Continuing Stargate

[Steelbox]

Should be out today. Tho wait for for it.

[Icer234]

Man, that's too long. I'm dying to know what happens!! I need my fix!

[s09119]

14x18 "United We Stand" (Part 1 of 2)
Synopsis: A major Alliance victory opens a breach into Der'kal-controlled space, prompting a radical response from the enemy. On Earth, the possibility of an intergalactic government is considered.

Spoiler:

((60 second recap of Season 14))

On a planet with forests resembling those found in Canada on Earth, a massive battle rages: hundreds upon hundreds of Der'kal warriors are entrenched behind battlements in a destroyed city of this former-human planet, with plasma turrets ringing the active stargate in the middle of the ruined plaza. Closer to the gate and making use of what small cover they can find are some two hundred Tau'ri soldiers from various countries, desperately trying to make an inroad into the metropolis to liberate it from the alien menace. Dead bodies lie everywhere on both sides, and it is clear that heavy losses have been taken.

In the skies above, Der'kal gunships pelt the humans with green plasma, shattering their stockades and sending men flying in every direction. A group of soldiers armed with rocket launchers attempt to ward off the enemy craft with surface-to-air missiles, but the gunships are able to shoot the projectiles out of the sky as they approach. For a moment, it seems as though nothing can stop the inevitable enemy advance and capture of the stargate, cutting off Earth's attack once and for all.

But then, suddenly, a flurry of golden plasma shoots in from out of view, and two of the closest gunships explode, their remnants tumbling into the Der'kal below. After a second, a squadron of death gliders fly overhead, blasting a third gunship into pieces before heading back into orbit. The weary human soldiers cheer, their commander radioing his superior and thanking him for the timely air support. High, high above the atmosphere, as the gliders approach a similarly-massive engagement between a Der'kal fleet and one of the Alliance, Admiral Kitel tells the human Colonel that it was no trouble at all, and to continue with the assault on the stargate plaza as planned while he routs the enemy forces in orbit.

Here, the battle is far different; Free Jaffa ha'tak and ha'tak'ko (the Hak'tyl-class motherships first seen in "Inroads, Part 1") make up the bulk of the strike group, with smaller Jaffa warships of previously-unseen designs, al'kesh, DSC-304s, BC-303s, and Nox battleships bringing up the rear. On the opposite side is an equally-large cluster of Der'kal cruisers, corvettes, and frigates, supported by what looks like hundreds and hundreds of fighter- and bombercraft. The space in between the two groups is a maze of gold, green, blue, and red energy pulses, all meshing together in a confusing array of light as ships explode on both ends. Three dozen F-302s make an attack run on a cruiser attempting to move into planetary bombardment range, unloading naquadriah-enhanced nuclear missiles into its shields and overwhelming them with ease, blasting two deep breaches into the alien ship's hull. Soon after, though, the human interceptors are blown away by Der'kal fighters that swarm up from behind, ripping them to shreds with plasma blasts.

Seeing a potential opening in the enemy formation, Kitel orders a duo of DSC-304s into a breach, giving them instructions to disable the alien flagship's hyperdrive and strand their commander. The two Earth warships move out at once, using their plasma beam weapons to seriously damage a frigate in the process. Then they approach the target cruiser, slamming its shields every chance they get. One of the 304s is destroyed, though, when two more cruisers nearby combine their fire and rip through its force field, slicing through the weak armor. The second ship, though, completes the job, hammering the flagship's sublight and hyperdrive engines before turning about and heading to its allied vessels.

On the flagship's bridge, the Der'kal commander roars in fury as the report comes in that his cruiser is dead in the water, so to speak. Turning to his subordinates, he demands they get the drive systems working immediately, and when one says it's impossible, he pulls out his pistol and shoots the warrior in the head, enraged. With more of his fleet being taken out, he radios Admiral Kitel and bluffs that he has reinforcements arriving from a nearby stronghold any minute now, and then they will wipe this pathetic Alliance force from the face of the galaxy. Kitel, though, doesn't buy the threat, and directs his vessel (the original Hak'tyl, in fact) to target the Der'kal flagship's bridge. Once the alien commander sees on his displays that he has, in fact, been checkmated, he seems to consider surrender... then thinks better of it and grins viciously at the Jaffa Admiral, telling him it has been a "plasure dying with you" before the screen blanks out.

Momentarily confused, Kitel doesn't know how to respond, then his eyes widen and he orders the Alliance ships to pull back and transfer all available power to their shields. As the mixed fleet breaks off combat operations, what remains of the Der'kal flotilla suddenly shoots forward... they're going to ram the Allied vessels! Not content to go down that easily, Kitel directs all his ships to fire on the inbound craft, and they manage to blow away about a fourth of them before the Der'kal begin slamming into them. Five Free Jaffa ha'tak, two Tok'ra ha'tak, and two BC-303s are destroyed, as well as various smaller craft, but that still leaves many Alliance ships surviving to move against the enemy flagship, now alone of its escorts. Just as they go to surround it, however, it explodes in a brilliant fireball, the alien commander choosing to take his own life rather than submit.

