Chapter 143

Dar Eshkalon

The planet known as Dar Eshkalon was a long time hub for the Jaffa resistance. During their rebellion, the Jaffa used the planet as a central meeting place and command post for operations around the planets of the System Lords. While the planet still rested in Jaffa hands, it was now the staging point for traditionalist forces in the ongoing Jaffa civil war.

Upon learning the fate that had befallen Yat'Yir, his underlings had gathered their followers and waged a war of attrition against progressive followers that supported Teal'c and his kind. As the battle raged on and grew to encompass other planets within the Jaffa sphere of influence, these underlings had retreated to the safety of Dar Eshkalon. Unknown to them upon their arrival, a small group of progressive followers also called the planet home. These progressives had waged a guerilla campaign against the traditionalists, but their numbers were beginning to dwindle.

The bulk of what remained of the traditionalist fleet sat on the open planes of the planet. Around these sh.i.p.s grew encampments of Jaffa. From within these encampments strategy on how to wage the ongoing civil war was formulated. It was also from these camps that orders were disseminated to traditionalist forces around the scattered planets of the war torn nation.

Ry'ac, on his clandestine visit to Earth, had informed the Tauri of the location of traditionalist leaders. With this location in hand, the Tauri decided to seek out more intelligence on what they faced on their own, without informing the progressives of this. To that end, a craft life few others had been deployed. Recently built, and of a new design, this craft was a similar in size to an Al'kesh. Looking much like an arrowhead, this craft was filled with the latest in signals intercept gear the Tauri and Asgard had at their disposal.

Belonging to the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, this craft was known as the Rivet Joint. Much like her predecessors used during the Cold War, this iteration of the Rivet Joint was designed to ferret out any and all signals for study and analysis. The equipment onboard was capable of capturing any and all electromagnetic transmissions, subspace broadcasts, and possessed the ability to monitor and interpret the minuet traces of radiation that emanated from a display screens buffer. This last capability made possible the interception of data being viewed within the encampment below, without the need to place monitoring devices on the data terminals themselves.

Inside the Rivet Joint were two pilots and ten signals intercept officers. These officers had cut their teeth at their chosen profession by monitoring the signals traffic of many nations on Earth. Now they were being put to their first real off world challenge. The information they succeeded or failed in generating would help determine fleet and ground force actions for Tauri forces. The ten intercept officers knew that national policy and military service members lives hung on the outcome of their mission.

Upon exiting hyperspace near Dar Eshkalon two days before, with their cloak engaged, the Rivet Joint had silently sat in orbit. Her ultra sensitive monitoring gear searching out any and all traces of generated signal, but finding few compared to what one might find off the coast of China for example. To the dismay of the radio intercept officers, the Jaffa made no use at all of radio signals unlike the Tauri. The subspace monitoring specialists though soon found themselves afloat in a sea of unencrypted video traffic. This traffic was recorded and cataloged in the massive data storage banks of the craft.

Deciding that the take of thus far intercepted traffic was simply not enough, the Rivet Joint descended into the atmosphere of Dar Eshkalon. Settling into a stable hover over the dense forest one mile from the edges of the traditionalist encampment, the "take" soon skyrocketed. As data terminals within the camp and aboard the vessels on the ground were used, intercept officers detected and recorded the unique radiation signals from the data screens buffers. Later, elements of the National Security Agency with experience in matters of Goa'uld technology, would reconstruct these recorded signatures into readable screens of data.

The intercept officers were not the only ones busy during this time. The pilots had standing mission objectives of their own, beyond simply flying the craft. Using the same sensors found on ancient designed puddle jumpers, the two pilots began to map out the camps, weapons present, and number of individuals calling this camp home. Along with these readings, a complex biometric scan was also taking place. This scan would provide detailed DNA evaluation of all those present within the encampment. This data would later be cross-referenced with DNA findings taken during the Lucian Alliance plague attack upon the Free Jaffa Nation. Identities of those at this camp would soon be known, and shared with the progressive Jaffa forces. While these scans were conducted, the two pilots chatted away in the c.o.c.kpit of the Rivet Joint.

"Figure we'll be done in another twenty four hours" said the pilot in command.

"That works for me. I've got a date with that hot checkout girl from the commissary" said the copilot with a wide grin.

"Oh she's hot! Nicely done" said the pilot with a laugh.

"You flew F-16's before this right" asked the copilot.

"Yeah, I came up in the Falcon. Nice bird to fly" replied the pilot.

"Ever miss it" asked the copilot.

"I used to. Now, I'm sitting in a space ship, reading some guys DNA signature while guys in the back read his email. This is much cooler" answered the pilot with a laugh.

"Beats flying for United any day" agreed the copilot