Halo: The Ori War (SG/Halo crossover)

[Skywalker_T-65]

Now that I have gotten the first few chapters from my sister, here is the sequel to A Change of Fate. We both hope everyone enjoys it.

---

1600 Hours, December 20th, 2007 (Military Calendar)-Estimated Time/

USS Odyssey, Tollana

---

Desolate...that would be the only word that could truly describe the second homeworld of the Tollan race. Long since destroyed by the forces of the Goa'uld Anubis, there was not one sign of life on its charred and cratered surface. Nor were there any ships in the world's orbit...merely silvery debris of the Tollan evacuation craft. For all that race's advancements, their ship design had stagnated...and they had paid the price. It was because of this desolation, that Tollana had basically dropped off the galactic radar. The Ori cared nothing for an empty world, the few surviving Goa'uld were more interested in hiding, and anything that could be stripped from the world had long-ago been taken by the likes of the Lucian Alliance.

All of this combined to make it the perfect place for the Odyssey to finally return home. And because of that simple fact...the desolate world finally saw activity, activity unknown to any in the Stargate Universe. A massive black hole in space opened up, only a light blue rim showing where it ended. Out of this hole, came the UNSC Expeditionary Fleet...with the USS Odyssey at it's head. The substantial fleet, nearly one hundred strong, exited the Slipspace portal and immediately began taking up defensive formations. The moment the last ship, a Sangheili frigate, exited the portal the massive hole closed up. Until the fleet could make a new portal themselves...they were now stranded in the new universe.

"Back home..." Cameron Mitchell muttered, "...I really don't feel any different. We sure that worked?"

Samantha Carter looked over the readings from the Asgard sensors, "Yes, we are. I'm detecting residual traces of Goa'uld weapons fire on the planet. Couple that with Tollan ruins...and that's definitely Tollana below us."

"So desolate..."one of the UNSC crew muttered, "Was it glassed?"

"No," Sam shook her head, "Not in the sense that the Covenant would do it. The result might as well be the same though..."

What was left unsaid, was that barring any successful evacuations, Anubis had pulled off a genocide of the Tollan people.

"This is Commodore Keyes," a voice came over from the Pillar of Autumn, "Are we secure here?"

For the first time in awhile, the Odyssey's powerful subspace scanners were once more put to their intended use. Scanning several lightyears around Tollana, they looked for any sign of Ori warships. Ha'tak, were there any, would be glossed over. The Lucians were no threat to this fleet.

"We should be," the blonde replied after a few minutes, "No sign of any Ori warships within a ten light-year radius of the system."

"Your sensors never cease to amaze me," this time it was Cortana, the AI sounding somewhat jealous.

"Thank Thor," Daniel Jackson spoke up, a slight smile on his face.

"Oh I have. Many times, but he still refuses to let me study them," if an AI could sound put-out, Cortana managed it.

"Enough chatter," Keyes barked, "If we are secure, the fleet will begin salvaging what we can from Tollana. We need all the materials we can get. Fleetmaster, would you be so kind as to scout the system for anything the Odyssey may have missed?"

"It shall be done," a thump announced Nar 'Saranee slamming his fist into his chest in a Sangheili salute, before a handful of Covenant frigates broke formation and began heading further into the Tollana system.

"And General Landry?" the Commodore asked, "Can you contact Earth?"

Landry looked at his resident genius. Sam just shook her head slowly, before tapping at her console.

"Nothing is wrong with the subspace array," the blonde reported, "Kalymia confirms from the Core. Whatever the issue is...it's on their end, not ours."

Those words were like a knife to the hearts of SG-1 and their commanding officer. The only way that Earth wouldn't respond to their message was if it had been attacked, or the 'Gate had been compromised in some manner. That would necessitate the destruction of the SGC, and by extension, the subspace array on Earth. Logically, if they were unable to connect...one of those had happened. They could only hope that it wasn't the case and the array was just being repaired.

That was a lot easier to stomach than the idea that Earth was compromised...because they had been on a jaunt in the Forerunner Universe, as it had begun to be called. If Earth was lost because the Asgard Legacy couldn't be delivered in time...

No.

We can't think that way, Landry mused, forcing his thoughts away from the ever-present worry, Even if Earth has fallen, we have more than enough forces to retake it. The Ori are strong, but they lack in numbers. We can beat them.

"Is it possible this is a glitch in the system?" Keyes asked.

"Perhaps," Sam answered, "but I don't know. I don't have enough data to say."

A flash of light deposited Keyes aboard the Odyssey's bridge after the Colonel finished that statement. The man was always a more 'hands-on' type, and had evidently decided to take matters into his own hands. Or at least beam over to reduce the risk of any messages being intercepted by anyone. That too.

Giving a look at the blonde Colonel, Keyes got her to move. While not as smart as his daughter or former lover, Commodore Jacob Keyes was not an idiot by anyone's definition either. He looked over the sensor readings, muttering slightly as his sharp eyes examined everything they said. In particular, a group of signatures not that far from Tollana.

"I thought you said we were alone?" Keyes asked.

Sam shook her head, "No, I said there are no Ori warships within ten light-years. Those are naquadah signatures."

"Ah...Ha'tak, correct?"

"Ha'tak, Al'kesh, Tel'tak," Teal'c spoke up, "Any option is possible. However, we have no way to confirm whom the ships belong to. They may be Free Jaffa, my people. They may be remnants of the Goa'uld. They may be Lucian Alliance."

"And as we don't want to be discovered, we should probably keep an eye on them," the Commodore finished.

"Indeed."

Turning away from the Jaffa, Keyes looked up at his SGC counterpart. Landry returned the look with a raised eyebrow, curious what he was going to be asked. Keyes just frowned slightly.

"If we are unable to contact Earth," and didn't those words hurt...it wasn't his Earth, but it was Earth nonetheless, "are there any other allies we may be able to make contact with?"

"The Tok'ra, the Jaffa," Cameron Mitchell answered, "I'd expect them to ignore us though. No offensive to T, but the Jaffa have never rubbed me the right way. Tok'ra are probably hiding as usual."

The dark-skinned Jaffa merely raised an eyebrow, "Indeed."

"But, the Orbanians are an option. Might be a couple other out there too...we never did find the Furlings," Cam continued.

"Furlings?" Keyes asked dubiously.

"Funny name aside," Daniel explained, "you've seen what our Asgard technology can do, correct?"

"Yes. Nearly the equal of the Forerunner, if not better in some areas."

"Well, the Furlings are one of four races...the Ancients, Asgard, and Nox being the others. That implies their technology is at least on par with, or perhaps more advanced than, the Asgard," the archeologist explained, "They are also the only one of the Four Great Races we've never once encountered. The Ancients ascended to another plane of existence, the Asgard as you know are gone aside from the minds in our Core, and the Nox are pacifists...though I imagine we could make contact with them too."

Keyes nodded thoughtfully. While he didn't expect these 'Nox' to help, pacifists being what they were, it certainly couldn't hurt to get more support. There was an ongoing argument amongst the Asgard as to if they should use Replicator- or at least android -bodies themselves, and so long as that was happening the little fellows wouldn't be any help. However, a race that has technology at least as good as the miracle working tech on the Odyssey...well, that could be useful. Especially considering the fact that if the Ori brought in more forces, the UNSC/Covenant force could quickly find itself overmatched.

Not least, because until they could make a relay back to their home universe the fleets were on their own. They couldn't just 'phone home' for reinforcements. Every ship was irreplaceable...and they needed whatever support they could find. The Jaffa were numerous, but technologically weak...nothing they had could hurt the Ori. SGC warships were easily upgraded to the standard of the Odyssey, aside from its ZPM. But there were only a handful of them...presuming they hadn't been lost in an attack on Earth.

"I'll dispatch scouts at once," the Commodore spoke up, "have the Asgard ever given any indication on where the Furlings may be?"

"No," Daniel looked visibly unhappy about that, "We've asked before, but they don't know anymore than we do. All we know is what was Nox and Ancient territory. We just haven't had enough scouts to search the 'missing' areas."

Considering the SGC got tossed into a massive war when they finally had more than one spaceship...that wasn't surprising. The Fleet had come through with a handful of Prowlers though, and scouting missions were their forte. Might as well make use of a couple.

"Send the data to Cortana, and we can move from there," Keyes said, before the console started beeping, "Colonel Carter?"

Sam moved past the older man, and started reading the readouts. Her eyes narrowed slightly, before taking on a confused look.

"We have an Asgard hyperdrive signature approaching," the blonde said, "Since there aren't any Asgard left that has to be a 304...but how did they find us so soon..."

Before she could say anything else, a hyperspace window opened up near to the Odyssey, and spat out a near-clone of the dimension jumping warship. 'Near' because it was clearly modified. New turrets were scattered across its hull, and patches of Ha'tak armor were grafted to the vessel. In addition, one of its hangars had been heavily damaged...it was clearly sealed off, with more Ha'tak armor. The ship looked nothing more than a patchwork vessel, barely holding together.

And then there was the question of which 304 this one was.

"This is Commander Cheng of the Sun Tzu," an accented voice came over the communications net, "am I correct to assume you are the USS Odyssey?"

"Yes, you are correct," Landry spoke up.

"Sun Tzu?" Daniel asked, unfamiliar with the ship.

"It was scheduled to be launched a few months after we left for Ida," Sam explained, "I'm worried about that damage..."

"That is good to hear," Cheng, her voice tinged with relief, continued, "however, I am curious just where you have been. It has been seven months since you left for Ida. And I am equally curious where you gained so many followers."

"That's a very long story," Landry answered, "Perhaps it is best if you beam over?"

"Very well."

---

Meeting Room

---

A meeting room had quickly been prepared while Commander Cheng integrated her ship with the fleet at large. Fleetmaster 'Saranee had been recalled as well, and now stood resplendent in the red armor he stubbornly stuck to wearing. Teal'c stood next to the massive reptilian, deep in a discussion about military tactics and Sangheili society. It was the first time the Jaffa had a chance to interact with a member from a society so, outwardly, similar to his own. The discussion would have to be cut short though, as the flash and chime of Asgard beaming announced the arrival of the Chinese officer.

The first thing Cheng did was salute Landry, as the ranking SGC officer.

"Commander Daiyu Cheng reporting General," the woman said, military precision intact despite the frayed appearance of her uniform.

"At ease Commander," Landry replied, after he returned the salute, "It's good to see a friendly face."

The woman sagged slightly in relief, "It's better for me, trust me General. We've been running for so long that I forgot what it was like."

After saying that, Cheng's eyes started to roam the room, clearly trying to pick out how many of the Odyssey crew were present. She nodded politely at SG-1, had a curious look at Keyes' uniform, and then...reached Nar. The petite woman's eyes widened to almost comical proportions as she took in the massive pillar of muscle and red armor standing next to the familiar Jaffa.

Not that one could blame her. The Stargate Universe had nothing quite like the Sangheili, aside from maybe the Unas and even they were somewhat humanoid. Seeing a Sangheili for the first time would be a shock to anyone really.

"And that is one of our new allies," Landry spoke up, as the silence began to get a bit awkward, "Fleetmaster Nar 'Saranee of the Sangheili."

"And I am Commodore Jacob Keyes of the United Nations Space Command," Keyes added.

Tearing her eyes away from the imposing Elite, Cheng looked at the human in a strange uniform, "United Nations...I am unfamiliar with any organization tied to the UN."

"That would be because I am not from your universe," Keyes explained.

"Not from our Univer..." the Chinese officer repeated, "You have been in an alternate dimension?"

Landry nodded, and began explaining just where the Odyssey had been for the past months. The tale of the dying days of the Human-Covenant War had Cheng grimacing for the majority of it. It wasn't every day that you heard an alternate Humanity had been pushed so close to the edge of extinction...despite having so many worlds to call home. Despite having a space fleet that, while strangely obsolete in ways, made the SGC's pitiful efforts look like child's play. And then there was the Covenant itself...the Ori, as bad as they may be, were not outright genocidal with the one exception being the Goa'uld. Who, honestly, everyone wanted dead.

Having a member of said Covenant, former or not, standing across from her did freak out the Chinese woman somewhat. But SG-1 had a reputation, and if they trusted the Sangheili...she could too. After all, the Sun Tzu needed any help it could reasonably get.

"I've told you our story," Landry finished, "What about you Commander? I can't help but notice the condition your ship is in."

Cheng grimaced, "It is hard to not notice General. We have been fighting and running from the Ori for three months now. After...after Earth fell."

Not one member of the meeting didn't show a reaction to that statement. Nar bowed his head silently, still sending a silent prayer to the Forerunner for the souls of the Reclaimers who surely perished. In the shadows where she was recording the meeting, Grieving Light's eye dulled...her name suddenly becoming true. The humans had the most noticeable reactions, of course. Landry shook his head slowly, before placing a hand over his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. Keyes snapped the pencil he was holding.

Sam felt tears in her eyes, as Daniel took his glasses off to wipe his own eyes.

Cam cursed, "Damn it! How did the Ori get through Antartica?"

"We ran out of drones," Cheng replied simply, "They killed Ori ships, which is more than can be said for anything else we have...even the salvaged Ion Cannons the remnants of the Tollan gave me."

"The Tollan?" Sam asked, getting her mind off her worry, Jack...

The Chinese woman nodded, "Yes. A few ships got past Anubis. They are settled nearby, rebuilding what they can...only the remnants of our military knows the Tollan exist. Neither the Tok'ra nor the Jaffa leadership have been informed, merely a handful we trust implicitly...to keep them safe from the Ori or Lucian Alliance."

"As good of news as that is," Keyes spoke up...perhaps the least effected of the human group because of his distance from this Earth, "you ran out of 'drones'? And they were capable of killing Ori motherships? I was under the impression that only the Asgard weaponry aboard the Odyssey could do that?"

"Drones are an Ancient weapon," Cheng explained, "Golden squid-like missiles. The Antarctic Outpost, left behind by the Ancients, had enough to destroy several Ori motherships. But not enough...not enough to save Earth. The Sun Tzu carried the last evacuees from Earth, even though we were not fully ready for battle. Those refuges are on Neo Tollan right now...safe from the Ori. We have been attempting to interdict supply shipments and rescue more survivors from Earth ever since. That is why my warship is so damaged."

While Keyes would have liked to know more about these 'drones' it wasn't the time or the place. Right now, he moved back to his seat. The humans who had a greater stake in this Earth, SG-1, moved forward. They had varying expressions on their faces...though all clearly reflected worry. Not that the Commodore could blame them. He would be acting the exact same way, were it his Earth that had been taken.

They had even more right to be worried, considering it was the Odyssey's vanishing into his universe that had lead to this. If Earth had received the Asgard Legacy, they might have been able to fight back better. As much as it seemed callous, Keyes was still happy they had shown up over Sigma Octanus though.

That was neither here nor there however.

"How many got out?" Daniel asked softly.

Cheng grimaced again, "I don't know. The SGC evacuated as many to the Alpha and Beta Sites as they could, but it can't have been more than a few hundred before the 'Gate was compromised. I myself have rescued one thousand mixed civilians and military personnel. The Apollo rescued just as many, before they were sent to Pegasus...to protect Atlantis as the 'ultimate fall-back point'."

Only three thousand or so...out of the billions of lives on Earth. SG-1 collapsed into their seats, aside from Sam Carter.

"What about General Hammond? General O'Neill?" she asked.

"General Hammond died defending the Pentagon," Cheng replied softly, "The last I have heard, General O'Neill is leading the resistance movements in North America. I can't say for sure if he still lives...I have not been to Earth in over a month."

Now it was Sam's turn to collapse into a chair. Hammond...dead? Jack possibly dead? It was one thing to know that Earth had fallen. Another to hear what had happened to the leaders of her Stargate program. It was not a good thing to hear...not at all.

With the SGC group working through their shock, Keyes once again took command, "Commander? If Earth has fallen and the Tollan are small in number, who are you working with?"

"The Jaffa, primarily," Cheng answered, "I've...gained some measure of respect, even from the hardliners, for taking command after my Captain's death and fighting the Ori for so long. The Tau'ri in general have gained respect...for fighting to the end, and beyond. There aren't many Free Jaffa world's left though. Mostly small outposts that have stayed under the Ori's radar. Dakara, Chulak, Delmak, all the major worlds are occupied or destroyed."

"The Tok'ra?"

"I don't know. We have maintained contact with their new homeworld, safely hidden from even me. But the Tok'ra have been of little use in this war," the woman replied, a hint of bitterness to her tone, "They don't have ships unlike the Jaffa. And the Ori can easily detect a symbiote...I doubt there are more than a handful of Goa'uld left. That's left the Tok'ra unable to do anything but hide and wait the war out."

The cowards...Cheng mentally added, even if it wasn't really fair.

"So we're basically on our own then," the Commodore mused.

"Yes," the Commander agreed, "but I have hope now. Your fleet...surely you can win against the Ori?"

Keyes coughed, "I would like to say so, however aside from the Odyssey we primarily use upgraded Goa'uld and Tollan technology."

He didn't mention the UNSC's homegrown MAC weaponry, because it was anyone's guess how they would work against the Ori. Literally, considering the best indication they had of a physical impact's effect on the monstrously powerful ships was Bra'tac's kamikaze with a Ha'tak. Not exactly the same, as a barrage of multi-hundred ton shells. The Covenant weapons were a different story though.

Those weapons, probably had plenty of potential to ruin the Ori's day. Especially the Energy Projector, which by all indications was at least as powerful as an Ori weapon. So yeah, they probably had a better chance than anyone else who had fought the Ori, especially with the fact that once the Sun Tzu could be refit to the Odyssey's standard- something that wouldn't take long with a UNSC mobile drydock in the fleet -they would have two updated 304s and the Ecumene to fight with.

All that being said, Keyes wasn't one to get someone's hopes up pointlessly. Better to play it safe, and see just how well they fought against the Ori.

"Still, any help is welcome," Cheng continued, "we have been fighting alone for far too long..."

