(More of "Shadow Dancing," see previous post for beginning and next post for end.)
Spoiler:
Even so, Vala's not sure they have what it takes to end this war. The galaxy's been embroiled in fighting for over a decade now, nonstop death and destruction at every corner. She's beginning to doubt it will ever stop. Even if they conquer Aschae and stop the Confederation's genocide attempts ("Ashes to Ashes"), another race or group will inevitably step up to take their place. The cycle hasn't ended in ten-thousand years, why should it end now?
Coming down the stairwell and heading towards them, Daniel Jackson still has some optimism in him. With negotiations aimed at reforming the Alliance finally underway on Heliopolis ("Convictions"), they have before them an opportunity not seen since the Ancients arrived in the Milky Way. For the first time, there's hope for a lasting peace, and they just have to have faith that their teammates will get the job done. Glancing at the stargate, though, Vala just hopes that faith will be enough.
Meanwhile, Jonas and Eaton are sneaking into the Confederation flagship's hanger, glancing around at the transports flanking the blast doors on the far side. There aren't any guards per se, but there are plenty of vents to pump in toxin and the walls are lined the miniature antipersonnel turrets ("2010"). Grimacing, Rebbecca notes that there's no way they can get to any of those ships without being pelted at every turn, and there are enough of those guns to kill them in short time. The Intel agent agrees, but he doesn't think they really have a better option given the vessel's lack of things like escape pods. If they trip an alarm this time, Mollem's not going to have any second thoughts about pumping as many deadly compounds into every corner of the ship as he can.
Ducking back into the hallway, Jonas admits that he doesn't really have a plan from here on out, he was just hoping they could play it by ear. Unfortunately, he can't think of any way to get past those defenses without a security terminal to hack, and that'd just alert the Aschen to their continued snooping. Unless, of course, they were to use an unlocked console, but the only ones around for such an important security purpose would be on the bridge. Rebbecca immediately grins at the thought of sneaking around right under Mollem's nose, but Jonas seems to regret bringing up the idea already. Nevertheless, Eaton thinks they can pull it off and starts to drag her partner down the corridor, heading toward the nearest transporter station.
On the command deck, Mollem has returned to the bridge and resumed normal operational duties. Turning to his communications officer, he asks if they've received confirmation from home that his earlier transmission was received. The crewman replies that while they haven't gotten word back yet, the message should be reaching their superiors any moment now. When it does, they will take the appropriate measures. The Alliance believes it is about to obtain a great victory, but they don't realize that by daring to strike into the Confederation, they have sealed their own doom.
And indeed, on the world they're speeding toward, a communications relay suddenly registers something being sent through the highest channels. Aschae is a world covered in sprawling cityscape broken only occasionally by small seas, expansive mountain regions, or its sizable polar caps. Zooming down through the clouds, it's no surprise that the Confederation exists largely to provide resources for the Aschen homeworld, as there doesn't seem to be much in the way of agricultural land here. There must be billions of citizens, though none of them look to be out of doors, and there aren't any passageways between the towers here. It's more likely that people use underground or inter-building passages instead. All things considered, it's not a place too dissimilar from Earth... aside from its enormous and stunning planetary rings.
Inside one of the stouter city spires, a group of five individuals are seated around a conference table watching a hologram of Mollem's upper body flicker to life. The ruling council listens as their trusted subordinate apprises them of recent events, a surprise attack through the alien space station in their territory. Through some act of subterfuge, most of his fleet was destroyed prior to engaging the enemy, and he had no choice but to retreat for the homeworld. The Alliance will almost certainly be right behind him, and he cautions the council that they have great numbers and firepower, far more than their defenses are capable of repelling. If the Confederation is to survive this, they will need to enact their most daring plan. While the hologram fizzles out, the council rises, nodding to one another, and depart to prepare for what may be the last stand for their people.
Back on the Aschen flagship, Eaton stands in a corridor trying to remain inconspicuous while the visiting Der'kal warlord and his female guards walk past, heading for their guest quarters. One of the females mentions "others" that will soon be joining them, but then they're out of earshot. Relaxing once they're around the bend, Rebbecca whispers that they're getting close to the bridge. Jonas really wishes there was another way to do this, and he's already envisioning them dying in some awful break-in attempt gone awry. But it's not as if they have many other options, and they certainly can't stay on this ship after they get a message back to Sam. The crew will pick it up right away, and they'll only have minutes to get away before their position is pinpointed.
