expect in their pre-mission briefing, the crew soon found a large field of electromagnetic energy over the area purported to be home to a Wraith outpost. Five hundred miles from this energy field, a sporadic energy signature registered. This sporadic energy signature sat under several thousand feet of frigid salt water, and appeared to be an area of volcanic and hydrothermal vent activity. With that in mind, the sporadic energy signature was disregarded, allowing Bunker Hill to focus fully on the area containing the Wraith outpost. On the outskirts of the solar system, the arrival of Todd and his ZPM powered Hive was detected, per the plan.
Establishing a high polar orbit, far above the planets northern polar cap, Bunker Hill came to rest. For ninety intense minutes, sensor operators aboard the Tau'ri warship meticulously examined the sector of interest. One thing was quickly discovered, and that was the fact that the Asgard transport beam would be of little use inside of the electromagnetic field. Though it could be used, anything transported would be forced to arrive at the outskirts of the field, as this field mimicked exactly the transporter inhibiting field once used to great effect by Hives.
Wraith Darts roamed in the skies above the ground area covered by the inhibitor field. From where Bunker Hill sat, it looked to be a very normal patrol pattern being used by Wraith pilots. In flights of two, Darts patrolled the outer edge of their outpost's perimeter. On the ground, beneath the Dart teams flight paths, small two man patrols of two man teams skirted about. Whatever this place was, its security was taken far more serious than at any other Wraith outpost ever encountered.
Though the inhibitor field restricted the usefulness of the Asgard transport beam, it affected the ingress plan not at all. While a transporter is a handy piece of technology for point to point movement, it was not one favored for use in military operations, except in extreme and unavoidable circumstances. The reasoning for this is found in the military's high regard for noise and light discipline. Bright flashes of silver tinted light, accompanied by an audible chime made this a less than stealthy method of ingress or egress. Combined with the fact that a transport beam leaves in its wake a detectable energy burst, and one begins to understand the military's refusal to rely solely on this modality.
In the port side launch bay of Bunker Hill, as 1st Platoon of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment began to perform final checks on their exoskeletons, other activity was unfolding. There, in the center of the launch bay, a single Jumper lifted from the deck. Cloaking as it hovered, the Jumper glided towards the energy screen separating the launch bays interior from space. Turning his attention towards the exiting Jumper, Private First Class Frederick Mathas watched the ripples left in the energy screen as the cloaked craft passed through into space.
Gaining speed, the unseen Puddle Jumper extended its drive pods. High above the northern polar cap of this world, and the continent sized ice sheets; the Jumper began its decent. Though Wraith sensors have only one detected a cloaked Jumper, with a ZPM enhanced Hive, no chances were being taken, as the stakes were simply too high. Accelerating to twenty times the speed of sound, the Jumper broke though into the planets atmosphere. At its current rate of speed, the Jumper would reach the target area in fifteen minutes.
Watching the world unfold rapidly beneath them, the Jumper's flight crew began to look at their own onboard sensors. Comparing their findings with readings transmitted from Bunker Hill, the flight crew chose their inbound flight path. The path chosen should take the small Jumper directly through a hole in Dart patrol patterns. In rear cargo area of the Jumper, a flight suit clad technician performed final checks on what he had taken to calling his 'pets'.
Highlighted in the view screen, the Jumpers flight crew took note of a two ship flight of Darts angling away forty miles to their right. A quick ground level sensor scan revealed the area underneath the Jumper to be free of Wraith foot patrols. Knowing it was time to set down, the flight crew began to look for a clearing in the forest for the purpose. Seeing a clearing half a mile ahead, the Jumper slowed even more than it already had.
Swooping over the clearing, the Jumper banked right. For two complete circuits, the small craft examined its chosen landing zone. Feeling secure, the continuous turn ceased as the Jumper silently descended. At a height of two feet above the grassy clearing, the cloaked Jumper opened its rear cargo ramp. Taking this cue, the four Cybernetic Autonomous Armed Trackers, or CAAT's, made their exit. As the last CAAT stepped foot on the clearing, the rear cargo ramp raised, and the Jumper took its leave with its mission accomplished.
