Aberrant: Stargate Universe - A New Year [Complete]

[z028 Riley]

Kyria blinked and nodded slowly. That was going to put a hornets nest in the SGC for a bit; no wonder everything had seemed so quiet for them while they traveled. She pondered Cam for a moment, trying to fit all the pieces of the past few months together but only getting a headache at her temples for her efforts.

"Well, I can't imagine that consolidating Ba'al's hold on the other System Lords was Cam's intention, but then it seems he's prone to any number of rash actions recently." She frowned and rubbed her temples. "So, what is Ba'al doing with his new position?"

She leaned into Dec's side and murmured, "And I think I agree with that particular Goa'uld that Anubis is far more dangerous than the System Lords. Apparently even the System Lords combined. We need to take him down, and if we can fold the System Lords and Ba'al's house of cards at the same time, so much the better."

[Mr Fox]

"It has only been a few days since it happened, but so far it seems to have had a positive effect. Yiu was or rather is, slowly losing his mind. He is the oldest of the System lords remaining and has gone though the sarcophagus too many times. It is simply losing it's ability to revitalize him. Now that Ba'al has command of the fleet the it seems to be doing better. The last two engagements have been less of a loss. To answer Declan's earlier question, Anubis is winning for two reasons. He is extremely devious, more so than the average System Lord. And his Krul warriors rival your Specialists for sheer physical ability, and they are unwaveringly loyal. We don't know how he is able to produce these warriors."

Kornan gave Dec a very serious look, "Imagine facing an army of you."

[The Red Man]

Dec absorbed that last line, played it over in his head, considered the likelihood of it being hyperbole, and decided that if these Kull warriors were really all that, it would be best to find out the limits of their ability. And if they weren't as advertised... Well, it was time to dent Anubis's reputation as unbeatable.

At the same time he digested the news that Cameron was still alive and kicking. Dec smelled a rat. He didn't doubt the report of the Specialists' field commander being alive; no, what troubled Dec was that he was alive and another member of the SG team was dead. Why, and how, and what did it mean?

Simultaneously with those trains of thought he analysed the possible effects of Cam's actions. By picking off the weaker System Lords openly, he was risking driving the independant operators into alliances with the big boys, Anubis or Ba'al. That could only serve to strengthen the enemy. Fear of a common enemy was an advantage that both of the most powerful Lords would be quick to capitalise on to draw in more supporters. Doubtless Anubis and Ba'als emissaries were already spreading horror stories about an Enhanced human running around defeating lesser Goa'uld.

Dec would have in their shoes, for sure.

All of this took a couple of seconds, Kyria feeling her lover's mind racing effortlessly along the three main channels along with several other, minor thought streams. Dec nodded slowly at Kornan.

"Alright." His voice was low, but crisp. "Two starting points for now, and we'll need as much help as the Tok'ra can give, Kornan." He gestured with his hands, the strong digits expressive as he drew an imaginary circle on the tabletop. "First, I need to test a Kull. If you can find out or get word where they are being deployed, let me know immediately." Glinting silver eyes met the Tok'ra's.

"I'm one of the best combatants in all of the SG teams, Kornan." Red tried to break free long enough to say "You mean 'the single best'." but Dec kept his second personality in check. Red's ego was a little too healthy sometimes. "That ain't bullshit, either. If a Kull is too much for me, I'll break and run and we'll know how bad the problem is." He drew a second circle beside the first.

"Secondly, we need to find Cam. Whatever happened, I want to know. Vinny's death cut out the heart of a friend of mine, and Cam better be able to shed light on that. But that ain't the main reason." he gave Kyria a one-armed hug, explaining to both her and Kornan. "What Cam's doing is unsound strategically. He's picking off the weaker Lords and giving the other weak ones something to be afraid of. That leads to alliances, and that means a harder fight. I want to see if he'll work with us, rather than at cross-purposes."

