Well this is my attempt at writing a Stargate SG-1 fanfic. This is primarily a space opera and I was hoping to get some feedback.
AuthorÆs Note: I do not own Stargate SG-1 all intellectual properties belong to their respective owners. Original Characters are mine. All references to real life Military Personnel are due to coincidence only.
After much thought, IÆve decided to rewrite Rise of the TauÆri. I started the fic as a Junior in High School and I wasnÆt too happy with the planned plot. Now that IÆm a Sophomore in College, I think that I can do a better job. I also wanted to make this story grittier, grimmer and more realistic as it seemed like the story was too happy and go lucky. For those of you new to the series, this story is AU as of Season Nine.
IÆve changed the location of my website. Utah Jak, the author of Chains of the Kindred and I have decided to make a full-fledged Science Fiction Forum. The link to the site is on my Profile. Feel free to register, comment and post your own content.
Rise of the TauÆri
Timeline
2006
After overrunning allied forces assembled at P3Y-229, three of the six Ori Battlecruisers that came out of the Supergate launch an all out attack on Earth in what is now known as the First Battle of Sol. The Ori are repelled but at the cost of the remaining United States Space Forces, thirty Asgard warships and numerous conventional forces resulting in over 60 million deaths.
The United States, and the rest of the IOA knowing that the metaphorical cat is out of the bag, reveals the Stargate program to the public. After a couple months of fierce debate, the Terran Federal Republic a united one-world government is formed in response with Henry Hayes selected as its first President for a term of eight years. Jonathan OÆNeill is chosen as the first Chairman of the Terran Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The first and foremost priority of the Terran Federal Republic is to recoup the losses at the First Battle of Sol. In response, the Terran Federal Republic launches a massive military buildup aiming to integrate technologies discovered and developed by the SGC into æregularÆ units. The National Militaries are merged into the Terran Armed Forces under the command of the Ministry of Defense. With a new focus in mind, the branches are reorganized somewhat. The Army remains the main ground component and the Marine Corps are still the main rapid reaction force and lead assault component. To keep the Navy and the Air Force from feuding over who got control over space warfare the Minister of Defense, George Hammond decides to split the responsibility between the two Branches. The Air Force, renamed the Space Force is responsible for all fixed defenses while the Navy is in charge of all mobile units. Construction of an orbital infrastructure begins immediately.
To assure their allies, especially the Jaffa that they are doing their part, the Terran Federal Republic deploys the majority of its Special Forces units in order to conduct asymmetric warfare operations against the Ori as well as start resistance cells in Ori Territory. The Terrans begin to export its numerous amount of small arms such as the AK-47 to RPG-7 to arm resistance groups. The Asgard, accustomed to working behind the scenes use their Beliskner cruisers to insert them quickly and without notice.
2007
The Military buildup continues. While there are millions now under arms, the vast majority of them are still in training and do not possess the necessary equipment to go to war. At this time, the only equipment available are hastily upgraded pre-War platforms that while are much better than their predecessors are still limited by their now obsolete designs. New designs derived from advanced Asgard and TokÆra technology such as the MBT-1 Wolverine Main Battle Tank and the IFV-1 Smith are still in the prototype phase and will not begin mass production until 2008 at the earliest. The only large formation near combat readiness is the Terran 8th Army which has the majority of the upgraded equipment and is currently in Germany training and learning how to use their new gear in the best manner. In space the construction of upgraded variants of the BC-304 Battlecruiser are begun and development of new ship classes is in progress.
The Ori continue their conquest of the Milky Way. However Terran Special Forces units supported by local inhabitants wreck havoc behind enemy lines in hit and run attacks on the Ori logistics system.
Dock Five, New Portsmouth Fleet Yards, LaGrange Point One, Sol System, Terran Federal Republic
January 11th, 2008
The large and cumbersome shuttle slowly but surely lumbered through the celestial void, its destination, a large 400 meter long Spacedock floating weightlessly in orbit like a rag doll on the vast ocean of stars, one of many in the local area, known to astronomers as LaGrange Point One. While the shuttle was slow and ungainly, lacking the flashiness or sex appeal of a warship, it was perfect for its intended purpose, ferrying personnel, supplies and raw material from the Space Stations attached to the top of the massive Space Elevators based on Earth to its orbital shipyards.
Inside the OfficerÆs Compartment, Captain Terrence Somerville sat in one of the seats, staring through the forward view port, his eyes focused on the massive manmade object inside that dock, which also known to any trained eye as a BC-304 Block II Battlecruiser. The shuttle was close enough that Somerville could see suited workers along with large Space Construction Vehicles finishing up last minute tasks that were to be done before the ship was to be fully complete.
At 350 meters long, the 20 Daedalus-class BC-304 Block II Battlecruisers under construction at New Portsmouth Fleet Yards were the largest ships to be commissioned by the Navy. Although other than the Daedalus, the sole remaining BC-304 Block I and five Osprey-class Corvettes fresh off the yards from Bath Iron Works, they were the only ships that the Navy had at the moment as the Korolev and the Odyssey were both lost at the Battle of P3Y-229.
Despite the fact that the Block IIs were similar in appearance to the older Block Is they were completely different from one another.
First, their intended roles were not the same. The Block I was designed to be a multi-mission capable, hybrid all in one cruiser-carrier-scout ship that could any task asked of it. At the time, Earth had no more than three warships at any given time, making it essential for every ship in its possession to be able to perform any task asked of it, oftentimes alone and without any support. The Block II on the other hand was designed for a much narrower focus with only one mission at mind, to wreck utter and complete havoc on the enemy by conducting asymmetric warfare behind enemy lines.
The armaments of the ships also differed, while the Block I was armed with only rail guns and guided missiles; the Block II had a much more potent armament. In exchange for giving up the majority of its rail guns, the Block II was able to mount Asgard designed energy weapons in their place, however the Block II still had some rail guns for anti aircraft purposes and for point defense. While the number of missiles stayed the same, the way that they were carried and fired was different. Instead of relying on a vertical launch system, like the Block I, the Block II opted to use twelve horizontal tube launchers, five at the fore, two at the port, two at the starboard, and three aft, similar to a torpedo tube on an aquatic submarine as its method of firing its Mark VIII Missiles.
