Episode Three - Extinction

[Jacob "Jake" Oliver]

1454
Enemy Vessel
Meropis Orbit

There had been no doubt in his mind that his words of there being 'other personnel' on board had struck something within McManus. He saw it clear as day. That composure that the man tried to hold; a particular thing that Oliver had seen all too many times when they had been on missions together. And to be honest, the fact that McManus felt betrayed or disregarded had been something Oliver understood. Meropis had left him for dead. They hadn't tried to search him out, and, quite simply, set him aside as M.I.A until one day, they may find his body washed up somewhere in some dune sea in a planet unknown, or in the deepest depths of an ocean somewhere during one of their explorations. It had beens something he'd been at odds with amongst many of his fellow Meropis Personnel back down on the planet surface. Something that, more times than not, had got him in heated debates. Some considered McManus a 'necessary loss'. They were in a new galaxy after all, and thus, these things were bound to happen. It was the price of the risk that they had taken.
But Jake had always made clear that their mission was one thing and the safety of their team - that was quite another. It held far more paramount importance - and nothing on their home galaxy or this Triangulum galaxy would have ever stopped the Captain from finding his lost brother; dead or alive.

For that reason, he felt blessed that he had been able to find McManus personally. Better yet, to find him alive.

The Captain let out a thankful sigh when Andrew willingly took up arms once more for Meropis - for his once C.O. Because while he had been betrayed by Meropis, something deep within Oliver made him think that McManus still had faith and respect in at least some of those whom he knew would have never given up on him. Then again, that truly was an assumption. Something that Oliver had attributed to the McManus he once knew. But something about him now, it screamed a different man - even with the immense control and ability the Scotsman had at concealing his inner self. No less - changed or not, he was back, and that was everything and more than Jacob could had ever hoped for.

Giving McManus a confident nod, the Captain accepted his recommendation on allowing him to take the lead.
"You got it, Macky." he winked, giving Harrison a smile all the same. "You can relax a little now, Harrison. We got ourselves one hell'ov'a shot to keep us from getting completely massacred up here." he spoke, complete confidence in his words and in McManus's ability with a weapon, but more than that, in combat.
However, just as they readied to head for the doorway, Jacob halted as the Scotsman turned back to meet him. The word of another prisoner on board left him with a turning stomach. The idea of having to retrieve yet another innocent life from this murderous bastards making him ever more concerned about how they were going to go about achieving their mission covertly. The more the merrier they used to say, but in military op's like this; it just wasn't so.

But as Andrew explained the ways that these savage beasts went about tormenting and 'turning' their prisoners, the Captain saw no other choice. Leaving this Oberon stranger to a fate such as the one described wasn't an option. War had been the only thing the Meropis Expedition had brought to the Triangulum Galaxy thus far - and doing some good for the peoples that resided in it? Hell, that couldn't do any harm.
When Andrew noted the life signs detector in Harrison's hand, it was clear now that their best bet would be for the two gentleman that had boarded the craft to do a specific task to take the helm; at least until they were headed to plant the C4. So, with an understanding nod at McManus's words, the Captain looked over at Harrison and signalled him towards the door.
"You heard the man, Harrison, my man. Let's riddle these evil son's'o'bitches with some bullets." his eyes then found their way back to McManus, dawned with sadness at what the innocent soul had to face in their delayed rescue. And while he wanted to preach countless apologies, he couldn't find it in him to do so just yet. He knew he couldn't get into that state of mind. He had to stay focused. Stay ready. Stay determined.

Lives were at stake. Not just Meropis Personnel below, but Oberon's as well.

"I'm picking up the other human life! The cells aren't far.... Quick.... We'll only face a little enemy presence if we go now!" Harrison quacked urgently.

Without hesitation, Jacob moved closely with Harrison, feeling more comfortable than he had in quite sometime with McManus by his side. Feeling closer to home than he had ever since boarding this cursed ship. With speed and silence they moved through the ship, until finally, they reached a narrow archway which lead into a somewhat wider room with well crafted cells. The door to one of them was open; three of the enemy creatures standing in front of it, looking upon a well dressed gentleman within; a cocky smile donning his features despite the fact that he was at the mercy of these creatures now; guns aimed upon him.

Flashing his eyes back at McManus, he gave the man an uneasy look. "We've gotta' do this right, Macky. Nice and quiet. We can't afford to be gettin' our asses chased around this ship. Not when we got C4 to plant. I'll take the one on the right - you okay to do the one in the middle, Macky? Harrison - you've got the left... A careful placed pistol whip to the side of the neck should do the trick. Nothin' to it, promise." he reassured the scientist who gulped uneasily.

