Chapter 128

Olesia

Prompted by the deep space sensors aboard Borealis the Asgard O'Neill class vessel Iskr entered the system. Fulfilling the agreement to mount a joint effort in the Pegasus galaxy the Asgard contingent of warsh.i.p.s had performed a steady schedule of intercepts very much like this one. One certainty had been discovered. The Wraith were mercilessly culling worlds until they were entirely devoid of human life. This fact did little to garner the goodwill of the Asgard towards the Wraith.

Standing at the control platform of the Iskr Thor moved the control stones over the panel before him. The powerful long range sensors aboard the O'Neill class vessel did not as yet detect any Wraith activity, but that would soon change Thor was certain.

Olesia was a planet that could have once been called beautiful and highly advanced by Pegasus standards. The Olesian government many generations before had sought to bargain with the Wraith, in return for freedom from fear of cullings. To achieve this bargain the Olesian's agreed to place prisoners on a large island in the planets ocean, where the Wraith could collect their prey at will. As long as prisoners were made available Olesia was free from danger. In later years with plummeting crime rates the Olesian government encountered severe problems filling the necessary quota of prisoners, so a simple adjustment to the planets legal system was made. Overnight, virtually every crime became punishable by exile to the penal island and death. When this system began to falter the Olesian's simply resorted to manufacturing charges against any and all when warm bodies were needed.

That had all changed shortly after the arrival of the Atlantis expedition. Having learned first hand how corrupt the government was steps were taken against the Olesian government. Instead of ignoring the penal colony of condemned men the Atlantis expedition had evacuated them from the planet. Of course the Wraith had their problems with this idea. The culling that followed in the days after the actions of those from Atlantis had decimated the population of the once advanced world. Where towering structures once stood, now lay ruble and ruins. Much like the Tollan people after their planets devastation the Olesian's devolved into a primitive hunter gathers race simply trying to survive.

In their weakened state the Olesian's held little chance of survival against the Wraith should a battle ensue. Unfortunately, the Olesian's were painfully aware of that fact. Instead of working towards a common goal as a race the people on the once advanced planet now found themselves much more shortsighted than during the days when their bargain with the Wraith was reached.

Manipulating the control stone on the panel Thor altered the Iskr's heading towards the next planet closer to the sun. He hoped that this move would mask his presence from Wraith sensors upon their arrival in the system. A glance at the display informed him that the other O'Neill he had requested would arrive in moments. Upon the arrival of Aegir and the Valhalla the two vessels tucked in behind their chosen planet and awaited the arrival of their expected and highly unwanted guests.

Their wait was not long. Two hours later a Wraith Hive and three cruisers exited hyperspace. Sensors aboard the Iskr confirmed the stargate on Olesia was active, and this simple fact confirmed that this would indeed be a culling attempt as per Wraith standard operating procedure. With the gate active none could escape and knowing this the Wraith took a leisurely route towards the planet and prey that awaited them below.

The three cruisers in the lead moved to achieve orbit of Olesia. The Hive coming in behind the much smaller vessels established a high orbit and prepared to unleash its waves of darts. The Iskr and Valhalla both quickly jumped into hyperspace for the millisecond trip to the far side of Olesia. Coming in from opposing sides of the planet, Iskr and Valhalla were a menacing surprise to the Wraith before them.

"I am Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet. Your vessels are no match for the technology you see before you. Leave this world now and you will be sparred" said Thor in his communiqué.

In return the cruisers began to independently maneuver. Standing off behind its protective screen the hive opened up with a punishing volley of energy bolts from its broadside battery. Blossoming under the impact the Asgard shields held strong under the punishing fire. Both Thor and Aegir were aware that if the Hive was destroyed first, the cruisers would seek the quickest route of escape from the battle. This thought and this thought alone had shaped their plan for the battle unfolding before them.