Standing in the clearing, each CAAT's adaptive camouflage system activated. Standing in the grassy clearing, the four surveillance assets shifted in color from a dark metallic color, to a color matching the clearings foliage. As this happened, each CAAT released its onboard UAV into the skies above. Their eyes above away, each CAAT set out. Networked together while operating independently, these silent voyeurs would continue forward towards the Wraith outpost built into and jutting out from a low hanging cliff seven miles away.
For two hours, the four CAAT's stalked forward. UAV's overhead scoured each CAAT's path beforehand. To avoid Wraith foot patrols detected along the way, each Armed Tracker followed a zigzagging path through the forested plain. In three instances, this brought about no problems. In the case of CAAT 03, this zigzagging path brought it directly onto the doorstep of a problem, a very large problem. That problem, similar to a grizzly bear on Earth, took pointed issue with this new arrival invading its territory.
While devouring the remains of its recent hunt, the bear like creature took note of CAAT 03 as it attempted to slip through the animal's territory. Warning off the intruder, the bear like creature growled deeply, and began slamming its meaty and bloodstained paw on the ground. Unfazed, CAAT 03 continued to slink thought the forest cover. As it moved, its adaptive camouflage alternated its outer coloring. Seeing this, the bear like creature roar ferociously, lowered its head, and charged across the twenty meters separating it from the color shifting intruder.
Charging ahead with a speed that belied its size, the bear like creature slammed bodily into CAAT 03. Sensing the hit before it happened, 03 braced while swaying into the jarring impact. A vicious impact from the blood smeared paw followed, with the animal roaring with all its might. Attempting to leverage the attacker away, 03 rose on its hind legs. The animal followed. For twenty long seconds, animal and machine tore at each other with claws. Unfortunately, for the bear like creature, 03's claws were made of refined trinium, and sharpened to a razors edge.
Feeling the intruder's claws tearing into its flesh, the bear like creature went for the deathblow it knew worked. Smothering the intruder into its own body, the animal hugged 03 close, and closed its powerful jaws around the rear neck of the CAAT. Teeth able to sheer through flesh and bone snapped off at the gums, unable to penetrate the touch metal alloy. As this happened, 03 slashed with claws of its own; slicing through flesh, and ribcage. Letting loose a horrible cry, the bear like creature retreated towards its den and the carcass not yet finished. Though the animal knew it was wounded, it was unaware that CAAT 03 had delivered a deathblow. The confrontation over, 03 moved on.
In orbit, aboard Bunker Hill, the CAAT/Bear death match caused quite the stir. Fearing the unit damaged, shipboard personnel initiated a series of diagnostics on 03. Much to their satisfaction, the diagnostics showed 03 had suffered no damage. Those aboard Bunker Hill agreed it was far better that 03 faced off against a territorial space bear, than a Wraith foot patrol that could betray their presence.
Over the course of the next six hours, each of the four CAAT's on the ground identified landing zones free of Wraith activity. Once marked, each of these landing zones were used by cloaked Jumpers, putting four ten man squads of Rangers on the ground. There, those Rangers would move closer in to their target.
M3J-570
Pegasus Galaxy
Current Time
Orbiting high above the target area, at varying flight levels, seven separate four ship flights of F-302's and FB-302's under cloak traced lazy circles through the troposphere. Hedging their bets, mission planners had opted to evenly split the difference, with half of the 302's set up for the air to air mission, while the other half was equipped for the air to ground mission. No one knew exactly what level of opposition would be faced on the ground, so it was felt prudent to be better safe than sorry. At altitude is where these lethal small craft would remain, until needed.
On the ground, the four exoskeleton clad Ranger squads of 2nd Platoon were silently moving on towards their objective. 3rd and 4th squad, numbering twenty men in total, were moving towards a blocking position eight hundred yards away from the outposts outer wall. There, these two squads, with the assistance of CAAT's 01 and 02, would prevent Wraith foot patrols from slipping in the back door, and inside the facility. 1st squad would remain at the wood lines edge, watching over 2nd squads approach to the biopolymer outer wall of the facility. 2nd squad, with the attached team from Borealis in tow, would due the honors of breaching this facility. Once inside, 2nd squad would act as the diversionary for the Borealis team while they moved in to learn this outpost's true purpose.
