In orbit, south of O'ahu…
The Arizona, given the pendant number 39 in respect to the hull classification number of her ill-fated namesake now lying at the bottom of Pearl Harbour, had been in her current place in orbit since the Volunteer Earth Defence Force had deployed from Den'sha Two to its proper home system over a week before. Ever since that time, the crew of seven Avalonian bioroids — recently joined by six others who had once been slave engineers aboard a Niphentaxian destroyer until they had been freed by Moroboshi Hiromi — had done everything they could to ensure the ship remained at top readiness until such time as they were ordered to do otherwise by Hiromi-sama, any of her elected deputies, or whenever a crew of American military personnel came aboard to official take the ship into commission, either in the planned Earth Defence Force that Ki Tsukihana and Hakaru Ayami had always envisioned…or as a unit of the United States Navy, much like her namesake had served decades before.
"Trans-atmospheric contact."
Ikusawa Kyōko, the blue-haired, purple-eyed bioroid that was the person currently in charge of Arizona, perked on hearing that warning voice. "Identify, Sayuri."
"Canadian CY-199 Borealis launching from Ellesmere Island, Kyōko," Fujiki Sayuri, a black-haired tomboy with dark grey eyes, reported from the sensor command station. "Now on course to intercept Haida." She tapped controls. "Relaying sensor data to inform Hitomi of who is now approaching them." A blinked. "Second contact. Also a CY-199 Borealis, proceeding south from Ellesmere Island." She tapped controls. "If that ship maintains course, it will pass over Peterson Air Force Base."
Kyōko nodded. At the chief engineering station, one of the new Avalonians to have come aboard Arizona, a freckled teenager with curly strawberry blonde hair and green eyes named Cricket — she had yet to receive a family name — looked over. "Aren't we concerned about these sorts of flights?"
Kyōko gazed at her. "No, we are not, Cricket. It is known that there is an element of the Canadian military that possesses advanced alien technology, although such access by other parties is kept strongly restricted. And Earth's only Stargate is now located in Colorado near Peterson Air Force Base, underneath the headquarters of the North American Aerospace Defence Command's control bunker. This may be a joint exercise of the Canadian Specialised Warfare Regiment and the American Stargate Command."
Cricket's eyes widened. "Earth has a STARGATE?!"
"Affirmative," Sayuri reported. "Tsukihana-sama and Ayami-sama are both aware of the Stargate Treaty that exists between the Confederation of Vos, the Royal Kingdoms of Yehisril, the Imperial Dominion of Noukiios, the Imperial Houses of the Seifukusu Dominion and the United Churches of Zephyrus. No doubt, when formal links are established with the Imperial Dominion and the Royal Kingdoms, Earth will also be invited into participating in the Stargate Treaty."
The engineer blinked, and then breathed out. "Wow…"
Peterson Air Force Base…
"You guys sure didn't take long."
The captain in command of Nunavut 7 laughed as he waved the members of SG-1 aboard. "You wanted fast service, Colonel O'Neill, you get fast. Crew chief will show you where the passenger deck is so you can sit down and relax."
"Much appreciated."
As the four member team walked aboard the aircraft — the CY-199, built under the official auspices of Defence Research and Development Canada at Ellesmere Island, distantly resembled a much bigger version of the Boeing YC-14 prototype transport aircraft designed for the Advanced Medium STOL Transport project in the 1970s — and headed to the upper deck, Teal'c looked around, his eyes narrowed. "The technology of this craft is much more advanced than anything I've ever encountered before."
"Don't be surprised, Mister Teal'c," the pilot mused. All aboard the Borealis knew who the Jaffa warrior from Chulak was, so they didn't call him by any of the odd Earth aliases his friends used whenever they took him out in public. "Major Raeburn and her first class of post-war students found this cache of alien tech left buried under the rocks on Ellesmere back in the 1950s. Even now, we're still discovering all the ways the stuff they invented could be used." He then took his seat.
"Have you discovered where that cache came from?" Samantha Carter asked.
"From a planet named Karolla Prime. It was located in one of the stellar clusters outside the Milky Way Galaxy itself," the co-pilot answered as pre-flight checks began.
"'Was?'" Jack asked.
"Their sun went nova about five million years back," the pilot said as the engines turned over, the co-pilot raising the control tower for clearance to taxi. "Made a mess of a dozen star systems, in fact. Dangerous place in space to go travel."
"That's very sad. What were they like?" Daniel Jackson wondered.
"Pretty nice people all around. They were humanoid, like us. Doubt they'd like some of the scumbags you guys have to deal with at times," the pilot said as he listened to the chatter from the control tower. "Okay, let's get this trip going."
"Indeed," Teal'c stated…
In orbit…
"Update on CY-199 at Peterson."
"Report, Sayuri."
"The aircraft appears to be travelling towards us, Kyōko."
Kyōko blinked as she recalled what instructions she had been given if she encountered a situation like this. The other CY-199 that had launched from Ellesmere Island was currently approaching Haida, though no contact between the approaching aircraft and the current flagship of the VDEF had been made. Sitting back in her chair, she closed her eyes as she considered the information she had in hand. A CY-199 had flown from Ellesmere Island to Peterson. Said aircraft was now approaching them.
"Scan life forms on the approaching CY-199."
Sayuri tapped controls. "Scanning now." A minute later, the reading came up. "Total number of souls aboard: seven. Six Earth human, one Chulakite Jaffa."
"'Jaffa?'" Cricket asked.
"Warriors of the Goa'uld. All descent of humans, but genetically modified to allow them to be symbiotic hosts for a Goa'uld," Kyōko explained. "Shōko, raise Haida. Inform Tsukihana-sama of the current situation."
