The 13th Tribe Book II: A Symphony of War

[LadyTevar]

Are we finally going to 'cross the streams" and get a UNS Enterprise?

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Maybe it could fight the Nemesis in The Thirteenth Tribe Book IV:Vikings In Space.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Well the second of the big carriers the Yanks are building is indeed called Enterprise, so O'Neill finally gets his wish.

[fnord]

Who will end up driving it? Caldwell?

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Rear Admiral James T. Kirk. But, he will be bald.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Nah Caldwell is happy on the Daedalus. Besides, the three Yorktowns are all USN ships, not USAF.

[fnord]

Ok then, my goof. How about James A. Kirk, USN?

(wasn't sure if picture was too big to inline)
No, I'm not creative enough to make this up

He might not have enough seniority in your timeline, though.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

He has carrier experience, though, even if he did come up through "cruisers" and destroyers.

[fnord]

I wonder if previous wet naval experience is a net help or hindrance to dry naval operations?

[U.P. Cinnabar]

There are two schools of thought on that. One being that naval officers and crews, experienced in commanding and manning single, semi-self contained mobile combat platforms on the high seas, are uniquely qualified to command semi self-contained mobile combat platforms in space.

Then, there are those who insist these are large airplanes, and not boats, so why do we have this navy in space trope anyway?

Where the Tau'ri are concerned, they're still writing the Book on starship operations, and the new officers and crews have to be trained to operate in a unique battlespace, mainly by the veterans, who happen to be Air Force, so doctrine will likely end up a hybrid of these two approaches.

Long story short: As previous naval experience indicates a certain flexibility(especially in NCOs, officers and commanders) and ability to operate as a team, it would be a net positive when it comes to space operations.

Especially when one considers that those picked to operate the new Tau'ri vessels are likely to undergo a rigorous screening process to ensure only the most capable make it through.

Something like Perisher. Except in space.

[fnord]

Are you meaning the RN Perisher course - the one you have to take and pass to get your submarine master's ticket? (It's pass or GTFO submarines, IIRC).

[U.P. Cinnabar]

That's the one. And it is pass or leave the Submarine Force, and sometimes the RN, if there's no billet available for them. I personally think it's a good idea.

[Sky Captain]

I wonder how the US investment in carriers will pay off. In last battle with Baal Fireman wanted to have British battleship instead of more fighters. If Terrans had not launched their fighters the combined point defenses of the fleet that did little in this battle anyway should have been more than capable of demolishing enemy fighter forces. Experience with Wraith show that fighters and light ships are most effective when employed in suicide mode which is against Terran and Tau`ri doctrine. Fighter can be useful as mobile missile defense screen, but it seems that most civilizations prefer energy weapons or kinetic slugs against which fighters are useless. Shields and heavy armor matter here.

It seems that if carriers had something like Honorwerse LAC that would be extremely useful, a stripped down short endurance highly maneuverable attack craft with strongest shields and armor possible on that scale armed to teeth with missiles, few dozen point defense lasers and one megalaser or Asgard plasma beam or coilgun whatever suits best in spinal mount. Something small and agile enough to be difficult to target with capital ship primary weapons yet durable against point defense and fighter scale weapons and be threat against capital ships when deployed in numbers

[Eternal_Freedom]

As I've said, the Yank supercarriers will have a fully-rounded air group, including the Thunderbolt heavy attack fighters Sheppard was flying over Atlantis and bombers for heavy strikes.

[Eternal_Freedom]

To expand on this somewhat:

Using Fireman's comment is a problem because a) I've already shown that he leans towards capital ship engagements not fighters and b) he knew the Dreadnought was nearly finished whereas the Yorktown will be a while yet.

The comment about light ships only being useful in suicide mode is also wrong: the Scythes and Scimitars prove that - Wraith darts were only useful in suicide runs because they didn't carry anti-ship weapons, which Tau'ri fighters will definitely have. Second, the Wraith were using their overwhelming numbers to help them win a battle of attrition - it didn't matter to them if they traded all their cruisers for several Battlestars, because they still had all their Hive ships.

Furthermore, the US supercarriers will have a big air group. Consider that these will be near Battlestar-size vessels, same as Dreadnought, but devoted solely to fighters/bombers. They could conceivably have air groups the same size as Nemesis.

The same will hold true for the Russian ships - Battlestar sized but almost all of it devoted to engines and missile batteries.