While 3rd and 4th squad established their positions, 2nd squad and the Borealis team waited at the edge of the wood line. During the wait, gear was check and rechecked. Nerves were steeled for the coming evolution. In all respects, the men and women who would be entering the Wraith facility made themselves ready. As is common with soldiers, a moment of relative quiet brought about conversation. Corporal Bayhearn, making hand motions to PFC Frederick Mathas, signaled for the younger soldier to switch to a discreet channel on his communications suite. Flashing first three fingers, then four, while tapping the ear area of his exoskeleton helmet, Bayhearn made his wishes clear to Mathas.
"You on?" Bayhearn asked.
"Roger that Corporal." Mathas replied.
"Look, I know you can do this. Put all that high speed, kung fu ninja grip stuff to work, and you will do fine. Trackin?" Bayhearn asked.
"Lead the way!" Mathas replied with a chuckle.
"So, the plot thickens with our new Lieutenant. Heard a few things." Bayhearn hinted.
"Sharing is caring man. Spill it." Mathas urged.
"Apparently, when our incredibly over motivated Lieutenant was a butter bar at Fort Lewis, he managed to get his platoon lost during a field exercise." Bayhearn stated.
"Lost, or lost? The difference makes all the difference in the story." Mathas stated.
"Lost, as in accidently invaded a friendly nation." Bayhearn chuckled.
"What?" Mathas questioned.
"Somehow, Lieutenant Milliby managed to cross his troops over into Canada. They wondered around until the Mounties found them." Bayhearn continued.
"Oh great!" Mathas said while rolling his eyes.
"From there, he went to the S-3 shop, before somehow swinging a transfer to us. A few people I talked to at Lewis had nothing good to say about this guy. He is apparently a real hard charger. Must be overcompensating for not being a ring knocker." Bayhearn grimaced.
"It just gets better and better. Gotta love the Army. That explains why the LT insisted he lead our squad into the outpost. Just once, I would love for something to be trouble free." Mathas winced.
"Look on the bright side; the LT will be with Sergeant Margolis and his fire team." Bayhearn offered.
Before the conversation could continue further, word passed through 2nd squad and the Borealis team that it was time to move. Leading the way, the eleven Rangers, and four member Borealis team moved towards the facility wall. As they moved, adaptive camouflage altered the coloration of each exoskeleton. Moving from greens and browns, to a lighter tan, and finally to the purplish hue of the facility walls biopolymer armor, the adaptive camouflage system moved quickly to compensate. At the wall, Specialist Stenson removed a metallic bar from his back. Removing a cap on the end of this bar, while pushing a trigger at the opposing end of the bar; Stenson lit the incredibly hot plasma torch.
In the face of such extreme heat, the biopolymer composed outer wall gave way. Using the torch to pierce the outer wall, leaving a hole the diameter of the torching, Stenson triggered the device off as he removed it. Through this failure point in the outer structure, a life signs probe was passed through. Looking at the scanner readout display, Captain Tamara Johansen quickly confirmed that no life signs were present anywhere around the area on the other side of this wall. That discovery meant Stenson could continue. Retriggering the plasma torch, Specialist Stenson methodically attacked the outer wall. For three minutes, the biopolymer construct yielded in the face of extreme heat. When done, Master Sergeant Ronald Greer kicked the cut out area, pleased as it fell into the inner facility.
Lieutenant Milliby, and the two Ranger fire teams of 2nd squad entered the facility first. Upon entry, the Ranger element broke into two separate groups, and went about their mission of distraction. Behind them, Teal'c and his Borealis team entered. Angling away from the Ranger teams already moving away, the Borealis team moved cautiously. Having familiarity with Wraith facilities, Teal'c had a general idea where items of interest might be. All those inside the facility advanced; their particle magnums at the ready. What the teams did not yet know, was that their method of entry had already sounded an alarm to those Wraith manning this facility. Each step the Tau'ri teams took was done without the knowledge that elsewhere alarms blared.
Moving on the balls of their feet, Teal'c, with Greer beside him, silently swept through corridor after corridor. Coving the team's rear, Captains Scott and Johansen took in every sight around them. Reaching a Wraith teleportation booth, the team broke into groups of two, and teleported to what they thought would be the facilities computer core. Typically, Wraith facilities kept their computer core deep within the heart of a ship or facility.