As the woman finished that sentence, alarms began blaring through the meeting room. Landry was on his feet quickly, moving to a communication panel on the wall.

"Report," the General barked out.

"Six Ha'tak-class motherships have dropped out of hyperspace," Commander Henry White, the man in charge of the UNSC segment of the Odyssey's crew reported.

"Six Ha'tak are hardly something to worry about..." Cam said, "Especially with how many ships we have."

"That's the thing Colonel," White obviously overheard that statement, "Their power readings are off the charts for what we, or rather you know of Ha'tak. Even the Anubis variant is weaker. Their armor is silver in addition, not gold. I can't get an exact read on shields or weaponry."

As those words left the Commander's mouth, Cheng paled in the background, "Oh no..."

"Did you not tell us something?" Landry asked, rounding on the paling woman.

"I...didn't have the chance," the Chinese woman replied, "The...Lucian Alliance fell to the Ori some time ago. Those who weren't killed, switched sides. Their Ha'tak have been upgraded with Ori technology. Nothing on the big motherships, but they are far more powerful than a Jaffa Ha'tak. Even an Anubis one isn't as strong."

Well, that, could be a problem... Cam mused.

"Damn," Landry succinctly said, "okay then...get back to the Sun Tzu, Commander. Stay at the rear...you're in no condition to fight. Commodore, Fleetmaster, I believe we should ready the fleets. This will be our first test against Ori technology...even dumbed down Ori technology."

Keyes nodded, while Nar thumped his chest. The two vanished, along with Cheng, in Asgard beams. They had a battle to fight...and damn it, they would fight it.

[InsaneTD]

Oh Damn. Ori upgraded Ha'tak. Scary thought.

[Eternal_Freedom]

I had a random thought after reading the first six chapters on FF.net, namely:

By this point the UNSC know how to build Energy Projectors, at least on a small scale. We've established that a full-size Covenant EP is equal to an Ori Mothership's main gun. Now, that's with Covenant power generation, which is (according to Cortana in First Strike) surprisingly primitive compared to their other stuff.

In the SG-Verse just about everything is made better with more power, so why isn't anyone considering (or even pondering) mounting Energy Projectors on the Odyssey, powered by their ZPM, which should make it even more powerful? Especially after the first few engagements where we see the Energy Projector's effectiveness. If an EP with Covvie power generation is the equal of an Ori beam with Ori power generation, an EP mounted aboard Odyssey (or even UNSC ships) with their much improved power plants should be devastating.

[Skywalker_T-65]

I had a random thought after reading the first six chapters on FF.net, namely:

By this point the UNSC know how to build Energy Projectors, at least on a small scale. We've established that a full-size Covenant EP is equal to an Ori Mothership's main gun. Now, that's with Covenant power generation, which is (according to Cortana in First Strike) surprisingly primitive compared to their other stuff.

In the SG-Verse just about everything is made better with more power, so why isn't anyone considering (or even pondering) mounting Energy Projectors on the Odyssey, powered by their ZPM, which should make it even more powerful? Especially after the first few engagements where we see the Energy Projector's effectiveness. If an EP with Covvie power generation is the equal of an Ori beam with Ori power generation, an EP mounted aboard Odyssey (or even UNSC ships) with their much improved power plants should be devastating.

Hmm...now there's an interesting thought.

I'll relay that one to DX. This is worth putting thought into.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Well you already used my username for a frigate and the "hyperspace inside High Charity with nukes" ideas, so why not

[Darth Nostril]

What about upgrading the Covenant power generation systems? It's unlikely you could increase the power of the weapon, in fact it's more likely that you'd burn out the emitters or some vitally important subsystem, but then you don't need to it's already on a par with the Ori's main weapon.
But what could it do for the refire rate? Getting off four shots to the Ori's one would certainly prove somewhat advantageous.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Then again, I also wondered why the Atlantis bunch don't go diving intot he Ancient Databse and find the specs for that wonderfully powerful Satellite Weapon. Cutting a Hive Ship in half in one shot? Why haven't they tried to fit those to the 304's?

I also wonder why the first thing they look for in the database isn't "how to build ZPMs." I'd be honestly surprised if Atlantis doesn't have some way to build the things.

[InsaneTD]

The ZPM bit was explained, it's cause they don't know what the ancients called them. Lame excuse really. They weren't always the most genre smart, but then again, ancient scientists didn't always put their creations in the database. Time jumper is a good example.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Not quite, Janus didn't put his stuff in the database, precisely because he was futzing about with stuff the Council forbade him from...like the Time Jumper.

And if they don't know what tis' called, look up the design details for Atlantis itself and read the bit after "This cityship is powered by 3..."

And it doesn't exclude the weapons, which were quite clearly powered by a standard naquada reactor when reactivated against the Wraith. Granted that wasn't "full power" but it was impressive. The ships will have bigger generators.

[InsaneTD]

Let's be honest here, that was always a plot hole big enough to fly Atlantis through and they never did try and fill it.

[Diverball]

Let's be honest here, that was always a plot hole big enough to fly Atlantis through and they never did try and fill it.

Indeed. If the Ancients could run ZPMs off like a production line, it's difficult to see how they could ever have lost the war with the Wraith. And what would have been the point of Project Arcturus?

I always believed ZPMs were high density energy storage devices, rather than energy generators, and as such, took as much, or more, energy to make as they actually contained. Hence they were only used for very specific applications, requiring very high energy-to-mass-and-volume ratios.

[Eternal_Freedom]

That's problematic though, as Atlantis withstood the Wraith siege for centuries, there was no other Ancient facilities left, so they must have been able to produce them in Atlantis somehow.

As for them being energy storage, not so, they're explicitly described as being a miniature self-contained bit of space-time you extract vaccuum energy from. If they needed another power source of equal strength to produce them, why isn't that what's powering Atlantis? It would make sense for the Antarctica outpost, or Taonas, but not Atlantis.

[Diverball]

That's problematic though, as Atlantis withstood the Wraith siege for centuries, there was no other Ancient facilities left, so they must have been able to produce them in Atlantis somehow.

It's never said that Atlantis was under siege for centuries. At least not that I recall. Once Atlantis submerged itself, it was protected by a self-replenishing shield of water, a substance with a very high specific heat capacity, thousands of feet thick. Wraith ion blasts are not shown to have anything like the coherence or focus of the replicator energy beam, so its unlikely that they reached Atlantis. So the shield only needed to withstand the water pressure. Three ZPMs could do that for 10,000 years, as was seen.

If Atlantis could produce them itself, Janus would have shown original timeline Weir how.

As for them being energy storage, not so, they're explicitly described as being a miniature self-contained bit of space-time you extract vaccuum energy from. If they needed another power source of equal strength to produce them, why isn't that what's powering Atlantis? It would make sense for the Antarctica outpost, or Taonas, but not Atlantis.

Artificially-created miniature pocket of space-time. How much energy does it take create that pocket? As for the power source - it depends just how big said power source is. For all we know, the ZPM factory was a black hole power tap, or a Dyson Swarm, or some kind of city-sized naquadah reactor. Not something that even Atlantis was big enough to hold. It's entirely possible that said facility was targeted by the Wraith early in the war, and the Ancients used stockpiled ZPMs thereafter.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Possible, yes, but it's irksome that it was never addressed.

As for the "centuries" part, I'm fairly certain it was stated in either Rising or The Siege, during the scenes in the hologram room, but it's been a while.

[Diverball]

Possible, yes, but it's irksome that it was never addressed.

Yeah, I agree. But I have to imagine some hard limit on ZPM production. Otherwise I'm envisioning sticking ZPMs and miniature hyperdrives into puddle jumpers and turning them into mass-produced planet-cracking, cloaked FTL cruise missiles. Or even further, a Voyager-style dreadnaught missile with city-ship shields and weapons similar to the lagrangian defense satellite. How the hell could the Ancients lose?!

As for the "centuries" part, I'm fairly certain it was stated in either Rising or The Siege, during the scenes in the hologram room, but it's been a while.

I don't remember either. But I'm fairly sure that Atlantis was not under direct, unmitigated, continuous bombardment for that length of time.

[Eternal_Freedom]

How could they lose? Like the series said, complacency and sheer numbers.

[InsaneTD]

Quantity has a quality all of its own. Plus when was the last time the ancients had fought a serious war? I get the feeling that most of what fights they would of had would of been minor actions where they showed their power and gave the enemy every chance to surrender. The fight with the wraith was probably their first all out war since leaving their home galaxy.

[Skywalker_T-65]

You see, this is why I got my sis to let me post this here. You don't get this type of discussion on FFN

I am relaying what I read here to her though, and ideas may end up popping up if she likes them. For now though, second chapter:

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1800 Hours, December 20th, 2007 (Military Calendar)/

USS Odyssey, Tollana

---

The fleets in orbit of Tollana began to condense, as the fading hyperspace windows in front of them finally vanished. The Phoenix class colony ships moved to the rear, with the damaged Sun Tzu joining them. The Covenant frigates formed up in a circle around the ships, almost like an old time defense against a raid on an American trail. Past the frigates, the UNSC destroyers formed the second line, their powerful Goa'uld shields and double MAC cannons ready and waiting. Beyond them, the rest of the fleet moved into their standard formations, MACs and plasma banks charging.

Naturally, the Odyssey and Ecumene, as the most powerful warships in the fleets, were at the forefront. Aboard the bridge of the former, the crew looked out at the Ha'tak approaching warily. At least, the SGC group did. The UNSC crew, and Kalmiya for that matter, had no real idea of how big the difference between these Ha'tak, and a standard one were. To SG-1, who had been on and destroyed more Ha'tak than anyone in the Galaxy...it was a lot more sobering. And worrying, for that matter.

"Sam?" Cameron Mitchell asked, as he took his seat at the secondary weapons station.

Samantha Carter bit her lip, looking over the sensor readings, "Commander Cheng was telling the truth. While it is noticeably weaker than an Ori Mothership, there are definitely Ori power readings coming from those Ha'tak. No Goa'uld signatures at all in fact...shields and weapons are both Ori."

"Not to mention they clearly redesigned them," Cam muttered, "And I thought the Goa'uld were gaudy."

Hard to dispute that point, when the approaching ships were almost blindingly silver. Not one trace of Goa'uld black and gold remained on those ships...just Ori silver. On the Ha'tak, it just looked wrong. Corrupted, somehow.

"Can we handle them?" Daniel Jackson asked, strapping himself in...he may be better with guns than he once was, but this was still out of his depth.

"We can, without issue probably," Sam replied, not sounding cocky in the slightest...merely confident in her ship, "The Asgard weapons can handle an Ori Mothership. I doubt they gave the Lucians anything resembling that much power."

"But it's not us you're worried about?" Vala Mal Doran asked, a slight bit of fear in her voice. Not that one could blame her...she knew, better than anyone, what an Ori weapon could do to Goa'uld shields. After all, she had seen it from their side.

The blonde genius nodded, "Yeah. I don't know how well the UNSC and Covenant ships can handle this."

"Well, we'll find out won't we?" Cam asked, as the Ha'tak began to approach.

Before anyone could reply to that comment, the first of the Ha'tak began contacting the fleets. When the message came through, the sight greeting them was rather surprising. There was a Prior on the bridge of the Ha'tak. The highest servants of the Ori would normally only serve on a Mothership. Either they were getting cocky, or they trusted the Lucian converts too much. The former was more likely...the Priors had proven to be quite smart, regardless of their religious mania. They likely put the Prior there to make sure their technology wasn't misused.

Like the Asgard had done with the 304s...but much less benevolent.

"Greetings," the Prior began, "Welcome home, General Landry, Colonel Carter, Colonel Mitchell, Vala Mal Doran, Teal'c, and Daniel Jackson. Have you returned, with new friends, to embrace Origin at last?"

"Of course not," Landry replied.

The Prior's milky-white face showed no emotion, "A pity. All who refuse Origin will be cleansed by the Holy Light of the Ori. Surely you do not believe that these holy vessels are the same as the False Gods?"

"I'd be worried if they were," Cam quipped, "You'd be slipping!"

"I see you have made your choice."

The Prior's face vanished, as the Ha'tak began to move forward even faster than the Goa'uld standard.

"Well, I think we made him mad," the Colonel said.

"What gave it away?" Sam replied, "Permission to engage?"

Landry nodded, "All weapons, fire at will. I would suggest you do the same, Commodore, Fleetmaster."

"Pillar of Autumn will lead the attack," Keyes nodded slightly.

"We will burn them with righteous fire," Nar added.

The combined fleet moved forward, as the Ori ships split into two formations of three Ha'tak each. The first group targeted the Odyssey, unsurprisingly, and the Ecumene. The second attempted to use their maneuverability, further enhanced over even the already fighter-esque agility of a regular Ha'tak, to hit the colony ships. Blue bolts of energy lanced from the Ha'tak, quite unlike the regular gold that the UNSC used. Nor were they Tollan weaponry, as the first blasts began to blossom against the equally blue shield of the 304.

The ship shook slightly under the impacts, as Sam's eyes roved over her console, absorbing every bit of data she could. As the Ha'tak moved aside to flank the rapidly maneuvering Odyssey, the blonde genius turned to Landry.

"Shields holding at 90%," she said without preamble, "Those are the secondary weapons off an Ori Mothership sir. If we were in a Ha'tak, or the Prometheus, we'd be dead now."

As the Odyssey shook from another blow, Landry's eyebrow went up, "And they only took ten percent off our shield?"

"The Huragok modified the shield in ways that stumped Thor, sir," Sam replied, "I doubt anything but a Mothership can hurt us in one hit now."

"Hmm..., well, let's see how they like our weapons."

"One spit-roasted Ha'tak, comin up!" Cam whooped, as his hands danced along the controls.

Four lances of blue plasma flew forth from the Odyssey's bow, impacting the lead Ha'tak. A silver barrier, clearly Ori in origin, shot to life around the ship. The pyramid space craft took the first bolt without losing its shield, but the second put too much strain on it. The third burned through the shield, and pierced the secondary hull of the Ha'tak. The fourth cleaved through its main hull, narrowly missing the reactor. The Ha'tak attempted to maneuver behind its undamaged counterparts, but a MAC shell from the Pillar of Autumn put an end to that plan.

The shell hit the Ha'tak dead center, crumpling as it was designed to do. The effect was not unlike a shotgun blast at close range...as pieces of the shell spread throughout the Ha'tak's hull. A second shell added to the carnage, leaving the Ha'tak riddled with holes...before an Archer missile barrage pierced its reactor.

As the ship went up in a massive fireball, the Autumn turned to helping the Covenant, while the Ecumene began to focus fire with the Odyssey on a second Ori Ha'tak.

"I believe we should split our fire," Grieving Light spoke up, as her ship's golden shield easily took the Ori fire. Forerunner weapons fire lashed back, pounding the Ha'tak mercilessly, its shield quickly failing under the strain of equally advanced weaponry.

"Indeed," Teal'c said, as the Odyssey switched to the last of their enemy group.

More blue beams lanced out, each targeted precisely and accurately. The Ori-modified vessel was absurdly maneuverable, but even it wasn't as agile as the Odyssey. The 304 flared its thrusters, matching the Ha'tak move for move, as blue beams and bolts flew back and forth. After a couple minutes of pounding, however, the enemy vessel flew apart in a massive fireball. The other Ori ship soon joined it, albeit less spectacularly. The hardlight weapons of the Ecumene simply vaporized the tough naquadah armor in an orange flash.

With one group down, the ships were ready to join the rest of the fleet in hitting the other one...only for a flash of light to come from a different direction.

The UNSC destroyer Silent Night, its shield grid collapsing under concentrated fire, blew apart.

"Damn it!" Cam cursed, "The shields aren't good enough!"

"We always knew that might happen," Sam muttered, a sad tone to her voice.

"Focus fire on the Ha'tak!" Landry overrode everything, "We can't let them hit the colony ships."

There wasn't any argument there, as a Covenant destroyer moved to close the cap the Silent Night left in the line. The Covenant's silver shield, so similar to the Ori's, took the fire they directed at it admirably. The same could not be said for one of the Ha'tak. Its crew eager to take revenge for their fallen comrades, the one M-CCS class supercruiser in the fleet, the Morning's Light, turned its ponderous bulk towards the Ori ship.

Fire from said Ha'tak began to focus on the supercruiser, but if there was one Covenant ship that could easily take the fire, it was that one. Behind the supercruisers powerful shields, its five energy projectors charged up...and fired. Condensed white beams of energy lanced through space, all five heading for the same target.

The Ha'tak narrowly evaded the first, but the second hit it square in the center. The silver barrier flared brightly, the warship's overtaxed power grid doing everything it could to reflect the insane amount of energy pouring through it. And it managed to do so...until the third beam hit. The shield collapsed, as the fourth and fifth beam trisected the Ha'tak...before it's reactor blew it apart.

"Yes!"

"I think you were right Sam," Daniel said, a hint of awe in his voice.

Sam nodded slightly...she had long believed that the Energy Projector was at least as powerful as an Ori beam. And that just confirmed it.

"The last two Ha'tak are trying to retreat!" one of the UNSC crew called out.

"Cut them off!" Landry barked out, "We can't let the Ori know we're here!"

Before the Odyssey could even begin to move, two hyperspace portals opened in front of the Ha'tak...but it wasn't them.

The UNSC Rainer and Shadow of Intent had moved to block the Ha'tak. The Valiant-class cruiser fired it's massive MAC cannons almost point blank into one Ha'tak, the ship literally pushed back in space as its shield struggled to hold against the overwhelming kinetic energy. It held for a time...but the next barrage of shells from the modified MAC cut through its shield.

The other one was even worse off, as the CAS-class Assault Carrier in front of it fired its Energy Projector and all the plasma torpedoes it had. The white beam nearly overloaded the shield, leaving it unable to take the brilliantly red balls of plasma. The energy 'stuck' to the shield, overloading what remained of its strength before burning through its hull. The Ha'tak flew apart, leaving nothing but debris of the small Ori fleet.