Like I said in the thread for Book 1, the three examples are basically an extension of the discussion we had over building specialist ships vs all-round Battlestars - the Brits are going all-gun, the Russians all-missile and the Yanks are going all-fighters/bombers. Since they don't have to have strong gun batteries as well, they can carry a lot more light craft.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

And, all have their 304s to round out any defecincies in their respective doctrines.

[Sky Captain]

If American carriers have a lot of Scythe and Scmitar equivalents then it should increase the possibility to take on enemy capital ships although still it adds extra layer of complexity and time. Jump carrier into combat zone, launch bombers to launch anti ship missiles instead of just jumping a battleship with guns blazing or missile cruiser with all missile tubes immediately launching. Unless FTL jammers become common the way FTL works favors warships with shortest reaction time and powerful alpha strike capability.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Potentially so. But the Americans have a tendency to build carriers, so that's what they're going to start with. Even the 304 was initially referred to as a "Deep Space Carrier." Maybe their idea will be vindicated, maybe not.

[fnord]

Are the Tau'ri capital vessels also being built under Asgard(-designed, Terran-built) time dilation fields?

Also, what other hok'taur civilisations are kicking around (I think the Tollan are still flattened as in SG canon, but Langarans, Aschen, etc), what do they think of the Kobolian mob, and vice versa?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Yeah they are, which is why work is progressing so well.

The Langarans are developing nicely and are happily allied with the Tau'ri and have diplomatic relations with the United Colonies, including various trade arrangements, which is why Temeraire and Eridanus went there to destroy that big Lucian Alliance kassa smuggling run in the Epilogue.

The Tollan are in fact still dead. Meh. The Aschen...are also dead. Remember that line in season fives "2001" where the first gate address they gave them was the black hole? Yep, they dialled it. And their homeworld is gone now, so they're a fractured people with only a handful of weak ships floating around raiding things. They're basically pirates now.

There's a few other reasonably-advanced races. The Hebridans/Serrakin, the Orbanians, the Galarians (IIRC), all of whom are plodding along nicely, keeping up diplomatic relations with both Earth and Terra, much like Langara. That's how the whole Tau'ri/Kobolian anti-kassa mission is possible, they have a modicum of consensus (all those governments know it's bad but don't have the interstellar forces to really stop it).

They are, essentially, developed worlds and trading partners, but with no significant military forces they aren't a factor and aren't part of the Second Great Alliance.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Act Two: Encounters

Eyeball to Eyeball
Terran Orbital Space
Six Hours Later

The situation was tense. The huge unknown contact was now barely a minute out from Terra and every available ship was turned out in greeting. This comprised the Nemesis, Galactica, Warspite and Pegasus, plus their assorted Battle Groups. In formation around the Warstar were her eighty Scimitar bombers, fully armed and ready for coordinates for a jump-shoot-jump attack if needed. All were currently at Action Stations, every weapon from the point-defence mounts up to the superlaser on the Warstar was charged and ready and all thirty-four ships were holding formation a short distance from Olympus Base, within the huge spherical Fortress Shield that the station projected. No known weapon, not even the Warstar’s superlaser was powerful enough to breach this shield in a single shot. Elsewhere in orbit the collection of three dozen defence platforms were likewise armed and ready, each one mounting a reverse-engineered version of the Lagrangian-point Satellite Weapon that once protected Atlantis.

The hostile contact was not the only thing heading in at full speed – the Tau’ri had scrambled every ready ship and were heading for Terra at flank speed – the brand-new Dreadnought was leading no less than six 304’s: the Conqueror, Warrior, Gagarin, Odyssey, Icarus and Redoutable. They would arrive only a minute or so behind the unknown.

In Fleet Ops on the Nemesis, Admiral Jellicoe and Admiral Davies stood on either side of the main tactical display, watching the contact racing in. The increasingly-accurate sensor scans were deeply concerning, the vessel was indeed large, though the reported “five times the size of Nemesis” had now been refined down to merely “three and a half times the size of Nemesis” – a fact that was not exactly reassuring to the Admirals. The amount of power being generated and the speed the contact was moving at spoke of very powerful main generators and very advanced hyperdrives, two facts which lent themselves to the conclusion that the contact carried very powerful shields and weapons as well.

There was no more time to wait. A hundred thousand kilometres from Terra, a huge portal opened. The outer edges were blue and rippled in a similar fashion to hyperspace windows, but the vast majority was completely black and featureless. From this blank void emerged the single, massive ship, one that didn’t look like any other ship anyone on Terra had ever seen.

