Pax Elysia Chapter 5: First mission P1

“Marshal, we’re detecting a huge deposit of Naquadah on the moon’s southern hemisphere.” Officer Parks informed him.

“Hmm…” Harry stared at the scan results provided by the drone he sent out from the Spitfire. “It looks to be coming from a major meteor crash site.”

“Shall I send a probe into the nearby meteor belts, Marshall?”

“No.” Harry said after a moment of thought.

His eyes, however, fell on the planet the moon was orbiting. 

“Is there anything to report from our probe into the planet?” Harry asked.

“The planet’s atmospheric composition is conducive for us even though there is a slight increase in Nitrogen levels, which is noteworthy.”

“Is there anything else valuable to report from the planet’s surface?” Harry inquired.

“Our probe has detected high concentrations of Chromium, Nickel, Cobalt…”

Harry took his eyes off the schematics traced by the moon probe to look at his second-in-command, who stopped talking immediately. He found Officer Parks staring aghast at the screen before him. Intrigued by what had the man’s attention, Harry peeked at the screen with a healthy dose of curiosity.

The planet's energy signature was off the charts. Its energy readings suggested it had enough power to turn a portion of the star system into space dust.

“What the hell is that?” Harry muttered, staring incomprehensively at the readings.

“Marshal, it looks like a highly enriched form of Naquadah surrounds the planet’s core.” Officer Parks said.

“Yes, I can see that. Cross-reference the energy readings with the Lantean database on the Milky Way galaxy.” Harry ordered while keeping a close eye on the drone and its deep earth scanning.

“Marshall, our spotters have detected another Naquadah energy signature on the dark part of the planet. It seems to be refined Naquadah.”

“Refined?” Harry frowned in concern. “Is this planet occupied?”

“The parts of the planet slumbering under the night remain blind to us, sir. We didn’t send a reconnaissance probe to that part of the planet.” Officer Perks said awkwardly.

“An oversight on all of our parts, Officer Perks.” Harry gently corrected with a sigh.

He made a mental note to amend the protocols for exploratory missions to include several security measures and reconnaissance of observable space and celestial bodies.

“Direct our ship’s sensors to the source of the radiation. Chart a course to the origin point.” Harry ordered.

“Yes, Marshall.”

Harry waited patiently in his command chair for any further information so he could act. However, until that information arrived, he kept a close eye on the research drone he had sent down, which was gathering more data on the planet's resource composition. The Naquadah made him reconsider his plans for the planet. At first, he had only hoped to use the gate address of the world and explore it for resources to satisfy Elysium’s needs. But seeing the natural deposits of highly enriched Naquadah, his thoughts turned to establishing a permanent outpost to defend the planet and formally induct it into the Elysian Federation.

Something else was also bothering him about the situation with Naquadah. He was sure he knew what this was, but the disadvantage of having his head filled with advanced technological knowledge was that some of the little things got suppressed.

Still, he didn’t worry too much. All he had to do was meditate and delve deeply into his memories to discover what he was missing.

“Marshall, you should see this.” Officer Perks said before sliding new data into Harry’s projected screen.

“The source of radiation… it’s moving.” Harry muttered with a confused look.

“It’s moving at supersonic speed, Marshall. It must be an attack vessel.”

“Do we have a visual on the craft?” Harry asked.

“Negative, sir.”

“Then we treat it as hostile. Keep our pulse weapons ready and track the craft. Dispatch a puddle jumper with a crew for close observation under cloak. I need visuals of this craft.” Harry ordered.

As Harry lounged on the command chair, a video call came from the hanger of his ship.

“Hey, Harry.” Neville waved nervously at the camera. “Can I join the puddle jumper crew going out?”

“Fine. But only in the capacity as an observer.”

Neville was happy enough despite that condition. The puddle jumper exited the hangar and entered the planet’s atmosphere in quick order, quickly intercepting the craft’s trajectory with its impressive speed and agility.

“Marshall, the jumper has engaged its cloak and is in position to intercept.”