"We won...we actually beat the Ori," Daniel blinked.

"Not really," Cam said, "We beat some modified Ha'tak. I don't want to think about what one of those big beams would do."

"Colonel Mitchell is correct," Teal'c agreed.

"See, T agrees!" the Colonel said, pointing at the Jaffa who merely raised an eyebrow in response, "Seriously though, we lost a destroyer to what the Ori consider point-defense weapons like our railguns. Those big toilets? They'll cut through the UNSC ships like a hot knife through my grandma's pie."

Cam's continued referencing his family aside, he had a point. The Ha'tak were fitted with the secondary weaponry of an Ori Mothership. And even that had been enough to cut through a UNSC Destroyer. Not right away, but it had still done it. A full-scale Mothership main weapon? That would cut through the UNSC ships easily. The Covenant might fare better, but they might not.

It was certainly a sobering thought, regardless of their enhanced weaponry.

"Sir?" one of the UNSC crew spoke up.

"Yes?" Landry replied, continuing to look at the floating debris of the Ha'tak.

The man looked at his console, "Commander Cheng is requesting to beam back. She seems a bit...curious...about the Asgard weaponry."

Landry laughed, "Can't blame her there. Have her beamed up here."

---

1900 Hours, December 20th, 2007 (Military Calendar)/

USS Odyssey, Tollana

---

After explaining that Cheng that, yes the Asgard weapons could be fitted to her ship, the officers were gathered once again. They had to plan their next move after all. Because now the Ori knew that they were back, and they knew they had brought powerful friends. The Covenant especially...there wasn't a chance in hell that the Priors hadn't let their counterparts know of the warships with equal firepower to their own. And then of course there was the Ecumene...massive, and every bit as advanced and powerful as an Ori Mothership. It would be surprising if their enemy didn't start tossing ships at Tollana in short order.

So they could hardly stay here, even if the planet were in shape to do so. Which of course, it wasn't. Tollana could be terraformed, the UNSC had the technology. But they had neither the time or the chance to do so.

"So, where we headin?" Cam asked.

"I would suggest Neo Tollan," Cheng replied, "That's where our base of operations is. I'm sure you can help us from there."

Landry nodded, "That could work. Where exactly is it though?"

"Epsilon Eridani," the Chinese woman answered, cocking her eyebrow at the looks she got, "What?"

"Just a really strange coincidence," Daniel replied.

"Very strange," Keyes agreed, "Epsilon Eridani is home to Reach in my home universe...our main military base."

And it is very ironic that the resistance here should use the same planet...

Cheng blinked, "That is a strange coincidence indeed. But, if you are familiar with the world, that should make it easier to fortify against attacks."

That was the truth. The UNSC knew one thing...and that was planet Reach. If the Stargate Universe equivalent to it was anything like their own, they knew exactly how to defend and fortify the world. Granted it couldn't be the exact same since Reach had been a young world in need of terraforming for human habitation in the UNSC's home universe. So this world was clearly not exactly the same.

"We can fortify it with our Orbital Defense Platforms," Keyes said.

"Orbital Defense Platforms?" Cheng asked curiously, "Like the Ancient device in Pegasus?"

"Ancient device?"

Sam spoke up, "A satellite weapon that the Ancients had defending Atlantis. Similar principle to an ODP, but it used a beam weapon."

"Ah," Keyes nodded in understanding, "Yes, like that. However, our Platforms use a scaled up version of our Magnetic Accelerator Cannons. The only vessels we have ever encountered that can survive a hit from one are Forerunner, or a Covenant Supercarrier."

Considering that the Chinese Commander knew that the massive green warship outside was an 'Assault' Carrier, she could only imagine how big a 'Super' Carrier was. As for the Forerunner...she was nothing if not highly impressed with the Ecumene. The ship was massive, and clearly at least as advanced as the Ori. Didn't change the fact that it was a very strange looking ship though.

"What of your colonists?" Nar spoke up, his voice rumbling through the room.

"That shouldn't be a problem Fleetmaster," the UNSC Commodore replied, "If this...Neo Tollan...is anything like Reach, they will feel at home. Will the Tollan have any issue with us settling 'their' world?"

"I don't think so," Cheng said thoughtfully.

"The Tollan never had any real issue with someone if they weren't Goa'uld, but were still advanced," Sam chimed in.

"Now if you weren't advanced..." Cam muttered, having read the reports of the Tollan's massive superiority complex.

Sam sent him a look, "That aside, we are all advanced enough that we shouldn't have any issues. And...it hurts to say this, but I really doubt there are enough Tollan to even complain about sharing a planet."

"They have roughly ten thousand survivors."

"Ten thousand, compared to the eleven thousand that are just crew on one Phoenix."

Keyes nodded, "We have roughly one hundred thousand colonists in all. Reach should have plenty of space for them, and the Tollan."

It was going to take some time, to break the habit of referring to Neo Tollan as Reach. Then, it was possible the UNSC would never break the habit at that.

"What about the Covenant?" Vala spoke up, "No offense to our big friend over there, but they are going to stick out like a sore thumb on the surface."

Nar inclined his head slightly, "No offense taken. I, and my warriors, are well aware of how we appear to the humans of this universe. We shall set our encampment far away from the Tollan."

"It is also a good idea to stay far from the colonists," Keyes added, "They came here to avoid the Covenant."

"Very well."

With that problem settled, the group turned to planning out how they were going to reach the planet. The problem that cropped up was relatively simple really...they could hardly just drop the entire fleet out of Hyperspace. Or Slipspace, as the case may be. Dropping dozens of ships that dwarfed even Ha'tak, and in a couple cases the Ori Motherships, was not a good way to get the Tollan to trust them. By the same token though, they couldn't afford to leave any of the fleet at Tollana. It was only a matter of time until the Ori sent more effective warships against them after all.

The Priors were anything but stupid.

"How are we going to arrive?" Daniel asked the burning question.

"I think it should just be the Odyssey and my own ship at first," Cheng suggested, "More familiar. No offense meant, but none of the...UNSC...or Covenant ships are going to be recognized by the Tollan. We might scare them more than reassure them."

Considering the size of most of those ships...

"Good point," Cam said, "Everyone agreed on that?"

A set of nods went around the table at that.

"What about the rest of the fleets?" Cheng asked.

"We'll jump to the outer edge of Epsilon Eridani," Keyes suggested, "Out of sight, but also away from Tollana before the Ori show up in force."

"Good," Landry nodded.

And with that, the meeting ended. They would need to plan how to fight the Ori still, but that could wait until after the fleet was safely at Neo Tollan/Reach. Once the fleet was safe and secure, then they could begin planning on how to fight the Ori. And make no mistake...the war was going to be taken to them. The Ori had had free reign over the Milky Way for far too long now. Content in the belief that nothing could harm them, now that the Asgard were gone.

The UNSC, remnant SGC, and Sangheili were going to show them just how wrong they really were...

---

Unknown Location

---

Shock...that would probably be the best descriptor for the feelings of those watching the battle. They knew as well as anyone what the Ori were capable of. They knew that the enemy had all the knowledge of the universe at their disposal. Even with the fact that all that knowledge was condensed in one individual, Adria, now...it was still amazing. There were limitations to how much of that knowledge could reasonably be integrated into mortal technology when built by an unskilled workforce. It was for that reason, and that reason alone, that the Motherships were not any more powerful than Asgard or Alteran technology, on the most basic level.

This was proved by the Odyssey, before they had vanished from even this group's sight. Now that the vessel had returned however...it came back with a fleet of warships the observers had never seen. Using technology that, at least in one case, was clearly Goa'uld in origin. And yet, they lasted against the Ori better than any race had done other than the Asgard and Terrans. To see Ori technology, even weakened technology, defeated by these unknown individuals...was a shock. A shock that was welcome, nonetheless.

"I had not anticipated this," a woman said, her body glowing with a soft white light.

"None of us had," a man replied, shaking her head slightly, "Though we should have learned to stop underestimating that team."

"You are correct," the woman agreed, "Janus."

Janus smiled slightly, "It would appear we no longer have any reason to interfere, Ganos."

"You are well aware that interfering is the reason I am in exile," Ganos Lal, better known as Morgan Le Fay, sighed.

"Of course," Janus nodded, "Still, this does give me some hope the Ori may yet lose this war. I have no idea who, or where, these new players are from. But, as it was clearly not our intervention, the Others have no authority to stop them. They may lack numbers, but so to do the Ori."

"And yet, they are not entirely a match. Though you would know better than I."

As a leading scientist when he was mortal, Janus couldn't dispute that point. In fact, he was practically itching to start exploring those new ships. The ones that looked human interested him the least...while large, they used an odd mix of physical weapons and Goa'uld/Tollan designs. Clearly retrofit, no matter how effective their main coilgun was.

Now the other designs, those interested him. The massive triangle ship in particular...it was using technology that got his interest. Hardlight primarily, something the Alterans hadn't used much, due to its eclectic nature. Whatever race built this ship though, clearly had a greater mastery of the technology than even his people. And considering the Alterans were the technological pinnacle of all races they had encountered...

"I am curious about these new people's," Janus finally said, "And I know you are too Morgan."

"I am curious, yes," the woman agreed, "But that is all. I cannot interfere, I have risked too much already to help."

The man sighed, "I am aware. Still, at least I have some hope now."

"As do I."

Morgan faded into the background as she said that, returning to her exile. Janus sighed lightly, a sad frown on his face. She truly deserved more. Only Oma Desala, locked in battle with Anubis for all eternity, had done more to help their children than Morgan. And both of them suffered for that. While he may have understood the rule, and acknowledged why it was there...

It didn't make it any easier for Janus to watch. Fading away himself, he entered the lower plane to examine this new warship...if nothing else, he wanted to know just what had entered Avalon...

[Skywalker_T-65]

Ended up a bit busy lately, but here's the third chapter.

---

1300 Hours, December 21st, 2007 (Military Calendar)/

Neo Tollan/Reach

---

To a member of the UNSC or the surviving members of the Fleet of Particular Justice, the Epsilon Eridani system of the Stargate Universe would look nearly identical to their own Universe. There were only small differences, primarily in the age of the system and the spread of its smaller moons. Overall, the differences were so small, that only one intimately familiar with Reach could really tell the differences. Well, tell the difference in the system's layout anyway. There was a rather more glaring difference that anyone could notice.

Namely, the complete and total lack of any orbital infrastructure in orbit of Neo Tollan, the equivalent to Reach herself. No orbital defense platforms, and no orbital shipyards. There was barely any infrastructure to speak of on the planet itself at that. A single small city, with the occasional military base spread around. Bases emplaced for the small defense fleet in orbit of the world.

Five Ha'tak, and three vessels designed as a collaboration between what remained of the Hebridians, the Galarans, and the Orbanians. The latter two were lucky in a way...the Ori had yet to find their homeworlds. And yet they still risked using what technology they had, coupled with the remnant of the Hebridian forces, to create warships for the resistance. It was honorable in a way, that they clung to their alliance with the Tau'ri.

And now, it was these ships that were the first to detect a hyperspace window.

"Hyperspace window, near Sarita," a Jaffa reported on the bridge of the lead Ha'tak.

"All vessels, assume defensive formation," an older Jaffa replied, the mark of Apophis on his head.

"We can't fight if they are the Ori, Master Bra'tac," the Captain of one of the human vessels spoke up.

"We die free," Bra'tac replied, "If we must."

There was silence before the voice replied, "You are correct of course. Shields and weapons are ready...such as they are."

The eight ships took up a defensive formation, and prepared for battle...a battle that didn't come.

"Whoa, thanks for the welcome!" a familiar, to Bra'tac, voice came over the communication systems.

The old Jaffa's eyebrow went up in a manner similar to Teal'c, "Colonel Mitchell? I believed you lost."

"We were, in a way," Samantha Carter's voice replied, "It's good to hear you're okay Bra'tac."

"It is good to hear you are okay, Colonel Carter. Where have you been?"

"That's a very long story. We have some...friends...who can help explain. Promise me you won't shoot them when they arrive?"

Bra'tac frowned lightly. He wondered...who could SG-1 have found that he would shoot on sight? Ori defectors? Such an event was unheard of, but it wasn't technically impossible. The old Jaffa had no idea just how wrong he was.

"We will not fire on any you bring," he answered.

"Good...thank you."

With that, the connection was broken. The Odyssey and Sun Tzu, easy to differentiate from each other due to the ad-hoc repairs to the latter, moved aside from their former position. Where the 304s had been floating, a swarm of hyperspace portals opened...along with something different. The odd portals were a type that the Ha'tak sensors couldn't make heads or tails of...but they weren't what drew the attention of the Jaffa and human crews of the Defense Fleet. No, that was what came out of the portals, both hyperspace and otherwise.

For the ships appearing had even the stoic Bra'tac blinking and struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. He had thought the Ori were impressive, for all their destructive power. What he was seeing now though...

Where have these warships come from? the old Jaffa wondered.

For none of the designs he saw were ones he recognized. The smallest of the dull grey ships vaguely resembled the Tau'ri designs. A main hull, with two outcroppings...though these, admittedly, appeared to be entirely devoted to engines instead of hangers like the Tau'ri were so fond of. The same couldn't be said for the other grey ships however. The ones similar in size to the Tau'ri appearing ships were clearly a similar design. However, they had more armor, and seemed to be designed for fleet battles to Bra'tac's experienced eye. Lean, fast, and powerful were all words that would fit.

The larger ships lost the lean appearance, but maintained the dangerous one. Big and bulky, they practically bristled with weaponry. Including, if he was not mistaken, Staff Cannons. Were these strange ships some new Goa'uld design?

No, no Goa'uld would design such an effective ship.

Shaking that thought from his head, the old Jaffa turned to look at the even more impressive ships. The green vessels truly did resemble nothing he had ever seen. They looked almost organic with their gentle curves and bulges, nothing like the utilitarian look of the gray ships or the Tau'ri battlecruisers. Nor did they look like the silver Ori or pyramidal Goa'uld. They looked...alien. And of course, there was the size. Even the smallest were at least as big as the Ori vessels, themselves the largest Bra'tac had seen outside of Anubis' Mothership. And the largest? At six kilometers, Bra'tac had seen nothing like it...other than the even larger vessel near the Odyssey.

Needless to say...

"I am very curious to know where you have come across such...allies..." the old Jaffa said.

"I am sure you are old friend," Teal'c spoke up.

"If it's any consolation, the story is worth the shock," Daniel Jackson added.

"I am sure," Bra'tac replied, a small smile on his aged face.

After all, with this fleet of apparent allies, they may finally stand a chance of winning this war.

---

1330 Hours, December 21st, 2007 (Military Calendar)/

Neo Tollan/Reach, Council Chambers

---

After the combined Fleets had settled into orbit and taken defensive positions with the Resistance forces, their leaders had beamed down to the world. Or taken a Phantom, in the case of Fleetmaster 'Saranee as the Sangheili didn't have beaming or ring technology. Once on the surface however, the group had been directed by suitably awed Tollan soldiers towards the Council Chambers. Ordinarily used only for the Tollan government, it had been retrofit into a Council of War chamber in recent days...to provide a way for the Resistance leaders to meet in person, on the rare occasions all were on Neo Tollan. Right now, the room was rather crowded though.

It certainly hadn't been designed to hold a pair of fully-armored Spartan-IIs in addition to the even larger Sangheili.

"I am even more curious now," Bra'tac said, sending an evaluating look at the massive members of the group.

There was no noticeable reactions from the Spartans, John and Fred. Nar simply inclined his head slightly, having heard of Bra'tac from Teal'c. He had some level of respect for the seasoned warrior, especially considering he had lived to his age using weapons that were not cut out for real warfare.

"That's the normal reaction Master Bra'tac," Cam shrugged.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"I can imagine. Now, you claimed to have a long story?"

Daniel stepped forward at that question, and started to once again narrate the team's time in the UNSC universe. Bra'tac's eyes narrowed and widened at times, showing him absorbing the information. Absorbing information about a war that made the struggle against the Goa'uld and Ori look like child's play. Whatever else the false gods were, at least they weren't genocidal outside some of the Goa'uld.

"That is an incredible story you have told me," the old Jaffa spoke once they were done.

"If I hadn't have lived through it, I wouldn't have believed it," Daniel replied.

"Indeed," Bra'tac nodded, "and were it anyone else telling me such a tale, I would not believe it myself."

Cam shrugged again, "It is incredible. Not going to complain though...we got some nice allies out of the deal."

The old Jaffa looked at Nar again, and couldn't dispute the point. The Spartans merely reinforced that point. Yes, Earth had fallen while SG-1 was gone. But there was no guarantee that even these miracle weapons they spoke of would have turned the tide. Bra'tac was an old Jaffa, but he was not stupid. He knew that the Tau'ri governments would never have shared the Asgard technology with his own people. Without doing so, they would have been overrun eventually...the Ori could easily outproduce them.

They had outproduced them.

But, while these newcomers...the UNSC and Sangheili...were individually weaker than the Ori, they made up for that with numbers. If they could produce more ships...if they could man those new ships with Free Jaffa and loyal humans...they might just stand a chance. The Resistance did not lack for eager fighters. They merely lacked the ships or construction capacity to outfit the volunteers. The UNSC had brought a mobile shipyard with them, from what SG-1 said.

"Could you construct new Ha'tak?" Bra'tac asked, this time directing the question at Commodore Keyes.

The younger man frowned, "Perhaps. Our construction facilities are not designed to use naquadah or trinium. Nor have they ever built Ha'tak. It would be simpler to construct our own designs, perhaps modified to fit your specifications."

"Perhaps," the old Jaffa muttered, "my Jaffa are not trained to use any warship but Ha'tak or Al'kesh however."