On the planet below, SG-1 seems to have arrived, and are in the stockades fighting alongside all the other human troops. The Der'kal still hold a numerical advantage, and their turrets are blowing major holes in Earth's offensive. Grabbing his radio, Mitchell shouts for the "calvary" to come on through, and a moment later something extraordinary arrives; three specially-shaped tanks roll through the stargate, swiveling to target the enemy troops and their heavy weapons. Using their powerful canons, they make short work of the turrets, then turn to face the remaining alien warriors. Before another shot can be fired, however, Carter receives a transmission from orbit and shouts for whoever is in charge of the Der'kal army to respond. After a moment, a burly warrior steps out from behind his barricade, growling for the human that dared address him.

Holding up her arms in a non-hostile fashion, Sam stands and shouts that the Der'kal fleet has been completely destroyed in orbit, and that even know the Alliance ships are prepared to bombard the city. She offers the alien and his men humanitarian treatment if they surrender peacefully, and assures them that they will not be harmed. Looking between the tanks and Carter one last time, the warrior finally throws down his rifle, telling his men to do the same. The battle is over... and Galar ("Collateral Damage") is once more under its own peoples' control.

A few hours later, SG-1 follows the three tanks (and several dozens soldiers helping to escort the Der'kal prisoners) out of the event horizon of the Nueva stargate, arriving on the Tau'ri colony world to see Tok'ra transports and BC-303s waiting to take the captured aliens to Alliance worlds designated as and equipped with prisoner of war holding facilities. Vala comments that with the victory at Galar, they have a solid foothold into Der'kal-captured territory, and this could be the start of a turn-around for the Milky Way combatants. Daniel points out that they still have a long way to go, but he agrees that this definitely sends a message to alien powers not sure about joining the war effort that the Alliance is capable of holding off the enemy.

As they approach the landing area, a young man in a British RAF uniform runs up, breathlessly informing the team that the ISGC just sent a subspace message congratulating them on a job well done, though Mitchell says the credit really should go to Kitel, as it was his overall strategy that won the day. Regardless, the British officer points out a nearby BC-303 prepping for take-off and tells them that it's on its way back to Earth. And with the stargate tied up for probably another few hours, he recommends they hitch a ride home on the Prometheus-class ship. Not seeing any other speedy return home, Sam accepts the offer, and the foursome heads off in that direction.

Meanwhile, on a Der'kal supership orbiting Ankgor, word has just reached the armada's high command about the devastating loss at Galar. In all, thirty-nine ships were destroyed, and an estimated seven-hundred warriors were taken prisoner, with another one-hundred dead in action. What's worse, Galar was key in a strategy to blocking Alliance efforts to break into the conquered zone, and with this defeat, they have the opening they need to strike back. The Exarch (the supreme ruler of the Der'kal) is extremely agitated over this, and his te'kal are demanding the execution of anyone involved in the planning of Galar's defense.

On the massive generational ship, though, a voice has arisen to give order to all this commotion; Lor'al, the newly Tok'ra-blended Der'kal female who has all the knowledge and secrets of Anise at her disposal ("Pandora's Box"), is taking charge of defensive operations. She has received the blessing of the te'kal, and that essentially confers leadership of the invasion to her, answerable only to the Exarch and a select few high officers. Now she has called together a meeting of the most prominent commanders, as well as the ones in charge of key groups of ships bordering infidel-held space.

Before entering the speaking chamber, an aide asks Lor'al if the blending has affected her negatively at all. Her eyes flashing with the white-gold of a Goa'uld host, she answers in the flanged voice of a Tok'ra, saying that the symbiote has thus far been helpless to overpower her will. Their scientists believe it is a component of Der'kal physiology that prevents the snake-like creature from asserting its dominance, and it is working quite well for her. She is able to access Anise's memories and thoughts at will, and the Tok'ra has not yet proven to be capable of stopping her. When the aide asks why she then persists in using the snake's voice, Lor'al snarls happily and whispers that it gives her a delicious sense of power.

