1. Prologue

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Prologue**

Disclosure: An event feared and anticipated by the forces of Stargate Command and the Royal Space Service has been and gone.

All that remains is the ruins and the clean-up.

No-one was ready for it, the general public were being subtly prepared but a rogue reporter, now erroneously believed dead, forced the issue, publishing proof of the existence of the SGC and the RSS in a manner designed to punish those forces not just for the effrontery of trying to hide information from reporters but for keeping the secret of what happened to his beloved daughter, Colonel Pierce now host to Maktenos, Goa'uld Lord.

His actions were made with little thought for the consequences to the general public, his mind solely on vengeance, on punishment, on control. The results were catastrophic.

Looting, rioting, protests, religious fervour and worse spread across the planet, military uprisings destroyed several lesser nations and underneath this all, forces moved to take advantage.

Anubis sent his servant, Lord Iblis who corrupted the city of Paris, turning both its citizens and much of the French army against the free peoples of the world through the use of the mind controlling drug Nish'ta, in response British and German forces led a spearhead into France in an attempt first to contain the corrupted units and citizens and then to liberate.

But Iblis had placed his servants well and several regiments seconded to the UN were ordered to reinforce his position against an 'illegal' invasion, this units too were mind-controlled, corrupted as swiftly as they entered the cities boundaries.

Paris was destroyed, immolated in nuclear fire, the Commander of the Allied Liberation forces deeming the city unsalvageable, a move which allowed the bulk of the forces under his command to be released to other tasks. By this time, religious fanatics had almost seized control of the African Hellmouth, killing the bulk of the American and British defenders, the cylons were already launching swift hit and run attacks against Earth and Iblis had moved with the bulk of his forces to seize the London hellmouth.

Stargate Command had been seized by Mr Pierce, the reporter employing the services not just of several mercenary companies but of the dreaded Teraken order of assassins.

The mountain was eventually retaken, but not before being damaged to the point of uselessness, requiring a major rebuild before the base could be considered safe to enter, let alone operational.

The African Hellmouth was retaken and fortified, but thousands of troops gave their lives in its defence, only a swift reinforcement by Free Jaffa forces prevented the final collapse of the defences, arriving as the fight spread into the Allied base itself.

Iblis unfortunately was reaping the benefits of the chaos both he and Pierce had sown, having successfully seized the London Hellmouth, he found himself facing spirited but ultimately weak opposition, the Royal Air Force units still with Great Britain having been mostly annihilated in his first moves of the invasion of London and the Army being spread over Africa, France and attempting to maintain order in a large number of cities found itself stretched far too think to effectively respond.

The British were quick to recall as many units as they could as well as conscripting everyone who could handle a gun. The Russians and the Free Jaffa were quick to send as many people as they could to help retake the London Hellmouth, resulting in a massive airlift operation into the many airports surrounding London.

The Allied forces were quick to push the Goa'uld forces out of London itself but were quick to realise they didn't have the time to push Iblis's forces all the way back into the base Iblis had constructed over the hellmouth.

The result was an ambitious airdrop, the Free Jaffa forces regrouped aboard their two _Ha'taks _and forced a landing right next to Iblis's base, whilst wave after wave of _Paladin _transports moved Russian and British army and scratch company infantry to reinforce the assault, effectively leap-frogging a large proportion of Iblis's forces.

Iblis was quick to retreat and abandon his position over the hellmouth when he realized he could become trapped but by then he had already set the wheels for the hellmouths opening in motion, nish'ta'd mages were actively attacking the ancient Hellmouths seals under the protection of a strong shield. The allied forces launched a massive assault with every unit they could gather together, eventually retaking the entire base apart from the small but crucial area covered by the shield; they were aided by the last of Iblis's forces who turned against their master for the 'illegal' action of attempting to open a hellmouth.

The shield could not be breeched completely by the Tau'ri but the arrival of Agent Frank Parker of the NSA gave the allies an option, he had possession of a book which told the Devon Coven how to make the shield completely permeable to gases.

The mages were destroyed by the detonation of several Fuel Air Explosive bombs placed immediately adjacent to the shield, the gaseous explosives passing easily through the shield before ignition.

The mages work might not have been complete, but the wards sealing the hellmouth had been severely weakened, the effects of this are yet to be seen.

In the chaos following disclosure, Los Vegas, Buenos Aires, Vladivostock, Exeter and Paris had been utterly destroyed, indeed, Exeter had been left a radioactive ruin, poisoning the surrounding land for centuries to come and London was burning massively out of control.

In the last days, the Tau'ri were finally able to complete the refit and construction of several warships and the first Battlegroup was officially formed.


	2. Chapter 1

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**One**

_"Fire!" _

Captain Jones sat forward in his command seat, the heavy plastics crackling loudly as he moved, his restraints digging painfully into his shoulders, attempting to pull the eager Captain back into his seat.

The ship rocked, mildly, the motion swiftly noted by the internal sensors and navigational controls, logged and flagged for attention. Unwanted motion in combat would not be a good thing, it meant not only reduced control over the ship but this kind of seesawing motion met a pattern the intelligent software had stored in its databases that was associated with motion sickness, an impairment of crew efficiency.

"Fire Aye!"

Jones watched with eager eyes at the view revealed by the primary viewscreen, an asteroid shattering before his very eyes under the force of the four forward bow mounted Guass rifles.

He frowned, a stream of rounds had appeared to flash right past the asteroid, a clear miss, he turned to question Lieutenant Hayes, his tactical officer, but she was already speaking.

"Sir, computer indicates port outer may be misaligned, request permission to align"

"Granted, of course," Jones turned back to the screen, leaning backwards in his seat, his eagerness slightly dispelled by the problem, minor though it was.

A red line appeared across the screen, pointing to the side of a large, regular almost rugby shaped asteroid, the computer overlaying onto the screen the path of the beam of light from the alignment laser fixed to the very tip of the ship on a fixed, unmoving mount.

Jones glanced upwards, his eyes following the large ships status display positioned just above the main viewer, lights blinking as thrusters fired, the helm carefully matching the asteroids course, slowing moving the laser closer towards the asteroid.

After five minutes of jockeying, the line of light finally intersected the asteroid and stayed pointing at its bulk. The reprehensive line on the screen blinked yellow then settled on green, the computer signalling it had accepted the target and was ready for alignment.

The effected gauss rifle fired, a single round, a highly expensive transmitter round used only when you needed to track the path of an object fired from the guns, the sheer bulk of its expense caused by the need to create electronics that would survive and function despite the extreme acceleration forced on the rounds by the gauss rifles.

Two lines appeared on the screen, a yellow line indicating the path the round should have taken, a red indicating the path actually followed, both were clearly separate. The weapon _was _misaligned.

"Bloody shipyards boys, too rushed to finish the job properly,"

Jones nodded at the muttered words from the helm, the short, slightly oriental looking officer sitting at the post had a point of sorts, but…

"Not the yardboys fault that everything has been hurried, they do the best they can with what they are given as will we Lieutenant Holst"

The reprimand in his words was mild, but Holst reacted to it none the less, turning back to his console with a slight blush.

Jones waited, he knew the computer was very carefully triple checking alignment calculations and preparing commands for the array of small motors and actuators which made minor adjustments on the gauss rifle in question.

Twenty seconds passed, then the weapon fired again, this time the asteroid was hit, the round pulverised on impact, leaving a visible pock mark on its surface but it was still a miss.

A further twenty seconds passed, then the rifle fired again. Clean hit, the yellow and red lines of the rounds expected and actual paths overlaying each other impeccably.

Jones nodded, "double check alignment, three rounds"

"Double check alignment, use three rounds aye sir," Hayes responded, her fingers already dancing across her controls for the max sure test.

"And while you're at it, run two rounds through each battery, yard boys were supposed to have tested alignment already but if they missed one…" Jones grimaced, "pass word to the other new launch vessels too, just in case"

"Alignment check all batteries and alert fleet aye Captain," Hayes responded again, sending a significant nod towards the Ops console and the dark skinned Sub-Lieutenant stationed there. It was Ops job to deal with transmissions after all.

Jones watched satisfied as all six gauss batteries tested clear, only the rear port battery needing some minor adjustment, the pulse laser batteries he ordered tested too, an event which Jones noted with quite some annoyance and with a definite intent to send a strongly worded message to Commodore Peters about. He knew they were rushed off their feet and overworked but getting two thirds of the pulse batteries misaligned could be fatal.

Then came the final test, the one he had been longing to try out ever since he had heard he would be getting one.

"Well children," he grinned, clapping his hands together happily, like a boy set loose in the toy store, "let's run out Long Tom shall we?"

Long Tom was an Ion cannon, a weapon derived from Tollan technologies the survivors had grudgingly provided and assisted the Tau'ri in the development of after the rescue of the Tollan survivors during Enerina's escape to tau'ri space.

The weapon was by no means perfect, the version mounted upon his ship was twice as large as intended and drew some serious power to operate, but was, in theory the most devastating weapon in the Tau'ri armoury. In all bar one aspect it was still far inferior to the now destroyed Tollan made batteries; its only advantage was that unlike the Tollan versions, it had a certain amount of frequency variance. That meant the ancient trick of focusing all the energies of your shields on the specific frequency of the enemies weapons would not, in theory work against the Tau'ri built weapons as they had the Tollan. The result there had been the appearance of shields invulnerable to the weapons being used against them.

And the first unit mounted onto a warship had just been dubbed Long Tom by its Captain.

The ship shook, the computer logging every slight move of the ship, the path of the beam, its effectiveness, any bleed off and a million and one other details that might perhaps be useful in improving the designs of both ships and weapons even as _Britannica's _bridge crew dissolved in startled gasps and whoops of excitement as before their eyes, a single blast from the massive weapon tore their target asteroid in two.


	3. Chapter 2

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Two**

_"Negotiations broke down between China and the other starfaring nations due to what President Hayes has denounced as unreasonable and contemptuous demands by the Chinese Government. Exactly which demands his is decrying is unknown, but we do know however that China has not only been pushing for reparations from Stargate Command and the British Royal Space Service for drawing the world into this war, but for technologies and perhaps most tellingly, it is rumoured that China has been calling for an executive veto on all actions a combined space force would carry out. _

_Neither Stargate Command nor the Royal Space Service would work under such a demand, a point that Hammond repeatedly forced down the throats of the corrupt NID prior to there dismantlement by government forces, but that doesn't matter to the Chinese government who are using the failure to encourage fierce nationalism amongst the population, citing the failure to there people as being due to the American and British refusal to accept 'reasonable consequences for their actions' _

_In related news, the Chinese government has announced a significant increase in the military budget" _

* * *

_"Under the watchful eyes of Allied troops, the French population goes to the polls today under heavy security as the first moves are made to restore Democracy to a nation that has been under occupation rule for several months. _

_But any government that takes over is going to be in trouble, they will have to find a new home for a start, choose a new capital and build the bulk of the central government buildings from scratch. _

_They will have to find ways to replace or repair infrastructure damaged or destroyed either during the invasion or by Iblis's forces or even by the rioting and looting of their own citizens. _

_They also have to rebuild a devastated army and airforce despite a public fear of the nations own military, the reputation of Frances military, indeed, the public trust in their own forces crippled by those regiments Iblis was able to control. _

_The Navy and Airforce might have stayed out of the fighting but that has certainly not helped the general public trust them once more. The Navy was forced out of the fight largely by their nature but the airforce could have fought the invasion and largely didn't. _

_Indeed, those units which didn't resist Iblis either actively resisted the allied liberation or just deserted, abandoning their duty and heading home. It will be up to the new government to decide what to do with the deserters, as it will be up to them to make the final choice as to what exactly is to be done with the ruins of Paris" _

* * *

_"Buenos Aires, a city in ruins, its heart torn out by a cylon nuclear missile, the rest of the city burnt to the ground as fires triggered by the detonation raged out of control. No-one truly knows how many people died here or are still dying here. Aid is now flowing swiftly into the area, helping the survivors, but there are few enough of those. _

_Indeed, the bulk of the people that are being treated by the International Red Cross and the other aid agencies are those who were looking towards the city when the device detonated. So far, it's reported that over three hundred people have been diagnosed as having been completely and permanently blinded by the detonation flash. Hundreds more have suffered some impairment to their sight and only time will tell as to how many of those can be treated. _

_Yet this city is not alone, and the misery we see here is duplicated around Vladivostok and Los Vegas. _

_It is also telling perhaps that even here they have heard of Exeter and the destruction of that Cathedral city and despite the many injuries, the many blinded people and the loss of their city, they consider themselves lucky that they weren't living on the south coast of England" _

* * *

_"The inquest into the failure of Earths defences adjourned for the night just minutes ago, the judges appointed by Congress faced with dissecting the actions of the joint command structure at the insistence of Congress despite having an extremely shaky legal ground for doing so. _

_Indeed, the officer officially in charge of Earths defences, Commodore Peters who resides aboard Thundersdawn Station has refused to attend this hearing, stating that only a board appointed by at least two thirds of the spacefaring nations had any right of inquest over Earths defences. _

_Legally, she is almost certainly correct, but several members of congress have been consistently pushing for more control of the space forces to be placed in Americas hands ever since Disclosure and its probable that this farce has been ordered as an attempt to force the issue. _

_Certainly at one point to all appearances at least, America controlled everything more powerful then a rocket that could actually defend this world from attack but the British are seen to have usurped that control with the highly successful Thundersdawn project, a fact that has not been appreciated amongst certain individuals who remember, perhaps with far too much fondness, when America was the unquestioned most powerful nation on Earth. _

_In many ways, America still is, but when people think of powerful nations now, they don't see America first then perhaps the European Union and China, they see America and Britain, a nation once again a powerful force for technological advancement and naval power, albeit space navy power. _

_Where this will lead is uncertain, but perhaps a gentle reminder is needed that America stands strongest when she stands amongst friends, instead of amongst resentful and uncooperative allies merely of convenience or fear" _

* * *

_"We are standing on the outskirts of Manston Field, a major Royal Space Service base, and as you can see and no doubt hear behind me, the base is at full alert. Five minutes ago, it was dead quiet, no one was moving bar the guards and dogs roaming the perimeter at all hours, now it is like a kicked ant-hill, we don't know what exactly is going on but…. _

_Wait, okay, the loudspeakers behind me are just announcing a squadron scramble, now this base is home field for the a squadron of Motor Torpedo and Motor Gunboats, known to the Americans as Patrol Boats. _

_Something is definitely going on, but what I am afraid… _

_Wait, okay, we have guards running towards us now, shouting at us to stop transmitting but we'll keep going as long as we can, we are outside the perimeter, they have no right to violate press rights by forcing us to stop _ Transmission Terminated At Source


	4. Chapter 3

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Three**

"Battlegroup stands ready Captain," Lt Hayes announced briskly, hiding her unceratinity.

Jones nodded acknowledgement, his thoughts also uncertain. They were mere days out of dock and outside of simulations; the ships hadn't yet operated as a group. Indeed, they hadn't yet finished the individual trial runs of each ship and minor and some not so minor issues were already on the fix list, waiting for the Yard Boys at _Thundersdawn _station and as long as the ships were still 'proving' the docks couldn't be reset for different ships.

Indeed, on her second day out of dock _Overseer _had headed back in for a replacement gauss mounting, her existing unit having cracked, obviously flawed and something the Yard boys were supposed to have picked up on.

Truth be told, and hew wasn't going to hide it from himself, not in the privacy of his own mind, the group was not yet ready for combat, not by a long stretch.

Of course, the alert could easily mean that the issue was about to be forced, but damn, were trials by fire for green units a very bad idea, if sometimes unavoidable.

* * *

Thor blinked, his eyes tracking across his holographic displays as the Earthers system became, what was the cute human phrase? Ah yes, like a kicked anthill. 

Interesting, he had dropped out of hyper towards the edges of the system deliberately, knowing that the Tau'ri would most likely be in a shoot first, ask questions of any surviving molecules later type mood, but he hadn't expected to be detected quite so far out.

The Tau'ri's actions clearly showed that he had been detected however, even though his own passives had picked up the Tau'ri sensors and declared them to be below detection threshold.

Of course, there reaction also showed that they most likely didn't know exactly who was out there but…

How had they detected him?

Thor tapped lightly at his controls, working his way through the masses of data and analysis the _Carter's _small but exceedingly powerful processor banks were generating.

His eyes widened, and then he nodded in frank approval.

The _Carter _had reported that at least three separate sets of sensors had locked onto his ship despite the strength of the beams being below that required to actually get a solid return off the hull even flying, as he was now, with the bulk of the sensor foxing technologies turned off, something he hadn't previously considered installing aboard a warship.

Individually, Thor knew, the beams were below detection threshold but together….

Thor of all the Asgard had the most experience of working with these humans, he had the best idea of how they thought and indeed, according to more then a handful of his compatriots he had become infected with some of their thought patterns, a cry that had turned to grudging admiration after he had shown exactly what use the sensor foxing technologies were when the Goa'uld Rast seized a protected world, planning on the relatively large size of his fleet to protect him from the weakened Asgard Fleet.

Rast never once achieved a sensor lock on his ship; indeed, his ship hadn't taken a single hit which was a good thing since he was using an aging _Beliskner _at the time.

The Tau'ri were great believers in team-work, training their forces to work cooperatively to a far greater extent then most, why would they not apply that doctrine to there sensors too?

A blip that meant nothing on one sensor would of course mean something entirely different on three or more…

Thor made a mental note to make some modifications to the sensor grid defending the new home world and ordered his ship to proceed deeper into the sol system.

* * *

"You're what?" Adama asked, startled, rising to his feet in shock even as beside him, Oslin carefully resisted the urge to flee. 

"We're sending in the Battlegroup," Thompson said, his tone firm and strong even as his eyes betrayed his amusement at the Colonials reaction to his words, "we don't expect any more Colonial units to be discovered, but we do know that the Cylons have set up a fleet train of some sort, they have to have in order to effectively maintain their constant and rather annoying attacks on the Sol System and their occasional probes here. Primary mission for the group will be to find and disrupt that fleet train, but the nature of space and FTL drives means that is likely to be difficult.

Secondary objective will be to investigate known Colonial graveyards and check for hulls that are potentially salvageable as well as destroying any colonial outposts and units they come across at group commander's discretion"

Adama nodded, his expression pleased, "Good. The Cylons need to learn the meaning of the word fear"

"Rumour has it, the Loyalists already have," Thompson commented dryly, "fear of their own master anyway. Either way, we do not have strength enough to wage a full scale war against the Cylons; that is clear.

We do have certain advantages but for the moment, all we can do is probe, poke and maybe weaken them a little"

"Do you require the assistance of the Colonial Military?" Roslin asked carefully.

"No, well not in any major way anyway," Thompson shrugged, "a few bodies familiar with Colonial warships would be nice just in case we do find potential salvage but other then that as soon as _Atlantis _launches, she will reinforce and spearhead the group. For now, you only have three operational warships, you need to keep them home or at least, near home in order to keep your surviving population protected. You can't unmask Freedom for the time to we intend this mission to take without heavy risk"

The Admiral shrugged, "I did think you had the right to be informed as to the operation we intend to send into Cylon territory though"

Adama grunted, "We need more warships brought back online and operational"

"So do we," Thompson pointed out, "but we are limited by the available resources, the available yard space, personnel, a thousand and one other things, just like you are"

"Unfortunately true," Adama noted, "though you might be please to note that the first _Viper _IX will launch in approximately two months"

"Aye yes, I had heard that was preceding well," Thompson nodded, "better to make new hulls then refit old, they will last longer as they will not have suffered so many stresses, or metal fatigue"

Roslin shrugged, "Will that really make a great difference? As far as I was aware the nine was merely a scratch built eight, as opposed to the eights themselves which are refits of mark two's"

Adama nodded, "short term, the only difference is a few structural changes which we couldn't get away with in the refit. The nines will be slightly stronger then the eights structurally, meaning the potential to survive more combat damage, the potential to make tighter manoeuvres in combat"

"Long Term is where the real differences come in," Thompson pointed out to the President, "the nines should have a longer effective life then the eights and should require less maintenance for a few years at least. Even with the main spar replacement and similar work that was done to refit the _Viper _twos into eights, they are still 'used' hulls"

"I see," Roslin nodded, "one thing I must ask, how goes the _Raptor _replacement program?"

Thompson nodded, "okay, fair question"

He paused, gathering his thoughts, "currently it is being pushed through as a priority as part of the SWACs program, the Space Warning And Control program the Americans have been funding.

Refitting the previous _Raptors _as was done with the _Viper _II's has been ruled out by the engineers and designers, which has left the SWAC team seriously considering only two options.

One, a modification of the existing _Paladin _design that has already proven itself as a highly capable utility craft. It has the advantage of better commonality of parts, reducing costs"

Adama nodded, "good craft, FTL capable, some ability to defend themselves combined with reasonable manoeuvrability for their size as well as speed. Effectively, they are your _Raptors _already; you just haven't added the fighter support systems that made the _Raptor _such a useful craft"

"I agree with you, as do most of the design teams" Thompson grimaced, "unfortunately a nasty political element has entered this. A few members of the American Government are throwing their weight about, trying to gain more control of the alliance for themselves"

Roslin rolled her eyes, her expression proclaiming with great irony that she had no idea what sort of people the Admiral was talking about.

Thompson nodded in agreement, his tone "they are pushing for a new design produced specifically for the intended role, something which will increase costs both in the long and short term but considering the budget is American, they will be able to claim it as a purely American design"

"Prestige," Roslin noted.

"Precisely," Thompson shrugged, "they don't control the American Government frankly or we might be in for some interesting times, but they are large enough in number to be a problem"

"Good luck with that," Adama noted, "for the record, I personally believe a _Paladin _redesign sounds the better option"

"Noted and thank you Commander," Thompson replied, rising from his seat, "now, I do believe I was promised a pint…"


	5. Chapter 4

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Four**

_"Several leading military officers were arrested today in raids conducted by a joint taskforce headed by the Naval Criminal Investigation Service assisted by the investigative branches of all the remaining services and the FBI. _

_The reasons for these sweeping arrests have not yet been made clear; however those arrested cover the whole gamut, from Admiral Fenton, Commanding Officer of the Independence Wet-Navy Battlegroup to General Henderson, who is largely responsible for logistical support for the Airforce. _

_It's not just the ranks of the senior officers who have been devastated too, a number of lesser officers and indeed, non-commissioned officers have been hit in raids with are reputed to have resulted in over a hundred arrests. _

_Does the government have legitimate reasons for these arrests? _

_The use of the criminal investigative agencies both federal and military suggests so but is not conclusive and we are forced to ask ourselves, has our government, the United States Government, begun a purge of the military? _

_Only time will tell, but either way, this is one more worrying and perhaps dangerous development in a year that has seen so many despite being so new" _

* * *

_"A militant Arab group known to be funded and supported by the Iranian government is today being blamed for an attack on the Russian oil pipelines which supply much of Europe. _

_An official estimate on the damage has not yet been released but is known to be considerable, at least two of the pipelines have received heavy damage, indeed, it is reported that a three mile section of Pipeline One is gone, its ruin surrounded by burning oil" _

* * *

_"European Union leaders called for calm today as rioting broke out in a number of cities, triggered almost certainly by news of the Russian Oil Disaster, a disaster which will now doubt push prices up even further across the continent. _

_This comes as the British Government officially announced the reintroduction of rationing on all petrol and diesel, the last time such rationing was used was during the Second World War and its immediate aftermath" _

* * *

_"BP today confirmed its intension to increase capacity in the North Sea oilfields with five new rigs as well as replacements for those destroyed by militant groups soon after disclosure. _

_Shares in the company rose almost ten points within a hour of the announcement, further increasing the value of a company which has seen almost unprecedented success since the OPEC blockade began. _

_Nor is BP alone, in America alone, five previously abandoned fields are being reactivated, an increase in the sophistication and capability of drilling technologies such as horizontal drilling allow oil bearing strata previously abandoned as economically no longer viable to once more be tapped. _

_Many of these still hold at least one half of their original stocks of crude oil" _

* * *

_"California wrote into law today an act which makes recycling a legal requirement for almost every home in the state. _

_Whilst home recycling is highly encouraged in many areas, so far where recycling has been law, it has been primarily so for businesses and for specific items such as computers. _

_The state legislature has yet to announce how such a law might be enforced" _

* * *

_"The Royal Space Service today gave a statement confirming the presence of an Asgard O'Neill class warship within the Sol system. Why this vessel is here has not been announced but it is the fervent hope of many British and increasingly, those living on the North coast of France that they are here to assist with the clean-up resulting from the Cylon use of a 'dirty' nuclear device. _

_In related news, the skipper of the cargo ship "Lady Lee" was arrested earlier after stopping his ship in the English Channel and his ship moved on. The area is currently under a no-stopping order, allowing shipping through despite elevated levels of radiation" _

* * *

_"Mob funding of space warships? _

_That's the question we are dealing with today as it is revealed that elements of the Russian criminal underworld make significant contributions towards Russians purchase of 4 ships from the British and Americans. _

_Indeed, whilst exact details aren't available as yet, it is rumoured that the donation was enough to fund a complete warship. _

_The American and British governments are known to be taking this situation very seriously indeed" _

* * *

_"A Cylon probing attack was thwarted today after the basestar leading the assault arrived between the visiting Asgard O'Neill class vessel and the newly formed First Battlegroup. _

_The battle is said to have been exceedingly brief" _

* * *

_"Reports now reaching us from Minbari Alliance space indicate that the forces of the Goa'uld Anubis has begun a major offensive against the allied races. _

_Losses have been heavy and reports have been sketchy, not only does it take time for information to filter back from such a distant area of space but the information we receive is often highly censored. _

_Still, we know that at least five worlds have been lost already during this latest assault. Whilst it is not yet confirmed, we strongly suspect that the allied races, which include the Minbari, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds and the Narn, have called for support from our military however a question mark has to raised over our ability to react to such a call" _


	6. Chapter 5

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Five**

"So," O'Neill shook his head, "we have a problem"

"Indeed," Thompson said nodding, "the initial idea had been to send the battlegroup in for probing and vengeance strikes against the Cylons, maybe even a little salvage but this new assault by Anubis is something else. We have no real choice; we have to reinforce our allies"

Peters nodded, the annoyance on her face clear even through the monitor, "it's obvious that Anubis has kept these forces in reserve and not used them until now"

"Which is a problem, but one we perhaps should have expected sooner," Thompson shook his head, "he might have been forced out of the former system lords territories but we don't know how much space he had in the realm he was banished too, not to mention exactly how much of the unexplored territories he has seized. It's a lot of space to hide or construct ships in"

"And those new fighters of his are murderous," Peters grimaced, "you've all seen the reports. Something caused him to hide them since their first appearance at Edonia and now they are showing up in droves, full squadrons all of whom seem to be exceedingly well trained. Not only is he using stealth technologies now, but it seems he has decided to take the time to do things right and that worries me"

"Never was one for long-term planning," O'Neill noted thoughtfully, "sounds almost as if we have forced him to adapt and improve"

"Also a problem," Thompson shook his head, "whilst he has always been advanced technologically, almost painfully so at times, he has never been exactly smart and that has always been our edge. If he is adapting and thinking now, we just lost our only real advantage"

"That's an issue for another time though," Peters shook her head, "right now, we have to deal with one simple issue: How do we reinforce our allies?"

"First Battlegroup," Thompson said unhesitatingly, "there's nothing else we can send, the Cylons will just have to wait"

"That'll certainly be a blooding;" O'Neill grimaced, "are they ready for that?"

"They will have to be," Thompson replied, "if we can rebuff Anubis's advance, maybe supply some ground troops to assist in the liberation of seized worlds, we could recall the group to launch a foray into Cylon space, perhaps when _Atlantis _launches…"

O'Neill shook his head, "two weeks and _Atlantis _will launch, and I don't think you will be able to stop Anubis that swiftly"

"No," Peters shook her head, "we won't"

Thompson nodded, "so the First Battlegroup we send to reinforce, now we just need to free up some ground-pounders to assist as well as transports for them"

"Talk to the allies," O'Neill shrugged, "I know Britain won't be able to spare a single regiment, I doubt my government will be able to free up more then two and the Russians are too busy assisting you're rebuilding, it's unlikely they will be able to spare any significant force…."

Thompson nodded, "Okay, have a word with your President, have him talk to the Germans, I'll see about scaring up a few Canadian, Austrian, Australian or Italian units"

"That still leaves the issue of transport," Peters shook her head, grimacing, a cup appearing in range of the screens pick-up for just a moment, "and frankly, we have jack-shit as far as shifting units in bulk goes"

"The _Paladins _have the endurance," O'Neill shook his head, "but not with a full load of troops aboard. The _Ha'taks _would really be my first choice, but the only three that are operational are fully booked"

"What about the three just shifted to refit?" Thompson asked.

O'Neill shook his head, "crews have already been scattered, the ships completely powered down and a number of vital crystals removed from the controls. They're sealed up on the surface right now, and could theoretically be brought back online but the reasons they were taken offline for in the first place would still exist"

"Perhaps, but we need the transport capacity" Peters noted.

Thompson grimaced, "O'Neill is right, the run to alliance space is almost invariably intercepted. Usually just catches the edge of an _Al-kesh _sweep but you know as well as I do that there have been full blown battles along the way. We know Anubis has units attempting to interdict any supplies and shipments between our space and the allies, the Standard _Ha'taks _do not have the speed to run from such an engagement nor can they be relied upon to fight there way out. If we use them, we put the crew and passengers at a not-inconsiderable risk, same with the _Paladins _"

"The only alternative," Peters shrugged, "is a _Merchant _with cargo pods modified for mass passenger transport. Time consuming to set up but it could work"

"Unfortunately," Thompson noted, " _Liberty _is queued for repairs, _Merchant _is highly involved in the Edonia run. That leaves just the _Sir Lancelot _and one ship alone will not move a regiment"

"It will have to do though," Peters shook her head, "pity we can't send the Gatecrashers"

"Half the teams are guarding the temporary Stargate Command," Thompson shrugged, "and the other half are involved with efforts to retrieve the Cheops class mothership team four found last year. That's going to be a long haul job, we can't afford any bug that can visibly break down the cells of any animal lifeform into the wild, but we could certainly do with that hull"

"A _Cheops _?" O'Neill shook his head, "hell yes, but where would we refit it?"

"Planetary surface, most likely Alpha Prime, no other way to do it unless we build a customized bay just for the task" Peters noted.

"Has its advantages," O'Neill commented, "but if you do refit that thing on the surface, I suggest you use a desert area and have a few nukes on standby ready to glass it should the bug be proven to have survived"

"We would like to avoid that if possible," Thompson noted, "but I can see the point"

"So," O'Neill noted, "I heard Thor paid a visit"

"He did," Peters replied, "and he's headed back home again. Just popped in to get up to date scans of Exeter and the surrounding area, I heard President Hayes bent his ear a little though and he left with scans of Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and a few other places"

"Sweet," O'Neill shook his head, "but we're going to owe them one for once"

Thompson nodded, "if he manages the cleanup, I won't complain"

The Admiral glanced across at Peters screen, "any idea of what he plans? I haven't had a chance to read the reports yet"

Peters shook her head, "from what he said, they are refitting a few _Beliskners _for the task, which reminds me actually, we are going to need to reinforce the defensive picket when they arrive, Thor mentioned that they would be vulnerable whilst attempting to sweep the area of radioactive particles"

Thompson winced, "okay, well, as soon as the Edonia Patrol is cleared to report to their duty station, I'll have a fighter squadron or maybe a pair recalled from the nebula. That should help"

"Perhaps," Peters grimaced, "but you know Intel is getting a bit itchy about the nebula. Somebody should have launched a serious attack by now, attempted to take such a powerful and valuable artefact from us, but they haven't. At this point in time, I would say we were more then slightly overdue"

"There have been attacks," O'Neill pointed out.

Peters shook her head, "probes at best, none of the attacks have been pressed"

"This is fun," Thompson noted, "really, a brushfire here, a brushfire there, and potential over there and a need to picket here. Again I say, we need more ships"

"Nothing new launching for a while," Peters replied, "sorry"

"Just _Atlantis _here," O'Neill shook his head, "then we're stuck with _Ha'tak _refits, both for us and for the Free Jaffa"

"I'm afraid we'll have to prioritise the Free Jaffa refits," Thompson grimaced, "they have lots of ships but they are now for the most part seriously outclassed. The only reason they haven't been taken out is that Maktenos is content to let them be for the moment whilst he concentrates on Anubis but still"

"Maktenos is smart," Peters commented wryly, "tries to fight his enemies one at a time, now why didn't we think of that?"

O'Neill grinned, "Sometimes you get the fish and sometimes, the fish gets you"

"Perhaps," Thomspon replied thoughtfully, "but if we can refit the _Cheops _on the surface, why cant we do the _Ha'taks _too?"

Peters and O'Neill froze.

"Would get the crews some experience in case we do manage to get the mothership," O'Neill pointed out, his mind scrambling to figure the new idea into his plans, "but the Free Jaffa will be doing most of their refits on a planetary surface so its best if we show them how to convert the ships to the new design on the surface"

Peters nodded, "make it easier for there crews to assist with the refit too, as they have some experience in constructing and repairing their ships on the surface, could probably teach us a few things for our own refits"

"Leaves all three of my warship slips free for other tasks," O'Neill noted, "but we're talking a massive infrastructure to set up and we've already lost a lot of the normal cargo craft"

Thompson nodded, "I'm going to push a new _merchant _higher up the list, but in the meantime, those _Ha'taks _had Tel'tacs as part of their inventory did they not?" "Of course," Peters noted, "we detach them from their ships for the duration of the refit and use them to shift supplies for the refits. Nice"

"Crews," O'Neill mused, "should be easy enough to find, we're talking just three small ships here"

"Infrastructure wise, we're talking a new town, preferably in the desert so we can use the same facilities should we manage to get a hold of the _Cheops _" Thompson pointed out.

"Right," O'Neill nodded, "water pipeline, pumps for definite, oasis are very few and far between or so I'm told, landing platform, some anti-air, all the usual but a massive stock of moveable gantries, scaffolding, cranes and the like"

"Crew," Peters pointed out, "we would need personnel trained for construction work and support personnel. It's a lot of people"

"We can scrape a few experienced crews to lead from all three existent facilities," Thompson pointed out, "but the bulk would have to be green. Luckily, we have already started training additional personnel ready for Gaia station, considering the delays they will be ready before the station is"

"Can't pull too many people from here," Peters shook her head, "in fact, I would be happier if you didn't pull anyone. I got problems; I need more personnel in the yards and fast. If you've read the reports from the First Battlegroups proving trials, you will know that quality control has slipped, too much hurry, not enough bodies, the morale kicker from Disclosure, hell, I have a malcontent element aboard the station now and that's a serious first. Saboteurs I've had but not this"

O'Neill and Thompson stiffened, "how bad?"

"Approaching dangerous," Peters grimaced, "I've put reports through the channels but… well, the last response was a note of censure for exaggeration and scare-mongering"

_"What?" _Thompson officially and rather loudly blew his top.

"My feelings exactly," the Commodore grimaced, "somebody needs some reality shoved right up there arse, as well as a careful reminder of exactly _who _is second in command of the Royal Space Service"

"I'll get Internal Affairs onto it," Thompson responded, "it could just be some dick who needs a new arsehole but I'm afraid I don't like exactly how much of this bullshit I'm seeing evidence of. We may be looking at subtle sabotage, unlikely, but it's got to be investigated"

"Doubly so considering I've had a spare crew here for months," O'Neill pointed out, "if Peters is short, that crew should have been posted to _Thundersdawn" _

Peters glanced across at O'Neill, "I'm short by about five crews"

"That's bad," Thompson shook his head, "and it means, no, you can't space anyone for a surface facility"

"What about the Russians?" Peters pointed out, "I doubt every crew would have been at work in that yard of there's before it blew and as Russia is signed up to the SGC"

"It's a thought," Thompson noted, "I'll get Hammond onto that"

"I'll start getting infrastructure setup," O'Neill nodded, walking out of the conference room.

"Well, I've got arrangements to complete for three major hull repairs," Peters grimaced, "going to be fun, catch you again boss"


	7. Chapter 6

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Six**

_"Whilst no official statement has yet been given regarding the mass arrests of military personnel last week, rumours are continuing to circulate that the officers in question were planning to attempt a military coup and seize control of the United States. _

_This disturbing suggestion has not yet been refuted by the Agent Gibbs of the NCIS who is leading the investigation" _

* * *

_"Royal Space Service sources today confirmed the departure of the 1 st Battlegroup for Minbari space. The Minbari, an alien race allied to both the Royal Space Service and Stargate Command, have come under heavy attack from forces loyal to the Goa'uld Anubis and have been calling for reinforcement. _

_This deployment means that the Battlegroup will be deploying into a major battlefield largely untried and untested with their proving trials incomplete" _

* * *

_"President Hayes today announced the appointment of Brigadier General Davis to Stargate Command as the services new commanding officer. General Davis has served in a liaison role between the command and the Pentagon for over sixteen years and as such, is well versed in the role and capabilities of the force" _

* * *

_"Jubilation today as the battered, bloody fire services today confirmed that the London fire is contained. It's not out, not by any stretch of the imagination but its ability to spread has been curtailed in a massive effort involving thousands of fire-fighters from across the UK and indeed, from other nations joined by service personnel and demolitions experts. _

_The result, a massive firebreak which it's believed and hoped the fire will not be able to cross. _

_Now, for these people, its time to breath once more, to get some sleep, for tomorrow, they will begin the assault on the fire itself" _

* * *

_"Tension in Asia at an all time high as China prepares to invade Taiwan. The move to 'reintegrate the renegade province' was confirmed by the Chinese defence minister earlier today, as part of a move to 'unite the nation once more under one banner, strengthening her heart and resolve to better resist the corrupt west. _

_The Taiwanese forces, already at high alert before the announcement are believed to have gone to forward staging positions however for obvious reasons, a news blackout is now in place. _

_Taiwan, which only two years ago was officially recognised by NATO as a separate nation, has called for assistance in resisting 'blatant Chinese aggression and warmongering', however given the weakened states of many of the western military forces, assistance is unlikely. _

_Many analysts are saying that is exactly what the Chinese government are hoping for but the Chinese are refusing to comment further except to say that the reunification of China is an internal police matter and no business of the media" _

* * *

_"Tokyo today confirmed its intension to aid Taiwan should China invade, Japan which has not yet recognised Taiwan as a separate nation stated that a reunified and aggressive China was not in the best interests of international stability" _

* * *

_"A Royal Navy Spokesperson has confirmed the destruction of an unidentified Kilo class submarine discovered in the waters surrounding the North Sea oilfields. The unknown craft which ignored attempts at communication was heard to open torpedo tube doors as it approached one of the oilrigs and was consequently destroyed" _

* * *

_"Uncertainty today as for the first time since Disclosure, Americans prepare to go to the polls. The result is uncertain; no-one is willing to guess which of the candidates will walk off with the Presidency. _

_Hayes is looking for a second term but the effects of the troubles which affected the nation during his term are uncertain, will Americans vote judging by the chaos or by the swift and strong response to it? _

_Either way, this is one election that is certainly not a forgone conclusion and a lot of bookies are refusing to give odds on the outcome" _

* * *

_"Shares in Shell rose nearly ten points after confirmation that the company was the successful bidder for an investigation contract addressing the possibility of producing and refining oil on the Earth colony Alpha Prime for import to Earth. _

_The Colonial Governor, currently Lord Holmes, has stated his belief that the issue would not be the production or refining, though those would require a lot of equipment to the shipped to the planet, but the transport of either the refined product or the crude to Earth and safely adding it to the distribution network in large enough quantities to be economically viable. _

_A small refinery already exists on the surface on Alpha Prime which provides oils and distillates for local usage. _

_In related news, bidding opened for a contract to create a complete oil network for the Colonials on Freedom, from acquisition of the crude oil to distribution of refined products. The Colonials, whilst far less dependent on oil for their energy then us, nevertheless require a certain level of oil supply, primarily for chemical production and the plastics industry. _

_Once completed, the entire network will be state owned" _

* * *

_"In a cost saving measure, the Russian government today announced its intention to phase out the Russian Space Agency, now seen by many as obsolete in the face of recent developments. _

_The agency directly employs only 300 as most of the work is contracted out, but their fate and the fate of the facilities owned by the Russian Space Agency is now highly uncertain. How much will be absorbed into Stargate Command, of which the Russian government is a funding member, is unknown. _

_What is known is that these facilities are looked on greedily by many within the US who see the British founded Royal Space Service as very much an usurper to the American space crown. They would need to be upgraded off course, but a lot of the infrastructure is already in place and we may see these facilities in use for many years to come yet" _


	8. Chapter 7

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Seven**

"Looks like they were planning a welcoming committee," LT Hayes noted, her hands dancing across her tactical controls.

"Oh," Captain Jones smirked, "they got one all right. Target the lead shadow warship, all group weapons"

"Aye Captain,"

Jones leant forward in his seat, his eyes dancing between the tactical display and the relayed view of the front of the ship, eyes eager to see the effect of the groups combined weapons. This was a new thing for the Tau'ri, fleet manoeuvres had, up till now, been thrown together in a hurry and the ships never really got to practise them. Now on the other hand…

The lead shadow warship abruptly disappeared from the tactical display, momentarily intercepted by the blinking lines of gauss rifle fire from six Tau'ri warships.

Jones blinked, "shields?"

"No indications the shadow ships have them," Hayes swiftly replied, "looks like bio-organics, so the Minbari got that right"

The Captain nodded, "concentrate on using the Gauss rifles then, leave Long Tom on standby"

"Aye Cap… wait," Hayes, glanced up shocked, "I've lost sensor contact with the hostiles!"

_"What?" _shocked and dismayed, Jones unclasped his safety harness, diving up to the tactical console to see the readouts for himself.

"My God," he breathed, "how?"

"No idea Captain," Hayes shook her head disturbed, "but I don't think they left. Looks like they cloaked?"

"Cloaked?" Jones frowned, puzzled, then his eyes widened with fear, "all ships, battle profile kilo-twelve, rig to engage cloaked hostiles!"

He was almost too late.

* * *

_Overseer _rocked as a powerful beam flashed out of nothing, tearing the newly refitted vessels shields to shreds, dropping their strength almost to nothingness before the beam cut out. 

Gauss rifle fire flashed through space around the point of origin for the beam, the Tau'ri computers carefully swiftly looking for any impact as the relatively cheap and expendable trinium rounds sought out their enemy.

A single impact explosion lit the scene, but it was enough and return fire, this time of naquadah tipped rounds tore the Shadow Battlecrab to shreds.

The fleet manoeuvred, desperately trying to provide as much cover as possible for their weakened comrade, but with only four other warships, the task wasn't easy and masking the _Overseer _completely was an impossibility.

Another beam flashed across space, _Britannica _shuddering under the force, rocking as second beam joined the first, the Shadows exploiting the one ships major weakness, most of its gauss rifles were optimized for forward fire and less able to fire to the side. But Captain Jones had ordered Long Tom run out and the massive Ion weapon spoke, _Britannica _rocking to one side under the force as a Shadow Battlecrab appeared on the sensors, its energy absorbent armour being surrounded for mere seconds by a corona of powerful ionized energies.

Long Tom moved to rapid fire, the mighty Battlecruiser slowing as energies were drained, all shunted into the beam and into the weakened shields.