Exiting the transporter booth, Teal'c and Greer fanned out. This, they did to cover the arrival of Scott and TJ. Strangely, this area was not nearly as well illuminated as the other areas of the facility already seen. Thankfully, the integrated thermal enhanced night vision system, built into each exoskeleton's helmet, rendered that a moot problem. Teal'c, advancing slowly to the door that should separate him from the Wraith computer core, looked down and saw something worthy of surprise. On the passageway floor, footprints blazed in the thermal spectrum. These footprints were not the tracks of an adult Wraith. Instead, these prints were much smaller in size.
Signaling his team to halt, Teal'c turned his head left and right. Following the prints in his view, he noticed that they went around the corner to his left. Advancing as quietly as he could, Teal'c approached the corner with his weapon at the ready. Three feet from the corner, a child's giggle could be heard. Eerie; this sound sent chills down the former First Prime's spine. Taking another step towards the corner, at waste height, a piece of a face came into view. Amber colored cats eyes looked upon Teal'c. This sight was accompanied with another bout of hushed laughter.
Before Teal'c could take another step, or even ponder his next action, the form of a small child emerged from around the corner. Straight white hair framed the child's face. In her small hand, a half eaten apple could be seen. For seconds, the child and the Jaffa starred at one another; one amused while the other dumbstruck.
"Hello." The child said with a smile of happiness across her face.
"Are you alone child?" Teal'c asked warily.
"I am not supposed to be here alone. I snuck away for my fruit!" The child replied, while holding her apple high proudly.
"Are you alone?" Teal'c repeated.
"Yes. My sisters are in the vault." The child replied.
"How many sisters do you have?" Teal'c asked.
"Eleven. My guardians say we will be queens one day!" The child announced.
Behind Teal'c, the team spoke amongst themselves. They had no clue what was going on here, but this was not what they had expected to find. The universal rule of 'wait a minute, and things will get stranger' had once again rang true.
"What is this?" Greer asked uncertainly.
"A little girl Greer." TJ replied.
"A nursery maybe?" Scott asked.
Breaking away from the group, TJ approached the little Wraith queen. Incredibly, the child showed no fear. Squatting down, TJ began to speak with the little girl.
"Hi, my name is Tamara. What is your name?" TJ asked.
"We don't have names." The child replied.
"If I show you a map, can you tell me where I can find your sisters?" Tamara asked.
Nodding her head in the affirmative, the child let the team know what she could in fact do that very thing. Bringing up a facility diagram, composed by the handheld scanner, TJ showed the display to the child. With not a moment's hesitation, the child showed the team where in the facility her sisters could be found. That area was in the path of the two Ranger teams, many levels below where the Borealis team currently stood.
Elsewhere in the Wraith outpost, the all commander cadre of the facility moved about with purpose. Two dozen of the commanders quickly made their way to the out of sight Dart bay. There, these pilots manned their craft. The Darts lifted off, the moment systems were online. Through the cave like opening above, the Darts charged off to reinforce those Darts already on station.
As these Darts exited their reclusive lair, cloaked 302's orbiting high overhead detected their departure. While FB-302's remained cloak and maintained their orbit, F-302's dropped their cloaks and moved to pounce. In seconds, the situation devolved into an aerial fur ball, playing out high above the forest below.
On the ground, within the dense trees, Wraith foot patrols with weapons at the ready, raced towards the outpost. Standing between these foot patrols and their chosen destination sat 3rd and 4th squad, along with the four Cybernetic Autonomous Armed Trackers. Courtesy of the four UAV's overhead, launched from the CAAT's, this mass migration of foot patrols was noticed. Each CAAT transmitted this information over the battle network, sharing the data with exoskeletons, 302's, and Bunker Hill alike.
Moving swiftly, with little regard for their own safety, several of the Wraith foot patrols ran headlong into motion sensitive Claymore mines left for the purpose. As motion sensors detected movement, the lethal antipersonnel munitions detonated. Each detonation unleashed a vicious wave of lethal, fast moving ball bearings. The six Wraith commanders unlucky enough to have triggered these devices met their end in gruesome fashion. Bodily, these commanders were torn to pieces by the lethal ball bearings. Hearing these detonations, other Wraith patrols still at the run, began to fire their weapons wildly in all directions. That they fired at no specific target mattered little. This facility and its contents far outweighed the life of each and every commander present.
