Chapter 131

Plains of Celestis

Walking through the city, Simon noted monks going about their studies. Men, woman, and children also could be seen going about their day. Everyone they passed had smiles on their faces, and appeared in good spirits. That was important to Simon, as it gave insight into what he might expect from the government. Making their way down a long hallway of gleaming marble floors, the delegation was lead to an ornate library. As they entered the room, Simon recognized the man seated at the table from the photo in his file. Rising from his seat, the man introduced himself.

"Greetings! You have traveled far for this audience. I am Administrator Tomin" he said.

"On behalf of the United States of America, and the nations of Earth I bring you our thanks for receiving this humble delegation. I am Under Secretary of State Simon Barnes. It is an honor to make your acquaintance" replied Simon.

"Please, make yourself comfortable. Can I offer you something to drink perhaps" asked Tomin.

"No thank you Administrator Tomin" replied Simon.

"After coming so far, I must ask what this meeting is regarding" asked Tomin.

"I am here today to discuss a threat that exists to all mankind and to ask for your assistance" replied Simon smoothly.

"We are a simple people Under Secretary Barnes. I fail to see what we could possibly do that yours cannot. After all, you are far more advanced than we" replied Tomin.

"Trust when I say you and your people rest at the heart of the solution to this problem" replied Simon.

"What exactly is this problem you speak of" asked Tomin.

"In a galaxy not our own my countryman are at war. Our opponent will stop at nothing to reduce every human civilization they encounter to nothing more than defenseless fodder. The race in question is known as the Wraith, and they defeated the race that once lived on this planet with those who later became known as the Ori" stated Simon.

"If they are as powerful as you say, then why have you opted for war against them" questioned Tomin.

"It is not a war we sought, but a war we are compelled to fight nonetheless" replied Simon.

"What might that reason be Under Secretary" asked Tomin.

"This may come as a shock to you as it did I Administrator Tomin. The war is being waged over resources, one resource in particular; food" stated Simon.

"Your people have no shortage of food, so I do not see the logic in fighting a war over such things" replied Tomin.

"The Wraith feed on the life force of human beings Tomin. Those like you and I are their means of sustenance" said Simon.

"They eat men and women" asked Tomin somewhat shocked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. They feed off the life force with our bodies. Once feeding begins, they drain energy from the human body through the means of an opening on their hand. As energy is drawn away the human ages dramatically until their live is ended. My understanding is the process takes less than one minute start to finish" replied Simon in a matter of fact manner.

"That is damnation come to life" recoiled Tomin.

"Indeed it is. The Wraith hunt humans in great numbers, using massive sh.i.p.s they call Hives. Moving from world to world a single Hive can bring about the death of many tens of thousands of humans per year. It is estimated that over sixty Hives exist at this time, with more being grown. Entire worlds have been left devoid of life because of this. When a race grows advanced enough to wage a defense, the Wraith simply bombard the planet from the safety of space" said Simon somberly.

"I see now why you are here. You lack the numbers to defeat so many despite the impressive abilities of your sh.i.p.s" stated Tomin.

"We have greatly increased our fleet numbers, but do not have the amount of sh.i.p.s we feel will ensure a decisive victory. Your sh.i.p.s are incredibly powerful, and could very well turn the tide of war in our favor" replied Simon

"While horrible, this enemy posses no threat to my people" countered Tomin.

"Administrator Tomin, the Wraith view all of mankind as their bread basket. While they may not represent a direct threat to you now, I promise you that will change. I know well the turmoil you went through watching the Ori force you to slaughter innocents. The amount of guilt you must feel is surely more than any man should ever bare. Taking a stand here and now on behalf of all of mankind is a form of atonement for past transgressions. Did my people not believe in the goodness of your heart I can assure you we would not be having this discussion" pressed Simon.