[Mr Fox]

Kornan frowned, "I do not believe the smaller Goa'uld falling is Cameron Mitchell's doing. He was captive and being tortured by Jao-long during the time that was occurring." He did look worried, "That is what bothers us, that two minor System Lords could be dispatched so quickly and easily and we know nothing about who might be responsible. Honestly, I had hoped it might be you or the other Hak'taur."

[z028 Riley]

Kyria frowned and nodded. "It very well could be. There were a number of novas that 'disappeared' or were 'reassigned' from the SGC. It was actions like that and the constant interference from the IOA that was a large part of Declan and I's decision to leave."

She nibbled at the food again, still getting used to the feeling of hunger. "Either way, making contact with Cam is a good idea, especially to find out what happened with Vinny. Livy should have that much closure at least. Tracking down exactly who is taking out the less powerful System Lords should be our second priority. And finding Kull warrior to test will just have to be as it becomes available. I would also like to see what I can glean from a Kull's mind before you take it apart, love." She smiled at Declan, knowing how excited he and Red would be at the thought of a real challenge to their skills.

"As for facing an army of us, in the reality that I came from that was a great enough fear that an alien race attempted to infiltrate and destroy humanity. I touched their mind scape when we melded the human race into one consciousness. That won't be an option here, as that Earth had already embraced the ideals of Unity nearly a hundred years ago. However, the idea of alliance and Unity is still a valid one in facing the allied System Lords or Anubis. Petty squabbles and paranoid secrecy are only going to get the singular races that actually have the technology or resources to be a threat to them wiped out one by one." She shook her head. "It may not be that severe of a situation. We can't know until we either see the unified fleet bearing down on us or everyone pools their intelligence so we can act before the catastrophe is upon us."

[Mr Fox]

Kornan considered a moment before speaking, "I will offer what help I can, but it will be up to the Tok'ra high coucil what aide we can give you or what alliances we make. To start with I can train you both in how to fly that Al'kesh you arrived in and a little about other Goa'uld equipment if you would like. That much I can do without checking with the others."

He held up his hands to prevent any response, "I will do more. I will recommend to the council that they allow me to accompany you and together we can hunt for one of these Kull. As for Cameron Mitchell, we will pass on word of him to you if we get any, but he disappeared pretty thoroughly after his escape. If one of our agents within Yiu's command or the fleet finds out more I will inform you."

[The Red Man]

"That's a lot, actually." Dec smiled, the friendly animation of his features eerie contrasted with the glittering, soulless mercury of his eyes, and offered Kornan a hand. "It's a good place to start as far as trust-building and alliances go. For our part, we'll share raw data we find on our enemies with you, along with any conclusions or analysis we come up with ourselves."

He glanced at Kyria, then at Kornan. "We'll investigate the missing system lords first, then? If Anubis is smart and isn't the one behind the disappearances, then he'll be sending a force to do the same. If it's Christmas and my birthday, that force will have Kulls with 'em, otherwise I'll be happy to get a read on what or who is knocking off the small fry goa'uld. Unknown elements are potential death to any halfway decent strategy." He leaned back in his chair, fingers idly toying with Kyria's hair as he regarded both her and the Tok'ra. "How's that sound as a plan?"

[z028 Riley]

Kyria leaned in towards Declan, their gentleness with each other so at odds with the conversation and the capabilities of the two novas. "Mm, sounds good to me. I could really use the flying lessons, thank you. No use getting ourselves blown up or drifting out in space for however long just because I couldn't bank well enough. Also, any of the other technology that you are willing to teach us would be highly appreciated."

She smiled with an almost lazy contentedness at Kornan and asked softly, "How long could you estimate that the council will take? We do have something of a timeline to work around at the moment."

[Mr Fox]

"The council will take a few days to deliberate, but in the mean time you are guests so there is no reason you can't get some rest and then have some flying lessons. I hate to be unproductive while I wait." Kyria knew from her time as his host that Kornan was nothing if not patient and could wait for decades for a plan to come to fruition, but it was a nice gesture.

"Your plan is a good one however, and I think the council will not object to you going out and collecting information if you are willing to share it. I just hope that they allow me to accompany you."

Click to reveal..