"We aren't going to be attacking anyone anytime soon," Keyes replied, "we have to establish a base. Infrastructure, mining, orbital defenses. We aren't ready to launch attacks on the Ori, and that should give time to train your forces in our weaponry."

After saying that, the Commodore turned to SG-1, a small glare on his face, "And to improve that weaponry. I can understand why you have limited access to Asgard weaponry and shielding, but if we are to survive against the Ori we must have Asgard technology on all our warships. Nothing else, but the Ecumene, will suffice."

Sam had the grace to flush slightly, "It wasn't really our choice sir. It wasn't our technology to give away...that was the Asgard's choice."

"And their choice now?"

"Thor has said we can give the technology to those we trust implicitly," the blonde replied, "Within reason. I don't think they want us to give away the newest technology...not that I blame them, with how powerful it is."

"Nonetheless, we need the technology," Keyes said with a tone of finality, "Goa'uld shields aren't going to cut it anymore. And the Sangheili will always be behind us, if they lack hyperdrives."

"This is true," Nar agreed, "it is not my place to ask for your technology, however, we shall not be able to help if we cannot keep up."

As the arguments went back and forth, Bra'tac merely watched with a hint of bemusement on his aged face. Teal'c detached from his team and stood next to his mentor, the barest twitch of a smile on his face. The two Jaffa watched the proceedings for awhile, before the now younger one, turned to his protégé.

"Teal'c, while it is good to see you my friend, I am curious. How is it that you have aged so much?"

"While we were aboard the Odyssey, after receiving the Asgard Legacy, we were forced to hide in a time dilation bubble," the tall Jaffa replied, "I was the one sent back, as the others had aged too much."

Bra'tac nodded, before he had to turn his attention back to the main group. With the subject of the Asgard technology tabled for the moment, it now came time to decide where the Resistance would move now. Obviously they would need to spend a not-insignificant amount of time organizing and setting up the colonists. It would take some time before the new fleet was truly ready to launch attacks on the Ori. They couldn't just jump headfirst into the war after all...preparations needed to be made. Troops needed to be trained. Ships needed to be built. So on and so forth.

They could hardly just sit around completely though. Even before the Odyssey had returned, the Resistance had launched the occasional raid. If they didn't continue that, the Ori might start searching them out. And until orbital defenses could be set up, that was something the Resistance could not afford. So then...where did that leave them?

"Scouts are a must," Keyes spoke up, looking at a 'map' of Ori territory, "especially here."

The UNSC commander put a finger on a blank spot of the Milky Way. Neither Goa'uld, nor Ori, had gone there.

"That's where the Furlings were, according to the Asgard," Daniel spoke up.

"Then that means we must scout there even more."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"We'll do it," Cam nodded.

With that statement, a plan began to take shape. The Odyssey, once it had transferred what was needed from the Asgard Core, would start scouting the area out due to its cloak. A Prowler or two would scout other parts of the galaxy, and attempt to find what the Ori were doing.

If they couldn't hit the enemy, they could at least spy on him. And spying was what the Prowler Corps did best.

---

Tollana

---

Four hyperspace windows flashed to life outside Tollana's orbit. Out of these portals came an Ori Mothership and three Ori Ha'tak. The ships slowed to a stop, as the Ha'tak took up a defensive formation around the Mothership. In almost any case, such a precaution would be pointless. Even the mighty Asgard had proven unable to so much as scratch an Ori Mothership...aside from the weapons fitted to the vanished Odyssey. And if that ship had been intact, it would surely have defended Earth. As that had not been the case, the Priors had long since assumed that nothing could touch their warships, as they spread Origin through the Galaxy.

At least, until now. Contact had been lost with a scout group of six Ha'tak, around a world that by all rights should have been uninhabited. Converted Lucians had told tales of Anubis' destruction of Tollana. So naturally, there was no reason for the Ori to station ships there. The scout group had only come upon reports of unknown energy readings. The Mothership in this group had been just far enough away that it couldn't join them.

Something that seemed to doom them, if the wreckage bouncing off its shield was any indication.

"The scout group was...destroyed...Prior," a man in the uniform of an Ori Commander spoke.

"So they were Tomin," the Prior agreed, looking out at the wreckage with a slight narrowing of his eyes. After all, such a feat should have been impossible.

"What shall we do?" Tomin asked warily.

"Find whomever did this, and burn them with the light of Origin."

"As you command."

The Ori ships spread out, and began scanning for any sign of where the destroyers had gone. What they didn't know, and couldn't know at that, was that they would never find them. The Cole Protocol was far too useful for that. Even presuming the Ori could find the hyperspace trail, they would merely be lead on a wild goose chase. As UNSC ships maintained a separate slipspace drive, specifically for how hard it was to track.

Naturally, they knew none of this of course.

"We are unable to detect any hyperspace windows," an officer reported.

"Prior?"

The milky-white eyes stared out at the debris and ruined world, "We shall continue preparations for our next assault. A scout will remain, in case the attackers return."

Tomin frowned lightly, "Assault, Prior?"

"We have discovered an advanced race, that will never bow to Origin," the Prior answered.

"Should we not at least attempt to..."

"No. They will burn."

The Ori Commander nodded, as his ship jumped back into Hyperspace. He felt a tiny niggling of doubt however. Everyone should have the chance to embrace Origin. Such was what he had known his whole life. There were some who were truly beyond saving, who would never embrace Origin. But did that mean entire worlds...entire peoples...entire races must die? Tomin had long since lost count of how many worlds had been wiped clean of life for refusing to join the Ori. Jaffa suffered especially hard...the proud race refusing to bow down to new Gods, after millennia of mistreatment by the Goa'uld.

And how many of those campaigns had been at his order?

He truly didn't know. All that Tomin did know, was that his doubts continued to grow with every day, and every planet subjugated. This was not how he had been brought up. Origin was supposed to be forgiving. Not used as a tool to beat the people's of the galaxy into the dirt. Vala's words resonated in his head.

And Tomin, loyal soldier of Origin, just didn't know what to think anymore.

---

1500 Hours, December 29th, 2007 (Military Calendar)/

Neo Tollan/Reach

---

In the several days since the fleet had arrived at Neo Tollan, a large amount of work had begun. The colony ships had long since landed on the surface of the world, setting up settlements in their intended purpose. The few Tollan who had called the world home began to mingle with those new 'cities', in a bit of awe at the scale of the ships and their technology. For all their advancements, after all, the Tollan had never been a spacefaring race in the strictest sense. They hadn't needed to be.

And while the human populations mingled on the surface, in space the UNSC and Covenant collaborated on building a new defense net. Slowly but surely, a dozen Orbital Defense Platforms began to take shape. These were clearly different in design however, merging UNSC and Covenant technology. Graceful curves took the place of sharp edges. The central barrel of the Super-MAC remained, but it was no surrounded by plasma torpedo launchers and a miniaturized Energy Projector built with help from Grieving Light. That was why there were so few of the platforms...they were harder to produce, but more powerful.

And as shipyards began to take shape next to these platforms, the Odyssey floated next to a group of Prowlers.

"It's hard to believe isn't it?" Daniel said, looking out at the new construction.

"It is, isn't it?" Cam agreed, "Makes me wish we had these before we left."

"It would have been so much easier to fight the Goa'uld and Ori," Sam nodded.

"Indeed," Teal'c finished.

Vala, for once, was silent. She had been that way a lot since they came back to their universe. Not that one could blame her really. She had a lot of guilt, however much she may hide it. That had only gotten worse with the knowledge of how the Ori had overrun the Milky Way so thoroughly.

"Can't stay in the past," the resident Archeologist added, the irony of his words not lost on anyone.

"Got that right. Comms, the Prowlers ready?"

The UNSC officer nodded, "Yes Colonel. We're ready to head out whenever you give the order."

"Feels odd," Vala finally spoke, "to be out exploring like we used to."

SG-1 shared a look at that, as Sam said, "You've got that right."

"It is like we used to do," Teal'c said, "and yet, it is not."

The old Jaffa had a point there. They were exploring, in the way the SG teams had always done. Albeit from the bridge of the most advanced warship in the Galaxy. But the explorations were not in any way similar to those old missions. This time, the stakes were higher than ever. They had to figure out what the Ori were doing, and where they were concentrating their forces. If they could learn where to hit the Ori hard...hit them where it would hurt...then the Ori could be defeated.

None in the Resistance were under the illusion they could win in a head on battle, not yet. But if they could hurt the Ori and weaken their forces, it would make it easier. And that was something they needed.

"Well, let's head out. Time to go exploring!"

And with that, the small group of ships flashed into hyperspace...ready to begin their mission.

[FaxModem1]

Poor Vala Del Moran. Hope we get to see more of her in this sequel, as she was rather limited in the original one, though that's understandable, due to her spending the entire time upgrading the UNSC systems.

[InsaneTD]

You and your sister are doing really well. Starting to picture the characters and the interactions as the story goes on. Definitely feels like them.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Apologies for the delay. We've both been pretty busy lately.

---

1500 Hours, January 5th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/

Langara

---

It had been several days since the Odyssey and her UNSC counterparts had left Neo Tollan. In that time, they had been scouting worlds friendly to the Tau'ri, or outright allies. Hebridan had been the first...as reports had indicated it fell to the Ori relatively early. For a rare first in intel...the reports had not lied. The world was patrolled by several modified Ha'tak, though it hardly seemed needed. Hebridan's orbital infrastructure was...gone. Satellites floated in shattered chunks, if they floated at all. Warships and civilian traffic alike floated dead in space, decimated by the Ori's advanced technology. Even a race- races -that could defeat the Goa'uld and gain their independence, were far from a match for the far more powerful Ori.

The cities on the world had been even worse. Abandoned and shattered, as both Hebridian and Serrakin were forced to regress to an agricultural society as they worshiped the Ori. If any survivors remained friendly with Earth, it would take far to long to find them. And thus, the Odyssey had left as quickly as it arrived, SG-1 unwilling to get the survivors punished.

The same scene had played out on so many worlds, it hurt. In fact, the only Tau'ri friendly worlds that hadn't been taken by the Ori were Orban, Galar, and Gaia, the Nox Homeworld.

And now, the ship was orbiting Langara. This one had a special place, even amongst their allies. Both because of its Naquadria, a way to make a UNSC nuke powerful enough to possibly hurt an Ori ship. But more than that...it was the home of Jonas Quinn, the only member of SG-1 that hadn't been aboard the ship or on Earth. Jonas hadn't been around much since Daniel returned, but that didn't mean that his former team had any desire to abandon him either.

That being said...

"Damn," Cam Mitchell muttered, looking at the damaged cities so indicative of Ori occupation.

"Jonas..." Sam gasped.

Daniel stared wide eyed at the destruction, "They must have resisted. We know Kelowna at least has the technology for a Naquadria bomb."

"They failed," Teal'c said, his voice as blunt as ever even if there was a hint of sadness in it.

"How many are left?" Vala asked, looking at the UNSC sensor operator.

The man checked his station, "There are at least a few million survivors, mostly clustered around the outskirts of the cities. None in the cities."

That was just more confirmation that the Ori did not tolerate anything bigger than agrarian societies. If anything, they were stripping the buildings for materials to build smaller towns, like the ones Daniel and Vala had seen in the Ori home galaxy. Of course, getting closer to confirm that was difficult, even with the cloak. Perhaps because of the Naquadria bomb and the mineral itself, the world was heavily garrisoned. At least ten Ori Ha'tak, and three of their Motherships hovered above Langara.

"Can we contact Jonas?" Daniel asked.

"He should still have the old codes," the resident blonde genius said, "If he has a radio, he can hear us."

Turning around, Sam walked up to the comm station, that was quickly vacated by its UNSC crewer.

"Jonas," she said, after adjusting it for both Earth and Langaran communications systems, "This is Sam. We're in orbit on the Odyssey. If you can hear this, please respond."

There was silence for a long time. Long enough that the ship was able to find a gap in the Ori patrols, and take up a position over the world. If it were any other ship, even a Prowler, that would have been suicide. Thankfully the Odyssey had the most advanced cloak known to both universes.

"I think he might be..." Cam began to say, before the radio suddenly squawked.

"You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice Sam!" the familiar, if weary, voice of Jonas Quinn came over the radio, "What took you guys so long?"

"Long story," the blonde replied, "Do you still have your beaming transponder?"

"Never went anywhere without it," the Langaran confirmed, "I don't want to just leave my people alone though. I'm...something of an idol now. My experience with the Goa'uld has left me one of the few who can fight the Ori on even terms. Our military was wiped out on the first day."

Jonas managed to sound awkward about the situation. Which was to be expected with his personality. That aside though, it was not a good sign that the Langaran military was wiped out on the first day. If Jonas was leading a resistance, they had to have suffered bad losses...you couldn't train civilians that quickly, especially to fight Priors. They might hurt the Ori foot soldiers, but the Langarans had no way to neutralize their leaders.

"We'll beam up your group too," Cam said, "Might as well, the Resistance could always use more fighters. Am I right?"

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

"And I'm sure they could use food and a good bath," Vala added.

Daniel shook his head fondly, "Food is probably more important Vala."

The woman attempted to look affronted, but she couldn't deny the point. For his part, Jonas merely laughed softly...though it didn't hold the old cheer one could expect from the man.

"I missed you guys. Okay, let me gather everyone up and I'll activate the transponder. We're well enough away from the Ori that it shouldn't be a problem to find us. Jonas out."

With that message sent, the radio went silent again. The bridge crew waited for the signal from the transponder...SG-1 specifically, wondering what they would find. Langara had been occupied for so long...who knew what Jonas and his people looked like.

"Reading the transponder," one of the crew reported.

"Beam them to sickbay," Cam replied.

"Roger that sir."

As soon as it was confirmed that Jonas and a dozen Langarans were aboard the ship, SG-1 moved from the bridge and went down to Sickbay. As the ship itself moved away from the planet and deeper into the star system itself, to avoid the Ori patrols.

---

Sickbay

---

When the team arrived at the sickbay, they winced at the sight. Well, Teal'c didn't but even he rose an eyebrow. Jonas and the Langarans were thin and dressed in ragged clothing. Only a handful of them clutched Langaran rifles to their sides, clearly untrusting of the UNSC crew. Even Jonas himself was warily watching the nurses, clearly confused by their uniforms. When even he had a wary and untrusting look on his face, it was clear that things were bad. How bad? Well, that was what the team was there to find out.

If anyone knew what life under the Ori was like, it was someone who had been fighting them for a year or so.

"Jonas!" Sam greeted the man first, moving to hug him.

The Langaran blinked, before his face broke into a tired grin, "Sam! It's great to see you!"

"It's great to see you too. When we heard Langara fell..."

And just like that, Jonas' smile faded, "Yes...that was hard for everyone. Then, the Ori love to brag so I think you know what it's like now."

It didn't take a genius to know what he meant there.

"Yeah...we haven't seen Earth yet," Daniel said, his own face set in a grim line.

"Haven't...but wouldn't you have been defending it?" the former SG-1 member asked.

SG-1 shared a look before Cam stepped forward, "Cam Mitchell, I replaced General O'Neill."

"General eh? Good for Jack," Jonas smiled slightly, "But where were you, if not at Earth?"

SG-1 sat down, Vala taking the time to introduce herself to Jonas. Once everyone was seated as the Nurses continued to look after the weary Langarans, the team began to tell their tale. Jonas reacted surprisingly well, all things considered. Then again, he had been a member of SG-1 for a year. He hadn't done quite as much outlandish stuff as most of the team, but he had little real reason to doubt anything Sam, Daniel or Teal'c told him.

Jonas did trust them with his life for a reason.

Of course, that didn't make what they were saying easy to believe. Just that he didn't doubt they were telling the truth.

"So you've been in a different universe for seven months?"

"Yep," Sam said.

Jonas shook his head, a small smile on it, "Only SG-1. You're back now with reinforcements though? Enough to beat the Ori?"

"We hope so," Cam nodded, "It'll take some time and it sure as hell won't be easy. But we're not just going to roll over and give up."

"I would be worried if you did. You want my help, don't you?"

Daniel shook his own head, "Not if you'd rather stay and help your own people. We didn't even know if you would still be alive."

"Can't blame you there," the Langaran agreed, "They took the Stargate so quickly I couldn't get out a message."

Jonas got to his feet after saying that, and walked over to his own little group. He started talking with the few who had rifles, nodding at SG-1 whenever one of them asked a question. The discussion lasted a few minutes, before the man walked back to his former team. He had a grim look on his face, but it wasn't because he was planning on staying...

"We're with you," Jonas said, "there isn't much point in staying here anymore. None of us want to leave Langara, but we can't stop the Ori on our own. We'd be more use helping you out."

"Are you certain Jonas Quinn?" Teal'c asked.

"Not at all. I don't like leaving. But we've been fighting the Ori for a year. If Langara is going to be free, you'll need our help. And we need your help."

Cam got to his feet, "Well I'm not going to turn down the help. Let's get you lot cleaned up, and back to Reach."

"Reach?" Jonas asked, "We're going to the other universe?"

"It's actually called Neo-Tollan," Daniel supplied, "It's just in the same place."

"Ahh..."

SG-1 left their former teammate and his people to get cleaned up and fed. They had more allies...granted, only a handful of Langarans. But anything helped...and when it came time to liberate Langara, they would have people familiar with the world to help. And while it wasn't said aloud...it was nice to have Jonas back. And a relief to know he was still alive. The more members of the old team they found the better after all.

That didn't stop the worry of what they would find at Earth, however...if anything, it just increased the worry. If Langara was this bad for daring to resist...what would Earth be like? There was not a chance in hell that the Tau'ri would just roll over and let the Ori win. Even if the Ancient platform was destroyed or ran out of drones. Even if cities were hit from orbit. Even if the Ori landed in force.

It just wasn't in human nature, especially on Earth, to roll over like that. And that made a feeling of dread go down SG-1's collective spine...