With an agility that belied their great size the two O'Neill's began a series of angled banking maneuvers. Iskr and Valhalla would play the hammer to the others anvil. Valhalla opened up with copious amounts of fire from its ion cannons. Lacking shielding technology the targeted cruiser absorbed the high energy bolts to a horrendous end. Striking the underside of the lead cruiser the ion bolts tore open jagged holes in the belly of the sleek Wraith combatant. Men, equipment, and other flotsam exploded into the vacuum of space upon breach of the organic hull.

The second cruiser opened fire in an effort to support its besieged fellow Wraith vessel to little avail. Though the energetic blue bolts that were the hallmark of a Wraith ship to ship engagement found their mark, they failed to penetrate the ever powerful Asgard shields aboard the Valhalla. Seeing the opportunity he had hoped to find in this battle present itself before him Thor opened fire with a single well placed beam from the onboard plasma weapons. This beam arced out through the orbital track of Olesia, and impacted the rear of the cruiser attacking Valhalla. Cutting through the biopolymer organic armor, the plasma beam tore through multiple decks before impacting the cruisers hyper drive. In a terrific explosion cruiser two began to vent atmosphere as power began to fluctuate. Cruiser two was now adrift.

Deftly turning on its axis, Iskr set course for the Hive in the distance. Seeing the advanced vessel taking aim upon them, the Hive let loose all the weapons fire it could muster. A steady torrent of blue energy bolts streaked across the void separating the two vessels. A steady stream of darts also began their high speed dash towards the aggressor in their midst. Iskr weathered the Hive's weapons fire with little result. Doing some quick calculations Thor was uncertain if the added impact of the swarm of Darts would end in the same manner.

With great speed and agility the Darts closed in on their target. Seeing the vessels before them withstand the great amount of weapons fire thrown at them, followed by the near destruction of two cruisers, the Dart pilots took aim on the Iskr. Throwing themselves into their mission bodily the high speed kamikazes drew closer and closer. With a series of thunderous explosions the small craft began to impact the Iskr's shields. Seconds before Thor transferred all available power from the neutrino ion generators to the O'Neill class vessels shield emitters. It was this act that saved the Iskr.

The destruction of each Dart brought about a problem unforeseen by the Wraith. Each Dart when grown to maturity was equipped with a biologically manufactured inertial dampener. The sudden destruction of these resulted in the production of an intense field of ionic and magnetic discharge. Suddenly the Hive's sensors could not discern whether the Iskr had survived the horrific amount of destructive force intact.

While this scene played out Aegir seized the momentary initiative and maneuvered Valhalla. Banking from left to right swiftly the last remaining cruiser could not keep weapons fire centered on the impressive Asgard vessel closing in. At the height of each banking maneuver Valhalla unleashed an unchecked volume of fire from the onboard ion cannons. Impacting from stem to stern the last cruiser was ravaged by the high intensity ion bolts the replicators had once feared. As fire continued to pour in compromised bulkheads aboard the cruiser lost their last shred of structural rigidity and failed. The once fearsome Wraith cruiser broke apart as fire consumed it from within.

With sensor data unavailable to the Hive as to the status of the Iskr, the Wraith commander decided not to take any chances and continued pouring in broadside fire. This simple action rendered the crews efforts to return sensor function nil. Being orders of magnitude more sensitive, the Iskr has no such problem. Seeing his target before him, Thor moved the control stone on the panel before him. Exiting the obscured shields of the Iskr was an incredibly powerful green beam of energy. The Grodin, as the Tauri referred to the weapon, impacted the Hive's hull. Immediately fractures began to form as the organic hull was compromised. Slicing cleanly through the body of the Hive the large Wraith vessel snapped in half. Severed power conduits ignited a firestorm within the two halves. Nothing was left alive in the firestorms wake.

"Aegir, lock on to the cruiser nearest you with your tractor beam and I shall do the same. These two vessels that remain will be coming with us. The one known as Todd is expecting our arrival" said Thor via ship to ship message.