Stepping into the room at length, a hush sweeps the commanders as Lor'al takes center-stage. It is obvious once again that females are regarded in a strange mix of respect and utter loathing, and seeing as all the commanders present are male, that may be a problem. But Lor'al appears to want to quash any unease from the start, and pulls out what looks like two small swords joined together, a weapon about three feet in length. Then she twists part of it, and the weapon's ends extend, making it more like six feet long. Holding the double-sword above her, she asks for anyone that doubts her ability to crush the infidelic Alliance to take up the blade and fight her for control of the armada. Slowly, one of the larger Der'kal males stands, claiming that a female is unfit and incapable of what is needed, and steps up, reaching to take the sword. But just before he touches the handle, Lor'al spins on her heel and crouches low, coming around and stabbing the warrior through the chest, then straightens and hurls him to the ground, dead.

(Start of "United We Stand," see next post for end.)

[s09119]

(End of "United We Stand," see previous post for beginning.)

Spoiler:

Glaring at the stunned males around her, Lor'al quietly explains that if they are to conquer this galaxy, they must never give the enemy even a ghost of a chance to get the first blow in... just as she never gave the commander the chance to even touch the sword. Retracting the two blades, she informs the others that she will be creating a special task force of females to help lead and bolster the warriors. No longer will they be delegated to and forced to stay cooped up on these ships, being called out only when absolutely necessary. And finally, she declares that she is authorizing the immediate commencement of a battle plan aimed at fracturing the Alliance in two, permanently; an all-out assault on the Free Jaffa stronghold of Dakara is set to begin in less than twenty-four hours.

Unaware of the mounting danger, SG-1 has been deposited at the ISGC, and Carter and Vala are changing into fresh clothes in the locker room. Apparently, Delek (the de facto Tok'ra leader with Anise's "death"), Bra'tac, and Teal'c are going to be arriving soon alongside Lya to discuss the possibility of an actual interstellar government formed from the current Alliance structure; as it stands, the "Great Races" group is only an informal coalition, not a real, tangible power with any real authority. Vala says she loves the idea, but reminds Sam that it could easily turn into a System Lord-esque faction in the future, when morality has lagged and absolute control of the Milky Way is assured. For a moment, the two remember the "Imperium," an alien-intolerant human galactic empire in an alternate reality ("Flight of the Phoenix"), but the thought is quickly dismissed.

Pulling on a new shirt, Vala asks how Sam and General O'Neill's marriage plans are going ("Kingdom Come"), a question Carter really doesn't have an answer to. Jack has been tied up in Washington for weeks now, and they haven't really got a chance to talk one-on-one like that. Vala understands completely, of course, having gone through a similar ordeal with Tomin while stranded in the Ori home halaxy ("Crusade"). Briefly, a strange look comes over her face, but then she shakes her head and smiles, congratulating Sam on finally landing a man of her own.

A short while later, the two women join Mitchell, Daniel, and Dr. Talbot in the gate room, where an active wormhole has just been established from Velieris, a Nox IDC already having been confirmed. Talbot tells the newcomers that Delek, Teal'c, and Bra'tac are already waiting in the conference room, and they're just waiting on the last dignitary now. A moment after, Lya steps through the wormhole, smiling in a clearly-pleased way at her old and new friends alike. She says she brings greetings from the Ruling Council, and congratulates SG-1 on their victory on Galar. Daniel grins, saying it was nothing at all, and leads the Nox woman toward the exit, the rest of the team and Talbot in tow.

Out on the edge of the Dakara star system, a lone Free Jaffa al'kesh is patrolling an odd energy disturbing detected near the last planet (Dakara being the second of seven and three "minor planets"). As it rounds a moon obstructing its view of the area beyond the seventh world, the Jaffa co-pilot reports their sensors going out of whack. The pilot doesn't understand why until they see what lies just past the satellite; an immense Der'kal fleet has been assembled, dozens upon dozens of ships strong, with three superships visible in the middle of the cloud. Terrified, the Jaffa try to contact Dakara, but find their communications systems jammed by a strange energy field they have suddenly entered into. The co-pilot has time to guess that the aliens have some sort of jamming surrounding them that is making communications and detecting them from afar impossible just before they are spotted and blasted out of the sky by the enemy forces...

In the ISGC briefing room, negotiations are underway discussing the possibility of an intergalactic government. Unfortunately, the biggest sticking point may be the most trivial-seeming of things; which planet would be the organization's capital? Earth and Chulak are both logical choices for symbolic reasons, as is Dakara, and both Velieris and Arrakis (the Tok'ra's primary planet at present) are also significant places. The most obvious candidate is, of course, Heliopolis, but no one is sure if they want a completely-detached capital like Washington, D.C. in the United States.