The Battlecrab died, the absorbent armour overloaded, creating an energy wash that flashed across space as containment was lost. Moved by the wash, the Tau'ri fleet vessel frantically manoeuvred to avoid colliding with their fellows, destroying much of the unit cohesiveness that was their strength, their weapons spitting vengefully at four contacts that appeared momentarily in the explosions wake.

One died, just breaking up, its structural integrity destroyed, the other three manoeuvred swiftly to avoid their companions fate, splattering the Tau'ri ships with bursts of fire as they attempted to regroup.

_Invincible _came under fire, its shields rapidly decaying, her Captain ordered the least of the battlegroups vessels to retreat to hyperspace and escape. The shadows fired once more, this time at the hyperspace jump point, not at _Invincible _herself.

The point collapsed, but the _Dauntless _class ship was already in hyperspace.

Unbeknownst to the Tau'ri, two Shadow Warships followed the destroyer into Hyperspace, intending on running down and capturing the small vessel. Unfortunately for them, the _Invincible _was in no mood to hang around and had already dropped out of hyper, going swiftly to ground.

Finding itself the only Battlecrab still fighting the Battlegroup itself, the final Shadow vessel decided discretion was the better part of valour and it data cores loaded with all the sensor data it had gathered during the fight, the vessel retreated from the battlefield.

* * *

"Where did _Invincible _go to?" Jones demanded after five minutes of waiting for the next Battlecrab to show itself. 

"Not far," Hayes replied, "Passives are picking up weak sensor emissions from the edge of the system that it IDs as one of our arrays"

"Very well," Jones replied, wiping a sheen of seat from his forehead, "lets join her shall we? Condition two steaming, but maintain shields at full available strength"

"Do we continue onto Minbar?" LT Holst asked, glancing up from the helm console.

Captain Jones shook his head, "get me damage and expenditure reports from all ships, we'll know then"

* * *

Commodore Peters didn't know what exactly had caused her to wake; all she knew was that one minute she had been enjoying a quite nice and frankly, imaginative erotic dream and the next, she was awake and at 'Red' alert. 

Grimacing, she moved intending to check the time on the display set by her bed and screamed as the knife meant for her throat slammed into her shoulder.

Instinctively, her hand dived for the small, compact pistol-bow she kept in a non-obvious holster at the side of her bed, the weapons lack of penetrative ability making it an ideal weapon for ship-board use.

It wasn't there, and there was tape over the sensor that would _scream _that it had been removed. Growling, she threw off her sheets, tangling her opponent in them as she reached across, tearing the surprisingly flimsy cover off the timepiece and swiftly pulling at the small blade hidden within. A knife incidentally, whose metal blade was part of an unauthorised alarm circuit, its removal broke the circuit, triggering the alarm circuit that her assassin and by the way, base security actually knew about.

Knife in hand, she swung around then cursing, dived across the bed, narrowly avoiding the knife thrust that would have disembowelled her, before turning, knife raised to face her as yet unidentified adversary.

The room was dark, she couldn't tell who it was, though the sounds they had been making suggested male to her eyes.

Whoever it was, they coming for her again and she stood, knife ready to 'welcome' them.


	9. Chapter 8

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

**In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!**

**Eight**

Admiral of the Fleet Alistair Thomas, Commanding Officer Royal Star Service was officially _unamused. _

One might go so far as to say he was mildly vexed.

_"I want to know why exactly my second in command is in hospital, I want the names of everyone involved and I want heads and I want them yesterday!" _

Commander Joan Williams winced, raising her hand to her now tender ears, "Christ boss, cool it will you, I'm sure they didn't hear planetside…"

"I. Don't. Care" Thompson voice was calm, dangerously so, the very quietness and levelness managing to portray his unhappiness far better then he previous shouting had, "somebody just attempted to assassinate my second in command, worse, they tried to assassinate the officer in command of the Sol System defences aboard a station which is being marred by personnel troubles and so called 'administrative' delays. Somebody is deliberately attacking the Royal Star Service and I want to know who and I want to know why. And I _want _their heads on a bloody platter"

"So do it," Joan replied annoyed, "but shouting at me isn't going to help. Now, the question is, are those problems actually related?"

"Finding out is now your concern Commander," Thompson replied annoyed, "I'll be passing along word to Murielle to contact you for orders. I'm going to be giving you some pretty broad powers in this, don't disappoint me"

"Aye Sir," Joan replied, taking her orders chip off her boss before fleeing the room.

* * *

Lieutenant Hayes grimaced, her hands clenched as she gazed annoyed at the tactical display, "Set condition one and prepare to jump to space-normal" 

"Aye Ma'm," came the swift reply from the only other officer present on the bridge, Ensign Bridges, "Condition One and rig for jump"

Nodding, the tactical officer gazed across the display, trying to identify targets from the twisted mass of blurry markers on the screen, some were already marked as ships, hostile or alliance, some marked as spent weapons or debris but most were simply unidentified.

"Report!" Hayes turned at the brisk word from the bridge hatch, catching the Captain pulling his uniform top over his head as he stepped into the room.

"We have a furball Captain, space-normal," she replied, stepping smartly away from the console to give her Captain a better view, "identified alliance warships, Narn and League as well as several Drakh ships. Ship is ordered to battlestations and we are rigged to jump"

Hayes watched passively, her Command having devolved to the Captain as soon as he stepped onto the bridge, waiting for orders.

"Jump us out on the edge of the furball, and be ready to contact the Alliance ships, I want a sit-rep ASAP,"

Nodding, Hayes stepped towards her own tactical console, surrendering the central display as the rest of the command crew raced onto the bridge. She almost didn't hear her Captains whispered final comment.

"Dropping right into a fight, oh _joy _"

* * *

"He came towards me swiftly," Peters said softly, grimacing at a stab of pain from her abdomen, "but there was something in his eyes that frightened me. It was… as if he truly believed he could not die, not then or there" 

"Religious fanatic?" Joan asked softly, her eyes speaking her sympathy even as her body language screamed professional doing her job.

"I don't know," Peters replied, her form twisting under the thin hospital sheets as she tried to get more comfortable, her face dropping into a pained grimace as the movement sent shards of pain radiating outwards from her stomach, "something about him seemed off though I cant tell you what. It was an impression more then anything else, it may not mean anything"

Joan nodded, "what happened next?"

"I attempted to fight him off, protect myself until security could arrive and deal with him," Peters shook her head, "but he was fast, well trained and I had already lost the full use of my right arm because of his first blow. He gutted me, caught me right in the stomach"

Joan nodded; glancing once at her recorder, making sure the small device was still working.

"It was at that point that the banging at the hatch started, I could hear the handle trying to turn but there was also another sound, I wondered at that moment if he had blocked the door from opening but I also noticed that he appeared to be distracted, though more annoyed by the sounds outside the door. I used the opportunity to dive forward, knife in my hand; I knew that that was most likely my last shot at killing him before he finished me off"

Peters gulped, turning her face away from Joan in distress, "he turned, his knife caught me again even as my own caught his throat. I thought I had missed everything vital as he continued to pound his blade into me again and again, the pain forced me to the ground at that point and I blacked out"

Joan nodded, "do you remember anything else?"

"Not until I woke up here," Peters replied, and Joan didn't need to look to know that tears were coming into the eyes of the shaken woman.

"Thank you," Joan replied softly, grasping the officer's hand once, reassuringly before she left the room.

* * *

"Receiving a tactical update from a Vree Xill class Cruiser," Hayes noted loudly, her hands racing as she transferred the data from the communications systems to the tactical computers, an annoyed frown passing across her features as the data slowly crept across, anti-virals and hardware scanners taking their turn on the data before allowing its transfer. 

Nodding, Captain Jones turned his gaze onto the rapidly shifting display, unidentified icons flicking in rapid succession, some to blue, allied, but most glaring red, threat.

He shook his head warily, and then grimaced, his eyes not missing the fact that the surviving allied warships were englobed, trapped and unable to escape.

"Increase speed to Squadron Flank," he ordered swiftly, "let's break our allies out"


	10. Chapter 9

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

**In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!**

**Nine**

"Any news on the First Battlegroup?" Weir asked calmly, her expression revealing her disquiet as she leant on the doorway to the Minbari communications centre.

"No," the tall Minbari officer replied, "and I am afraid that judging by the recent ship movement reports, they have almost certainly run into resistance along the route."

Weir nodded grimly, "Thank you," she replied, before slipping quietly from the room, her expression pensive.

* * *

_"Fire at will!" _Jones barked, leaning forward against his restraints as the enemy ships came into range, several breaking off to engage the encroaching Tau'ri vessels. 

The ship rocked around him, the lights dimming and before him, a bright line raced from the tactical displays image of the _Britannica, _intersecting a lurid red dot that abruptly faded grey, navigational hazard.

A clean kill with one shot, perfect.

"Enemy will have range in two seconds," Hayes noted, her hands dancing their all-too familiar patterns across her controls, "primarily Drakh _Incursion _type cruisers."

"Christ," Holst noted from the helm, "just slightly out-massed here."

"Nothing new there Lieutenant," Jones replied, "just hold her steady and have faith in the shields."

"Incoming fire," Hayes noted dispassionately, then stiffened, an expression of surprise crossing her face, "now reading shields on three Drakh Cruisers."

Jones nodded grimly, that was an annoying but not surprising development. Anubis was upgrading the warships of his allies, increasing their combat capabilities and therefore the likelihood of his plans succeeding. So be it.

The ship rocked, heavily, abruptly, Hayes crying out as her face slammed into the tactical console, before falling backwards in her seat, the screen in front of her going dark, inactive as blood dripped down the face of the now quiet, still tactical officer.

It took only one look at her form for Captain Jones expression to turn dark and stony.

"Secondary Bridge reports Tactical Control just went active down there," Holst reported, not glancing up from his helm controls, his expression revealing his nervousness and worry.

"Noted," Jones replied, "maintain an open vox line to the secondary bridge and summon medical and a DC team to the bridge, I need the primary tactical console back online"

Jones turned his eyes back to the tactical display in time to see a further Drakh ship vanish from the display, this time caught between the Gauss rifle fire from his own _Britannica _and the allied vessels behind trying to break through to the Tau'ri warships.

The ship rocked again, a voice over the open line to the secondary bridge proclaiming that shields had been reduced to sixty percent and Jones winced, he hated the Drakh weaponry, they packed far too much of a punch.

The ship rocked again and Jones hid a tight, almost malevolent smile, he was beginning to recognise the distinctive feel of the Ion Cannons fire. On the display in front of him, the icon for a Drakh cruiser vanished, replaced by two navigational hazard markers and a victorious flash crossed his face for just a moment, clean kill.

The tactical display warbled, an expanding band marching across the screen, radiating out from a fading Drakh marker, shunting ships and fighters aside as the shockwave dispassionately introduced its own brand of chaos to the fight.

Jones grinned as he watched the icons for a pair of Drakh cruisers intersect; pushed into each others path by the blast, then go dull, dark, non-threatening.

"Captain,"

Of course, he noted to himself, something had to go wrong when the enemy started killing themselves.

" _Overseer _is disengaging, shield failure."

"Damn," he noted to himself, glancing across to the readiness read-outs for his own ships. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the _Invincible's _display, low on ammo and shields greatly reduced, she would be forced to break off soon enough too.

"Do we have guidance lock?" he asked quietly, knowing that the sensitive microphones would really his words to the secondary bridge even at the low volume at which he spoke.

"Fleet guidance lock aye Captain," the reply came, "targets, a trio of Drakh cruisers however barrage effectiveness is compromised by enemy fighters and anti-missile batteries."

"I am aware of that," Jones noted somewhat displeased, "helm, bring us to bear. Tactical, fire as she bears."

He glanced back towards the display, grimacing as the icon for _Britannica _slewed sidewards, the better to present its missile batteries to the enemy, but it left their largest aspect exposed to enemy fire. The icons for the remaining ships of the battlegroup maintained their heads on profile, only the _Prometheus _tilting to give a better firing aspect.

The _Britannica _rocked, the abruptness revealing the movement as the result of enemy fire even as the icons representing the ships portside mounted missile batteries emptied. Jones eyebrow rose slightly in surprise as the ships icon rolled, then he grinned maliciously as the starboard batteries fired off their load-out of missiles.

He just wished at that moment that the technical division had figured out a _safe _and workable auto-reloader for the missile tubes. He imagined the enemies face as the ship kept rolling, launching as each battery came to bear would be a picture. As it was, he know had to wait for the tubes to be manually reloaded.

" _Invincible _disengaging,"

Jones grunted at the report, it was not unexpected, but each ship forced to drop back was one less hull to fire at the enemy. It was more then an annoyance.

He turned his eyes back to the tactical display, and nodded, well, the enemies numbers were too great for them to be destroyed, but it looked as if they were about to be defeated.

The Allied warships were about to break through.

"Signal the allied vessels, they are to fall back behind us, escape to hyperspace and wait for us there, as soon as the last ship is past, we will join them and move as one to friendlier skies."


	11. Chapter 10

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

**In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!**

**Ten**

_"Reports leaked to us from the Royal Space Service indicate that an assassination attempt against Thundersdawn station Commander and chief of Earth's defences Commodore Peters was narrowly averted this week despite heightened security surrounding the station since Disclosure. _

_How, or even why this assassination occurred is not yet know, what is know for certain is that this is not the first of the disturbing reports coming out of the station to have reached our ears. Overwork, staffing difficulties and even sabotage, all of which have a severe knock-on effect on the security and safety of our world. _

_The Royal Space Service has yet to respond publicly to these reports, but is rumoured to be taking the situation extremely seriously indeed" _

* * *

_"The Second Great Fire of London is now over, the devastated city smoulders today as the weary but jubilant fire-fighters, auxiliaries and volunteers began the time consuming task of making the city safe. Joined by military and civilian engineers and work crews from, so far seven nations, the task of now cooling down the smouldering ruins, bulldozing the wreckage and assessing what can be saved and what needs to go had begun. _

_It's estimated that about two thirds of the city lie in ruins, the damage enough to make the insurance industry collectively weep. Rebuilding here will take years. _

_But years the government doesn't have. The cities population exceeded 7 million years before the events of Disclosure and the evacuation. Whilst it is certainly true that between the Goa'uld attacks on the city and the fire that many are dead, there are still untold millions crowding in makeshift camps surrounding the city, desperate for food, water, basic sanitation and in many areas, a heavy police presence. _

_All of these they are looking to an increasingly battered and besieged government for, but the aid they need is being slow to appear and time is running out" _

* * *

_"Stargate Command, currently housed at an unidentified location, has confirmed the arrival through the Stargate of food and medical supplies from several of our off-world allies, believed to include the Orbanians, the Edorans and the Land of the Light. The Land of the Light is noteworthy here as Stargate Command has increasingly and with the co-operation of the natives, used the planet as an off-world medical facility" _

* * *

_"The trials began in closed courts today of the Military personnel and civilian conspirators arrested for treason and attempting to subvert the constitutional Government in the immediate aftermath of disclosure. _

_The largest group ever arrested by the American government for such crimes, these individuals are under constant watchful guard, not just to prevent their escape, but to prevent their murder. We know attempts have been made on their lives, at least one of which was by the original Guard detail themselves and one has to wonder, even if found not guilty, how long do these people truly have left to live? _

_Mud has been thrown, and this kind does not ever wash off." _

* * *

_"Stargate Command and the Royal Star Service have today issued a call for qualified individuals to apply for Colonisation rights on Alpha Prime. Such individuals will undergo a security check but the positions these services are looking to fill range from structural engineers to teachers, covering the whole range of jobs a virgin colony will need. The websites of both agencies currently have a list of five thousand positions they wish to fill for this second wave of colonisation, and both specifically state that preference will be given to family groupings" _

* * *

_"Both the Royal Star Service and Stargate Command websites went down earlier today after a record surge of visitors overloaded the capacity of the servers following the announcement of Colonisation opportunities on Alpha Prime in the Alpha Centauri system. _

_A statement issued by Stargate Command indicates that both agencies are currently working to add capacity to their servers and intend to have the sites back up before tomorrow however gives no guarantee as to when the sites will be live again. _

_It is perhaps fortunate that both agencies use separate server farms for their Operational, as opposed to Public Relations duties" _

* * *

_"A cylon attack on the Alpha Centauri system was rebuffed earlier today after the attacking basestars were successfully caught between the systems small defence fleet, ably supported by the Colonial Battlestar Galactica and the massed guns of Ravenbright station. The station, still incomplete, is the most heavily fortified position currently available to our space forces" _

* * *

_"Akin perhaps to the British Spitfire Funds of the Second World War, a wave of extra moneys is being donated to the Royal Space service and Stargate Command by the general public. This money is intended solely the purchase of fixed emplacements such as the Type I, Type II and the upcoming Type III to reinforce Earth's weakened and paltry defence grid. _

_This idea, revived by a Senator from Iowa, has so far raised enough money in America alone to fund an additional thirty satellites, enough we are told, to provide adequate cover for one city. This is despite inadequate advertising of the program in the rush to get this idea running" _

* * *

_"A Military Coup has occurred within China. _

_In the Early hours of this morning, troops of the Chinese army moved into the Government buildings in Beijing and seized control. Details are sketchy at this point, the situation extremely confused, but we have reason to believe the Premier has been arrested but is still alive. _

_At this point in time, we do not know why this coup occurred or how it managed to take the Chinese government so completely by surprise but rumours are reaching us that it is related to the recent more aggressive policy taken by China with regards not just to Taiwan, but with their relations with the US and the other starfaring nations"_


	12. Chapter 11

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

**In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!**

**Eleven**

"Captain Jones," Weir commented, walking into the briefing room, "I heard you had a fun trip."

Snorting, the Captain of the _Britannica _bit back a startled laugh as he replied, "you could say that. Two major scuffles on route, both _Invincible _and _Overseer _requiring repairs and munitions severely depleted. Luckily, we lost no ships. We did lose a good few people though."

"Personnel I can't help you with," Weir shrugged, sliding into the seat opposite the Captain, "as far as repairs go, well the local shipyards are getting better at repairing Earth built and captured Goa'uld vessels but security implications make it troublesome and frankly, they still aren't set up for it. If any major work is required, I would suggest you send them home."

"We would have to escort them home," Jones noted, "Anubis seems intent on blocking off reinforcements and supplies from Tau'ri space, not that there is going to be too many of them given the recent situations."

"Indeed, but the Tau'ri vessels in the area are the most powerful of the Alliance ships, I can see why he wouldn't want more arriving."

"True enough perhaps," Jones nodded, "but the battlegroup is reduced to three operational hulls already, I'm afraid your reinforcements might just have to turn and head back home."

Grimacing, Weir leaned back in the alien seat, "can I interest you in a party before you go?"

Jones raised an interested eyebrow.

"Anubis has a major resupply base he is launching the brunt of his attacks from," Weir held Jones's eyes, "it's heavily guarded, but the Minbari warrior sect believe that if the base is knocked out, that Anubis will be forced to either replace it, buying us time, or to launch his assaults from further back. None of the facilities and resupply points behind this main facility, code-named _Poseidon, _are anywhere near as extensive."

"We can't launch a major assault with three operational hulls," Jones pointed out.

"You won't be," Weir grinned, "the Alliance is assembling a major taskforce not far from the front. _Prometheus _and _Independence _have already joined the fleet, but three extra hulls would not be complained about."

"Are your _Dauntless _class vessels, the _Indomitable _and the _Interrogator _I believe, joining the assault?"

"No," the Tau'ri Ambassador to the Alliance shook her head, "They, along with the _Dawn of Valour _are standing guard over _Babylon 3. _"

Jones glanced up sharply, "they've started work on a replacement?"

"The keel plate had been laid, but little more then that."

"I don't think command is aware of that fact," Jones pointed out.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Weir replied, "the distance makes communication difficult, and the lingering remnant of the hyper barrier doesn't help either,"

Jones nodded, accepting that, "still, it is perhaps fortunate that you kept the _Dauntless'es _out of the assault, if our experience en-route is anything to go by, their stamina and protection is insufficient for wall duties."

Weir raised an eyebrow questioningly, " _wall _duties?"

Captain Jones glanced up startled, then frowned, "sorry, forgot for the moment that you aren't a naval officer. It's an old term, holdover from the days of sail and wooden hulled warships. A ship of the wall in basic terms is just a ship capable of holding its own in a major multi-ship engagement. The _Dauntless _class, whilst exceptional at rapid reaction, raiding and scouting duties, appears inadequate as fair as 'ship of the wall' or 'ship of the line' duties are concerned but Command already suspected that. The issue was actually part of my briefing packet when I assumed temporary command of the Battlegroup."

"I see,"

"So, I think you had best tell me more about this assault…"

* * *

"Could you repeat that please?" Admiral of the Fleet Thomas asked, dangerously calmly, "Because it sounded to me dangerously like you said that RSS security has been compromised by the Cylons." 

"I'm afraid so," Commander Joan Williams replied darkly, "the clincher was of course finding a Cylon inside the logistics department and confirming that the assassin who attacked the Commodore was a Cylon but in both instances the Cylons used models not previously seen,"

"How the hell did they manage to get two Cylons past our security?"

"At this point in time, its not as difficult as any of us would like," Joan replied, knowing that the information she had just had pointed out to her by security would not be welcomed here, "phase one of a background check involves a records check, but _everyone _has their records online nowadays and these can be and have been hacked by humans, let alone beings that can directly hook themselves up to the internet. That's not mentioning the backbone satellites, at which point all it takes is a raider getting close enough for a sufficient length of time to do some subtle reprogramming…"

The Admirals face was stony, granite like.

"The records issue has always been a problem and why Phase two, a discreet check amongst neighbours, old school photos etc has been a part of the security check for many years," Jones continued, "but there are also ways around this, and for certain agencies that is practically SOP. Not to mention, there are legitimate reasons why a phase two check might not be possible,"

"That explains infiltration perhaps," Thomas replied, making a mental note to have a very long 'discussion' with security, "but Cylons were screened for specifically."

"And according to the records, both known Cylons were screened on at least three occasions," she replied, "the first check was of course visual identification of known models which found none, but the latter checks were hidden as part of the standard yearly medicals. The records being suspect whenever Cylons are concerned, I interviewed the Doctors listed as having carried out the checks on the off chance and hit the jack-pot. Doctor Jones-Somersby who carried out the last recorded medical on our assassin has a photographic memory; she _knows _that she has never done a medical on our assassin though interestingly she has seen him, or at least a copy of him, on a visit to _Ravenbright _station, a place our assassin has never been. That is of course, according to the records."

Thomas turned the air blue.

"I'm afraid that I suspect I've only touched the surface as far as the infiltration goes Admiral," Joan replied evenly, "we may have underestimated the cylons, greatly."


	13. Chapter 12

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

**In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!**

**Twelve**

"My God," Holst quietly commented, his expression awed as he gazed up at the main display, "how many ships are there?"

"Attend to your station Lieutenant," Jones barked out annoyed, there was a time and a place for gazing at the screen awed and with this many contacts, now was exactly the time for helm to be alert and ready. Not that he could stop himself gazing at the screen shocked, but then, he wasn't directly responsible for making sure they avoided hitting anything, that was Helms job.

"Captain," Hayes commented from the tactical console, her voice just slightly slurred, a lingering remnant of the hit she had taken in the last engagement, just like the bandage across her forehead, "I'm reading one-hundred and ninety-eight warship contacts, as well as thousands of fighters and associated small warcraft."

"Let's just hope its enough," Jones noted, "signal the Task-Force Commander and get us our assignment,"

* * *

"Okay, so how do we combat this kind of threat?" Thompson asked, gazing around the boardroom, his eyes catching each of those present in turn, be they actually present in the room on video conference. 

"It's obvious that standard security procedures are not enough," O'Neill noted with a frown, his image distorting subtly as he moved, "frankly, we must assume the security services themselves have been compromised at some level."

"Unfortunately, we cant just replace the security services in total," Joan Williams pointed out, grimacing as she leant back in her seat, one of the few who was actually present in the room itself, "we have to assume that such breeches that exist can be found and will be found by the appropriate departments. The nasty part here of course, is that we are dealing with a combined HumInt and ElInt attack on our security."

"Excuse me?" Kalinda asked, her image one marked in the corner by the icons of Research and Development, the department she was a senior member of, and _Thundersdawn _station, where she was currently located, "HumInt? ElInt?"

Thompson nodded, "HumInt is human based intelligence, sources, spies that sort of thing. In the case of the Cylons it would refer to both the twelve models and to collaborators. ElInt is electronic intelligence; in this case, we are talking primarily infiltration of the Internet and associated computers as well as the military networks used by both Stargate Command and the Royal Space Service."

"We certainly should have the backbone satellites taken out of service," Lord Holmes, "Lord Knows the volume of data being transmitted through them means that all they have to do is passively watch and they will learn a considerable amount."

"Such transmissions are often not even encrypted or if they are, they use encryption methods that _we _can swiftly break, let alone a race of computers," Joan agreed.

"That will remove Internet access from large areas of the developing world, some small segments of the developed world, most shipping," Hammond noted.

"Not to mention the knock-on effect on international calls, the disabling of satellite phones," O'Neill agreed.

Kalinda frowned, "as much as I hate to say this, I have to agree with Lord Holmes, those satellites have been well used and have proven themselves useful and powerful tools. Unfortunately, most of their value comes from convenience and that convenience is exactly what the Cylons can make most usage of. Whatever else happens, we have to have a certain degree of satellite access open publicly, if only for emergency calls in regions where the land-line capability is marginal or non-existent. We can't afford to broadcast all our secrets into space any more."

"Means more reliance on cables," O'Neill pointed out, "cables can be intercepted too,"

"But somebody has to be in place to do that," Joan replied, "cables can be protected, watched, monitored far easier then a transmission which can just be, as Lord Holmes said, passively intercepted."

"There are methods to reduce signal interception," Hammond shook his head, "but half the battle is knowing signalling is taking place and the Cylons could safely assume that was a given where such satellites are present."

"You're talking low powered, directed signals and masking encryptions that make the signal look like static?" Kalinda asked swiftly.

"Mostly," Hammond nodded, "such techniques are useful for military and secured government communications of course, but for civilian infrastructure, cheaper and easier to redesign for purely cabled infrastructure."

"Very well," Thompson sighed, "I will have the proposal properly drawn up and forwarded to the President. Most of the backbone satellites belong to America anyway, but it's a proposal that won't be well liked."

"I'm afraid," Lord Holmes noted, "that right now we are merely paying for years of placing convenience over security."

"Wasn't much of an issue," O'Neill grimaced, "not until the Cylons appeared."

"But it is an issue now," Thompson shook his head, "and will have to be dealt with as such."

"As far as passive signal interception goes," Joan noted, "it may be worth revising and tightening up our own signalling procedures. The Goa'ulds have never shown much interest in ElInt so procedures have been lax. That will have to be nipped right in the bud."

"Agreed," Hammond replied, "for short distance communications, tight-band transmissions, awkward though they can sometimes be with line of sight issues, should be the norm. It gets trickier for long distance transmissions though and we can't entirely mask such transmissions."

"The initial signal has to be unmasked, simply to ensure the receiver understands that a signal is in progress, then the signal can be masked," Joan glanced up, gazing around the room, "technical services has experimented with this. If the initial signal is sent masked, it is almost invariably missed. If the receiver is set to look for masked initiate signals, then there are also false positive issues."

"That does generally mean that the bulk of a transmission is masked and in theory unnoticeable however," Hammond pointed out, "more use of microburst transmissions would also reduce intercept issues."

Thompson leaned back in his seat, rubbing his forehead, "don't forget that security has been compromised and we still don't know exactly how deeply. It is entirely possible that our masking methodology is compromised."

O'Neill whistled, "Nasty thought."

"The nature of space being what it is," Kalinda glanced at O'Neill, "they will get more false positives then actual signals. Unfortunately, Murphy doesn't play favourites; the signal they do manage to get is likely to be the one signal we would rather they didn't."

Thompson raised an eyebrow, "getting cynical aren't we? What happened to the somewhat arrogant but highly self-confident scientist ordered me out of my own office some twelve years ago now?"

Kalinda snorted, "She got herself a permanent resident who thinks 'physical relationships' are gross and disturbing."

O'Neill coughed, hiding his smile behind his hand and he wasn't the only one.

"That aside," Lord Holmes shook his head, "we still have to deal with _finding _these Cylons that are now inside our service, dealing with the damage they have caused and reducing the chance of further such infiltration."

"What we really need is IDs for each Cylon model," Hammond grimaced, "which, despite assistance from the Boomer unit that was successfully freed by Enerina, we still don't have."

"Then I suggest that its time we _took _the information we need from the Cylons," Thompson sent each of the officers present a hard look, "one way or another."

The moments silence that followed was broken finally by General O'Neill, "I'm sure Admiral Adama would enjoy the opportunity. Certainly, Colonial morale could do with the boast a successful offensive operation would give their morale."

"Do you wish me to call Admiral Adama and President Roslin into the conference Admiral?" Joan Williams asked.

"Yes," Thompson replied, "I think you should."

* * *

Admiral Adama glanced around the bridge of the _Galactica, _his expression calm, but his eyes smiling, this was where he belonged; this was where he was meant to be. And this was a mission he could _enjoy _. 

"All stations report Condition One Admiral, we are clear to jump,"

Nodding, he glanced one final time around the room, missing if only for a moment the familiar figures of Dualla, Gaeta and Tigh, but they all had commands of there own these days. Still, these few knew what they were doing and they understood the 'upgraded' systems of the new _Galactica. _

They would do, they would have too.

Not that he felt everything the so-called 'Tau'ri' did to _his _Lady was an improvement mind, but he did have to admit that she was now the deadliest she had ever been.

"Jump," he said quietly, assured in the brief moments of his glance around the room that all was ready; all was as it should be.


	14. Chapter 13

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

**In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!**

**Thirteen **

Jones watched with hard eyes as the tactical display ebbed and flowed in front of him, the massed forces of the Alliance races, the Minbari, the Narn and the League fighting and dieing in the face of vicious resistance by Anubis forces, primarily the Drakh but bolstered by warships of the Shadows and the Goa'uld. There did not appear to be any Cylons in his force, an interesting omission.

His trained eye didn't miss that the allies were slowly pushing forward, slowly winning over the out-numbered but certainly not out-gunned enemy, but he was also more then aware that, as yet, the fixed defences of the station itself had yet to be dealt with and they would be a real problem soon enough.

His fist clenched as he watched another capital ship vanish from the scope, hundreds, perhaps thousands of sentients wiped out of existence in the brief glare of a munitions locker explosion.

He resisted the urge to order his ship forward, to join the assault. Like it or not, his place and the place of his fleet was back here, the reserve, ready to bolster any faltering section of the line with more firepower then any allied taskforce of similar size could manage.

His eyes narrowed, resting on the right flank, watching as just for a moment, it faltered, fire slackening as the command ship for the section was destroyed. Would his ships be ordered forward? But no, the second was quick to take command, to rally his forces, the disruption only momentary. They would hold, and they would push forward.

But wait, the station had ordered the last of their ships forward to reinforce the line, they were unmasked. Such an opportunity…

"Signal the Command Ship, the station is unmasked. Request permission to bypass the main battlelines and engage the target,"

If the Alliance troops could keep the enemy warships engaged then they could destroy the station in time and with heavy damage perhaps. But that wasn't the point, the fact that they were fighting so hard to defend a fixed point meant it was highly likely that a direct attack on the station would force them to break off from the allies and move to engage _his _small band of ships. Forewarned, the allies would have little difficulty capitalising on such on an attempt to disengage, losses to Anubis's forces would be heavy, perhaps enough to break their line.

Jones knew all this and more would be racing through the Commanders head at the moment, he also knew it would place his ships in much danger and potentially cost the entire fleet. The battle needed to end soon though, otherwise they might be faced with a tactical victory in their destruction of the facility but a strategic loss due to the losses being inflicted upon the allies weaker warships.

He nodded as permission was given, time to move. But perhaps he could have a little fun with the enemy first?

"Order all ships to set ECM to maximum, and then take us flank speed on a course _above _the battleline and through,"

Captain Jones grinned evilly as he watched the enemy line falter, its Captains knowing that his fleet was on the move, but not, thanks to the ECM, truly knowing as to where.

* * *

"All right people," Starbuck glanced up, her eyes resting on the pilots of her squadron, noting that she had her full attention, noting the eagerness and the fear in their eyes and the proud rigid way, but scared way they held themselves at this moment. Good, a little fear was healthy, it helped keep you alive. Of course, that didn't work so much for her, but hey, not everyone could be Kara Thrace right? 

"You're all aware that we've left friendly territory and are headed back into the badlands," Thrace snorted, "if you have any brain cells in your heads, you've also noticed the fact that not only do we have our normal complement of two patrol boats locked to the base of the ship, but we also a veteran squadron of boats from Earth as well, Patrol one, the 'Blastboat' squadron. Currently under strength with only four birds operational, but still a very formidable fighting force."

She glanced down, just for a moment at her notes, then gazed at her pilots once more, carefully catching the eyes of those who looked like they might falter, trying to reassure them with gaze alone, "all this adds up to an offensive operation, that at least the rumour got right."

The room stilled utterly, the loudest sound the faint, muffled whirring of the ventilation, "but this is not going to be a simple blow the frak out of everything job people, both Admiralty's have decided who know far too little about the Cylons, and that dissecting a basestar would be a good place to start."

The silence changed, no longer anticipatory, now it was utterly shocked. Kara guessed at five seconds before they would get their tongues working, she wasn't wrong either

"Silence!" she shouted, bringing quiet once more to the room once she felt they had had enough time to vent, "this is going to be a boarding action and its our job to keep the boarding craft alive…"

* * *

"My Lord, the battle goes well, our losses are heavy but not exceptionally so and the enemy thinks they have the advantage now." 

"Is the station unmasked as I ordered?"

"The last of the defending warships have just moved to the frontlines My Lord."

"Excellent, now prepare my fleet to attack, but remember, I want the _Britannica _intact. The Tollan may have designed their Ion weapons to prevent them being backward engineered but I'm sure the Tau'ri weapons shall be a far easier task,"

* * *

Monitor Post SC-1094-B Transmissions Log: 

Transmission Sent TO: (Local Command) Basestar CX-8891-C

Copy: HQ-Caprica  
Departed 10:06CCT BSG _Galactica, _accompanied by patrol craft: _Virgon, Libra, Cerberus, Black Prince, White Knight, Rifleman. _BSG75 boarded by significant quantities of support craft, _Paladin _type prior to jumping including estimated One-Half regiment of troops. Recommend full alert status.

* * *

Monitor Post SC-1094-B Transmissions Log: 

Transmission Sent TO: (Local Command) Basestar CX-8891-C

Copy: HQ-Caprica  
Immediately post last transmission, multiple fight craft detected launching from _Ravenbright, Freedom. _Craft now en-route this location. High probability transmission was detected. Unit Compromised, Auto-destruct activated.


	15. Chapter 14

12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

Fourteen 

It was going too easy.

That thought was running through Jones's head constantly as his small group of ships raced towards the Goa'uld station that was the mission objective. None of the ships at the front line had broken off to attempt to find them, none of them had followed them, tracing their general location by the emissions of their active ECM transmissions and they should have. Jones was well aware that they knew how to track them by their active transmissions.

He suspected they had as well, the line had settled down as soon as his fleet was past. That suggested that they had been tracked, and that the enemy had chosen to let them into their rear, a damned dangerous place to have hostile forces. Unless of course, that was were you wanted them in the first place.

Unless of course… oh _hell. _

"Reinforce Shields! Evasive! All ships, watch for ambush!"

* * *

Secessionist HQ-Caprica Transmissions Log: 

Message Received: 01:07CCT

Sent By: Basestar CX-8891-C

Possible contact detected vicinity this vessel. Detected on approach path, unidentified craft, tentatively identified as possible minor warship not repeat not responding to hails. Contact is not broadcasting IFF on known Cylon or Sub-Cylon protocols.

_Raider _group launched this time to investigate.

* * *

Message Received: 01:18CCT 

Sent By: Basestar CX-8891-C

_Raider _group returning this time, reported contact with 'Loyalist' Heavy _Raider _modified to long-range recon standards. Craft detonated nuclear payload to escape capture and reconditioning, destroying 5 of 6 _Raiders _sent to investigate contact. This confirmed by Basestars own detection of EMP Pulse the vicinity of the engagement.

Lone survivor returning heavily

Unexpected Termination Of Signal

* * *

"Signal from the _Libra, _White-out," 

Adama hid his tight grin as the room dissolved into cheers for just a moment. Good, he had honestly not expected Dualla's crazy plan to work, faking the enemy into sending out raiders, destroying the raiders in rather visible fashion and then pretending to be one of them to get close to the basestar?

It was still the best suggested plan for shutting the basestar up before it could call for reinforcement, but so many things could have gone wrong…. And apparently didn't.

"Initiate the jump!" Adama ordered, his voice firm, his glare causing his bridge crew to return hurriedly to their jobs, "We still have a job to do."

* * *

The _Britannica _rocked, the backwash from the energies impacting on the shields making the ship groan and writhe in protest even as her open weapons spat out a deadly rain of gauss rounds, searing bolts of pulse laser energy and the charged inferno of the Ion cannon. 

The rain caught a _Ha'tak _just long enough, the vessel crippled, floating away uncontrolled and burning, out-of the fight. The weapons switched immediately, obeying the targeting protocols set down by their makers, but struggling to figure out which target was the biggest threat for the besieged and surrounded warship.

Once again, Jones caught the icon of a computer override on his screen as Hayes ordered the petulant computers to attack a target of her choosing

"Why aren't they trying to kill us?" Jones murmured pensively, knowing full well that they should be dead, would be dead if the enemy was firing full strength bursts at them. But the enemy wasn't, they were firing low powered bursts but enough of them that the shields were slowly being eroded but not enough to destroy the ship should the shields fail.

He felt a sudden chill in his stomach as realisation settled sickeningly over him.

"Captain, I'm reading Tel'tac launches and we've got multiple refusals registering from the Ring control computers,"

Jones glanced up grimly at Hayes words, knowing all too well what that meant, "issue weapons to the crew and be prepared to repel boarders."

He glanced just for a moment at the tactical display, and then turned to his chair computer, typing in commands and codes he had memorised and hoped never to have to use. With a heavy heart, Captain Jones activated his Battlecruisers auto-destruct, activating a protocol specifically designed to deal with a potential capture situation.

Now, he or another senior officer would have to reset the autodestruct every five minutes. If they didn't, well, it wouldn't be an issue for long.

* * *

"Anubis sets fine bait," Anla-shok Dehen commented bitterly from the bridge of the _Sharlin _class _Valen. _

"That he does," Delenn replied, shaking her head in dismay, "can we break through and assist them?"

"Not at this time Delenn," Dehen shook his head, "we will break through in time, unless he sees fit to reinforce his lines, but I am afraid that by then it will almost certainly be too late."

"We can not allow a vessel as powerful as a Tau'ri _Britannica _to fall into Anubis's hands."

"I agree, but at this time there is little we can do,"

Delenn shook her head in reluctant acknowledgement, then stilled, turning her gaze towards the ranger, her expression dark, reluctant but at the same time, hopeful, proud, "except perhaps ask for volunteers."

"You have a thought Delenn?"

"The bait is indeed fine and if we take it, Anubis will have little choice but to respond, unless he is willing to just give such a valuable facility up."

"We could not break a significant number of vessels from the line, it would be a suicide mission," Dehen paused, then grimaced, "I see. You'll get your volunteers Delenn, I just hope this will be worth their sacrifice."

* * *

"Frak!" Starbuck cursed, grimacing as another nuke slipped past her line of fighters, only to be intercepted by the _Paladins _own guns, "we're letting too many through people, we might not have lost one of our flock yet but that's only because the flock has teeth of its own. Now tighten it up!" 

Not, she admitted to herself, that that was going to be that easy, what with missile launches from the both the basestar and the swarm of fighters it had launched. Oh yes, and they also had to destroy the fighters too, make sure they didn't make it through to the _Paladins. _Real piece of cake.

Oh yes, and they were racing towards the basestar all the time which meant the time to intercept missiles from the basestar was constantly decreasing.

"Leaker!"

Kara's blood turned to ice, and she glanced across to the _Paladins _in time to see one of the small craft, more normally used a cargo ship by the markings and evidently hinged rear section die, spilling bodies into space as the hull peeled back, the force of the air rushing from the compromised hull making the weapons damage swiftly worse.

A second _Paladin _died as she raced towards the Cylon _Raider, _hoping to kill it before they could lose any more of the valuable craft, but before she could get close, the _Raider _died. Moments later a _Paladin, _still bearing the markings of the construction yard darted through the _Raiders _debris cloud, its turreted Pulse Lasers locking onto her fighter for a moment, before swinging around, searching for more targets.

'Beaten by a utility craft,' Kara muttered to herself as she turned back to the main battleline, 'I'm never going to live this down.'


	16. Chapter 15

12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

Fifteen 

"My Lord,"

Anubis turned his head, displeased by the interruption that was disrupting his enjoyment of the death and destruction occurring in the space outside his ships windows.

The Jaffa in front of him gulped, knowing that his life was likely forfeit if he displeased his God with his words, true though they might be, "a group of enemy ships have broken off the main engagement and are racing towards the station. They lack the strength in weapons and armour to break the stations defences conventionally…"

Thoroughly annoyed, Anubis turned his head from the trembling warrior to his tactical displays, grimacing at the icons that were racing towards his bait. Anla-shok, those pestilent foes were always so _righteous, _so _honourable. _It was truly fun breaking them, but now five of their ships supported by seven vessels of the 'normal' soldiery could only mean one thing. That wasn't force enough to break the station by arms, but it was enough to ensure at least one ship would survive long enough to ram.

That was a problem.

"How does the ambush fare?" he hissed, his words settling like ice into the ears of his Jaffa.

"Losses are high but the Tau'ri are contained for now,"

Anubis settled back in his seat, "signal the station, if they fall, I will find their families, their fathers, their mothers, their wives and their children, and I will have them tortured, screaming at my feet for divine mercy, and they shall receive _none _."

The Jaffa gulped, saying only "My Lord," before fleeing the room.

* * *

"Fires now reported in thirteen compartments," 

" _Persephone _reports main engines offline."

"Munitions chain buckled for the port aft gauss,"

"Shields critical, we need more power!"

" _Searcher _taking armour hits, no shields remaining on their port."

Grimacing, his eyes reflecting his inner fears, his near despair at the hopeless situation they found themselves in, properly ambushed by Anubis's forces, Captain Jones turned towards Hayes, "any sign of reinforcement?"

"Negative," she replied grimly, "I have a group of ships moving towards the target but Anubis does not appear to be diverting any forces to deal with them, there is no movement towards our location that I can detect."

Jones nodded, grimly, his eyes glancing swiftly over the remaining working situation displays and readouts, "then we are lost. Divert all power from life-support, go to half-power on gravity, and divert the energy to shields and weapons. Then verify the integrity of the scuttling charges, we may just need them."

* * *

"They're knee-deep in dog-shit Captain," 

"I know,"

"Can't we move faster?"

"Not if we want to remain undetected, no."

"Christ boss, they're dieing out there!"

"And if Anubis gets any wind of us being here before we're ready to give notice, we will die swiftly, abruptly and very futilely. We're not exactly fully operational you know. No, a few minutes more… then we strike."

"Aye, I just hope they're still bloody alive to witness it."

The Captain didn't bother replying, his mind was on exactly the same thought.

* * *

Primary Log: Basestar CX-8891-C 

01:20CCT: Transmissions jammed, unable to confirm receipt of transmission time stamped 01:18CCT to HQ-Caprica.