CAAT 02, playing the spoiler, opted to take the fight to the foot patrol approaching. This, it did, due to the foot patrols current path leading them directly towards the 4th squad defensive line. Leaping to its metallic feet, CAAT 02 advanced at the run. Maneuvering between trees in its path, 02 came to a sudden stop. Elevating its spinal mounted M25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, 02 selected an aim point in front of the approaching patrols path.
A hollow sounding thud rang out, only to be muffled by the forest. From the barrel of 02's M25, a single forty millimeter grenade sliced through the air. Spinning as it flew; the grenade armed itself in order to fulfill its designed purpose. Every weapon has a purpose. To deny that weapons purpose is to deny the weapons reason for being. That fate would not befall the weapon hurtling downrange.
Landing eight meters in front of the oncoming Wraith foot patrol, the weapon did not explode. For a half second, it sat their as if inert. Of the two Wraith at the run, the nearest to the round failed to notice the it's impact. This would bring about the commanders end. Within the forty millimeter round, a small explosive charge fired. This charge did nothing more than propel the round upwards, to a height of three feet above the forests floor. Sensing a halt to its rise, and subsequent downward motion, the round detonated thunderously. Fire, heat, shrapnel, and concussive force erupted as the round consumed itself in a ball of flame. The commander nearest the detonation was assaulted by the four elements of this explosion. While just one of these forces could have brought about the commanders end, assault by all four left little to chance.
The second, and still living commander, escaped with his hearing lost, and horrific burns charring his face and flank. In the fray, in a manner known only on the field of battle, this commander locked eyes on the exoskeleton clad figures in the distance. Ignoring the incredible pain, the commander leveled his weapon in the Rangers direction. Firing rapidly at his now seen enemy, the commander howled aloud. His hearing lost, he had no clue he was howling at all. Running as fast as his damaged body could propel him; the commander charged his distance enemy. A life and death race had begun; this was a race the sprinting commander was not fated to win.
CAAT 02 weighed the evolving tactical picture before it. Programmed to disregard danger to itself should human life rest in the balance, 02 quickly decided on the most logical course of action. While 02 could easily intercept the sprinter, a faster method to eliminate the threat existed. Sending signal through its onboard data link, 02 gave new tasking orders to its UAV. That automated air vehicle, with instructions in hand, advanced to its best possible speed. Descending into the tree cover, the UAV blazed a path towards its target. All told, the turn of events took twelve long seconds. Flesh and metal collided at speed, as the UAV slammed bodily into the running Wraith commander. Neither Wraith nor UAV survived.
Moments later, from points all over the forest, weapons fire erupted. Blue hued energy bolts from Wraith weapons swarmed towards Ranger positions. In retort, earsplitting booms filled the air as Rangers returned fire with their individual rail gun weapons. Instead of a battlefield resembling a chess match, it instead looked like the seven circle of hell had sprung into existence. As the battle raged on the ground, and in the air above, events within the facility were close to combustion point as well.
M3J-570
Pegasus Galaxy
Five hundred miles away from the ongoing battle, and the Wraith facility, activity of a different kind was taking place. Underneath several thousand feet of bitterly cold salt water, a lone Wraith Cruiser powered up. At its helm, a trio of Wraith commanders sat. Antigravity drives, now fully powered, began to lift the vessel from the seafloor's surface. Lifting away from the seafloor, silt filled the dark water. Hydrothermal vents littering the seafloor served as witness to the cruiser's departure.
As the biologically grown warship climbed towards the oceans surface, weapons systems long dormant began to charge. Biopolymer constructed outer hull plating creaked and groaned as water pressure assaulting the hull diminished. An audible chime rang out through the vessels bridge, announcing full charge had been reached for the weapons system.
Rising like a cork long held below water, the vessel continued its climb towards the surface. As the vessel drew near the surface, antigravity pods began alternating the gravity field surrounding the Wraith warship. Water exploded upwards, as if from a geyser, as the cruiser broke free of its watery bonds. Continuing its rise into the skies above, water cascaded from its hull.
Looking menacing and fearsome, the cruiser activated its propulsion systems to carry it towards the outpost currently under siege.
