Jack expected his captors to be some alien weirdos for a flare of dramatics. He should've known better that theatrics were loved by humans as well.
Still, he, like his colleagues, was stupefied when the hall around them shifted after the red-haired man came into a more accommodating setting right before their eyes. They stumbled around as the floor tiles rearranged themselves to accommodate a newly formed long table and cushioned chairs between themselves and the man.
"Identify yourselves." the red-haired man commanded.
The distinct British accent took Jack by surprise. But he chalked it up to the British accent surviving in the stars despite the Goa'uld taking slaves from the British Isles during their reign of terror on Earth.
"I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill. These are my subordinates, Captain Samantha Carter, Dr Daniel Jackson and Teal'c. We are explorers from Earth in search of allies and friendship with new peoples." Jack introduced everyone.
"Strange to see a Jaffa of Apophis in the company of humans as a subordinate, no less."
"I've denounced the Goa'uld and pledged my allegiance to the cause of the Tau'ri." Teal'c said.
"I see. Good for you. We do not take kindly to any Jaffa presence in our territory."
"Now that you know us, may we know who you are?" Daniel spoke.
"Most certainly. I'm Colonel Cerberus Longarm of the Elysian Federation, Director of the Zoria base." Cerberus introduced himself.
"So, Zoria is the planet's name." Sam said, looking expectantly at their host.
"No. Zoria is the moon orbiting the planet Svoriin." Cerberus said and waved his hand on a panel of the wall.
The wall suddenly became transparent, and Jack stared with his mouth agape as he looked at the sight of a large blue-green planet surrounded by the darkness of space.
"You trespassed into Svoriin territory, and our defence installations transported you to our holding cell in Zoria."
"We didn't trespass." Jack defended with an affronted look.
"Svoriin is a protected territory designated by the Elysian High Council. Any personnel entering the planet without the permission of the High Council is a trespasser." Cerberus explained calmly.
"Are these Celtic runes?" Daniel asked in wonder as his eyes traced the faint golden outlines of runes beside the transparent wall.
"The planet Svoriin is off limits to all explorers. My subordinate will escort you to the stargate, and it's my recommendation that your people do not visit Svoriin in the future." Cerberus said, completely ignoring Daniel's query.
"Now wait just a minute." Jack piqued up with his usual sassy persona. "We came so far and you're sending us off without even a friendly 'hello' or tea."
"Colonel O'Neill. This is a military installation, and I'm just a colonel serving in the Elysian fleet. Your presence in Svoriin has disturbed an ongoing military action. My only recourse here is to send you back where you came from since I suspect you or your people had nothing to do with the genocide of Svoriin."
There was a pregnant pause after Cerberus explained.
"Unless, of course, you are saying you have some involvement in the genocide of Svoriin." Cereberus looked at SG1 expectantly.
"We had nothing to do with any genocide." Daniel immediately said with raised hands.
"Wait, there was a genocide on that planet?" Jack asked with a troubled look, a sentiment which was shared by his comrades.
"Yes." Cerberus nodded.
"By Goa'uld?" Teal'c asked curiously.
"We do not know." Cerberus.
"But our MALP relayed an intact city. There were no signs of conflict." Sam said.
"Svoriin was not subject to conventional warfare. Someone used biological warfare in the form of a modified bug. These bugs inject their venom once they come in contact with other living organisms. The venom in the bloodstreams of any creature will absorb their biomatter and help reproduce more of the bugs."
"So, all life on the entire planet got wiped out by these bugs?" Sam asked with a horrified look.
"Not all life. The marine life in Svoriin has survived the genocide, as has all plant life. We recently came across the planet during our deep space exploration, and since then, we have been trying to clean up the bugs. We placed a trap near the stargate to capture the perpetrators on the off chance they might return."
There was an awkward silence that lingered as Jack and the others tried to grasp the situation.
"Maybe we can be of some help in clearing these bugs from the planet." Jack offered, hoping to build good relations and in the interest of future cooperation.
"Yes," Sam said immediately as she caught on to her superior's thinking. "We have the personnel to help you should you need it. Also, if we can collect a sample from these bugs, our scientists can probably come up with a vaccine."
"I'm afraid I'm not authorised to make such decisions, Miss Carter." Cerberus said, shaking his head.
