Episode Four - The Cult of Lillith

[Paul Riley]

1607
Bridge
BC-304 Sun Tzu
Star System M1B

"All I'd need is a few seconds to target them properly and they would be ready, however... Sir could the Vanir be that other group of Asgard the Atlantis expedition met a couple years back... If so, the beams may yet be effective."
Replied Decker to Colonel Riley in response to his asking about their current rail gun capability. The thought had crossed Riley's mind too regarding Altantis, and we all knew how that encounter had ended.
"I already scanned your vessel and detected many Asgard components on board. You have the ability and knowledge and vessel capable of assisting us. I know of the work you have accomplished with my brothers in the Milky Way Galaxy. Would you be willing to render assistance?"
Said the Asgard. 
Before Riley gave a reply, Decker furnished him with some more news,
"Sir, his weapons appear to be powering down, his shields are still up as are ours. however... sir... ask him about that Atlantis incident... if he is one of them or otherwise with them... we should be extra careful... it will also be safe to assume beaming nukes into his ship wont be possible... he might understand the beaming technology, and our shields better than we do. I believe he has us at a disadvantage."


He valued his crew's opinion, and he couldn't agree more. Riley secretly cursed to himself, Major Booth and the Sun Tzu flight crew were all just recovering from the horrific encounter aboard the alternate reality ship, he could use a few more people on standby if this got ugly. Still, here they were and it is what it is. Nodding to Decker, he pressed the comms button once more,
"Njord, this is Commander Riley. We may be willing to lend you some assistance. What exactly is it that you need?" He paused awaiting a reply, none came. Riley rolled his eyes, he'd heard the Asgard were like this, "Alright, can you at least give us 48 hours to meet you at a set of co-ordinates to meet you at? We need to restock and resupply." Njord's reply came through the comms channel, Riley was tactical and waited until now to spring the ultimate question,
"One final thing before we agree to help with... Whatever it is you need... Have you ever heard of the Attero device?" He made eye contact with Decker as the Asgard gave his reply. Now they truly knew who they were dealing with, and my gosh hadn't the mission taken a turn since the outset.

<Tag Njord>

[Njord]

1607
Bridge
Starship Vanir
Star System M1B

Njord looks at the screen and awaits a response while looking at the scans he took of the ship along with its personnel and capabilities. Njord did hear of the Attero device but wasn't with them when they encountered the Atlantis Expedition. "Commander Riley, I did indeed hear of the Attero device in the Pegasus galaxy. My brothers died there and I escaped with a few survivors before they encountered your people and before the device was activated." Njord says while taking a break before continuing.

"We need help with something of the utmost importance, I will send you the coordinates now and I will meet you there in 48 hours, when we detect your vessel in orbit we will send you instructions to meet." Njord ends the transmission and pulls away heading back out to the vastness of space.

<Tag Paul Riley, Ryan Decker>

[Ryan Decker]

1608
Bridge
BC-304 Sun Tzu
Star System M1B

Colonel Riley's response was one he expected of that particular man, but one he felt might have been lost on others, you can't out muscle someone far, far smarter than you. However the CO's response was certainly far more diplomatic than even Decker anticipated.

"Njord, this is Commander Riley. We may be willing to lend you some assistance. What exactly is it that you need?" Decker was slightly surprised to find the Asgard didn't answer if what he read the Vanir were far more direct, in an order of magnitude or two than the mainstream Asgard. They had after all assaulted Atlantis to get what they wanted rather than ask or just take and give back, but Decker was just waiting for that ship to open a hyperspace window in that fraction of a second to a second before it entered the window it would be without shields and he would be able to get some very, very detailed scans of this Njord's vessel.

"Alright, can you at least give us 48 hours to meet you at a set of co-ordinates to meet you at? We need to restock and resupply." The Colonel finished off clearly from the weapons officer's point of view a little annoyed. Then he was somewhat glad somewhat not as Riley asked the burning question.

"One final thing before we agree to help with... Whatever it is you need... Have you ever heard of the Attero device?" Now that was pretty direct, then again Earth humans,. Tau'ri were known for that know, as much as they were in a sense the ones taking on the Ancients mantle, we had a different approach, much less benevolent plenty more belligerent.

"Commander Riley, I did indeed hear of the Attero device in the Pegasus galaxy. My brothers died there and I escaped with a few survivors before they encountered your people and before the device was activated." Well that wasn't anything for sure, the Vanir Asgard could be lying to them right over the comm channel and they had no way of verifying it or not, trusting them was something he would object to, if given an opportunity to voice his opinion.

"We need help with something of the utmost importance, I will send you the coordinates now and I will meet you there in 48 hours, when we detect your vessel in orbit we will send you instructions to meet." Had this not been a life threatening situation and if it didn't risk upsetting what seemed to be a competent command structure on this vessel the Flight Lieutenant might have scoffed maybe a fake laugh, like they were going to just drop out of hyperspace over a planet, good thing those 302s still had their very limited hyperspace capability.

The transmission cut off as Njord began to turn away likely to open a hyperspace window. "Everyone scan the hell out of that vessel as it opens a hyperspace window, we will need every single piece of data we can get." He half ordered half suggested. As Negro's vessel jumps off into hyperspace it shields drop momentarily before it disappears as every available sensor is directed to the Vanir vessel.

He then turned slightly to Colonel Riley, "Permission to speak freely sir." He asked.