Whereas a Vertical Launch System allowed a ship to fire more of its weapons in a shorter time period, reloading them was not only complicated but personnel intensive as well. Because of this, reloading the Vertical Launch System was done at the shipÆs home base, it meant that whatever armament a ship left its base with was the only armament that it could use until it could return to base, as replenishment in the field was out of the question. With the Block IIs intended to be behind enemy lines for months if not years, relying on supply ships to rearm and to refill its supplies, a Vertical Launch System was not what the Block II needed. Tube launchers on the other hand while they fired missiles at a slower rate could be reloaded and maintained in the field without too much hassle. An added benefit to this was that tube launchers took up less space than a vertical launch system, allowing for more missiles to be stored. The purpose of the Block II was to sneak around enemy lines, not to be a conventional warship. If it did get in a prolonged fight, its energy weapons were more than capable engaging the enemy as the Block IIÆs primary weapons system. Unlike the Mark VIIIs, whose numbers were limited, the Block IIÆs energy weapons could fire a near infinite amount of shots, provided that the reactor and its emitters were functional.
The starboard fighter bay was removed as well. Historically vessels that were designed to be both a battleship and a carrier failed miserably at both. The Navy opted to remove its fighter capability in favor using the newly freed up space for more weapons, thicker armor and more storage capacity to increase the amount of time it could operate between replenishments. The port fighter bay was kept although it was significantly downsized. Although it could house four F-302s, half of what the Block IÆs equivalent could carry, its main purpose was not to carry fighters but to house two EADS DS-1 Cormorant dropships that facilitate the insertion and extraction of Special Operations personnel when transporters could not be used.
A significant amount of attention was placed on electronic countermeasures or ECM for short. While the Block II was more heavily armed and capable, it wasnÆt designed to take on the entire Ori Fleet. The Block II was supposed to spend the majority of its time unseen and unnoticed, only revealing itself when the time was right. In order to be successful, it had to pick its fights very carefully, only engaging the enemy when it could win swiftly and effectively and avoiding all other conflicts. To facilitate this, the Block IIs had an Asgard modified cloaking device of GoaÆuld origin as well as a large amount of jamming equipment, allowing it to stay hidden from the enemy until the time was right.
However the most striking difference between the Block Is and the Block IIs was that while the Block Is proudly stated their hull number and their name on their lustrous grey hulls, the Block IIs had neither on their matte black hulls designed to blend in to the depths of space. This was done to keep the Ori from identifying the Block IIs on an individual basis and to keep them guessing at their true numbers. And while some Officers had problems commanding a warship with no sense of individuality, this suited Somerville just fine.
Four years ago, if someone had told him if you had told him that he would be commanding an interstellar starship that would be used to defend Earth from an alien race from another galaxy, he would have believed that someone had a little too much to drink at the local pub night.
In 2004, the Royal Navy was continuing to downsize, a tend that had stared with the end of the Second World War under the Atlee Government and continued by its successors. At the time, Somerville was a Captain, commanding the HMS Turbulent, a Trafalgar class attack submarine, his tour of duty about to end. With no political connections or friends in high places, prospects for promotion in a shrinking Navy were slim. Somerville knew that he would probably be leaving the service soon and rather than have Ministry of Defence inform him that his service was no longer required, he decided to split from the Navy on his own terms and submitted his resignation, effective at the end of his current Tour of Duty.
However much to his surprise, not only was his resignation not accepted, in addition, he was summoned to meet with the First Sea Lord for a private meeting to discuss his future in the service.
When Somerville arrived at the First Sea LordÆs Office, dressed in his No. 1 Dress Blue, the head of the Royal Navy told him that he a had a proposal that promised to be beneficial for him and the Navy. The only thing the Admiral wanted was for Somerville to hear him out before he made his mind. If he declined, the Navy while it would be sad to see him go would allow him to retire honorably without a fuss.
The Admiral stated that he would be reassigned to Colorado Springs, specifically Cheyenne Mountain where the massive North American Radar Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD for short as the Chief Liaison Officer to a top secret program run by the Americans. And while this was all he could say at the moment before Somerville had to decide he promised Somerville that if he accepted, he would be almost assured of Admiralty.
Somerville accepted as not only the secrecy of the proposal intrigued him but also he had nothing to loose at all. His parents having had him late in life had passed away back when he was a Sub-Lieutenant. The demands of being a Naval Officer in Her MajestyÆs Navy prevented him from having a long-term relationship, as he had tried to do so three times and had failed in all three within six months. He had no brothers or sisters and the closest thing that he had to relatives were a pair of second cousins from his motherÆs side that he had met once in a family reunion back when he was a boy. In short if he were to disappear, no one would care let alone know.
The Admiral after hearing his consent then began to explain the nature of that Program and the history of the Stargate and the SGC, the American Military Unit in charge of running it. The Admiral explained that since Her Majesties Government was funding that said operation through the IOA, the multinational civilian watchdog it was time that the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland get its fair share of the metaphorical pie.
With the Americans already having three interstellar warships, the Russians about to receive their own from the Americans, the Chinese making preparations to build their own, and the French and the Canadians seeing no sense in reinventing the allegorical wheel by designing their own Warship, were in negotiations with the American government to purchase one of the American designed vessels, the Royal Navy would be damned if it would not have its own warships in space.
Somerville was told that his position of liaison Officer to the Americans would guarantee him that when the current government would finally get off its metaphorical arse and procure a vessel or hopefully vessels of its own he would take command of the very first space capable vessel commissioned by Her MajestyÆs Navy. Although realistically, given the attitudes of the current Chancellor of the Exchequer, the man in charge of the Treasury, known for his stinginess for Defence spending it might be some time for this to become a reality.
Somerville was then sent to Colorado Springs where he was put under the command of the British contingent of Stargate Command where he had served for two years and had not only gotten to know the men and women serving in the program but had gone on missions through the gate more than a couple of times getting in firefight or two with aliens, something that few Naval Officers got to do in this day and age.
When the news that the Ori had broken through at P3Y-229, Somerville was in London on his way to give the First Sea Lord his latest report on the Stargate Program.
With negotiations with the Americans to procure a BC-304 of their own, and with no command whatsoever, Somerville could only watch as the Ori descended from orbit and began to lay waste on the planet.
The three Ori ships separated to cover as much ground as possible. One went to Europe and Africa, one went to the Americas and the last went to Asia.
While the national militaries of Earth didnÆt have the high tech equipment such as F-302s and BC-304s like the SGC did, they still did their best to defend their nations. However even with nations throwing everything they got at the Ori, the Ori were able to wreck havoc almost unchecked.
With an Ori Battlecruiser landing ground troops at St. Petersburg and front line reports stating that a man with robes and a large staff was brushing off their attacks with ease, the President of the Russian Federation launched a tactical nuclear strike against his own city in hopes of not only taking out the Prior but destroying the Ori Battlecruiser as well. The first was a success but the strike but the second was a failure. However it did manage to damage the ship as its shields were down when it was deploying troops.