"Then, please contact your superiors. Surely there is something to be gained in cooperation between our peoples." said Sam, appealing to the spirit of cooperation and mutual benefit.
"Surely, your people have ties to Earth. I can recognise the Celtic script on your walls. Your leaders might be interested in learning their roots at the very least." Daniel appealed to the sense of history and culture.
"I can vouch for the Tau'ri's noble spirit to oppose the tyranny of Goa'uld. If your leaders seek an ally against the System Lords, then the Tau'ri are your best hope. They've managed to destroy Ra and plunge the System Lords into a civil war. They've repelled the forces of Apophis on their homeworld and forced the Goa'uld to flee in defeat." Teal'c said proudly and with conviction.
"You killed Ra?" Cerberus asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sir, I don't think it is a good idea to…" Sam muttered to O'Neill.
"It was the work of O'Neill and Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said with his head held high.
"Spilt milk under the bridge, Carter." Jack whispered back as Teal'c outed their involvement.
Seeing the expectant look on their host, Jack decided to admit the whole thing.
"Well, we just blew up his ship, and Ra went… poof." Jack said, showing an exaggerated gesture with his hand to mimic an explosion.
Jack looked on in interest as their host poked his fingers on a crystal panel on his forearm.
"I have relayed your presence and your request to talk to my superiors." Cerberus said. "Meanwhile, you may stay…"
The entire base blared with alarms.
"Oh, that's not good, is it?" Jack said.
Cerberus flicked on the crystal armband on his arm, and a woman's face was projected into mid-air.
"Captain Hastings. What is going on?" Cerberus asked.
"Sir, our hyperspace spectrometers in the observatory were triggered. We're expecting an unauthorised active hyperdrive. The energy signature shows it's not one of our own." Captain Hastings reported.
Cerberus opened a base-wide communication channel.
"All personnel of Zoria base. This is your Mission Director speaking." Cerberus' voice boomed across the base while red lights flickered on the walls and ceilings of the base.
All activity in the base ceased as Director Cerberus' voice filtered in through the comms.
"We have detected an unauthorised hyperspace activity close to our proximity. As of this moment, I'm initiating Aegis protocol."
"The base will be in lockdown and under shield. All activity is to cease, and everyone must report to their stations immediately. No active personnel are to remain outside the Aegis perimeter. You have five minutes to comply starting now." Cerberus said.
Jack exchanged a look with Sam, Daniel and Teal'c before he stepped forward.
"Director Cerberus. We would like to help." Jack offered.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Cerberus shook his head.
"If this is the Goa'uld, you will need all the help you can get." Teal'c said.
Cerberus looked between the four and, seeing their determined faces, he reluctantly nodded.
"We'll need our gear if we are to help."
Cerberus stared at them for a moment before snapping his fingers.
"Oh!" Jack jumped when his sidearm, rifle, grenades and a couple of magazines appeared out of thin air beside him, hovering in mid-air. "I think you're worthy of my Christmas cards."
******
Despite their promise of help, Jack found he and his team were not as helpful as they thought. Besides, the personnel on Zoria were less inclined to share anything with them. It was understandable considering military secrets and capabilities were crucial information and closely guarded.
But that didn't dissuade them from keeping an eye out.
Jack observed that an increasing number of personnel were concentrated on the left wing of the facility. From the stray conversations he picked up from the soldiers, that area was probably hosting some launchpads for combat spacecraft. The right section of the base probably hosted the ground assets.
He was not certain what kind of threat Zoria was about to face. But he dearly hoped they could survive this battle. After all, his team's fate was now tied closely to the fate of this military base.
"You got anything from our new friend?" Jack asked once he saw Sam return to his side.
"Sorry, Colonel. They're tight-lipped on what's going on, but I got the feeling that it's bad. I managed to overhear some officers talking about energy signatures from the incoming wormhole, and it's supposedly far greater than one of their ships called the Hammerhead." Sam reported.
"So, we're screwed." Jack said with a sigh.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, O'Neill." Teal'c said, staring intently outside through the glass panel.
When Jack followed the line of sight, he found the outside of the base was glowing ever faintly.
"What the hell is that?" Jack whispered.
Suddenly, a powerful ripple of energy spread out around the base. Jack and the others watched with wide eyes as an all-encompassing barrier made of pure energy formed around the base.
"Wow!" Daniel looked on with wide eyes as a dome of blueish energy surrounded the base protectively.