“Good. Keep me appraised of the situation. Also, try to locate the stargate of this planet. I want the area under our observation.” Harry ordered.

“Aye, sir.”

Harry went back to studying the scan data provided by the drone. Deposits of rare minerals crucial for fleet expansion were scattered across the continent where his research drone was present. The good news was that all of these minerals were untapped.

“Sir, the unidentified craft is approaching over the curvature. Its trajectory seems aimed at our research drone, and its speed is increasing considerably. The drone must have triggered some sensors on the planet.

When the puddle jumper finally procured the visual of the craft, Harry immediately knew he was not dealing with friendlies. Because, before his eyes, he saw the visage of a Goa’uld Ha’tak.

“Puddle jumper crew, your mission parameters have changed. Find the stargate of this planet and defend it. Do not allow the locals to activate the gate. You’re cleared to use your pulse weapons for orbital bombardment.” Harry immediately issued orders to the puddle jumper before turning his attention to the crew of the Spitfire.

“Charge our ion cannon. I want that ship blown out of the sky.” Harry ordered, glaring at the Ha’tak

“Marshall, the enemy vessel is attempting to hail our research drone.”

“Redirect the hail to our comms. Let’s see who we’re facing.” said Harry.

Harry had to bite the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from laughing at the sight before him. The enemy’s face was screwed in a serious expression, but with the tin armour and the silly haircut, the man looked like an overgrown armoured goat.

“In the name of god, Isa, I command you to surrender. You have trespassed in the realm of my god. Your salvation rests in the mercy of my god.”

“I do not recognise any self-proclaimed gods or their brain-dead servants.” Harry replied mockingly.

“You dare speak blasphemy in the presence of Lord Isa’s most faithful servant. You will…”

Harry didn’t bother to listen to the deranged drivel of the Jaffa and cancelled the hail.

“Blow that ship out of the sky.” Harry ordered.

The primary ion cannon on the underbelly of the Spitfire hummed with energy before firing a concentrated beam of energy at the Goa’uld attack vessel. The Ha’tak, renowned for its ability to instil fear in the populace of the Milky Way galaxy, exploded in a shower of fireworks that lit up the planet's sky.

“Marshall, we have a direct hit. Our spotters report the enemy vessel was completely eviscerated.” Officer Parks reported with a grin.

‘Well, that was a bit anti-climatic.’ Harry thought while nodding at the happy officer.

He expected at least a token resistance, but the Ha’tak didn’t even engage its shield.

‘Overconfidence, or is it a technical glitch?’ Harry wondered.

He had never heard about a Goa’uld named Isa. So, either the Goa’uld was the runt of the litter receiving faulty equipment, or the Goa’uld was surrounded by incompetent servants. Either way, he was not complaining. Prompt destruction of the enemy was always a welcome sight. So, he announced as much for the whole crew to hear, and the crew adopted a brief celebratory mood. After all, this was their first contact with an enemy spacecraft, and the Spitfire was performing beyond their expectations.

However, the celebratory mood in the command bridge came to a halt when the puddle jumper reported they had started engaging the enemy, trying to access the stargate of the planet. The puddle jumper shared the visual feed to the command bridge of the Spitfire. They continued to bombard the area surrounding the stargate with a storm of plasma bolts, felling Jaffa warriors trying to secure their escape through the gate or calling for reinforcements.

“Take our boat into the atmosphere. Let’s give this ‘god’ his reckoning and put him in his proper place.” Harry ordered. “Let’s make it as dramatic as possible, yeah.”

“Yes, Marshall.”

******

Isa had only felt this kind of terror when he was summoned by his father, the Supreme System Lord, Ra. It was the day he was assigned his fiefdom on a small, unnamed planet with a minimal Jaffa guard and slave population. His job was to mine the naturally occurring enriched form of Naquadah and transport it through the stargate to his father. It was a simple mission, but he took it seriously because he knew Ra was secretly developing new engines to accommodate this refined Naquadah as fuel. This was his chance to prove his loyalty, and Isa was determined to satisfy Ra.