It all seemed hopeless and to an everyday observer not knowing of the Stargate Program, it seemed as the Apocalypse was being unleashed before his or her own eyes.
However the tide began to turn. General OÆNeill was able to get down to Antarctica and launch the remaining Ancient drone weapons at two of the three enemy warships while the Asgard, knowing that Earth was in danger sent a fleet of thirty warships to defeat the Ori incursion and having just arrived, dealt with the last remaining ship.
The casualties were horrendous both civilian and military.
The overall death toll for the attempted invasion was officially 60 million. However due to the dense population of many metropolitan areas that were hit and the tendency of Ori weaponry to vaporize entire city blocks in a single shot, the true number of deaths would never be known. The cities of New York, Shanghai, Prague and San Francisco were now smoking craters and while many others survived, good chunks of them were missing.
The United States Navy lost eight of its twelve carrier battle groups with the remaining four heavily damaged. Its Air Force lost 90% of its F-302s. Against Ori fighters, its æregularÆ fighters the F-15 Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the F-22 Raptors were no match for those fielded by the Ori. The Army and the Marine Corps, while they were primarily ground-based forces, had many of their bases reduced to rubble.
SomervilleÆs own United Kingdom while it didnÆt suffer as many losses in terms of military personnel killed, proportionally they fared worse. The Royal Navy had lost all three of its Invincible class carriers, the Illustrious and the Ark Royal were at the bottom of the Atlantic while the Invincible herself which was mothballed at the time, was at the bottom of Portsmouth Harbor where the government was still debating on whether or not to raise her off the ocean floor or to let her be. The RNÆs newest acquisition, the HMS Daring, the first of the new Type 45 Air Defense Destroyer was destroyed as well, although it did take down three Ori fighters down along with it. The RAFÆs Tornadoes and its new Typhoons fared equally as poorly as their American counterparts. And to add insult to injury, the HMS Victory, the flagship of Admiral Nelson himself, a piece of living history destroyed by collateral damage when Ori forces were destroying HMNB Portsmouth.
The IOA nations, knowing that it was impossible to keep the program hushed up and that while it wasnÆt the best conditions to reveal the Stargate Program, announced the Stargate Program to the public. IOA knowing that the publicÆs trust in their governments was questionable, decided to declassify nearly everything in order to restore as much credibility as possible.
The publicÆs reaction to the events was first shock, as this seemed straight out of the plot of a science fiction movie and then anger at not only at the aliens who were responsible but their own governments for not only allowing this to happen but in addition failed to inform the public of what was going on.
Knowing that the public wished for an explanation the IOA nations decided to have an open hearing via the United Nations that was worldwide. For the next month and a half, the public watched as many members of the SGC including Somerville himself were called to the stand to explain their actions.
After the hearings were over, the general consensus by the public, which was much calmer and rational was that while they disagreed with many of the actions made by Stargate Command, given the circumstances and the lack of hindsight, the SGC did the best it could with the situation at hand.
The Ori attack had caused the world economy into a tailspin. The NYSE and NASDAQ along with the rest of Wall Street were gone along with Shanghai Stock Exchange causing financial losses of more than five trillion pounds. The national governments on Earth knew that they did not have the means financially or politically to keep their nations from turning into failed states. Deciding that it was best for everyone to pool their resources, they began to call for a One World Government although many did this reluctantly.
The issue at hand was not whether or not to form a World Government but its composition. To formally facilitate this, the nations of Earth held a Constitutional Convention to form a Constitution for the Government to follow.
Some wanted a Unitary State, controlled by a powerful Central Government. However many delegates felt very strongly that they were not comfortable giving so much power to a such a government even if was elected by the people. To many the potential of said government to dissolve into a dictatorship that would tyrannize the population and erode Civil Liberties was too tempting. The last thing anyone wanted was an all-powerful Government similar to George OrwellÆs famous novel 1984, watching over the populace and monitoring their every move, something that with technology derived from the Stargate Program was now possible to do.
Others wanted a Confederation that would leave most of the power in the hands of individual States with little power invested into a central government. However to many this was not good at all as the Central Government would be completely impotent and would be dominated by the more developed states. In addition with most of the power resting in the hands of the states, there was little chance of effective leadership whatsoever similar to the Polish Diet of Medieval Europe. Having too little government was just as bad as having too much government.
Instead a Federal Model was selected, as it was a balance between two extremes. While it wasnÆt perfect to any degree it was the best solution and compromise that would be accepted by the majority of the Delegates and would be based off the governments of Germany, Canada and the United States.
Henry Hayes was selected as the First President of the Terran Federal Republic. The reasoning behind many of the Delegates for voting for Hayes was that since Hayes and the rest of the leaders of the IOA States were responsible for this mess, it was their job to fix it. On a darker note, if things went wrong, he would be the one who would take most of the blame, not his political rivals.
While citizens of former IOA nations headed the Ministries of Defense, Interior and the position of Chairman of the Join Chiefs of Staff, Hayes made sure that the Offices of the Vice President, and the heads of the Ministries of Foreign Relations, Health and Human Services, Finance and War Production were held by citizens that were part of states that did not know of the Stargate Program as well as his political rivals in order not only to build consensus but to ensure if things did go wrong, they too would be linked to his failures.
The first priority of the newly created Terran Federal Republic was to stabilize the economy and to transform its remnants into a war economy as soon as possible.
The National Militaries were merged together and its personnel and equipment were placed under the command of the Ministry of Defense with George Hammond as its head and Jonathan OÆNeill the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the MilitaryÆs most Senior Officer.
One of the main concerns of the Ministry of Defense was that since almost all of the space capable assets of the former United States and the Russian Federation were gone, Earth was vulnerable to attack.
The majority of EarthÆs shipyards, being based near Metropolitan areas were heavily damaged or destroyed. To make matters worse engineers estimated that it would take months if not years to repair them and to build new facilities on the ground. And even if they were operational, there were only a few shipyards on Earth that could build vessels as large as the Daedalus-class.
In order to rebuild its Space Forces as quickly as possible, the Terran Federal Government with the assistance of the Asgard built space based shipyards at the First and Second LaGrange Points as well as the massive Space Elevators to facilitate the flow of materials to keep them going. An added benefit to this was that they were spaced farther apart from one another, putting its metaphorical eggs in multiple baskets thus preventing the Ori from destroying all of EarthÆs assets at one fell swoop.