---

1000 Hours, January 6th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/

Unnamed World

---

Far away from Langara, a UNSC Prowler floated underneath its cloak. Beneath it, an Ori Mothership floated by, seemingly unaware of the ship's presence. That was a good thing, considering a Prowler would last all of a few seconds against a ship the power of an Ori Mothership. On the bridge of the small scout ship, the Captain felt his face illuminated by the light from the 'glowpoint' that provided power for an Ori ship. The man scowled at that sight, quite tempted to let some HORNET mines lose like he would against a Covenant warship. Hell, he'd done the same to bigger ships before.

But all the Prowler Captains had been told, in no uncertain terms, that trying that on the Ori big boys was suicidal. Not even the full capacity of a Prowler would be enough to get through that shield. Maybe if they used Naquadria on the nukes. Failing that though, the Prowlers were next to useless for anything but scout work. Which was what this particular one, UNSC Darkest Night, was doing. The world beneath it was not an SGC ally, it hadn't even been explored. The small scout was here specifically because it had followed the ship below it on the off-chance it might lead the UNSC crew somewhere important.

And it certainly had.

"Sensors, what am I seeing?" Captain Jones asked.

"Looks like a supply depot of some kind Captain," the woman at the station replied.

"How big are we talking?" Jones asked.

"Big sir. I see a large amount of silos. If I had to guess, based on what SG-1 reported, this was a Lucian farming world. No life-signs on the surface though...I think the Ori are just using it's silos and infrastructure to horde..."

The woman looked at her scanners closely, before a broad grin spread on her face. Jones' eyebrow went up at that, asking for an explanation without the need for words.

"I think it's naquadah sir!"

"That's a lot of naquadah then."

Considering the world was dotted with 'farms' of silos, that was an understatement. Even if only half of them were full...even if it was just raw naquadah instead of weapons grade material...that was still a hell of a lot. One would wonder why the Ori were willing to have so much in one spot.

Until they thought about the fact that the Ori had nothing to fear until the Odyssey had returned.

"Mark every one of those silos that has naq' in them," the Captain ordered, "I want to know where they are. If we can get a raid going we might be able to get enough to supply all our needs."

"Isn't that a risk sir?" one of the crew spoke up.

"How so?"

"What if the Ori have trackers on their naquadah? We can't let them find Reach..."

Jones looked out at the green world beneath him, "That's what the Cole Protocol is for. We'd make damn sure they can't track us before going back to Reach. Our greatest asset is secrecy, and I'm sure you understand that as a proud member of the Prowler Corps...am I right?"

The other man stepped down, suitably cowed. Jones just went back to examining the world beneath his ship, as it coasted to low orbit. Carefully maneuvering around patrolling Ha'tak and Al'kesh, the Darkest Night scanned ever part of the world, its crew marking any storage areas that held something of value. Considering the Ori seemed to have turned this world into one big supply depot, that took a lot of time.

Time that was worth it though. While the ship hadn't found the Furlings, the overt reason for the scouting missions, finding this type of resource was almost worth not finding the mysterious race. Naquadah was the key material in Stargate universe technology. Even leaving aside the fact it would allow the UNSC to upgrade all their nuclear stockpiles, it was still useful. Especially for the Jaffa and Tollan, who needed supplies that Reach just didn't have. This was a gold mine, plain and simple.

A heavily guarded one though.

"Oh my God..." the woman on sensors muttered.

"What is it?" the Captain asked.

"Two more Motherships sir."

And indeed, the first Ori Mothership had been joined by two more of the monstrously powerful ships. To a veteran of the Covenant War it shouldn't have been as scary as it was. Ori ships were small by Forerunner Universe standards. That did not mean much, when everyone aboard the ship had at least some inkling of how powerful they truly were, despite the relatively small size.

"Ten Ha'tak, and three Motherships," Jones counted, "They're serious alright. Get us out of here."

"Yes sir."

The small Prowler broke away from orbit, and began moving towards the outer edge of the system. They wanted to make sure they got away without the Ori realizing they were ever there, after all.

That was the purpose of the Prowler Corps. Get in, and get out without the enemy ever knowing you were there.

---

1900 Hours, January 7th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/

Neo Tollan/Reach

---

"We've got a massive stockpile of naquadah just sitting there. I say we hit the Ori before they know what's happening," Cam Mitchell said.

"It is a tempting target, but I doubt the Ori would just let us waltz in," Jacob Keyes replied.

"He is correct," Nar agreed.

"I doubt anyone expects that," Landry countered, "However, this is too tempting a target to pass up. We need the resources, and the Ori aren't defending it as heavily as they could."

Keyes scowled, "You yourself have said that three of their Motherships are more than a match for the Odyssey. We have new shields, but our weapons are still not quite at your level. Unless you're willing to part with one of your 304s, we aren't going to have an easy time."

"The Sun Tzu isn't quite ready for battle yet. It was in worse shape than anyone thought," Sam supplied, "The Hammond won't be ready for trials, leave alone combat, for at least a month."

"The Odyssey then?"

"We can help," Cam answered, "I've been wanting to get one of those big boys ever since we got back."

While phrased as a joke, it was anything but. Now that it had really, really, hit SG-1 that Earth had fallen they had gone through the grief. And now they were in the 'anger' phase. Cam was far from the only person from Earth wanting to get back at the Ori. And if anything, the number of converted Lucian Ha'tak just made it clear that they still didn't have that many of the bigger ships in the Milky Way. Granted the galaxy was a big place and they certainly hadn't found all the ships by any means.

But the fact remained, that there couldn't be a lot of them. If there were, the Ori would have more of them over important worlds like Langara and this apparent supply depot. The fact they didn't could only mean they didn't have the ships to spare. Then again...

God only knew what Earth was like.

"Be that as it may, this is still a risky endeavor when we haven't fully established ourselves," Keyes pointed out.

Landry sighed, "None of us are disputing that point. Still, sometimes a risk has to be taken."

"Being as I was willing to take a handful of ships on a mission to capture a Prophet, I can understand that mindset."

"I have not heard that tale," Nar spoke up.

"I'll tell you sometime Fleetmaster," Keyes replied, marveling somewhat at the fact he could talk so...friendly...with an Elite.

"Very well," the Sangheili in question inclined his head, "I will volunteer two cruisers for this mission."

Considering that a CCS was a powerful warship in its own right, that was a welcome addition to the fight. Especially now that the ships had been modified with select technology by both SGC engineers and Huragok. These ships would be more than a match for most things thrown at them. How they stood up to full powered Ori ships though...

Well, that would be found out if the mission went forward.

"See, even the big guys are willing," Cam said, hooking his thumb at the Sangheili who merely blinked slowly.

"No offense Colonel, or Fleetmaster, but the Elites are always willing for a fight," Keyes replied, "however, their support does make me willing to support this mission of yours. The question now is, who will lead the forces. I am needed here, as are the Fleetmaster and General Landry. And no offense Colonel, but you are not a fleet commander."

"I'm a pilot," Cam shrugged, "even being at the helm of the Odyssey is odd. No argument here."

"I would suggest Commander Keyes," Sam suggested.

The elder Keyes raised an eyebrow, "Not that I'm arguing, but do you have a reason for that suggestion Colonel?"

Sam nodded, "Yes. Miranda is an excellent strategist and very adaptable. We need that, if the Ori end up having more forces than we expect. We still don't know the full capabilities of their hyperdrives for instance, or if they have rapid response forces set up. I'd rather have her adaptability than anything else, in that type of situation."

"Very good points. Let me transfer the Spartans and Cortana to the San Francisco, and contact Commander Keyes."

As the Commodore did just that, Sam and Cam looked at each other. They smiled slightly, knowing very well why the Commodore was transferring the Spartans and Cortana. He may not show it, but he did care deeply about his daughter. He probably wanted to make sure she had the best support he could give her. To be fair, any father would do that for their daughter. The fact they were both in a spacefaring military with multi-kilometer long warships just emphasized the point. Of course, he could also have just wanted to get Cortana out of his hair.

That AI was brilliant, but she was a handful for the somewhat straight-laced Keyes. She would have fit perfectly well with SG-1 though, if they didn't already have Kalmiya.

"You have your mission," Keyes spoke up, once he returned from sending the message.

"Roger that," Cam nodded.

"Be careful. We still don't know the full capabilities or numbers of the Ori. I don't want to lose a battlegroup because of that. If things get too hot..."

"Get out?" Sam supplied.

"Precisely. Fleetmaster, which ships are you sending?"

Nar twitched his mandibles thoughtfully, "Prior Repentance, and Dire Light. I am well-acquainted with their Shipmasters, and both are skilled warriors. I believe they will work well with your Commander."

Keyes nodded, "Good. Well, I suggest you return to your ship Colonels. The mission will launch tomorrow morning. Make sure you are ready."

"We will be," Cam tossed off a salute, as he and Sam were beamed back to the Odyssey.

"I will never get used to that," Keyes shook his head, a small smile on his face.

"You never do," Landry shrugged, "They aren't doing well."

The smile fell off the Commodores face, "I noticed. This isn't as much about the resources. They want revenge."

The General sighed, "I know. SG-1 isn't normally one for that, but with General Hammond confirmed dead and General O'Neill unknown...I can't really blame them. Toss in the general condition of Earth from what Commander Cheng tells us..."

Keyes didn't say anything to that. Words weren't needed...he knew well what Landry meant.

Hopefully this upcoming mission would allow the urge for revenge to leave their systems. A warrior who fought for revenge was one who wouldn't think clearly. And that was the last thing they needed.

[Skywalker_T-65]

0900 Hours, January 8th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/

Unnamed World

---

Once again the crew of the Darkest Night found themselves floating above the unnamed world. This time however, they were not here on the hunch of following the Ori. This time, they were above the world to scout out the defenses and plan out the battle. Intel gathering in its purest form, and the perfect mission for the experienced Prowler crew. They had been at it for an hour in fact, silently coasting through space around the planet. The computer- Prowlers were only rarely assigned AIs -was tagging each and every Ori craft, from the mighty Motherships to the small modified Al'kesh. The ships were tagged, and their patrol routes marked down by the advanced computer, retrofit with Asgard technology.

And they had found quite an interesting thing. Ships rarely remained in this system. In fact, only two of the Motherships- nicknamed 'Bertha' and 'Dora' after old artillery pieces considering their immense firepower -actually remained in orbit at all times. The Ha'tak seemed to rotate out with other Lucian ships, while the Al'kesh were only in orbit at certain times. The third Mothership was a different one from the last time they were there, the Asgard computer identifying subtle differences between the ships. All in all, it seemed like the Ori didn't have a permanent garrison for this world. Either they didn't have enough ships to spare to do so...

Or they had more than enough ships to spare, to rotate them out regularly.

"Coming on the last group of ships now sir," the helmsman reported.

Captain Jones looked out the viewports, at a gathering of Ha'tak floating around the third Mothership, "So it seems. Once we have tagged this fleet, release the HORNETs in standard pattern. They may not hurt the Ori much, but it's something at least."

"Sir?"

"I want to at least say I hit the Ori," Jones replied.

"Ah...yes sir."

As his crew went about their tasks, the Captain sighed softly, "Because we're going to need everything we have to win here. I can feel it..."

Jones didn't necessarily believe that the Ori Motherships were all they were cracked up to be. Having never seen their immense power, how could he? He hadn't seen them take down the Korelev and an O'Neill. Ships that had shields just like the Odyssey...shields that had stood up to anything the Covenant could throw at them. The Odyssey may have had more advanced shields, but the point remained.

However, despite his own doubts about the strength of the Ori...Jones still had a bad feeling.

I'm worried. I don't know why I am. There isn't any way these ships are as strong as SG-1 says they are. Not when they're barely the size of a Covenant cruiser!

"Sir, we've finished tagging the fleet."

"Send the report then."

"Yes sir!"

The report on the Ori ships and their patrol routes went out to the waiting strike force. As that report was analyzed and spread amongst the fleet, Jones and his men and women moved the Darkest Night into a new position. Behind the ship, cloaked and naquadah-enhanced HORNET mines dropped out from the Prowler. Micro thrusters fired on the sides of the nuclear devices, spreading them into a small minefield. Not even the Ori could notice these mines...they were too small, in addition to the cloaks and dark paint.

"Mines deployed sir," the weapons officer reported, "We've got the Shiva ready to beam into the largest concentration of Al'kesh as you ordered."

"Good work," Jones nodded, "Has the fleet reported in?"

"One moment..." the comm officer replied, "We're receiving targeting telemetry. Captain Keyes wants us to hit the fighters with any nukes we can spare."

"She does realize we only have two Shivas correct?"

"Yes sir," the woman replied.

Jones sighed softly, "Sensors? What is the largest concentration of Ori fighter craft?"

The man at the sensor post started reviewing his scans, his face taught. But after a few minutes, it relaxed into a somewhat confused look. The Captain raised an eyebrow at that, as the man double checked his readings. His head came up and shook slightly.

"There aren't any fighters sir. The smallest craft out there are the Al'kesh."

"No...that doesn't make any sense," the older man muttered, moving to look at the scans himself.

They didn't lie though. Not one Ori Fighter was in sight, and they had been briefed by the Jaffa on what to expect. Why would the Ori not launch any fighters? Unless...

"Are they that confident in their ships?" Jones muttered.

It made a certain amount of sense. The Ori had ships that no one, other than the 'dead' Asgard, could handle. Why would they need to train their fighters in space combat? There was no point in using single craft, when there was no threat from even the largest enemy warship. The Ori pilots probably only had training for atmospheric combat, where the strength of Ori Motherships were excessive. It would explain why the smallest craft in orbit were Al'kesh.

And why the Ori hadn't launched any fighters in that small engagement over Tollana. Who knew if even the Lucians still used space fighters. It made the Prowler's job easier though. They could use their second Shiva on a Ha'tak...see if even a weaker Ori shield could stand up to the UNSC's most common nuclear weapon.

"Report the lack of fighters, and target Ha'tak Alpha."

A few minutes after the report went through, a swarm of hyperspace portals opened up...and out poured the combined UNSC/Resistance/Sangheili armada. A dozen UNSC ships, three newly modified Jaffa Ha'tak, and the two Covenant cruisers. At the forefront of the impressive gathering of ships was the USS Odyssey...already firing blue beams at 'Bertha'.

And as Ha'tak Alpha took a Shiva on its shield, Captain Jones reassessed his opinion of Ori fighting strength...

---

0930 Hours, January 8th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/

USS Odyssey

---

As the Odyssey dropped out of hyperspace, the maneuverable battlecruiser immediately jumped to the front of the battlegroup. Blue beams of plasma shot out at one of the Ori Motherships, impacting against its silver shield. The shield fluctuated, but it held as the Ori vessel returned fire. A large lance of golden energy shot forth, narrowly missing the Odyssey. The battlegroup scattered, as more blasts came from the three Motherships. The Ori seemed to be surprised at the sudden assault, even more so when two Shivas went off in their midst.

But surprised or not, they still began fighting back. The Motherships maneuvered like vessels half their size, as the dozen Ha'tak orbiting the world moved to engage the UNSC ships. The smaller destroyers and Jaffa Ha'tak moved to meet their Ori counterparts, as the two cruisers in the fleet joined their Covenant counterparts. Battle lines had been drawn, and the fleets were prepared to fight this battle to the best of their abilities.

On the bridge of the Odyssey, Cam Mitchell grimaced slightly as a blast impacted on the vessel's blue barrier.

"Shields at 95%," one of the crew reported.

"Ori Mothership approaching!" another shouted, as one of the 'toilet bowls' began to angle directly at the Odyssey. They likely recognized the threat this ship posed.

The other two Motherships moved to duel with their Covenant counterparts.

"Fire Asgard weapons!" Cam barked out.

"Firing now!"

Lances of blue plasma crossed space, right as the Ori fired their own weapon. The two attacks impacted on their respective targets, as the Odyssey flared its thrusters and 'dove' relative to its enemy.

"90%," the same officer reported, wincing slightly as the Odyssey shook from a hit from the second Mothership, "Make that 87%. They don't seem to like us much sir."

Cam smirked, "Well we did destroy one of their toys last time they saw us. Hard to port!"

The helmsman responded immediately, as a pair of surviving Al'kesh were lanced from the 'sky' by precise railgun fire. The battlecruiser 'flipped' on its tail, and fired another barrage at the first Mothership. The Ori warship shuddered, and began firing its secondary weapons. The blue fire pounded the Odyssey mercilessly, as its own blue plasma did its best to pierce the powerful Ori shielding.

"Cam," Samantha Carter reported from her station by the Asgard Core, "We need to take that down quick!"

"I know!" the other Colonel replied, gritting his teeth as a particularly hard blow hit his ship.

The Odyssey flashed past the Ori Mothership, leaving a little present along the way. A present that blew apart in a massive nuclear fireball, straining the already damaged Ori shield to the breaking point. The silver barrier flared...and flickered out. The suddenly defenseless ship began to open a hyperspace portal...before the Odyssey spun back around, and pumped a barrage of blue plasma into its silver hull.

Beam after beam impacted the tough Ori alloys, burning into the hull despite all the strength of its construction. The plasma disabled the warships engines, as secondary explosions began to ripple through the Mothership's hull. A final beam lanced directly into the glowing orb at the center of the craft. That orb glowed blue for a split second...before it turned brilliantly red. The red light flashed out in a massive fireball, frying Al'kesh unlucky enough to be next to the Ori ship.

When the light faded, nothing remained of the Ori Mothership designated 'Bertha'.

"One down!" Cam whooped, as the Odyssey angled on a Ha'tak.

In the distance, the UNSC San Francisco combined its fire with the Sangheilli cruiser Prior Repentance. On the bridge of the former, Miranda Keyes grunted as her vessel took a hit from the main cannon of the Mothership they were fighting. The golden beam faded against the now-blue shield of the Halcyon-Mark II, as its own fire impacted on the silver Ori barrier.

"Shield's holding at sixty percent," her weapons officer, Lacey Smith reported.