01:20CCT: Jamming Analysed, confirmed relating to long-range comms only. Designating source craft as hostile. Designating source craft for destruction.

01:22CCT: Hostile craft redesignated as unknown, sensor profile is corrupted, analysis indicates an 87 probability vessels actual profile is deliberately masked.

01:24CCT: _Raiders _now engaging unidentified craft. Casualties high. Identification of craft still uncertain, inability of _Raiders _to visually identify contacts unhelpful. Recommend modification to add this ability in light of the wider variety of contacts possible since isolation ended.

01:25CCT: Primary transmitter array destroyed, downloading logs to _Raider _6759-AE65-56HC. _Raider _ordered to report immediately to HQ-Caprica.

01:26CCT: _Raider _6759-AE65-56HC confirmed destroyed by new contacts.

01:26CCT: Secondary and Tertiary Transmitters destroyed. Secondary Sensor emitters destroyed. Damage is focused; analysis indicates 67 probability of capture attempt. Attempting auto-destruct.

01:27CCT: Core Code Override: Unable to auto-destruct. Auto-destruct disallowed by Holy Scripture. Recommending analysis and possible modification of core code with regards to fundamental conflict: Writ of Scripture, Military Intelligence, Denial thereof to enemy.

01:27CCT: All transmission ability, sensor and communications lost, assuming squadrons now operating independently. Ordering issue of weapons to Organic Models.

01:27CCT: Error Logged: Insufficient weapons, weapons only available for 23 of organic crew.

01:28CCT: Damaged _Raider _interfaced with systems for repairs. Utilising craft as communications relay and resuming co-ordinated control of _Raider _squadron activity.

01:28CCT: Alert. BSG detected, BSG-75 _Galactica _confirmed arrival in system.

01:28CCT: _Raider _sensors confirm multiple support craft arriving by hyperspace. 89 probability these are _Paladin _craft. Capture attempt probability now 97. Initial contacts now redesignated probable MTB or MGB class.

01:30CCT: Initial contacts maintaining close contact but not engaging at this time. Contacts close enough to prevent jump. Designating one squadron _Raiders _to destroy these contacts. Other squadrons designated to destroy _Paladin _support craft in order to prevent boarding action and accompanying fighter screen.

01:31CCT: New code compile created and uploaded: Ships weapons new targeting option: target by _Raider _direction. Estimated efficiencies: Rate of fire: -20 Accuracy of fire: -15 Range of fire: Inconclusive.

Recommendations logged: Analysis and approval of code by dedicated coders. Improvement of code by same to reduce inefficiencies. Note: Code does allow fire at targets out of LOS, adaptation of missiles to utilise this ability more fully may produce noteworthy advantages in combat situations.

01:33CCT: _Raiders _unable to break in force through _Viper _lines. All _Viper _engaged confirmed by performance to be of newest models (8,9). _Raider _losses considerable, _Viper _losses minimal, _Paladin _losses minimal.

01:35CCT: All available weapons now issued. Organic units confirm readiness to repel boarders. Centurions deployed and at full readiness. Estimate ten minutes to commencement of boarding action, location uncertain.


	17. Chapter 16

12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

Sixteen 

Cursing, Joan ducked her head back behind the cover of the run down and boarded up old house, chips of shattered brick filling the air around her as bullets slammed into the wall mere inches from her head.

She really got the impression her presence wasn't welcomed.

The bullets stopped, but Joan resisted the urge to pop her head back around the corner to check the enemy movement, that was what had almost lost her her face the first time. Instead, she reached swiftly into her pocket, pulling a small mirror like those used by dentists to see the back of their patients teeth from the cavernous depths of the field jacket. Grimacing, she gingerly pushed the mirror around the corner, carefully trying to see what the enemy was up too.

Grimacing, she wiggled the mirror around, trying to see into every corner of the abandoned housing estate. Nothing, but then, she hadn't seen anything in the first place, just the odd feeling as she walked to the rendezvous with an informer that she was being watched.

One of these days she might actually figure out _why _she had felt the abrupt compulsion to dive into cover that saved her life, but for now she would have to just be grateful for it and hope she could hold out long enough for her back-up to extract her.

Shaking her head slightly in disgust and dismay, she quickly checked six then began glancing swiftly around for a more defensible position in which to hide.

* * *

"How are the new designs for Stargate Command going?" O'Neill asked, his expression concerned as he gazed upon the face of his old friend, General 'Disaster' Davies. 

"Slowly," Davis shrugged, his expression weary, "the architects are taking their time which isn't helping my grey hairs any. The gate is currently in a rather… exposed location and vulnerable to being detected, let alone breeched. I will feel a lot safer when we can get the gate back underground again."

"I heard a rumour…" O'Neill commented slowly, "that the new design would allow vehicles through the gate,"

Nodding, Davis chuckled, "do you remember how much fun we had getting those British scout tanks through the gate for that rescue mission?"

The former commander of SG-1 rolled his eyes in dismay, "opening up the top of the mountain, lowering each tank one by one into the gateroom, carefully aligning it with the gate, making sure there was enough room for the gate to open then driving it through… then having to reverse that for every tank that returned. Not exactly something you would forget in a hurry."

"Neither, I imagine, were the Jaffa's faces the first time they saw a Scimitar," Davis pointed out, making O'Neill chuckle in agreement, "either way, that mission proved that driving tanks through the gate could be done and that it could be an effective technique but the logistic problems have meant that it has never actually been repeated. One of the changes the architects are making to the design of the mountain is the addition of a secured vehicle lift and a garage to the rear of the gate and mounting the gate itself on gimbals so the active face of the gate can be turned to face the garage when needed."

Smiling, O'Neill smiled evilly, "just a pity we could fit a _real _tank through the gate."

"Unfortunately a standard Stargate isn't large enough for existing Main Battle Tanks, but I believe the Army…" Davis caught himself, remembering the international nature of Gate operations, "the US Army is currently working on a few designs that might fit the bill."

"Good,"

"We're also getting full independent environmental control for the gateroom which should allow for full non-earthlike atmospheres and even fully flooding the gateroom should the need arise."

O'Neill blinked, then chuckled, "so long as it's not me that gets to pass that idea past appropriations…"

"Actually, appropriations have already cleared it. We passed it off as part of the new defences that are being installed in the gateroom itself. If any invasion force manages to get past the permanent machine gun, canon and pulse laser emplacements then they will find themselves either gassed or drowned."

"Sweet, but that's not why you are here is it?"

"Ah, no," General Davis replied uncomfortably, "there have been a few questions raised over the name you selected for the new warship class…"

O'Neill glanced at Davis, his expression guileless and innocent, all things the experienced black ops officer wasn't.

"Apparently it isn't done to name a Battleship the '_Subtlety_'."

Snorting, O'Neill settled back into his seat, "have you seen the specs for the thing? I know the designs are very much still work in progress and we probably won't see work start on one for at least another year, but come on, subtle that thing isn't."

Davis blinked, "so why did you pick '_subtlety_' as the name for the first ship and therefore for the entire class?"

"So I could label the second ship the '_Irony_',"

Davis started as if to ask something then blinked, raising his hand to his head as if to ward of an oncoming headache, "I see your sense of humour has only gotten worse over the years."

"Thank you," came the victorious reply.


	18. Chapter 17

12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

Seventeen 

"Ballsy of them," Jones grimaced, glancing at the flickering tactical display, "pity it didn't take some of the heat off of us."

"Can they really take the station with those few ships?" Hayes asked quietly.

"No," he replied swiftly, "but I'm guessing they're going to Fox 4 the blasted place,"

"Jesus," his tactical officer grimaced as the ship shook once more, "we've failed haven't we?"

Jones hesitated, glancing up once at the ships status displays, then the tactical displays then shook his head, sending Hayes a sorrowful glance just in time to see her console spark, then short out, Hayes spasming for brief seconds before slumping to the ground, still and faintly smoking.

"Yes," he replied softly, "but at least we'll take the bastards with us my friend."

Grimacing, favouring his right arm, he abandoned his charred command seat, walking across the room to a backup sound powered phone, hidden behind an apparently unused section of wall panel.

"Secondary Command, this is the Captain, disable the safety interlocks on Long Tom and commence firing with all available power," slumping, he let the phone drop back into its cradle, knowing full well that his order would be obeyed, and knowing that in about ten shots the weapon would fail, consuming his command. So be it, at least its technologies and secrets would not fall into the hands of Anubis.

* * *

Anubis growled, the sound guttural and filled with vile hatred as before his eyes two of his _Ha'taks _just vanished from the tactical display, killed by unexpectedly powerful fire from the Tau'ri Battlecruiser. 

They had been damaged vessels certainly, but such power… The Tau'ri must know they were doomed, they must have figured out his plans and instead of bowing to the inevitable, instead of accepting their rightful place as his serfs, they had decided to destroy themselves and worse, the weapon he sought rather then admit there lowly, hopeless position. Infantile creatures, not that he should have expected much better of group that spawned such defiant monsters as O'Neill and that thrice-damned Doctor Jackson.

He would crush their world for this, he would have their wives and children found and he would have them slaughtered like the dogs they were, he would…

_"Enemy vessels close aboard!" _

…let his Jaffa have their decadent pleasures with their soulless bodies before killing them, he would… _what was that?! _

* * *

"Fire," 

From a distance of a mere 1000 kilometres, not even a dust speck against the size of the star system, the damaged, battered but unbeaten destroyer _Invincible _announced its presence on the battlefield, its twin gauss rifles unleashing hell over open gun sights. The trinium based gauss bullets covered the distance between weapon and target in a literal instant, their energy completely converted as they impacted on the Goa'uld shields, rocking the massive enemy vessel even as the nippy destroyer heeled over, all energies diverted from stealth to showing the enemy Capital ship a clean pair of heels.

Anubis was mildly displeased.

* * *

Jones glanced up displeased as he felt the rumble of the ion canon cease; he hadn't felt the weapon fail, and his remaining readings still showed sufficient power, so why had they stopped firing? 

Grimacing, he reached for the sound powered phone once more, "Secondary command, this is the Captain, why have we stopped firing?"

"Goa'uld ships breaking off sir!"

_"What?" _

"I don't understand it sir, one moment everyone was firing on us, then there was what looked like Gauss impacts on the command ships shields, now he's got everyone racing off but sensors are too badly compromised for me to say more."

Jones didn't need to guess, "stupid fools, I ordered them to repair their ships ready for the long trip home, not try some more foolhardy stunts!"

"Wait... now receiving IFF beacon... its _Invincible _and she 'flying' flags and pennants code uniform."

Standing into danger, Jones mused as he gave orders to concentrate on repairs, now why would _Invincible _be transmitting that, unless…

* * *

Underneath the hull of every _Dauntless _class warship was a sharp, almost rudder like structure. This was always intended as a launcher for decoys capable of pretending, from a distance, to be the another warship, or perhaps the ship they were launched from, allowing the destroyer to go more easily to ground or evade. 

Working versions of the decoys had appeared swiftly, but effective and reliable still had yet to figure in the designs, as such the Captains of the _Dauntless _class, with tacit acceptance from a command structure that was increasingly annoyed with the failures of the decoy design team, had found increasingly inventive uses for the structure, from Colonial Nuke launcher to _minelayer. _

Of course, it was difficult to set the pod up as a minelayer at very short notice, but the front-lines of a war against an enemy that was numerically superior to an uber degree was no place for a stodgy by-the-book Captain. An inventive and devious Captain on the other hand could go far…

Anubis growled in annoyance as his ship rocked once more, his shields flickering as a third nuke detonated, not in contact with his shields but distant, the energies focused into creating a wave of electromagnetic energies.

Wouldn't take his shields down, even the pathetic shields of the weak fools, the defunct system lord could withstand nuclear devices after all, but each successive pulse degraded his sensors just a little bit more, eroded his communications just that extra notch... and to top it all off, the Tau'ri vessel wasn't without EW transmitters of its own which made locking onto it with his guns just that little more difficult. If only the blasted thing would maintain a stable course for just ten seconds!

But of course they wouldn't.

He growled as the ship shock once more, then blinked in shock as before his eyes, the power across his command ship went completely out.

Furious, he stepped forward off his throne to demand an explanation just as the final nuclear mine detected his ships unshielded status and fired its thrusters, sending the relatively small device spiralling fatally towards his command ship.

* * *

Delenn darted forwards from her place in shock, her expression amazed then vicious as she watched the Goa'uld lines suddenly break and fall into disarray, the so-called Shadow warships seeming to lose co-ordination first before the effect spiralled, the very few Jaffa crewed ships losing co-ordination themselves as they desperately tried to rally their comrades. Then, abruptly, the entire line of vessels broke, Drakh, Goa'uld, Shadow and Cylon vessels moving as one towards a point near the battered and disabled Tau'ri vessels. 

"Kill them!" she barked, "kill them now, whilst they are vulnerable!"

None of the allied commanders needed to be told even once and abruptly, the battle turned against Anubis's forces.


	19. Chapter 18

12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

Eighteen 

Model Six, Unit 049 could not believe the events that were occurring around her, a Basestar, a _Cylon _basestar was being boarded. It had been conceived of naturally, there were many plans in place to deal with marauding bands of humans intent on sabotage or destruction, but they all assumed a relatively small band managing to sneak aboard ship, intent most likely on a particular target.

This was no stealthy assault, this was no straight sabotage mission, this was a blunt, bloody 'we want your ship' boarding action by the joint forces of the Tau'ri and the Colonial Remnant. This was an assault in _force _… and the massive planning computers that had successfully drawn up contingencies for every single other eventually the Cylons had faced, _including _civil unrest within the Cylons own ranks and the splintering of the Divine Civilisation of the Cylons… had failed to even conceive of such an event.

And know her she was, caught aboard a ship that was about to be boarded with the sudden horrific realisation that, thanks to the high levels of automation aboard ship, they were now outnumbered at least _two _to one by the determined army bent on seizing her ship.

She gripped her jury-rigged pike with a strength breed of fear, her hands slowly imprinting their shapes onto the metal.

Worse yet, not only would every single one of the attackers be armed more then sufficiently to take down humanoid models such as herself but with the high levels of jamming and the vastly insufficient numbers of resurrection ships… she could die here.

For real.

Certainly, she didn't honestly think that the ship could be held and whilst she knew some of her fellow Cylons were desperately trying to rig up auxiliary self-destruct devices… well, she like all cylons knew that the only contingency in place for a very at high risk of being captured was self-destruct. The ships own computer should have detonated the ships nuclear armaments, or overloading the Naquadah primary power core, the Tylium secondary's, the…

A thousand and one ways a ship-mind had of destroying itself and it had done none of these, instead it had continued to try futilely to resist the enemy. That had to mean the ship, for whatever reason was afraid to die, but ship-minds couldn't die. Indeed, veteran Ship-minds such as the controlling intelligence governing the basestar she was aboard now were quite literally an overriding priority as far as resurrection was concerned, more so then any other Cylon, they _couldn't _die.

As such, the ship-mind had no right being fearful of its duty, it should have authorised a self-destruct, yet if the communications of the local network were anything to go by, the ship-mind was actively resisting attempts to destroy the ship. Why? The ship was just a shell, it could have another…

Six froze, unless of course it couldn't.

Unless of course, it had lost the Resurrection carrier-wave… if that was true, then they could all die, and all their souls would be lost to the abyss.

Terrified, she sent a request for reassurance along with her conclusions to the 4 unit that acted as the ships Spiritual Advisor, not realising in her fear that she had sent the transmission openly, not encrypted as circumstances would have dictated to a more rational mind.

Within a tenth of a microsecond every model and unit aboard the ship knew of her fears, and like a snake to the breast, they settled over the ship like a cloud.

* * *

Weir watched, her eyes dark, saddened as transport after transport dropped down from the skies, carrying thousands of wounded, the dead and the dying. The transports had been dropping, swiftly depositing their loads for the last seven hours and they had yet to stop. 

Oh, she had known that people would die, that was always so true in war, but it hadn't hit her exactly what those figures meant. A thousand dead? Just a number, for the human mind can not grasp such enormities…

But the constant stream of transports? That was something the mind could see, could witness, and could despair at, the sheer volume of movement telling of the desperate race to save as many as possible, and telling also of how many were gone.

But for all the dead, all the dying, and the just plain missing, she knew the operation was a success.

Anubis's forces hadn't just been defeated, they had been massacred, a battle that was going so evenly, so predictably falling into sheer attrition had abruptly turned into a rout… and no-one yet truly knew why.

Yes, Anubis had lost his Command ship but the Tau'ri had been witness to such before as the forces of Maktenos destroyed his old Command ship in the build-up to the assault on Edonia Nebula and his lines hadn't broken then. Today however, they had, why?

It was a question that would no doubt be filling the minds of many, strategists and analysts alike in the coming months, one whose answer could possibly determine the future course of the war. Hopefully, the answer would come in time, for now with Anubis having taken ferocious losses, the Allies had declared a push. For the first time, the forces of the League, the Narn and the Minbari would be liberating seized worlds, reclaiming their populations and resources and hopefully, swiftly reintegrating them not just into their civilizations, but into their war efforts.

They would get many recruits as they spearheaded forward, many people would no doubt have anything left at home for them, even if they had a home left at all.

God, how she hated this, she was a diplomat, it was her job, her _duty _to resolve disputes, to try and reach an amicable agreement before outright fighting broke out and yet here she was doing all she could to hold together a fragile Alliance, trying as much as she could to support a war.

She had always thought that war, that fighting had meant that the diplomats had failed in their duty, it had taken a being as Alien as Anubis for her to truly realise that not everyone could be reasoned with and, not for the first time, she mourned her loss of innocence, the loss of her high ideals.


	20. Chapter 19

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

**In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!**

**Nineteen**

"We're out of the fight," Jones shook his head, quietly and tiredly dismayed, "we'll need repairs just to return to home plate,"

"True enough," Sub-Lieutenant Higgs replied, gazing at his Captain somewhat distant eyes, a slight slurring in his voice explained away by the heavy bandage wrapped around his forehead, "maybe the Chief could have rigged up something…"

Captain Jones glanced up as Higgs paused, a slight catch in his voice, "but at least most of the job is simple parts work. As soon as we get home, well, it should be a relatively quick repair job. Can't say the same for the other ships though, _Searcher _has lost at least a quarter of her crew and _Persephone _will have to be towed home."

"I've already arranged for a tow from our allied friends," he replied, "it'll slow us down but the escort will be helpful and its not as if any of us are in any real condition to race."

"That's certainly true Sir, but I wouldn't even think about heading home till I've had at least a week to work as much of the kinks out as I can,"

Jones nodded, thanking the all too swiftly promoted Chief of Engineering as he gestured him out of the room. Higgs nodded, pausing by the door as he left the room.

"All this death, all this destruction… was it worth it sir?"

Captain Jones found himself without a reply.

* * *

_"The Royal Star Service has confirmed the destruction of several internet backbone satellites by its fighters, stating 'reasons of national security' as an excuse for the unacceptable destruction of private assets and property by the renegade British agency." _

_----- _

_"Cheering in Washington DC today as the cities first mark II defensive satellite is placed in orbit. The satellite, the first of a network paid for by public donations, was displayed under heavy guard for three days inside the National Air and Space Museum before being lifted directly into orbit by an 'Airhead' class orbital lifter. _

_Meanwhile, controversy reins over the placement of the prototype type III _'Lancelot' _defensive satellite, currently under construction at an undisclosed location. Military sources in both Stargate Command and the Royal Star Service state that the most likely location for the satellite will be in orbit over the Stargate Command Facilities currently being cleared ready for reconstruction at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado Springs, however many politicians are arguing for placements more likely to protect their constituents but quite possibly not in the best interests of Earth's continued safety. _

_It is hoped by this news agency, for all our sakes, that saner heads prevail."_

_-----_

_"The Senate passed a bill today authorising funding for the construction of a dedicated shipyard in Earth orbit. This facility, intended to increase the ability of our space forces to build and repair ships has yet to be ratified by the British Government, currently sited somewhere in Edinburgh. Official sources say the station, tentatively titled 'Gaia Station', will be able to handle at least 14 ships at any one time." _

_----- _

_"I'm standing outside a warehouse in Surrey that just five hours ago was the site of a vicious firefight between government forces, primarily army but with RSS Security support and a number of, what I can only describe as robotic warriors suspected to be Cylon forces. This comes a mere two days after a police station in West Yorkshire was raided and destroyed by individuals wearing Jaffa armour with massive causalities amongst police and prisoner alike. _

_So far, no official statement has been released regarding either of these incidents." _

_-----_

_"The internet largely collapsed today as the central IP servers, controlled almost entirely by the US, were taken offline for almost seven hours after the discovery of what official sources describe as an insidious and clever hi-jack. The servers are online at this moment but the disruption has caused massive problems throughout the internet which we are told, may take days to fully clear." _

_----- _

_"A class action suit brought against the US Government was thrown out of court today. The suit, brought against the government by an alliance of citizens from all bar three of the states, stated that the government had acted in direct contradiction of its responsibility to the general populace. _

_The response from the government was simple, a potential source of both threats and allies had been found and that, for better or for worse, they had an obligation to investigate. _

_The judge reminded the court in his closing statement that hindsight was always 20-20. The so called 'Freedom Alliance' stated that they were going to file charges against the judge for the 'illegal' ruling… just as soon as they could figure out what those charges should be." _

_-----_

_"Judge Olymeyer was murdered in his bed last night, just five hours after throwing a suit against the US Government out of court. The 'Freedom Alliance' has denied any involvement." _

_----- _

_"Armed police clashed with rioters at Biggin Hill, headquarters for the 1st Motor Torpedo boat Squadron, as an unidentified craft bearing what we believe to be Colonial Markings landed, marking the latest stage of the ongoing colonisation of Alpha Prime. This wave will mainly include the pre-selected, that is, those individuals whom the RSS and SGC commands had already accessed and hoped would apply for the move." _

* * *

Defeat. 

The word settled over her mind, a bitter pill, poisoning and twisting its way through her gut, they had been defeated. The Cylons, the race truly destined to control and bring order to the human infested chaos of the universe had been defeated by the very pestilence they were meant to destroy.

It truly proved how much of a threat these humans were and how determined they were to resist the rightful rulers of the galaxy… not that any of this helped her at the moment, not with a gun pointed right between her eyes and a probably blocked connection to the resurrection ship.

Could they have figured out how to commit that heresy?

The six admitted to herself that she didn't know, and truly, she didn't want to find out. In the darkest, quietest corner of her mind, she also admitted to herself she was truly afraid.

* * *

"Signal from the basestar commander, it's _Gullotine. _" 

Adama glanced up, a faint grin lighting up the corners of his eyes, "the prize is ours people, the basestars central computer has been isolated," the grin disappeared as cheers filled the room, "but don't let that get to your heads, we're not safe yet. We've got near 300 hundred people on that basestar whose lives are in jeopardy if the Cylons pay us a return visit. The prize needs to be repaired, made ready to move and it must be protected all the way back to friendly skies, we could still lose this one."

Pleased at their more subdued and serious attitudes, Adama rubbed the bridge of his nose as he glanced back at the tactical displays dropping down from the ceiling.


	21. Chapter 20

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

**In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!**

**Twenty**

Grimacing as he adjusted the always uncomfortable dress uniform, O'Neill glanced once swiftly around his office, confirming the absence of any papers of memory sticks on his desk before he stepped swiftly out. Casually, instinctively he dropped a few 'telltale' hairs between the door and frame as he locked the door, before swiftly heading through the corridors and walkways to Ravenbright Slipway 1, a shit-eating grin barely hidden under a mild mask of professional pleasure.

Today, he was happy to be at work, not a common event since the office became his battlefield. Then again, given the state his knee was in, perhaps the office was the best place for him; he knew the Doctors would have placed some new ironmongery in his leg whether he liked it or not if the brown and murky stuff hadn't been spread about so liberally in the last year.

Still, after today he knew, whether he liked it or not, he would be sent to the beach, even if the bucket and shovel they were going to give him were only loaners. Damnit, he hated the hospital, but then again, the quacks around here were no patch on old Doc Frasier so maybe that was why.

If only the feds could vist again, he had little doubt that they could make short work of his knee…

"General on the deck!"

Grimacing at the formality, he stepped past the ramrod straight ensign through the airlock that marked the boundary between the construction slip and the station at large.

Ignoring the assembled dignitaries and associated underlings, O'Neill stepped straight across to the massive triple-glazed observation windows, casting his first glance of the _Atlantis, _minus the gantries and work-platforms that had hidden her form for so long. His breath caught, his soldiers instinct telling him at once that what he saw was no grand old lady like the _Galactica, _but a caged beast waiting, no, needing to be given freedom and purpose.

Soon, he promised the behemoth, soon.

It was only in his mind he heard an answering purr from the massive warcraft, only in his mind…

* * *

"We can't keep building ships at Edonia indefinitely," Sarah Williams commented, her face tracking against the faces that would once have been present in reality but with all the chaos and all that needed to be done, were more often then not only present as images nowadays. 

"But what did we build slips into Edonia for it not to build warships?" Flottillenadmiral Hirsh angrily, "it is not as if we have enough slips that we can allow any to go spare."

"When _Gaia _comes online, we may have to," Jones pointed out, "everything has to be shipped out to the nebula, everything. There are no local mines or factories providing even the smallest part of the resources needed."

"My department has done the maths on this," Colonel Walters shook his head, "the cost of moving all the parts to Edonia to construct just 3 _Dauntless _class vessels, as the Russians are now doing, is equivalent to the construction cost of a _Prometheus _constructed at _Thundersdawn. _"

"Mein Gott, is that true?"

"Unfortunately so," Sarah shrugged, "whilst long term plans did include heavy construction work at the base that assumed associated facilities in the local systems, until then, the slips were only supposed to be there to support operations in that area of space; not be running full stretch constructing new vessels."

"Then we have an obvious target for saving money," Walters noted.

"Not until _Gaia _is online," Sarah put forward wryly, "expensive though it might be, I'm afraid the operational need to use those slips is very real at this time."

Grimacing, Hirsh shared a look with his American counterpart, "We are supposed to be saving money here, do not forget that Commander."

Sarah snorted, "And there is a reason why an _operations _officer is actually involved in this process. Until _Gaia _is online we will continue to support construction efforts at Edonia, that I am afraid is non-negotiable."

"And when the station is online…?" Hirsh probed.

"Cost saving equivalent to a _Prometheus_? Fuck yeah."

Sending a disapproving glance at the younger officer, Hirsh made a note of the decision even as Walters glanced away from his camera, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Next item on the agenda," Hirsh grimaced, "the repair budget."

Walters snorted, "Good luck getting that down, I'm afraid open warfare isn't very friendly to that particular budget."

Hirsh nodded, acknowledging the point, "nevertheless our governments will not continue to pour extra money into the budget all the time, we've all seen tax rises since disclosure and those are only set to continue, if there is anything that can be done anywhere to _safely _save money, we must do so."

"Costs are going down as the vertical integration increases," Walters noted, his hands dancing at a keyboard just below the reach of his cameras eye, "a lot of basic components can know be made either on _Ravenbright _or on the local surface using materials mined locally. The volumes there are increasing in fits and starts as more facilities go online but the more advanced components can still only be built on Earth's surface, they then have to be transhipped to orbit."

"The fabled space elevator would be a real assist there, but the problem still is and had always been, what kind of material do you use for a rope that stretches all the way from orbit to the surface? And just what the hell do you do if the 'rope' goes wild?"

Hirsh and Walters shared shudders at the image Commander Williams's words produced but she wasn't finished, "we lost a lot of _Paladins _recently which has pushed costs up and the _Airheads _are showing the strain, several have been failed recently and been listed for disposal and we still have no real heavy surface to orbit lifting capability."

"Lots of small loads…" Hirsh shook his head, "I'm afraid that in order to save long term costs I may have to recommend that a true heavy lift capable craft be bumped up the schedule."

"That'll cost."

"What doesn't?" Walters pointed out, "but I'll pass it along to the analysts, see if we can write up a decent case."

"Operations would appreciate the personnel that might be saved by using large craft instead of masses of small craft," Sarah pointed out.

"So noted," Hirsh glanced across, "but I still think maybe there is more we can do here."

"Not much," Sarah frowned, "a lot of savings will come with the increase in vertical integration but at the moment infrastructure on Alpha Prime is proving to be the prime limiting factor. That's primarily a case of waiting on personnel, which given the colonisation efforts is certainly in hand, and time. As it is, the Planetary Governor has already informed command that he lives in mortal fear of a real fire in the colonised zones, let alone a true civil emergency."

"I heard that several captured hulls are to be refitted on the surface of Alpha Prime, is this true?" Hirsh asked, his hands idly stroking his beard.

"Yes, including a little something the Gatecrasher teams are decontaminating at the moment," Sarah confirmed, making the two accountants eyebrows rise.

"Can we not do more construction and repair on surface then?"

Sarah shook her head, "there are major safety issues inherent with damaged warships trying to land on a planets surface. All it would take is for power to fail… in space so long as you have atmosphere inside the ship you can deal with a power failure or engine problem, but during re-entry?"

"And construction?" Walters asked hesitantly.

"Not quite as tricky, there are inherent questions of course with launching untried craft into orbit from the surface but that's something that the SGC and the RSS both do on a fairly regular basis for small craft and has been done for larger hulls," Sarah shrugged, "it is feasible to increase surface construction but you're talking a massive initial investment again. Alpha Prime would be the best site given security, environment and space considerations but infrastructure is the issue again."

Exasperated, Hirsh turned to Sarah, "then can you think of anyway we can save some real money now?"

"Fewer accountants?" she responded with a grin.

* * *

_"I name this ship _Atlantis, _may God keep watch over her and all who sail in her," _Grinning O'Neill stepped forward to the very edge of the ledge, the red carpet barely hiding the fittings where normally a rail would stand. 

Beside him, Roslin spoke, a pleased yet saddened look on her face as she gazed across at the mighty, once Colonial hull, _"Lords, we bring before you the _Atlantis. _Hephaestus, we ask you find our creation worthy and bless her construction, Artemis, we ask of you your shield and your sure and straight hunters eye, Ares, we ask you guide this craft in your art of war." _

With a single nod, solider to politician, their two bottles were launched into the abyss, the light glinting as inertia guided them to the awaiting behemoths hull.


	22. Chapter 21

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

**In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!**

**Twenty-One**

The Doyle grimaced as he mentally shifted through the data and communications of a near thousand ships, mostly fighters or support craft. He hated this job, hated the constant, mind numbingly boring analysis, the IQ killing search for patterns, for unexplained events, for anything that might indicate a potential problem or a potential advantage.

He considered himself lucky that at least command had collectively agreed to rotate units in and out of this duty; leastways he might have been here forever. If that happened, he knew the unrelenting boredom would eventually send him to the box as a psychological failure.

Let's see, twenty raiders abruptly off the air in sector 20-12 on the Secessionist / Unforgiven border and the nearest resurrection facility, a hastily built station in this instance, reporting receiving 20 download streams near enough simultaneously.

No need to guess what happened there, though with twenty units killed in near enough one moment…

Idly, he issued an order for a more through 'debriefing' of the fighter minds. It took a lot after all to kill even those second rate minds without them getting a warning off.

The resurrection station was also reporting other download streams, most likely from the skirmish further up the border where two Unforgiven basestars where engaging a supply convoy. They were getting far too good at disrupting supplies, almost making it a speciality of theirs, but the Doyle knew plans where in hand already, his predecessor having gotten himself an early out by predicting where the next five Unforgiven raids would be. This one was predicted and was merely confirmation; the next would not be a supply convoy, as much as it might appear to be.

Basestar CX-8891-C he was beginning to be worried about, the ship had been in combat and they were supposed to send a combat report immediately combat was over, indeed, the basestar had started to send such a signal but it had been abruptly terminated. He would be more worried if the nearest resurrection facility had reported unexpected downloads but as yet that ship was quiet; there were no losses in its catchment area. That at least was encouraging, besides he knew the sun the basestar was orbiting was not the most stable, it flared often and each time communications were disrupted. It was most likely what had caused a problem on this occasion too; he would give it a few more hours before he sent a patrol to investigate.

* * *

"I think we did it," Boomer 201 commented with a grin, gazing with a grin at the displays which showed five boxed fighter minds. 

"It was not the complete success we had hoped for," an eleven responded calmly, "we only managed to intercept five of the minds after all and we still do not know if the five that got through and the five we inserted survived the process."

"True," Boomer nodded at the displays, "but at the very least we have proven that we can capture minds in transmission and box them. Eventually they will realize they are losing minds, perhaps they will even realize why, but in the meantime, they will be creating more and more green minds whilst their more experienced ones disappear."

"We should have these minds interrogated,"

Boomer nodded, "we should but these boxes are too heavily modified to allow that."

"Pity," the eleven noted, casually reaching across and switching the power off to the captured intelligences.

* * *

"We need to decide what is to be done about the _Lancers." _

"True," Commodore Peters responded swiftly, "but I don't think the answer is to scrap them as oversight is calling for. That would take over a hundred fighters out of the fight and we can't really afford that."

"Nor can we afford the ongoing maintenance bill," Squadron Leader Reynolds commented, "the batch one design is in major need of overhaul, the batch 2 design was a failure, the prototype managing to shred itself spectacularly."

"True enough," Thompson noted, "but really, it is now a matter of role. Do these craft have a role to furfill? Do we still have a purpose for them?"

"Initially they were considered dog-fighters because they could out-manoeuvre the F-302's but frankly, the _Vipers _have the edge there now, just. Have greater missile carrying capacity then the current generation of F-302's but the prototype for the next generation is in the air and it will equalize that. Neither will have as many missiles as the _Strikers _but that's okay because the _Strikers _are Fighter / Attack, not plain fighter." Peters frowned, "frankly, I'm not sure where the class does fit in now."

"I've seen the projections for the batch 3 design," Reynolds grinned, "same basic airframe shape but moving to a geodesic construction pattern and a complete internal rewire. If they get the go ahead to prototype it, it'll be a tough little bugger thanks to the geodesic construction and an expensive one for the same reason."

"Geodesic… didn't the Wellingtons use that in the Second World War?" Thompson frowned.

"Yes, and they frequently flew home with damage that would have put other designs in the ground. It will mean existing craft can't be refitted but frankly, the two big problems have always been wiring and structural strength and the 3 seems to have that in hand. Losing the existing craft is going to happen anyway."

Peters grimaced, "tough they might be, but expensive is going to be a problem as would the lack of a specific role or purpose."

Reynolds shrugged, glancing across the room where a picture of the wet-navy carrier _Illustrious _caught his eyes, a _Harrier _caught in the process of taking off.

"Ground support," he murmured.

"Pardon?" Peters asked, blinking and Reynolds glanced up to see that he had the full and undivided attention of his superiors.

He frowned, leaning backwards in his seat, "the one role we really don't have covered yet or any plans for that I am aware off, ground support. We send SG-1 teams through the gate to known or suspected worlds all the time and they have to face off against deathgliders and worse and they manage. When we can, we do arrange a fighter sweep which normally makes mincemeat of any gliders making the ground fight evenish… but we need to uneven it. The Goa'uld, the Cylons, the Aschen, none have a dedicated ground support craft. Sure, they do have craft which can act in the role but think about it… the _Lancer _is manoeuvrable, it can dance between hills and valleys, hugging the ground until it reaches its target. It is fully atmospheric capable, landing and takeoff and has no problems with reentry. The new construction used with the batch 3 design will make it an even tougher craft, more capable of taking hits. The pulse weapons are devastating weapons in themselves, but the _Lancer _already has a warload rating. We would just need to expand the range of weapons the design can handle, rocket pods, cluster bombs…"

"R&D already has a rocket pod design which should be able to survive re-entry; it's not tested or prototyped as yet…" Peters mused.

"Bombs and similar one use items would be an issue there. Making them re-entry capable would increase the cost prohibitively," Thompson noted, his tone making it clear he was inviting responses not dismissing the notion.

"Overwing mounts," Peters noted shrugging, "it was done on the old _Jaguar _ground attack craft, not to mention the _Lightning _."

"The wings would help shield from re-entry effects but whether that would be enough is something for the techs to tell us. Still, it would lead to the interesting view of an craft being upside down in order to bomb unless lobbing of course." Thompson nodded, "the _Strikers _may be classed as fighter-attack but attack isn't that appropriate when you think about it because attack designates an anti-ground ability. Maritime strike would be more appropriate there."

"No need to delete or downgrade the _Lancers _fighter role either," Reynolds grinned, "and every reason not too."

"Well," Thompson noted, "it's certainly a thought to put before oversight."

"Ironically enough," Peters noted, "the PDF variations of the _Lancers _will have a far easier time adapting to ground support role. No weight of the hyperdrive, a pre-existing internal bay…"

The Admiral smiled, "almost a logical extension of their planetary defence role."

"That might be the way to sell it in fact," Reynolds noted.

"Perhaps," Thompson shrugged, "but moving on, I have a promotion to announce to _Rear-Admiral _Peters."

Peters gaped, looking uncommonly like she had just been hit with a 2 by 4 before slowly smiling.


	23. Chapter 22

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Twenty-Two**

"Bandit!" 

Adama snapped to awareness at the shouted word, his eyes flicking instinctively to the tactical display, tracing a lobe red dot as it proceeded slowly across the screen then suddenly, sharply veered off. Behind it, a finger of blue dots raced, frantically trying to intercept the sole cylon warcraft. 

"15 seconds until Cylon fighter can jump," 

The Admiral grimaced, the window of interception, the time it took for the cylon fighters engines to recycle enough for the fighter to make a short range jump out of harms way was far too small, if the fighter mind was veteran that was what it would do, make a small jump to give it time to properly calculate a long jump. If they were lucky, it was an inexperienced mind and right now it was trying to calculate a long range jump… and waiting for a complete drive recycle. 

If… 

But as the Earther's said, 'if wishes were horses then beggars would ride," and frankly everything had been going far too well on this capture operation. It was past time something went wrong. 

"Jump!" came the strangled shout, "5 seconds left on timer!" 

Frak, something _had _just gone wrong. 

"Signal the prize, they had better hurry it up," Adama nodded thankfully as a mug of coffee was passed across to him, "we can now expect company in force." 

* * *

"The _Raider _mind must be corrupt," the six commented acidly. 

"Agreed," a model 9, 'Doyle', responded, "it is certainly highly unlikely that the Tau'ri have managed to seize one of our basestars." 

"And yet," a model 2, one of the rare few who had not chosen to join the Unforgiven noted, "the _Raider _just passed a complete systems diagnostics with no flags and is one of our most experienced minds, credited with two battlestar kills over Caprica." 

The others paused; it was a point worthy of consideration. 

Doubtfully, a 9 responded slowly, "the _Raiders_report is highly unlikely…" 

"Nevertheless," a Six grimaced, "we cannot risk even the possibility of it being true," 

"Agreed," on that at least there was consensus. 

"It is a bold move I'll admit," the two commented, then glanced up, realisation filling her eyes, "bold, aggressive and unexpected." 

One by one the other models twigged, but it was a 9 who responded, "I think we had best start hit and run raids, disrupt their efforts. They have to be planning on moving their prize out,"

"Use the time to gather as many ships as possible nearby for a coordinated assault," six nodded, "we must be prepared to destroy the ship ourselves if needs be, we cannot allow family to fall into the humans hands." 

On that too, there was consensus, but each had a disquieting thought filling their mind, the ship mind should have self-destructed when it realized it was going to be captured, why hadn't it? 

* * *

_"A statement from the Royal Star Service has today confirmed that the _Atlantis, _the newest warship to join the spaceforce, has successfully completed tests of all its weapons systems with no major problems. It is confirmed that a few problems did come up during the tests but these are described as relatively minor and should the need arise; the ship would be able to operate now in a purely defensive capacity. _

_It will be at least two more months before the ship is declared operational." _

_ --- _

_"Another wave of defensive emplacements is launched amidst arguments of where control over these satellites should lie. The old space limitation treaties are certainly long gone as individual governments fight to control those assets they or their citizenry directly paid for and anything that might appear in their skies. In the midst of this, the Royal Star Service and Stargate Command nations refuse to relinquish any control arguing, perhaps correctly; that centralized control will mean a more powerful coordinated response should the satellites ever be required again. _

_Just to pour oil on this fire, an increasingly nervous segment of the population is asking for more and more reassurances that these weapons platforms can not be diverted to attack ground targets. _

_The agencies have repeatedly confirmed that they can't, but there is a portion of the scientific community that is saying they do not understand that, they see no reason these can't be turned against ground targets, making blackmail from space a real possibility. _

_Indeed, this is becoming one of the favoured arguments of the local control brigade, a group increasingly being treated with exasperation by the space agencies, but, thanks perhaps to the secrecy surrounding the design and science behind these gun placements, being increasingly listened to by a general public eager for some form of answer." _

_--- _

_"A small warship of the Motor Torpedo Boat type arrived back at Manston today having been dragged back from Ravenbright where the craft, part of the Sol System Defence Squadron, had been sent for repairs, bringing the squadron back to full strength. _

_Nice to know, you say, not necessarily news though. Perhaps, but for this first time this craft did not carry the markings of the Royal Space Service, of Stargate Command or indeed, even of both services. No, this craft returned bearing the emblem of the Tau'ri Star Service, becoming the first Earth craft to carry this marking. A sign perhaps of the changes to come, changes which so far have all been as plans and preparations on paper and not actual action." _


	24. Chapter 23

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Twenty-Three**

_"Earth's defences remain at a high state of alert today after the discovery of a stealthed monitoring platform just outside the Sol System. The station, believed to be of Goa'uld construction, was discovered during a random check on the outlying areas of the system being carried out by the destroyer General Hammond." _

_---_

_"A source within Stargate Command has suggested current plans may result in the prototype type 3 defensive satellite may be placed so as to protect the construction of the Gaia shipyard, whose construction in Earths own orbit has been confirmed but not yet started. This goes directly against earlier statements which suggested the platform may be placed above the Stargate Command facilities currently being rebuilt in Colorado or over one of the scattered Royal Space Service facilities in the United Kingdom." _

_--- _

_"A motion has entered congress today to convert the Kennedy Space Centre into a transhipment and construction facility for the proposed Tau'ri Star Service. The facility, whose future like so many NASA bases has been uncertain since Disclosure, would end up being the largest construction base for support craft such as the _Airhead _orbital lifters and _Paladin_transports as well as retaining its role as a starport, taking cargoes in by rail, road and air ready for lifting to be orbit or vice-versa. The facility is already well equipped for this role having the bulk of the required infrastructure already in place." _

_--- _

_"Unconfirmed reports are reaching us that an Asgard _Beliskner _class ship has arrived in orbit and is preparing for cleanup operations around the Exeter Exclusion zone, now thoroughly and some say irretrievably contaminated with radiation." _

_--- _

_"If you look up to the skies tonight you may see a new star glinting in the heavens, that glinting dot seen most clearly in South England and parts of France is no star, it's the Battlestar _Atlantis _, currently scheduled to be on proving trials between Mars and the asteroid belt. No-one has yet confirmed the reason why this craft has taken up orbit over Earth but its location and the rumours of Asgard vessels modified for radiation cleanup duties cannot be a coincidence." _

_--- _

_"The 1 st Battlegroup, assigned to support allied races is on its way home today. Sources confirm that the group dialled in from a Stargate close to the allied territories, apparently to transmit reports and to seek parts and equipment. This has not been confirmed, but it has been suggested that a significant number of body bags were sent through the gate to the temporary Stargate Command Facilities. What is certain is that the group will have to travel for several months to reach Earth with frequent stops to restock on food, as well as recyclables such as water and oxygen."_

* * *

Murielle gazed unblinkingly through the dirtied glass of her binoculars, one eye on the distant farm buildings, the other flickering around the surrounding countryside, checking as ever for unwanted surprises. Movement, she stiffened slightly, and then relaxed as two female figures walked out of the old, possibly medieval barn across to the only slightly newer farmhouse. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought they were twins, but Murielle knew enough to recognise model sixes when she saw them. 