"You make a very compelling argument for why we should intercede in this matter. The atrocities committed at the behest of the Ori are something I will never forgive myself for, and my people feel the same. If we do join this quest to irradiate the Wraith menace we do so knowing it can never atone for actions in the past that can never be undone" said Tomin solemnly.

"It is an opportunity for a new beginning for your people. To that end I am authorized to extend the full weight of my nation's resources to better prepare your people for the future, a future you have a great measure of control over" offered Simon.

"What is it your nation wishes to share" asked Tomin with a measure of surprise in his voice.

"Medical assistance that would rid your people of sickness and disease, agricultural technology that would quadruple your crop yields and education so that your people can understand the technology that has been left in their care instead of simply making use of it" stated Simon.

"Sharing these things would be of great benefit to my people, and I thank you for them. What troubles my people most is a matter we are unable to combat on our own. This is something that haunts each and every one of us" hinted Tomin.

"Perhaps we can be of assistance in dealing with this manner" suggested Simon.

"I'm certain you can be. This particular menace came to be not long after your people brought the truth of the Ori to our eyes. When your people showed the truth to the Doci and Priors of Origin it seemed that we were finally free from fear of oppression. Instead of accepting the truth, one Prior decided to make use of his ship and followers to fight a war of conquest. He does this not out of religious zeal, but out of greed and vanity instead. Our vessels, while matching the power of his, are unable to harm him. Your people posses technology capable of defeating him and his ship. I would ask that in return for our assistance that you rid my people of the menace we face at home" stated Tomin.

"My government would be agreeable to what you propose. Any information you could provide to assist in locating this rogue Prior would be most helpful" replied Simon.

"The sh.i.p.s you saw in orbit will transmit what we know before your departure. In return for this I am willing to commit four of our available sh.i.p.s to this war with the Wraith. Is their anything else that can be provided" inquired Tomin.

"Actually, there is. As you are well aware we share a common ancestry. The branch of Alterran's we are descended from resided on Ortus Mallum. History, being of great importance to my people is what drives this request. We would ask that we be allowed to study Ortus Mallum to better learn where it is we came from" requested Simon.

"I see no problems with this request. You have my consent" replied Tomin.

Over the next two hours the details of the alliance between the two worlds were hammered out. When all was agreed upon and clear the meeting came to its conclusion. The delegation returned to their jumper for the flight to Athena and the journey home. Passing over Ortus Mallum on the flight out, Simon leaned back in his seat and smiled. On those rare occasions in diplomacy where everything seems to go your way it was a good day indeed.

As the jumper docked in the jumper bay aboard Athena, Simon's presence was requested the commanding officer. Exiting the jumper and making his way to the bridge, the Under Secretary was all smiles. Upon seeing this Colonel Eckhart stood from his seat.

"You look like the cat that swallowed the canary" joked the Colonel.

"Every point we wanted, we got. They even agreed to give in on a pie in the sky request with Ortus Mallum. If only they could all be this easy" replied Simon.

"How many sh.i.p.s will they be sending" asked Eckhart.

"Four, but there's a catch" replied Simon.

"A catch? Not a fan of those in the least. Ok, so what is the catch" asked Eckhart.

"It seems they have a Prior gone rogue with his ship. Being a problem they can't handle, they asked if we would be so kind as to make the problem go away. Since I have been empowered to negotiate with the full authority of the President I agreed. Look's like someone will be going Prior hunting" suggested Simon.

"That dovetails with my standing orders nicely" replied Eckhart.

"Care to enlighten me" asked Simon.

"Now is neither the time nor the place for that. If it happens I'll let you know" replied the Colonel.

"I really don't like the sound of that at all" muttered Simon.

"Helm, set course for the super gate" ordered the Colonel.

Breaking orbit, Athena effortlessly glided past the three mothership's in orbit. Seeing the powerful vessels that had once been so feared this close caused some level of concern for members of the crew, even though they were aware of just how powerful Athena truly was. Bringing hyperspace engines online, Athena once again leaped into the ethereal plain and sped away. At maximum speed the trip took scant minutes to complete.