USS Bunker Hill
In polar orbit of M3J-570
Pegasus Galaxy
Since the arrival of Bunker Hill in this system, sensor stations had been continually manned to a heightened degree. Watching events unfold on the planet below was emotionally straining for sensor operators aboard the Tau'ri vessel. Though it was simply data displayed before their eyes, to each sensor operator that data represented lives from their world.
"Contact!" A young woman announced.
"What have you got?" The woman's duty supervisor asked.
"Sensors are showing movement." The woman replied.
"Take a look around down there Airman. We have movement all over the place." The supervisor chided.
"This movement is coming from the hydrothermal vent anomaly. Whatever the contact is, it's rising towards the surface of the ocean." The woman pointed out in frustration.
"Can you identify the contact?" The supervisor asked with growing concern.
"Breaking the surface now! The computer identifies the contact as a Wraith cruiser! Friendly Hive is maneuvering!" The young woman announced hurriedly.
As the battle raging on the planet began, Todd and his ZPM enhanced Hive had made their way into the solar system. Upon arrival at the target planet, Todd and his vessel had established orbit. Though he had not warned his Tau'ri allies of the possible presence of a Wraith warship, it was a possibility he had highly suspected.
Focusing his intimidating telepathic powers to work, Todd projected his order to land the vessel to the cruisers crew. This order the cruiser and her crew refused repeatedly. While the Tau'ri were hesitant to wage unrestricted warfare against the Wraith of this world, Todd had no such qualms.
Bringing his enhanced Hive into a position, Todd aligned his starboard weapons towards the vessel far below. Dispassionately, Todd gave the order to fire a full volley at the cruiser, and its crew. From the Hives starboard batteries, searing bolts of cobalt blue energy hurtled towards the target below. Seconds later, the shattered cruiser and its crew were no more.
Wraith Outpost
M3J-570
Pegasus Galaxy
At ground level, within the outpost, events had gone from cold to warm, and from warm to on fire. While his orders were to provide a distraction of Teal'c and the Borealis team, Lieutenant Milliby had taken his orders a bit too literally. Upon contact with Wraith combatants, Milliby drove 2nd squad directly into the heart of the enemy.
Using maneuver, firepower, and blunt force, Milliby and 2nd squad fought their way ever deeper into the facility. Despite their courage and valor, these men refused to fight at a level Milliby thought befitting those under his command. Relentlessly, the Lieutenant pushed his men forward. If anything was left alive here when this was over, Milliby fully intended to severely discipline his men for their transgression. Pity, as he told others, was a weakness.
One item that went unnoticed to Milliby was that the Wraith were fighting a defensive battle. Stepping back with each shot fired, the Wraith withdrew deeper into the heart of their facility. Despite this, Wraith losses were beginning to mount. Each death was tragic, insofar as it further depleted the small number of Wraith left in existence. Refusing to simply hold his current position of attack, Milliby pressed his men deeper into the facility, hoping to corner the enemy.
Watching the surviving Wraith withdraw into a circular shaped center enclave at the facilities heart, Milliby knew he had the enemy where he wanted them. This would be the Wraith's Alamo, and like the Alamo, they would die here to the last man. Milliby refused to accept any substitute.
Making use of their Particle Magnum's, set to their maximum destructive setting, the men of 2nd squad volleyed incredible amounts of fire at the curved wall of the circular partition. This partition was all that stood between them and the enemy. Each high energy Magnum bolt devoured the biopolymer partition a bit more. In less than two minutes, the partition began to crumble. As sections of the wall fell, a bit more of the areas interior came into view. It was then that Private First Class Frederick Mathas saw something that horrified him.
"Sir, children are inside that stronghold!" Mathas yelled in surprised tones.
That single announcement gave the other members of 2nd squad pause. This bit of information changed everything in the eyes of these men. In response, their firing ceased and weapons were lowered.
"What are you doing? Keep firing!" Milliby raged.
"Those are children in there sir!" Mathas thundered.
"Wraith are Wraith! Now, keep firing or I will have you brought up on charges when we are done here Private! All of you continue firing!" Milliby screamed.
"I will not follow that order!" Mathas yelled in defiance.
"Do not follow that order!" Sergeant Margolis chimed in, enraged.
"Get in there, all of you! Now!" Milliby screamed in order.
"Stand fast!" Sergeant Margolis snarled in response to his men.
"You want to end up in the brig? Follow my order or I will see all of you charged!" Milliby shrieked.
