Chapter 114

Atlantis

"Unscheduled activation" rang out the voice over the intercom.

Exiting his office Woolsey quickly made his way to the stargate operations center. Seated at the control panel were Chuck and Amelia. Looking at the screen before him Chuck didn't notice Woolsey standing to his left.

"Do we have an IDC being transmitted" asked Woolsey.

"We do sir, its Captain Carlyle's IDC" replied Chuck.

"Being that the Captain and his team took a jumper with them I will head to the jumper bay. Please inform them of such if you will Chuck" said Woolsey.

"Consider it done sir" replied Chuck.

Turning briskly on his heels, Woolsey quickly made his way up the stairs towards the jumper bay above. As he set his foot down on the final step the expedition commander heard the clamoring of combat boots bounding up the stairs behind him. Clearing off the stairs quickly to avoid being trampled by the onrushing group of TF 190 members Woolsey stopped to wonder just what he was walking into. Passing him with a professional nod from each man the armed TF 190 members ran past Woolsey and into the cavernous jumper bay before them.

Less than a minute later Woolsey entered the jumper bay, not knowing what to expect. In the center of the floor of the bay doors twisted open allowing the jumper hovering below to rise into its storage space. Setting down silently the jumper did not lower its rear hatch. On cue the armed men who had just sprinted past Woolsey took up positions at the rear hatch with weapons untrained but at the ready. Seconds later the hatch opened and eased down to contact the floor beneath the jumper.

Exiting the jumper were three 1st SFOD operators, each with his hand around the upper arm of a different man. The men being guided by the operators had black hoods placed over their heads, and their hands were bound in front of their bodies by plastic flex cuffs. Standing ten feet away Woolsey couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on just as Captain Carlyle exited the jumper.

"Captain, would you please fill me in on what exactly is going on here" asked Woolsey.

"You're looking at the end result of a successful extraction. The three gentlemen in hoods to your left are associates of the Genii leader who overthrew Mr. Radim" said Carlyle with a grin.

"How did they come to be in your custody" demanded Woolsey.

"Before you ask a question make sure you really want to know the answer sir" warned Captain Carlyle.

"I'm waiting for an answer" replied Woolsey.

"Mr. Radim made contact via radio with his assets within the Genii capital. Said assets arranged to get these three gentlemen in the open above ground, and we were waiting. The rest as they say is history" answered Carlyle.

"You bring back these three but just left Ladon there" demanded Woolsey.

"Mr. Woolsey, I am very good at what I do. Mr. Radim is on the planet yes, but he is in the care of two other teams of operators. This was a soft exchange of power. Radim won't have any problem shoring up his power base. As far as coup's go this one went pretty smooth" replied Carlyle with a grin.

"How can you be so nonchalant about this" asked Woolsey.

"Sir, you do policy and I'm sure you do it well. As for myself I'm not a policy guy. Tell me what needs to happen and I make it happen. Now if you'll excuse me sir. We need to get these guys debriefed and ready to transport to the Coalition aboard Hammond" tiredly said Carlyle.

In times past the change of government for the Genii had involved murder, deception, and even nuclear weapons. This time it had been accomplished with little more than suggestion and a flash bang grenade. Some would call that progress.

Pluto

Exiting the energy shield protecting the interior of Arkos from the harshness of space were six vessels of the Tauri fleet. The Copernicus class vessels Sagan, Edmund Halley, and Hawking gracefully maneuvered clear of the station, their majestic lines visible to any who may have watched. Having exited the station beforehand, the three Athena class sh.i.p.s Ess.e.x, Hood, and Yamato stood sentry, awaiting the science vessels.

In the last forty eight hours a mass of men, women, and equipment had converged through the stargate to Arkos. The equipment was comprised of military modular tent systems, medical supplies, and humanitarian rations. The men and women were a mixed group of medical professionals, mental health professionals, and PJ's of the revered Air Force Para Rescue Jumpers. Altogether the men, women, and vessels of this small armada were now known as Task Force Guardian for the mission before them. Elsewhere in the galaxy preparations were being made for the eventuality that TF Guardian's mission was a success.

In preparation for their deployment on this most massive of humanitarian undertakings the Copernicus class vessels were deploying without their recently assigned scientific staffs. In their place medical teams had been assigned, along with small contingents of PJ's. Aboard the Athena's their normal compliment of 60 F-302's apiece were also removed freeing up hanger bays that might be needed for other purposes. The only small craft the assorted vessels would be carrying with them for this deployment were their onboard compliment of Jumpers.

Free of the confines of Arkos, the six vessels positioned themselves in their formation. As hyper drive systems were brought online hyperspace windows tore open. In a flash the vessels accelerated, entering the awaiting windows and vanished from sight.