The children of Ra who disappointed the Supreme System Lord never survived past a decade or so. In order to live to their prime, they had to prove their loyalty and competence to Ra.

Those who failed got their lives cut short, painfully. He had the distinct pleasure of witnessing one such event where one of his highly incompetent siblings had unwittingly become a spy for the Tok’ra. It was not a quick death his sibling got for unwittingly becoming the pawn of the Goa’uld Empire’s most hated enemy. It was a slow, painful and agonising death. All of Ra’s children were granted the ‘privilege’ to witness the excruciating death of their sibling.

The terror he felt that day and the threat of such a death kept Isa working tirelessly to the best of his abilities, never to disappoint the Supreme System Lord.

Right now, he felt like his life was forfeit. He had already lost a Ha’tak to the enemy, and now the enemy had decimated his Jaffa sent to secure the stargate. Though the Ha’tak was an old, obsolete design, it was still a gift from Ra, and there was no doubt that the Supreme System Lord would punish him dearly for the loss of the ship. Even if he somehow managed to escape, Ra would show no mercy. There were also rumours that Ra was dead. He didn’t know whether to believe this to be true, as he had never received any confirmation. He was, in fact, a low-level Goa’uld, far beneath the notice of the System Lords to be kept informed of the major happenings within the Empire.

But his troubles were now far less about surviving his father's wrath and more about the wrath of the enemy attacking his planet. The enemy’s weapons had already reduced his Jaffa to a token guard by his side. The rest were decimated without a shred of mercy.

Seeing the futility of facing a superior enemy head-on, Isa began to plan to hide in the forests or caves of the planet, waiting for an opportune moment to use the stargate and make his escape. It was a sound plan. But before he could go through with the plan, the sky rumbled, with great gales of wind uprooting massive trees. An unnatural weight settled on his shoulder, making Isa gulp nervously.

The clouds in the sky parted, and a massive warship became visible to everyone. Isa noticed the obvious thing with the warship. It was not a Ha’tak, which meant his enemy was not another Goa’uld.

“The enemy has a superior warship. We must retreat to fight another day.” Isa said.

“Yes, my lord.”

It chaffed his pride to run away, but he had no choice. However, his plans were put on hold when a smaller ship decloaked directly above him, firing a warning shot that came too close for comfort.

“Attack that ship.” Isa ordered his Jaffa while retreating to the woods.

The dutiful Jaffa used their staff weapons to fire plasma bolts against smaller ships. But Isa realised it was futile when he saw the ship’s shield absorb the plasma bolts. He was about to cut his losses and run away into the woods when he heard a distinct popping sound behind him.

When Isa turned around in fright, he found a simple human dressed in some kind of armour, a golden coat, and a glowing stick in his hand.

“My name is Neville Longbottom. In the name of the Elysian Federation, I ask that you and your soldiers surrender.”

Isa was not impressed by the human. Isa brandished his Kara kesh and fired off a blast of kinetic energy from the silver stone on his hand device. To his utter surprise, the human managed to summon a shimmering blue energy shield by waving his glowing stick and muttering something under his breath. Isa’s attack was entirely ineffective against the shield, and the next thing he knew, he was thrown off his feet when a yellow light struck him on his chest. His back smacked against a tree, and he fell face-first on the ground with a painful groan.

Isa swiftly climbed to his feet and activated his personal shield using the Kara kesh.

“You dare to strike a god!” Isa shouted in anger, with his eyes flashing golden yellow. “Jaffa Kree! Kill this mongrel.”

His Jaffa guards fired off a volley of plasma bolts at the enemy, but the enemy dodged them all. His Jaffa were all thrown off their feet when the stick in the enemy’s hands glowed with a dark yellow light. The staff weapons in the hands of his Jaffa were wrenched from their hands and piled themselves neatly behind the enemy. Then ropes materialised out of thin air and bound all the limbs of his trusted guards. All of this happened within seconds, forcing Isa to stare incredulously at the whole scene.