Continue on with the conversation if you want or we can skip ahead a bit.

[Mr Fox]

A week and a half later after many many hours of piloting instruction and tech training for both of the former Specialists, Kornan was summoned to meet with the coucil. An hour after that Kyria and Dec were also requested to attend.

The group of seven Tok'ra sat behind the crystalline table facing Kornan and the two Tau'ri. An older woman with nearly white hair and a serious expression spoke, "Thank you for coming. First understand that we do not usually share information so directly, but this is something that you requested to know. One of our agents with the system lord's combined fleet was dispatched to track down the Shol'va that betrayed Yiu, the group of Jaffa that your Cameron Mitchell was leading."

"Our agent was able to delay the pursuit by several hours and it was apparently enough to secure Mitchell's escape. They tracked a transmission to an uninhabited planet where his small fleet stopped to gather supplies and hunt, but after that the trail grew cold and after an attempt to follow their ships the chase was given up. He appears to have alluded capture for now, but we do not know where he might have gone."

The older woman waved a wrinkled hand in a dismissive gesture, "That is of little consequence however, now Ba'al is in command of the combined fleet and is holding ground against Anubis. That is good in the short term, but will prove difficult when the present crisis is resolved, assuming that Anubis is defeated." The older woman looked at Kornan.

"Yes." He turned Dec and Kyria, "Your ship is well suited to infiltrate any fleet activity or ground invasion by Anubis. It has the edge over other Al'kesh thanks to it's upgrades." He paused to look seriously at the pair of specialist whom he had come to consider friends, "That doesn't mean that you should attempt to take on other ships in battle if you can help it, especially not larger ships. However, I believe that we should be able to get ahead of Anubis' advance and be there before he lands on one of the worlds. There you should have the opportunity to track and capture one of the Kull warriors." His use of the word 'we' was obvious, but then so was his use of 'you' in capturing the Kull. He was willing to stick his neck out for you but only so far.

[z028 Riley]

Kyria nodded, this was what she'd expected and she was grateful for how uncharacteristically open the Tok'ra were being. She'd enjoyed the past couple of weeks, learning how to fly and tidbits on Goa'uld technology; her appetite had kept itself to the nova normal, so she'd also learned a great deal about Tok'ra cuisine. Now well into her second trimester, her "baby bump" was starting to show but she'd lost none of the preternatural grace or strength that her nova heritage had endowed her with.

She nodded to the news, "That sounds excellent. How long before we can be under way? The sooner we test these Kull warriors, the sooner we'll know how to deal with them in the upcoming war."

[The Red Man]

Declan nodded, his own time having been spent honing his already formidable abilities to new heights. He'd been blindingly fast before: now his motions were almost invisible to those without nova reflexes. He'd been pouring over the intel the Tok'ra had provided, finding patterns and links between the Goa'uld movements and feeding his analysis back to the Tok'ra leaders. Hopefully that would go some way to proving his and Kyria's worth as allies.

"We're all ready to go as soon as you are, Kornan." he added with a faint smile and nod to their contact here.

Click to reveal..

Dec's been using his Analyse Weakness, Tactical, Investigative, and Strategic prodigy enhancements to go over any intel the Tok'ra share. Let me know if you want any dice rolls, Fox, but assume Dec's sharing any findings with the Tok'ra along with his best counter strategies and analysis.

[Mr Fox]

Kornan just shrugged. "I am ready now. I have a small bag packed in my quarters."

A thin man on the council two seats to the right of the old woman who was the leader stood and awkwardly extended his hand toward Dec. "We will be sorry to see you go. Your insight has been a boon to the Tok'ra over the time you have spent with us." That was plain to anyone who had been part of the stragedy sessions. At least two of their operatives had been saved from potential mistakes that could have exposed their alliagence.

Another of the counilors spoke in a more friendly manner than the two visitors were used to, "We've taken the liberty of stocking your ship with supplies. You should not lack for food for some time to come." He smiled in a way that could almost be a grin, "Even for your appetites."