As the argument heats up (with only Lya and Bra'tac remaining quiet and calm), a gate technician calls for Teal'c to come down, and an incoming wormhole from Dakara connects to the stargate. Excusing himself, the Jaffa leader goes down the steps, allowing Delek to speak. He says that before her "death," Anise was a champion of this idea, believing that only galactic unity would dissuade potential enemies from daring to attack the Milky Way. Pulling out a crystal, he explains her basic ideas; 1. unconditional, unrestricted space and stargate travel would be allowed to all member world of any new government, provided it is not under quarantine for some official reason, 2. an understanding that war between members is unacceptable, and the governmental forces are to take whatever steps necessary to prevent and contain infighting, and 3. a constitution must be drawn up and approved by at least 70% of the population, not representatives, of all members. Daniel and Lya immediately endorse those initiatives, and Bra'tac asks if a copy of Anise's ideas can be transferred to the Senatorial complex on Chulak for review in more detail, a request Delek grants.

Teal'c comes back up the steps as the Tok'ra finishes, looking worried. When Talbot asks what's going on, he explains that an al'kesh sent to investigate a disturbance on the outer edge of Dakara's star system has yet to return, and cannot be raised via radio. He's afraid something's going on, but Mitchell doubts the Der'kal would make a move so soon after losing so many ships. After all, it's not as if they have a limitless supply... the aliens may have a large fleet at their disposal, but it's really all they have for now, at least until more construction facilities can be build on conquered worlds.

A few hours later, the meeting ends, and Teal'c and Bra'tac wait for the stargate to dial Chulak so they can get back to business there. In the control room, Carter and Daniel reflect on how far they've come since SG-1 began fourteen years ago, amazed at where everyone is now; Jack's the Secretary of Homeland Security, Daniel's a world famous author, Teal'c's the Chancellor of the Free Jaffa Nation, and Sam's head of SG-1 and overseer of alien research at Area 51. Jackson smiles, agreeing that they did good, then the two of them wave to their old friends as the Jaffa step through the gate.

Suddenly, a phone rings behind them, and a technician picks it off the hook as Mitchell and Vala enter from the hallway, also looking happy. The techie informs Colonel Carter that it's for her, and Sam takes the receiver, lighting up and exclaiming that it's Jack.

In Washington, though, Jack's face is distraught as he stares at the transmission readout before him; the Pentagon just got word from Heliopolis, and confirmed via Chulak, that the Der'kal armada is on the move. Looking truly disturbed, he tells Sam and the team that the aliens have launched an assault on Dakara... the final bastion between them and the ultimate prize.

Earth.

((To Be Continued...))

[ohnd]

2 WORDS MY FRIEND
HOLY HANNAH!!!

that was truly an amazing episode!! cant wait for the next episode

[Crazy Tom]

Some spelling mistakes.Aside from that, Im curious, if Carter holds such a position, wouldn't it efectively tie her down to a desk job?

And wouln't hover tanks be more apropriate given inertial dampening technology?

[s09119]

Some spelling mistakes.

There always are haha.

Aside from that, Im curious, if Carter holds such a position, wouldn't it efectively tie her down to a desk job?

She was overseer of Area 51 for most of her tenure on SG-1, as stated by Colonel Mitchell when he was trying to get her to come back in Season 9. She does it on the side.

And wouln't hover tanks be more apropriate given inertial dampening technology?

We know such technology exists... that doesn't mean we can replicate it yet.

[Lt. Col. Mcoy]

Yes s09119! No instant reverse-engineering! It always drives me crazy.

And nice ep. I like it.


And "forests like those in Canada on Earth," ooh, your sense of humor is sharp.

[Elitenova]

Please sir, Can we have some more?

[Crazy Tom]

There always are haha.



She was overseer of Area 51 for most of her tenure on SG-1, as stated by Colonel Mitchell when he was trying to get her to come back in Season 9. She does it on the side.



We know such technology exists... that doesn't mean we can replicate it yet.

*cough*302*cough*

And "forests like those in Canada on Earth," ooh, your sense of humor is sharp.

It wasn't lost on me neither.

[s09119]

*cough*302*cough*

That's not a hovercraft. Inertial dampeners prevent inertia inside a cockpit... we've never seen it operate on an entire Earth ship to make it hover.

[Dark lord me]

Sweetness. Well we are drawing closer to Star By Star and and well you pretty much just said it is going to attack earth

[s09119]

Sweetness. Well we are drawing closer to Star By Star and and well you pretty much just said it is going to attack earth

You are assuming the Jaffa already lost Dakara...

[Crazy Tom]

That's not a hovercraft. Inertial dampeners prevent inertia inside a cockpit... we've never seen it operate on an entire Earth ship to make it hover.

Back when the 301 was new, Carter explained thatit's drive don't so much as negate gravity as take inertial out of the question. You can see where I'm coming from.

[s09119]

Back when the 301 was new, Carter explained thatit's drive don't so much as negate gravity as take inertial out of the question. You can see where I'm coming from.

Well as the "Executive Producer," so to speak, I'm declaring that we don't have the means to mass-produce hover-tanks at present