They make their way around a few corners to the doors of the bridge, waiting unobtrusively for someone to key open the entry. When a crewman finally does come through, they make their move and slip through behind her. The bridge is buzzing with activity, and no one seems to take notice of two new personnel moving towards the least congested area. Slipping behind a terminal, Jonas begins slicing through the security systems while Rebbecca absently checks data on an external monitor.
An officer steps up and politely asks Eaton if she's noticed any exacerbated hull damage from their earlier engagement with the Alliance. Gaping uselessly, the SG-1 member scans the monitor and tries to figure out what it's reporting. When she continues to flounder, the officer eyes her suspiciously, but Jonas speaks up at the last second and points out an air leak in the starboard cargo bay. Nodding in thanks, the Aschen recommends he continue watching his "trainee" and heads off, leaving Eaton breathless and relieved. Grinning, Jonas finishes his hack and disables the anti-personnel turrets in the hanger, then turns and advises Rebbecca to fit in a little better next time. The two of them head back towards the door, but are taken aback when it slams shut in front of them.
From his raised portion of the bridge, Mollem announces their arrival at Aschae, and per standard protocol given the imminent threat, no one will be entering or leaving the bridge short of emergency duties. Out the window hyperspace fades away, leaving only the planet Aschae and an ever-growing cluster of battlecruisers pulled from across the Confederation. Swallowing his confidence, Jonas mutters that this may be a problem, one he's not entirely sure he can figure a way out of. Neither he nor Rebbecca have locator beacons on them, and this closely scrutinized by so many Aschen, they can't afford to so much as tap the transmitter Sam gave them. She's going to have to launch this attack on her own, and hopefully find a way to get them out of this.
An hour later, the Jupiter is still waiting near the Venii relay while reinforcements come and go in the background. Nervously checking the comm. systems again, Sam is second guessing her decision to let Jonas and Eaton head back into enemy space. They should have arrived and reported back by now, and they can't delay launching the assault any longer. From the Hak'tyl, Kitel sympathizes with her position, but is adamant that they cannot afford to waste this window. If the Confederation can fend off this strike and push them back through the relay station, the war will drag on indefinitely. And with all this waiting, they're only giving the Aschen more time to mount a substantial defense. With no other options, the armada enters hyperspace for battle.
A montage of scenes illustrates the passing of the next hour or two, with everyone on both sides growing nervous in anticipation. Samantha Carter and her subordinates double and triple check their weapons and shields, and fighter pilots gather in the hanger to prepare for scrambling. On the Jaffa ships, Admiral Kitel is walking between stations giving words of advice to his men before returning to his command chair to contemplate strategy. The Venii admiral accompanying them seems to be meditating on his bridge, letting his subordinates each steel themselves in their own way. And at their destination, Eaton and Jonas do their best not to let their fear become too obvious, staring out the viewport and waiting for the dozens of hyperspace windows to appear. And then, out of nowhere, the Alliance fleet begins to arrive.
Sitting up straighter, Mollem nods to a communications officer, who relays a message down to the planet's surface. In a secured room inside one of Aschae's spires, a stargate begins to dial... and simultaneously, so does the stargate on Heliopolis. On every major Confederation world, stargates dial a corresponding Alliance planet; Chulak, Dar Eshkalon, V'en, Arrakis, and others. On Earth, Vala's still standing in the gate room when their own stargate activates, and the iris slams shut as the kawoosh gives way to a stable wormhole. But there's no IDC coming through, nor any person or object. Up in the control room, Dr. Talbot stares at the defense team in confusion, wondering what's going on.
Above Aschae, Mollem hails the Jupiter and welcomes Carter and her allies to what he's sure they figured would be some titanic battle for the fate of the galaxy. But as they should be aware, that is not the Aschen way, and they were not prepared to risk their entire civilization to the method of battle preferred by their enemies. Every major Confederation planet has dialed a corresponding Alliance stronghold, and thousands of canisters of tailored viruses are ready for deployment. Each race will be stricken by a plague uniquely suited to destroy their physiology, and billions upon billions will die. That is the future that awaits them should even a single plasma blast strike Aschae's surface. If Sam wants to save the lives of her people, the best thing she can do now is to turn around and go home, and countless innocents will get to live another day.