With SomervilleÆs knowledge of the Stargate Program before its revelation to the public and his credentials not only from his time with the SGC but his service as a Captain of a Nuclear Attack Submarine earned him a spot at the newly created Prospective Starship Commanding OfficerÆs School where he and others were taught the fundamentals of Space Warfare. Somerville was among the top 10% of the 100 Officers out of 150 who passed the class, and was rewarded with the Command of the TFNS Archer one of the NavyÆs newly completed Daedalus Block IIs.
ôSir?ö asked a familiar voice sitting next to him, interrupting his thoughts, ôWeÆre about to dock.ö
SomervilleÆs mind snapped back to the present. ôThank you,ö he said to Commander Shiro Fujimaki, the man who would become the ArcherÆs Executive Officer as well as his former classmate.
Wardroom, TFNS Archer
ôCaptain, Terran Federal Navy, Commander, Terran Federal Navy arriving!ö barked the Marine Sentry stationed outside of the compartment as he and Fujimaki entered the Wardroom.
As one the assembled Officers and single Master Chief making up the Command Crew stood as one behind their seats, completely at attention.
ôAt ease,ö Somerville said, to the assembled personnel and then shifted his gaze to a tall, sandy haired man with three broad golden stripes, the insignia of a Commander displayed on his sleeves. ôCaptain Molotov, I would like to proceed with the Change of Command Ceremony immediately as we do not have time to spare,ö he said, using the honorific given to every Commanding Officer of a vessel. Naval tradition demanded that any Officer in command of a vessel was to be addressed as Captain, regardless of their actual rank.
ôYes sir,ö said Commander Vasily Molotov, the shipÆs engineer and acting Commanding Officer and moved from his position behind his seat to where he was two feet away from the Captain and was directly facing him.
Somerville removed a formal looking envelope from the inside of his dress uniform, opened it and began to read out loud. ôFrom NAVPERSCOM (Naval Personnel Command) to Captain Terence Somerville, TFN. æYou are hereby ordered to report for duty as the commanding officer of TFNS Archer, BC-5. You will relieve the acting commanding officer and will retain permanent command of the vessel until further notice.Æö
Somerville pocketed the envelope and its contents and then executed a stiff and formal salute. ôCaptain Molotov, I am ready to relieve you, sir.ö
Molotov then saluted back in the same manner and replied, ôI am ready to be relieved,ö his speech revealing a thick Russian accent.
ôI relieve you sir,ö Somerville said as he saluted the Commander for the last time, as he officially became the senior and commanding officer aboard the Archer.
ôI stand relieved,ö Commander Molotov formerly of the Russian Navy replied formally as he for the first time saluted his new Commanding Officer, thus completing the formal change of command ceremony.
ôMy first act as Captain of this vessel is designate Commander Shiro Fujimaki as my Executive Officer and Commander Vasily Molotov as the Chief Engineer,ö he stated, glad that the bureaucratic nuances out of the way.
ôNow that the formalities have been done away, let us get to the task at hand,ö gesturing everyone to take their seats once more.
ôI want a full status report on the Archer,ö Somerville stated, now seated at the head of the oval shaped table. ôCommander Blanchard?ö
ôOverall, the ship is 99% complete and construction is due to finish tomorrow as the dock workers are putting the finishing touches as we speak,ö stated the Commander who was seated at SomervilleÆs left.
ôAnd the reactor?ö
ôThe reactor is active and fully functional at 100% percent capability,ö Molotov replied, who according to his personnel file, was the Chief Engineer of an Akula-class Nuclear Attack Submarine before the war.
ôAnd the conduits?ö Somerville asked. The last thing he wanted was for his energy weapons to suddenly come off line in the middle of a battle due to a faulty conduit.
ôThey just installed the last of them yesterday. I havenÆt been able to inspect all of them however conduits I have seen are perfectly functional.ö
ôI want all of them inspected before we leave the dock under our own power,ö Somerville ordered before turning to his attention to the Officer to MolotovÆs left.
ôYes sir.ö
ôCommander Drossier?ö
ôWeapons have been installed and fully operational. However at the moment, we do not have any missiles for either our tube launchers or ammunition for our railguns. However they are set to arrive from Earth shortly,ö reported Lieutenant Commander Jacques Drossier, the ArcherÆs weapons officer.
ôExcellent,ö he turned his gaze to the man sitting opposite of the Frenchman. ôLieutenant Engelmann?ö
ôOur sensor system and transporters are fully functional. However I have not been able to test the cloaking device as the ship is still under construction,ö reported Lieutenant Klaus Engelmann, formerly of the Deutsche Marine or in English, the German Navy.
ôI doubt the yard workers would appreciate it if the ship were to suddenly disappear,ö Somerville said wryly.
The assembled personnel chuckled, breaking the metaphorical ice.
ôI do not think that they would,ö the Lieutenant replied with a straight face.
ôLieutenant Gonzalez?ö
ôStar charts have been installed on our Navigation computers. Hyperdrive and our STL drive are both installed and while we have not been able to test them for obvious reasons, I am confident that they will do fine,ö stated Lieutenant Ernesto Gonzales.
ôI will take your word on it. Lieutenant Chandra?ö
ôI have filled out the necessary forms and the supplies are en route from Earth as we speak,ö reported Sub-Lieutenant Dabeet Chandra, the ArcherÆs logistics officer. Out of the Command Crew Chandra was the odd man out. While the rest of the ArcherÆs Department Heads had all served on Submarines, Chandra was a former Surface Warfare Officer who had served on Frigates and Destroyers of the former Indian Navy.
ôGreat, Master Chief?ö
ôAt the moment, weÆve got around 60% of the crew on board with the rest due to come in by tonight and are settling in at the moment. Morale is good and theyÆre willing and eager to take the fight to the Ori,ö reported Master Chief William Blanchard, the shipÆs Senior Non-Commissioned Officer and SomervilleÆs link to the enlisted personnel.
ôGood,ö Somerville nodded.
With the exception of the Chief Engineer and the rest of the Officers in the Engineering Department, who were present to oversee the installation of the shipÆs reactor, the rest of the shipÆs crew had not been formally assigned to the Archer until the last minute. Like Somerville, they had been attending various technical schools to learn how to do their assigned duties on a warship in space rather than on water. While operating in space was similar in principle to operating on water, when one got to the specifics it was completely different and required the retraining to adjust to the new field of battle.
ôThank you for the excellent report. Given the tight time schedule we have until we are due to separate from the dock, and the amount of duties that we all have to perform, I call this meeting to an end. If anyone needs me, I will be in my quartersö Somerville said, ending the meeting as quickly as possible. He had taken enough of his Department HeadsÆ time already. Having them sit in the Wardroom doing nothing would be nothing but a waste of their time and besides, he had his own duties that he had to carry out himself before the Archer could be underway and began Space Trials.