"Hai," the communications officer, Takiguchi Shōko — a near look-alike of the El Hazard character Jinnai Nanami, right even to the shaggy caramel hair held down by an hairband and the light brown eyes — said as she tapped controls…
"We've been scanned."
The members of SG-1 perked on hearing the flight engineer's voice. "ECM?" Jack asked.
"Negative. Standard life-sign scan," the sergeant said as she tapped controls to pull up a readout on the screen. "No doubt, they'll be VERY interested in Mister Teal'c, especially if Miss Moroboshi is willing to make an alliance with Prince Sheko."
Teal'c almost came out of his chair, his eyes wide with shock. "SHEKO?!"
Everyone gazed at him. "Who is he?" Daniel asked.
Blinking, the Jaffa then took a deep breath as he relaxed himself. "We Jaffa call him 'the Slayer of Gods,' Daniel Jackson," he explained. "Before I was even born, the System Lord Zeus — an ally of Ares and Athena — attacked a Yehisrite ship carrying Sheko's sisters Wanra and Hyrona to one of their colony worlds. Both of them were quite beautiful and were later raped and murdered as Zeus tried to find some way of transforming Yehisrites into Jaffa." He gazed on his other friends. "Sheko — who, by then, had slain his predecessor Haramko to take control of Kyotos — vowed eternal blood-vengeance against Zeus, then launched a war that lasted twenty years and saw Zeus' forces rendered to stardust." He closed his eyes. "It is said that when the Slayer of Gods caught him, Zeus' torture lasted a month before Sheko killed him. Ever since that time, a DOZEN System Lords have also fallen at his blade."
Silence.
"Oh, God! We're dealing with Klingons!" Jack moaned.
Teal'c gazed at him. "The tlhIngan…" — much to the constant amusement of the others members of SG-1, the Jaffa (who also loved Star Wars and had seen all the movies and television shows) had also become a Trekker during his time on Earth, even going so far as to teach himself to speak tlhIngan Hol — "…would be considered weak in the eyes of any self-respecting Yehisrite."
"Oh, joy," Daniel breathed out…
The Arizona…
"So the medical scan shows that the Jaffa isn't mated with a Goa'uld?"
"Affirmative, Tsukihana-sama," Miyazawa Mayu — a dark-skinned, blue-eyed girl with long black hair in a flowing ponytail that served as the starship's medical officer — reported. Kōgetsuei had beamed aboard Arizona from Haida when the signal went out concerning the approaching CY-199 and its curious passenger. "It appears this particular Jaffa is taking some form of medication to augment his immune system's capabilities in lieu of hosting an actual Goa'uld symbiont."
The young tōshi considered that, and then he sighed. "There was a rumour about an actual First Prime for one of the System Lords having defected some years ago to serve another race," he mused. "I wonder if this person's that man."
"We can communicate and ask," Shōko offered.
Kōgetsuei blinked, and then he nodded. "Open a channel."
Now flying past the coast of California…
"Colonel."
Jack perked. "What is it?"
The co-pilot looked over. "Arizona is signalling us."
The members of SG-1 blinked, and then Jack sighed. "Let's hear 'em."
A control was flicked. "…approaching CY-199 from Ellesmere Island, this is the Earth Defence Force Starship Arizona," the voice of a young man — Way TOO young! Jack instantly thought — called out in accented English. "We are currently detecting your approach to our position. Please state your intentions."
"Let me talk to them," Jack ordered. After another control was flicked, the colonel took a deep breath. "United States Starship Arizona, this is Colonel Jonathan O'Neill of the United States Air Force, commander of Stargate Team One, United States Air Force Stargate Command," he declared. "By Executive Order of the President of the United States of America, my team and I have been ordered to come aboard Arizona to officially take the ship into commission as a unit of the United States Navy." He then smirked. "So if you don't mind, can we come aboard?"
A hum. "Who's the Jaffa with you, Colonel O'Neill?"
Jack perked, and then he smiled. "He's a friend."
Silence.
"He better be, Colonel," that voice warned. "We're making allies with a man who kills your 'friend's' old bosses for a living."
"So we've heard," Jack replied. "Don't worry." He then smirked. "He likes Star Wars and Star Trek."
More silence.
"Really?"
Sam and Daniel laughed while Teal'c remained as calm as ever. Even the three Canadians present were grinning. "Yeah, really. By the way, who are you?"
"Tsukihana Ki," the person on the other end answered. "My friends call me Kōgetsuei."
Jack blinked. "You're Japanese?"
"Hai."
"Are you one of the ones who built these ships?"
"Of course I am!" that voice snapped back, the pride in his words quite apparent.
Jack smiled. "Then, Kōgetsuei, you're the person we're really like to meet."
Still more silence.
"We'll be careful."
"I kinda expected that," Jack assured him. "By the way…"
"What?"
"The number's wrong."
"Eh?"
"Arizona's hull number," Jack explained. "BB-39 is the ship that's at the bottom of Pearl Harbour beside Ford Island. Your ship is actually BB-72."
"Um, actually, sir…"
Jack spun on Sam. "WHAT, Carter?"
"It's SBB-72, sir," the major helpfully provided. "Space Battleship, Number 72."
The colonel sighed. "What's the damned difference?"
"Well, sir, do you honestly think THAT floats on water?" Sam asked as she pointed out the front windows of the Borealis at the looming bulk of Arizona.
Jack looked, and then he sighed. "Semantics, Carter. Semantics."
Sam smirked. "Just trying to be helpful, sir."
Daniel laughed and the Canadians all smirked as Teal'c's eyebrow arched…
Aboard Arizona…
"Sounds pretty human to me," Kōgetsuei mused in Japanese.
"We will take precautions," Kyōko advised.
"Good point," he said as we…
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(Posted Mon, 24 May 2010 05:37)
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