20 – Are you kidding me !?
(Spera – Hydroponics Bay 2 – Day 270, 0815)
They had reached the edge of Galaxy Destiny One on Day
264. They had successfully dialed the Stargate to Galaxy Destiny Two and send
both the Puddle Jumpers through. Besides all seventeen of the New Asurans, they
had also send Major Teldy and Alex Patterson through. It wasn’t that they didn’t
trust the New Asurans, it was that IOA had decided to hand out some long
overdue promotions. Anne Teldy would become the second-in-command of the
Epsilon Site with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. At this same time, Freedom
Prime was getting its armed forces on their feet. And the newly created Space
Navy Command – which was two freshly minted Admirals and their aids – had
decided to decommission the original Exodus One and replace it by a
brand-new vessel of the same name. The new Exodus One would have a crew
complement of sixty-one. Unlike Exodus Two, which was basically an
aircraft carrier, Exodus One would be a gunship.
The plan was to build six of these ships – counting Exodus
One – that would protect Exodus Two during missions. But
before all of that could happen, they needed somebody experienced and capable
to command the first of their new ships. And the IOA had decided that Alex
Patterson was the most suitable person available. So they had promoted her to Master
Sergeant and given her the job. Her crew would be made out of green trainees,
which she would have turn into experienced hands that would transfer to the
other Project Exodus ships as they rolled off the assembly line.
What all this meant for the people onboard Spera,
was that the remaining crew had to work overtime to get everything done and
keep things on schedule. For the past six days, they had been stocking up
before crossing to Galaxy Destiny Two. Once they got there, they would skip the
third that Destiny had explored already. The only place they would make
a stop at was Novus Prime, the new homeworld of the people of Novus. Hopefully,
the people could tell them more about the Vicerant.
Of course, they would need plenty of supplies for the
trip. And what they were getting from the nearby planets would not be enough.
So, Colson and Hailey were double checking everything in the hydroponics bay. And
so far, everything was looking good.
“Looks like we’ll have a full crop soon.” Hailey said.
“And it’s going to be more than the last one.”
“Yes, things are looking up down here.” Colson said.
“Still, growing enough food for eighty plus people is not easy.”
“And then there’s the lack of meat.”
“Actually, NR-5 is working on that.” Colson began. “They
found a rat-like creature the size off a hamster. Apparently, they make good
eating. And NR-4 found something similar to rabbits.”
“You can’t survive on rabbit meat, it’s too lean.”
Hailey said, having learned that in survival training. “But it’s better than
nothing. So, how long will it take to get to across the void ?” ~Presuming that
the FTL-drive doesn’t break down during the trip.~ And Spera’s top speed
was faster than Destiny’s had been.
“About two weeks and a couple of hours.”
Hailey nodded in reply. ~That estimate sounds good to
me.~ She had seen enough of this galaxy. ~On the bright side, at least things
had been going to plan.~ Alas, that was usually the moment that the ground
opened up and tried to swallow you. Or something else went horribly wrong.
(Fast Chaser – Bridge – Day 284, 1107)
The construction of the Fast Chaser was on
schedule. The frame was finished and the hull was in place, which meant that
the internal construction was now underway. And the first room on the schedule
was the bridge. Unlike Destiny’s bridge, which was located at the top of
vessel, Chaser’s command center was located on deck three. The room was
also not located in the front of the deck, being located behind the mess hall
and the kitchen.
As he walked onto the bridge, Colonel Young was
surprised to see that the place was an accurate copy of Destiny’s
command center as the Freedom Primians could make it. So he sat down in his
command chair and studied the place. It was then that Rush walked in, followed
by General O’Neill – in the body of Matthew Scott – and Colonel Telford.
“So,” O’Neill began. “Vale just reported that Spera
has entered Galaxy Destiny Two. They’ve picked up their two Puddle Jumpers and
are now on their way to Novus Prime. How are things going here ?”
“Construction of the Chaser is on schedule,”
Rush said. “Not that I think we have any chance of actually catching Destiny.”
“Rush,” Telford said, his tone one of annoyance.
“What ?” Rush began. “Whatever hyperdrive technology
these people have, it is going to far inferior to Destiny’s FTL. And she
already has several weeks of a head start on us, and this ship is far from
being complete.”
“Rush !” Telford began. “That’s enough. Besides, I’ve
seen the specs of the hyperdrive. And this is one fast ship, with room for a
lot of people.”
The ship was designed to house and feed three hundred people.
Young’s crew was around eighty people. But the IOA wanted Chaser to have
enough room for Spera’s crew to evacuate there if things went wrong.
Yet, Young got the feeling that there was more to it. And from the look on
General O’Neill’s face, this was where the other shoes was about to drop.