Thoughts?
AuthorÆs Note: I do not own Stargate SG-1 all intellectual properties belong to their respective owners. Original Characters are mine. All references to real life Military Personnel are due to coincidence only.
After much thought, IÆve decided to rewrite Rise of the TauÆri. I started the fic as a Junior in High School and I wasnÆt too happy with the planned plot. Now that IÆm a Sophomore in College, I think that I can do a better job. I also wanted to make this story grittier, grimmer and more realistic as it seemed like the story was too happy and go lucky. For those of you new to the series, this story is AU as of Season Nine.
IÆve changed the location of my website. Utah Jak, the author of Chains of the Kindred and I have decided to make a full-fledged Science Fiction Forum. The link to the site is on my Profile. Feel free to register, comment and post your own content.
Rise of the TauÆri
Timeline
2006
After overrunning allied forces assembled at P3Y-229, three of the six Ori Battlecruisers that came out of the Supergate launch an all out attack on Earth in what is now known as the First Battle of Sol. The Ori are repelled but at the cost of the remaining United States Space Forces, thirty Asgard warships and numerous conventional forces resulting in over 60 million deaths.
The United States, and the rest of the IOA knowing that the metaphorical cat is out of the bag, reveals the Stargate program to the public. After a couple months of fierce debate, the Terran Federal Republic a united one-world government is formed in response with Henry Hayes selected as its first President for a term of eight years. Jonathan OÆNeill is chosen as the first Chairman of the Terran Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The first and foremost priority of the Terran Federal Republic is to recoup the losses at the First Battle of Sol. In response, the Terran Federal Republic launches a massive military buildup aiming to integrate technologies discovered and developed by the SGC into æregularÆ units. The National Militaries are merged into the Terran Armed Forces under the command of the Ministry of Defense. With a new focus in mind, the branches are reorganized somewhat. The Army remains the main ground component and the Marine Corps are still the main rapid reaction force and lead assault component. To keep the Navy and the Air Force from feuding over who got control over space warfare the Minister of Defense, George Hammond decides to split the responsibility between the two Branches. The Air Force, renamed the Space Force is responsible for all fixed defenses while the Navy is in charge of all mobile units. Construction of an orbital infrastructure begins immediately.
To assure their allies, especially the Jaffa that they are doing their part, the Terran Federal Republic deploys the majority of its Special Forces units in order to conduct asymmetric warfare operations against the Ori as well as start resistance cells in Ori Territory. The Terrans begin to export its numerous amount of small arms such as the AK-47 to RPG-7 to arm resistance groups. The Asgard, accustomed to working behind the scenes use their Beliskner cruisers to insert them quickly and without notice.
2007
The Military buildup continues. While there are millions now under arms, the vast majority of them are still in training and do not possess the necessary equipment to go to war. At this time, the only equipment available are hastily upgraded pre-War platforms that while are much better than their predecessors are still limited by their now obsolete designs. New designs derived from advanced Asgard and TokÆra technology such as the MBT-1 Wolverine Main Battle Tank and the IFV-1 Smith are still in the prototype phase and will not begin mass production until 2008 at the earliest. The only large formation near combat readiness is the Terran 8th Army which has the majority of the upgraded equipment and is currently in Germany training and learning how to use their new gear in the best manner. In space the construction of upgraded variants of the BC-304 Battlecruiser are begun and development of new ship classes is in progress.
The Ori continue their conquest of the Milky Way. However Terran Special Forces units supported by local inhabitants wreck havoc behind enemy lines in hit and run attacks on the Ori logistics system.
Dock Five, New Portsmouth Fleet Yards, LaGrange Point One, Sol System, Terran Federal Republic
January 11th, 2008
The large and cumbersome shuttle slowly but surely lumbered through the celestial void, its destination, a large 400 meter long Spacedock floating weightlessly in orbit like a rag doll on the vast ocean of stars, one of many in the local area, known to astronomers as LaGrange Point One. While the shuttle was slow and ungainly, lacking the flashiness or sex appeal of a warship, it was perfect for its intended purpose, ferrying personnel, supplies and raw material from the Space Stations attached to the top of the massive Space Elevators based on Earth to its orbital shipyards.
Inside the OfficerÆs Compartment, Captain Terrence Somerville sat in one of the seats, staring through the forward view port, his eyes focused on the massive manmade object inside that dock, which also known to any trained eye as a BC-304 Block II Battlecruiser. The shuttle was close enough that Somerville could see suited workers along with large Space Construction Vehicles finishing up last minute tasks that were to be done before the ship was to be fully complete.
At 350 meters long, the 20 Daedalus-class BC-304 Block II Battlecruisers under construction at New Portsmouth Fleet Yards were the largest ships to be commissioned by the Navy. Although other than the Daedalus, the sole remaining BC-304 Block I and five Osprey-class Corvettes fresh off the yards from Bath Iron Works, they were the only ships that the Navy had at the moment as the Korolev and the Odyssey were both lost at the Battle of P3Y-229.
Despite the fact that the Block IIs were similar in appearance to the older Block Is they were completely different from one another.
First, their intended roles were not the same. The Block I was designed to be a multi-mission capable, hybrid all in one cruiser-carrier-scout ship that could any task asked of it. At the time, Earth had no more than three warships at any given time, making it essential for every ship in its possession to be able to perform any task asked of it, oftentimes alone and without any support. The Block II on the other hand was designed for a much narrower focus with only one mission at mind, to wreck utter and complete havoc on the enemy by conducting asymmetric warfare behind enemy lines.
The armaments of the ships also differed, while the Block I was armed with only rail guns and guided missiles; the Block II had a much more potent armament. In exchange for giving up the majority of its rail guns, the Block II was able to mount Asgard designed energy weapons in their place, however the Block II still had some rail guns for anti aircraft purposes and for point defense. While the number of missiles stayed the same, the way that they were carried and fired was different. Instead of relying on a vertical launch system, like the Block I, the Block II opted to use twelve horizontal tube launchers, five at the fore, two at the port, two at the starboard, and three aft, similar to a torpedo tube on an aquatic submarine as its method of firing its Mark VIII Missiles.