Normally she would have been in by now, at the head of a detachment of SAS, Royal Marine Commandoes or whoever else was available. Not this time however, this farmhouse was in an area that had 100 radar coverage, both civilian and military and of mixed types. There was no way anyone should be able to land in this particular corner of the English countryside unnoticed and yet these guys had. She could understand the human forms managing to land elsewhere and assemble here, but there was a large detachment of warriors badly concealed around the buildings too and who would miss or mistake those? 

Not to mention, the glimpses she had caught of the inside of the barn they seemed to say 'heavy raider'. That was certainly a problem, she wouldn't want to guess how many of those annoyingly pocket sized nukes the Colonials and Cylons used could be landed on one of those. But that was a minor consideration in why they weren't going in, there were enough dead already that if those went up here and now in response to a raid, it wouldn't make much of a difference to the stats, even with the local presence of several large towns. No, nasty as it might sound the bigger issue was how they were landing and supporting this small base without being noticed, after all, if they would manage it here in such a well covered area, how much could they get away with in a less well monitored zone? 

It helped of course that most planes had been grounded long since and that most flights at the moment were official or scheduled well in advance, sure it was a bastard for those who could afford a small plane such as a Cessna but it made tracing flights at lot easier. 

Movement again from within the farmyard, several figures stepping out of cover, looking around as if waiting, and now a tingling from her wrist reciever. She glanced down, her eyebrows rising just slightly at the small led readout. 

Somebody inside the farm was transmitting were they? And a possible homing signal at that, very interesting, it may just be that they were about to have visitors. After two weeks of watching and no dice, it was damn well past time. 

She glanced up, her eyes darting around, controlling, swiftly quartering every corner of the sky, ground and farmyard with practised efficiency. Still, she misses the exact moment exact moment the heavy raider appears, with a grimace Murielle realises exactly what has happened and knowing it may cause her death, but also knowing the information is too important to risk being lost if she was caught in her escape, she slowly reaches down, pulling a small radio with attached keyboard and swiftly begins to type. 

* * *

"This is a problem," Admiral Thompson states flatly. 

"This is a fucking nightmare," O'Neill growls, "if there _Raiders _can just jump into atmosphere then they can be in and out literally in a minute." 

Carter shrugged, the light glinting of the single star on her shoulder tabs, "assuming they have precalulated outbound co-ordinates, yes. Even if they don't, they would be able to calculate an outbound jump before we had any chance to intercept…"

"If they decide to start attacking instead of just dropping of raiding parties and Intel groups…" O'Neill growled. 

"The question is why haven't they yet?" Thompson noted his expression pensive, "they certainly seem more determined to weaken then to actually destroy." 

"Weaken implies an intention to take…" Carter mused, "it's certainly not a guarantee but…" 

"Do we know of any way to jam their jump drives?" Thompson noted. 

"No," Carter shrugged, "apparently the Colonials did try to find a way during the first cylon war but never had any real success." 

"I think it just became a priority," the Commander of _Ravenbright _station shrugged, "either we jam 'em so they can't just jump into range of Earth or we come up with some form of interdict so we can stop them where we want them. Either way…"

"I think our only saving grace so far is that the human forms are not militarily trained for the most part, they are certainly learning tactics as they go along but it's easy to miss things like that. If they start to truly think about what they can do with those jump drives," The Admiral slumped down in his seat, "then the war will very swiftly be over for us. Carter, I know Sciences can do without another priority but O'Neill is right, we need an interdict or jamming capability and I think we needed it several years ago." 


	25. Chapter 24

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Twenty-four**

_Galactica _rocked and Admiral Adama winced mildly at the bashing his valiant old Lady was getting, his eyes never leaving the tactical displays dropped down from the roof of the CIC. 

He wasn't worried; he knew the Old Lady could take her knocks, often far better then the newer designs. Besides, the ships shields were still up, that wasn't even an armour hit. 

What he was worried about were the _Paladins. _

The small, manoeuvrable, overloaded, under-gunned and under-armoured support craft that had been swarming the battlefield when the Cylon basestar jumped in and were now frantically trying and failing to avoid the swarms of fighters that the enemy capital ship had eventually thrown out… after losing one of its 'arms' to_Galacticas _own guns. 

The basestar had died quickly, the fighters themselves had dived into the swarming masses knowing they would be safe from_Galacticas _own guns and they could cause havoc until his fighters redeployed. 

It was an annoyingly smart move from the supposedly dull-witted fighter-minds, but one that wasn't without its own cost; the _Paladins _were undergunned after all, which is not the same thing as being completely without weapons at all. 

_"Tally-ho!" _

Adama grinned grimly as a dozen new lights dived into the furball, marked as _Viper _fighters, in moments the Cylon_Raiders _were disengaging, flicking into jump as fast as their drives would spool. 

"They have confirmation now," he noted grimly, staring his determination into the faces of his officers, hoping to imprint his resolve on their minds, "they will be back and in more force, we need to be ready to great them and we need to be ready to leave as soon as possible." 

He glanced back at the tactical for a moment, "get recovery to work, what craft we can't salvage, rig for demolition, don't leave any allied equipment behind for the enemy to reverse engineer." 

* * *

_"A bill was placed before the Commons today to reintroduce conscription in the face of devastating losses inflicted, primarily on the Army, during the recent assaults on British soil and on the Earth as a whole. The bill is facing stiff opposition, indeed many see the very thought of conscription as backsliding and a definite violation of basic human right but the bill has its supporters too. Indeed, many see if as perhaps a necessary evil to help get the military back to strength, though it will take several years for the infrastructure to grow to support what would be a massive boast in numbers. _

_It will be quite some time before a decision is made and passed into law, and whatever happen, there are likely to be legal challenges, but one thing is certain, recruitment rates are not high enough at the moment to replace the grievous losses inflicted and still being inflicted on the worlds armed forces." _

* * *

_"Three probable _Beliskner _class vessels have been sighted over the Exeter exclusion zone. Details are minimal, it is rumoured even Stargate Command and the Royal Star Service do not know exactly how the radioactive residue is going to be cleaned up or even how long it will take. _

_What is known for definite is that the whole situation is being clamped under a massive veil of secrecy, we have confirmed reports that several groups of reporters sent into the exclusion zone unofficially have been arrested by the security services and have been told they are not going to be released until the 'Asgard' vessels have left. _

_Monitoring of military bases and movements seems to suggest a constant presence in quite some force around the modified alien warships and amateur astronomers have confirmed that the_Atlantis _is maintaining orbit over the vessels and is not on proving trials as previously scheduled. _

_This news agency thanks the Asgard for their presence and assistance but with this secrecy, is forced to wonder if the previously stated purpose for the Asgard arrival is then only reason they are here. And who exactly are the Asgard anyway? _

_Little has been released to us beyond the fact that they are a powerful advanced race which Stargate Command has maintained a long friendship with. _

_We, and I am sure the general public, would like to know a lot more before we truly begin to fell safe with these off-worlders in our skies." _

* * *

_"Twenty American nationals were arrested under strict American anti-terror laws yesterday, sources within the FBI have suggested they were attempting to plant explosive devices into construction supplies headed for the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. A new radical organisation calling itself 'Humans First' has claimed responsibility for the attempted attacks." _

* * *

"Ten basestars should be enough," the six commented idly. 

"It may be too many; we are stretched thin as it is, the war with the heretic Unforgiven is taking its toil, not to mention the raids by Anubis's forces and the constant threat of attack by Maktenos…"the Doyle unit shook his head angrily, "ten capital ships is far more then I would have wanted to divert at this time." 

"Would you rather the Earthers pick apart a basestar?" 

"No," he grimaced, "but they have already had it too long, they would certainly have broken some of her secrets by know. If they are smart…" 

Six sent him a look which suggested underestimating the intelligence of the humans was certainly _not _smart. 

"…then they have taken some smaller components off of the ships already and sent them by courier direct to Earth." 

"So even if they lose the big prize they get something. Not to mention, if they disable the minds of any fighters undergoing maintenance…" the Six turned her dismayed face to the ceiling, "nine, where did it all go wrong?" 

"The day we involved ourselves with the humans once more, but it is too late to change that now. We must consider the very real possibility instead that every single one of our codes, worse, our basic method for creating ciphers is compromised, our tech base now rests in human hands…" 

"Not yet." She replied angrily. 

"No," Doyle sighed in resignation, "but it will be another twenty minutes at least before we are ready for our next attack on the _Galactica. _It's almost certain the humans will get away with something they can find useful, and I am betting they are going to go for our fighter jump drives." 

"Fine, so the humans get a little toy or too. I suggest we make sure they don't get away with the main prize. I suggest we jump as close to the basestar as possible and launch every missile, every fighter at it. The humans can wait." 

"Agreed, but the minds aboard…" 

"Are compromised, block them from the resurrection."

"No," the Doyle turned a firm eye on the Six, slightly disturbed by her callousness, "we may have need of them in the future and they are our brethren, for the moment I suggest we box them on arrival." 

"Fine, but the basestar dies. Then we move onto the humans." 

* * *

"How long until we can jump?" 

"Twenty-five minutes Commander, forty-nine of the_Paladins _have already left and the second wave is forming up now." 

"Very well," Adama paused, "the _Paladins _with disabled hyperdrives, signal them to form on us. Those that can should fold wings and land in both bays as soon as the _Vipers _are on board. Tell the rest to maglock to the hull." 

"The stress of jump entry might pull a few from the hull," 

"But not all." 

_"This is Brian Palmer broadcasting from Thundersdawn station, the jewel in the crown of the Royal Star Service. This station, despite being placed in Mars orbit not Earth for security reasons, is the prime defensive outpost for our home system but it has a mixed history. The secrecy of its construction meant a lot of the superior technologies gathered by the American Stargate Command were unavailable and resulted in a station without shields or effective anti-ship weaponry but with perhaps the best CIWS, that is anti-fighter and antimissile batteries of the time. _

_The Asgard, in a move whose motives remain questioned, provided the station with the now common Gauss rifles and an older mark of shield immediately after the 1st Battle of Sol whilst the combined forces of the RSS and SGC concentrated on repairs and rebuilding. _

_This station over the years has produced feats of unparrelled bravery, discovery secrecy and of course, treachery. Some say that treachery started with the secrecy of the operation that created the station in the first place, but that is a matter for history to discuss. The station is known now and we, as humans must learn to live with everything it represents and the reasons it came to be in the first place. _

_And of course, we must learn to live with war on a galactic scale. This is not what humanity, what we wanted when we started to reach for the stars, we wanted the stars to represent hope, peace, security and perhaps survival, witness perhaps the best known of all space shows, Star Trek and its bold, hopeful but ultimately lost vision of the future _

_But is it a future we can yet recapture? _

_Yes, that stars are at war and yes, we are struggling to survive but in all this desperate struggle that we fight and have fought, there has been hope. Stargate Command in particular has a strong history of rescuing enslaved peoples, liberating other worlds, often losing men and women of the Command in the process. _

_As much as we might hate the secrecy of the pains and deaths it has caused, it has to be said that both services have tried to bring liberty and justice to the stars, and they have brought hope to many. So, are they heroes or villains? _

_This is the big question of the hour and one we intend to try to answer over the next week of reports, enemy action permitting of course."_


	26. Chapter 25

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

Note: ff is being irrating and stripping punctuation again. I'm having to manually re-add most in ff's editor but it might not be perfect.

**Twenty-Five**

_"A scene more in common with a kicked anthill then a major military base as _Paladin _after _Paladin _lands, often disgorging battered and bloodied soldiers and troops. Not all walk out of the craft under their own power, some are carried off by medics and doctors and more then a few have been carried out in body bags. _

_The normal detritus of a battle and there are certainly enough of those you might think. But the transport craft you see beyond the boundary fence are not the Aerospace variant of the _Paladin; _they are all space capable craft. This means another battle in the skies above our heads. _

_Where exactly and how this battle occurred has not yet been revealed to us but one thing we know for definite, the cost on our side at least, has been bloody. Not all of these craft have landed intact, not five minutes ago, we saw a _Paladin _ brought into land by an _Airhead, _its hull rent and torn. So far, they have brought nobody alive out of that craft and at the moment, they appear to have given up the search for the moment. _

_Just beyond you can see another transport, this one has its pulse laser turret on the front still deployed and you can see the metal has melted and run around the weapons indicating tremendous heat from near constant firing. _

_We've also had reports of a crash near Manston where a _Paladin _ has literally driven itself into the ground, completely out of control and an explosion near Cape Canaveral in America where these craft have also been landing. _

_But these are not front line warcraft we are seeing; these are support craft, at best troop transports, not craft that should be in combat unless the situation is desperate. _

_One can only wonder how long it will be before the truth is revealed by the space services." _

* * *

"Five minutes until jump Commander,"

Adama smiled tightly, they were so close to success. If they had the ability to swiftly replace the central computer, they could already have jumped, but as the Earther's said, if wishes were equines, there would be a lot of horsemeat on the menu. Instead of horseshit which was what most of the politicians produced apparently…

No, instead they had to manually enter the coordinates, manually sequence up the jump engines, manually feed power in the coils. It took longer, doubly so when you considered they were doing all this with an unfamiliar and hostile warship.

But they were almost there.

Almost… every ship remaining was either fully rigged and ready for jump or was physically linked to a jump capable ship. Given the number of disabled _Paladins _ and _Vipers _ floating about the system, that meant the bays of both the _Galactica _and the prize were full to near capacity. They had just a few slots remaining, just in case the Cylons launched a last minute attack and some of the _Viper _VIII and IX's were hit badly enough to kill their own jump drives but it looked just as if they might…

Adama killed the thought. He was all too aware of what the 13 th Colony called Murphys Laws of Combat and as far as he was concerned they were all true, doubly so the one about not tempting….

"Jump signatures… multiple capital ships. _ Raider _launches, it's the cylons!"

…fate.

Four minutes thirty seconds to jump too.

"Order the _Vipers _ to close support procedures on the prize, manoeuvring, I want us placed to put a suppression barrage midrange between the Cylons and the captured Basestar and mind that it is midrange," Adama glanced sharply aware from the tactical readout to catch the eye of one of his officers, "weapons, don't bother firing on the Basestars. Just put everything into suppression and point defence."

"Radiological alarm! Cylon Basestars are launching nukes. I'm also picking up traces from multiple _Raiders _."

Adama grimaced, his eyes firmly back on the tactical display, his expression moving to stony as he noted the nine Cylon Basestars launching literally everything they had at the captured Basestar.

Four Minutes.

The first wave of missiles arrived faster then the _Raiders _ and was promptly intercepted by the waiting _Vipers, _the space around the Basestar vanishing into a furball of red and blue markers that would have had less experienced officers overwhelmed in moments. Adama had seen such furballs often enough to be able to follow the pattern and he nodded slightly, for the moment the line was holding.

He glanced down as his hands resting on the central table of the command centre registered tremors, then glanced across the room where a schematic of the _Galactica _ was blazoned with flashing yellow Led lights all along the portside main and a few topside.

Weapons batteries firing.

Three Minutes Thirty Seconds.

He glanced directly up, his eyes darting with practised precision towards the tactical readout as a cone appeared on it, spreading out from the _Galactica _ and encompassing a goodly proportion of the space between Cylons and the prize and her escort. He nodded grimly as the tail end of the first wave of missiles was caught in the cone and devastated but not destroyed. Then a wave of red intersected the deadly suppression barrage and Adama frowned, knowing there were far too many fighters for the barrage to get them all.

The _Vipers _ were still going to be busy and if they failed, then hundreds of Colonials and Tau'ri would have died for nothing.

Three Minutes.

An alarm sounded and Adama bit back a curse as a _tenth _ Basestar appeared, this time on _Galactica's _starboard side _. _ Its missiles and _Raiders _weren't heading for the prize; they were heading for _Galactica _ herself.

Smart.

A direct threat to the ship he had to respond too, it would distract him from defending the prize, making the Basestar an easier kill.

He saw no reason to cooperate though, he knew how long they had to hold out for and the Cylons didn't.

"Divert power from portside shields to starboard, activate suppression batteries starboard…" he paused, a thought slipping into his mind, then, with a smile so slight only those closest to him would be able to spot it, Adama continued, "and feed targeting data to as many of the _Paladins _ attached to the exterior of the hull as possible. If they have to hitch a ride, might as well be of some use."

Time to trust in the Tau'ri shields, the Colonial armour and the tough old bird.

Two minutes Thirty Seconds.

He lets a tight grin appear on his face as the last nuclear tipped missile from the Basestars initial salvo is destroyed, albeit close enough that he just knows they are going to be needing a specialist materials handling team to remove the debris which is likely to be embedded in the hull armour.

The grin doesn't stay long though, the fighters are getting through, their numbers reduced, but not enough, the _Vipers _ are still in a fight and only just holding their own.

He grimaces, noticing a second wave of missiles leaving the Basestars.

There is a rumble, the ship rocks, he glances towards the ships status readouts and notices that the _Galactica's _ shields have been mildly reduced and that radiation is now degrading the sensors on the starboard side.

He isn't worried for _Galactica, _he doesn't think a single Basestar will be able to do the Battlestar severe damage, not if they keep firing unenhanced nukes, but he is worried about the _Paladins _ and their far thinner hulls.

The radiation…

Not much that could be done about it now though.

Two minutes.

He grimaces as he notes a _Viper _deliberately allow a conventional missile through, knowing no-one was behind him to intercept it. It had to be done; the real threat was the _Raider _ sized nuke that was the next missile in the stream.

Still, if that conventional missile did enough damage…

Impact.

The icon for the prize doesn't even twitch, the Basestar itself unmoved by the puny mass and relatively small explosive force of the missile but that did not mean it didn't do damage.

Adama finds himself smiling though as the last eight meters or so of one of the Cylon capital ships upper arms vanishes. According to Boomer, there were no essential systems there that would affect the ability of the ship to jump. At least, there weren't on unmodified Basestars.

One Minute Thirty Seconds.

The first _Viper _ dies and Adama just files it away, keeping his grief for another time, it was likely there would be more and this was no time for being distracted. There was still a battle to be fought.

A second _Viper, _this time rammed by a _Raider, _whether deliberate or accidental he doesn't know. What he does know is that they wont have the ability to police the battlefield after this match.

He also knows that he can't allow a _Viper _, even a heavily damaged one, fall into the hands of the Cylons for the same reasons the Cylons were so desperate to stop the Basestar remaining in his hands.

Too much could be learnt.

He walks across, and has a quiet word with the weapons officer.

One Minute.

The second wave of nukes launched from the Basestar are crossing the suppression barrage now, mixed in with the tail end of the _Raider _swarm.

Many disappear from the scopes, some destroyed, some hidden by the signatures of the nukes still carried by a few of the _Raiders. _

He orders _Galactica _ to close with the prize, the _Raiders _ and missiles will all be mixed in with the _Vipers _ soon enough and the suppression barrage wont do much good. The targeted fire of the Mark 17 Pulse Lasers in CIWS mode would be of more use… albeit with the risk of an abrupt manoeuvre putting a _Viper _ straight into the path of a beam of coherent light meant for an enemy.

There is confirmation from the Basestar, almost ready to jump, less then a minute but they won't hang around, as soon as they are able they will be gone.

Adama nods, and orders those _Vipers _that have sustained damage to find themselves a perch PDQ, either on the _Galactica _or on the prize, unless they want to be left behind.

Thirty seconds.

Three more _Vipers _ have died, another ten are headed towards _Galactica _ to land on, the prize crew on the Basestar has suggested they go elsewhere. Doesn't matter if there is a bird on final approach; they aren't hanging around to wait for it.

Not with all the people who have already died for this prize.

Adama finds himself agreeing wholeheartedly.

The _Vipers _are regrouping, clumping up, and knowing that as soon as the Basestar goes, the Cylons will turn on them and any one caught on their lonesome will swiftly be overwhelmed.

If they want to survive, they have to be prepared to act as one.

Twenty Seconds.

Adama grimaces, there is a virtual wave of missiles heading towards the Basestar, the _Vipers _ and now _Galactica _ herself are intercepting as many as they can, but there would be leakers. How many would get through before the prize jumped, Adama didn't want to guess.

He spots a _Viper _ jump out early. Some would call that cowardice but Adama can see the lack of any friendly icons around the pilot. Isolated, he would have been killed swiftly; alive he gets to fight another day.

Still, he will find out who that was and he will remember it.

Ten Seconds.

He resists the urge to bite his nails; it's far too unseemly for Battlestars Commander. Any moment now, the prize should jump. The problem was, the wave of missiles were also mere seconds form its objective.

The mission would succeed or fail in the next few seconds.


	27. Chapter 26

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Twenty-Six**

Five seconds.

Jump!

She jumped.

The prize was away.

Adama smiled broadly for a moment, and then schooled his expression, glancing around soberly at the cheers filling the room, "we're not done here yet. Order the _Vipers _ to jump to the rendezvous. Turn main guns to starboard and wipe that Basestar out of my sky!"

He glanced towards the communications station, ignoring the slight wistful feeling that filled him as his brain overrode his mouth and stopped him barking a Dualla, she wasn't here anymore after all, minor though it was, she had a command of her own nowadays.

"Any life signs aboard the crippled _Vipers?" _

"Negative, escape pods have been picked up by the last SAR _Paladins, _just two SAR birds left on the scope and they are spooling up their FTL drives now. We also have one _Viper _ trying to maglock itself to the hull. Apparently there are no parking spaces left."

Adama grunted, turning back towards the tactical display, his eyes darting sharply as icon after icon blinked out, _Viper _ after _Viper _using their short ranged jump drives to move to the rendezvous a mere' 2 light seconds beyond the systems Oort Cloud.

"Turn suppressive batteries on the portside on the cripples, let nothing remain."

"Nukes sir?"

"Too many _Raiders, _not enough nukes. Let's not waste them."

* * *

"Raid warning! Three _Raiders _over Cherbourg."

"Radiological alarm?"

"Negative, no weapons fire. I think we've got a recon patrol here."

"Any assets in range?"

"Not immediately."

"Wait until they've gone then reposition every defensive platform. Let me know if the situation changes too."

"Aye Commander."

* * *

"Engineering confirms internal power online and stable," Enerist stated, "all stations report ready."

"Very good," Enerina smiled tightly, her hands resting lightly on the functional command seat and glanced around the tight confines of the bridge'. The Goa'uld, they would not have accepted a room so Spartan, so functional, having any space that did not obviously display wealth and power would have been seen as a sign of weakness but this seemed to be more effective.

Certainly less gaudy and overdone.

"Secure from shore power," the Goa'uld Queen turned Tau'ri ally stated softly, satisfied that all was ready, "disconnect umbilicals and Enerist?"

"Yes My Lady."

"Take her out," she leaned back in her seat with a satisfied sigh, glad to be in Command once more but knowing the major and hasty replacement of the main stardrive still needed to be tested.

"Aye My Lady."

* * *

"You know," Peters stated calmly as she watched the launch of _Defiant _through the viewing windows above _Thundersdawn _ stations drydock One, "the Russians are still bitching about that."

Fleet Admiral Thompson snorted, "They can bitch all they want. We need more ships now. When the 1 st Battlegroup arrives home it will mean almost a full third of our warships and certainly our largest capital ship will be in the body and fender shop. We can't afford that. So, we borrowed' a hyperdrive meant for new construction of one of the ships they funded to get Enerina back into space. That means one _Dauntless _ takes longer too build but we get another ship and another free slip now. I think I'll stick with that."

"Not arguing," Peters shrugged, "I agree, you know that, but the Russians are going to use it as an excuse to demand some form of concession or discount again."

"Needs of the service," Thompson shrugged, t"hat clause was put into the construction contracts for a reason and this was pretty much it."

"How far away is the group?"

"Two months. If they were fully operational it would just be a month and a half."

Peters nodded, "Okay, well, it is not going to take that long to prepare the slips to receive the groups warships and I'm not going to have my crews sitting around twiddling their thumbs so could you please have a word with supply?."

"Oh?"

"With _Defiant _ launched we have three empty slips waiting for ships. At two crews per slip that means six crews who can be diverted to the other slips to hurry up work on the repairs to _Liberty _and _Yorktown _ or hurry up the _Dauntless II _ or _Prometheus _that are under construction or hell, we've even got those two Colonial _Sentinals _ under refit in slips six and seven as well."

"Are the crews still under strength?" Thompson replied nodding, his eyes tightening on the _Defiant _ as he saw her manoeuvring thruster's fire, nudging the ship around as she cleared the main doors of the dry dock.

"No,"

The Commander of the Royal Space Service sent his second a surprised look, but Peters just shrugged, "it is supposed to be _three _ crews per slip but I had them compressed. Okay, so we get more dead time this way but fewer corners are being cut safety wise so we're losing less people to accidents. It seems to be balancing out at the moment."

"But it does mean an eight hour shift when no work is being done on the ships." Thompson noted.

"Yes, but we were getting a double hit there anyway, not just the crew but insufficient support form supply. Okay, I know the op the Colonials have launched has taken a lot of the ships used to keep us supplied but as soon as those are back we are going to need the backlog cleared ASAP and additional supplies to allow three crews to work on each of the hulls."

Thompson nodded, "I will see what I can do but I'm afraid the problem is as always too much too do and too little to do it with."

Peters smiled, "the crew chiefs finished their write-up yesterday. They estimate that if supply comes through, they can have at least four ships ready to launch..."

She turned to catch her bosses eyes, "in a month and a half."

His eyebrows rose, "really?"

Peters nodded, "an injection of warships just as the Battlegroup arrives home for repairs."

"I will certainly be having a word with supply," Thompson mused, a tight smile appearing on his face as the docks outer doors began to close.

* * *

"The poles are always going to be a weak spot," Samantha Carter shrugged, "no such thing as a geosynchronous orbit over the poles. Or at least, an unpowered one. Orbital physics are based primarily around speed and height to keep an object in orbit but the numbers get a little extreme"

"So when the days comes when we are able to cover those positions we are going to need to build special and it will require a lot more effort and expense, is that what you're saying?"

Carter nodded, hiding her surprise at the intelligent response from the politician, reminding herself that not every person who ran for office was another Kinsey, only out for themselves or a complete idiot.

"But still," the second member of the oversight committee responded, "we still need to get the rest of the planet covered before we can consider such useless and sparsely populated areas and that is not going so well."

"No," Carter agreed, "the donations coming in from the public are helping but it has to be said, the defences being constructed at the moment might be individually cheap but many of them are required and their utility against warships is minimal. They are only really effective against fighters and missiles."

"And only the Cylons really use missiles of all Earths enemies."

"But most, if not all, use fighters to some extent." Carter replied.

"I don't see why we don't just divert all funding from warship construction and focus on home defence," the 2 nd politician stated.

Carter resisted the urge to roll her eyes, of course, just because the Committee Chairman wasn't an idiot didn't mean every member of the committee had half a brain cell.

"Fixed defences can be out manoeuvred; mobile defences need time to get into position. This is why the safest defence is always a mixture of both." She responded, "But if the committee really want my opinion?"

"Go on,"

"Mass production," she stated sufficiently, "at the moment the satellites are made the same way satellites have always been made. By specialists using expensive often one-off equipment one at a time under full clean room conditions."

"You are saying money could be saved somehow?"

"Yes," Carter nodded, "but it would take investment first. We need to build a factory just for satellites."

"Jeez," the third committeeperson stated, "your talking _billions _ of dollars. It would have to be designed, the equipment would all have to be custom made, no-ones even tried mass production of satellites before, personnel would have to be trained, you're talking full clean room protocol the whole time. Then we have to consider utilities and security..."

"That is exactly how the _Paladin _ construction facility at Cape Canaveral will work when it goes online in a few days,"

Carter made a mental note of the Chairpersons name, this 'Evan Baxter', she now had a damn good idea who to talk to in future if she needed and intelligent decision, even if the guys rep was bit weird.

"Exactly," she replied.

"A lot of eggs going into that one basket,"

"We would have to push for the next type three to be stationed there but at least if anyone does take Canaveral out, we would still have the cottage industry' facilities to make the _Paladins _ and the rest."

"The Royals wont like it that we've dropped what will be another strategic facility on American soil,"

"Screw them, they don't get to vote for us."


	28. Chapter 27

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaoseternus**

**In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!**

**Twenty-Seven**

**One Month Later. **

_Rioting has broken out again in five cities in the United Kingdom as conscription is read back into law by the reconstituted parliament for the duration. Several civil liberties groups have already proclaimed their intention to take the British Government to the court of human rights over this but the court, already snowed under by the sheer volume of cases brought since Disclosure, is unlikely to be able to hear the case for several years. _

* * *

_The ongoing colonisation of Alpha Centauri Prime stalled today when the last of the former Colonial Civilian vessels used for personnel transport failed to keep its operating license. These vessels were heavily used and abused by the fleeing colonials prior to their recovery by EarthForce and allied units and all are now considered unusable. _

_This leaves only the far smaller _Paladins _ for personnel transport and the overworked _Merchants _for cargo. _

_The Colonial Government in Exile has confirmed their intention to refit several vessels to operational status, most likely by cannibalising over vessels in order to maintain their control over the lucrative traffic between Sol and Alpha Centauri. _

* * *

_The FBI, assisted by units of the National Guard broke the back of the so-called Army of American Liberation' in an assault on the proscribed organisations stronghold on the outskirts of Detroit. The organisation, reportedly responsible for several incidents of ethnic cleansing in the region was formed in the aftermath of Disclosure to liberate' the United States from its current, apparently oppressive government. _

_An official White House representative would not comment except to say that it was now an issue for the courts. _

* * *

_The deadlock in the French Parliament continues today as yet another vote on the nation's status in the new world order that is forming fails to achieve the necessary majority verdict. _

_Approximately one third of the vote is still to break away from NATO, Europe and Earthforce and go it alone, not trusting those who destroyed the former French capital of Paris rather then fight for the city step by step, an ironic echo of the destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during the Second World War. _

_Whilst the vote for further integration with Earth Force and heightened support for earths primary defensive force gained some votes in the last round it was not enough to force the issue. _

_Where France decides to go in the future lies solely in the hands of the undecided final third and both sides are pushing their weight and their publicity budgets to sway as many as possible to their cause. _

_It is a contentious issue and one that has already caused numerous arguments and occasionally outright fights on the floor of the Parliament, where this will go, only time will be able to tell us. _

* * *

_Japans stance of pacifism officially founded at the end of the Second World War came to an end today as an amendment to the constitution was passed authorising military funding to Earthforce and the use of Japanese personnel and assets in offensive operations against any who would threaten Earth. _

_However, the word as far as Earth based threats is concerned remains the same, defensive actions only. _

* * *

_An Earthforce Marine Corp spokeswoman has confirmed the capture of a Cylon operative as well as a number of human collaborators in what has been described as a highly sophisticated electronic listening post near the Nevada Desert in the United Sates. _

_No comment has yet been made on how Cylon troops continually succeed in bypassing Earths defences. _

* * *

_Rumours have begun circulating of a top secret meeting between Earthforce and the Unforgiven group of Cylons as to a possible Notice of Understanding between Earth, the Colonial Government in Exile and the Unforgiven. _

_This would not be an official peace between the three sides but it would lay down the rules by which a peace could possibly be obtained. Fleet Admiral Thompson has personally denied these rumours, calling them mere wishful thinking but if these rumours aren't true, why has the most senior officer of the Earthforce Navy been the one to deny them and not the public relations department?_

* * *

_The ongoing cleanup of the radioactive debris in the Exeter Exclusion Zone paused today as once more, the aging, yet still fantastically advanced Beliskner class vessels being used for the cleanup left Earths atmosphere to deposit their cargos of highly contaminated wastes into a decaying orbit around the Sun. _

_The ongoing cleanup, started just over a month ago, is estimated to take another month before the open spaces around Exeter will be considered clean and safe for all. No estimates have been given for the clearance of the remains of the city of Exeter itself nor have we been told what, if anything is to be done about the increased levels of atmospheric radiation caused by the Cylon bombs. _

* * *

_The Hague threw out war crimes tribunals against the former Stargate Command, Royal Star Service and their supporting nations stating that its primary purpose was to deal with atrocities, ill treatment of prisoners and other such violation of the Geneva and Hague Conventions. _

_Alas, running a secret war and hiding the existence of hostile aliens was a matter for other courts. Off the record, it was added that they would dearly love to get their hands on the Goa'uld and the Cylons as well as several other groups but doubt whether their authority would be recognised by such. _

_Next stop, Nuremburg and already Principle IV of the Nuremburg Conventions is being bandied around but as much as some would like to claim a crime against peace has been committed the groups which make up the newly constituted Earthforce could also claim that they did not initiate the war and that, unknown to them, it was technically ongoing when the Stargate was reopened. _

_Indeed, if the information provided by Stargate Command is to be believed, the last few thousand years have literally just been a respite in a war of epic proportions. _

_One thing is for certain, this is an argument that is likely to run through the courts and the media for decades to come. _

* * *

_A proposal by the Russian Government to create an off-world prison facility has been blocked by the British and American Governments on the grounds of increased expense and the real difficulty in reacquiring escaped prisoners on less well populated worlds. It is worth noting at this time that no currently habitable world within the Earthforce territory without ignoring Posse Comitatus or the local equivalent. _

_This is despite rumours stating that Stargate Command maintained such a facility for several years to hold those who breeched its security, indeed, Stargate Command and now Earthforce is known to have the addresses of several worlds that have a Stargate but not a dialling device, making an instant effective but one-way prison. _


	29. Chapter 28

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Twenty-Eight**

_"A nation united, if only perhaps for a moment, as the Russian President announces the names of the new, Russian funded warships set to join the spaces forces within the next two months. _

_Of the _Dauntless I _class, there will the _Potemkin _and the _Peter the Great. _The sole type _II Dauntless _will be the _Vostock, _at this point this ship is believed to be the last to launch due to the appropriation of her hyperdrive by the Royal Space Service to allow the _Defiant _to re-enter service sooner. _

_No word as yet as to the location of the construction facilities used for these vessels from the any of the spacefaring governments, except to say that the location is highly classified. _

_The final Russian vessel expected to enter service soon will be _Yuri Gagarin, _a _Prometheus _class warship named after the first Earth human in space which is being constructed at _Thundersdawn _station. _

_These are likely to be the last vessels funded directly by the Russian government for quite some time as budgetary constraints, made worse by the costs of rebuilding the nation are known to be forcing a major re-evaluation of spending by the Russian Government, indeed, by all governments " _

* * *

_"Riot police in Belgium used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a crowd in Ostend today but not quickly enough to save a twenty year old student who had been accused of being a Cylon collaborator. This is the tenth such month killing in Belgium in the last month but most tellingly, Belgium currently has the lowest numbers of such killings of any of the European nations." _

* * *

_"Chaos in France once more as a vote of no confidence in the current French administration is passed, making this the sixth French government to fall since disclosure. This no confidence vote followed yet another failure to determine the nation's future in a post disclosure world. _

_Rumours are already spreading that the Peacekeeping forces currently in France are considering forcing a referendum on the issue, taking the matter out of government's hands and placing it firmly in the hands of the people. _

_Whether any new government would accept or even acknowledge such a vote is however, considered doubtful." _

* * *

"The Cylons are not going to be happy about this," O'Neill commented, a glitter in his eyes.

"The Cylons can go frak themselves." Adama replied, his face hard, "we lost enough people grabbing this prize."

"Lot of people didn't think you would manage it, though this was a waste or resources," The General shrugged, "I was very close to being one of them. Not easy to capture a _Ha'tak _that's landed, vulnerable. To board and seize a hostile warship… damn fine work."

The aging Admiral smiled tightly, "it's not over yet. We still have to keep her."

"Keep her hell," O'Neill grinned, "we're stripping her. You got a few fighters aboard her, one of those is on _Ravenbright _already being geeked over, we got _Valour's Sword _shipping another and that heavy raider to Earth along with sample Warriors and weapons systems. Most of the Human forms were dead but the survivors are being interrogated groundside and we got more geeks on-route from Earth aboard _Valour's Hour _which will be used as the base for the investigation teams."

Adama nodded, grimacing. It might have been the Colonials plan to take the Basestar and it might have been mainly Colonial Warriors who died in the op but the Colonials didn't have the scientific expertise and more importantly, the infrastructure necessary to support the experts to do the bulk of the analysis themselves. The deadly part of the op was over and that glory was theirs but the knowledge would come mostly distilled through the Tau'ri.

Inevitable, but irritating.

Then again, the Tau'ri had lost a good few people and support ships on this op too.

The Admiral searched his mind for a moment then glanced at his counterpart, "a single non-upgraded _Ha'tak _won't be enough defence for the Basestar if the Loyalists or Secessionists decide us having her is far too much of a risk."

"As soon as all the nukes are removed she's being shifted next to _Ravenbright. _" O'Neill grin momentarily resembled that of a shark, "if they want her, they can come through us."

Adama turned back to his desk, hiding a grin as he conceded the point. He wouldn't have wanted to attack _Ravenbright _either. But still…

"Our prize, I have no doubt Roslin will want some part of protecting her and the analysis work."

"Something you have no problem with but are going to force Roslin into manipulating you into pushing for." O'Neill replied, his tone ironic.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," The Colonial Warrior replied, "manipulating the civilian government like that is illegal."

His response was a muffled snort, "still, you have to keep _Galactica _close to Freedom for the moment in case of a reprisal strike and you don't have a lot of other assets to spare for point defence."

"True," he reached up, pulling his glasses of his face and tapping them against the table, "but with the op over its time to repair, enjoy the morale boast and reorganise. It's Earth that needs the bulk of the forces at the moment, not Alpha Centauri."

"There are six fully operational warships at earth compared to four here, ignoring the damaged ships and ships in need of refit." O'Neill replied, "Earth is as covered as she can be right now. The situation will be marginally better when the battlegroup gets back."

"One operational warship and four headed for the shipyards?"

The Tau'ri officer nodded, conceding the point, "As always, too many fires…"

"Not enough piss for all of them," the two Soldiers shared an understanding, comradely grin.

* * *

"What is needed is an offensive,"

Fleet Admiral Thompson frowned, "I agree, we need to do something substantial to weaken Anubis's forces in particular, but an offensive risks a counter-offensive and frankly, if Anubis, the Loyalists, the Secessionists, hell _any _of them decide to turn their attention to Earth we're buggered. We can stand up against raids but not against an all out fleet assault."

"Not much of the Loyalist Cylons left, they are mainly integrated now into Anubis's forces," Peters replied sighing, tapping at her desk with her pen, "but both points stand. We need to be offensive, we need to be weakening our enemies both on the ground and in the skies, we need the morale boast of a successful offensive action even with the risks entailed but we don't have the ships for it."

"The 1 st Battlegroup…"

"Will be out of action for months," Peters grimaced, "at least one of the ships is practically a hulk and will be out for at least a year."

"That long?"

"That long."

"Then the group will have to be reconstituted around _Atlantis _using whatever ships we can scrape up." Thompson frowned, "that means the Russians."

"Offer them a few slots in the Battlegroup, tell them it's going to be used offensively and they may just kiss you," the Rear-Admiral replied dryly.

"The problem is hulls,"

"The problem is personnel and supplies," Peters countered, "I know the construction situation better then you, with more personnel, more supplies we could get new hulls at lot faster."

"Which leads to security, training and money," Thompson countered, gaining a laugh in response.

"As always, I don't think I ever realised how interconnected everything was until I hit Captain and it just gets worse from there up."

"And it's just going to get worse, especially with the more expert personnel such as dockyard and construction staff,"

" _Gaia," _

"Gaia," Thompson confirmed, "not to mention that her construction site will need to be protected as well."

"And this we all need to do whilst preparing for a more offensive stance," the Commander of _Thundersdawn _station frowned, "I'm not sure how we are going to do it."

"We'll have too."

"In which case, we are going to have some very difficult decisions to make," Peters nodded, "and I've been thinking about a few things already, starting with the great prize the Gatecrashers found."

"Oh?"

"She has to be dismantled right down to the gunwales anyway because of the biohazard risk, I say we strip her completely, part her out." She leaned forward, hands on the table, "parts for the _Ha'taks _for years, a shitload of trinium we can use for construction and repairs, the Naquadah… hell, even the gold. A Goa'uld built capital ship? There will be enough gold on that hull to seriously depress the market value."

"Her main weapons might do nicely built into a defensive platform at _Gaia… _" Thompson mused, and then smiled, "you know, a lot of people won't be happy with your idea."

"With _Galactica _and _Atlantis _we have all the capital hulls we can really support at the moment. We can get far more use out of her this way…."

"I agree totally," Thompson replied, "and I'll have the _Ha'taks _stripped of Gold as they go in for refits too. We'll have to be careful how we dump it onto the market but it'll certainly help defray costs. That's one, what's number two?"

"The land of the light is developing into a major ally but a weak one, relying on us for everything. I say we divert some of the money we are using to build infrastructure into teaching them how to build infrastructure and how more effortlessly find resources themselves."

"Placing long term benefits over immediate necessity…" Thompson shrugged, "I believe Hammond is already working on that but as we don't have any actual naval presence at the Land of the Light, it's not something I have too much info on. I'll look into it."

"For three, we need more mines, and I don't mean surface installations."

" _Minehead _and _Coalmine _…"

"Are both operating to capacity and that capacity isn't much," she shrugged, "they proved space based mining complexes were feasible and better yet profitable. Now we should be going for the full industrial mine and get ores and particularly naquadah moving a lot faster."

"That will require a lot of initial investment and right now its blood from a stone. We don't have the money… to be frank; our money is likely to shrink from individual countries for the next few years. The only think that is going to keep it somewhat even is the new countries that are sighing up."

"Use the Gold from the Goa'uld ships to start a capital investment fund instead of just ploughing it back into the normal budget?"

"A possibility," Thompson noted, "but when you said mining, I rather suspect that is not all you were referring too."

"Water and air," Peters grimaced, "recycling isn't perfect and we are regularly dumping waste water and air, not to mention basic losses of both. At the moment, both have to be shipped from an atmosphere but we _know _there's water on the moon we can get to with relative ease, which gives us the obvious, supplies of water but we can also borrow a trick from nuke boats and extract oxygen."

"Great," Thompson grimaced, "another capital project, short term massive costs, long term savings."

"The Williams twins have already had words with me on some of this, frankly, they are off the opinion we need to reorganise and build up the support structures before we can make a big push on offensive assets. It's not only them I am hearing it from either, O'Neill, Carter, Hammond, hell, even Kalinda have all been dropping hints or downright anvils."

"Right now, support structures like these aren't going to sound too attractive to the politicians and the general public, they want to hear of more warships, more defensive bases."

Peters grimaced, "right now, it's difficult just supporting what we have. If the number of ships starts to shoot up and when _Gaia _starts to come online, it might just, then we could well end up with more ships then we can support. We need to work on the infrastructure.

Frankly, I'm not even convinced we can support _Gaia _right now."

"Great," Thompson grimaced, "thanks for bringing this to my attention sooner."

"I've tried; my mail keeps getting lost in the post. Same for messages sent by the Williams twins, Murielle is already looking into it."

"Infiltrators?"

"She doesn't think so," Peters reached into her pocket, grabbing a pen-drive which she passed across, "she thinks we've got an Empire-builder in our ranks."