The contact was tetrahedral, slender, spindly even. It was formed of a central core and four narrow triangular extensions, one forward and the other three extending back and outwards. It was the oddest ship design anyone had ever seen, but the scale was sufficient to tell anyone that this was from a powerful race indeed. Eleven and a half kilometres long, thirteen kilometres wide and tall, it was a construction that dwarfed even Olympus Base or Atlantis.

Where it had come from, who had built it and why it was here were all questions that the Admirals desperately wanted answers to and there would only be one way to get them. Jellicoe nodded at the comms officer and the call went out simultaneously in every known language and on every channel.

“Attention unknown vessel, this is the Warstar Nemesis of the Terran Commonwealth Navy, you have entered a restricted area. You have one minute to identify yourself or we will open fire. I repeat, identify yourself immediately or we will open fire.”

Even while the message was going out, Davies leaned over to quietly inform Jellicoe:

“All Scimitar squadrons have jumps programed for a strike on that ship, I doubt it will actually stop this monster but it’s all we’ve got with the range to hit it right now.”

John nodded. This situation could very easily turn into one hell of a mess. He resumed glaring at the huge red “Unknown” icon on the tactical display, as if willing it to reveal its secrets. Seconds ticked by as the challenge was repeated, until the deadline was nearly up. And then came a reply, blaring across all channels and cutting through anything anyone else had been saying.

”Greetings, I am 010 Dying Light, Monitor of Installation 00 and temporary commander of the Forerunner Keyship Shield of Eternity. I have been sent here by the Reclaimer to seek aid from the Forerunners’ allies, those known as the Lanteans, the Asgard and the Nox.”

That threw the listening officers for a loop. They had never head of these “Forerunners” but those they claimed as allies made this sound like the Furlings, perhaps that most enigmatic race had finally reappeared.

Close to Olympus Base, but still outside the Fortress Shield perimeter, seven hyperspace windows opened and disgorged the ad-hoc Tau’ri battle group – the 304’s in a neat formation, looking rather small compared to the bulk of the Dreadnought. They too had heard the transmission from this huge and unfamiliar vessel, but the Tau’ri commanders had an advantage the Terrans didn’t.

Part of the massive Asgard upgrades to the original 304 design had been the replacement of the Goa’uld-inspired computer network of the Prometheus with an Asgard computer core. This core had then been further upgraded before the Asgard retreated to the Ark to contain the sum total of Asgard knowledge. The computer cores had since been copied and the information dispersed of course, but since the cores were needed to run the Asgard systems they were kept aboard the ships.

Aboard the Odyssey, General O’Neill and Daniel Jackson had quickly been beamed up from the surface, where they had been attending the Battle of Terra ceremonies until the unknown contact first appeared. Daniel immediately moved to the Asgard terminal and began hunting through the database for some sort of recognition code. He’d spent enough time in the SGC to know that codes would definitely have changed over all this time but there had to be something. He found what he was looking for and quickly called up the Nemesis.

“Admiral Jellicoe I think that’s a Furling ship. I’ve found what should be recognition codes in the Asgard database, with your permission we’ll try them.”

Since Jellicoe had already reached the same conclusion it was an easy decision. ”Go ahead Ambassador.”

Daniel asked Colonel Emerson, the ship’s commander, for an open channel and spoke.

“This is Ambassador Daniel Jackson of Earth. If you are who I think you are, you’ll know how to respond. If you immediately know the candlelight is fire…” he trailed off, quietly thinking that Oma Desala must have been laughing herself silly, passing on what sounded like deep philosophical statements that were actually recycled Alliance codes.

There was a brief pause, and then. ”Hmm…Alliance recognition codes, Lantean origin, circa Alliance date 105720.225. Correct response is: “then the meal was cooked a long time ago.” The alliance knew the Forerunners as the Furlings, but that is unimportant at present. The Reclaimer has stated that Humanity needs our assistance, and the assistance of the Alliance, as quickly as possible. I invite you to board this vessel so we may talk directly. I am lowering my shields and powering down my engines now.”

That was a very convincing gesture of good faith. Jellicoe quickly began working up a plan to allow this meeting while still able to act decisively against this “Keyship” if needed. He selected an all-ships channel and issued his orders.

“Ok, this just got a lot more complicated. Nemesis will jump to a position at max superlaser range and keep that ship in her gunsights. The 304’s will beam aboard myself and Ambassador North from the surface and then take up positions at maximum beaming range, we’ll transfer over to that ship along with General O’Neill and Ambassador Jackson. Meanwhile, the 304’s are to have every nuke they’ve got ready to beam inside that ship. If we signal an emergency, beam us out and the bombs in.”