Whereas a Vertical Launch System allowed a ship to fire more of its weapons in a shorter time period, reloading them was not only complicated but personnel intensive as well. Because of this, reloading the Vertical Launch System was done at the shipÆs home base, it meant that whatever armament a ship left its base with was the only armament that it could use until it could return to base, as replenishment in the field was out of the question. With the Block IIs intended to be behind enemy lines for months if not years, relying on supply ships to rearm and to refill its supplies, a Vertical Launch System was not what the Block II needed. Tube launchers on the other hand while they fired missiles at a slower rate could be reloaded and maintained in the field without too much hassle. An added benefit to this was that tube launchers took up less space than a vertical launch system, allowing for more missiles to be stored. The purpose of the Block II was to sneak around enemy lines, not to be a conventional warship. If it did get in a prolonged fight, its energy weapons were more than capable engaging the enemy as the Block IIÆs primary weapons system. Unlike the Mark VIIIs, whose numbers were limited, the Block IIÆs energy weapons could fire a near infinite amount of shots, provided that the reactor and its emitters were functional.
The starboard fighter bay was removed as well. Historically vessels that were designed to be both a battleship and a carrier failed miserably at both. The Navy opted to remove its fighter capability in favor using the newly freed up space for more weapons, thicker armor and more storage capacity to increase the amount of time it could operate between replenishments. The port fighter bay was kept although it was significantly downsized. Although it could house four F-302s, half of what the Block IÆs equivalent could carry, its main purpose was not to carry fighters but to house two EADS DS-1 Cormorant dropships that facilitate the insertion and extraction of Special Operations personnel when transporters could not be used.
A significant amount of attention was placed on electronic countermeasures or ECM for short. While the Block II was more heavily armed and capable, it wasnÆt designed to take on the entire Ori Fleet. The Block II was supposed to spend the majority of its time unseen and unnoticed, only revealing itself when the time was right. In order to be successful, it had to pick its fights very carefully, only engaging the enemy when it could win swiftly and effectively and avoiding all other conflicts. To facilitate this, the Block IIs had an Asgard modified cloaking device of GoaÆuld origin as well as a large amount of jamming equipment, allowing it to stay hidden from the enemy until the time was right.
However the most striking difference between the Block Is and the Block IIs was that while the Block Is proudly stated their hull number and their name on their lustrous grey hulls, the Block IIs had neither on their matte black hulls designed to blend in to the depths of space. This was done to keep the Ori from identifying the Block IIs on an individual basis and to keep them guessing at their true numbers. And while some Officers had problems commanding a warship with no sense of individuality, this suited Somerville just fine.
Four years ago, if someone had told him if you had told him that he would be commanding an interstellar starship that would be used to defend Earth from an alien race from another galaxy, he would have believed that someone had a little too much to drink at the local pub night.
In 2004, the Royal Navy was continuing to downsize, a tend that had stared with the end of the Second World War under the Atlee Government and continued by its successors. At the time, Somerville was a Captain, commanding the HMS Turbulent, a Trafalgar class attack submarine, his tour of duty about to end. With no political connections or friends in high places, prospects for promotion in a shrinking Navy were slim. Somerville knew that he would probably be leaving the service soon and rather than have Ministry of Defence inform him that his service was no longer required, he decided to split from the Navy on his own terms and submitted his resignation, effective at the end of his current Tour of Duty.
However much to his surprise, not only was his resignation not accepted, in addition, he was summoned to meet with the First Sea Lord for a private meeting to discuss his future in the service.
When Somerville arrived at the First Sea LordÆs Office, dressed in his No. 1 Dress Blue, the head of the Royal Navy told him that he a had a proposal that promised to be beneficial for him and the Navy. The only thing the Admiral wanted was for Somerville to hear him out before he made his mind. If he declined, the Navy while it would be sad to see him go would allow him to retire honorably without a fuss.
The Admiral stated that he would be reassigned to Colorado Springs, specifically Cheyenne Mountain where the massive North American Radar Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD for short as the Chief Liaison Officer to a top secret program run by the Americans. And while this was all he could say at the moment before Somerville had to decide he promised Somerville that if he accepted, he would be almost assured of Admiralty.
Somerville accepted as not only the secrecy of the proposal intrigued him but also he had nothing to loose at all. His parents having had him late in life had passed away back when he was a Sub-Lieutenant. The demands of being a Naval Officer in Her MajestyÆs Navy prevented him from having a long-term relationship, as he had tried to do so three times and had failed in all three within six months. He had no brothers or sisters and the closest thing that he had to relatives were a pair of second cousins from his motherÆs side that he had met once in a family reunion back when he was a boy. In short if he were to disappear, no one would care let alone know.
The Admiral after hearing his consent then began to explain the nature of that Program and the history of the Stargate and the SGC, the American Military Unit in charge of running it. The Admiral explained that since Her Majesties Government was funding that said operation through the IOA, the multinational civilian watchdog it was time that the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland get its fair share of the metaphorical pie.
With the Americans already having three interstellar warships, the Russians about to receive their own from the Americans, the Chinese making preparations to build their own, and the French and the Canadians seeing no sense in reinventing the allegorical wheel by designing their own Warship, were in negotiations with the American government to purchase one of the American designed vessels, the Royal Navy would be damned if it would not have its own warships in space.
Somerville was told that his position of liaison Officer to the Americans would guarantee him that when the current government would finally get off its metaphorical arse and procure a vessel or hopefully vessels of its own he would take command of the very first space capable vessel commissioned by Her MajestyÆs Navy. Although realistically, given the attitudes of the current Chancellor of the Exchequer, the man in charge of the Treasury, known for his stinginess for Defence spending it might be some time for this to become a reality.
Somerville was then sent to Colorado Springs where he was put under the command of the British contingent of Stargate Command where he had served for two years and had not only gotten to know the men and women serving in the program but had gone on missions through the gate more than a couple of times getting in firefight or two with aliens, something that few Naval Officers got to do in this day and age.
When the news that the Ori had broken through at P3Y-229, Somerville was in London on his way to give the First Sea Lord his latest report on the Stargate Program.
With negotiations with the Americans to procure a BC-304 of their own, and with no command whatsoever, Somerville could only watch as the Ori descended from orbit and began to lay waste on the planet.
The three Ori ships separated to cover as much ground as possible. One went to Europe and Africa, one went to the Americas and the last went to Asia.
While the national militaries of Earth didnÆt have the high tech equipment such as F-302s and BC-304s like the SGC did, they still did their best to defend their nations. However even with nations throwing everything they got at the Ori, the Ori were able to wreck havoc almost unchecked.
With an Ori Battlecruiser landing ground troops at St. Petersburg and front line reports stating that a man with robes and a large staff was brushing off their attacks with ease, the President of the Russian Federation launched a tactical nuclear strike against his own city in hopes of not only taking out the Prior but destroying the Ori Battlecruiser as well. The first was a success but the strike but the second was a failure. However it did manage to damage the ship as its shields were down when it was deploying troops.