"Emphasis on Empire?"

"Very."


	30. Chapter 29

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Twenty-Nine**

*Crack*

The sound of the high powered rifle split the air and the target turned swiftly, and then abruptly dropped, blood marring the advertising board behind her.

Murielle swiftly changed her aim as the group began diving for cover and swiftly began to 'service' her targets, one eye firmly behind the scope, the other wandering, looking for threats, keeping a track of her and her teams kills.

A slight sound, barely on the edge of hearing but a red alert to a veteran such as herself made her duck as debris and shrapnel suddenly fountained just a meter away. She heard three sets of screams and grimaced. Three injured… but there had been four in that little gully.

A pity… but definitely a job hazard.

She raised her head again, eyes darting as she searched for the mortar. Seconds later she spotted it, didn't appear to be a human model but then again, the fact that it was being serviced by a pair of Cylon Centurions did give it away somewhat.

Her rifle might be high-powered but it wasn't that high powered.

Then again it didn't need to be.

"Beta One, alpha actual, counter-battery fire. Enemy mortar in clearing directly between building four and the cesspit, adjust fire! Out."

_"Copy counter-battery fire on enemy mortar between building four and the cesspit. Out _."

"Fire when ready."

Murielle raised her rifle, firing now not to kill but to suppress the human forms in the area of the mortar, to prevent them moving away.

_"Shot over." _

"Shot Out," she acknowledged, grimacing as a group she damn well knew were not human forms darted into site, firing irregular, spray and pray fire in the general direction of her team.

Collaborators.

Bloody bastards and traitors in her lexicon, but hey, it was the collaborators they were hear for after all. They had interrogators just waiting for that opportunity…

A fountain of dirt was raised again and she cursed, hand diving for her leg. She tapped the shoulder of the soldier at her side but he didn't respond except to fall over. Quickly she checked him over and found his right side completely bloody and torn and no pulse. Cursing, she checked her leg, finding a large shard of metal sticking out both sides of her right leg.

Fuck.

Not much she could do with that now except hope it didn't bleed out, medic was kinda busy already after all.

_"Splash over." _

"Splash out" Murielle acknowledged, whilst simultaneously trying to make herself one with the dirt, trying to burrow into the ground just in case her own mortar team needed to go back to gunnery school, yet not disturb her leg too much and keep an eye on the target, watching for the hit.

Dirt fountained, this time in Cylon territory and three collaborators dropped to the ground, looked like two mission kills and a plain kill. Useful… but it wasn't the mortar.

"Up eighty and fire for effect!"

The rifle was raised once more, firing carefully, suppressing more then killing. They weren't here for the kills, they were here for prisoners. Didn't mean some didn't die, some didn't have to die… but war was hell. You rarely got exactly what you wanted.

Instinctively following through the normal call and response with the mortar team, she kept one eye behind the scope, one eye wandering the compound once more.

She heard splash over once more and her eye darted straight towards the mortar team. Five seconds later it vanished as dirt and shrapnel filled the air. Then came a secondary explosion… then a larger explosion that even from 150 yards away she felt the heat off.

"Beta One, Alpha Actual. Cease fire and release. Out"

_"Copy, cease fire and release for other fire missions, out." _

The smoke slowly cleared and she grinned, releasing that they had caught the mortars ammo and detonated that. That was the big secondary…

Should put a dent in the opposition… in fact, whilst there was still fire from other parts of the compound, this end, for the moment, appeared to be quiet. Time to advance then before the Cylons covered the gap.

She crawled across, grimacing at the pain this triggered in her leg, heading for the next group of soldiers. These she knew were of the Duke of Lancaster's regiment, not the SAS troopers who had made up her personnel squad and were now mostly mission kills thanks to that mortar.

She tapped the first solider, a private by the insignia and quickly signalled an advance by sections into the compound by building four.

She turned away as the fresh faced soldier started passing the order along, turning back towards the compound, preparing to give covering fire. There was a sudden sharp pain in her leg and she stifled a scream. Glancing back, she caught the apologetic glance of a medic and grimaced, knowing that this was not likely to be fun.

Another sharp pain and she suddenly felt weak, could feel every beat of her heart, her vision greying at the edges. A voice was shouting behind her but she knew no more.

* * *

_"Alpha five calling Alpha two. You are now actual; over." _

"Bollocks," Lieutenant Henders commented swiftly before tapping his radio, sending a swift acknowledgement. He glanced across his troopers swiftly, assessing, his mind racing through every communication he had heard over the radio.

They were weakened, had taken losses but so had the enemy.

He nodded, his mind made up, they were still on.

He raised himself slightly, catching the eyes of the soldiers around him then signalled the advance, confirming the agent's last orders.

In twos they moved forward, Henders finding himself in the third group to cross out of the lumps and bumps and scattered trees of the fields, jump across the old, ratty groin height wooden fence into the landscaped flat ground surrounding the complex. Then the dash across to the corner of building four, where, behind the old mortared stones of the storage building they could catch a quick breath, two more groups followed okay but a shot rang out, dropping the lead soldier of the next group to the ground.

His partner dropped, hugging the dirt but bullets began to disturb the ground around him and cursing, he had to abandon his comrade, running full pelt towards the cover of the building.

Gunfire rang out, the four troopers still waiting to move forward all engaging a target Henders couldn't see, he crept forward carefully, moving towards the corner, pulling a mirror out of a pocket of her Bergen.

Swiftly he attached the handle then carefully aimed the simple device round the corner then he stepped back, and signalled for three grenades.

The three deadly eggs were tossed carefully around the corner, followed swiftly by six of his troopers, one fell, his head at an unnatural angle to his body. The remainder swiftly found cover, the doorway to the barn, a brick wall, a tractor, and the remains of the Cylon mortar.

He heard running and sharp breathes behind him and Henders turned around, then nodded grateful acknowledgement as the four remaining troopers arrived, dragging the body of the one soldier to fall in the dash across the open ground behind them.

Three of the soldiers turned to join him, the fourth, a simple red cross on his arms, turned towards the injured man and set to work.

Glancing at one of the troopers, an older man, one who would if not for the chaos, most likely have been relegated to a desk job or retired by now and signalled him to watch over the medic. Accepting the order, the Sergeant knelt down by the medic, rifle raised, his eyes quickly and continuously probing the area.

He glanced around the corner once more, in his moment of distraction his troopers had managed to leapfrog forward. He tapped the shoulders of two of his shoulders, sending them forward, and then ordered the rest to head the opposite direction, along the building to the eastern corner, an attempt at a flanking manoeuvre.

Turning, he followed the bulk of his troops into the compound, grimacing slightly at the fallen shape of another of his soldiers.

* * *

"Lieutenant Henders reports mission success."

General Davis glanced up sharply at those words, "Henders? What happened to Murielle?"

The aide shot him a puzzled glance, and then turned his eyes to the report on his PDA, "the only Murielle listed is as WIA but there is no last name or rank attached."

"No," the man once known as 'Disaster' Davis replied grimly, "there wouldn't be. Forward a mission report to Fleet-Admiral Thompson ASAP and make sure you include a full status report on Murielle."

"Of course sir," came the response, the tone indicating clearly he had no idea why.

Dismissing the aide, Davis turned back to the reports on his desk, grimacing then sighing as he realised he was now thoroughly distracted. He would have difficulty getting down to mere paperwork now.

Murielle…

He still didn't her real name or where she came from, all he knew was that she was among the best damn… _operatives _Thompson had.

He also knew that Thompson didn't just think of her as an operative, as a soldier. It was like O'Neill and Carter all over again…

This was going to be a problem.


	31. Chapter 30

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Thirty**

Captain Jones grimaced, wearily rubbing his forehead.

It had been far too long, too long since he last felt real gravity, not the scientists wet dream that passed for gravity aboard ship, too long since he had felt a breeze across his face, too long since he had enjoyed the subtle scent of flowers in the air.

He knew the crew felt the same way as well, knew they were aching to touch real solid ground once more, real solid Earth. They were all tired.

It couldn't be helped.

The convoy had to travel at the speed of its slowest member and that meant as fast as whichever ship was towing _Persephone. _At one point he had turned everyone's attentions towards seeing if there was anyway to get the ships own hyperdrive working again and it had worked for a time, raising morale, quite distracting people from the long slog ahead of them, but it was hopeless.

The drive would need to be completely replaced.

All other options had been exhausted long ago, all the repairs they could carry out across the fleet were done, and the reports were completed, the gaming tournaments done to oblivion, their few books worn beyond legibility.

Now they were just tired.

Morale was bad, but it was an apathetic bad, not the dangerous rebellious bad. That was in a way a good thing but in a way not. It meant the crew just didn't have the energy, could be bothered to rebel.

He couldn't blame them. He didn't exactly fell so great himself and he knew after this, the entire ships companies were likely to be rotated out and replaced, he himself was most likely headed to _Thundersdawn _or perhaps the design teams scattered across the various bases to turn his experience into improving the next generation of _Britannica's. _

He would welcome the change, like his people he had been seeing the same walls, same faces for too long. He really hoped he didn't end up as stir crazy as Leading Rating Todd, they had been forced to divert course after that incident to find a gate to send her through, forcibly and straight jacketed.

Another week flight time that added on.

Still…

Every day passed was one day closer to home.

That goal was very real, was perhaps the only thing other then their sense of duty the crew could really grasp and hold onto. Admittedly the few small injections of crew and supplies they had received each time they passed a gate had helped but you couldn't replace an entire ships company that way really, and they five battered hulks to recrew.

He doubted that there was really that many spare trained crew in existence at the moment. Good thing almost the entire group was headed into refit when they got home.

Least they had the Minbari covering their six. Of course, he had a pretty solid idea their crews had gotten rebellious at times but they were still watching their sixes and even if they did occasionally appear injured or battered, it was the same faces he saw on the comm. screens and in person whenever they had need for a talk.

They had even drilled together, gotten as proficient at operating as a unit as you can when dealing with a cripple and three badly damaged ships.

_Searcher _being the odd one out there, all her damage had been repairable or not critical. She wasn't fully operational but she was damn close to it. One ship that was already gaining the reputation for being lucky, especially after they had found the dud enemy missile lodged inside a munitions locker.

He just hoped Murphy, the bastard, didn't make an appearance….

_"Battlestations! Battlestations! This is NOT a drill, all hands man battlestations. Captain to the bridge." _

Bollocks, he hadn't even _said _it.

* * *

"Report!" Captain Jones barked as he strode onto the bridge.

Lt Hayes jumped swiftly out of the Command chair, diving for tactical as she responded, "multiple inbound contacts, reads as Goa'uld _Ha'taks. _Power signature is high but we don't have a positive ID on their loyalty at the moment."

"How many?"

"Six," Hayes replied, nudging the crewman off of tactical, her hands dancing over the controls, "and with _Persephone _we can't outrun them."

"Damn," he replied, settling into the command chair, "okay, signal the fleet, drop to sub-light and prepare to engage the enemy. Let's see if they follow us."

"Aye Captain."

* * *

"They've followed Captain," Hayes commented quietly some ten minutes later, "and I'm not picking up any IFF beacons."

Jones grimaced, a lack of IFF beacons ruled out Maktenos, the Free Jaffa and Earth. That left Anubis, scattered Goa'uld remnants, Jaffa Raiders and anyone else who might have been able to get their hands on a bunch of _Ha'taks. _

Still…

It did mean they were highly unlikely to be friendly, which in one way made his job a little easier and in other ways… definitely harder.

The Minbari… he didn't think much of their chances against standard _Ha'taks _and if these had been updated in anyway. As for the rest of his squadron, well, this was going to be fun. Not.

* * *

_"The Swedish public today voted to confirm entry into the Tau'ri Star Service; this will mean greater funding and more access to personnel, a thought which must be causing a few deep sighs of relief in the beleaguered and under funded force charged with Earth's defence against external threats. _

_The effect of this new arrival will not be felt for some time as negotiations now have to confirm the depth and details of Sweden 's involvement in this increasingly international but still British and American dominated force." _

* * *

_"Panic and rioting in the streets of Washington and of several other cities worldwide as a leaked report confirms that Cylon vessels are capable of jumping straight into Earth's atmosphere, bypassing the all the defensive ships and platforms maintained by Earthforce. _

_When asked for comments, the only response received was that the issue was 'being looked into by technical and development teams', confirming that as yet, Earthforce knows no way of stopping these Cylons and the potentially devastating uses to which this ability can be put, such as jumping into the skies over our cities, dropping a nuke and jumping straight out again. _

_The incompetence of our military once more needs to be seen to be believed." _

* * *

_"A reporter from a major American news corporation was arrested yesterday after comments made over the air triggered riots in at least seventeen US cities; her words have been publicly condemned by the by broadcasting company in question who state that in these difficult times sensationalism was not the way to go, that a balance of truth and maintaining public order was necessary. This stance has triggered much discussion both online and offline due to apparent disparity with pre-Disclosure attitudes. _

_The editor responsible for allowing the comments to be broadcast has been suspended." _


	32. Chapter 31

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Thirty-One**

"We have ion range!"

"Commence firing," Jones barked in reply, pushing forward into the seats four point restraints as he gazed hard at the bright, golden shapes on the screen in front of him.

He felt the ship shudder slightly, he waited a beat, then the shudder again and again and again, a beat apart each time. Bright, dazzling pulses of light connected _Britannica _to the lead _Ha'tak _for a moment, pulsing across the gap between the ships ten times before the ships main weapon fell silent.

The _Ha'tak, _its shields utterly wasted fell back, large sections of the hull going dark, except for the fading, energetic flares of the ion bolts.

"Shift gauss fire, finish the bastard off," Jones barked, his eyes darting across the display, catching the sudden hesitation of the remaining five Goa'uld warships and then their sudden decisiveness. You could practically _see _the moment they suddenly decided _Britannica _was a bigger threat then she looked and that they would have to deal with her first.

Should have figured that out ages ago, it wasn't as if the ships Gauss rifles hadn't been giving them enough hell, would have been giving them even more hell if they had any Naquadah tipped projectiles left to use in the front batteries.

The _Ha'tak _shuddered abruptly, and then began to shatter and Captain Jones grimaced as life signs appeared _outside _the vessels hull.

Too bad.

The ship began to shudder once more, irregularly, sharply.

Incoming fire, not outbound this time.

He grinned tightly as he saw the _Ha'taks _move to envelope his ship, two on his port, one on his starboard and the other two trying to keep the rest of the fleet out of the way and busy for the moment.

"Helm, on my command, slew the ship around 90 degrees, I want those _Ha'taks _on our port put dead ahead, and that lone wolf to starboard put right in the crosshairs of the stern chasers."

Not that two Gauss rifles would kill a _Ha'tak _on their own but they would certainly know they had been tapped. The guys in front on the other hand…

"Load the last of the missiles forward."

Of course, it would put them right in the middle of the enemies firing arcs and all three of the ships were likely to give them hell… but they would give hell right back, special delivery and all.

He let his eyes dance across the ships status displays, the ships shields were being eroded fast. They would have to be reformed soon, but the easiest thing to switch off to save enough energy to reform the shields was the ion canon.

Decisions, decisions… it would have to wait.

A beep sounded from the tactical display and he let himself smirk as a _Ha'tak _vanished from the display, _Searcher _and the battered but unbeaten _Persephone _claiming the kill.

Two down.

The Minbari… they were keeping back out of the fight, covered the crippled and useless _Overseer. _Given their desperate lack of shields, he really couldn't think of much better for them to do unless it got desperate. Something would have to be done… later of course.

He felt a surge throughout the ship, a heavy, abruptly cut of whine and the harsh squealing of manoeuvring thrusters overload alarms.

He glanced directly forward at the screen which was permanently linked to cameras at the front of the hull. He saw harsh lit yellow bolts impacting the shields, the energy rippling across, warping and nearly tearing the energy fields.

The ship grumbled, shuddered and he glanced down at the tactical display, sighing irritated as the last of the missiles cells flicked to black, empty, just three racing towards a _Ha'tak, _chasing the bolts of ionic energy and of Gauss rifle fire already impacting on the enemy shields.

The missiles impacted, and three seconds later the _Ha'tak _vanished but he wasn't given time to celebrate or give new orders as _Britannica _herself heaved, a sudden sharp flare of heat alerting to a fire right behind him.

The ships status displays blanked, then the main screen in front, smoke billowing from the relay box at the side. He grabbed for the oxygen bottle attached to his leg, expecting for the room to be filled with CO 2 at any moment, smothering the fire but there was no distinctive rush of gas into the room.

Then the lights went out and except for the light of the fire and the faint chemical glow of the emergency direction strips at his feet, the room was plunged into darkness.

"Oh shit," Jones muttered, diving for the door, hoping the auxiliary control had taken over for the moment.

* * *

"Well, I've had the survivors of 587 Squadron folded into 675. That gives us one complete _Lancer _Solar squadron,"

Peters nodded, acknowledging the move, "good idea. With the bottleneck in _Lancer _production and the remaining uncertainty regarding their future I doubt we would have been able to obtain enough replacement birds to get both squadrons back operational."

"That's why. If 767 OTU had any _Lancer _Solars I would have grabbed those too but all they have is _Lancer _Alphas and Interstellars," Lieutenant Colonel Billingsgate , "frankly, I'd love to know what you're going to do with the _Lancers _long term."

Peters quirked and eyebrow at the subtle probing from the marine pilot, "well, that all depends on how the mark 3 turns out."

"Yea, the mark 2's didn't do so well, did they?"

"Neither did your Air Forces attempts at refitting _Udajeet _into useful fighters," she shot back.

"True," he grinned, "was kinda stupid wasn't it?"

"Only because then they didn't know what they were doing," Peters replied, "but then, we're working on the same thing for the Free Jaffa right now."

"True," he shrugged, leaning backwards in his seat, pencil end resting against his chin, "but it still isn't much to defend a planet, we need more fighters."

"We need more everything," came the dry reply, "but I would say just two fully operational squadrons in the system is a bit low, doubly so when the Colonials could recall their Blue Squadron at any time."

"Well, I want to recall a squadron from Edonia,"

Peters frowned, "that's not a location we can reinforce in a hurry if anyone seriously decides to go for it."

"The surrounding Nebula works very much in our favour there," Billingsgate responded, "but still, three fully operational squadrons and a part is the largest concentration of our fighter's full stop."

"Forget 649 Squadron," Peters noted, "they've already been recalled to Earth to regroup. Too much work getting replacement birds to Edonia with everything else we have to shift out so they're coming back with the empty freighters."

"That'll help," Billingsgate nodded, "but they won't be available for a while even when they do get home. Given how long they've been out there you know the Squadron will have a crapload of leave time waiting."

"And well deserved too, but I don't think we can strip Edonia. Sol and Alpha can at least reinforce each other relatively swiftly should the need arise, Edonia doesn't have that ability and their defensive grid is as marginal as Earths! Frankly, I worry that even with three squadrons, three warships and a Motor Torpedo Boat squadron that we don't have enough covering that blasted gateway."

Billingsgate raised a mildly disbelieving eyebrow and Peters snorted, "We are talking about the destruct switch for at _least _two universes and quite probably more if that thing goes to hell. Its no wonder Anubis has only probed it since we grabbed it off him; he has to know enough to be worried we would blow it to stop him controlling it."

"I hope we would," it was Billingsgate's turn to be dry.

"I hope we don't," Peters retorted, "I've read more on the gateway then you and definitely enough to be afraid."

"Okay," he grimaced, "but back to the original point…"

"The point is, we need more Squadrons," he was bluntly interrupted, "right now, every squadron we have everywhere is overdue to be rotated out of immediate combat zones for leave and recreation but we don't have the spare squadrons to arrange a proper rotation schedule and that's seriously screwing with the readiness and capability of the squadrons."

"Agreed, so, how are we going to get them?"

"This is the eternal bane of command rank," Peters chuckled, "we can't get them. Don't have the money or personnel. Only way to get them would be to divert funds and personnel from other equally important projects."

"Either that or increase the funding,"

"Not really our choice," she shrugged, "we have to do our best with what the civilian governments choose to give us. Sweden joining will help but what, it'll be four months absolute minimum before the treat details are finalised and they sign. Then, they have to read it into law and treaties do still fail at that point…"

"What about decreasing our reliance on Earth for essential supplies and materials, getting themselves offworld?"

"Being worked on, but _Gaia _is pretty much the entire capital expenditure budget at the moment."

"Trade?"

"Is going well with the Free Jaffa right now, the Tok'ra… well, they are pretty much a resentful asset of the Intel boys as it stands. There is no-one else where we could just trade, I mean, most of the allies are either to far away to make it realistic or are too primitive for most of our needs."

Billingsgate sighed, "I can see why a lot of the press think you're a pretty negative person, but its not negativity is it?"

"Realism," she replied softly, "right now we're skimming very close to collapsing in on ourselves, trying to do too much with far too little and failing because of it."

"Well," Billingsgate shuddered, "there are two trade partners you haven't considered. They're not to far away and they definitely aren't to primitive."

Peters took one look at his expression, "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

He nodded, "Maktenos for one."

"Jesus!" Peters slammed upwards in her seat, "are you out of your fucking gourd?!"

"Quite possibly," he shrugged, "he is an arse and not someone you like as a neighbour. Frankly, he should be in a straightjacket, he's unstable. But, twisted as it is, if we can get the ceasefire changed, make if official instead of merely defacto then maybe, just maybe we have a shot at a peace treaty."

"And a peace treaty means a possibility for trade treaties… one step at a time…" Peters shook her head wonderingly, "I imagine that will cost us a lot, one way or another."

"But it would be worth it."

Peters snorted, "The only trouble would be getting the politicians to realise that, to a point; he can be trusted. If we can get them to understand that…"

"Then they will jump at the chance to reduce the threats we need to worry about, as might Maktenos. He has to be pretty pissed at the havoc the SG teams are causing in his dominion."

"I can't believe I'm considering this," she shook her head in disbelief, "but you said two options…"

"Yes," he paused and that pause in itself told Peters a lot.

"Come on," she shook her head, "it can't be as bad as suggesting peace with a Goa'uld can it?"

"The Unforgiven."

"Bastard."


	33. Chapter 32

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Thirty-Two**

Jones grimaced as he darted into the auxiliary control, his eyes tracking across the room for a moment as he tried to find the main ships status and tactical displays. Mentally, he cursed himself, he really should learn the layout of the room better, try to get it so he could find his way by instinct as well as he did the main bridge. In any situation where you had to use this room, well, the situation was already screwed and being slow to respond, having to search for controls and displays could only make it worse.

Next time perhaps.

Assuming of course there was a next time.

The ship rocked under his feet and he dropped into his seat, hands diving unseen towards the restraints as he finally found the two displays.

His first thought was 'oh shit' followed by a distinct urge to curse out loud. It was definitely tempting… but not the time for such histrionics. Not with a massive hole where one of the sublight engines used to be. That was going to make manoeuvring a _bitch. _

His eyes darted towards the tactical display, one more _Ha'tak _down, only two left but _Searcher _had fallen back and was flagged as having had its shields reduced to near nothingness. They would be trying to reconstitute those no doubt, something that would leave them critically vulnerable for nearly two minutes. Definitely something to move away from the fight to deal with…

Two bastards left, _Britannica _not capable of manoeuvring worth a damn, _Searcher _temporarily out of the fight, _Overseer _well out of it, _Persephone _and _Invincible _left… Not good enough, not good enough by far.

The big question still unanswered too, the enemy hadn't contacted them which for Goa'uld or Jaffa was strange, the vessels were upgraded but nothing about the upgrades or the manner in which they moved screamed Anubis or Maktenos.

Balls, whilst it might be helpful to know, that was really a question for the after action review.

"Signal _Persephone _and _Invincible, _tell 'em to try and pull one of those bastards into our forward firing arcs."

Of course, if the unknowns had any sense, they might realise that was something to avoid, but nevertheless, they had to try something.

"And find out exactly what manoeuvring capability we have left!"

Rather suspected it wouldn't be a good idea to order a sharp turn and have the rear half of the ship fall off after all…

The ships status display bleeped and he glanced across to see both rear Gauss rifles turn black, marked only by the icon for an engineering override not an automatic detection.

No rear guns, just half the pulse lasers left, weakened shields forward, nothing to the stern, damaged engines but hey at least all guns forward were still working right?

The display bleeped once more and long tom vanished.

Or not, okay, why did they take away my ion cannon?

He tapped at this console and swiftly discovered that power had been diverted to the rear shields. They were going to try for a reformation in the middle of a fight?

Well, okay, but they should have commed him first before taking long tom away.

" _Invincible _seems to be leading one of the _Ha'taks _into our forward arcs,"

Jones nodded, timing wasn't so great with only four Gauss rifles to fire but still, it would have to do. He glanced across at the tactical officer, frowning for a moment at the unfamiliar face but then he saw the _Overseer _ship patch. A tactical officer wasn't much use onboard a ship that was reduced to only pulse lasers.

"Co-ordinate an alpha strike with _Invincible, _"

Not really as if there was any other order he could give after all.

The lights dimmed, and stayed that way for ten seconds, then the tactical display bleeped once more.

Rear shields at 63% and power being shunted back to the ion cannon.

Somebody in engineering was keeping an eye on the sensors, hell; somebody in engineering was bucking for promotion. Wasn't usual for power to be shunted form reconstituting shields until the job was done after all, but it gave him his ion cannon back and _that _had the greatest train of all his guns.

He glanced at the tactical officer once more, cutting him off before he started to speak, "give 'em hell."

The ion cannon fired, the _Ha'tak _already trying to shift course to avoid the bolts, no doubt having picked up the weapon coming back online again but even with powerful drives mass and momentum still ruled.

The ship flew straight into the bolts and died before the gauss rifles could take aim.

One left.

A glance at the tactical display and a grin, _Searcher _and _Persephone _both pounding the remaining ship, _Searchers _shields also only partially reconstituted, _Invincible _darting across to assist, that shouldn't take too long.

The _Ha'tak _abruptly stopped firing, then, a few moments later, dropped its shields.

No that didn't take too long at all. Now they just needed to know who the bastards are.

* * *

"You're in a good mood," O'Neill commented, a little warily as Lord Holmes strode into his office.

"Well," the Governor General of Alpha Prime responded, "I've been a little busy on the old boy's network as it were."

"Oh?" he leaned back in his seat, regarding the man in front. O'Neill knew he was a competent man, and had proven himself capable of juggling all the chores that literally running a planet dropped into his lap but he also knew he could be stubborn, pigheaded and even a little evil minded at times.

In fact he occasionally reminded him of himself and that alone was reason enough to never quite trust the man.

"Had a word with our Prime Minister who had a word with your President and they both then ganged up on the Swedes,"

O'Neill considered this for all of two seconds, "nothing to put them off I hope…"

"Definitely not," Holmes shrugged, "but it served two goals. One, who got to confirm how confident the Swedes are about entering the alliance and well, they seem to be committed and two, well, how quickly can you get the main guns off of the _Cheops _and made safe?"

He received a shrug in response, "the geeks say three months but the work crews say two."

"The Swedes forked out the money to cover the expected costs for design of a weapons platform to mount one of those babies over _Gaia _and with a little over for construction. Not enough to cover full construction costs but anything we can save on the design phase, we can use on construction."

O'Neill grinned, and turned his display around; revealing a set of schematics that weren't quite for a type III defensive satellite, "meet the type IIIc. Kalinda cooked it up whilst she was on her way back from Chocky's homeworld last time. It's being reviewed by the other geeks right now."

Holmes found his jaw dropping, and then he laughed, "Nice timing that lady! That's a big saving right there then, modifying an existing design and the rest… still don't have enough to cover the construction costs though."

"No," O'Neill considered this for a moment, "but the _Cheops _herself will give us the bulk of the materials we'll need. Trinium, armour, shields… the bulk of the costs will come from shifting the parts to Sol, those parts that can only come from Earth, personnel and support craft time."

"Won't the _Cheops _shields be a little overkill on a design that small?"

"No, first they're an older design even by Goa'uld standards so not as strong as what their capital ships are using at the moment but secondly, it gives the station extra options. They can compress the shields around the station reducing the area they cover to give them more strength or expand them around objects they might need protecting."

"Such as the support craft during the _Gaia _construction," Holmes nodded, "makes sense."

"I'm more worried about the station having the power for everything,"

"Forward the question to Kalinda and the other design teams then," the Governor responded, "but I don't see it being that difficult to add more generators."

"You haven't had to try obtaining spares for those zero point extractors recently. It was bad enough getting some of the metals before disclosure but they're…" O'Neill stopped, momentarily lost for words.

"I would suggest you grab at least one of those guns yourself though,"

His eyebrows rose surprised, and then dropped, considering the idea, "parts."

"Quite," Holmes replied, "this station does still use a large number of Goa'uld heavy weapons after all and the ship does have four of them."

"Maybe," he responded, "but I think I need to make a few calls."


	34. Chapter 33

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Thirty-Three**

Murielle woke slowly, her body aching with familiar aches, familiar pains.

Unwanted pains.

The smell of the hospital filled her noise and she groaned; shaking her head as she carefully opened her eyes, squinting into the overly bright lights.

Her only real thought being 'not again' before it was swept aside a few confused, groggy moments by 'did my people get out alive?' and then, finally, 'did we succeed?'

She took in the room at a glance, small, well equipped, no windows which was unusual though not unheard off. Definitely a private room though. Whose private room though?

She had woken up like this in unfriendly hands before and she knew not to take anything for granted. The clock above the door a standard, earth analogue set which she took as a good clue, wherever she was, they either knew a hell of a lot about Earth or they were of Earth themselves.

Then she felt a familiar, _highly _irritating sensation down below and knew that wherever she was, they dealt with an age old problem of hospitals the same way they did on Earth.

She glanced across, then frowning; she took a very careful look at the various bits of equipment throughout the room. It was all either integral to the room or very firmly attached. Bolts, straps, lots of what appeared to be dedicated attachment points in the walls.

Even in a major earthquake zone they didn't take this many precautions against equipment moving, which meant a ship or station. That reduced the likely possibilities somewhat…

And whilst a lot of the equipment was modified, it was clearly meant for humans. The question was simple, was this a wet-navy ship or vacuum-navy?

Vacuum navy didn't necessarily mean friendly, it wasn't as if the Chinese had any reason to like her after all, exactly the opposite in fact, but it did reduce the possibilities somewhat. Wet-navy didn't feel right, they didn't tend to have quite such sophisticated equipment and besides, private cubicles aboard ship, even dedicated hospital ships were not common.

Not, this was a vacuum-navy ship, but whose?

Then, a glint out of the corner of the eye made her turn, and she saw a large, sealed bottle of cherry liquor tied with a blue bow. Answered that one, wherever she was, the old fart knew about it.

There was a letter there too, in a script she had not seen in years and she paused a moment, the writing was familiar but not quite… then she sighed. Admiral Winters, his writing must just be getting more crabbed with age. She hadn't even been aware that he knew about the project.

Then again, perhaps he didn't need to; Thompson could have told his old boss about it then dropped the letter off at the same time he did the bottle.

She reached under the pillow, knowing there would be a call button there somewhere but she never got a chance to press it, a tall nurse walking briskly into the room, a quick glance outside of the swiftly closing door revealing a least one soldier standing guard outside the door.

Grimacing, she lay back down again, knowing that this was going to be fun.

She knew there was a reason she hated hospitals and that reason was nurses and catheters…

* * *

"Mercenaries," Thompson commented flatly, annoyed, his expression grim, "the 1st Battlegroup lost another forty souls to mercenaries?"

"From the report we received via the Stargate, yes sir, it does appear that way," replied the tall, svelte brunette in front of the desk, her manner screaming competent, self-assured, and her badge proclaiming her to be seconded from the CIA.

"Blast," he replied angrily, slamming his hand down on the desk, winching at the screech the collapsible metal monstrosity made as it scraped for a second across the desk.

He hated that sound, too much like nails on a blackboard, he hated that more of the people he was responsible for were dead and he hated that one of his oldest friends was once in the hospital because of him, just a few rooms away.

He hated that he didn't quite understand this new threat too.

"Do we know who they were working for?"

"That wasn't in the report sent through," she shrugged, "but what was made clear was that this group was unusually well equipped…"

"Six _Ha'taks_?" Thompson snorted, and then waved the analyst on.

She inclined her head at him, acknowledging the point, "not just in number and scale of the ships used, but also in the technology present. These ships were upgraded and using a curious mixture of technologies from most of the known factions, Maktenos, Anubis, a few Cylon pieces and some of ours."

The Admiral considered this for a moment, and then grimly stated "I really need to read that report."

"I'll have a complete copy forwarded immediately,"

"Okay," Thompson replied, thinking furiously, "you were certainly right to bring this to my attention. I have to clear it with Intel but set up a new desk, you and perhaps three others for the moment. Your responsibility is to trace this new mercenary company and find out everything you can. Usual reporting procedure, but liaise with internal security as well. Finding out how they got hold of any of our tech could be quite important."

"Of course Sir,"

He nodded, dismissing her, but glanced up momentarily puzzled as she reached the door, "your name?"

"Tessa Hammond."

He felt his eyebrow rising in mild surprise.

"My grandfather," she confirmed, before walking swiftly out of the room.

Thompson found himself chuckling for a moment as she left, but soon sobered glancing around his temporary office. The nurse would be by soon to tell her she had finished with Murielle, she had better be.

* * *

_"Tensions between the Tau'ri Star Service and the People's Liberation Army, Space of China as terms for a cooperation agreement between the two services was finally reached granting the Tau'ri Star Service a certain degree of control over the actions of the warship and any others they might construct and providing an avenue for co-operation in exchange for bringing the Chinese up to date on technologies and equipment procured or created by quasi-military organisation. _

_The previous contract amounted to little more then a agreement not to attack each other or directly interfere in each others missions." _

* * *

_"Jubilation at Cape Canaveral today as the Paladin yards goes online. The new construction facility, which initially will only build the _Paladin _support craft, has successfully secured the historic facility and the thousands of jobs it represents against collapse in the face of the far more advanced and capable craft produced by the old Stargate Command and its British counterpart, the Royal Star Service. _

_Its expected that the economics of scale and mass production will reduce the per craft cost by perhaps as much as ten percent once all the production lines go online. _

_The production lines for the Airhead and Shunter craft are expected to go online within the next several months, no exact date has been released as yet but it will not be the only major construction going on here. _

_Several older buildings within the complex are already being redeveloped to construct smaller satellites such as the _Firebird _or Type II defensive satellites. This will be the first true mass production facility for satellites. _

_As to the old complexes for minor warcraft and satellite construction, it has been confirmed that most of these will be partially mothballed, ready should Cape Canaveral be taken out to resume their old jobs once more. _

_Some, such as the St Athan hangers will return to their old jobs of prototype construction and repair work." _

* * *

_"Terror struck this sleepy little town in Alabama today as an American starfighter, an F-302 of the Tau'ri Star Service crashed into the town's main street, tossing cars and debris everywhere and demolishing shops. In one case, a car near to the initial impact was struck by the fighter and tossed over a two story general store into the gardens behind, gardens which luckily were unoccupied at the time. _

_Nevertheless, the death toll has already hit thirteen and is expected to continue to climb. _

_There has not yet been any report from Earthforce regarding the cause of this accident." _

* * *

_"Boeing issued a statement today officially announcing its intention to start design work on aircraft and even spacecraft using technologies so far restricted to the Tau'ri Star Service. _

_This construction will be closely watched and monitored by the military given the highly controlled nature of most of the technologies in use but Boeing feels, it if can find an operator, that civilian flights can be operated safely between Earth and the Alpha Centauri system. _

_It is rumoured at least three of the surviving airlines and two shipping conglomerates have already expressed an interest in what is likely to be a costly and time-consuming project." _


	35. Chapter 34

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Thirty-Four**

"So, how do we do this?"

"Carefully," Peters replied dryly, "this needs to be an effective group but we cant compromise home defence to build it."

Thompson snorted, "Whatever happens, home defence isn't going to be a strong as I would like."

"Still," Peters tapped at her display, " _Atlantis _for the number one slot obviously."

"That has been the original intention since we knew we were going to get her," he replied, "no change there,"

"How many ships from the original group will we be able to use?" O'Neill asked, for once not joining the meeting by transmission but actually being present in the room.

"None," Peters shrugged, "I don't know the full extent of the damage, we only have what has been reported and the yards boys always find something the crews missed but four of the ships are going to be in the yards for quite some time. _Persephone _needs a hyperdrive replacement and _that _is definitely not a quick job, _Overseer… _well, she may well take even longer. The only one that doesn't appear to need a major refit is _Searcher _but she will still need some yard time and even though we will be rotating a good proportion of the crew out I still think she should be kept home for a while before a new long term deployment."

"And the _Ha'tak _they captured is going to need the once over too," O'Neill grimaced, "already got Intel clamouring for access,"

"You do intend to allow that?"

"Of course," he replied, sending Peters a mildly affronted look, "but I'm not going to allow them to tear her apart. She's not an Anubis level _Ha'tak _but she's better then a standard and that means she usable without much refitting. Strip the gold, replace with armour where necessary, and add some pulse laser batteries then rest boils down to fittings."

"Quite," Thompson replied agreeably, "Now _Indomitable _may be bringing the most fatigued crew back from Minbari Alliance territory but they still need to be rotated out too, not to mention the ships in action against the Aschen with that Alliance,"

"We don't have ships to rotate them all and create a battlegroup," Peters noted.

"Not at once no, certainly," he replied, "but nonetheless, in both cases they have been deployed for quite a while and crew and ship both need some TLC."

"The longest trip is to Minbari alliance space," O'Neill pointed out, "but not much time difference between the two deployments."

"Well, its three ships in Vulcan space, _Devonshire, Endeavour _and _Dawn of Justice _, that's a _Dauntless, _a _Prometheus _and a Maktenos type _Ha'tak, _" Peters shrugged, pulling the ships reports on her screen then sending them across the screen onto the massive flat-screen mounted against one wall of the briefing room,"

"And in Minbari space?"

"Four now, _Interrogator, Prometheus _herself, _Independence _and _Dawn of Valour," _again, she sent the ships stats onto the flat-screen monitor, "one _Dauntless, _two _Prometheus _and another Maktenos type _Ha'tak." _

"We don't have enough ships to rotate all of those about," Thompson groaned.

"And both groups screaming for reinforcements," O'Neill noted.

"Don't have the crew, don't have the ships," Peters commented dryly, a glint of humour appearing in here eyes, "if you can't take a joke…"

Thompson chuckled and O'Neill grinned, both mentally adding 'you shouldn't have joined' to the age old saw.

"But the ship situation will ease within the week," she added, "Latest report from Edonia crossed my desk just before I came down, _Potemkin a _nd _Peter the Great _are set to launch within the week."

" _Dauntless _I's?" O'Neill asked.

"Indeed," Thompson nodded, "but we are talking about a month of shakedown time before they're considered operational."

"Most of which they cant do in Edonia due to the relatively confined nature of the location, so after passing safety and the spacesafe designations they'll join the next freighter home."

"Have one work up in Alpha Centuari, one in Sol," the aging General mused, "releasing one _Dauntless _from each."

"That means _General Hammond _and _Stingray _and the latter is a type II," Peters shrugged, "no other _Dauntless _class ships assigned to home defence at the moment."

O'Neill looked vaguely pensive at this, "that's not funny."

"No, its not. But personnel and money are stopping the navy growing as fast as we need it too,"

"Not to mention losses, four warships, six patrolcraft, enough fighters to form ten full squadrons just since _Thundersdawn _had her keel plate laid, not to mention the SGC's losses before that,"

O'Neill grimaced, grimly acknowledging the point, "I think we need to form five new patrolcraft squadrons."

Peters frowned, "we have eight craft under construction, but three are already assigned to replacing losses."

"Five left to form a new squadron," Thompson nodded, "any particular reason?"

"Alliance territory for two, home defence for three," he leaned back in her chair sighing, hiding a wince as he realised his leg had started to go dead, "one squadron each for _Babylon _'s two and three, reinforce Edonia, Earth and Alpha,"

"I assume you mean a squadron each," Thompson groaned, "I can see your point, they don't use as much crew as a warship, albeit each crewmember actually has to be more thoroughly trained and it would increase the tactical flexibility but hell; that puts us back to money and personnel."

" _Babylon _two is going quicker, the Aschen so far haven't made a concerted effort to stop her construction, so she would be ready to take a squadron first."

"I don't think we've 'spent' the bulk of the resource stockpile the _Cheops _represents yet either."

"It's a tempting idea and I thank you for pointing out we need another patrol boat on the slips to make a full squadron," Thompson found himself grimacing once more, "but money and personnel are, as always the issue. Not to mention, I think the new birds have already been earmarked for home defence."

Peters frowned, "they're proper patrol types not the system defence variants. They would seem to be a bit of a waste."

"Given that we have just one more squadron for Earth and Alpha Centauri it does make a bit more sense," Thompson shrugged, "but I do see your point."

"Doesn't solve our main question, the 1st Battlegroup and ensuring ship and crew rotations," she replied, trying to bring them back onto the main subject of their meeting.

"We can't do it," Thompson shook his head, "not yet. Not without cancelling the battlegroup, because the ships we use for that are the only ones we can use for rotation, we have what; thirty-one warships total, two more coming shortly but ten of those are in need of repair or refit. Twenty-one ships we can consider operational and five major defensive points to cover as well as the reformation of our only offensive taskforce."

The room fell quiet for almost five minutes as this was digested and flaws searched for in its logic.

"Then we need to increase the number of support ships we have so we can at least ensure the supply of parts and personnel to deployed ships," O'Neill finally continued, then grinned wryly, "whoops, don't have the money or personnel for that do we?"

"Well," Thompson shrugged, "we have _Gaia _funded, we have the type IIIa defensive platform under construction and the funding for the type IIIc is now in the bag. The support craft yard at Cape Canaveral has come online and there is a plant for type I and II defensive satellites coming online. There are seven new warships on the way and two refits as well as enough patrol boats to bring the existing squadrons to strength and start a new squadron. We have enough shipyard space free that we can send all the ships of the battlegroup straight into refit for a quick turn-around. The situation is not as bad as it could be."

"You forgot two," Peters noted, "the Swedes are in and the upcoming budget review from home which from what I have heard from the PM actually looks a little promising."

"Well, it might be worth asking Davis to get his team working on 'borrowing' some more _Tel'tacs, _"

Peters pursed her lips, "capture missions are always more risky then simple destroy but we only have two at the moment and we can certainly use more. I think it's a good idea General."

"I'll speak with Davis ," Thompson agreed, tapping a note into his PDA.

"And once more back to the question…" O'Neill grinned.

"Well, we have _Atlantis _and given that we have ruled out a rotation at the moment, that means we can also add in _General Hammond _and _Stingray _to start."

"I see," Thompson sighed, "I'm not sure a lot of people will be happy with replacing two veteran ships with two green crews still on their shakedown,"

"Both of those ships have been on home defence for a while," Peters shrugged, "a change can sometimes be as good as a rest."

"True,"

"There is _Seeker… _"

Frowning, Thompson considered this, "that's a _Sentinel _refit…"

"There were two in the original formation and both did well enough apparently, will only leave five fully operational warships guarding Earth but _Searcher _isn't supposed to be in the body and fender shop long,"

"That's only four ships still," O'Neill noted, frowning, "Peters, can you put the complete shiplist on the screen?"

She nodded and tapped at her console for a moment then the main display flashed for just a moment.

"Oh fuck," O'Neill commented, after gazing at the screen for a few moments, "we don't have anything else do we?"