<TAG: Paul Riley, Njord> (Note: I assumed Njord's vessel goes to hyper space if this isn't the case I'll change it I also assumed that his vessel's shields drop like all asgard shielding when entering/exiting hyperspace. again if not the case will edit.)

[Paul Riley]

1608
Bridge
BC-304 Sun Tzu
Star System M1B

It wasn't every day you got face to face with an Asgard, least of all a member of the fabled Lost Tribe, which was confirmed by Njord,
"Commander Riley, I did indeed hear of the Attero device in the Pegasus galaxy. My brothers died there and I escaped with a few survivors before they encountered your people and before the device was activated." Paul didn't have the words to hand to reply to this, Njord continued, "We need help with something of the utmost importance, I will send you the coordinates now and I will meet you there in 48 hours, when we detect your vessel in orbit we will send you instructions to meet." 
"Understood Njord. 48 hours. Riley ou-" The transmission was ended abruptly by the Asgard, "Well, there's that..."
The Asgard ship turned away from the Sun Tzu and began to pick up speed,
"Everyone scan the hell out of that vessel as it opens a hyperspace window, we will need every single piece of data we can get."
Exactly what the Colonel had been thinking, he watched as the crew typed furiously and data streamed across the various monitors. The familiar blue hues of a hyperspace window opened before the vessel shot through it and vanished completely. A calm descended upon the bridge of the Sun Tzu once more,
"Permission to speak freely sir."
"Go ahead Decker, what's on your mind?" Riley said, leaning back in his chair.

<Tag Ryan Decker>

[Ryan Decker]

1609
Bridge 
BC-304 Sun Tzu
Star System M1B

The Colonels reaction to being cut of by Njord was somewhat predictable but then again perhaps so was being cut offm particularly by someone who was Asgard, he was sure General O'Neill would agree. 

As everyone scanned Njord's ship as it opened a hyperspace window and then went into it they got a lot of data; power systems, crew compliment, weapons, shields, transporters and of course a decent scan of its overall signature.
Decker updated some commands in the Sun Tzu's computers it would send a message to all senior crew and all bridge stations that that vessel or vessels matching it were inbound and their capabilities. Once everyone settled into sorting and analysing the data it was then Decker asked the Colonel if he could speak.

"Go ahead Decker, what's on your mind?" Riley said leaning back in the Command chair. The Flight Lieutenant took a few moments to think before he turned slightly to face the Colonel.

"Sir, do you really think helping somone who is, by his own addmission with or part of a hostile group a good idea?" Decker paused thinking the next set of words over carefully. "Now I know the SGC and Atlantis haven't got a great track record on this part, but usually these sorts of things were done under immediate dire consequences, or to gain intelligence while limitedly helping them. I feel we shouldn't just turn up at those coordinates on time without atleast researching about this Njord in the asgard database and sending some sort of recon to the coordinates, we could even use the 302s to scout for us by dropping out of the esge of the system and using their limited in system hyperdrive capabilities, otherwise sir I would strongly advise against going." Decker finished and quickly looked back to his screens checking them before awaiting the Commanding Officers reply.

<TAG: Paul Riley>

[Shawn Booth]

1610
Bridge
BC-304 Sun Tzu
Star System M1B

The XO's been watching everything and taking everything in. The Vanir are a known Asgard group that opposes the Asgard High Councils stance on saving their race. We do know they fired upon the Atlantis expedition yet this Vanir alien could've fired upon us but didn't once he found out who we were and that we weren't a threat to him or his people.


The XO has no personal problem with the Vanir or Njord in particular but the Asgard were always known for asking for our help even though we were inferior to them in every way especially technologically. The only reason they gave us their whole knowledge base and technology was because they were committing mass suicide because of the Ori and they weren't making much progress on their cloning techniques.

"Colonel, I think we should hear Njord out. I mean if he wanted to destroy us he had us dead to rights. He most likely could've destroyed us. Sure the Vanir don't have a great track record with us but there is only a few of them left, if that. I see no problem with going to the coordinates, if they wanted us dead we'd be dead, he said he wants our help, I think we should hear them out on whatever the issue is."

The XO said in response to the Flight Lt.

<Tag Ryan Decker Paul Riley>

[Paul Riley]

1610
Bridge
BC-304 Sun Tzu
Star System M1B

"Sir, do you really think helping someone who is, by his own admission with or part of a hostile group a good idea?" Decker said, Riley paused and tilted his head in thought. Decker said his piece, essentially he felt a strong distrust for this Asgard/Vanir and it's sudden request for assistance. The Colonel had to agree in a way, the alien seemed to have a perfectly functioning vessel with capabilities far out weighing the Sun Tzu's, what could they possibly need help with? They were going to need a plan.

Major Booth had stepped onto the bridge just in time to catch the transmission, having debriefed with the away team in the infirmary.
"Colonel, I think we should hear Njord out. I mean if he wanted to destroy us he had us dead to rights. He most likely could've destroyed us. Sure the Vanir don't have a great track record with us but there is only a few of them left, if that. I see no problem with going to the coordinates, if they wanted us dead we'd be dead, he said he wants our help, I think we should hear them out on whatever the issue is." 
The Colonel nodded, he had to agree with that too. He chose his words carefully...
"We'll approach with caution, the intelligence gains are just too much not to investigate. If the Vanir are at work in this galaxy as well, we need to know... That being said, I've got a Plan B in mind..."



To be continued in Episode Five



END OF EPISODE



(Thank you all for the great experience! See you on the other side)