Coming down the stairwell and heading towards them, Daniel Jackson still has some optimism in him. With negotiations aimed at reforming the Alliance finally underway on Heliopolis ("Convictions"), they have before them an opportunity not seen since the Ancients arrived in the Milky Way. For the first time, there's hope for a lasting peace, and they just have to have faith that their teammates will get the job done. Glancing at the stargate, though, Vala just hopes that faith will be enough.
Meanwhile, Jonas and Eaton are sneaking into the Confederation flagship's hanger, glancing around at the transports flanking the blast doors on the far side. There aren't any guards per se, but there are plenty of vents to pump in toxin and the walls are lined the miniature antipersonnel turrets ("2010"). Grimacing, Rebbecca notes that there's no way they can get to any of those ships without being pelted at every turn, and there are enough of those guns to kill them in short time. The Intel agent agrees, but he doesn't think they really have a better option given the vessel's lack of things like escape pods. If they trip an alarm this time, Mollem's not going to have any second thoughts about pumping as many deadly compounds into every corner of the ship as he can.
Ducking back into the hallway, Jonas admits that he doesn't really have a plan from here on out, he was just hoping they could play it by ear. Unfortunately, he can't think of any way to get past those defenses without a security terminal to hack, and that'd just alert the Aschen to their continued snooping. Unless, of course, they were to use an unlocked console, but the only ones around for such an important security purpose would be on the bridge. Rebbecca immediately grins at the thought of sneaking around right under Mollem's nose, but Jonas seems to regret bringing up the idea already. Nevertheless, Eaton thinks they can pull it off and starts to drag her partner down the corridor, heading toward the nearest transporter station.
On the command deck, Mollem has returned to the bridge and resumed normal operational duties. Turning to his communications officer, he asks if they've received confirmation from home that his earlier transmission was received. The crewman replies that while they haven't gotten word back yet, the message should be reaching their superiors any moment now. When it does, they will take the appropriate measures. The Alliance believes it is about to obtain a great victory, but they don't realize that by daring to strike into the Confederation, they have sealed their own doom.
And indeed, on the world they're speeding toward, a communications relay suddenly registers something being sent through the highest channels. Aschae is a world covered in sprawling cityscape broken only occasionally by small seas, expansive mountain regions, or its sizable polar caps. Zooming down through the clouds, it's no surprise that the Confederation exists largely to provide resources for the Aschen homeworld, as there doesn't seem to be much in the way of agricultural land here. There must be billions of citizens, though none of them look to be out of doors, and there aren't any passageways between the towers here. It's more likely that people use underground or inter-building passages instead. All things considered, it's not a place too dissimilar from Earth... aside from its enormous and stunning planetary rings.
Inside one of the stouter city spires, a group of five individuals are seated around a conference table watching a hologram of Mollem's upper body flicker to life. The ruling council listens as their trusted subordinate apprises them of recent events, a surprise attack through the alien space station in their territory. Through some act of subterfuge, most of his fleet was destroyed prior to engaging the enemy, and he had no choice but to retreat for the homeworld. The Alliance will almost certainly be right behind him, and he cautions the council that they have great numbers and firepower, far more than their defenses are capable of repelling. If the Confederation is to survive this, they will need to enact their most daring plan. While the hologram fizzles out, the council rises, nodding to one another, and depart to prepare for what may be the last stand for their people.
Back on the Aschen flagship, Eaton stands in a corridor trying to remain inconspicuous while the visiting Der'kal warlord and his female guards walk past, heading for their guest quarters. One of the females mentions "others" that will soon be joining them, but then they're out of earshot. Relaxing once they're around the bend, Rebbecca whispers that they're getting close to the bridge. Jonas really wishes there was another way to do this, and he's already envisioning them dying in some awful break-in attempt gone awry. But it's not as if they have many other options, and they certainly can't stay on this ship after they get a message back to Sam. The crew will pick it up right away, and they'll only have minutes to get away before their position is pinpointed.