No one listening could come up with a better suggestion, so the ships went to work. If Dying Light felt at all nervous about the ships that quickly surrounded it, or the Nemesis moving eighty thousand kilometres in a blink of an eye and clearly aiming a large and potent weapon at this ship, it did not show it. The Monitor was under orders from a Reclaimer to get help from this universe and that is what he would do.

The Higher Plane of Existence

Watching these developments were the Ascended beings Janus and Morgan le Fay, the appointed Overseers of this galaxy and this new Alliance. The Ascended may have consented to destroying the Wraith and preventing the false-vacuum collapse, they may even have agreed to allow a warning to the lower races, but would go no further. As part of the deal, Janus and Morgan had been given the eternal task of monitoring this galaxy, along with Pegasus and the now-uninhabited Ida to ensure the new Alliance were not doing anything that might threaten the Ascended. They weren’t allowed to do anything of course – just watch and report.

But this was truly unexpected. After twelve thousand years of silence the Furlings had reappeared, apparently seeking aid. A rapid but still subtle examination of the huge Furling ship and the computer records told an astonishing tale, their old allies were not from this universe, they had fought and lost their own devastating war and then died as they tried to return to prevent another.

It was the details of the Traitor that alarmed Janus. Yet another race brought low by the betrayal of one of their creations. The Eternal Cycle made another revolution – he could only hope that he had been right years ago, when he had told the Tau’ri and Terran leaders the cycle was broken. As far as he knew, he was indeed correct – but he hadn’t accounted for events in other, parallel universes. If the Cycle took place there as well as here, then something very powerful was causing it. He was loath to use terms like “fate” or “destiny” but it seemed an inescapable conclusion.

These new events would need careful observation. He may even decide to follow them if they tried to return to the other universe as this Monitor clearly planned to. For the first time in millennia, Janus needed more information, and that was the only way to get it.

Furling/Forerunner Keyship Shield of Eternity

The Monitor floated its way down a corridor from the command chamber to the meeting room he had designated. After a few minutes delay there was a flash of light and suddenly there were several humans standing before him. Admiral Jellicoe, General O’Neill, General Carter, Ambassadors Jackson and North all looked wary, though in Jackson’s case there was a feeling of hope and curiosity mixed in.

The Monitor moved forwards. “Greetings, I am 010 Dying Light, welcome aboard the Shield of Eternity. I assume from your method of arrival that you have some contact with the Asgard?”

The group exchanged looks before Jellicoe answered. “Yes, the Asgard were our allies for some time.”

Dying Light rotated sideways at that, in a manner decidedly similar to a dog cocking its head in curiosity. “But no more? And what of the Lanteans and the Nox? You must be in contact with them since you knew those codes.”

This time it was Jackson who answered. “The Lanteans ascended to a higher plane of existence thousands of years ago. The Nox remain on their garden world, content to live as they always have. The Asgard…they have sealed themselves away in the Ark to solve a problem in their genome, but before that they declared the Tau’ri to be the Fifth Race and the Asgard and the Nox confirmed that the Kobolians are the Heirs to the Lanteans, who took their place among the reborn Alliance.”

Dying Light was silent for a moment as this new information was filtered through the Forerunner programming. “This is most troubling news. The Reclaimer instructed me to summon aid from the Alliance as soon as possible, humanity in my home universe is under threat of extinction. If the Lanteans and the Asgard are no longer able to provide this aid, then I must ask you to do so.”

Ambassador North took on a somewhat belligerent look at that. “You appear from another universe, demanding our aid. We have never signed any treaties or agreements with the Furlings or Forerunners or whatever you call yourselves. The only mention we have of you is some lines in the Book of the Word that said you were brothers-in-arms to the Lords of Kobol. Nothing there compels us to help you.”

Dying Light focused it's gaze on the Terran Ambassador, the central “eye” blinking several times in apparent confusion before the Monitor answered.

“You said that the Asgard declared the Tau’ri to be the Fifth Race, and that you others are the Heirs to the Lanteans, as confirmed by the Asgard and the Nox? Then you have joined the Alliance, and are indeed compelled to aid us when we call. I understand you will need to consult with your leaders but this is a matter of extreme urgency. The war in my home universe has been raging for nearly twenty-seven Earth years now, human civilian casualties number in the tens of billions. There is also the real danger of the enemy, this “Covenant,” achieving their goals and activating the Halo Array for a second time, an act that will wipe out all sentient life in that galaxy. Even if that does not happen, they may yet unleash the Flood which would be equally catastrophic. Unless you can help the Reclaimer and his race, all life in that galaxy will perish.”