"Level 1 barrier is complete. Initiating Aegis shield generators."
Jack and everyone else heard Director Cerberus' voice from the comms.
"Another shield?" Teal'c asked curiously.
"Look!" Daniel excitedly pointed as some massive star-shaped objects flew out of many parts of the base and hovered in space.
The stars started emitting golden veins of energy from eight of their pointed tips, creating a golden net of energy. The golden vines twisted, turned and connected to change into a large dome of interconnected star-shaped energy barrier.
"This is incredible." Sam whispered, her eyes capturing every moment.
Someone cleared their throat from behind them, making Jack jump.
"Dear god!" Jack placed a hand on his heart while staring at the female officer in standard military garb.
"Sorry. The Director has summoned you. If you'll please follow me."
Without waiting, the officer promptly walked away, forcing Jack and the others to rush after the woman. They were led to the command centre of the base, where Director Cerberus, along with other officers, was conducting their war room.
"We have detected three Goa'uld Ha'taks. Fortunately, they haven't detected us because the ships are outside cislunar space. But it won't be long before they observe this base."
"Three? That's bad." Jack said truthfully, remembering how Apophis' ships just shrugged off their nuclear-mounted ballistic missiles.
"Colonel, have you or your team come across a symbol like this?" Cerberus asked, showing the projected image of a black bird with no head but two legs and wings.
"That's Heru'ur's symbol. He is the son of Ra and a powerful System Lord." Teal'c said.
"I see. You had an encounter with him in Cimmeria, didn't you?" Cerberus asked.
"How do you know that?" Sam asked, surprised.
"I've been given access to certain new information once your identities were confirmed in our logs. Our High Council have had contact with Cimmeria. We've been coordinating with Asgard to help the Cimmerians recover from the damage they suffered."
Jack was so surprised he was speechless, but only for a moment.
"You have the Asgard on speed dial." Jack said with some incredulity.
"Speed dial. I don't understand." Cerberus looked at Jack curiously.
Before he could explain, the holographic imagery inside the war room changed to show three massive Ha'taks.
"Sir, we're receiving a hail from one of the ships."
"Lock on to the signal and put it through our secured channel." Cerberus ordered. "Also, scan the Ha'taks for their specs and movements."
Heru'ur's towering form flickered into existence.
"Humans! Bow before your Heru'ur and you shall be spared the cold grasp of death." Heru'ur declared arrogantly.
"This sector of space is under the protection of the Elysian Federation. Remove your ships from Elysian space, or you'll be considered hostile and be destroyed." Cerberus said calmly.
"You insult a god, mortal!" Heru'ur said angrily with glowing eyes.
"I see no god." Cerberus said without blinking.
"You'd choose destruction over life." Heru'ur said with a smirk. "Your pitiful people will become slaves under my reign. I'll scorch the ground of this planet until your memory is but ashes."
"Do what you wish, Goa'uld, and I shall do what I must. You have five minutes to leave Elysian space peacefully." Cerberus said before cutting off the transmission.
"That went well." Jack said with a snort.
"Heru'ur is one of the formidable Goa'uld among the System Lords, and he'll have enough power between those three Ha'tak's to destroy this base and the cities on Svoriin." said Teal'c. "You should attack while you have the advantage."
"We cannot." Cerberus said. "Our instructions from the Fleet command were not to take the first shot."
"That'll be a terrible strategy." Teal'c said immediately. "Heru'ur will not pull back his ships."
"I know." Cerberus said shortly and fell silent, refusing to explain any further.
The time for words was moot as Heru'ur started the attack.
"Sir, one of the Ha'taks has launched their gliders." said one of the many officers in the war room.
"Keep track of their movements and prep the countermeasures on standby."
"Sir, we're detecting transport rings in the Ha'tak getting activated."
"It'd seem Heru'ur wants to deploy ground forces." Cerberus said.
"Heru'ur is testing your defences. He'll study your weakness before he strikes with his full power." said Teal'c.
"So it would seem." Cerberus muttered with a frown before turning to his officers, "Have our ground assets ready to protect the base. There might be gaps in our shield once the aerial assault begins."
"Right away, sir."
As the officers in the room made the arrangements, Jack exchanged a look with his team.
"We can be of some help to your ground forces to repel Heru'ur's Jaffa forces." Jack offered.