Isa immediately fired off a powerful energy beam, using the Kara kesh on the enemy. To his utter surprise and horror, the energy beam was deflected to the side, and the enemy fired a bolt of red light at him. His shield held firm, but it rippled violently, making Isa fear for his safety.

This was followed by a volley of attacks, which his Kara kesh managed to defend with its shield. Isa started to gain some confidence and began using some of the Kara kesh's offensive abilities against the enemy, even if they were ultimately useless, as the kinetic attack and energy beam proved ineffective. On the other hand, the enemy’s attacks were versatile. The enemy managed to summon animals and other constructs out of thin air with that glowing stick to harass him.

Thanks to his shield, Isa managed to fend off all the attacks, but he was not out of the danger zone. He had no way of escape, and warships surrounded him. To make matters worse, the enemy possessed advanced technology far above his understanding.

“Accio.”

Suddenly, Isa lurched forward, but he managed to keep his footing and prevent falling on his face. When he regained his footing, he was bereft of his protective shield.

“My Kara kesh?” Isa muttered, his eyes wide with surprise as he stared at his empty right hand, where his silver hand device was supposed to be.

“Looking for this?” Neville asked, dangling the Kara kesh before him.

“You…” Isa started to run towards his enemy, but a bolt of red light struck him, and darkness consumed him.

*******

“Well, I hope you’re satisfied with your stint with the space parasite. You’re henceforth grounded.” Harry declared while staring unimpressed at a grinning Neville.

“Wait, what?” Neville asked incredulously.

“Let me walk you through what you've done, Neville.” Harry started with a roll of his eyes. “You disobeyed the orders of a superior officer by engaging the enemy head-on instead of targeting them from the puddle jumper. You abandoned a position of greater advantage and exposed yourselves before the enemy when you had no reason to do so. You then engaged in a one-on-one fight with a minor Goa’uld and his personal guard with no backup.”

“But I defeated the Goa’uld.”

Harry rolled his eyes, hearing Neville whine about the whole thing.

“The protocols of engagement are in place to ensure the safety of the entire crew during missions. We do not compromise the safety and the mission with one-man shows if we can help it. There was no standing situation that required your direct intervention; therefore, your actions warrant disciplinary action.”

“Oh, come on.” Neville started to protest but Harry was unimpressed.

“And let’s not forget that you’ll be completing an additional 20-hour flight experience in the Tornado before gaining access to any missions.” Harry added while Neville was escorted out of the command bridge.

Harry ignored his friend's righteous protests before focusing on the prisoners in his ship. The Goa’uld was kept separate from the captured soldiers, sensing a security risk. Harry kept Isa under heavy wards to ensure the Goa'uld didn't pull any stunts, like changing hosts. He also administered the Draught of Living Death for added security. On the other hand, the Jaffa guards were kept in a standard holding cell with an energy barrier that kept them inside.

“Have the Goa’uld sent through the gate to Elysium and have its memories extracted. There will be valuable information about the Goa’uld Empire that we can extract from the prisoner.” Harry ordered.

“What about the host, sir?”

“If our people can remove the parasite without harming the host, then let them try. Otherwise, extract as much intel as possible and then kill them both.” Harry ordered without hesitation.

“Yes, Marshall.”

Harry turned away from his subordinates to observe the team he had sent down to take command of the stargate. Another team was searching for any stray Jaffa in hiding on the planet. Another team was conversing with the locals to get a grasp on their way of living and engagement with the Goa’uld. While this was happening, Harry had another group preparing to install basic infrastructure on the planet, aiming to turn it into a colony. His plans to turn the planet into a resource-extracting colony were a go at this point, no matter what happened with the locals.

After all, a steady supply of enriched Naquadah would certainly power the expansion of Elysian power in the galaxy.

‘I think it's time to bring more competent hands into Elysium. It’s now time to expand.’ Harry mused as he oversaw the annexation of the planet.