It all seemed hopeless and to an everyday observer not knowing of the Stargate Program, it seemed as the Apocalypse was being unleashed before his or her own eyes.
However the tide began to turn. General OÆNeill was able to get down to Antarctica and launch the remaining Ancient drone weapons at two of the three enemy warships while the Asgard, knowing that Earth was in danger sent a fleet of thirty warships to defeat the Ori incursion and having just arrived, dealt with the last remaining ship.
The casualties were horrendous both civilian and military.
The overall death toll for the attempted invasion was officially 60 million. However due to the dense population of many metropolitan areas that were hit and the tendency of Ori weaponry to vaporize entire city blocks in a single shot, the true number of deaths would never be known. The cities of New York, Shanghai, Prague and San Francisco were now smoking craters and while many others survived, good chunks of them were missing.
The United States Navy lost eight of its twelve carrier battle groups with the remaining four heavily damaged. Its Air Force lost 90% of its F-302s. Against Ori fighters, its æregularÆ fighters the F-15 Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the F-22 Raptors were no match for those fielded by the Ori. The Army and the Marine Corps, while they were primarily ground-based forces, had many of their bases reduced to rubble.
SomervilleÆs own United Kingdom while it didnÆt suffer as many losses in terms of military personnel killed, proportionally they fared worse. The Royal Navy had lost all three of its Invincible class carriers, the Illustrious and the Ark Royal were at the bottom of the Atlantic while the Invincible herself which was mothballed at the time, was at the bottom of Portsmouth Harbor where the government was still debating on whether or not to raise her off the ocean floor or to let her be. The RNÆs newest acquisition, the HMS Daring, the first of the new Type 45 Air Defense Destroyer was destroyed as well, although it did take down three Ori fighters down along with it. The RAFÆs Tornadoes and its new Typhoons fared equally as poorly as their American counterparts. And to add insult to injury, the HMS Victory, the flagship of Admiral Nelson himself, a piece of living history destroyed by collateral damage when Ori forces were destroying HMNB Portsmouth.
The IOA nations, knowing that it was impossible to keep the program hushed up and that while it wasnÆt the best conditions to reveal the Stargate Program, announced the Stargate Program to the public. IOA knowing that the publicÆs trust in their governments was questionable, decided to declassify nearly everything in order to restore as much credibility as possible.
The publicÆs reaction to the events was first shock, as this seemed straight out of the plot of a science fiction movie and then anger at not only at the aliens who were responsible but their own governments for not only allowing this to happen but in addition failed to inform the public of what was going on.
Knowing that the public wished for an explanation the IOA nations decided to have an open hearing via the United Nations that was worldwide. For the next month and a half, the public watched as many members of the SGC including Somerville himself were called to the stand to explain their actions.
After the hearings were over, the general consensus by the public, which was much calmer and rational was that while they disagreed with many of the actions made by Stargate Command, given the circumstances and the lack of hindsight, the SGC did the best it could with the situation at hand.
The Ori attack had caused the world economy into a tailspin. The NYSE and NASDAQ along with the rest of Wall Street were gone along with Shanghai Stock Exchange causing financial losses of more than five trillion pounds. The national governments on Earth knew that they did not have the means financially or politically to keep their nations from turning into failed states. Deciding that it was best for everyone to pool their resources, they began to call for a One World Government although many did this reluctantly.
The issue at hand was not whether or not to form a World Government but its composition. To formally facilitate this, the nations of Earth held a Constitutional Convention to form a Constitution for the Government to follow.
Some wanted a Unitary State, controlled by a powerful Central Government. However many delegates felt very strongly that they were not comfortable giving so much power to a such a government even if was elected by the people. To many the potential of said government to dissolve into a dictatorship that would tyrannize the population and erode Civil Liberties was too tempting. The last thing anyone wanted was an all-powerful Government similar to George OrwellÆs famous novel 1984, watching over the populace and monitoring their every move, something that with technology derived from the Stargate Program was now possible to do.
Others wanted a Confederation that would leave most of the power in the hands of individual States with little power invested into a central government. However to many this was not good at all as the Central Government would be completely impotent and would be dominated by the more developed states. In addition with most of the power resting in the hands of the states, there was little chance of effective leadership whatsoever similar to the Polish Diet of Medieval Europe. Having too little government was just as bad as having too much government.
Instead a Federal Model was selected, as it was a balance between two extremes. While it wasnÆt perfect to any degree it was the best solution and compromise that would be accepted by the majority of the Delegates and would be based off the governments of Germany, Canada and the United States.
Henry Hayes was selected as the First President of the Terran Federal Republic. The reasoning behind many of the Delegates for voting for Hayes was that since Hayes and the rest of the leaders of the IOA States were responsible for this mess, it was their job to fix it. On a darker note, if things went wrong, he would be the one who would take most of the blame, not his political rivals.
While citizens of former IOA nations headed the Ministries of Defense, Interior and the position of Chairman of the Join Chiefs of Staff, Hayes made sure that the Offices of the Vice President, and the heads of the Ministries of Foreign Relations, Health and Human Services, Finance and War Production were held by citizens that were part of states that did not know of the Stargate Program as well as his political rivals in order not only to build consensus but to ensure if things did go wrong, they too would be linked to his failures.
The first priority of the newly created Terran Federal Republic was to stabilize the economy and to transform its remnants into a war economy as soon as possible.
The National Militaries were merged together and its personnel and equipment were placed under the command of the Ministry of Defense with George Hammond as its head and Jonathan OÆNeill the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the MilitaryÆs most Senior Officer.
One of the main concerns of the Ministry of Defense was that since almost all of the space capable assets of the former United States and the Russian Federation were gone, Earth was vulnerable to attack.
The majority of EarthÆs shipyards, being based near Metropolitan areas were heavily damaged or destroyed. To make matters worse engineers estimated that it would take months if not years to repair them and to build new facilities on the ground. And even if they were operational, there were only a few shipyards on Earth that could build vessels as large as the Daedalus-class.
In order to rebuild its Space Forces as quickly as possible, the Terran Federal Government with the assistance of the Asgard built space based shipyards at the First and Second LaGrange Points as well as the massive Space Elevators to facilitate the flow of materials to keep them going. An added benefit to this was that they were spaced farther apart from one another, putting its metaphorical eggs in multiple baskets thus preventing the Ori from destroying all of EarthÆs assets at one fell swoop.
With SomervilleÆs knowledge of the Stargate Program before its revelation to the public and his credentials not only from his time with the SGC but his service as a Captain of a Nuclear Attack Submarine earned him a spot at the newly created Prospective Starship Commanding OfficerÆs School where he and others were taught the fundamentals of Space Warfare. Somerville was among the top 10% of the 100 Officers out of 150 who passed the class, and was rewarded with the Command of the TFNS Archer one of the NavyÆs newly completed Daedalus Block IIs.