"Still not as good..." Miranda muttered, as the Odyssey elegantly weaved through Ori fire.

A sigh came from beside the Captain. Miranda turned her head slightly, and looked at her artificial 'sister' Cortana. In her nanite body, the AI really could pass for her twin...even though she wore civilian clothing.

"To be fair Captain, that's more because our generators aren't as good," the AI informed her, as she waved a hand and cut a wing-pair of Al'kesh from the 'sky', "Then again, neither are theirs. It's that ZPM more than anything else."

"I know that..."

As another flash of light hit their shields, the weapons officer barked out, "Fifty percent!"

Miranda winced, "But that doesn't change the fact we're taking a beating. I need a report on the fleet!"

The comm officer listened to his headset, and shook his head slightly as he turned to his Captain.

"Heart of Iron has retreated into hyperspace, the Ori blew clean through their shield and took out half their engines," the man began, "Legacy and Ghosts of Reach both report their shields failing. The El...Sangheili are moving to cover them."

"Three ships down..." the Captain muttered, as a flare of light announced the death of the Legacy from 'Dora's' weapons fire.

"Considering the fact we would have been dead ten...make that eleven...times over if we were still using Goa'uld shield's, I'd call that a good exchange rate," Cortana pointed out, "Especially since we've taken down half those Ha'tak."

And indeed, six of the Lucian warships had blown apart, their scattered wreckage making navigation difficult for the Jaffa Death Gliders, UNSC Sabers and Longswords, and the Covenant Seraphs. But navigation hazards were the least of their worries. That was the pair of Ori Motherships fighting the UNSC and Covenant cruisers.

Both warships showed no signs of damage, despite the smaller ships dying around them. Their shields repelled most fire directed at them. But even the Ori were not invulnerable, no matter how much it may seem like they were. As the Odyssey began to duel with the third Mothership, the San Francisco, Prior Repentance and Dire Light focused on 'Dora'. The Ori Mothership fired at the UNSC ship, as it and its Sangheili counterparts returned fire.

"Fire the MAC," Miranda barked out.

"Firing now," Cortana said.

Three shells lanced out from the weapon, impacting on the Ori shield...and promptly bouncing off. At first glance, that would seem to mean the shells did no damage. That was not the case...as the Ori Mothership shuddered from the impact, and was physically pushed back by the repeat impacts.

Nor were the united forces done.

"Covenant ships are firing," Cortana reported, "Oooohhh...they're using my design!"

"Your design?" Miranda's eyebrow went up.

"I may or may not have modified he plasma torpedoes at the Fleetmaster's request," the AI replied evasively.

"Modified the...Cortana..."

"I improved the magnetic containment ma'am. Observe."

The two CCS-class cruisers fired a single standard Plasma Torpedo each. The fiery red blasts weaved through the debris, and splattered against the silver Ori shield. The Mothership shuddered again, but continued its approach, firing along the way. As the plasma burned against its shield however, the two Sangheili warships fired their second barrage of plasma. And this time, it was not in the form of the bulges of plasma that were the torps.

This time, it was a lance not dissimilar from the Odyssey, albeit red instead of blue. The lances impacted the Ori shield...and one punched through the weakened barrier. Ori metal burned under the heat of the near miss, a long gouge in the hull formed by the fire of the plasma.

On the San Francisco, Miranda Keyes blinked slowly, before turning to her AI. Cortana looked smug, as she crossed her arms over her ample chest, "Well Captain?"

"I admit, I'm impressed," the older woman replied, with a slow shake of her head, "Just let me know the capabilities of my fleet next time."

"Will do!" Cortana tossed off a lazy salute, before her glowing blue eyes refocused on the battle, "Ori Mothership has reformed its shield array. I think we did some damage though. The side that got toasted is weaker than before."

A diagram was displayed on the holo-table, showing the Ori ship. And indeed, one part of its shield was colored a deep red, to signify its weakness.

"Hmm..." Miranda bit her lip, "Contact the Sangheili. Have them fire another set of plasma lances at that point."

"About that..."

"Please tell me you're not going to say what I think you are."

Cortana shrugged elegantly, "There is a...small...problem with my modifications. The Covenant weapons aren't designed to be used like that, not like the Asgard ones. They can't fire quickly since firing a lance uses up all the Plasma reserves. I was working on it with our Monitor friend but this came up."

Miranda pinched her nose, "Of course we used an untested, if effective, weapon. Are the Elite's toothless now?"

Before Cortana could answer, the Ori Mothership recovered its equilibrium enough to fire its weapon again. This time, it punched through the weakened shield of the UNSC cruiser, and burned through even the tough armor of the Halcyon design. In fact, had it been any other ship...Miranda Keyes and Cortana would be dead.

As it was, their ship spun from the impact, and only Cortana remained standing. Miranda cursed as she got to her feet, ignoring a gash on her head. Turning back to Cortana, she looked at her AI. The artificial woman in question ducked her head, quickly scanning the systems of her current 'home'. The San Francisco had been hit hard. The Ori beam hadn't crippled her, but it had gone through three decks. The ship was going to need serious dock time to get back to full condition.

For now though...

"We're still in this Captain," Cortana relayed, "And as for the Elites...they still have weapons. They only use one turret for the lance. Not to mention that Energy Projector."

Miranda nodded, "Good. Have them fire on the weakened part of the shield. Is the MAC operational?"

"We've got enough charge for one shot ma'am!" Smith relayed before Cortana could.

"Fire with the Sangheili."

"Yes ma'am!"

As the orders were relayed, the Ori Mothership fired on one of the CCS-class cruisers. The Dire Light flared silver beneath its own shield, before spinning away with a burning hole through its 'wing'. The Prior Repentance did not let that damage go unpunished, as it charged its Energy Projector. A beam of silver energy shot forth from the warships belly, and right into the weakened part of the Ori shield. The silver barrier flashed to life...but it was not designed to take a hit from a weapon equal to its own main weapon.

And certainly not designed to take the hit of an equivalent weapon on a damaged flank. The shield shattered, as the remaining energy of the Projector burned a gouge into the Ori hull. As the ship started to spin slightly from venting atmosphere, the San Francisco fired its MAC. The single shell lanced into the hole made by the Covenant fire.

Whereupon it shattered like a shotgun shell, spraying shrapnel through the interior of the Mothership. One sliver of tungsten-carbide impacted into the Ori's generator...sending 'Dora' up in a massive fireball.

Miranda let out a small sigh, before turning to Cortana, "Report? How is the ground team progressing?"

Cortana's eyes flashed again, as she contacted her 'sister' Kalmiya.

"Noble and Blue Teams are moving on the largest silo now..."

---

0930 Hours, January 8th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/

Unnamed World, Surface

---

Descending from their cloaked dropships, nine Spartan supersoldiers fanned out with two ODST squads as backup. Four of the Spartans were the smaller and younger IIIs, the core members of Noble Team. The remaining five were the larger Spartan II supersoldiers. All of these soldiers scanned the area quickly, and had their weapons ready and aimed at the silos in the distance. This was the largest of the silo facilities, and that was why they had landed so close to it. They had to tag the largest supplies of naquadah so that the cloaked Prowlers in orbit could beam it aboard their cleared cargo bays.

It was for that reason alone that these men and women were on the surface of a hostile world.

"Area is clear Chief," Kelly relayed, as she snuck forward under her Sodan cloak.

John-117 didn't make any outward acknowledgement, but blinked once inside his helmet, "Jun, Linda, take up sniping positions. Carter, take Noble and hit the Ori from the left flank. Fred, you're with me and the ODSTs on the right. Kelly, be prepared to support either flank."

"Yes sir!"

As the Spartans and their ODST counterparts filtered into their designated formations, the moved silently towards the silo. Explosions lit up the sky above them, as Ori soldiers and converted Lucians began to run out and take up defensive positions. The former had their Goa'uld-like staves, while the latter used primitive ballistic weaponry.

"We are in position," Carter radioed in.

"Overwatch established," Linda added.

The Master Chief clicked his acknowledgement light once, and raised his new rifle. The MA6 Plasma Assault Rifle, a fusing of Goa'uld and UNSC technology. A 'weapon of war' as Jack O'Neill would call it...taking the plasma fire of a Staff Weapon, and putting it in the shape of the venerable MA5 design. It lacked the firepower of the Staff, but it made up for that in firing rate and accuracy. Add in the fact that its liquid naquadah power supply didn't overheat like Covenant Plasma...

And it was a highly effective weapon.

"All teams, open fire."

Rapid fire flashes of gold plasma lanced out from the Spartans and ODSTs, scything down a dozen Ori and Lucian soldiers. The remaining Lucians fell to the ground, and returned fire with their projectile weapons. The Ori soldiers merely returned fire with their blue stave blasts, uncaring of the fire being directed at them.

"I have spotted what appears to be a halftrack," Linda relayed, as the crack of her sniper rifle echoed over the battlefield.

A Lucian ground vehicle ground to a halt, its driver slumped over his wheel.

"More soldiers approaching," Carter informed the Chief, as Noble switched to fire on another group of Ori soldiers.

John clicked his light once, and jumped to his feet. Kelly and Fred were next to him, as the three Spartans charged into the fray. They moved swiftly, ducking from cover to cover, as the S-IIIs and ODSTs kept the enemy busy.

"Those staves pack a punch," Fred reported, as he ducked under a beam.

"We expected as much," Kelly replied, firing her MA6, "The Goa'uld design is strong enough. The Ori are better."

The Chief just fired his own rifle, "Kalmiya? Report."

The AI, currently 'inside' the Spartan's head relayed data from a Clarion spy drone, "The Ori and Lucian forces are converging on our position. Two aircraft are approaching from the south at high speed."

"I see them," Jun reported.

Far in the distance, Noble's sniper replaced his rifle with a Jackhammer missile launcher. This particular one was of the homing variety, and as Jun brought it to his shoulder, the two coffin-shaped Ori fighters flew into sight. Jun sighted in on the frontmost fighter, and waited patiently for the target lock. His sniper skills came in handy, as the material the fighter was constructed of made it hard to lock onto. Hard, but not impossible. As the ringing in his helmet announced the lock, Noble's sniper clicked the trigger on his launcher twice before discarding the empty tubes.

Two high explosive rockets lanced out from the launcher, angling right at the Ori fighter. The pilot seemed to realize his danger, as he spun into a dive. But it was just as clear the Ori didn't train their pilots to dodge homing weapons. First one, and then both missiles impacted into the unshielded fighter. The craft slammed into the ground, as its wingman stitched the hill where Jun had been standing with blue fire.

"One fighter down."

"I have the other."

Linda's rifle barked out a full magazine. Four anti-armor bullets pierced the Ori fighter, sending it careening into the ground. The resulting explosion immolated several unfortunate Lucian soldiers, and gave Noble and the ODSTs an opening to advance forward.

"The enemy is falling back," John noted.

And indeed, the Ori and Lucian soldiers broke and moved back into the silos themselves. They clearly had not expected such a fierce and coordinated ground assault. Not that anyone who hadn't fought in the Human-Covenant War could. And as the Spartans moved into the facility itself, they quickly eliminated any remaining resistance. The surprise of the initial attack coupled with the efficiency of the UNSC soldiers had done its job. That being said, the Ori reinforcements were still incoming, and they couldn't afford to stay in one spot for too long.

Even Spartans could be killed by enough numbers. And considering the Ori had at least a hundred soldiers incoming...they couldn't stay. The ODSTs spread out and began planting beaming transponders, while the Spartans cleared out remaining resistance. It took a few minutes, but soon enough they had all the naquadah marked and tagged for transport.

"I would suggest evacuating," Miranda Keyes' voice came over John's radio.

"Captain?" the Spartan asked, as he fired a burst from his MA6 at a group of Ori soldiers. The plasma fire easily went through their primitive-appearing armor, cutting down the soldiers.

Miranda's voice sounded strained as she replied, "The Ori brought in reinforcements. We can't hold for long. Get out of there while we have the chance."

"Roger."

The soldiers quickly moved back to their transports, getting airborne even as Ori soldiers began swarming into the area. They left behind empty silos, as the Prowlers in orbit beamed the supplies aboard. The moment the Spartans and their ODST comrades were aboard the orbiting ships, they all jumped into hyperspace. And on the surface of the world, a nuclear 'present' blew the Ori Army to pieces...

---

1000 Hours, January 8th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/

USS Odyssey

---

"Well that went well," Cam mused, as the tunnel of hyperspace surrounded his ship, "We took down three motherships, ten Ha'tak and got a shit ton of naquadah."

"Yeah," Sam replied, "But...that felt too easy."

Daniel Jackson, coming onto the bridge at that statement blinked slowly, "Easy?"

"Yes. The Ori should have had more forces guarding that big of a depot. Not to mention those weren't the best soldiers they could have used."

"You think that was a distraction or something?" the other Colonel asked.

Sam nodded, "Maybe. It wouldn't surprise me."

"But if it were a trap we wouldn't have gotten out," Daniel pointed out.

The blonde colonel was going to reply, but before she could, a familiar face popped onto the bridge. Or rather, was displayed from his 'home' in the Asgard Core. Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard Fleet blinked slowly. His large eyes focused on SG-1, as opposed to the UNSC crew. Whom he still didn't trust, considering they were not the Tau'ri. He tolerated them, but that didn't mean he trusted them.

That was not why he had materialized a hologram on the bridge however. Only Thor could do so of the Asgard minds stored in the database. And he only did it when it was highly important to do so. Why was he doing it now?

"Thor?" Sam asked, caught a bit flat footed by the sudden appearance of her alien friend.

The Asgard hologram blinked his large eyes once, "I require your assistance."

"For what?" Daniel asked.

"The Asgard Core has received a message in an old code, not used since the time of the Alliance."

The Alliance in question, of course, being the Four Great Races. If a code was used from that time...

"Who is it?" Cam questioned.

"The Nox," Thor replied.

Sam frowned lightly, "But why would the Nox be contacting..."

She trailed off, her eyes going wide. Daniel had the exact same reaction, while Cam merely blinked. He was confused, to say the least. Why would the Nox contacting them be a bad thing? They were the only, confirmed, surviving member of the old Alliance after all. For a certain value of 'surviving', when it came to the Asgard. The fact they could contact them at least meant the Nox were...

Oh.

"Damn, the Ori?" the Colonel asked.

Thor nodded once, "Indeed. The Nox are requesting our aid. Somehow, the Ori are not fooled by their cloaks. They will not last long without reinforcement."

"We'll go there right away," Sam promised.

"Contact Reach," Cam ordered his crew, "See if we can wrangle up a few more ships. I want that Keyship if possible."

The crew set to their tasks. Amongst them, only Sam, Daniel and Teal'c knew the Nox. But they all had the desire to save a potential ally from the Ori...

[Skywalker_T-65]

As with the last fic, I have to stop forgetting to keep this one going concurrently with my sister's postings on FFN. Oops.

---

0900 Hours, January 8th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/

Gaia

---

Watching orange light, unnatural orange light, flash brilliantly through the sky, a Nox woman sighed. She looked out, her eyes bearing an unusually saddened and solemn look for the peaceful race. She saw nothing but more orange light. This was natural however, even if uncommon on Gaia. Fire, fire raging unchecked through the ancient forests of the nearly untouched world. In any other situation, the Nox would long since have contained the fire. Fire, especially forest fires, were natural and as such could be allowed on occasion. A fire of this magnitude, was not.

But then, neither was the situation they were in. The Nox had long isolated themselves from galactic events. Their brief contact with the Tau'ri and Tollan aside, the peaceful race was even more of a myth than the Alterans had become. Burying the Stargate had just increased that. So it was entirely reasonable for them to assume their exile would last until the day the Asgard or Furling came to talk at long last.

It was certainly not anticipated that the exile would be ended by the Ori. The enemy that even the Alterans had feared, and one the Nox had never anticipated encountering. And it could only be the Ori...only the Alterans had ever been capable of seeing through a Nox cloak. The Ori would logically have the same ability.

And as the woman continued to watch as golden bolts of energy crashed into the Nox shield, she felt a hint of sadness. For if the Ori were here, there was little chance the rest of the Galaxy had faired better.

"Lya, you must return to the council chamber," a Nox male spoke up.

The woman, Lya, turned and smiled sadly, "Perhaps. But I must observe."

"Observe?"

"Yes," Lya replied softly, "Observe what has become of our home. I can feel the pain and fear."

That was, perhaps, an understatement. All the Nox could feel the pain from the native wildlife.

"Nonetheless, we must prepare to depart," the man's voice sounded as pained as a Nox could manage.

The woman by contrast, merely continued to smile sadly, "I am aware. I will miss Gaia."

"But were we to stay, the Ori would burn our home."

Lya nodded, "Unless the Asgard or Furling can fight in our stead."

"Indeed," the man nodded himself, "we have already contacted the Asgard."

It had been decades, if not centuries, since the Nox had reason to contact their old allies. As such, they were completely unaware of the Asgard's current situation. And also, as such, they had no reason to doubt their friends would come to their aid. The Nox did not fight. But that did not mean they could not rely on those who could, if the need arose.

And with no weapons and a shield that could not, would not, last forever...this was one of those occasions. It did not please the Nox to fight, even were it their friends and allies fighting in their stead. But it was just as clear the Ori would not accept negotiations. The Nox had attempted to contact them, but all attempts had been rebuffed before the Ori began firing.

It was similar to the Goa'uld in a way.

"Have the Asgard responded?" Lya asked, as another bolt hit the forest, "Thor?"

"They have not."

"The Furling?"

The man simply shook his head, "We are now, as ever, unable to contact them."

While the Furling were friends to the Nox, they were perhaps even more isolationist. It was little surprise they were not able to contact them.

"Then we must wait."

And as more beams fell from the sky, it was only a matter of time before the Nox were forced to leave their beautiful home.