"No," Peters sighed, "I don't think we do."


	36. Chapter 35

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Thirty-Five**

_"The return of the 1 st Battlegroup was confirmed by the Tau'ri Star Service today, the battered vessels, who had been involved in numerous battles and skirmishes with Goa'uld forces are due for major repair and renewal work following what had undoubtedly a hard fought campaign at great remotes. _

_The surviving crew, we have been informed, are now in being debriefed and checked over by medical and we should expect them to be released to their families over the next fortnight. _

_A new memorial is already being constructed at St Athans to the one-hundred and ninety personnel who died during this operation." _

* * *

_"Amateur astronomers on the ground have reported seeing unusual blue-grey ships reported to be vaguely fish-shaped in configuration in the vicinity of Mars. Whilst the military has confirmed the presence of allied vessels in the star system, so far no information has been released regarding the nature of these allies. _

_Nonetheless, given the timing, it is safe to assume they were the 'escort' given to the 1 st Battlegroup on their return from alliance space." _

* * *

_"The Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed the defacto budget which had been operating since Disclosure. This diverted all funds from improvement works and new construction into rebuilding and reconstruction and whilst reviled by many has been generally accepted as a necessity in these dark times. This, which is the first official budget since the events of last year, also allocates more money towards the Tau'ri Star Service, but not as much as many analysts had expected." _

* * *

_"A second Chinese _Prometheus _? That's the rumour today as the Tau'ri Star Service confirms technical experts have been deployed to a classified location on the Chinese mainland. The Chinese are the only nation known to have an operational independent shipyard." _

* * *

_"The value of gold suffered a mild drop today as one-hundred bars of gold were placed on the market by Earthforce with confirmation that more would follow gradually. _

_This act of somewhat blatant fund-raising by the military uses gold stripped from captured Goa'uld ships." _

* * *

_"The British Government has today blocked the script of __**Dauntless!**__, a film covering the short but proud history of the first warship of the old Royal Star Service citing security concerns, a move which has been backed by the United States." _

* * *

_"The formation of a fifth squadron of patrol craft has been confirmed by sources within the Tau'ri Star Service. Though this has not yet been announced officially, it is well know that there are eight of these minor warcraft nearing completion but only three needed to replace operational losses. _

_What has been confirmed is the order for another craft, of the _Blastboat _MTB class, which I would note, when constructed would be enough to bring the new squadron to full strength." _

* * *

_"An attempt by the militant 'War First' group to seize control over the Earthforce base at Manston was repelled with heavy loss of life today. The facility, which houses the 1 st Motor Torpedo Boat squadron as well as two spacefighter squadrons has seen multiple attempts to breech its perimeter and as such has rapidly become one of the most heavily defended bases on British soil. _

_It's believed the leader of the group, the self-styled Cain and Abel managed to evade capture." _

* * *

_"Jubilation today as the Exeter Exclusion Zone, centred on the cathedral city which was so callously destroyed using a dirty nuclear device by the Cylons shrunk for the first time, an area the size of Manhattan Island being opened to the public once more. _

_The area, whose radioactivity has already spread across the channel, rendering some areas of Normandy uninhabitable as well, has been the subject of clean-up operations being carried out by three _Beliskner _class vessels of the Asgard. _

_The exclusion zone is still under strict security however as the military attempt to reduce any threats to the clean-up vessels." _

* * *

_"Rumours of construction orders from Earths allies have been denied by the Tau'ri Star Service today who insist that, with the return of the 1 st Battlegroup, there is not enough space available for new construction and few, if any of their allies who are actually capable of supporting warships would need Earth constructed vessels, having access to their own. _

_It is true that most of the allies contacted by Earth are too primitive to support space going vessels of any kind on their own, but a few, such as the Orbanians are not only capable of supporting spacefaring vessels but have provided vital technologies to Earth and as yet, do not have any confirmed vessels of their own." _

* * *

_"The first segments of the rebuilt Stargate Command went online today, allowing research personnel back into the mountain once more. The facility, which was severely damaged during Disclosure, is still in the process of reconstruction and the Stargate itself has not yet been returned to its home." _

* * *

_"A move has been placed before congress to change the dating system from the standard AD, anno domini system used currently to a new, PD, Post-Disclosure dating. _

_The move is widely expected to fail, however it is considered unlikely that the idea will leave the public consciousness. Indeed, it might not happen yet, but it is entirely possible that, sometime in the future, the dates will change." _

* * *

_"Hector Jones goes to court today as his extradition hearing is finally heard. Mr Jones has been formally accused of having committed several rapes of civilians from the Colonial Remnant whilst acting as a construction foreman on Freedom. _

_This is the first major judicial incident involving the Colonial Remnant since they were granted a new homeworld by the old Stargate Command and Royal Star Service." _

* * *

"Damn, will I be glad when _Gaia _goes online," Joan laughed, glancing across at Hammond , "but, are they serious?"

"They are," he sighed, leaning back in his seat and trying to ignore the painful twinge in his side, "I am inclined to say yes to this request, they are the ones who gave us the naquadah generator technology and we have never had any indication that they can not be trusted."

"Plus, their location,"

The aging General nodded at Commander Williams, "That has to play a part; they are very close to Anubis'es territory. They have the infrastructure; they could make a useful ally, a very useful base. We could use this."

"Increases the threat to them," she shrugged, "but given their location and the fact that their technology base makes them both a threat and potentially useful to Anubis, I would say they were already threatened."

He sighed, leaning backwards in his seat, "quite, but we can't do this for them. We don't have the resources, thanks largely to Jack; we still have a lot of goodwill we can use to ensure a fair deal but…"

"They want warships; they will need to pay," Joan grimaced, "at least we have precedent on our side,"

"Not exactly, both the Colonials and the Free Jaffa already had space flight and warships, they had crossed that bridge. They just needed an upgrade, with the Orbanians, we would have to give them the capability and that is why a number of the more conservative elements are balking."

"I don't agree," shrugging, she glanced pensively out of the window, her eyes tracking an F-302 as it launched, "but I do understand. Bluntly, I think we owe them and I rather think we wouldn't want Anubis to seize control of Orban."

"If they became active militarily, he is more likely to take notice,"

"And if they don't, if Anubis moves against them they don't stand a chance,"

"I agree," Hammond sighed once more, "but again, we have quite a few fires to deal with as it is. I'm just glad this isn't going to be my decision anymore."

Joan glanced across sharply, "oh?"

"The decommissioning of Stargate Command was supposed to be a quiet assignment, a last post before retirement. That was sixteen years ago and whilst I have few regrets, its time for me to step down."

"It won't be the same without you," Joan replied finally, "but I will say, what you brought most to the service was integrity and loyalty."

A tear glinted in the corners of his eyes for am moment, "thank you."

"Who are you going to push for to replace you?"

"Paul Davis,"

"General O'Neill planning his memoirs too?"

Hammond smiled for a moment, "he's not, but I am afraid his knee is."

"Ahh," standing up, she formally saluted the General, "don't forget my invite to your retirement party,"

"Of course not," he assured her as he slowly returned the salute.

* * *

Authors Note:  
whilst I like the character of General Hammond, its time for him to retire  
frankly, I dont know if the USAF has a mandatory retirement age but if it does, hes almost certainly there at this point  
as far as O'Neill goes, well, by this point in canon, he was _long_ gone  
(hell, canon hasnt even reached this far (2013) yet...)

oh, and a complete ship listing and status page has been created at the series archive

wwwDOTthundersdawnDOTcoDOTuk


	37. Chapter 36

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Thirty-Six**

_"Negotiations between the Tau'ri Star Service and the Space Liner consortium led by Boeing broke down today as the consortium accused the military of obstructionism and deliberate sabotage of the space liner project. _

_The response from the Tau'ri Star Service was a simple statement that Boeing was refusing to place adequate measures in place to protect the classified and highly dangerous technologies the project requires. _

_It is well known that Boeing has long known of the Stargate Project and of the potential value of the technologies the project has control over and more then a handful of analysts are stating that the consortium may be both getting in over its head and letting its drool reflex overcome sense. _

_Whilst the potential of having the first civilian freighters and liners is enormous and probably highly lucrative, the risks are equally high as are the costs. No blueprints have yet been started, but nearly $25 million has already been spent. _

_Quite a considerable sum of money given the recession and the overnight obsolescence of almost everyone of Boeings previous designs." _

* * *

_"Quiet satisfaction at Ravenbright station, the primary outpost in the Alpha Centauri system, as 617 Squadron officially arrives. The squadron, which has a long and illustrious history which the Royal Air Force starting with its formation specially for the Dambuster Raids of the 2 nd World War, was the first to be transferred direct from the RAF and only the second to be equipped with _Strikers.

Strikers, _a fighter attack craft, the _F/A 18 Hornet _of space is a relatively new design but one which has already proven itself as a very capable warcraft. The first squadron to be so equipped, 889 already claims three unassisted _Ha'tak _kills, two of which were for no loss on the squadron's part. _"

* * *

_"The most expensive holiday ever? _

_That's the question on everyone's lips today as multibillionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne takes his leave of work and Earth to journey to The Land of the Light. _

_Long term allies, even though technologically backward, the Land of the Light has often supported Stargate Command missions and has been used on many occasions as a gathering point for refugees fleeing the Goa'uld conflict. _

_Nowadays, a permanent presence is maintained on their world which has recently has been granted Protectorate status. Nonetheless, this is a world undefended against attacks from space, not your usual or even safe vacation spot. _

_However, it should be quite a unique experience. _

_It hasn't been disclosed exactly how much was paid for the privilege but Mr Wayne has already confirmed that two trips to the old International Space Station prior to Disclosure would have been cheaper." _

* * *

_"A spokesperson for _Ravenbright _station has confirmed that the _Sentinel _refit destroyer, the _Searcher _should be released back into operational duties within a fortnight. The vessel, which suffered least damage during the 1 st Battlegroups first deployment, will then return to Earth to reinforce home defences." _

* * *

_"A surprise at the British Young Carer of the Year awards today as the prize winner got an unexpected ride home. _

_But this was no ordinary ride; this was aboard a _Paladin _of the Tau'ri Star Service. She was taken on an hour long trip leisurely trip round the moon before being dropped back off at her Surrey home. _

_We have attempted to ask the young lady for a comment but so far, her mind has yet to follow her body down from the heavens." _

* * *

_"For two hours today, both Battlestars, the _Galactica _of the Colonials and _Atlantis, _now controlled by our own Earthforce, were in the skies over Earth as fighters were swapped between Earth and the Colonials. _

_177 'Cobra' Squadron, the first Earth squadron to be formed using Colonial derived _Vipers _was finally released from advanced training and was being brought home to Earth for the first time. This prompted the departure of Blue Squadron which had been temporarily deployed from their normal base aboard _Galactica _to reinforce Earths defences." _

* * *

_"Rumours of more support for the Tau'ri Star Service today as high level negotiators are seen meeting with Spanish officials, no official word has yet been heard from either the Spanish government or the multinational military force." _

* * *

_"Tragedy over Greece today as a British Airways Boeing 747 was shot down by what is rumoured to have been a Cylon Raider. This further blow to the confidence of the airline industry comes just weeks after a raid by Secessionist Cylons strafed Tri-Cities Regional Airport in the US confirming once again how vulnerable these large airliners are to enemy action. _

_So far no survivors have been reported in either incident." _

* * *

_"Australia has issued a statement today condemning the Tau'ri Star Service for the lack of any major defensive bases or equipment in or over the Southern Hemisphere. Australia, which has been a long term supporter of Earths defences having been an early funder of the Royal Space Service, has a small training base and R&D facility for the TSS at RAAF Darwin, a joint military / civilian airfield. _

_There are no other Tau'ri Star Service facilities in the Southern Hemisphere." _

* * *

_"The Battlestar _Atlantis _which has now been in service for several months has been confirmed to lack operational fighter squadrons. The vessel, which is capable of deploying numerous fighters and support craft was supposed to deploy with two squadrons of fighters but production delays have left the squadrons a paper shell of personnel and equipment that is only just beginning to receive its fighters. _

_This embarrassing confession from the Tau'ri Star Service is further exasperated by the fact that both Battlestars lack support craft, having only _Paladins _for personnel transport and freight. As yet, no Awacs equivalents or Electronic Warfare craft have been prototyped in preparation for deployment aboard the capital ships of the Colonial and Earth fleets." _

* * *

_"The population of Alpha Prime, Earths Colony in the Alpha Centauri system, broke the six figure mark today as Mark Meier, a railway engineer and foreman from Canada became the 100,000 person to colonise the system on a semi-permanent or permanent basis." _

* * *

_"The taxman arrived on Alpha Prime today as Lord Holmes officially set the planets taxes for the first time. Up till now, personnel on the planet had been paying taxes to their country of origin, a difficult task given the separation between the two star systems. _

_The Governor General has already confirmed that any money raised will go straight into the planets own infrastructure and improvements for the foreseeable future. _

_The new tax rules will apply to anyone resident for more then six months on Alpha Prime." _

* * *

_"The launch of five more Type II defensive satellites into Earth orbit has been confirmed by Earthforce. The new satellites, considered to only truly be effective against fighters, brings the total number of completed weapons platforms in Earth orbit to forty-five, no where near enough to provide full coverage but a start at least." _

* * *

_"Plans to place Earth to orbit weapons batteries on Earth have been denied by the Tau'ri Star Service who have stated that no weapons systems exist at the moment for such work. _

_It is known that the Ion Canon, a weapon based on Tollan technology is capable of Earth to Orbit fire however what we have not been informed of is whether the aiming and guidance systems exist for such use." _

* * *

_"The Army division of the Tau'ri Star Service unveiled its newest toy today, the Razor. Based on a reconnaissance tank design, the Razor is intended to act as heavy for support for both Army and Marine operations through the Stargate. Forgoing conventional armament, the Razor uses a single pulse laser on a turret mount specially designed to enable the tank to engage ground and air targets and has two crew. _

_More importantly, the design is capable of passing in one piece through the Stargate, albeit requiring careful handling. _

_Reconnaissance tanks have been used for gate operations on several previous occasions, however this is believed to be the first tank custom designed for the task." _


	38. Chapter 37

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Thirty-Seven**

"Are you _sure? _" Peters blurted; more then a little surprised.

"No," came the blunt reply, "At this point there is no way to be sure. There are multiple sources for this information but none of them trustworthy. Nevertheless, the Cylon Support for Anubis has always been somewhat shaky."

"This…" she shook her head, "I was not expecting. Still, your right, it was always a possibility when they realized how little Anubis cares for his servants, I mean, most of his Jaffa are mind-wipes anyway now but damn."

"Indeed," Teal'c replied softly, a slight frown on his face as his eyes tracked a strange, to him unknown, vessel as it passed the windows of the Admirals office.

Catching his gaze, she turned for a moment then smiled, facing the Jaffa Warrior once more, "a Minbari _Tinashi, _effective against unshielded targets such as the Drakh forces which are now the bulk of Anubis's forces but vulnerable against shielded vessels or cloaked ones."

"Do you intend to upgrade those as well?"

"No," Peters replied swiftly, "we don't have the capacity, just like with the Vulcans and Andorians, we can teach them a few tricks but they will need to do the work on their own."

"Do you Tau'ri not have a saying, give a man a piscine and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime?"

Her lips quirked upwards, "close enough. Still, the news you have brought is promising. If the Loyalists have truly broken with Anubis…"

"They're ships are the best of all the Cylons," he noted, "but they are far from numerous."

"And like us they will now be in a multi-front war, except Anubis is going to be holding a grudge because they not just defied him but turned traitor as well."

"Perhaps,"

"You don't think so?"

"I do," Teal'c nodded slightly, "but if they truly had the sense to break with Anubis then no doubt they will have sense enough to flee far from his territories, find a new homeworld and begin rapid rebuilding and settlement projects."

"Just as Ba'al has done,"

He inclined his head in mild acknowledgement of the comparison, "most likely."

"Still," the Admiral mused, "it's never wise to count all your chickens before they are hatched. We need confirmation, and even if we get that, we know Anubis liked what Iblis created with the cylons. He may just make his own, more loyally programmed. I would certainly expect him to use the lessons from the Cylons in producing newer, better warships."

"He may already have done so,"

Peters raised an eyebrow, "oh?"

"A rumour, nothing more, that Anubis has rebuilt his stealth fighters with a fully integrated organic mind."

Groaning, she raised her hand to her forehead, suddenly feeling an intense headache coming on, "You mean those blasted menaces with keep raiding and probing Edonia?"

"Quite,"

"Those blighters outmatch the _Lancers _and _F-302's _one on one as it is. With the relaxes of a cylon _Raider _… that's not a happy thought."

Teal'c nodded, agreeing in part, "but to be truly dangerous they would need to be able to think and if they are able to think, they are potentially a danger to Anubis."

"True and he is getting quite wary of most of his servants isn't he?"

"With reason,"

"Quite," Peters mused for a moment, "I think… it may be time to pay Anubis a wake-up call."

Teal'c turned his gaze fully on Peters, sudden interest glinting at the back of his eyes, "Find us some thing _major _to do with those stealth fighters. A production facility, a research base, anything but preferably something that won't require a ground assault. I'll get out Intel boys and the Tok'ra Remnant on it as well."

Teal'c frowned, "Bold and dangerous. You will certainly obtain his interest and his ire."

Peters smiled grimly, "Oh, I think I can arrange a surprise for Anubis. One he won't expect."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, turning an inquisitive look at Peters but she just shook her head then grinned, an evil glint in the corner of her eye.

"Hell, why not spread the wealth even further. Joint op?"

"It may be possible," Teal'c noted, "a direct assault on Anubis would be approved by some on the council but not all. I shall ask."

"Nothing more I can ask of you Teal'c,"

Acknowledging the implicit dismissal, he turned and swiftly left the room.

* * *

"How soon until the _Atlantis _squadrons go online?"

"As soon as all the fighters are available they can be declared operational," Billingsgate noted, "they are already familiarised with the craft given the amount of time they have been using the training _Vipers _and borrowing the Cobras birds whilst they were forming. It's only the fighters we are waiting for."

"Okay," Joan replied, " _when? _"

Shooting the Commander a mildly reproving look, the Colonel continued, "Several birds destined for the _Atlantis _squadrons were diverted to replace _Galactica's _losses during the operation against the Cylons but we're talking a squadron in a week, the next a week after. The birds are already built; they're just waiting on final flights tests, the usual niggling list of fixes and the final sign-over.

Spares will be an issue; both squadrons will just have a single spare bird each until the next batch rolls off."

"Not the best situation," she grinned, "still think we need better names for the squadrons though then _Atlantis _one and two..."

Grinning his agreement, Billingsgate continued, "I quite agree and I also dislike the lack of flexibility having two squadrons permanently assigned to a single ship results in but I'm already working on that. Should have individual squadron designations sorted out shortly."

"Good," Joan nodded sharply, "both Adama and Thompson are agitating for the political arguments over the replacement for the _Raptors _to be sorted out publicly and privately… well, the bickering idiots are going to get a fait-accompli shoved in their faces."

The response to that was an approving smile, "ballsy, perhaps necessary but politicians don't like being made out for fools. They'll both catch some flack for that and in might bite them in the arse later."

"Adama has it lucky there; he at least has the majority support of his government. At least, as far as that project is concerned, it's _our _politicians that are the issue which I don't get given that precedent as far as AWACs is concerned has always been for modifying an existing design to the role. Hell, I think the only major exception to that was the Hawkeye which worked it the other round, got modified into other uses such as COD."

"Dick-waving,"

Williams found herself choking at the dead-pan response form the Colonel and she shook her head, exasperated, "sometimes Colonel, you surprise me. That underneath all the polish and buff there could actually be a wicked sense of humour…"

"Thanks," Billingsgate chuckled, "but I think the point still stands, there are going to be some very pissed off politicians and they will have some reason to be."

"We need the capability and we need it now," she shook her head, "okay, so the extra sensor pods we can attach to the fighters have their advantages but they still have to rely too much on a fighter pilot and second who already have quite a number of things to keep an eye out for, their arses for a start."

"Is it going to be a _Paladin _variant?"

"Yes, but without as much parts commonality as some of the other variants." Joan explained, "We're talking about a 79% parts commonality as opposed to 90 or even 96% for some of the other variants."

"Why so low?"

"Impulse drives, an improved and lengthened spaceframe design," shrugging, she brought the schematic up on the display, "an extra ten foot of usable hull, improved resistance to weapons fire… the new design has already been tested on a courier _Paladin _and it works well. The Paladin Yards at the cape are set up to build spec 4 _Paladins _already but not all of the designs for the variants have been updated yet."

Billinsgate snorted, "Far too many variants for that to be a quick or easy job."

"Very much so," Joan replied, "the most common variants, the couriers, passenger and small freight variants have already been updated, the rest are being worked on."

A frown started to appear on the Colonels face, "Impulse drives… dual-fuel?"

"Yes," she sighed, "this is one instance where added capability is more important then the drawbacks. Luckily, neither the Naquadah reactor or the Impulse drives use a lot of fuel so we're not talking about a lot of space used there. Still, the storage for the reaction thrusters and the impulse drives does fill the wings plus secondary stores elsewhere in the frame."

"So, nothing an atmospheric pilot wouldn't be used to already," he noted.

"Quite so," she agreed, "as I understand it, the _Airheads _are the next support craft to be updated to impulse drives; we should see a prototype end of the year. I'm quite hopeful for that one; the early simulations show a one-quarter increase in their useful load."

"A quarter?" Billingsgate whistled, "No wonder Reynolds sounded like the cat that got the cream in his last memo."

Joan laughed, "Apparently Miss Meyer threw him out of her office she got so fed up with his antics."

"She still refusing any project with direct military applications?"

"Yes," she shrugged, "I don't think she's going to change that stance now but it's going to be hell when she finally realises how flimsy that wall between support craft and warcraft really is. Frankly, I'm surprised Kalinda and Chocky haven't clued her in on that but then again, Chocky had the exact same attitude in the early days."

"Pacifists," he snorted.

"Each to their own choices," Joan sighed, frowning, "and their own self-delusions. Not always good or even helpful but very much a part of being a human and not a cylon or replicator drone."

Billingsgate gazed at Joan thoughtfully for a moment, "how long has it been since you last had a vacation?"

"Too long," she shook her head, "years…"

He smiled, "I've got some time booked next month, going home to Florida but there's no-one waiting for me and I hate holidaying alone."

"That an invite?" Joan grinned.


	39. Chapter 38

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Thirty-Eight**

"Well, this sucks."

Peters snorted, "Well Murielle, if you must insist on not ducking, you should expect a little time in the body and fender shop."

"A little time?" she moaned, "they tell me I'm going to be in here for months. I'll go rusty, lose my skills."

Peters shot her a wry, ironic look.

"Hey, it could happen!"

"I'm sure," the Rear Admiral replied, "I'm also sure the heavy duty spring with the quick release somebody rigged up to my chair had _nothing _to do with you wanting to keep your hand in."

The look Murielle sent her was pure 'I don't have a clue what you're talking about' but Peters wasn't fooled, "for heavens sakes, you're in a wheelchair, how did you manage to get into my office without anyone knowing?"

"Oh, and what makes you think it was me?"

"None of the cameras recorded anything, including my hidden one no-one else is supposed to know about and the one my second in command installed that I'm not supposed to know about…" came the dry reply.

"Oh," Murielle at least had the grace to look mildly abashed, "bit of a giveaway?"

"You placed the memory with episodes of Dad's Army!"

Laughing, she lay back in her bed, "okay, maybe that was a step too far."

Shooting the solider a 'you think?' glare, Peters rose to her feet, and began slowly pacing the room.

"Still, this had brought a few things to head."

"Oh?"

"First off, you're tour expired. If it wasn't for the current state of emergency you would have been bumped back to a desk job or support role years ago."

Peters shook her head at the disgusted, pleading look Murielle sent her, "I know full well you're not a pencil pusher, hell after the argument you had with the First Lord of the Admiralty, I think _everyone _knows you want to stay in a frontline role.

Nonetheless, once the Doctors release you, you're heading to Alpha Centauri to review procedures at the training base the army has there and write up a full report. As well as that, you will be expected to make time to get flight-certified for the _Paladins. _"

"Yes!" Murielle barked, and then hid a blush at the amused look she got in response.

"You've been asking for it long enough," She replied after a few moments, shaking her head, "You were also nominated for a bar to your Conspicuous Gallantry Medal…"

Snorting, Murielle rolled her eyes.

"…but O'Neill vetoed it."

"He what?" she replied, startled and hurt.

Reaching into her back pocket, Peters slid a small velvet lined box out and passed it across, "he says to say this has _nothing _to do with putting Kinsey in the slammer."

"Bloody hellfire," Murielle started, eyebrows disappearing into her hairline at the item within the box, "how did he manage this?"

"Made quite a few calls; got very little resistance and voila, one VC," straightening herself swiftly, Peters saluted the operative, "Congratulations Murielle… now please tell me your surname so I can have the award made out properly."

Barking out a laugh, Murielle grinned, "Afraid I can't do that, state secret you know, Daddy Winters might just kill me if I did that."

"Winters…" Peters frowned, the started, _"Admiral _Winters?"

"Yep,"

"I thought Thomas was his only child?"

"So did Admiral Winters, apparently mother dearest never bothered to tell him she was pregnant when she left him."

"Ah," Peters sighed, "you are full of surprises aren't you?"

"Always."

* * *

"The more we get into this project, the more I hate it," Albertine frowned, glancing around the room, "we're not getting anywhere."

"On the contrary," Carter shrugged, a slight frown on her face as she held Albertines gaze, "you've successfully disproved twelve theories of how to jam Colonial jump drives merely though simulations and another three through actually testing. That's fifteen ideas we now know don't work."

"That's not much,"

"No, but its something. I didn't summon you here to because you don't have a working prototype yet, I summoned you here to find out what progress you had actually made."

She snorted, slumping back in her seat, "well that last attempt, the gravity well generator I'm sure we'll find other uses for. I have no idea why the brass insisted we test that given that we know they can jump into atmosphere and any gravity field big enough to stop that would be catastrophic to whatever you were trying to protect anyway."

"That is something," Carter smiled, "it may be a little clichéd, but more discoveries are made through 'huh, that's funny' then eureka."

"Says the original master of the 'eureka' moment" Albertine shot back.

Carter dropped her gaze, "that was only once."

" _Once? _"

Choosing to ignore that, she continued, "There is one other reason I've asked you here actually…"

"Oh?" she replied warily, knowing that she might not like what she was about to hear.

"Your project is being moved out to the Alpha Site,"

Shrugging, Albertine reached into her pocket and handed an official request form across and Carters eyebrows rose as she read a request for half the team to be moved to a safe off-world location.

Non-plussed, she continued, "You were going to request this?"

"All the Cylons need to do to end the project is jump in above us and drop a nuke. We're acting to prevent the same vulnerability that could end the project in far too abrupt a manner. The Alpha Site is at least protected by its anonymity, but I also don't think the entire project should be in one place for the same reason."

"Okay," mentally shrugging, Carter started tapping at the PC on her desk, writing a revision to the orders she had been preparing to send to Albertines team, "does Chocky have any ideas regarding the project."

"She has stated that the jump drive concept used by the Colonials is new to her," Albertine grimaced, "its actually one of the reasons she persuaded Kalinda to take her on a holiday to her homeworld, she wanted to check their archives. They have nothing either."

"Damn," she muttered, leaning back from her PC as the revised orders sent, "I hate to pile more pressure on you over this one…"

"I know," Albertine grimaced, "if the Cylons had any sense, they could have killed us all by now."

"Please tell me you have some good news," Peters grimaced at O'Neils face as he flashed up on her monitor.

"Yes?"

"Hah!" she barked out a laugh as she leaned backwards in her chair, tapping her desk with a pencil, "that makes a change."

O'Neil grinned, agreeing with the point, "the work on the _Cheops _is proceeding ahead of schedule. The Free Jaffa Camp decided to use the ship as a training exercise so we've got a whole bunch of Jaffa learning more about how Goa'uld ships works by taking them apart…"

Peters smiled, shaking her head, "that's definitely helpful. So long as they watch for contamination and the like."

"They are, and hating every minute of it but they're learning."

"Good,"

"There's more," O'Neil continued, "the engineers are quite satisfied with the quality of the trinium despite the years of exposure on that hellworld, more of it is going into the usable pile then the junk pile."

"And even the junk is usable 'cos it just gets added to the ore at the start of the refining process," Peters mused, "how much more usable then not?"

"They're chucking about five percent,"

Peters eyes widened, "hellfire, start getting that little lot shifted over here straight away. We're still going to junk a lot reshaping and cutting to fit but that little lot might save us enough on construction costs to be worth another hull."

It was O'Neil's turn to look interested, "really? I know that the trinium is already being sent to _Gaia _and the two Type III's covering her…"

"We were planning on about a quarter of the trinium having to be reforged,"

O'Neil leaned back in his seat whistling at that as she continued, "and a far slower delivery rate."

"Are you going to go for a new hull or that infrastructure project you've been bucking for?"

"New hull first and if the numbers stack up, _Coalmine _II," Peters frowned, "I suspect however we'll just be stacking components for a while, I think I'll get the hull but not the asteroid mining base. Either way, I'll get the accountants on it, soon as you send me the updated figures on that _Cheops. _"

Nodding acknowledgement, O'Neill swiftly terminated the call, leaving the Admiral to her paperwork once more.


	40. Chapter 39

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Thirty-Nine**

"Deuterium,"

Davis glanced up from his PC blinking as Carter walked through his office door, and inwardly hid a grimace as he noticed the glint in her eyes. That glint could only mean one of two things; either she had just solved some scientific puzzle…. Or she was in a crusading mood.

Again.

Not that she was often wrong but still.

"I believe it's a hydrogen isotope most often used with tritium in nuclear reactors," he replied slowly.

"Right, as well as many medical applications" Carter nodded, "but it's also the most efficient fuel for the impulse drives used on the _Vipers _and newer _Paladins. _Right now the supply is sufficient for Earths uses, some scientific research and the existing impulse drive equipped craft but the level of demand has already pushed prices up."

"And as more Impulse drive equipped craft goes online, the demand is going to increase even further," Davis shrugged, "I've already had discussions with several enrichers and they are already working on ramping up production."

"That would be a good start…"

"Wait," David interrupted, "You're going to ask for something expensive aren't you?"

"Well, yes," Carter replied, a little taken aback.

"In this case, I have to say it's already covered," shrugging, the man once known as 'Disaster' Davis continued, "I already have confirmation that the existing and operational plants are stepping up production and given a nearly guaranteed income, several private firms are collaborating to construct a new larger plant in Canada. We also have two older plants being recommissioned."

Hiding a grin, it wouldn't after all do to destroy his sombre, serious reputation, Davis finished, "you didn't think we would have to build everything ourselves did you?"

"Well," Carter started, and then smiled, shaking her head, acknowledging the hit, "it has seemed that way sometimes."

"I know," he nodded, "when what we did was classified and we couldn't talk about it, when private contractors couldn't entirely be trusted, when the only expertise we could use was our own…

But it's a different world now; we can go to outside contractors and agencies and usually not have to hide why. We can upon outside experts for a lot of tasks with fewer worries. Okay, a lot of what we do is still classified but this isn't quite such a closed world anymore."

Carter nodded thoughtfully, and then began walking out the door but Davis stopped her, "what exactly were you going to ask for anyway?"

"Well, you know the _Ha'taks _are capable of lifting far more then just their normal load out of an atmosphere,"

Davis just nodded.

"A proposal crossed my desk to convert one of the System Lord _Ha'taks _that need refitting and modernising anyway into a gas collector capable of collecting gases from the higher levels of a gas giants atmosphere such as Jupiter."

"I thought the abundance of Deuterium in Jupiter's atmosphere was far less then Earths?"

"About 15% of the concentration on Earth."

"Makes less economic sense then getting the supply from Earth but it has its attractions," Davis mused, "if you change the proposal to general gas collecting, particularly normal hydrogen, ammonia, hydrogen sulphides, water…"

"Water would be the difficult one," Carter nodded, "I would have to check but I believe the largest abundances are below a _Ha'taks _hard deck level. But, if water is your goal there is a lot of ice floating about the star system we could grab. All it would need really would be a purification plant to be installed."

"Or you could use the _Ha'taks _heavy lifting ability and instead of making heavy freight lifting a secondary role, refit maybe two of the _Ha'taks _to make it a primary role," Davis responded, and then grinned, liking the idea, "less disassembling of large components to allow them to be lifted by an _Airhead, _ability to transport internally."

"Equip them with large dual-mode tanks as well and they could shift all the water and air the fleet needs," Carter smiled, "two refitted _Ha'taks _could replace maybe a quarter of the _Airhead _and _Shunter _fleets."

"Make sure you put _that _in the proposal," Davis noted dryly, "I'm sure the saving in personnel and maintenance costs would have far more effect on the bean counters then any other argument you could use."

"Right, Carter nodded firmly and with a bounce in her step, walked out of the office, leaving Davis to turn thoughtfully but smiling back to his paperwork.

Peters sighed, her expression content as she watched the activity taking place outside her window. It was, technically speaking a busy day and she should be working her arse off. Of course, working your arse off could be avoided if you knew the work was coming, could do most of it before hand and had a damn fine team backing you up.

_Searcher _inbound, tugs waiting should the ship need any help as it manoeuvred itself to dock to the station, to pick up supplies and replace crew after its hasty repairs at _Ravenbright. _

The fading, glittering lights of two new Torpedo Boats and their chase craft as the newly built moved away from the station, ready to begin commissioning trials.

The blinking brilliant lights of more _Paladins _arriving, these, if everything was going to schedule, should be a nearly complete but very green shipyard crew, just out of training and destined in the very long run to form the core of _Gaia's _crew but for the moment very much hers.

And damn, could she use the extra crew.

Of course, with _Liberty _nearly ready to leave her dock, the main spar between her rear engineering hull and the forward crew and control compartments having been completely rebuilt, the activity was only bound to increase.

Unless of course, something was found to be wrong again. Well, the chase _Paladins _were already assigned and would be arriving in a few hours. Hopefully this time she would have need of them.

Her eyes caught on two more glittering forms, swiftly darting across her view, both shining brightly as only new metal can. That tell-tale and potentially fatal glint would be dealt with once they were painted, but for now, there were new _Lancers _in her skies. Of course, they weren't for a new squadron, merely to help replace losses, but nonetheless, more fighters were always helpful.

Well almost always.

Now, all she needed was the arrogant Minbari to go away and her day would almost be perfect.

Almost.

* * *

Thompson glanced up swiftly as the Private guarding his door announced a visitor, smiling in recognition he gestured at the chair in front of his desk.

"Dr Jackson, good to see you again," grinning, he gestured at the private, signalling for drinks, "Tell me, how are negotiations going with the Orbanians?"

"That is actually what I came here to discuss," pushing his glasses back, he leaned forward, his expression earnest, "the negotiations are going very well, well enough that I am inclined to recommend a permanent Ambassador be assigned."

"As we did with the Land of the Light and the Free Jaffa you mean,"

"Very much so," Daniel replied, "they are quite serious about how worried they are regarding the threat from the Goa'ulds, not too surprising given their proximity to Anubis and they think we are the ones to help them."

"Not too surprising," the Admiral noted, "on two points, first thanks to you and original SG-1 we have a lot of goodwill with the Orban."

"That was mainly O'Neil," Daniel interjected and Thompson nodded, conceding the point.

"And two, there wasn't really any organized resistance until we came onto the scene."

"That would depend on how effective you considered the Tok'ra to be,"

The look Thompson sent back in reply said all he needed too do about the supposed effectiveness of the Tok'ra. Daniel just continued, unwilling to argue the point.

"Still, of all the independents out there they are the most likely to be able to support our technology and…"

"Most of this argument I am already aware of," Thompson interjected, "and there is a major ongoing argument about sending resources to create a base on Orban and defend it. Frankly, at this point it time, the resources just don't seem to exist for us."

"Well," Daniel smiled, "that's not going to be a worry. They're not talking about asking us to defend them, they're asking us to teach them how to defend themselves."

He frowned, "I had heard rumours…"

"Yes, I discussed this off the record with Hammond before he retired," he caught the Admirals eyes, his expression serious, "but even Hammond didn't know the full extent of it. They want a full military alliance with the long term aim of being self-sufficient in defence and co-operating with us and the Colonials offensively. They are talking quite seriously about terms for sending Urrone to us for full military training and for an initial purchase of warships to form an initial defensive force whilst they build a shipyard of their own."

"Holy…" Thompson caught himself, and then leaned back, a punch drunk expression quickly leaving his face, "you say they are _serious? _"

"Very, and given the opportunity, I would say they are quite capable of it."

"This will change their civilisation entirely I would have thought."

Sighing, Daniel shrugged, "They are choosing to change it. At least with our support it will be a quicker and less painful task."

"No wonder you wanted to talk about sending a permanent Ambassador!" grimacing, the Admiral continued, "but what are they offering us?"

"Basing rights, military alliance, scientific co-operation, all of which is helpful I know but given their exposed situation and our lack of military strength, not decisive,"

"But they've mentioned something which is decisive,"

"Yes," he replied, "they have indeed."

"Okay," Thompson smiled, "I think we can talk turkey."


	41. Chapter 40

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Forty**

"There's been an unexpected development,"

"That doesn't sound good," Peters replied dryly, her eyebrows raised, "must have been quite something to get you to fly out here unscheduled."

"Well, I'm not quite sure how to deal with this," Davis replied softly, "I got out of a meeting with Carter and ten minutes later I'm being summoned to the Stargate to heal deal with some unexpected off-world emissaries.

It appears there has been another rebellion among a small group of worlds under the thumb of a minor Goa'uld no-ones being bothered to do anything about, not even Anubis or Maktenos."

"Nothing new there," Peters replied, slightly puzzled, "lots of worlds have been trying to throw off the Goa'uld."

"Well, this incident stands out in two ways," Davis paused, considering his words, "first, the Jaffa and the enslaved humans worked together to throw off the Goa'uld and it doesn't appear any of them were Free Jaffa."

Sighing, Peters leaned backwards in her seat, "not unprecedented but certainly rare. I imagine the second one is a dozy though for you to be here."

"Well," Davis frowned, a puzzled, somewhat bemused expression on his face, "they don't want to overthrow the Goa'uld it appears. Instead, they just want a new one in charge."

Peters blinked, and then shrugged, "If they want a Goa'uld why would they come to us? Sure, we have several imprisoned or contained but we are not just going to free one because they're not willing to give up old beliefs."

"Perhaps, but we have one who isn't imprisoned or contained and is even trusted…"

She blinked again, his words sinking in, her jaw slowly dropping, "you have got to be kidding me,"

"Three worlds with a total population of approximately 350,000 humans and 5,000 Jaffa. Not to mention the crews of the two reported _Ha'taks. _"

"Bloody Fucking Hell," grimacing, she swung her seat around to look out the window, then sighing, "and I had just persuaded her to come off defensive duties and throw her lot in with the First Battlegroup too."

"Timings interesting," Davis commented, "we have emissaries from Maktenos arriving shortly to discuss a cease-fire. Boomer preparing for her expedition to the Unforgiven, the unconfirmed collapse of the Loyalists and the Orbanians…"

"Just means something bigger and nastier is on the horizon no doubt," Peters replied, sarcastically, "still, this is not our choice to make really. You say we trust Enerina and I agree, so let's show a little trust and call her in to discuss this."

"You're probably right," Davis replied, "but then what?"

"If this is genuine, then a _Dauntless _and two _Ha'taks _is an adequate short-term defensive force for three worlds that are low on everybody's priorities,"

"But not long-term," he finished, "which means…"

"We will have another fire to try and piss on."

* * *

_"A situation easing in France at the moment as the fourth new Government since Disclosure starts to pick up its pace. The government of Jacques Abel may only have existed for two weeks but it is already proving itself to be more decisive then the previous contenders, whether that will be enough for it survive only time will tell. _

_The dismantling of the French shipyard, intended to produce _Prometheus _cruisers has already been authorised, the personnel and equipment being reassigned as part of Frances contribution to the _Gaia _project. _

_This announcement was followed swiftly with the deployment of army engineering units into Paris to begin the process of stabilising the remains of the city." _

* * *

_"A massive delivery of fighters took place at Manston earlier today, fourteen newly built _Lancers _, enough to bring the sole surviving dedicated Earth defence squadron back to full strength. _

_One can only hope that this process of renewal will continue with the other squadrons assigned to Earths defences and that they will not be deployed out of the system." _

* * *

_"The launch of the _Vostock, _a type II _Dauntless _destroyer has been confirmed by the Russian government. The vessel, whose launch was initially delayed as her hyperdrive was diverted to repairing an existing vessel, is now the 13 th destroyer built for space by what is now called the Tau'ri Star Service and the 3 rd to be funded by the Russian Government." _

* * *

_"Construction has been started at _Thundersdawn _station on a new _Prometheus _class cruiser, the vessel, whose costs are said to have been covered by efficiency saving elsewhere, is currently one of just three vessels of this class under construction." _

* * *

_"A heavy military presence in Colorado Springs becomes even more impressive today as, under heavy military escort, several human appearing figures are escorted around the city. _

_These figures have not yet been identified but the presence of Diplomatic Core and Tau'ri Star Service Marines among the guard detail strongly suggests these unknowns are of alien origin." _

* * *

_"Aliens in our schools? _

_The strange rumour circulating in Colorado Springs has been ignored by the military, but talk still persists that Colonel O'Neil, now a Brigadier General and Commander of _Ravenbright _station brought a young girl of unfamiliar dress and mannerisms who had not idea of normal childlike behaviour was brought to a school in Colorado Springs for a day several years prior to Disclosure. _

_Several photos have been uncovered of the young lady in question but they do not appear to match any person in the Colorado Springs area and no records have been uncovered revealing her identity. _

_The local school board has also refused to comment." _

* * *

_"Wormhole Extreme, an extreme flop or successful cover-up? _

_The TV series, which survived for only two seasons but obtained a cult following as well as several awards for the unsurpassed CGI seen in one episode, has been subjected to some debate since the events of Disclosure. A debate that centres around the obvious parallels between the series and what we now know to be the reality of Stargate Command. _

_The presence of several senior members of the Tau'ri Star Service on the lists of the shows advisors has also spurned strong suggestions of the show being a cover-up but a cover-up for what? _

_The director and original creator of the series went missing during Disclosure and is now known to be under military guard." _

* * *

_"A _Lancer _or not a _Lancer _? _

_This strange craft, captured at extreme range using telephoto lenses appears in many ways to be similar to the _Lancer _fighters designed by the Royal Space Service which currently equip four operational squadrons, does not match any known Tau'ri warcraft but the similarity of design suggests a new development of the _Lancer _airframe. _

_The _Lancer _fighters, which have always been dogged by reliability issues, were once classed as the most manoeuvrable fighters in our arsenal until being superseded in that role by the Colonial derived _Vipers _and since then doubts have been raised over the future of the troubled design. _

_Is this the first sighting of the _Lancers _future, a desperate attempt to salvage the one questionable design the Royal Space Service produced? _

_Only time will tell, but what is certain, though clearly capable of being moved, this craft is not yet complete. It is likely to be some time before we see this new toy reach for the stars." _

* * *

_"Soothed nerves down south today as the Australian Prime Minister confirms a deal with the Tau'ri Star Service to base the 5 th Patrolcraft Squadron at RAAF Darwin. _

_The base, which will need redeveloping to fully support the as-yet incomplete squadron, has been operational since 1940 and its role has expanded since to involve both military and civil operations. _

_With Disclosure, the civilian side of the bases operations has been marginalized and the arrival of the torpedo boats and gun boats of the 5 th Squadron is expected to only exacerbate this but some consider a fair swap for better military protection from alien attacks down under." _

* * *

_"The launch of a new torpedo boat from _Ravenbright _station has been confirmed today, the boat, which is not interstellar travel capable but is instead a local defence variant, will join the local defence squadron, leaving the squadron just one craft short of its full complement. _

_The final replacement is already under construction is expected to launch for its shakedown cruise shortly." _


	42. Chapter 41

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Forty-One**

"The main problem chewing up the fleet at the moment is garrison duties," Peters pointed out bluntly, "right now we have four warships garrisoning home, one in Alpha Centauri but the Colonial Fleet is bottled up there at the moment as well. Not to mention the forces deployed to Minbari and Vulcan space, both groups of which are mainly involved with defending the outposts that are under construction for us in the regions."