ôSir?ö asked a familiar voice sitting next to him, interrupting his thoughts, ôWeÆre about to dock.ö
SomervilleÆs mind snapped back to the present. ôThank you,ö he said to Commander Shiro Fujimaki, the man who would become the ArcherÆs Executive Officer as well as his former classmate.
Wardroom, TFNS Archer
ôCaptain, Terran Federal Navy, Commander, Terran Federal Navy arriving!ö barked the Marine Sentry stationed outside of the compartment as he and Fujimaki entered the Wardroom.
As one the assembled Officers and single Master Chief making up the Command Crew stood as one behind their seats, completely at attention.
ôAt ease,ö Somerville said, to the assembled personnel and then shifted his gaze to a tall, sandy haired man with three broad golden stripes, the insignia of a Commander displayed on his sleeves. ôCaptain Molotov, I would like to proceed with the Change of Command Ceremony immediately as we do not have time to spare,ö he said, using the honorific given to every Commanding Officer of a vessel. Naval tradition demanded that any Officer in command of a vessel was to be addressed as Captain, regardless of their actual rank.
ôYes sir,ö said Commander Vasily Molotov, the shipÆs engineer and acting Commanding Officer and moved from his position behind his seat to where he was two feet away from the Captain and was directly facing him.
Somerville removed a formal looking envelope from the inside of his dress uniform, opened it and began to read out loud. ôFrom NAVPERSCOM (Naval Personnel Command) to Captain Terence Somerville, TFN. æYou are hereby ordered to report for duty as the commanding officer of TFNS Archer, BC-5. You will relieve the acting commanding officer and will retain permanent command of the vessel until further notice.Æö
Somerville pocketed the envelope and its contents and then executed a stiff and formal salute. ôCaptain Molotov, I am ready to relieve you, sir.ö
Molotov then saluted back in the same manner and replied, ôI am ready to be relieved,ö his speech revealing a thick Russian accent.
ôI relieve you sir,ö Somerville said as he saluted the Commander for the last time, as he officially became the senior and commanding officer aboard the Archer.
ôI stand relieved,ö Commander Molotov formerly of the Russian Navy replied formally as he for the first time saluted his new Commanding Officer, thus completing the formal change of command ceremony.
ôMy first act as Captain of this vessel is designate Commander Shiro Fujimaki as my Executive Officer and Commander Vasily Molotov as the Chief Engineer,ö he stated, glad that the bureaucratic nuances out of the way.
ôNow that the formalities have been done away, let us get to the task at hand,ö gesturing everyone to take their seats once more.
ôI want a full status report on the Archer,ö Somerville stated, now seated at the head of the oval shaped table. ôCommander Blanchard?ö
ôOverall, the ship is 99% complete and construction is due to finish tomorrow as the dock workers are putting the finishing touches as we speak,ö stated the Commander who was seated at SomervilleÆs left.
ôAnd the reactor?ö
ôThe reactor is active and fully functional at 100% percent capability,ö Molotov replied, who according to his personnel file, was the Chief Engineer of an Akula-class Nuclear Attack Submarine before the war.
ôAnd the conduits?ö Somerville asked. The last thing he wanted was for his energy weapons to suddenly come off line in the middle of a battle due to a faulty conduit.
ôThey just installed the last of them yesterday. I havenÆt been able to inspect all of them however conduits I have seen are perfectly functional.ö
ôI want all of them inspected before we leave the dock under our own power,ö Somerville ordered before turning to his attention to the Officer to MolotovÆs left.
ôYes sir.ö
ôCommander Drossier?ö
ôWeapons have been installed and fully operational. However at the moment, we do not have any missiles for either our tube launchers or ammunition for our railguns. However they are set to arrive from Earth shortly,ö reported Lieutenant Commander Jacques Drossier, the ArcherÆs weapons officer.
ôExcellent,ö he turned his gaze to the man sitting opposite of the Frenchman. ôLieutenant Engelmann?ö
ôOur sensor system and transporters are fully functional. However I have not been able to test the cloaking device as the ship is still under construction,ö reported Lieutenant Klaus Engelmann, formerly of the Deutsche Marine or in English, the German Navy.
ôI doubt the yard workers would appreciate it if the ship were to suddenly disappear,ö Somerville said wryly.
The assembled personnel chuckled, breaking the metaphorical ice.
ôI do not think that they would,ö the Lieutenant replied with a straight face.
ôLieutenant Gonzalez?ö
ôStar charts have been installed on our Navigation computers. Hyperdrive and our STL drive are both installed and while we have not been able to test them for obvious reasons, I am confident that they will do fine,ö stated Lieutenant Ernesto Gonzales.
ôI will take your word on it. Lieutenant Chandra?ö
ôI have filled out the necessary forms and the supplies are en route from Earth as we speak,ö reported Sub-Lieutenant Dabeet Chandra, the ArcherÆs logistics officer. Out of the Command Crew Chandra was the odd man out. While the rest of the ArcherÆs Department Heads had all served on Submarines, Chandra was a former Surface Warfare Officer who had served on Frigates and Destroyers of the former Indian Navy.
ôGreat, Master Chief?ö
ôAt the moment, weÆve got around 60% of the crew on board with the rest due to come in by tonight and are settling in at the moment. Morale is good and theyÆre willing and eager to take the fight to the Ori,ö reported Master Chief William Blanchard, the shipÆs Senior Non-Commissioned Officer and SomervilleÆs link to the enlisted personnel.
ôGood,ö Somerville nodded.
With the exception of the Chief Engineer and the rest of the Officers in the Engineering Department, who were present to oversee the installation of the shipÆs reactor, the rest of the shipÆs crew had not been formally assigned to the Archer until the last minute. Like Somerville, they had been attending various technical schools to learn how to do their assigned duties on a warship in space rather than on water. While operating in space was similar in principle to operating on water, when one got to the specifics it was completely different and required the retraining to adjust to the new field of battle.
ôThank you for the excellent report. Given the tight time schedule we have until we are due to separate from the dock, and the amount of duties that we all have to perform, I call this meeting to an end. If anyone needs me, I will be in my quartersö Somerville said, ending the meeting as quickly as possible. He had taken enough of his Department HeadsÆ time already. Having them sit in the Wardroom doing nothing would be nothing but a waste of their time and besides, he had his own duties that he had to carry out himself before the Archer could be underway and began Space Trials.
Thoughts?