---

Ori Fleet

---

Aboard the flagship of the Ori Fleet, Tomin looked out at the fire being rained down from the fleet. Ha'tak and Mothership alike were bombarding the fertile world, setting fires that would burn for weeks if untreated. And while this was far from the first time he had seen this, it never got easier. Tomin did not doubt that his people, the Ori, were in the right. He had never doubted that. But with every world scorched from the heavens, he grew more and more doubtful of the methods. He knew for a fact that the inhabitants of this world, the so-called Nox, had attempted to contact the fleet.

The Prior, however, had ignored any such communications. The Fleet had barely entered orbit, before it had begun sending fire towards the surface of the beautiful world. Even the Jaffa had been allowed many chances to convert. Even the Tau'ri- and Vala, the thought of whom still sent a stab of pain through his heart -had been given many chances to convert to Origin. And yet the Nox had not been given any chance. Why?

Tomin would have asked the Prior, had long experience not taught him such a move was pointless. The Prior, had made quite clear on numerous occasions he would no longer entertain such questions. Tomin was expected to follow every order without so much as a word.

And I have little doubt he would kill me were I to disobey even the slightest order...

It was blasphemy to even think such a dark thought about a Prior of the Ori. But Tomin could not deny the truth in it. He had seen many...many...men, women, and even children, killed for lesser offenses.

The Ori have always preached forgiveness. I have always believed that it was best to bring the light of Origin with the book and the word of Priors, not with the sword. Conversions under force of arms...why would we do such a thing? I can understand the Tau'ri and the Free Jaffa. They have always been resistant, and would fight no matter what we did. But...

Looking out at the fires burning on Gaia, Tomin felt a sharp spike of sadness in his heart.

What of those who won't fight? How many villages and towns have been burned because a few were unrepentant? How many worlds have been brought low, ruined because the Priors ordered it? This world...I have heard of the Nox from legends told amongst the Jaffa. Even Apophis, by all records a horrible Goa'uld, was spared by the Nox. Would such a peaceful race not make perfect converts? They would surely see the light of Origin, with no honor such as the Jaffa. And yet...

"Beautiful, is it not Tomin?" the Prior spoke up, jarring the younger man from his thoughts.

"Prior?" the soldier asked, unsure what his leader meant.

"The fire," the Prior replied, his milky-white eyes holding the look of a fanatic, "The fire of the Ori, burning the unbelievers and heretics. They may hide in their city, but even they shall not escape."

Tomin barely held back a wince, "Prior...why did we ignore their communications? Even the Tau'ri were allowed to talk."

"Because, Tomin," the pale man replied, "The Nox are the last of our hated enemy. The Alteran are long dead. The Asgard were burned by our righteous fire, their world destroyed. The Furling have been gone longer than even the Alteran. All that remain are the Nox. And they shall soon join their blasphemous allies."

The soldier blinked slightly, unaware of this fact. Of the races the Prior had listed, he was only familiar with the Alteran and Asgard. The Alterans, naturally, as they were the ancient enemy of the Ori, driven by a holy crusade from their home galaxy. The Asgard were well known amongst Ori soldiers, as they had been the strongest enemy during the Crusade. Their technology had allowed the Tau'ri to stand as long as they had, after all. That technology had vanished from the galaxy with the Asgard's fall however.

The Furling, Tomin knew nothing of. And evidently he had not known enough about the Nox.

"They are our enemy?" the soldier asked, "Even though we have never fought?"

"Any who consorted with the Alteran are our enemy Tomin," the Prior replied condescendingly, "So it is written in the Book of Origin. The Nox are the oldest ally of the Alteran. As such, they will burn."

Were Tomin a scholar and not a soldier, he would question how the Prior had this knowledge of the Great Alliance. As he was not, he could only nod and keep his private doubts just that...private. In any case, events would prevent him from questioning the words of the Prior.

"Hyperspace window!"

For outside the Ori blockade, a swarm of hyperspace windows opened up. The suddenness of it caught the Ori fleet off guard, as they believed none knew the location of the Nox. Or, at the least, none who could help them. Tomin's first thought was that this was the Furling, the only unaccounted for Great Race. That thought was dispelled when he saw the first ships to exit the portal...two of the Tau'ri '304s'. Ships he had thought to all be destroyed. And while one of them had notable retrofits done to it, both were very much intact. But, unaware as he was of the Asgard plasma beams, Tomin's eyes were quickly drawn away from the assumed lack of threat from the Tau'ri warships.

For they were by far the smallest and least threatening appearing of the warships. Following the Tau'ri were warships that bore a similar design philosophy. Dull grey armor, with bulky hulls. The only real difference was the hangar placement- or apparent lack thereof -and the size of the warships. Even the smallest were half the size of a Mothership. The largest were larger. And even these grey monoliths were not what brought unfamiliar fear to Tomin's heart.

By the Ori...

That was the three ships at the center of the formation. A green warship, curves setting it apart from the Tau'ri- or so Tomin assumed they were. There was a grey counterpart to that warship, both equal in size. A size six times larger than the largest Ori warship. And even that wasn't what truly was terrifying.

No, that was the warship at the very center of the line. A massive, dull silver, triangular monolith of a warship. Fourteen kilometers, according to the sensors. Such a ship could, frankly, just blow through an Ori mothership, much as they did to Ha'tak.

"Orders, Prior?" Tomin asked, looking to the man most likely to know what they were up against.

"Burn them."

Tomin knew better than to question that order. The fleet reoriented itself, the ten Motherships and dozen Ha'tak, turning to face the new foe. And aboard those ships, the Ori felt a surge of pride in their fleet. Who cared that the enemy had such massive warships? They would fall to the Ori, as the Hebridan and Jaffa had. No warship could match the Ori, or so they believed.

The soldier most doubtful of that was Tomin. But he hid those doubts, as he did all his others. He would fight to the end, if he had to. And he couldn't shake the feeling that just may happen...

---

0930 Hours, January 8th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/

USS Odyssey

---

Looking out at the burning world, Samantha Carter clenched her fists. It was one thing to see the results of Ori assaults. It was another thing entirely to see it in progress. After all, seeing burnt out buildings was nothing like seeing the fires from orbit. It reminded her, and if the gasps were any indication the UNSC crew, of the war with the Covenant. The Ori were religious fanatics, just like the old Covenant. And evidently, just like the Prophets, they had no problem with burning a world that would not surrender.

For all her anger though, Sam Carter wasn't one to give into it. Nor were Cam Mitchell or Teal'c for that matter. The two were in command of different warships now. Cam retained Odyssey, but Teal'c had taken a Jaffa Ha'tak as his own. That specific warship was in the vanguard of the Resistance formation, even now opening up with its golden weapons fire on an Ori Ha'tak. The other ship returned fire with its own blue weaponry, as the first shots of the Battle of Gaia were fired.

"All UNSC warships, concentrate fire on Motherships Alpha and Beta," Commodore Keyes' voice came from the Solemn Penance, "Staggered volley!"

From the barrels of six UNSC warships, three MAC shells fired. Even Ori shields were hard pressed to take 18 MAC shells in one volley. The ships staggered back, their silver shields flaring as they resisted the terrible energy of the shells. Even the ridiculously powerful Ori shields had limits however. Fires burned where shrapnel from MAC shells broke through, before the shields had quickly restored themselves.

The Ori return fire was just as brutal however.

"We just lost Spirit!" a crewman on Odyssey called out.

Six bolts of golden energy had converged on the newly built Halcyon-II cruiser, blowing through even its new Asgard shield. For all the vaunted strength of that design, new or old, even it could not stand up to the fierce fire of an Ori main weapon. The ship split in two, explosions blossoming along its hull.

"Bastards," Cam muttered, "Take us in! Sun Tzu, you're with us!"

The Odyssey and its mismatched counterpart flared their thrusters, zooming with the modified Jaffa Ha'tak into the Ori lines. Blue bolts of plasma flashed from the Odyssey, blowing into the 'Alpha' mothership. That warship had yet to fully restore its shield from the MAC barrage, and only took three hits before plasma began burning into its hull.

"Look out Colonel!" Cheng's voice came over the radio, as the Odyssey was forced to dodge converging beams from three Ori Ha'tak.

"Damn," Daniel muttered, holding onto a console, "They're serious this time."

"This is a lot bigger of a fleet," Sam replied, hands dancing over her console as she rerouted power from the engines to the shields, "They probably want the Nox dead more than us too."

Cam smiled slightly as an Ori Ha'tak collapsed under concentrated fire from two Jaffa Ha'tak, "Makes one wonder why. The Nox ain't fighting anyone."

"I highly doubt they care about that," the blonde genius shrugged, "Beta just lost their shield!"

"Spin us around Smith, hit them hard!" Cam barked out.

The UNSC crewman in question didn't verbally reply, as the Odyssey flared its thrusters and spun around to angle on Mothership Beta. The warship, true to Sam's scans, had no shield as the Sun Tzu pounded into it with their Tollan weapons.

"Commander, why aren't you using the beams?"

Cheng's voice sounded a bit strained as she replied, "They malfunctioned early into the battle. We haven't fully integrated them into our systems yet!"

As the Sun Tzu had been pulled off refits for this battle, that made some sense. Regardless, though, it mattered little. The Odyssey poured their own plasma fire into the side of the Ori Mothership, blowing the warship apart in a fairly impressive fireball. Behind this explosion, two other Motherhips fired on the Ecumene. The golden bolts flew into the side of the Keyship, flaring against its orange shield.

Light returned fire quickly, golden hardlight impacting on silver Ori shields. The moment those weapons impacted, however, the Ori suddenly stopped firing on the UNSC ships. The motherships that weren't engaged with either Assault Carrier or 304 all began firing on the Ecumene. As the Forerunner were the only race to have such effective hardlight weaponry, it was little wonder the Ori focused on the Ecumene.

They likely saw it as the biggest threat, and that was leaving aside its size. Regardless of their determination though, the fire did not get through the powerful Forerunner shielding.

"Plasma Lances, firing."

And as Cortana's voice came over the radio this time, it reminded the Ori that the Ecumene was not their only foe. Two red Plasma Lances shot forth from both the Solemn Penance and the Shadow of Intent. These beams collided with one Ori Ha'tak each. The pyramidal warships survived the blasts, but they started listing as their lights flickered. The strain showed on their generators, as the warships struggled to deal with the raw power of the Plasma Lance.

"Teal'c, think you can finish them off?" Cam asked, as the Odyssey moved to support the Ecumene.

"Indeed Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c replied, "Jaffa!"

The three Ha'tak that had come into the battle oriented their heavier weaponry on the listing Ori counterparts. Golden fire quickly punched through the weakened shields, as all three Ha'tak focused on one Ori vessel at a time. The silver pyramids went up in flames, pieces flying everywhere. Beyond the ruin of the Lucian warships, the Ecumene dueled with two Motherships at once.

"Think Light needs help?" Cam asked, as the Odyssey skewered another Ha'tak.

"I don't think so," Sam deadpanned, as one of the Motherships was vaporized by hardlight fire.

The moment she said that, however, an Ori bolt got through a weaker portion of the Keyship's shield. A massive gouge was carved out of a 'leg' as the Mothership began focusing its fire on that area. Light rotated the Ecumene and presented an undamaged shield to the fire, but it was a stark reminder that not even Forerunner technology was invulnerable.

"You were saying?"

Sam frowned, "Okay, I was wrong."

"The Ori are losing," Daniel added.

"Damn it, we lost another ship!"

That message from the Penance showed that, even as the Ori lost Ha'tak after Ha'tak, they were still a very real threat. Seven of the original motherships remained, and they continued to hit the UNSC when they weren't aiming at Ecumene or Odyssey. A frigate had been forced to flee, metal flaking from a near miss. The Prior Repentance had been forced into a retreat early in the battle, after firing its Lance. The CCS had holes burned through both flanks, damage that would take some time to repair.

Even so, the tide was most certainly turning in the Resistance's favor. They outnumbered the Ori, and they had four ships that could reliably hurt even the Motherships...Solemn Penance, Shadow of Intent, Ecumene, and Odyssey. As another 'toilet-bowl' split apart at it's 'rim', that point was driven home.

It seemed like even the Ori could realize this. The six remaining Motherships fired off one last volley, before vanishing into hyperspace.

"We won," Cam blinked, "Whoa. I didn't think they'd run. They didn't the last couple'a times."

"The last times they had less ships," Sam shrugged, "Even the Ori probably won't waste Motherships. We had the element of surprise this time though..."

"Sam?" Daniel asked, a worried look behind his glasses.

"Huh?" the blonde shook her head, "Oh, I'm just thinking. We've hit the Ori three times now. Each time we had the element of surprise. Our weapons are effective, but even the Lances and the Asgard weapons can't hurt them fast enough. Now that they know we're here, we won't have that edge anymore. Things won't be this easy."

That was hard experience against the Goa'uld and Replicators speaking. For all their religious dogma, the Ori were nothing if not adaptable, unlike the Goa'uld outside a select few- Ba'al came to mind. When they realized that there were weapons and ships that could hurt them, those ships would be targeted first. Things were going to get a lot harder in the next battles.

"Well, let's think about that later," the other Colonel said, "Get the Nox on the line will 'ya?"

Sam smiled slightly, "Yeah, I got it."

Getting up from her station, Sam moved into the vacated comm station. The UNSC crewman watched curiously, interested in what these 'Nox' actually looked like. Contacting them wouldn't have been easy normally. Earth didn't have the means to do so, until the day the Odyssey saw Orilla destroyed. With the Asgard Core and codes, it wasn't as hard as it once would have been.

In fact, it only took a couple minutes before a Nox face appeared on the viewscreen. One who looked suitably confused- as much as any Nox ever did -at the sight in front of her eyes.

Daniel just grinned, "Lya! Glad to see you again!"

"It is good to see you too Daniel, Samantha," Lya replied, just the barest hint of confusion in her tone, "How have you contacted us? I had thought you did not possess space travel? And this is an Asgard code."

"About that," Sam said, her own face holding a small smile, "We've had ships for years now. We just haven't stopped by...we've been busy."

"That I can see," the confusion had left Lya's tone and face, replaced by the enigmatic smile so typical of the Nox woman.

"As for the Asgard," the resident archeologist added, "Well...it's probably better for Thor to explain."

"Thor is with you? We do not see an Asgard vessel."

"That's because there isn't one," Cam spoke up.

Lya looked confused again. Understandably so, as the Nox had no knowledge of what befell the Asgard race. And how they have gifted their legacy on the Tau'ri, acknowledging them as the Fifth Race. A unilateral move to be sure...who knew how the Nox would react to that. Especially since, as Lya was demonstrating, the Nox had only their very out-of-date knowledge on Earth.

For a race that seemed to age and move as slowly as the Nox, the amount of advancements Earth had gone through in such a short time...it would certainly be shocking. And that was leaving aside the UNSC, Sangheili, and Grieving Light. Transdimensional travel and allies...

Yeah, that would mess with anyone. No matter how 'old' they were.

"I believe I have many questions. Where are Teal'c and O'Neill?"

Silence came on the bridge quickly at that statement. Even the mildly amused look on Cam's face faded away. After all, Jack was a bit of touchy subject. None really knew where, or how, he was.

"A very long story," Sam said, a hint of sadness in her tone.

"I look forward to discussing it among friends."

And with that, the transmission was cut, as the Odyssey prepared to beam a delegation down to the Nox city. Just as the UNSC and Sangheili did the same. It was time to meet the Nox.

---

Unknown Location

Unknown Time

---

A convoy of silver vehicles, repainted to represent their new allegiance to the Ori, moved down an ill-maintained road. The vehicles rattled and jumped, their loads of Staves and other weaponry bouncing around. The lights on the vehicles shone out into the deep night, illuminating snow and ice. The dark road was deep in a mountain range, making one question why the Ori did not transport by ship.

The reason was fairly clear if one knew the situation. The Ori had limited shipping, most of their warships being used just like that...warships. With a shocking lack of air transport capability outside those ships, they had to rely on land transport in a lot of cases. This case was borderline...the weapons and food could have been shipped by air, were they inclined to.

However, this path was leading to a base set up in the mountains. The numerous guard posts along the road each needed supplies, and it was just more efficient to transport this way, with the Ori's lack of true beaming technology. It also left it vulnerable, however...

"Ori convoy entering the kill zone in 20 seconds."

"All teams report in."

"Team 1 in position."

"Team 2 locked and loaded."

"Team 3 ready for some action!"

"Team 4 ready."

"Good. Detonation in 4...3...2...mark!"

The lead vehicle in the convoy was tossed off the road, as a massive explosion went off underneath it. The last vehicle was similarly disabled, the fires from both illuminating the vehicles better than their own lights. As Ori soldiers poured out of the vehicles, orange tracers began to come in from every direction. The ripping sound of automatic weapons echoed through the dark, joined by the heavier report of a mounted machine gun.

Ori soldiers returned fire with their staves, blue bolts shooting into the dark. The lack of any sort of night vision harmed them however. It only took five minutes before the last soldier fell.

Emerging into the fire, a dozen men and women dressed in white clothing searched the bodies and started unloading the vehicles of all their supplies, dull green vehicles moving next to the silver Ori ones.

"That went well sir," one of the women said, standing next to the obvious leader of the group.

"'Course it did," the man shrugged, "The Ori are barely smarter than the more hard-headed Jaffa!"

"Still, these supplies will really help our operations."

"That they will."

And with that, the men and women faded into the night once more, leaving behind stripped corpses and burning vehicles. It would be two days before the Ori found their dead soldiers...and they would never find those who launched the attack...

[Skywalker_T-65]

0900 Hours, January 8th, 2008 (Military Calendar)/

Gaia

---

Debris from the fierce battle in orbit floated above Gaia. Burning hulks of Ori warships- both Motherships and Ha'tak -joined the blackened ruins of the UNSC Spirit. The flaming debris and blackened metal was nothing on the sight beneath them however. If one looking from space down on Earth, in the early days of the Space Race, had considered the jewel in the night sky as beautiful...it would have been nothing on Gaia. The Nox homeworld had no pollution, and had been a verdant green world, with the only gaps in that visage being the polar ice, oceans and a small desert. The world was true gemstone, a rare sight in a galaxy that was run by advanced civilizations.