~There was something in the Treaty of Freedom Prime that they didn’t tell us.~
Something that he wasn’t going to like.
“Yeah, about that…” O’Neill said. “…the Primians had
conditions for allowing us to run their Stargate Program and building the Chaser.”
“Let me guess. They want some of their people on the
crew.”
“Well, that’s not happening.” Rush said.
“Yes, it is,” Young began, giving Rush a look to cut
off his objection. “Without these people, the Vicerant would have executed us
and the rescue team would have died. Not to mention, if we’re going to pull
this off, we need all the hands we can get. So, how many are we talking here ?”
“Enough to boost the crew to one-hundred-and twenty,”
O’Neill began. “That way, even if Vale’s lot have to evacuate, you’d have a
buffer of sixty. Which the eggheads figure should be enough.”
“So, they want to max out Spera ?”
Before O’Neill could answer, one of the consoles
beeped. Chaser was far from being operational, but the bridge was tied
into several systems outside the ship. This included the planetary sensor
arrays. This was so that the crew could train on the new ship before she
launched. The console that had beeped was the one tied into the sensor arrays.
It showed several large vessels. While Rush worked the console, O’Neill watched
the readings. And then he realized what these ships were.
“Are you kidding me !?”
(Vengeance – Bridge – Day 284, 1110)
The Vengeance was a Goa’uld Ha’tak-class
vessel. It was also the flagship of the New Goa’uld Empire fleet. So when
Va’liss – her commander - had walked onto the bridge for the first time, he had
expected a throne room. Or a sarcophagus. But he had found neither. The standard
Course Control Console was there, as was the standard Weapons Control Console.
But there was no throne. Instead, there were several consoles that were used
for coordinating the fleet.
With his duties, Va’liss did not have much to do with
those consoles. Those belonged to the Supreme System Lord. It was there that
the Supreme Leader – whose name was a mystery to all – gave his orders to the
New Goa’uld Empire. The Empire was collection of Goa’uld vessels, whose engines
had been upgraded with Ancient technology. Where the Leader had gotten this
technology was an even bigger mystery then his name. Using the upgraded
engines, they had left the Milky Way Galaxy weeks ago.
And in this case, the they that had done the leaving,
had not been a small group either. Before they had left, the Leader had
gathered every Goa’uld left in the Milky Way Galaxy. Including the ones on
Earth and inside Lucian Alliance space. The only ones they had not been able to
get, were the ones back on the original Goa’uld homeworld. But those were no
longer an issue. The entire fleet – 47 Ha’tak-class vessels strong – had gone
there and wiped them out by means of orbital bombardment.
After that, they had headed out. And now, they were
here. The Supreme Leader had ordered them to this galaxy. His line of thinking
was simple. Everybody in the Milky Way Galaxy hated the Goa’uld with a passion.
And it was their own fault. So they needed to start over, somewhere far away
from their reputation. And this galaxy – despite the presence of the Tau’ri on
the world they were approaching – was as clean a slate as the Supreme Leader
could find. Va’liss had just taken over at the Course Control Console when the
Supreme Leader entered the bridge.
The Leader had a male host. But his face was hidden
behind a white mask. Nobody had ever seen the Supreme Leader’s face. The Leader
turned to him.
“Open a channel,” The Supreme Leader said. “The Tau’ri
would have discovered our presence sooner or later, better to confront them
head-on and show them what they are facing.”
“Yes, Supreme Leader.” He opened the channel as
ordered. “Channel open.”
“Greetings, people of Freedom Prime. We are the
Goa’uld and we have come to this galaxy to build a new Empire,” The Supreme
System Lord began. “And we will succeed. So I say…,” A grin formed on the
Supreme System Lord’s face. “….Pelops, former ruler of Argos and now Supreme
System Lord of the New Goa’uld Empire. Also, I wanted to introduce the galaxy
to my new host body….” Pelops removed his mask. “….Samuel Frederick Wallace.”
The grin on Pelops’ face grew bigger.
“I know, taking Eli’s father as a host is a cliché.
But I am the head of an interstellar Empire, so…Frankly, my dear, I don’t give
a damn. And there is nothing you can do to stop me anyway. See you around.” He
laughed – with his eyes glowing in the traditional Goa’uld manner - as Va’liss
closed the channel, then turned to him. “Va’liss, you know what to do. Call me
when we are on approach to Landing Site One.”
“Yes, Lord Pelops.”
Pelops left the bridge, while Va’liss set to plotting
the course. Six seconds later, the Vengeance jumped to hyper speed. And
the fleet followed. The New Goa’uld Empire had arrived.
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