There it was, in blunt fact. Ambassador North was quelled into silence at the thought of so many civilian deaths. Jellicoe had his thoughts thrown back to that terrible day when the Colonies fell, how many billions had died then, including his whole family. Jackson, Carter and O’Neill likewise were having flashbacks, this time to the Dakaara superweapon and its planned use by Anubis to obliterate every living thing. The consequences were now known; they were terrifying indeed.

Jellicoe pulled himself out from the recurring nightmare, blinking away the sight of the Yashuman falling into Caprica’s atmosphere with his brother Edward helpless in CIC and focused.

“Dying Light, I would ask that you allow us to return to my ship so that we can consult with our leaders. I give you my word we will do so quickly and give you our answer as soon as we can.”

The Monitor agreed, promising to send a data packet containing as much information as possible to the Nemesis to allow them to reach an informed decision. Jellicoe called up the assembled ships and had them stand down from Action Stations and beam them all back to the Flag Briefing Room aboard the Warstar. This was a conversation that needed to be held in private.

As soon as the glare of the transporter beam faded, O’Neill looked at Jellicoe. The two men occupied equivalent positions in their respective forces and had become good friends in the years since the Pegasus Campaign, close enough that Jack could tell the moment something changed in the Admiral.

“John, I can’t help but notice the sudden change in attitude of yours. Care to share? This is a complicated mess.”

Jellicoe gave his friend a wry smile, even as he was setting up a holo-conference with the senior figures on the surface and on Olympus Base.

“Actually Jack, it’s very simple. If that Monitor is right, and as much as I hate Gods-damned AI’s I’m afraid it might be, then billions of human lives are in danger after billions more have died. I swore an oath to defend civilians Jack, the oath may have specified the Colonies but the meaning is there nontheless. If this Monitor is telling the truth and if I have any say in the matter then we’re going.”

None of the others present could argue with that. They waited for the holo-conference to begin, each privately trying to stop their minds dreaming up images of a galaxy-wide genocide.

========

Act Two begins!

[fnord]

And they run to the sound of the guns...

[Eternal_Freedom]

It might seem odd that Jellicoe is so keen, but I think it makes sense for him, and the other Colonials to be the most intent on helping, with the Terrans slightly behind and the Tau'ri doing it to help their Kobolian friends.

The Colonial characters have seen humanity on the edge, reduced from a low-ten-digit population to a mid-five-digit population in one day. The Terrans have likewise seen genocide, religious-inspired genocide first-hand as well, though only attempted in their case, so they know it's something to be opposed. That's bound to have a major impact on them. As Jellicoe said, they swore an oath to defend the innocent. Doesn't get much more important than saving billions from being obliterated from orbit.

Also, this makes 3 out of 4 villains so far that have some form of religion based around evil and/or destroying humans (The Cylons, Ba'al and his rebuilt Empire and the covenant) while even the Wraith had worshippers...seems I'm developing an unexpected theme here.

On another note, in the Janus/Morgan scene we get some more hints about this "something" lurking in the shadows. Perhaps that whole Eternal Cycle is nothing of the kind, and just this force pulling strings to eliminate powerful competition...

[fnord]

Makes perfect sense - Jellicoe beat roughly 1 in 10,000 survival odds when the Cylons put the boot into the Twelve Colonies. Since he hasn't shown up as a sociopath (?), he'll probably have irregular nightmares about it for the rest of his life.

This is just off top of head, but I get impression that humaniti is actually being tested and refined somehow by said Greater Scope Villain - if they survive Genocidal Threat N, then throw Threat N+1 at them. If they don't survive, then they weren't worth it.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Makes perfect sense - Jellicoe beat roughly 1 in 10,000 survival odds when the Cylons put the boot into the Twelve Colonies. Since he hasn't shown up as a sociopath (?), he'll probably have irregular nightmares about it for the rest of his life.

This is just off top of head, but I get impression that humaniti is actually being tested and refined somehow by said Greater Scope Villain - if they survive Genocidal Threat N, then throw Threat N+1 at them. If they don't survive, then they weren't worth it.

My money's on the Eddorians. Hot jets!