Exiting hyperspace Athena's sensors noted a single mothership in the vicinity of the gate. This came as little surprise to the crew as when they had entered the galaxy a single mothership had met them. Clearly, it had remained on station. On the bridge the mood was relaxed by the knowledge that they were heading home.

"Sensors show a single mothership Colonel" said the sensor operator.

"They must have hung around after we left" replied the Colonel.

"Incoming message from the mothership sir" called out the communications officer.

"Put it on screen" replied Eckhart.

"As the screen came to life a single Prior could be seen. That was to be expected. The unexpected part is it was not the same Prior they had encountered before.

"Life and death, light and darkness, hope and despair. The rift was created, and on that day, the Ori were born. But the hatred of those who strayed from the true path festered and bloomed in the dark corners of the Avernakis to which they have been cast! And consumed by this hatred, the poisoned all they touched, bringing death, darkness, and despair. And the souls of their victims knew no peace, until the Ori came, and whispered to them; 'Sleep, for the end draws near!' And on that day all will rejoice, then the Ori come and lay them low" intoned the Prior righteously.

"That's not good. Shields up now, and give me an open channel to reply to this guy" ordered Eckhart.

"Channel is hot Colonel" replied the communications officer.

"You managed to get three out of six right. The last time our forces met, we delivered death, darkness, and despair. We did much the same to those you called gods. Apparently the same reruns are playing in two galaxies, because I've heard all this before. Now get to your point" defiantly stated Eckhart.

"They are powering weapons" called out the sensor operator.

Seconds later an intense beam of light erupted from the conical dish shaped area to the front of the mothership. This powerful beam covered the distance to Athena in seconds. Impacting the shields, it failed to penetrate as the energy screen held firm. Inside the Athena, members of the crew were jostled around by the mammoth impact.

"Some people have no sense of humor at all. Evasive maneuvers" ordered Eckhart.

On command the Athena began to maneuver in an erratic and unpredictable pattern. Turning left and right, climbing and descending, she maneuvered ever closer to her target. While this was happening, three more volleys from the mothership's main weapon collided with the Athena's shields.

"Shields are at eighty seven percent" called out the defensive systems officer.

"I've had about enough of this. Weapons officer, switch the plasma weapons from standby to active. Give me half power sustained volleys. In case of shield breakthrough make your targets differing spots about the hull" ordered the Colonel.

Seconds later a series of plasma beams shot out from the Athena. Covering the distance to target in seconds, the mothership's shields began to fluctuate in intensity.

"Enemy shields are losing strength rapidly" called out the sensor operator.

"Give me another volley, different aim points on the hull" ordered Eckhart.

As she maneuvered, plasma beams once again sprang forth from Athena. Striking the powerful shields of the mothership, they once again performed their designed function, and neatly bypassed the protective screen. Inside the powerful protective bubble, the mothership's hull vented atmosphere from multiple points.

"Enemy shields are collapsing. Sensors are reading explosive decompression on multiple decks. Life signs are dropping fast" called out the sensor operator.

"Once the shields are down secure the plasma beams and bring the galaxy class lasers online. Continue your fire with those until all life signs aboard read zero" coldly ordered the Colonel.

As the mothership's shields buckled entirely, the Asgard designed galaxy class lasers went active. These precise low power lasers were incredibly lethal to anything lacking shields. As Athena maneuvered in close to the mothership these lasers cut through the hull with almost surgical precision. In less than a minute the last of the remaining life signs aboard were extinguished aboard the damaged vessel.

"Sensors indicate zero life signs and no life support viability remaining on all decks" stated the sensor operator.

"Ok then that settles that. Last time we ventured out this far into the universe we came home with a souvenir. How about we make it two for two? Lock onto the vessel with the tractor beam. Helm, dial the gate for home. Communications officer, signal Celestis that their rogue prior problem, well, it's no longer a problem" ordered Eckhart.