"Good luck with that." Corporal Bayhearn chimed in.
Overcome with rage, and his soldier's inability to follow orders, Lieutenant Milliby broke into an unexpected sprint. That act came as such a surprise to 2nd squad, that none of them even moved to stop their commanding officer. Barreling towards the crumbled partition wall as fast as his exoskeleton could propel him, Milliby sprinted towards a victory he refused to be denied.
This move caught the Wraith within by surprise as well. As an exoskeleton clad human crashed through the crumbled biopolymer wall, all Wraith within watched in shock, horror, and surprise. Luckily, at least by Milliby's flawed form of thinking, a Wraith child stood near where he currently was. Raising his weapon, Milliby cut down two nearby Wraith commanders, as he reached out and grabbed the nearby child by the hair. As she screamed, Milliby leveled his weapon at the remaining ten commanders in the room. Not once did it register in Milliby's mind that the first action of those commanders was to put themselves between the attacker and the children. There they stood; ready to trade their lives for the safety of these children.
Behind these children, a set of biopolymer double doors slid open. Walking through that open doorway, Teal'c and his team stepped through with weapons at the ready. Having overheard the Lieutenants frantic screaming session over the communications net, they were fully aware of what they faced. Advancing, with their weapons aimed at Milliby, Teal'c, Greer, and Scott moved towards the Lieutenant. For reasons unknown, Milliby failed to register that inconvenient fact.
Behind Milliby, the men of 2nd squad entered the enclosure. They too had their weapons leveled squarely at their commanding officer. Sensing movement behind him, Milliby quickly turned around. His movements already rapid took on a frantic and jerky quality.
"Back, now!" Milliby snapped.
"Lieutenant, release the child." Teal'c ordered in a threatening tone.
"Protecting you fellow alien? Is that it? All of the Wraith here are dead!" Milliby howled.
"If you do not release that child immediately, I will kill you where you stand." Teal'c warned.
As Teal'c distracted the Lieutenant, the men of 2nd squad moved closer to their commanding officer. Bayhearn, in his infinite wisdom, began exchanging hand signals with the nearest Wraith commander. Though they had been enemy's moments before, the life of a child bridged that divide completely. Teal'c, seeing the situation unfolding before him, took a step towards Milliby. Feeling that the Jaffa was readying himself to pounce, Milliby started to sweep his weapon towards Teal'c. His intention was clearly to end the former First Prime's life.
At that moment, action sprang from all corners of the enclosure. Mathas, nearest to Milliby, reached out to grab his commander's wrist and secure the officers weapon. Bayhearn and Margolis both wrapped Milliby in a clutching bear hug. As they wrapped their arms around the man, both Bayhearn and Margolis tossed themselves bodily backwards. The three men fell to the floor in a heap. As they fell, Milliby managed to fire a single unnamed shot from his Particle Magnum. Knowing a shot was likely, the cooperating Wraith commander had positioned himself to stand between any weapons fire and the children. Leaping in front of a young female Wraith, the commander caught this unnamed shot directly in his chest. There, he fell to the ground.
Known for his sense of timing, Todd stepped into the enclosure. Looking around, the Hybrid leader took stock of the overall situation. As he grumbled something, TJ raced to the aid of the fallen commander. Looking at his wounds, then to Todd, TJ shook her head mournfully.
"What you did was brave." TJ said in a consoling voice.
"I did it so that the children might live." The commander replied with his last breath.
Unafraid, one of the Wraith children stepped forward towards Todd. The very act brought a smile to the Hybrids face. The sight of that smile confused the little girl, but in no way deterred her.
"Are you going to kill my sisters and I now?" The girl asked in a voice lacking any trace of fear.
"I am not here to kill you. What I will do is take you home to your people." Todd replied honesty.
"We were taught that you are a betrayer to all Wraith." The girl said simply.
"The Wraith are no more. We have become something greater than we once were. You will be part of something greater. Give me your hand." Todd said.
Putting her hand in Todd's, the two, with the other children and surviving commanders in tow, exited the enclosure.
"What is going to happen to the Lieutenant?" Mathas asked.
"If he is lucky, he will end up counting steak sauce as a mess hall officer. Something tells me he isn't lucky though." Captain Mathew Scott offered.