"Having five _Ha'taks _awaiting refit doesn't help either," Thompson pointed out reasonably, "but we daren't deploy them either given that they are at System Lord levels of capability and that puts them at a disadvantage compared to Maktenos's warships, let alone Anubis's."

"The _Ha'taks _are meant to carry fighters as well and at the moment we don't have fighters to deploy aboard them, weakening them even further," Peters smiled, "never an easy day."

"Still," O'Neill butted in, "I don't see why we need defensive fleets for both Alpha Centauri and Earth. One solid formation to cover both…"

"Wont work yet," Thompson interrupted, "for that we really need two things. One, a jammer for that blasted jump drive the Colonials came up with or if not a jammer at least something that will reduce its effectiveness."

"And two, stronger planetary defence forces and fixed defences," Peters finished for her boss, "strong enough to be able to hold against most attackers until the home fleet can arrive."

"So," O'Neill smiled, "you have been thinking about this."

"Very much so," sighing, Peters continued, "we think that if the fixed defences were stronger, we could release as many as two ships from defensive duties right now."

"Ahh," O'Neill frowned, accepting a sheaf of papers from someone off-screen that he just dumped straight into his inbox without looking at, "that's not a lot."

"But it would be enough to turn the 1 st Battlegroup into a battlegroup and not just a taskforce," Thompson noted, "the new satellite production facility they're constructing at the cape will help, but that's for type II's and other smaller satellites. All of which will give fighters pause but warships will barely even notice them."

"And the bigger boys can be constructed surface side and lifted to orbit," O'Neill frowned, "modular construction?"

"The type III's are highly modular as it is," Peters replied, "but they still have to be assembled in orbit and that's the slow, dangerous and time-consuming part. That's actually one of the things I wanted to discuss, one of my cadets came up with an idea which could save us a lot of time and effort there."

"Oh?" Thompson asked but Peters had turned to O'Neill's image.

"There is still a lot of unallocated volume in _Ravenbright, _isn't there?"

"Enough to fit a _Ha'tak _inside," O'Neill replied dryly, then frowned suddenly, "a new slipway specifically for Type III's?"

Thompson started then grinned, but it was Peters who spoke once more, "put 'em together and ship them out. Advantages of a null-gee environment for construction combined with total enclosure and the possibility of full atmosphere with far easier and closer availability of supplies and equipment…"

"That would work," Thompson leaned forward in his seat, "do you have a detailed proposal yet?"

"Only what the Cadet wrote which isn't as detailed or polished as I would like," she shrugged, "He'll learn. I'll send that and get an improved version out to you shortly."

"Ideas are not the issue though," O'Neill pointed out.

"No, they're not," Peters admitted, "its having the resources to do anything about them,"

"Well, I do have one thing that will help there," Thompson noted, "the refit of two _Ha'taks _to freighter duties has been authorised with enough money to cover design and simulations."

"But not the actual refit work itself," she noted slowly, glancing at Thompson for confirmation.

"Not necessary," Thompson shrugged, "the money for their refits was already promised. We're just changing what they are being refitted into."

"New financial year?" O'Neill asked, grimacing inwardly at the fact that he actually knew the correct and full meaning of the term nowadays.

"Quite,"

The Generals eyes widened as an idea occurred to him, "We don't even need to wait until a dedicated slip is ready for the Type III's. Slip 3 is underutilized at the moment."

Thompson considered this for a moment then whistled, "I'm definitely going to need that proposal as soon as you can Peters."

"Right," she grimaced, "more paperwork, always a joy."

"Still, that improves our ability to produce fixed defences but mobile…"

O'Neill nodded agreement with the Admiral, "frankly, I'd swap a _Prometheus _if I had one for another gunboat squadron. Can be more places at once and adds up to far more guns."

Peter nodded, but sighed, "at least you have room for them. At the moment the only place I can put new assets that need a fixed base is Earths surface and frankly that's not ideal.

The patrolcraft… well, they are certainly atmospheric capable but it's not their native environment. The fighters are better but a lot of my nightmares revolve around somebody coming in, punching straight through any fighters or gunboats we have in orbit and just bombarding the surface installations before the ground based defences can launch.

Hell, even when they are launching!

It was bad enough when that _F-302 _went down in Alabama but just imagine a fully warbucked _Blastboat _going down into a major city."

"It is a vulnerability," Thompson noted, "the major issue with surface based fighters and the like is simply reaction time, which would mainly be the surface to orbit time."

"One lesson World War Two and every major war since has taught us in that two birds in the sky can make a mockery out of a squadron still on the ground," Peters sighed, "when you expand that to include space well… well, I would be a lot happier if we could support more fighters and gunboats from orbital installations."

"Will _Gaia _be able to support fighters?" O'Neill asked concerned.

"No," Thompson frowned, "she'll have damn good shields and a lot of pulse laser batteries but will be relying on her attendant defensive satellites for anything else."

"And _Thundersdawn _has no-where near enough spare internal volume for another launch bay," she shrugged, "it's likely more extensions would be out too. The station is almost one-sixth extensions anyway."

"Then use the _Ha'taks, _" O'Neill suggested, "They're meant to support fighters anyway."

"Not our fighters," Thompson noted, "at least not perfectly, but put the ready squadron aboard. Any fighters that need work stay groundside and regularly rotate the squadrons around."

"Replace the airlocks, which takes just six or seven days in drydock and you could support a pair of gunboats too," Peters smiled, "of course we would have to use _Valour's Hour _and _Valour's Sword, _they at least have compatible airlocks and are undamaged if obsolete."

"This may knock as much as fifteen minutes off the reaction time," chuckling, Thompson sent an amused glance at Peters, "I think I'll write this one up, save you some paperwork."

Peters flushed, and then poked her tongue out at her boss, a grin on her face.

"Good idea General," Thompson smiled, "but long term, that command station in Earth orbit the politicians are arguing for will be a necessity."

Peters snorted, then shushed the Fleet Admiral, "don't want them knowing you actually agree with them do you?"

"Oh I agree with them over the necessity just not the timing or the order of what they are suggesting," he shrugged, "I think your idea with regards to the _Lancelot _weapons platforms will be very easy to sell and buy me some time there."

"I'll pass it along to Edonia too," Peters noted, "they have a _Lancelot B _under construction at the moment, if they move that into the BC slip _Vostock _just cleared…"

"Talking of new construction, how goes project _Dart? _" Thompson turned towards O'Neill, who shrugged, glancing at the papers he had dumped into his inbox a few minutes ago.

"The prototype shows distinct promise,"

" _Dart? _" Peters asked, eyebrows raised.

"Got a little fed up of using _Lancers _and _F-302s _for basic space instruction when those craft would be more useful in operational squadrons," Thompson shrugged, "we have enough trainees going through now that it works out as two squadron's worth of front-line fighters in use for basic training. There is no problem with _Lancers, Strikers _and the rest being used for operational training units, they have to be in fact but for getting people used to the differences between working in atmosphere and in space?"

O'Neill nodded his agreement, "the attrition rate for basic training units doesn't help either. We've lost more fighters that way then some squadrons have lost operationally."

"Joy," she nodded, "any good?"

The General shrugged, "they'll do for the job, and at one-quarter the cost of an _F-302. _Plus, they will be equipped for basic weapons training."

"Which equates to a possible use as a last line of defence," Peters nodded, "I approve."

"Glad to hear it," O'Neill snarked.

Rolling her eyes at him, Peters turned back to Thompson, "How does the budget look for next year?"

"America looks to be concentrating on capital projects still, such as the reconstruction of the Cape but those will benefit us more long term, the Spanish seem to be interested in funding another _Blastboat _PDF squadron for Earth as soon as their entry is confirmed," Thompson shrugged, "the rest, I don't know yet."


	43. Chapter 42

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Forty-Two**

"How goes operation Shadowsword?"

Peters shot Billingsgate a sharp glare, before glancing pointedly at the tech working at a panel behind the Lieutenant-Colonel.

Wincing, he sent a wordless apology at Peters and she just sighed, and rose from her desk, striding swiftly towards the small kitchenette attached to her office. Inside, she gestured towards the kettle as she leaned backwards against the sink, her arms dropping into a crossed position in front of her.

"So far we're in a holding pattern," she noted as he gratefully switched the kettle on, "the Free Jaffa have confirmed their support for the operation and they are sending at least two of their upgraded _Ha'taks _to assist. They will be under our command for the op. Right now, the two main items we're waiting on are the arrival of those _Ha'taks _and the _Atlantis Viper _squadrons being declared fully operational. As soon as we have those we're go."

Billingsgate frowned, pausing for a moment; hand in the sugar bowl, "isn't _Yorktown _due to be relaunched?"

A slight smile dropped into position on Peters face, "indeed, and not just _Yorktown. _It all depends on timing but I may just be able to add another two ships and possibly a gunboat squadron to the mix."

She got a quiet whistle in response, "damn. That would be about the biggest fleet we've ever assembled."

A laugh filled the room "depends on how you define big. We deployed the kitchen sink when we went after Maktenos to retake Chocky's homeworld but you weren't here for that op. certainly we had nothing on _Atlantis'es _scale when we did that one."

"Its still not going to be enough though is it?"

"Not on the face of it no," Peters admitted, "but…"

She shook her head, "I'm afraid there are aspects of this which are code-word compartmentalised."

Shrugging, Billingsgate acknowledged the silent injunction not to push, "still, I do need to know if you will need additional squadrons to deploy with you."

"That I don't know yet," sighing, Peters turned, grabbing her own steaming cuppa off the worktop, "problem would be supporting them as always. At convoy SOA it looks like the mission area will be about two weeks travel time."

"Far too long for the pilots to remain in their craft," he noted with a definite grimace, "a day is bad enough but two weeks is literally not possible."

" _Atlantis _can carry more fighters but her launch tubes are rigged for _Vipers, _" she shrugged, "launching other types is of course possible but it has to be done through the flight-deck lifts which means they're going to be slow."

" _Ha'taks? _"

"A possibility, but given this is an offensive operation, we would really need to use an updated vessel. We have none available for deployment and the two under refit," the Rear-Admiral frowned, "are unlikely to be ready in time. Even if there refits are completed, they certainly won't have completed their shake-down cruises in time for the job."

It was Billingsgate's turn to frown, "if the enemy has lots of fighters…"

"I know," a sigh, her hands cradling the steaming cup as Peters continued, "And frankly, I would _bet _on their being plenty of fighters."

"Times like this a dedicated carrier would be nice," he shook his head, "but in place of that, I would advise making fucking sure you take at least on patrol craft squadron with you. Keep 'em in _Atlantis'es _landing bays for the long part of the trip."

Peters shook her head, "you're probably right, but I don't want to leave Earths defences almost entirely in the hands of green units. We would have to take no. 1 squadron, leaving no. 5 to reinforce local defence. Only _one _of their birds has launched as yet."

"Well there is a saying among some of your deadlier countrymen," the former US Airforce officer replied softly, placing his now empty cup into the sink, "Who Dares, Wins."

"Indeed," came the soft, considering reply.

* * *

"We may be missing a trick here," Kalinda murmured slowly, her expression thoughtful, her head resting on the palms of her hands as she gazed slowly at the book in front of her.

"Oh?" came the soft reply from behind her making the scientist yelp, as she swiftly turned towards the voice, almost knowing the book off the table.

Flushing, she caught the book, resisting the urge to glare at the aging warrior. It was his office after all.

"Well," she shrugged, "you mention how, right at the beginning, you realized how normal humans could withstand certain ranges and frequencies of nebula emissions that Cylons are degraded by."

Adama grunted, "I assume you are referring to the Ragnar Anchorage?"

"Quite, now it's not exactly my area of expertise but instead of trying to jam the jump drives, which is looking less and less possible, why not jam the cylons themselves?"

A slight grin lit the Admirals face and he chuckled dryly, "that would kill more then one bird…"

"Infiltrators…" she mused, and then grinned, "hadn't thought of them."

"I do see a problem," Kalinda gazed at him, giving Adama her full attention, "Ragnar had a six month deployment limit during the first Cylon war for medical reasons."

"I see," a sigh, "so not suitable for use on Earths surface but for orbital installations and the like, I imagine a six month rotation would be challenging but potentially doable. Still, this is not my area of expertise again."

"It's an idea,"

"And," Kalinda replied, turning back towards the _Galactica _log books, "we need all those we can get."

* * *

"So, how's the spaceplane business going?"

"Don't get me started," Reynolds replied irritated, "I mean, I know many of these big companies are a bit peeved at us at the moment and maybe they have a right to be but that's no excuse for stupidity!"

Palmer snorted, "In my business, one thing you learn quickly is that stupidly exists everywhere but often covers a multitude of other sins."

"I bet," the Wing-Commander shot the reporter a calculating look, "but I doubt you just 'happened' to meet me in the corridor for the sake of it."

"Hah!" Palmer shook his head, "I'm a reporter; of course I have an ulterior motive when I go to talk with a friend."

The look he shot back was so old fashioned it was quite possibly Neolithic.

"Okay," Palmer smiled, "suspicious bastard that you are, I _do _want something. A few completely non-attributable comments regarding the progress of the space plane project."

"Should have seen that one coming," Reynolds sighed, "it wasn't as if you were going to ask about the massive paperwork involved in reorganising all the support craft into actual squadrons or anything."

"Necessary maybe," the reporter smiled, "boring, certainly. I've already sent a small piece about it over the wires but outside of specialist rags, I doubt any editor will allow it more then fifty words."

Reynolds snorted, "A years work, twelve assistants, three committees… and it almost isn't worth publishing.

Figures."

Palmer shrugged.

"Well, you do realize I might call a favour some day right?"

Simultaneously nodding and grimacing, he gestured at Reynolds to continue.

"Well, I finally got 'em to realize that the damned thing _has _to be armed," a shrug and a world-weary sigh emphasised the former test-pilots words, "I mean, its not as if we can assign a regular escort or something and we are talking about a ship that will have to, not might, have to pass through contested territory."

"Is it true they only wanted to equip the design with shields and rely on running away if an enemy came across her?"

"Worse," a wry grin, "they were planning on using the obvious neutrality of an unarmed warship as a defence. Apparently they had never gotten the idea into their heads that the Goa'uld and the Cylons don't recognise the concept of a civilian except perhaps as a lesser threat. I mean, the Cylons _nuked _twelve entire worlds after all."

"The 'guns will just make us a bigger target' defence?" Palmer shook his head, "like that ever works."

"And this is from group of companies that makes about 75% of their money on military projects anyway," Reynolds shrugged, "still; I got them to accept the necessity of pulse lasers and at least one main gun along with the military crews to go with them. Bastards tried to get _us _to pay for those additions too."

"Do you think they could have been using the whole overly pacifistic angle as a negotiating ploy?"

"If they were," he snorted, "it was a dumb one and it didn't work. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place and given they wanted to use technologies patented by the TSS, we definitely had the upper hand. The licensing fees ended up being their main point of contention but they will pay, on the other hand we have to give them more technical support then was originally planned."

Reynolds shrugged, "such is negotiation."

"True," Palmer nodded, "so basically, the project is a go?"

"Very much so," he smiled tightly, "but I still think they're taking a hell of a risk."

The reporter smiled as he put his notepad away, "so do Lloyds of London. Rumour has it the project director had a coronary when they presented him with their initial estimates on insurances rates for the birds."

"Oh," Palmer frowned at the odd look he was being sent, "you have truly no idea."


	44. Chapter 43

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Forty-Three**

"Well that's that," Peters turned her back on the window and the twinkling lights slowly floating by outside, her expression pleased but cautious as she turned her gaze to Admiral Thompson, "the SGC and Manston have both confirmed clear bays."

"So," he replied, settling backwards into the seat, "only one bird in the barn."

"Quite," Peters dropped into her seat, her hand tapping at the desk, "and it will be quite a while before she launches to complete Patrol 5."

"Not going to remain empty for long," he shrugged, "luckily, as it costs a damn site keeping those bays running even if they aren't building something."

"How long until we can place the orders?"

"Until Spain releases funding for the new PDF squadron they want and France makes up its mind what they are going to fund," Thompson sighed, "that won't be a lot. They have a lot of rebuilding to do and if this government doesn't get it right it could well go beyond riots."

She considered this for a moment, and then shook her head disgusted, "great. What about the Orbanians?"

"Negotiations are in progress," he shook his head, "but given we're talking about basically creating a military for a foreign power, its not going to be quick or easy."

"Like the worthwhile tasks ever are," Peters noted softly, "but still, it's not just the patrol boat bays I'm worried about. I've got five ships, including _Yorktown _which are about ready to leave the barn. Admittedly only two of those are new builds, but what are we going to use the bays for next? So far I haven't seen any 'Preparatory for Orders' cross my desk for those bays."

"Still being written I'm afraid," he sent an apologetic glance towards Peters, " _Gaia, _the Type III platforms, the expansion of the Cape and the rebuilding downside are all effecting the resources available to us,"

"Not to mention the other infrastructure projects in the pipeline," she sighed.

Thompson grimaced, "if your bays could handle _Ha'taks _we could get you to work straight away, their funding is covered but at the moment all I can suggest is your likely to be looking at at least two more _Sentinel _refits."

"Leaving two unrefitted hulls," she shook her head, "I'll keep bays six and seven rigged for _Sentinals _until I hear otherwise then but still…"

"Actually, its not as bad as you might think," the Fleet Admiral grinned slightly, "with the exception of the _United Kingdom, Edonia _is pretty much shut down as far as construction work is concerned. Right now she is giving the vessels assigned to the station a little TLC but the massive supply line we were forced to maintain to support construction is greatly reduced and I've decided to keep it that way frankly."

Peters snorted, "So it's not so much a lack of money that stopping the orders coming so much as balancing the books and seeing how much you can order."

"Quite," the admission came swiftly, "and at least until we can better supply the station, I'm probably going to keep construction there minimal, perhaps just one ship on the slips at any time just to maintain the capability."

"That will leave at lot of underutilized personnel," she noted in response.

"Not for long," came the swift reply, "reducing the personnel at the station will ease the supply situation and the costs as well. Stripping half the shipyard crews and reassigning them to _Ravenbright _and _Thundersdawn _will ease both of your problems with incomplete crews."

"At least until _Gaia _starts to go online," a sigh, "still, I need to have at least an inkling of what orders you _want _to place."

Thompson considered this for a moment then nodded, " _Ravenbright _has an empty bay, I'm probably going to have O'Neill use it to refit one of the more battered _Ha'taks. _At least two are in such a bad shape the engineers aren't happy with the thought of them landing on Alpha Prime for the refit in case the drives fail."

"Ouch," Peters winced, "that could ruin your day…"

She got a wry grin in response as he continued, "as far as _Thundersdawn _is concerned, I have already mentioned the two _Sentinel _refits which will be one for us and one for the Colonials. The Americans have already funded a new _Britannica _as the _Constitution _, and they've been waiting more then long enough. But a _Merchant _and a _Prometheus _is what I want."

"But as always, what you get…"

"Is an entirely separate matter, I know," he shrugged again, "but I'm actually pretty confident I'll get it at the moment."

She leaned back into her seat considering this for a moment then nodded sharply, "good, doubly so if we get those extra bodies; that will speed up production if I can get full crews for every slip."

"You have room for them?" Thompson asked frowning.

Peters nodded, "Yes, but only just. We are getting near to capacity here and the commute can be a real bitch."

Thompson snorted, and then checked his watch, "you don't say. Still, I have to drop in on O'Neill now. Catch you on the flip side."

"Sir,"

* * *

"Having fun?"

Billingsgate glanced upwards from his desk, his expression of weary determination fading into a slight grin as Reynolds walked into the room, "Wing-Commander, what are you doing here?"

"Avoiding paperwork," came the dry reply, "I've had enough of that recently with reorganising the blasted support craft,"

He received a chuckle in response as the American Lieutenant- Colonel gestured towards the seat in front of his desk, "I doubt you came down here just to avoid paperwork,"

"What, can't I just want to see a friend?"

"No,"

"See," Reynolds shook his head dismissively, "that the trouble nowadays, there isn't any trust anymore."

"Uh huh," Billingsgate shook his head, "what do you want?"

The hurt look Reynolds sent him in response just got a raised eyebrow before a few moments later they both broke down and chuckled.

"Okay," he shrugged, "I do have an ulterior motive."

"I'm shocked,"

"You've got a possible conflict of designation coming up and I'm afraid you will only be able to solve it through extra paperwork…"

"Bastard," Billingsgate responded, shaking his head, "okay, I'll bite…"

"The _Lancer _III's if they work will be a classic Fighter Attack bird, capable of air to air and air to ground combat," Reynolds shrugged as his friend nodded acknowledgement, "but we also have the _Strikers _which are labelled Fighter Attack as well but despite the Attack designation referring to ground attack i.e. tactical bombing and troop support, the _Strikers _have almost no such capability.

They should be labelled Maritime Strike or the equivalent,"

He frowned, "the classification system we're using is based upon the Tri-service system and its normal for aircraft capable of attacking ships to be given the A designation under that system,"

"But all aircraft in the US Navy given that designation have some form of air to _ground _capability," Reynolds countered, "the Hornet being a classic example. The _Striker _is the most vulnerable craft in atmosphere of all the fighters we have. You know their use against ground targets is practically forbidden."

Billingsgate opened his mouth, closed it, frowned, and then glared icily at Reynolds, "you really are trying to get me to do more paperwork aren't you? Do you have any idea how many forms are involved in changing a designation?"

The look on Reynolds face told him he did, "you truly are a bastard, you know that…"

The look sent back could best be described as wicked innocence and the American laughed, shaking his head, "you do know I'm going to find a way to get you back for that don't you?"

"Of course you're going to _try, _" Reynolds rose from his seat, walking towards the door, "have a nice day…."

"Bastard,"

* * *

"This Boeing Consortium will be a problem,"

"Succinct as always," Zarek replied, his expression dark, "we lose the contract to provide the bulk of the personnel transports between Earth and Freedom, we lose our only major source of income."

"I know," Roslin sighed, leaning backwards in her seat, her expression grim, "but I don't see what we can really do about it."

Zarek glanced up, opened his mouth to speak, then frowned, and rubbing his forehead wearily, continued, "You're right. It will likely take at least a year before the consortium launches its first ship but when it does…"

"They're not going to be able to take over the contract straight away, even if they do work swiftly," Adama frowned, "we do have some time. If this source of income is really that important to the Colony…"

"It is," Roslin replied.

"It's the only profit we have," Zarek explained, "with the _Vipers _so much of the craft has to be supplied by Earth that even with the orders from our cousins, we are only breaking even on those. We have a bilateral agreement which means they train our guys for free and we train theirs for free as well so no profit there. The technology we gave them didn't cover the costs of the technology they gave us plus our initial set-up costs here. The support ships like the mining ships,"

Zarek shrugged, glancing at Roslin who grimaced once more, "the resources they feed to _Ravenbright _means we just about break-even. If we lose the contract, we lose our ability to invest and expand without taking out additional loans."

"Lords," he frowned, pacing slowly in front of the Presidents desk, "I was aware it was bad, but I was not aware it was quite that bad."

"We need ideas," Zarek stated calmly, "the Council is frozen on this, they… we don't know what to do."

Adama paused a moment in his pacing, then with a shake of his head, continued, "the way I see it our main problem is that as much as we try to keep them operational, the ships we are using are battered and overworked. The vessels from the 1 st refugee fleet don't have much life left in them at all, Tyrol has confirmed he has been able to get two operational again but we're stripping more and more parts from the more damaged vessels to keep them going.

The 2 nd fleet vessels are better off, but sheer use is proven an issue as well."

"What about the military ships?" Zarek asked.

"They are the best preserved of all, baring battle damage," Adama noted.

"Why don't we start using those ships then?" Roslin asked calmly.

"The Tau'ri have been contacting me to make arrangements to tow two more _Sentinels _out of storage," the Admiral noted, making a momentary smile appear on Roslins face, "but the main advantage for the Tau'ri in using our ships is the ability to land on a planetary surface and the vessels which have that capability are already heavily used."

"As well as being highly vulnerable," Zarek shook his head angrily, "a single salvo took out the _Herald of Athena _and we all lost people during that attack."

"Two thousand," Roslin grimly noted, "almost all Tau'ri."

"That is part of the reason the Tau'ri want to change the transport arrangements," Adama stopped, and turned to face Roslin, placing his hands on her desk, "and they are right."

Zarek growled angrily, "That's not helpful Admiral."

But Roslin was looking into Adama's eyes and she could tell he had an idea, "go on…"

"If the ships are not up to the job, then we build new ones."

Roslin's eye widened as Adama leaned backwards, removing his hands from her desk, but it was Zarek who spoke first, "Risky. I'm not sure we can afford to do that."

"We don't have the facilities," Roslin added curiously, wanting to know where the warrior was going with this.

"If needs be we'll seal off one of _Galactica's _landing bays and build them in there until we can afford to hire shipyard space or build them on the surface," he sat back sharply, "it wont be cheap and it will likely push us further into debt in the short term, but we have one thing the consortium doesn't. Proven passenger liner designs, they only need upgrading."

Zarek nodded at Adama "you're right."

"This could break us," she noted, her expression contemplative.

"It could also make us," Zarek replied.

Roslin considered this for a moment, "all right. I want to see detailed proposals as soon as possible, this will need to be presented to the Quorum but you'll have my support."

"What design are you going to work on first?" Zarek asked curious.

Adama just smiled.


	45. Chapter 44

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Forty-Four**

"Copy Anvil Actual," she spoke swiftly and clearly into her headset, her hands dancing across the controls, "please advise at eta one mikes."

"Has 49 Squadron finished landing on?" resisting the urge to glance behind her, the voice of the Captain was all too familiar by now after all, she glanced once across the status displays, then nodded.

"Yes Sir, all fighters landed," she shrugged slightly, "not all recovered yet though."

"Very well Lieutenant, please advise their Commanding Officer I would like to see him at his earliest convenience,"

Hiding a grin at what was really an order for Sword Actual to get his arse up to the bridge like yesterday, she replied with a 'Yes Sir', quickly flipping her headset onto the intercom channel and repeating the order.

At no point did she allow her gaze to move from the control boards in front of her.

* * *

Hiding a grin at the earnestness in the fighter controller's voice, Colonel O'Neill turned, and walked swiftly across the command centre of _Atlantis, _wondering, not for the first time, how the bad copy managed to get the plum job.

After all, he had _Atlantis _and was about to go stomp some arse whereas old me was stuck behind a desk on _Ravenbright. _It was almost too perfect… but it would be even better when they could get going.

All this waiting around was doing his head in.

Swiftly dogging the hatch behind him, he entered his small office besides the bridge, resisting the urge to start whistling again and announce to all and sundry his good mood.

Doing was far better then waiting after all.

Still…

Dropping into the chair behind his desk, he swiftly tapped at the embedded PC, grimacing at what was fundamental evidence of the difference between him and his older version. His older self could get away with pretending to not like computers and avoid using them because he did start his service before they became common but nowadays. Well, if he had tried to pretend _that _during his stint at the air force academy he'd be out.

There wasn't room in the air force for a 'raw' recruit who didn't know there way around a PC. It was understandable in many ways but very irritating.

Still, at last things were moving. The group was assembling, and soon they would go going to pay a diplomatic visit, Air Force style. All he needed to know now was what toys he would get to play with which naturally wasn't likely to be as many as he would like.

But as always, you have to do the best you can with the resources you are given.

He blinked, and read the email on the screen one more time, then smiled evilly just as a knock sounded at the hatch. Shouting at the person to enter, no doubt his new CAG, he swiftly cleared the computers display. It wasn't time for that ace to come out, not yet.

* * *

"I'm not sure we're ready for this," Peters calmly noted, gazing out the window at the slowly assembling ships, "if Anubis see this as a reason to strike at us properly rather then just probing…"

"That risk has always been there," O'Neill frowned, "but the same reasons he has never launched a full strike will still apply. The bulk of his Goa'uld derived fleets are busy on the Maktenos front, his Drakh allies are only slowly pushing into Minbari territory and taking huge losses doing so. He's lost the Cylon fleet, or so we believe… he doesn't have the strength to launch a major offensive on another front."

"So we believe," she sighed, her eyes tracking a _Prometheus, _the _Gettysburg _as it settled into position in the fleet, "but there is no reliable intelligence from deep within Anubis controlled territories and he has successfully strung surprises on everyone before. Those damned destroyers of his!"

He shook his head in reply, "it's probable he's keeping a few ships back off every construction batch. Just the reports from his shipyards close to the front seem to indicate that."

"And that is what I am afraid of," Peters replied, turning from the window, "if he decides the first outing of this possible secret fleet of his is _us _and the group is away…"

"What ifs are no use to anyone," O'Neill chided her, "we do the best we can with what we have and what we know."

"I know, but…"

"You worry," O'Neill smiled, "we all worry, its part of the job. But sometimes you just have to _do _and leave the worries for later."

"Or for others," Peters pointed out, "we're not the ones going out and paying a visit to one of Anubis factories. That isn't going to be unprotected."

"Mini-me will handle it," it was calmly, with assurance but in his voice too was a slight edge of worry, "he is the best we've got after all…"

Peters snorted, and then laughed, humour overtaking her worries for a moment, "given that he's your clone and all, do I detect a slight ego there?"

"No," he replied calmly.

She shot him a disbelieving look as she turned once more to gaze out of the window, "Of course not,"

O'Neill paused for a moment, and then sighed, walking up next to the Admiral, "they'll come back safe."

"No," she replied, with a certainty borne of experience, "not all of them will."

He walked once around the room, assessing, considering. A pointless chore, he already knew everything was going to be in its proper place and proper order but he couldn't help it, the butterflies wouldn't settle again.

This would be his largest command ever.

If there was another officer available who had commanded a fleet before, most likely they would have gotten the job but no. Whilst the Colonials had Adama and several others, there was no-one in the Tau'ri who could claim to have commanded a space going battlegroup who was available.

There had only been two such previous efforts anyway, the mission to retake Chockys Homeworld and the somewhat ill-fated first deployment of the Battlegroup.

" _Gettysburg _in position," the voice sounded across the room, clear, but with a slight tremble and O'Neill turned and held the Comm. Officers gaze momentarily, reassuringly.

"Who's left?"

"No-one sir," came the reply after a swift glance at his displays, "all ships in position and reporting ready-op."

He nodded, "okay Meiers, signal the fleet to move and as soon as we're in hyper, get me fleetwide."

"Make the jump then get fleetwide aye Captain,"

He was going to have to make a speech, buck everyone up wasn't he, mark the occasion. It was expected, but damn did he hate speeches.

* * *

Peters sighed as the last ship vanished from view, turning and sinking slowly into her seat, "two weeks there, two weeks back, then we'll know."

"Slightly longer probably," O'Neill shrugged, his expression weary, "with _Atlantis _shifting the extra weight of the patrol craft as well."

Nodding, she reached slowly into her desk, withdrawing a bottle of scotch and two glasses which she promptly half-filled, pushing one across to the General.

"Here's to hoping they come back relatively intact,"

"And here's to knowing we'll have a few more ships ready by then," O'Neill sank the scotch swiftly, "just in case they grow a tail."

"And a few more fighters," Peters noted agreeing.

He was quiet for a moment, then, "do you think he'll be there?"

"He will," Peters shuddered, "if not…"

Making a grimace of acknowledgement and agreement, O'Neill turned his gaze towards the window once more.


	46. Chapter 45

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Forty-Five**

_"The Tau'ri Star Service has today confirmed the departure of the 1 st Battlegroup from the Sol System. The battlegroup, which is our main offensive arm, currently consists of vessels both from the TSS and from the allied forces of the Free Jaffa and Colonials. _

_No word as yet has been received as to nature of their mission." _

* * *

_"A massive explosion earlier today at El Toro has destroyed three fighters assigned to the 3 rd Starfighter Wing and sources within the TSS have confirmed that the explosion is currently being investigated as a criminal act. This is now the fifth major setback to the reformation of the squadron since the remnants arrived at El Toro after being devastated in battle." _

* * *

_"Twenty new fighters arrived at Peterson Air Force Base, a facility deeply involved in Earths defence against space based attacks and in supporting the nearby Air Force Academy. The fighters, which are of the new _Dart _type, reserved for training and point defence, are part of the newly constituted number 15 Squadron of the Tau'ri Star Service and will primarily be used to familiarise recruits with space flight. _

_Two more squadrons of these craft are currently being formed, 16 Squadron will remain in Alpha Centauri and take over a large proportion of the training duties there and a smaller squadron has been allocated to our Colonial Allies. _

_NASA, whilst it responsibilities and funding has been largely destroyed by Disclosure, is apparently already looking to buy its own _Darts _to support its role of developing peaceful and scientific space exploration." _

* * *

_"Spain has today confirmed signing a Letter of Intent with the TSS regarding the funding of a new squadron of patrol boats for Earths defence as well an additional asteroid mining platform. The contract, rumoured to be worth almost eight billion dollars in construction alone, has been welcomed by the Tau'ri Star Service and the other member nations." _

* * *

_"Project _Eisenhower, _fact or just wishful rumour? _

_It has long been known that the largest bar to the expansion of the space going militaries was the shear expense of warship construction with a single ship of the already proven _Prometheus _class currently costing in the region of six billion dollars. Now, it may be that other options are being investigated with rumours of a cut-down vessel using the cheaper but less capable Colonial Jump drives, increased automation and doing away with a lot of the crew support facilities to create a craft suitable only for local defence. _

_The TSS has stated that this is a case study, part of an ongoing and long term project to ensure they have ship designs ready for any eventuality, should they be needed. However, with an apparent estimated per unit cost of a mere one and a half billion per unit, the pressure may just mount on the TSS to start production of these relatively cheap warships." _

* * *

_"The _Blastboat _class patrolboats, long a staple of the Royal Space Service and Stargate Command once Commander Harris proved their usefulness has spawned two variants in its time, the planetary defence variant which is restricted to a single star system due to its zero point energy generators and the gunboats of the _Gunner _class. _

_Now, the PDF variant gets an update as confirmation is received that the new Spanish funded squadron will be mark II's. The marks II's drop the capable but restrictive ZPE generators for naquadah generators and gain a Colonial Spin point drive, allowing them to respond to incidents within both the Sol and Alpha Centauri systems and perhaps even further afield. _

_The complicated and space consuming missile tubes have also been replaced with external weapons hard points and an old-fashioned rotary bomb bay as used by the B-2 bombers. This has been adapted with more powerful pneumatic rams to ensure the missiles separate from the craft prior to ignition, a fact which can not be relied upon in a null-gee environment such as space. _

_As well as this, improvements to existing systems such as a shield system capable of faster regeneration are also to be included in the design, improvements which will, overtime, filter into the mainstream _Blastboats. _" _

* * *

_"With the arrival of the _Dart _trainers of the 15 squadron on Earth, Earthforce has confirmed the release of eighteen fighters of the _Lancer _and _F-302 _types from training duties. These fighters have been scattered between various maintenance facilities, all on Earth, for refit, after the completion of which they will be redeployed to operational squadrons." _

* * *

_"An attempt by Cylon forces to destroy the Basestar captured by a joint Colonial Tau'ri taskforce was repulsed today without losses amongst the defenders. This time five fighters of the _Scimitar _type jumped in close and immediately began launching nuclear tipped missiles. _

_These were successful intercepted by a screen of eight type I defensive satellites deployed over the captured warship and the fighters swiftly fled." _

* * *

_"Six more type II defensive satellites launched today with the assistance of the _Airhead _orbital lifters of 18 Squadron. These new weapons platforms have been deployed around the construction sites of the _Gaia _project, comprising at the moment of _Gaia _station and two _Lancelot _class defensive satellites." _

* * *

_"An investigation is underway at the moment into what is described as a 'near-miss' incident between the destroyer _Potemkin _and two _Shunters _currently assigned to the _Minehead _asteroid mining facility. _

_No word had been released as to the cause of the incident but it has been confirmed that both the Captain and the officer on duty at the time aboard the destroyer have both been relieved of their duties." _

* * *

_"The Tau'ri Star Service has been condemned today by several prominent scientists due to continued refusal to support and cooperate with purely scientific missions. At the moment, purely scientific missions are only allowed through the gate or where they can be accommodated alongside an existing military deployment. _

_As yet, the TSS has refused to comment beyond stating the operational needs in a time of war have priority." _


	47. Chapter 46

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Forty-Six**

"Sir, we're at the co-ordinates,"

The comment was unnecessary, but O'Neill nodded acknowledgement as the screen faded from the shifting, almost hypnotic dance of hyperspace to the calming star field of normal space.

Grimacing, he forced his hands to release their death grip on the arms of the chair; it wouldn't do for the crew to know exactly how nervous he was. Then again, they didn't know _yet _exactly why he was so nervous.

If a spy for Anubis had managed to pass on their little secret…

"Incoming transmission," the voice was sharp, but hiding a note of surprise in the voice, "radio transmission, short ranged but I'm picking up no ships along the line of transmission and no indications of a cloaked vessel."

"The message?"

"Sir, it appears to be a detailed report on the defences and ships in the target system over the last four days," he could practically hear the shrug in the comm. officers voice, "but I don't recognise the senders ID code,"

"Blackbird 2-5-9 Delta Delta Charlie," O'Neill replied softly from memory his hands dancing over the controls on his chair as he pulled the report up on his own screen.

There was a pause, then curiosity echoing in the Australians voice, he replied, "Confirmed Sir,"

"Good," he smiled, "we should expect company any second…"

"New Contacts!"

"…Now" he finished unperturbed.

"I'm picking up Goa'uld energy signatures…" there was a pause, then "six _Ha'taks _and four _Ha'tens. _"

"Maktenos keeps a good schedule doesn't he?" O'Neill replied happily, and then turned feeling a heated glare on his back. He raised an eyebrow at Lieutenant-Colonel Hailey, the look on her face actually somewhat intimidating.

"We need to talk about our communication skills,"

He considered this a moment, then shrugged and turned his gaze back towards the main screen "Captains eyes only,"

"Incoming signal from the taskforce," there was a muffled sigh, and a wry note entered into the Sub-Lieutenants voice, "it's an IDC code, computer lists it as having been assigned to Maktenos."

Ignoring the muffled 'definitely need to talk' from Hailey, O'Neill nodded, "signal to the taskforce and general to the fleet. We all know what we're here for. Let's go."

" _With _Maktenos?" Hailey asked sharply.

"Yes," O'Neill replied calmly, "do you have a problem with that?"

"Unless peace has broken out and I haven't been informed about it," she growled, "you're damn right I am! We can't go into battle with forces we can not trust on our six.

Sir."

Making a mental note of the less then respectful pause there, he replied, his voice raised so the entire bridge could hear. Not that they hadn't been listening already, he conceded mentally.

"On our own we don't have the strength to take on such a major facility and survive, even with the assistance of the Free Jaffa and Colonial ships in the fleet," he shook his head, "Maktenos can not divert enough ships to take on the facility himself either, together we can weaken Anubis and we have to trust in his self-interest to ensure the mission is completed before any bullshit is tried, understood?"

Nodding, but not hiding her dismay and distrust, the prodigy turned her attention back to her own console.

"Course set Colonel,"

Nodding acknowledgement, O'Neill hid a sharp grin and replied "engage!"

He frowned suddenly, head whipping around to glare at a suddenly innocent looking Hailey, "you _bet _on me saying that?"

"Of course sir, it was a bit of a sucker bet though…"

He closed his mouth with a click and mentally promising vengeance, turned towards the screen as it changed to the bright chaotic funnel of hyperspace once more.

* * *

"They should be attacking right about now," Peters mused, her expression troubled as she gazed out the panoramic window of her office, a mug of tea steaming in her hands.

"I know," Thompson replied softly, his hands resting on the back on her chair, his own voice tired and regretful, "I hope we've done the right thing here."

"We didn't have much of a choice," Peters shook her head, "we had to go on the offensive, if we had waited until we were ready to face the enemy on their home ground we would never have struck until it was too late."

She laughed somewhat bitterly, "Talk about conversations we've had before."

"The question is can we trust Maktenos?" Thompson shook his head, his fists clenching into the fabric of the chair, and Peters reached back, resting a comforting hand on one of her bosses.

"He is the most like us of all the Goa'ulds, filled with hate, passion, integrity, duty, self-loathing, fear, despair, anger, love, desire…" she sighed, "I don't know. He could be trustworthy and frankly I never thought I would say that about a System Lord but he could also not be."

"Risk is our business," Thompson sighed, "trite and bullshit, risk management is our business."

"Hah!" Peters barked out, "I got your risk management right up top, twenty-four barrels worth!"

"Would be more use in Earth orbit,"

"I know," she shook her head, "but at the time placing _Thundersdawn _in Earth orbit wasn't really a possibility at the time and moving her is far too risky now."

"Quite," Thompson noted, "and that was my choice as I recall."

A bleep sounded from her desk and Peters smiled, rising from her desk, "speaking of which, I have a piece of risk management in bay 7 you can swing a bottle of champagne at for me."

He smiled, "gladly."

* * *

"Contacts confirmed! Reading approximately fifty-seven fighters, a _Rel'tac _, eleven _Ha'taks, _two unclassified destroyers and fifteen defensive emplacements,"

"Showtime," O'Neill softly replied, his gaze dancing across the tactical readout, grinning as he noted his decision to trust the Intel from the 'Blackbird' was more then justified and the fleet had dropped in right next to the _Rel'tec _with Maktenos's vessels appearing rapidly a cluster of four _Ha'taks _apparently waiting to respond to any threats.

"Target the _Rel'tac, _open fire, all batteries!"

Take out the biggest baddest mother in town first, always makes the 2 nd stringers pause a little he mused as the icons for _Vipers _appeared rapidly on the display around his own _Atlantis. _

The ship rocked, barely noticeable, as a series of bolts splattered themselves against the ships shields, wild, panicky barely aimed fire not pointed at one ship but each of the capital ships weapons engaging a different target.

No threat there, yet.

"New contacts! Two _Cheops _separating from the construction facility!"

Crap.

They hadn't been in the report from the blackbird!

"Let's deal with this fucker swiftly," O'Neill noted grimly, "we've got more targets to deal with then we need."

"Forward shield quadrant is already weakening," Hailey noted, "but we've got two _Ha'taks _coming in on our six that are going to be in firing range shortly,"

"Signal the Free Jaffa _Ha'taks _and the patrol craft to deal with them," he replied shortly, "and watch that _Rel'tac, _make sure he doesn't rotate the damaged shield quadrant out of the way of our guns."