That jewel was corrupted, burnt worse than any warship. Orange fire was visible from orbit, as the firestorms begun by the Ori continued to rage out of control. Smoke was slowly, but surely, obscuring even these fires however. Returning Gaia to it's previous state would be difficult, even for advanced races. It was a sad sight...one that had the Resistance angry at the Ori. Nothing new there, but to see such a pristine and innocent world brought low...

Well, anyone would be angry.

"Bastards," Cam muttered, as he stood with the rest of SG-1, sans Teal'c who remained aboard his own Ha'tak.

"The Nox wouldn't hurt a fly," Daniel agreed, "This is just..."

"Horrible?" Sam added, using the hands that would normally hold a weapon to program the beaming systems. The Nox were only going to open a small portion of their shield grid, and they had to be exact on their beaming targeting. Wouldn't do to splatter against the shield.

The resident archeologist nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I don't even want to think what Lya feels like right now...that much death and destruction. Even the Nox can only repair so much damage."

"Well, we won't know how bad it is 'till we get down there."

"Cam's right," the blonde scientist agreed, "And...we're good. The calcs have been sent to the Elites and UNSC too, so they won't have any problems."

"Vala?" Daniel turned his head, looking at the silent- odd that -member of the team.

The dark-haired woman turned away from the view of Gaia, "Yes Daniel?"

"You okay?"

Vala blinked, "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been unusually quiet. Planning on stealing something from the Nox?"

The woman looked offended, "Honestly Daniel, I don't steal from everyone!"

"Just making sure," the bespectacled man replied.

Huffing, Vala turned her head away and returned to looking out the window. Daniel had been on the money as far as her being quiet went though. It wasn't planning to steal anything though. It was more wondering how things had come to this point, to the point where even pacifists were being attacked. She wasn't a soldier, but even Vala knew when something was of little real military gain. Hitting the Nox was one of those things...they would have been perfectly content to just sit on their home and let events take their own course. But because the Ori- the Ori she had awakened to the Milky Way's potential -wanted to wipe out any potential opposition, this world was burning.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, really. So she turned away from the window again, and walked over to the rest of SG-1. Daniel for one didn't seem to be fooled by her, but then, that man always knew what Vala was thinking. So she smiled brightly, and stood next to him. He just shook his head with an exasperated look.

"Okay boys and girls," Cam broke the silence, "Time to meet the Nox. Beam us down!"

A flash of blue light lit up the bridge, as SG-1 went to meet their old friends once more.

---

The exact same flash of blue light filled a platform on the Nox City, that had by now moved to an area where it wasn't choked in smoke. The light deposited SG-1, plus Teal'c, and the other delegations. In this case, both Commodore and Captain Keyes, Fleetmaster 'Saranee, and Grieving Light. Waiting to greet the Resistance leaders, were Lya and Ohper. That was a deliberate choice on the part of the Nox Council. Provide the ones most familiar to- and friendly with -at least one part of the Resistance leadership. It would seem to work too, as Daniel and Sam grinned and walked up to the familiar Nox friends. Teal'c did the same, though he merely smiled slightly.

Vala and Cam looked confused though, neither having met the Nox before. The same could go for the cross-dimensional members of the delegation as well. Notably Miranda Keyes had a dubious look at the 'fairy' like nature of the ancient race. Nar merely clenched his mandibles slightly, his own opinion of the Nox rather low to begin with. A warrior culture such as the Sangheili would react that way to a pacifistic race. Toss n the way the Nox dressed- and blended with nature -and it wasn't going to be getting much out of the Fleetmaster.

"Welcome to Gaia," Lya said with her soft smile, not showing any shock at the appearance of their guests.

"It's good to be here," Sam replied, her own smile widening, "It's been too long Lya."

"I apologize Samantha," the Nox woman said, her smile downturning slightly, "It had not been our intention to isolate ourselves for so long. You are our friends."

"And so to are the Asgard," Opher added, "Where is Thor?"

SG-1 shared a look at that, before Cam stepped forward. The Colonel pulled a device out of his pocket, and set it on the ground. A flash of light revealed Thor's hologram, now floating above a mobile platform.

"Greetings, Lya and Opher," the Asgard said.

Lya seemed slightly confused, as she closed her eyes. She could not sense Thor, and that confused the Nox woman. Nox could sense all life...they were so in-tune with nature. To not be able to sense Thor, was clearly something that would confuse them.

"Thor?" Opher asked, as Lya continued to try and sense her old friend.

"I apologize, but I am not here," Thor replied with a slow blink of his eyes, "I am transmitting from where my mind is stored on the human ship Odyssey."

"Your mind?" the female Nox asked, "Aboard..."

Before any answer could come from Thor, Commodore Keyes stepped forward. He had been letting SG-1 talk to the Nox, knowing how long it had been. But he couldn't take too long...it was only a matter of time until the Ori came back to finish what they had started. And short of stripping Reach of its defenses, they could hardly afford to try and defend Gaia.

"That is a long story," the old officer said, "One we don't have time for right now. Is there a meeting room where we can discuss things?"

Lya blinked, "Yes, this way."

The pair of Nox lead the mismatched group behind them deeper into the city. And an impressive city it was...even Grieving Light was spinning around, quite fascinated by the melding of technology and nature. Observing the city would have to wait however...right now, they had to get to the meeting room.

Something that did not take much time, as the little group was gestured into the room. Open windows and a large skylight continued the 'natural' feel of the area, as the group took seats- aside from Nar, who was too large, Light who had no need, and Thor who couldn't. The Nox took their own seats, the enigmatic smile of their race back on their faces.

"While we are thankful for your aid," Lya began, taking into account the seeming impatience of their guests, "We are curious why you have returned to Gaia after so long. And what has become of the Asgard.

Daniel started the Resistance's side of the talks, "We were going to return soon, actually. Now that we have the capability to do so, we wanted to see how things were going here. The Ori attack just made us go a bit faster than planned."

"As for the Asgard," Sam continued, "Well...that's for Thor to explain."

Thor nodded slightly, and began his story.

"The Asgard have been dying for decades," the diminutive alien began, "In our pride, we did not seek aid from the Nox. As a result, our cloning procedures began doing more damage to our genetic code. Attempts were made to fix this degeneration, but none were successful. The final attempt left us with a rapidly progressing disease, that left the Asgard race with no option but to destroy our bodies and homeworld. What remains of our race is contained in the Legacy we left for the Fifth Race...the humans of Earth. That is why I am unable to communicate directly."

It was a shortened version of events, but Thor was as well aware as anyone that the Ori would return. He could tell the Nox what had occurred in greater detail later, when there was less of a threat of being attacked at any moment.

For their part, the Nox looked quite upset at this revelation.

"We are sorry we were unable to help Thor," Opher said, a sad look crossing his face.

"As I said, it was our own pride that prevented any aid," the Asgard replied, "And our story is not important at the moment."

Keyes saw what Thor was doing, and started talking himself, "That is figuring out what to do about the Ori. They won't be gone for long...we know them too well. They'll be back eventually, and with greater forces than we can defeat. We have lasted as long as we have by avoiding direct confrontation with their main forces. We can't defend Gaia from that."

"We would not ask you to," Lya replied with a hint of sadness in her tone.

"This may be the case," Nar spoke up, "But you will die if you do not allow us to. Or if you do not flee. Those who are not warriors have no place on the battlefield."

If the Sangheili had expected to insult the Nox with that statement, he would be wrong. Lya merely sighed, and nodded sadly.

"We are aware of that my friend," she said softly, "The Nox are not, and will not be, warriors. We never intended to fight anyone, and would have peacefully allowed the Ori to talk with us. We would not have converted to Origin, but we would not have refused those who chose to do so."

"But the Ori don't care for that," Vala said, "They only care for those who will buy what they say without question."

And none at the table could deny that statement. They had all- sans the Nox -seen plenty of proof by now. Gaia was just the most extreme example of what the Ori could get up to in their 'holy' crusade. Frankly, if even one individual didn't convert to Origin, the Ori were perfectly willing to wipe out a village. They would have done the same to the Nox, no matter how Lya felt about what may have been. Hard experience with the 'gods' told anyone who had fought them that much. It wouldn't have been easy to convince the Nox of that fact, normally.

But now that they had experienced the same themselves, it would hopefully be easier to convince even them that they had to leave. It would be a fools errand to ask the Nox to help fight the Ori. But if they could at least convince them to leave Gaia and go to Neo Tollan...that would be a victory. The Nox and Furlings were the only Great Races that the Resistance lacked technology from. With Thor's aid, they could likely get Nox tech if they could convince the stubborn race to leave Gaia. And advanced technology should never be turned down.

Expecting their aid in actually fighting though...

"And that is why I must ask you to leave Gaia," Thor took up the torch of that argument.

"Leave Gaia?" Opher asked, "You know what you ask of us Thor."

"Indeed," the Asgard replied, "I am aware of that. Leaving Othalla was no easier for the Asgard. However, we do not have the resources to spare to defend Gaia and our own worlds. If the Nox will not fight..."

"We shall not," Lya confirmed.

"...then you must leave this place. The Ori have no interest in empty worlds. Gaia will endure, but only if no trace remains of our people."

The Nox looked at each other, before turning back to the Asgard. They bore identically sad looks on their faces.

"What you ask of us is not easy Thor," Lya spoke up once more, "However, we had already come to this conclusion. We are not warriors, but we do recognize the signs of a lost battle."

"Then you are aware that fighting here will not work?" Grieving Light said, speaking for the first time.

If Lya was confused by the floating ball talking to her, she didn't show it. She merely nodded slightly, not allowing the overwhelming sadness she felt at the idea show. No Nox would be happy at the idea of leaving their ancestral home. But they would be even more unhappy at the idea of it suffering, when that suffering could be avoided. After all...had Gaia not suffered enough at the hands of the Ori?

"We are aware, yes. Preparations have been made to leave, once the fires have been put out."

"We may not have that much time," Keyes senior warned.

"Yet, we must stay," Opher replied, "It is our duty to our home."

If there was one thing that everyone at that table could understand, it was duty to one's home. Even Nar, who had a low opinion of the Nox, could relate. It was a risk to be sure, but could they really force the Nox to leave? The answer was no of course...they couldn't. Even with it being a major risk, they had to stay until the Nox were ready to leave. The Resistance couldn't afford to abandon them.

Of course, they could barely afford to stay either. More Sangheili ships would have to be routed from Neo Tollan to help defend Gaia. They had no way of knowing when exactly the Ori would return, but they couldn't very well afford to be cocky or unprepared. Because it was a fact that the enemy would return, and in greater numbers. It just wasn't a fact on when that would be.

"We'll stay and help where we can," Cam finally said.

"It's the least we can do," Sam agreed.

"Indeed," Teal'c added.

Daniel and Vala stayed silent, both lost in thought.

"Thank you," Lya smiled.

The elder Keyes sighed slightly though, drawing attention upon himself.

"This is not entirely altruistic," the man said, "We are hoping that you will return to Reach with us. Aid us in our war against the Ori."

Both Nox bore unusual- for their race at any rate -frowns at that statement.

"You are aware that we are not warriors," Opher said, "We have said so several times."

Keyes nodded, "I am aware, yes. You don't have to help us by fighting however."

Lya and Opher looked at the other, both genuinely curious as to what exactly Keyes meant. In asking for help in the war, wasn't he asking for the Nox to fight? Something they would never willingly do, and certainly something that the Resistance had to realize. Especially with the Asgard and SG-1 among their numbers. To say that such a request was odd from the Nox perspective, would be an understatement of cosmic proportions.

"How so?" Lya finally asked.

The Commodore sighed again, "Technological trading is one. I understand you are as advanced as the Asgard?"

"Not necessarily," the Nox woman replied, "We live in communion with nature. Our technology has not advanced as much as the Asgard surely have."

"Yet you are still more advanced than the Goa'uld, correct?"

"Yes."

Smiling slightly, Keyes continued, "Then trading technology could prove beneficial. In addition, SG-1 informed us that you have almost miraculous healing capabilities."

Opher seemed to realize where Keyes was going before his female counterpart did. And it brought a small smile to his face.

"You are not asking us to be warriors or combat the Ori," the Nox male said, "You are asking us to heal those who do?"

"In as many words," Keyes replied, sighing yet again at the confused look he got for the statement, "Yes."

Doing so would be walking a fine line indeed. Both Nox realized that...Lya, perhaps more so. She had done something similar in hiding the Tollan weapon so many years before. It had been the closest any Nox had come in centuries to violating their closely held beliefs. But...in this case, it was different. They were not required to be anywhere near a weapon. They were merely being asked to do something they would have done anyway...heal those who needed healing. Those who were hurt, and unable to heal on their own.

This task was one they could do, indeed.

"We shall bring your suggestion before the Council," Lya spoke, "For now, we must do what we can to repair the damage to Gaia."

"And we will help in any way we can," Keyes replied.

The Nox smiled, and bowed slightly as they left to talk to their leadership. However, before they had left the room, Opher turned and walked to Sam Carter. The Nox man reached into his robe, and withdrew a small device. Green like so much related to the Nox, it lit up with a small hologram when Sam held it in her hand. Her eyes widened, seeing a star map revealed on the hologram.

"Consider this, a small token of our thanks," the Nox man said with a kind smile, "Where we last knew of the Furlings location. I believe that if anyone would help you in your battle, it would be our old friends. Use this well."

---

Ecumene

---

On the Forerunner warship orbiting Gaia, light floated down a corridor. Neither a Sentinel nor a Monitor, this light was one that would never have set foot on a Forerunner vessel. One that could never have done so, in fact. The light was no more a native to the Forerunner Universe than the vessel herself was to the Stargate Universe. And were it not for Light being on the surface of Gaia- the first time the Monitor had been absent from her warship for a truly extended period of time -the light would still not be there. For it could hardly risk being detected by the Monitor. Doing so would have been a violation on a level large enough to destroy any chance it had of examining the warship.

Or, rather, he had. For the light revealed itself to be Janus, taking advantage of his first real chance to examine the Forerunner vessel in detail.

"Interesting," the Ascended Lantean mused, "Quite fascinating really. I have never seen anything like this. The scale is one thing, and quite impressive in-of-itself. Never seen a race that builds everything so...large."

"Jealous?"

Janus spun around, and saw Morgan standing behind him. The other Ascended being had a small smile on her face, as she floated up to the scientist. The man smiled back, actually glad to see her. It was sad, but he was one of the few of his people who would be happy to see the exile any longer.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't," he replied, "Morgan."

"Oh?" the woman replied.

"This technology is...wondrous. I have truly never seen anything quite like it. The scale of the construction, the materials...the power generation and weapon systems. It's all on a totally different level from any race beside our own, the Asgard and the Furling. The scale is most certainly beyond even our capabilities."

"Before we Ascended, of course," Morgan added.

Janus waved a hand, "Naturally, but the knowledge of all life kind of takes away the challenge. I am sure we could have built something of this scale pre-ascension, but it would not have been easy. But this...well, all indications are this is fairly standard for this race."

"And what race is that?"

"Not one native to this reality," the scientist replied, "Like we suspected. According to the computer, they called themselves the 'Forerunner'. Odd name for a race to call itself, but that is what the files claim. I can't see a correlation to any race we have ever encountered however."

Morgan smiled slightly, "That we expected. We would certainly have remembered encountering such an advanced race."

"It is possible they were wiped out in our universe before we ever reached Avalon," Janus shrugged, "Or after we departed for Lantea. I do not know. But nonetheless, this is quite a fascinating vessel to explore. It's a novel feeling my friend, having something new after all these years."

The smile on the female Ancient's face only grew at the unusual excitement in Janus' voice. It was...like a kid in a candy shop, to borrow a human term. In a way, it was relaxing. Such unbridled enthusiasm and joy was rare in the Ascended population. Thousands of years with all the knowledge they possessed, in addition to the fact that a new Ascended being was such a rare occurrence, had left them rather stilted. So for Morgan, it was quite nice to have such a...happy...man with her. Certainly, it was enough to make her somewhat happier.

Considering how depressing exile was, that was saying something indeed.

"What of the others?" she asked, once Janus had took a break from his 'gushing' to use another human term.

"Not as interesting," Janus replied, "The grey warships are human, as we suspected. A 'UNSC' as they call themselves. Their technology appears to be primitive on its own, lower than even the Goa'uld with the exception of their power generation and coilgun. The remainder of their technology is a mix of their own, Goa'uld, Asgard, Tollan, and Forerunner. I have to admire their ingenuity if nothing else."

"It seems to be a human trait," Morgan agreed, remembering the genius of SG-1.

"Very much so. The others are more interesting...another race we've never encountered. The humans seem to call them 'Elites'. They themselves term themselves, 'Sangheili'."

Janus sent a mental picture of the reptilian race to Morgan as he spoke of them, getting an elevated eyebrow out of the woman. They certainly were unlike anything the Ancients were familiar with. Not even the Unas were quite the same. Such a clear warrior race, one built for combat, was certainly not usual. Their technology reflected that to a certain extent. Clearly Forerunner based, but at the same time...clearly geared entirely toward warfare. And on an interesting cultural note...

"Janus, they aren't capable of sustaining themselves," Morgan commented, once she had looked at everything she had been shown.

The other Alteran nodded solemnly, "I know. I don't know why, but they don't seem to understand the technology they use. Or how to do anything but fight. This is a race bred to be warriors...nothing else. What could possibly have..."

Before the man could finish that statement, both Ancients flashed back into the upper plane. For below them, the Resistance had begun to leave Gaia...with the Nox floating cities in tow.

"They're returning to war," Morgan said softly.

"Yes they are," Janus nodded, "War and death. I can only hope they succeed."