"If that is your wish, Colonel O'Neill." Cerberus nodded respectfully.
"Daniel, you stay. Teal'c, Carter, with me. Let's put some lead in those snakes." Jack said with a grin, patting his rifle with a savage smirk.
******
Jack, Sam and Teal'c were escorted to a group of soldiers led by one of Director Cerberus' aides. Somehow, the gravity on the moon was as strong as that of a planet, and the ground was cobbled neatly with white stone. There was even a nourishing atmosphere outside the base, which took them by utter surprise.
"Captain Peterson. These are our Tau'ri guests, and Director Cerberus has permitted them to join the ground forces in defence of the base."
"What the hell? What am I supposed to…"
"Sorry, Captain. Director Cerberus' orders." the aide said hastily before making an exit.
"Don't worry. We brought our own ammunition and guns to the fight." said Jack, tapping his rifle while Teal'c just looked at his staff weapon.
"For Merlin's sake, there is a Jaffa in our midst!" someone shouted.
Immediately, a bunch of sleek-looking rifles were pointed in Teal'c's direction.
"Calm down, everyone. He's with us." Jack said, standing in cover for Teal'c.
"We don't have the time for this drama. Soldiers, to formation." Captain Peterson shouted.
Immediately, the soldiers clustered together and split into groups of three.
"Sir, don't you think those rifles have a similar design to an SA80." Sam asked under her breath.
Jack was about to take a closer look when the ground beneath them started to tremble.
"What the hell?" Jack shouted in alarm.
"O'Neill, look." Teal'c pointed at a huge cavity forming on the ground.
"It looks like some kind of artillery, sir." Sam said as they watched a massive cannon rise out of the ground.
But it was not the only one. More cannons rose out of the ground, sleek in design but smaller in size compared to the first one and looking like someone sculpted them out of a monolithic stone. Many armoured vehicles also started to arrive on the ground, which looked like massive tanks with enough payload to level the Jaffa army.
The Death Gliders launched by the Ha'tak chose that moment to strike. They flew too low to bombard the forward positions on the ground but found themselves smashing into the shield dome. The energy shield protecting the base flared up, becoming visible once more.
"Oh, I love this place." Jack said with awe as he watched the dome stand protectively over them all like a watchful guardian.
More Death Gliders started to assault the dome with plasma fire, but the shield dome easily absorbed the attacks, not letting even a single bolt of plasma in. The retaliation from Zoria was swift and brutal.
A wall of plasma bolts rained down on the Death Gliders like a vengeful god. Bright explosions filled the dark sky as the smaller cannons wreaked havoc on the Goa'uld fighters. Then came the assault by the Ha'tak on the base. Massive beams of plasma bolts struck the energy dome, lighting up the space above the base in bright explosions. The ground shook under the relentless barrage of heavy plasma guns of the Ha'tak.
"O'Neill, the Jaffa on the ground is attacking." Teal'c shouted.
Sure enough, Jack could see Heru'ur's Jaffa being ringed in from the Ha'taks outside the barrier. The Jaffa were quick to use their staff weapons to launch a relentless barrage on the energy barrier surrounding the base. Some of the plasma barrage from the staff weapons breached through the barrier, as most of its power was focused on defending the base from heavy batteries on the Ha'tak.
"Take cover."
The soldiers took cover behind the heavily armoured trucks as some of those stray plasma bolts came their way.
Jack was surprised to note that the armoured tanks were capable of taking plasma fire without any damage. In fact, he saw some of those plasma bolts getting reflected back to the Jaffa upon impact.
The Elysian soldiers were quick to retaliate with their rifles. The rate of fire from their rifles eclipsed the Jaffa staff. Therefore, the battlefield quickly became a sea of Jaffa corpses. Jack and his team also had a hand in it as they opened fire on the Jaffa. He kept his promise of putting some lead in the enemy.
The massive cannon they had earlier seen also activated and fired a massive beam of energy straight at the attacking Ha'tak. The beam of energy cut through the Ha'tak like a hot knife through butter. It was as if a second sun was born in space. The explosion was so bright that the base was showered with a bright white light.
"Well, that's one down. Two more to go." Jack whispered.
The battle was far from over, but now it became clear to Jack that the Elysians could defend their base and harm the Goa'uld at the same time.
AN:
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