[z028 Riley]

Kyria blushed; she wasn't used to being one of the novas that needed an entire chef's staff just to keep up with her appetite. The Tok'ra (and Kornan in particular) had been incredibly accommodating on the note and she was surprised to find that she was going to miss the beautiful and harsh crystal caverns and the interesting hot/cold games of loyalty, paranoia, and mutual evaluation that had been their time with the Tok'ra.

"Our thanks," she nodded to the councilors. "We should be off, and hopefully back again soon. Thank you all for your assistance and friendship."

She held out a hand to Declan; as usually, she was always packed to go.

[Mr Fox]

The pair of novas and their new companion were escorted to the ship and seen off by a handful of Tok'ra. The goodbyes were subdued and formal, but not so much as they had been in the past. They might not be welcomed with open arms, but there was a definite sense of respect building toward the couple.

As the final farewells were being said, the thin man from the council, Marhen, raised a hand in farewell and said, "You will not be able to return to us here when your mission is complete, we will have moved this base to another world. Kornan, will be able to find us."

With that the group turned back toward where the transport rings were hidden beneath the sand leaving the trio of would be scouts behind.

Kornan shoulded his bag looked to his two companions. "I'll let you two practice piloting on the trip there, but if you wouldn't mind I'd like to pilot the ship when we arrive, and I'll leave capturing a Kull warrior to you." He waited a moment for the reply before heading into the ship and added, "What do you want to do when we arrive? According to the latest reports Annubis is scheduled to hit Samakarth next. It's one of Ba'al's agrigcultural worlds. Nothing but villages and farmers, and whatever jaffa Ba'al has garrisoned."

[z028 Riley]

Kyria nodded at the wisdom of letting the most experienced pilot control the ship in enemy territory. As they settled in, her hand rested lightly on the bulge of her stomach. She was five months pregnant now; only her quantum-enhanced grace allowed her to be anything other than ungainly at this point. "Well, I'm not going to test myself physically against a Kull right now, but I can search the minds on the planet to locate it. I can also listen in on Ba'al's Jaffa leaders; possible Anubis' if the opportunity would arise."

She glanced between the two men, "Do either of you have any particular actions you want me to take or information to look for?"

[Mr Fox]

Kornan thought for a bit then answered, "That sounds pretty good." He pursed his lips a seconded then added, "Selmak has been working with Colonel Carter trying to learn more about the Kull warriors. They briefly examined one that was captured when it raided an SGU facility, but from what they could tell the creature seemed almost mindless. I don't know if that will help or not, but you might want to keep it in mind when you search for them."

[The Red Man]

"Mindless?" Declan rolled his eyes. "Only a goa'uld would make their ultimate warrior mindless, strong, and tough. It's just a straight-line shock and awe weapon from the sounds of it." The grizzled man snorted from his seat, his contempt obvious. "These guys have relied on their tech, their fanatical, disposable warriors, and their ruthlessness for so long that I doubt they remember the actual craft of war. Some of their Jaffa have a clue, but no-one actually worthy of being called a soldier would think these Kulls worth investing time and resources in. 'Course, any smart Jaffa probably wouldn't point that out to his boss. It's 'Star Wars' syndrome."

"Star Wars?" Kornan asked as he set some coordinates. Dec watched him, studying the controls as Kornan used them.

"Yeah. It's a fictional movie back home. The bad guys build this huge superweapon that can obliterate huge planets, but that's all it can really do. It's a big, lumbering space station with a big-ass gun on it, but the bad guys love the idea of blowing up whole planets so much that even when the first one gets taken out, they build another." Dec sipped at the strange drink that he'd found in the stores. It wasn't bad - kinda like iced coffee. "It's just like this Anubis character loves the idea of a mindless unstoppable killing machine so much that he has to have them, regardless of how tactically sound they are."

[Mr Fox]

Kornan pursed his lips in thought for a moment then replied, "Well, I don't know about awe, but shocking is very accurate. The problem is that they seem to be working for him. He is standing alone against the combined might of the system lords and winning. Not as fast as he might like perhaps, but he's still taking world after world."