They make their way around a few corners to the doors of the bridge, waiting unobtrusively for someone to key open the entry. When a crewman finally does come through, they make their move and slip through behind her. The bridge is buzzing with activity, and no one seems to take notice of two new personnel moving towards the least congested area. Slipping behind a terminal, Jonas begins slicing through the security systems while Rebbecca absently checks data on an external monitor.
An officer steps up and politely asks Eaton if she's noticed any exacerbated hull damage from their earlier engagement with the Alliance. Gaping uselessly, the SG-1 member scans the monitor and tries to figure out what it's reporting. When she continues to flounder, the officer eyes her suspiciously, but Jonas speaks up at the last second and points out an air leak in the starboard cargo bay. Nodding in thanks, the Aschen recommends he continue watching his "trainee" and heads off, leaving Eaton breathless and relieved. Grinning, Jonas finishes his hack and disables the anti-personnel turrets in the hanger, then turns and advises Rebbecca to fit in a little better next time. The two of them head back towards the door, but are taken aback when it slams shut in front of them.
From his raised portion of the bridge, Mollem announces their arrival at Aschae, and per standard protocol given the imminent threat, no one will be entering or leaving the bridge short of emergency duties. Out the window hyperspace fades away, leaving only the planet Aschae and an ever-growing cluster of battlecruisers pulled from across the Confederation. Swallowing his confidence, Jonas mutters that this may be a problem, one he's not entirely sure he can figure a way out of. Neither he nor Rebbecca have locator beacons on them, and this closely scrutinized by so many Aschen, they can't afford to so much as tap the transmitter Sam gave them. She's going to have to launch this attack on her own, and hopefully find a way to get them out of this.
An hour later, the Jupiter is still waiting near the Venii relay while reinforcements come and go in the background. Nervously checking the comm. systems again, Sam is second guessing her decision to let Jonas and Eaton head back into enemy space. They should have arrived and reported back by now, and they can't delay launching the assault any longer. From the Hak'tyl, Kitel sympathizes with her position, but is adamant that they cannot afford to waste this window. If the Confederation can fend off this strike and push them back through the relay station, the war will drag on indefinitely. And with all this waiting, they're only giving the Aschen more time to mount a substantial defense. With no other options, the armada enters hyperspace for battle.
A montage of scenes illustrates the passing of the next hour or two, with everyone on both sides growing nervous in anticipation. Samantha Carter and her subordinates double and triple check their weapons and shields, and fighter pilots gather in the hanger to prepare for scrambling. On the Jaffa ships, Admiral Kitel is walking between stations giving words of advice to his men before returning to his command chair to contemplate strategy. The Venii admiral accompanying them seems to be meditating on his bridge, letting his subordinates each steel themselves in their own way. And at their destination, Eaton and Jonas do their best not to let their fear become too obvious, staring out the viewport and waiting for the dozens of hyperspace windows to appear. And then, out of nowhere, the Alliance fleet begins to arrive.
Sitting up straighter, Mollem nods to a communications officer, who relays a message down to the planet's surface. In a secured room inside one of Aschae's spires, a stargate begins to dial... and simultaneously, so does the stargate on Heliopolis. On every major Confederation world, stargates dial a corresponding Alliance planet; Chulak, Dar Eshkalon, V'en, Arrakis, and others. On Earth, Vala's still standing in the gate room when their own stargate activates, and the iris slams shut as the kawoosh gives way to a stable wormhole. But there's no IDC coming through, nor any person or object. Up in the control room, Dr. Talbot stares at the defense team in confusion, wondering what's going on.
Above Aschae, Mollem hails the Jupiter and welcomes Carter and her allies to what he's sure they figured would be some titanic battle for the fate of the galaxy. But as they should be aware, that is not the Aschen way, and they were not prepared to risk their entire civilization to the method of battle preferred by their enemies. Every major Confederation planet has dialed a corresponding Alliance stronghold, and thousands of canisters of tailored viruses are ready for deployment. Each race will be stricken by a plague uniquely suited to destroy their physiology, and billions upon billions will die. That is the future that awaits them should even a single plasma blast strike Aschae's surface. If Sam wants to save the lives of her people, the best thing she can do now is to turn around and go home, and countless innocents will get to live another day.
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