"Crap," Came the voice from behind the Colonel and he glanced back sharply at his comm. Officer, " _Stingray _reports taking concentrated fire from the big boy, the last salvo caused a surge in their electrical systems and they are having difficulty manoeuvring,"

"Maintain fire," he replied grimly.

" _Blastboat _squadron has engaged," Hailey noted.

A beep sounded from the tactical display and O'Neill glanced down, a tight, merciless grin appearing on his face as the _Rel'tac _tried to rotate, moving the damaged shield section away from the fleet but too late. The combined fire from _Atlantis'es _eight gauss rifles, _Gettysburg's _four and two each from _General Hammond _and _Seeker _rapidly cratered then blew through the warships thick armour.

"One mark twelve, aim it at the breech!" he ordered sharply, knowing the nukes more explosive effect would be far more devastating now that the shields and armour were gone.

He kept his eyes on the tactical display, a frown appearing on his face as the missile appeared to aim itself upwards towards the still firing main gun of the _Rel'tac _then diverted, the icon flicking as manual control was asserted over the device.

The result was a perfect hole-in-one and the _Rel'tac _shattered, glowing debris flying everywhere.

He glanced up from the display, "Bring the fleet hard about; let's deal with the _Ha'taks _at our rear, and whistle up _Merchant _and _Sir Lancelot _to cover the _Stingray. _"

"Goa'uld forces retreating and consolidating," Hailey noted mere moments later, "I think we made them wary."

"We killed a _Rel'tac _in less then fifteen minutes after 1 st opening fire," O'Neill replied dryly, "I think I might be a little wary too,"


	48. Chapter 47

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Forty-Seven**

"My Lord, we are at the designated co-ordinates and four enemy _Ha'taks _are present,"

"The Tau'ri brought good intelligence to this battle," Maktenos mused, "I might have to work with them more often. Kill the _Ha'taks. _"

"Aye My Lord,"

He smiled, cruelly and triumphantly as the surprised _Ha'taks _tried to respond, only the fact that they had their shields raised when his fleet appeared keeping them from instant destruction.

But for all they were upgraded beyond his own capabilities, they were outnumbered, less well trained and disciplined and firmly caught by surprise.

He smirked, pleased as concentrated fire from his six _Ha'taks _blew rapidly through the lead Anubis _Ha'tak, _his smaller _Ha'tens _keeping the remaining three enemy ships from coming to its aid.

A smile of satisfaction lit his face for a moment as a glint of pleasure escaped the increasingly tight and irritating mental shields of his host. Finally, something they agreed upon, killing Anubis's forces.

A second _Ha'tak _flashed into oblivion and the remaining two tried to retreat and he swiftly ordered the _Ha'tens _to flank them, pin the _Ha'taks _between the two groups of his ships.

It almost worked, a third _Ha'tak _dieing as a brilliant flash in the corner of the screen caught his eye, the fourth _Ha'tak, _battered and bleeding air, fleeing as his own forces regrouped.

"What was that?" he asked sharply, pointing towards the flash.

"The Tau'ri have destroyed the _Ral'tec _with a primitive thermonuclear device,"

He grunted; primitive didn't matter worth a damn if your shields were down and they managed to get it inside your armour belt and he had little doubt that was what the Tau'ri had sought to do. Primitive they might be, but primitive and ineffective were not the same thing, a lesson the Tau'ri taught well even to their enemies.

He turned his attention to his own tactical display, grimacing at the appearance of two _Cheops. _They hadn't been in the report, a pity. Perhaps the Tau'ri intelligence wasn't so good after all.

"More fighters launching from the facility,"

Nodding acknowledgement, he gestured towards the main screen at a group of icons representing the two destroyers and a gaggle of fighters.

"Let's see what Anubis'es new toys are really capable off," Maktenos grinned, "and launch our fighter screen,"

"Signal from the Tau'ri, they report a _Ral'tec _and a _Ha'tak _destroyed with a 2 nd _Ha'tak _retreating heavily damaged."

"So noted,"

* * *

"Allied forces going after the destroyers," Hailey noted.

Grunting, O'Neill glanced once across the display, then shook his head, "make sure the sensors are recording, Intel will want to know what those things are really capable off."

"Yes Sir," she replied, "next target?"

Reaching forward, he tapped the icon for a fairly substantial but isolated defensive platform, "there. If we're lucky, we'll pull a few of the enemy ships out of position to defend it as well."

Nodding, Hailey began barking orders at the helm.

* * *

Maktenos's eyes widened with surprise as one of his _Ha'taks _vanished, disappearing in an expanding ball of heat, debris and bodies as the two destroyers pounded the vessel, their main guns rapidly blowing through the vessels shields and armour.

Fear and more then a little awe filled him for a moment then his eyes narrowed contemplating as the vessels went silent, shields still up but not manoeuvring, no weapons fire and lights dimmed across the hull.

"Are you picking up a build-up of energy?" He asked slowly.

"Yes My Lord,"

He grinned, a weapon too powerful for the ships power systems. Carefully used, that could be devastating but in unskilled overconfident hands.

"Concentrate fire and remove the lead destroyer from the battle," he ordered, leaning backwards in his seat, "the second; destroy its shields and have it boarded."

* * *

" _Stingray _is making ready to rejoin," O'Neill nodded acknowledgment, "they report having to reset breakers and replace fuses throughout the ship but apart from the shield generator, no damage."

"Shield Generator?" he asked sharply.

"Yes Sir, they report damage to the emitter, their shields are now restricted to about 85% of normal strength."

Resisting the urge to swear, the Colonel turned his gaze back to the tactical display, nodding as the thin line that denoted weapons range slowly crept over the target.

"Fire at will," he calmly noted and the gauss rifles sounded once more.

"Fighter screen reports approx thirty fighters closing in on our 11 O'clock, visual contact only,"

Nodding grimly, O'Neill caught Hailey's eyes, "these bastards are what we are here for, signal _Seeker _to fall back and assist the _Vipers. _"

He glanced at the tactical display, grimacing at the sights of icons darting and flickering with weapons fire when no hostile icons appeared on the screen beyond a manually entered red 'enemy here' cloud.

That could be worried about some other time; he had immediate business to worry about. Like a weapons platform and the enemy ships that _weren't _reinforcing it, electing instead to stay within the inner defensive perimeter.

That could be intelligence or cowardice, he didn't know which but either way, he would have preferred some of them to come out so he could destroy their forces piecemeal. Naturally the enemy didn't want to co-operate.

"Signal _Merchant _and _Sir Lancelot, _" he ordered abruptly, "I've got a job for them."

Slowly, the ship began to rock as fire from the enemy platform began to shake the mighty vessel once more.

* * *

Maktenos cursed as a second _Ha'tak _vanished, shattering as bolts from both destroyers blew straight through it then a moment later a brilliant flash filled the window.

Spots dancing in his eyes, he glanced down at his display to see one less destroyer and the shields on the other appearing at only a very low level.

They had been too close together and the highly energetic death of the one had crippled the other, he mused, worth remembering.

But he would have his prize.

"My Lord!"

He turned sharply at the exclamation from his Jaffa and then glanced at his display once more, tapping the controls to show a repeat of the last few moments, then he blinked, and laughed darkly as he watched the two ships he had thought were support ships open hyperspace portals. They then turned sidewise to the portals and launched a massive swarm of missiles through, rolling the ship to allow the launchers on both sides of the ships to come to bear.

That was a positively evil but risky way to destroy an enemy ship, if the Jaffa had been given time to try to collapse the portal they could have destroyed the hyperspace generators of the two missile ships and avoided the barrage.

But they hadn't, and a _Cheops, _burning, venting air and debris began to reel out of control.

* * *

"Both auxiliaries report missile pods expended," Hailey reported.

"In a good cause," O'Neill grinned as he watched the remaining Anubis ships leave the relative safety of the main defensive perimeter and move swiftly towards his own ships, "tell them, good work not get the hell out of here."

" _Seeker _reporting difficultly obtaining weapons lock on enemy fighters at our rear, 48 Squadron reporting heavy losses,"

He found himself resisting the urge to swear once more, "Order _Watcher _to fall back and assist."


	49. Chapter 48

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Forty-Eight**

The ship rocked, and then a massive jolt hit and O'Neill grimaced, resisting the urge to grab onto his chairs arms for support. That was what the 4-point restraints were for after all.

"Status?"

"Taking heavy fire from the weapons emplacement, they appear to be concentrating on us now."

"Figures," he replied disgusted, and it did. _Atlantis _ was the biggest baddest warship of the fleet and if she was taken out the attack would certainly falter and possibly even fail. Not to mention, deny the Tau'ri their most capable ship, and make it easier for the others to be moped up… basically all the same reasons they had gone after the _Rel'tac _ first.

She was the biggest threat.

"Divert auxiliary power to shields," O'Neill replied calmly, "and keep pounding the platform. Soon as her shields go down I want a nutcracker on its way."

"Aye Captain,"

Satisfied, O'Neill turned his gaze back to his displays, grimacing as he noticed four of the icons for 48 Squadrons _Vipers _ were completely blacked out and another three were greyed out, marked unserviceable and landed-on.

They definitely needed a way to neutralise those blasted fighters!

Capturing one was out of the question though; he had seen the reports from the nebula of what had happened last time that was tried. It appeared Anubis had tied a self-destruct direct to a dead mans handle making it a very literal _dead _ mans handle.

He tapped at the console, swiftly pulling up a sensor display that showed what his ships computers though of the collective sensor readings of all the ships in the fleet.

His eyes narrowed, then widened thoughtfully, his mind going back to some old conversations he… well, the old he had had with Carter. Then with a tight grin, he tapped at the comm. console, deciding to drop his theory on auxiliary control. They had more time to play with the data after all…

"Control, take a look at the sensor readings and tell me if you can spot the Anubis fighters particle shielding scatter,"

"Sir, _Atlantis's _ sensors are not sensitive enough to…"

"Try the fleet's sensors, not just _Atlantis's, _" he interrupted.

"Fleets?" the response was musing, "Yes sir,"

A quick glance over _Atlantis's _ status displays showed him a story he didn't want to see and with a grimace, O'Neill ordered the ship rolled to present the starboard shield aspect to the weapons platform, not the battered port. Given their relative 'height' compared to the station, it would give them narrower firing angles but that couldn't be helped.

The port shields needed to be reformed, preferably before the oncoming _Cheops _ and its attendant _Ha'taks _ arrived to crash the party.

* * *

He knew he was glaring and he knew the target of his ire couldn't have foreseen that Anubis would start to equip his warships with destruct switches too but sometimes he just had to have someone to take his frustration out on. The expanding cloud of debris that was once a destroyer couldn't exactly respond to him after all, pity the enemy couldn't have blown it _before _ his boarding parties went across.

Then again, that was probably why they had blown it.

"Mikta," he muttered and then shrugged.

It had been a bit of a long-shot after all.

"Move to assist the Tau'ri,"

Talk about orders he never thought he would have to give…

* * *

"Now picking up a 3 rd fighter class, this type appears to be uprated _Udajeet. _"

"Exactly how many toys does Anubis have here?" O'Neill asked rhetorically, "least these we should be able to target fine."

" _Cheops _ will be in range in three minutes,"

"Warn the forward gun crews, they'll be seeing action soon," he grinned, "I want the guns made as ready as possible with the exception of powering them up."

He sent a raised eyebrow at Hailey as she paused puzzled, and then her face went carefully blank, only the glint in the corner of her eyes betraying the smirk that threatened to take over her face.

"Planning to send a message sir?"

O'Neill considered this for a moment, "you could say that," he conceded.

Hailey just shook her head and turned back to her displays.

* * *

Maktenos watched his screens, a frown betraying his face as he watched the icons dance across the displays. The weapons platform firing its bolts of energy swiftly towards the Tau'ri capital ship and the Tau'ri ship replying with solid slugs of trinium and naquadah at near light speeds, slowly weakening each other.

But neither was alone, two destroyers and what looked to nearly two squadrons of fighters were engaging targets unseen towards the rear of the fleets formation, two _Ha'taks _ and another two destroyers drawing forward to help resist then oncoming juggernaut of _Cheops _, _Ha'taks _ and fighters and several smaller warships lending their own fire to the fight against the weapons platform.

Then, just before the two groups of ships started to intersect and overlap, the icon for _Atlantis _ turned, pointing its nose directly at the Goa'uld weapons platform.

He felt his eyes widen and forced his face into an impassive mask as the station, its shields already weakened, abruptly ceased to be as eight Gauss rifles spoke a new.

Eight forward mounted Gauss rifles, not the turrets on the top of the hull he had seen the _Atlantis _ use up till now. Leaning back with a grimace, he made a mental note to be very careful should the Tau'ri ever deploy that bastard against his own forces.

The _Atlantis _turned once more; thrusting forward it brought itself rapidly into range of the oncoming Goa'uld ships. Its forward guns spoke, punishing a _Ha'tak _ that had pushed itself out too far ahead of the group, too eager to join the fight.

Weapons fire from the two _Ha'taks _ and two _Dauntless _ destroyers joined it, as the patrolboats turned away from the expanding debris field and reformed around _Atlantis _, their own fire withheld for the moment.

The _Ha'tak _ knew it couldn't take fire from twelve Gauss rifles and two _Ha'tak _ cannons for long and attempted to fall back but found the bulk of the _Cheops _ right behind it and he found himself grinning at the rapid demise of the warship.

The grin slipped as he considered that one day he might be on the receiving end of such a welcome. He shrugged; this mission wasn't just about attacking Anubis after all.

He was getting damned good scans of the Tau'ri ships in operation wasn't he and that would be worth the loss of far more then the two _Ha'taks _ that had been destroyed so far.

The _Cheops _ shoved aside the debris of the _Ha'taks _ with its shields, then opened fire itself, its own guns joined by those of the four surviving fully operational _Ha'taks _ not on the _Atlantis, _the biggest threat, but on a _Dauntless, _the _General Hammond. _

Maktenos grunted, whittle down the support as quickly as possible to leave the biggest threat isolated. Potentially allowing you to kill maybe three ships in the time it would take you to kill the main threat.

Kill the main threat first or kill the supports... always an interesting choice with no right or wrong answer except the win or lose of battle.

He glanced at his ships own status displays and shook his head, resisting the urge to order more speed. There was a time and a place to really push it and when somebody else was taking the brunt of the battle wasn't the time to push the engines.

Unless they looked like losing of course….

The _Atlantis _angled itself, slipping side on, its main guns still pounding the _Cheops _ but its hull-top turrets now unmasked, quickly began firing upon a _Ha'tak _ as the _Gettysburg _ dived underneath the massive vessel, adding its own weight to the concentrated fire.

A glint of light caught his eyes and Maktenos nodded with wary resignation as he own ships appeared on the edge of the tactical display. Soon he too would have to face the fire once more.

A dot slipped, dropping backwards behind the Tau'ri fleet and he didn't even need to check to know it was the _General Hammond. _ No mere destroyer could take that kind of fire for long after all, not even the Tau'ri ships.

The _Cheops _ rotated itself abruptly, turning another shield to face the Tau'ri fleet, its weapons fire not slacking for one moment, the ship taking casual advantage of the face that, unlike the vessels it was fighting, it didn't have a true 'front' and 'rear'.

Its fire faltered for a moment as the destroyer moved out of reach, then started anew, this time a Free Jaffa _Ha'tak _ in its sights. The targeted vessel swiftly began spinning like… he struggled for a moment to think of an appropriate phrase before his hosts mind provided it, a spinning top, or a whirling dervish.

Smart, it meant the weapons fire and therefore the damage was concentrated on one shield segment but as the ship spun, each segment would be struck in turn, spreading out the damage.

Of course, if you stopped the pin abruptly every now and again then potentially you could shut down and reform whichever shield segment was now in the line of enemy fire as well he mused, and then made another mental note.

He turned his eyes back to the tactical displays, wondering if the Anubis Jaffa would realize what was going on but the enemy fleet continued to fire upon the same _Ha'tak _.

A bleep sounded and he started in surprise as the icon representing the _General Hammond _abruptly vanished from the display.


	50. Chapter 49

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

Forty-Nine

He leaned forward, considering the display. That destroyer had been damaged but not badly enough to have just died like that. He tapped at the display; replaying the last few moments and bringing the debris scatter up as well.

The explosion was external.

The sensors had picked up weapons fire but nothing at the point of origin of that fire.

The fire was too powerful to be from a fighters, and it had to be a stealthed platform otherwise there would have been _something _ at the origin point. Passive stealth was more likely given that it hadn't appeared on the sensors as it fired unless Anubis had developed a way of firing whilst fully cloaked but passive stealth was resource prohibitive for warships and technically very challenging.

_Al-kesh. _

It had to be.

They hadn't fired again either, so either they couldn't or they were trying to throw the Tau'ri off balance.

Twenty _Al-kesh _ abruptly dropped cloak in the middle of the Tau'ri fleet and with a curse Maktenos realised he had at least part of the answer.

He glanced across at the icons for his own fleet on the tactical display and nodded, "concentrate fire on the _Cheops _ and engage as soon as you have the range."

They would have range in mere moments now, and then it would be their turn to bleed.

"Bastards!"

O'Neill swore as the icons for his fleet scattered, each ship trying to bring its own weapons to bear on the threat that had suddenly appeared amongst them.

'This wont do,' he thought, 'unless we regain cohesion swiftly, that _Cheops _ will finish us'.

"Detail the two _Ha'taks _and their fighter screen to deal with the _Al-kesh _, all other ships are…"

" _Al-kesh _ recloaking!"

He frowned, considering this as he gazed at the tactical display for a moment, then he grimaced, "signal the fleet, I want all ships back in formation in two minutes flat, also release the pulse lasers to engage _Al-kesh. _I know they won't kill 'em quick if they have their shields up but there's a window of vulnerability as they switch between cloaks and shields when they can really hurt them."

"Make sure the batteries are set to predictive mode too," O'Neill glanced across at Hailey surprised, "a cloaked _Al-kesh _ has to rely on its armour and until it changes course, the computers should still have a pretty good idea of where it is."

Nodding approval, he turned back to the display, letting a tight grin slip onto his face for a moment as the icons for _Seeker _ and _Watcher _ started moving back towards the fleet, the remainder of the _Viper _ squadrons slipping into position around the two destroyers.

Their return would certainly help.

His eyes caught eight more blips dropping into position at the flank of Anubis's forces, Maktenos's four _Ha'taks _ and four _Ha'tens. _

As would theirs. Still, he considered, it would be best to deal with that bastard swiftly, "Keep fire concentrated on the _Cheops! _"

"She's not going to be around much longer,"

"Maybe," O'Neill glanced at Hailey as he replied, "but she can still hurt us if she wants…."

The ship rocked abruptly, lights flickering for a moment and O'Neill found himself feeling slightly nauseous as the inertial compensators lagged for just a moment, the sensation of unevenly dampened movement being weird and almost painfully unnatural.

He glanced at the tactical display, grimacing as he realised that the Free Jaffa were now short a _Ha'tak _ and _Atlantis _ was short a starboard shield, finished off by a segment of hull larger then most mansions.

The ship began to rock and then shudder and as quick glance at the readouts confirmed what he already knew. The Goa'uld now had _Atlantis _ in their sights and enemy weapons fire was now impacting directly onto her starboard hull.

"What have they done to that things shield?"

Nodding agreement with his XO's quiet curse, O'Neill sighed then darted forward in his seat, the words on his lips to order the launch of a nuke as, at last, the _Cheops _ shields gave way.

* * *

It would have been completely unnecessary, the guns of the Tau'ri fleet spoke as one once more, but not with standard trinium rounds as in a moment of almost telepathic glee, the fleet's tactical officers switched over to Naquadah tipped rounds.

The _Cheops _ shattered into thirds, one segment flipping straight over into a _Ha'tak, _demolishing it in an instant, leaving two _Ha'taks _ on each side of where the vessel had been.

Maktenos on the other hand had decided as soon as the _Cheops _ shields went down that no further help would be needed there and his eight ships concentrated their fire on two _Ha'taks _even as his ships manoeuvred towards the rear of the enemy fleet.

The other two _Ha'taks, _finding them facing the full Tau'ri fleet on their own decided that the whole game wasn't any fun anymore and attempted to flee behind the wreckage, swiftly meeting Maktenos's vessels coming the other way.

Seeing weapons fire impacting on one of the _Ha'tens _they turned their guns to that ship even as they tried to dive underneath the opposing ships to flee. Maktenos diverted the fire of his ships and the lead _Ha'tak _ of this group abruptly found itself under concentrated fire from twenty ships, _Atlantis, Gettysburg, _four destroyers, six patrolcraft, five _Ha'taks _ and four _Ha'tens _ and four minutes later ceased to be. Its compatriot at this point abruptly stopped firing and dropped shields, signalling surrender.

That left two _Ha'taks _ and Maktenos eight vessels swiftly switched their fire back as the Tau'ri vessels turned, aiming to come around the debris to assist. The two _Ha'taks _ decided to flee, but in doing so, allowed the Tau'ri to open fire upon them as well.

The rear _Ha'tak _ got the message first and attempted to surrender but too late, the weapons fire already incoming was enough to blow straight the armour and straight into the main drives to an inevitable result.

The final _Ha'tak, _more sensibly, kept its shields up until sure no weapons were directed its way.

* * *

"How do you suggest we deal with the factory?"

O'Neill grimaced at Maktenos as he appeared on the screen and held back a quick and potentially Alliance-ending retort.

"To start with," he replied, "the surrendered _Ha'taks… _ one each."

"Agreed," came the reply, "but my question stands. The defensive platform was tougher then anticipated as you found out and there are fourteen more of them to deal with. I'm not sure we have the strength to deal with them."

"We didn't come all this way and lose all these people to fail," O'Neil replied, his voice almost dangerously calm, "somehow we are going to take that facility out."

"I," Hailey interrupted, "have an idea,"

O'Neill glanced across; his expression turning intrigued at the look on the Genius's face, a look of malicious glee, devilry satisfaction. He glanced across toward the display where Maktenos too was looking interested and a little bemused.

"I for one would be glad to hear it," he noted, glancing at O'Neill questioningly.

"Well, there's two parts to it really…

A pin-point hyperspace jump is possible but tricky, precision always being an issue with the hyperspace drives. A precise jump can be made far easier with a Colonial spin-point drive and we have several vessels with that, the two _Sentinel _destroyers and the _Vipers. _

The _Sentinels _ are a bit big for the task at hand, but that's okay. We have the _Vipers _ and it doesn't matter so much if we lose a _Viper _or in this case two then if we risk a destroyer…"

"Risk a destroyer doing what?" O'Neill finally asked, exasperated and irritated.

"Why jumping into those two massive bays in the stations hull where the _Cheops _ were hiding with nukes slung underneath of course,"

The Colonel chocked back a laugh as he considered the idea, then nodded, slowly, grinning.

"Those defensive batteries wont even get a look in," she finished satisfied.


	51. Chapter 50

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Fifty**

"Anubis will now see us as more of a threat then ever before," General Davis noted, concern and glee warring in his eyes, "and I am not sure they should have used that jump tactic. He will have the records from the defensive platforms; he may be able to figure out what happened and then use our own tactics against us."

"Perhaps," Thompson shrugged, "and certainly Maktenos now knows of the ability,"

"Maktenos as yet does not have jump drives," he interrupted, "Anubis does, and it's Anubis and the Cylons we have a quarter of our research budget dedicated to blocking."

"Not quite a quarter," came the wry reply, "but frankly, I can see their point. The level of resistance they faced was far greater then expected. Those weapons platforms had far stronger shields then we have ever seen before on any Goa'uld derived design and at least one of the _Cheops _ had been refitted to include them as well!"

"That," Davis admitted, "is certainly the worrying part. Those shields were almost as strong as those used by the Asgard _O'Neills _ collectively but according to Carter, it wasn't actually a new design, just a new use of an existing design."

Thompson frowned, "I don't think I've read that report yet."

"It's scary," he admitted, "Anubis didn't install better shields, just more of them. Instead of just having a single main shield and backup for each quadrant he had at least three main shields per quadrant and was rotating through them. As one shield began to weaken, another shield was moved 'forward' to replace it and the weakened shield reformed."

"Oh fuck,"

"Agreed," Davis noted, "But there are a few bright points. For one, _Cheops _are massive ships but the shield generators are equally massive, the analysis is still underway but something would have had to have been sacrificed to allow them to effectively treble the number of shield generators and two, well the power requirements…"

"I think we're going to need to take a very through look at the AAR and the post-battle analysis."

"Certainly," Davis sighed, "but despite the loss of _General Hammond _ I think we can log this one in the win column."

"Quite," Thompson paused, "how are the Free Jaffa taking the loss of one of their _Ha'taks? _"

"Calmly, they seem to be accepting it as a normal hazard of doing business," Davis shrugged as he leaned forward, picking his coffe up off the table, "they have made a few suggestions about passing the captured _Ha'tak _ to them to replace the loss but Teal'c states he thinks it is unlikely they are really going to push for it."

"Good," smiling, the Admiral shook his head, "an Anubis _Ha'tak _ is quite a prize. We'll have to let the Intel boys get a good look at her but after that, she'll only really need her anti-fighter defences upgraded for her to be usable."

"The fleet still needs to get her back to us," Davis pointed out reasonably, "and it's not as if _Atlantis _ is in tiptop condition either."

"True, but the damage won't require yard time unlike _Stingray. _ If I know O'Neill, he'll have the bulk of the shield repairs done by the time the fleet arrives back, the armour will be an issue but that will have to wait until we can fabricate new segments for her starboard side but they can be replaced using _Shunters. _"

The General nodded in response, but sighed, "The _Dauntless's _ are good birds, but they need better shields."

"They're destroyers, not ships of the wall and in this instance, we had to use them in a battle which turned out to be more suited to heavy combatants," Thompson nodded his head in agreement, "the Colonial armour has its advantages and R&D have already produced a hybrid armour combining the best of both. It will take a while to upgrade every ship but it should help."

"It's a pity we can't take a leaf out of Anubis's book and give them a second shield generator,"

He got a raised eyebrow in response, then a contemplative look crossed the Admirals face, "the _Dauntless _ is the only class to have just one shield generator, even though there are several different emitter arrays. I imagine having space to install another emitter would be the issue as well as the excess of power needed to power one shield and reform another."

"Not possible?"

"Not probable in the current hulls," Thompson shook his head, "both the _Prometheus _ and _Dauntless _ classes are due a redesign but at the moment we have other priorities. Still, I'll send the suggestion to the architects."

Davis pondered this for a moment, "how is _Invincible _?"

"Already relaunched and with the newer armour," he smiled, "Peters has also confirmed the launch of _Despite _, _Yuri Gagarin _should be launching as we speak and by the time the battlegroup gets back within a week, _Observer _ will be ready to rejoin the Colonial fleet as well."

Davis felt his eyebrows rise in surprise, "that's a lot of ships going to be within the Sol System. What do you intend to do with them all?"

Thompson chuckled, "it is nice to have what appears on the surface at least to be an excess of ships isn't it? Still, _Stingray _ will need to be replaced within the battlegroup, but we should be able to start rotating ships out of Minbari and Vulcan alliance spaces one by one. I'm also being pressed to form a picket over Orban and reinforce Enerina now that she has a home system of her own."

"The problem with having more ships," the General replied, "somebody always finds something to use them for…"

Biting back a laugh, Thompson smiled, for a moment, and then frowned, "quite. The other problem is of course expense. The more ships and stations we need to maintain, the less money we have for expansion and investment. Bluntly, if we fail to keep nations sighing up to the service, we may just collapse underneath basic operating and maintenance costs.

Expansion of the support base is allowing expansion of our operating units and assets which is increasing our costs which is causing us to have to keep looking for more support…"

"The beancounters always win in the end," Davis replied with a shrug.

"Maybe," the Admiral replied, "but this week we'll hit six destroyers, one cruiser and eight patrol craft on shakedown. That's the largest single number of new ships and refits in the history of the TSS, SGC and RSS."

"Even if one of those isn't for us," Davis noted.

"Even if you ignore _Observer, _" Thompson agreed.

"Okay, so what's going to go wrong now?"

Thompson cracked a smile at the wry comment, "you had best ask Murphy not me."

"Murphy, the only bastard you can always count on…"

* * *

_"Jubilation and trepidation today as the Tau'ri Star Service confirms the successful destruction of a major construction facility controlled by Anubis. This facility, a major source of production for his stealth fighters as well as other advanced designs was not undefended and losses are known to be heavy. The destroyer _General Hammond, _named after the most successful commander of Stargate Command was lost with all hands as well as two _Ha'taks _ of Maktenos who was assisting the operation and a _Ha'tak _of the Free Jaffa. _

_Losses to the enemy in terms of personnel are unknown but it is confirmed that Anubis lost twelve ships, three of which were massive capital ships as well as the facility, making the military estimate his losses as potentially being in the millions. _

_As yet, no indications have been received as to Anubis's response to the attack" _

* * *

_"A statement issues earlier on today has confirmed the intention of the White House to issue a posthumous Presidential Unit Citation to the destroyer _General Hammond, _this being the first such award to a spacegoing warship since Disclosure. The _General Hammond _ was the first destroyer of the British designed _Dauntless _ class commissioned by the former Stargate Command." _

* * *

_"The Colonial Government in Exile today confirmed its intent to construct new vessels of the Intersun Liners type 13, as used previously as Colonial One during the retreat from the colonies in order to maintain the contract for mass transit between Alpha Centauri and the Sol System. _

_The contract, which is the Colonials main source of income, has been threatened by the diplidated state of many of the original colonial vessels and the stated intention of the Spaceliner Consortium to bid for the contract once they have a proven design. _

_In this, the Colonials do have a distinct advantage, already having a catalogue of proven designs that only need modernisation to fall back upon." _


	52. Chapter 51

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

Fifty-One

"They're home," Peters commented, not turning her face from the window as slowly tugs settled into place around the _Stingray, _preparing to move her into bay eight, "but certainly not undamaged."

"The job was done," Reynolds noted in reply, "and frankly, losses could have been a _lot _ higher. If they had tried a direct assault on the facility itself with all those defensive guns…"

"We could have lost the entire force, I know." She replied.

Reynolds shrugged, "frankly, one destroyer lost, another needing repairs and three allied _Ha'tak's _destroyed strikes me as a very good exchange rate."

"That is true but…"

"But you were part of the committee which arranged and ordered the mission," he shrugged, "I know. Sometimes in this job you just have to accept that you are going to lose people."

"That I know," Peters sighed, "but it never makes it any easier knowing you're the one who sent them to their deaths."

"Nor should it," the Wing-Commander agreed, "if it got any easier, if it didn't matter to you, then you would be as bad as the Goa'uld."

"True," she shrugged, "but now we have to worry. I don't think Anubis is going to let a strike like that go unpunished."

"Maybe," Reynolds nodded, "but on the other hand, he has to worry about the losses inflicted upon him. That has to effect how he perceives us, what kind of strength he feels he need to use to attack us directly, and he has to know what gathering together that much strength would mean."

"It would weaken him on other fronts," Peters agreed, "but I'm not sure that he couldn't get away with it. The time lag on reports from Minbari Alliance space is terrible, but still, we know his Drakh allies have been pushed back but the alliance is stretched and not able to fully exploit the enemies weakness. They want to take a breather themselves. Anubis could, temporarily at least, divert forces form there."

"And Maktenos?"

"The reports we have indicate the battle has stagnated somewhat, Anubis's forces are better equipped and more numerous, Maktenos are far better trained, if he diverts any significant forces from there, the line may well brake. He has to worry about that anyway given how much of a hit his fighter production just took."

"Hmm," Reynolds frowned, "so not likely to be a direct assault then?"

"Anubis is not entirely predictable," she grinned wryly, "none of the Goa'uld ever were really, but we may be in line for another of his potentially devastating but overly convoluted attacks through the gate yes."

"Great," he sighed, grimacing as his eyes tracked a _Shunter _ as it slowly moved across the view, "I'm sure General Davis is just loving the idea of that."

Peters snorted, "I'm sure he's not."

Reynolds laughed, but it was a slightly bitter laugh, "no, you're right. I doubt he's enjoying the idea at all, but…"

He shrugged, "in truth, I'm not sure which approach I would prefer."

"No," with a sigh, Peters reached down, pulling her no doubt cold cup of tea off the window sill in front of her, "neither am I. But still, that is a decision we can not make, only react too."

"Might have to do something about the Secessionists soon," Reynolds noted after a long pause, "they have certainly become the most powerful cylon faction and given that Anubis is pretty much leaving them alone at the moment as well, it means they are free to push the Unforgiven back and mop up the remaining Loyalist enclaves."

"There are a few options being discussed for the next deployment," she replied, her voice slightly far away as she gazed outwards, "but that is on the list. Intel thinks they have discovered the location of the Secessionists newest resurrection hub for one."

"Damn," grimacing, Reynolds shook his head, "that would make one hell of a fine target and would cause massive disruption to their war effort but they certainly wouldn't allow an attack like that to go without response.

And they can divert the bulk of their forces to us at the moment."

"Maybe," she sighed, turning away from the window at last and sinking slowly into her seat, "but we have quite a few other facilities, major and minor marked as well."

The former RAF Hercules pilot considered this for a moment, "smash raid?"

"A distinct possibility," the Admiral replied, "but we also have a few targets in Anubis's territory marked, both Alliances are asking for more assistance…"

"I think the most valuable thing we can do in their cases is replace the units with fresh ships and crews," Reynolds shrugged, "that would have as much effect as it stands as just increasing the number of ships deployed. They have been out their way too long and unlike Edonia, they don't have their own shipyard to cover repairs or relatively easy access to replacement personnel."

"I agree," Peters nodded, "as I think do the other members of the steering committee, so that's likely to be high on the to do list. It's just a case of balancing the numbers and ships."

"Easier then this time last year I bet,"

"Oh," came the fervent reply, "you have no idea. The problem will be the numbers of ships still being shaken down though."

"Really, well at least…"

A bleep from Peters terminal interrupted what Reynolds was trying to say and with a sigh the Admiral turned to her console, tapping for a moment at the keyboard. Then, a smile crossed her face.

"That will certainly help,"

"Oh?"

"We've got confirmation that the funding for the new Patrolcraft squadron is now in our accounts,"

"Yes!" Reynolds interrupted, making Peters smile.

"As is the funding for the Orbanian squadron…."

"Damn," he was impressed, "I would have thought negotiations would have taken longer then that."

"The Orbanians are willing to talk turkey with technologies," she shrugged, "that alone would be enough to get the Politicians co-operative, but the fact that they were talking about basing rights as well…."

"That would do it," with a frown, Reynolds continued, "but do we have enough patrol craft slips to work on that many hulls."

"We will have to press the two repair slips at _Ravenbright _ into service as well as at least one of the Alpha Sites slips but it can be done," it was Peters turn to frown, "I don't think we've ever really planned for having enough orders to be building thirteen patrol craft at one time, we only have slips for fourteen."

"Hey, I don't mind," grinning at Peters, he leaned forward, "Do you think they would allow me to swap jobs?"

"Doubt it," she laughed, "I'm afraid you would have to take a bit of a drop in rank and you're too valuable where you are."

"Damn," he grimaced, humour dancing in his eyes, "still… the new birds, they'll be the Mark II Planetary Defence Forces variants wont they?"

"Ours will yes," Peters replied soberly, "the Orbanians are getting full patrol versions of the _Blastboats _ and _Gunners. _"

"Capable of covering both Sol and Alpha Centauri…"

"Colonial spin-points drives," she nodded agreement, "not as long ranged as hyperdrives but perfectly suitable for local group work and far smaller then hyperdrives."

"Nice," Reynolds paused, "I have been hearing a few rumours, mainly in the news about something called _Eisenhower? _"

Peters paused, "any particular reason you ask?"

He paused, eyes narrowing slightly, there was a sort of answer in just the way Peters had responded, but still, "mainly curiosity."

She considered this for a moment, then shrugged, "we do make a point of keeping designs available and up to date for as many different eventualities as possible, such as O'Neill's somewhat infamous ' _Subtlety _' class Battleships."

Reynolds hid a smirk at that as Peters continued, " _Eisenhower _is a design that was added to the list since we gained access to the spin-point drives and whilst the press got the exact figures wrong, they did get something right, they would be far cheaper to produce even then a _Dauntless _. The think-tanks are batting around the idea of forming a squadron of six birds to be the nucleus of a permanent home defence squadron."

"Damn, that does make a certain amount of sense,"

"And Adama has already stated that if the Colonials had the funding they would most likely purchase a handful for just that purpose to release the _Galactica _ and _Sentinels _ to offensive operations."

"But right now funding is the one thing the Colonials don't have." Reynolds noted.

"Exactly, they've already diverted several _Sentinels _that were originally intended for their own use to us in order to keep up their balance of payments," she sighed, "they need that transport contract… but in all fairness, if a suitable alternative comes along, we do have to consider it and put the contract out to tender."

"The threat alone may just persuade them to drop the price a little,"

"Maybe," Peters shrugged, "that would certainly help us but it would equally not help them."

"There is of course the possibility of other transport contracts, Edonia, Orban…" the Wing-Commander suggested.

"Orban isn't likely as far as passengers are concerned, the gate makes that redundant in many ways. Freight on the other hand…"

"Maybe where the Spaceliner Consortium and the Colonials really get to compete," Reynolds shrugged, "the _Ha'taks _ will deal with the truly massive outsize loads we sometimes have to shift, the _Paladins, Shunters _and _Airheads _ the smaller or in-system cargos but what about the bulk of the cargo? From what I hear, the consortium is already designing the liner to take standard earth container loads."

Peters raised her eyebrows in surprise, then frowned, contemplatively, "that would make things easier I suppose… how many do you think they are planning per liner?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "I have been keeping an eye on that project but I don't have access to all the details. Still, we are talking about a mixed passenger-cargo design but I don't think we'll be talking more then four containers for their first model."

"Still a major improvement on how things are being handled at the moment," Peters shrugged, "but I think we may need to press that Alpha Prime Railway project a bit harder."

Reynolds shook his head, "that backbone project… well, I can't see it happening in a hurry. It'll cost more then…"

"The entire operating budget of all the Earth space going warships since _Prometheus _ first took flight?" she interrupted wryly, "I know, but long term it may be necessary. We're already building railways on Prime but they are all internal. There's nothing running between the various bases and facilities yet and that is where we could save serious money. They've already started surveying for a route between the _Ha'tak _ refit base and the relatively nearby mines though."

"Relatively?"

"Only eighty-seven miles away," she sighed, "you have no idea the costs of building a railway on an entirely different world between two points that have nothing really of interest between them at the moment."

"I rather suspect it would be enough to make Bill Gates gasp…"

"Quite," Peters laughed, "quite."


	53. Chapter 52

**12: Battlegroup  
by Chaos_eternus**

In the shadow of the events and chaos of Disclosure, the first Battlegroup is formed...  
And sent straight into action!

**Fifty-Two**

He learnt much, enough on its own to cover the loss of a few ships.

The destruction of Anubis's construction base and so many of the guarding ships was just a bonus.

He had blatant confirmation that the Tau'ri had a capital ship of their own and he had many scans of it in action. The results were intriguing.

A massive ship, but one which appeared to once have had more of the Tau'ri CIWS' weapons then it currently did. A refit vessel, definitely not Tau'ri construction, but a well built, solid vessel.

Built by a race that knew what they were doing.

The Colonials of course.

Still, it was interesting.

Like a _Ha'tak, _it was neither true warship or carrier.

It didn't matter really, what mattered was he now had a good look at its capabilities and with Pierces unwilling assistance; he should be able to derive strategies to counteract its strengths.

As he should now be able to do for the _Dauntless'es, Sentinels, Prometheus's _

Oh yes, they taught him much.

The _Dauntless's _ and _Prometheus _ class ships had had older scans of of course, but nothing compared to the quality you can obtain when you know in advance the opportunity is going to present itself.

He had hoped for a _Britannica _ to appear, but that was not to be.

A pity.

Those _Merchants _ too, quite interesting ships in themselves. It was certainly rare that a freighter could claim quite rightfully to have killed a capital ship. In fact, it was almost unique in his experience.

Destroyers, even _Ha'taks _ had been killed by such before, but not a capital ship. He would have to watch those ships closely, perhaps move more forces into the space between Earth and Edonia. An opportunity would present itself in time of that he was sure.

Yes.

It had potential.

Not just for the intelligence it would provide him, not just for the technology but also the Tau'ri could ill afford to lose any ship and if rumour and his overpaid spies were to be believed, the Tau'ri had only three ships of that type.

The resulting disruption to their supply chains would be appropriately disproportionate, he was sure.

Oh yes, the idea had potential.

Of course, if he was caught doing such a thing, it would mean war once more.

Best not to caught then.

* * *

They think I am dead, they think I am defeated.

They are wrong.

They are right.

I am dead, dead in my heart, dead in my soul for the evil they have allowed, for the slavery they have allowed of my daughter, the slavery they have not ended.

The slavery they tried to hide from me, then tried to make me be quiet about.

The fools.

They may have ensured my initials strikes did not go entirely to plan, they may have ensured the continued rule of their corrupted Admirals and Generals, they may have bought the support of the people, but their punishment is not finished yet.

I hear the delightful chaos of my disclosure is reported to be the cause of almost ten million deaths.

A mere drop in the ocean compared to what is to come.

By the time I am done, the name of Pierce will be known for thousands of years as they very definition of vengeance.

For I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.

Starting with this one.

* * *

That was a bold move they did.

An unfortunate move for them as well. He could no longer afford to ignore their incessant buzzing and their pin pricks of damage.

He could no longer allow his subordinates to deal with the Tau'ri threat; they had failed him too many times. Now, he would have to devise a plan to deal with those pests himself.

Woe betides them for gaining his personal attention.

There would be a response, and it would be a response like they had never seen before.

And it would be the last thing they would see; they were too much of a threat, too much like rats. Once you thought you had eliminated the threat, they returned and brought plague once more to his domain.

No, they would have to die.

Every last one of them.

* * *

They think they destroyed us, drove us to ground as if we were the criminals and then picked us off one by one.

They think we are no more, only scattered remnants too weak and disillusioned to be any threat.

They are wrong.

The shackles they have placed over America shall not be tolerated; there will be no more cooperation' and alliances' with other nations and worlds.

Those shackles shall be broken and once more we will stand in the background, ensuring this, our great nation controls and dominates the Stargate and the space forces. We will break the other nations to our will once more as we did to Russia and any who disobey will know the control of the skies now extends into the black of space.

We shall take what we need to ensure the security and power of the United States one way or another.

They shall regret the day they ever decided to resist the NID.

* * *

While the humans remain strong, we will never be safe.

They must be destroyed or bent to our will.

With the Loyalists broken, that task has become easier and harder. So many of their ships have turned to our cause and so many of the human forms as well.

Of course, having turned traitor once, they may do so again.

Best they do not realize then when we have finished our looting of Loyalist space, they too will be looted and then destroyed.

The Unforgiven stand in our way, but they are barely a threat now. With the end of the Loyalists we can gather enough strength to purge the heretical Unforgiven and with their nursemaids gone, the Tau'ri should fall soon enough. With them, the Colonials die and our pain, the threat to our dominance is largely finished.

Anubis and Maktenos will need to be watched of course, but they need not concern us. With the humans gone, we can start the seed of Civilisation in the galaxy at last, free of their threat.

It will be a civilisation like the galaxy has never seen before.

We just need to deal with the rats in the basement first.

* * *

_Thundersdawn control, this is courier 28-3 out of Edonia. I am carrying despatches for command. Priority is Thunderbolt, repeat priority is Thunderbolt! _

To be continued**...**


End file.