In what felt like a few seconds Oliver had rushed his target, gripping him about the head and twisting his targets head with extreme force. A brief crack echoed through the cells and the large creature plummeted violently to the floor; his armour thunking against the solid floor. Harrison went throttling into the air, a brief wail escaping his throat as he reeled his weapon hand into the air and allowed it to come crashing down with force into his own target.
Ka-thunk!
Down he came, and Harrison dropped down on top of him; struggling for air in complete shock in the success of his attack.

Oliver couldn't help but chuckle a little, extending his hand and hoisting the man back to his feet, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Good work, buddy." he grinned, before checking up on McManus to make sure all had went well. Finally however, his eyes found their way to Oberon whom had been sitting within, his hands now coming together to clap at the mens efforts.

"I knew you would come back for me if ever you could, Soldier of Meropis." Oberon spoke to McManus, Oliver watching on.

<TAG McManus/Oberon>

[Oberon Dassos]

1455
Enemy Vessel
Meropis Orbit

In his cell he sat, ready for the creatures to claim him for their own. He knew all too well that the self proclaimed God's of Slave Erós had orchestrated his kidnapping, as well as the disappearance of his family whom, only recently, Oberon had managed to manipulate one of the creatures into speaking of and informing him of their whereabouts. He truly did have a way with words; a cunningness about him that made him a powerfully dangerous diplomat and preacher. For, at first, they had been on the ship with him, but now, they had been returned to Slave Erós and remained captive at the hands of Ärgör Aëgös, the God King.
It had riddled him with fear. The idea of his parents being at the mercy of individuals whom wished none but for his family to be eradicated from the face of the histories. Truthfully, his uncertainty on there well-being had been the only reason he felt complete obligation in getting off of this horrid vessel with such haste. For, in most regards, he was a patient man; careful and able to take time to plot. But under these circumstances, there was no time. And thankfully, as he and his people could not penetrate Slave Erós's fortress on their own without advanced technologies, the people of Meropis came to his aid, as the McManus gentleman had promised him. And of course, Oberon had something to barter their co-operation with.

Though, that was a conversation for another time. A time when they were away from this vessel and back in some reasonable comforts.

Hence the confident smile that had been sported on his features.

"I knew you would come back for me if ever you could, Soldier of Meropis." Oberon spoke in his native accent. If anything, it mirrored that of a Spanish accent from Earth. Not quite exactly so, but if ever there were a comparison. "Now, by the look of your friend here," Oberon gestured at Oliver, "there is a paticular urgency to our little escape." he rose top his feet and stepped out from behind the cell. His eyes moved to a table which housed his belt and holster; within it, his ancient tech pistol. Moving towards it, he drew it around his waist and looked back at the men as he fastened it. "I am Prince Oberon Dassos of Free Erós, and it is my sincere pleasure to make the acquaintance of you all. And of course, the re-acquaintance of my friend, Master McManus." he gave them all a warm smile before the sound of footsteps crunching their way down the hallway grasped his attention. Quickly he turned, his eyes locked on the door, he raced for the controls and hit the doors activation button. It slid shut quickly, closing with a thud.

A few seconds passed. A few more. The footsteps drew ever closer, until finally, they stopped at the door. Deathly silence loomed for a long while until over the audio devices in the vessel came the voice of one of the savages. The foosteps commenced again, going in the other direction and at a far more rapid rate. The sweat that had began to form at Oberon's brow line dripped down his cheek, and he let out a relieved breath.
"Gentleman, I think we are safe to tend our escape." he opened his hand and invited them towards the door. "You have aided me, and thus, from now until a time hereafter when my life is given for yours, after this selfless act of freeing me, I am at your service." he spoke truthfully.

<TAG McManus/Oliver>

[Jason Conway]

1503
Control Room
Meropis

The General stood to attention, his shoulders bunched up as his stress levels rose. He watched the monitor track the drones racing their way up into the atmosphere and beyond, drilling in to the alien ships. One of the technicians monitoring as many systems as he could shouted up to the expedition leader, informing him that drone reserves were near enough depleted. This was an ancient city afterall, thousands of years old and abandoned in favor of Atlantis. Conway acknowledged Captain Jones leaving the control chair and making his way down to the lower levels. Things had really taken a turn for the worse, the aliens had managed to infiltrate the city with relative ease. Two of the alien ships in orbit were mostly immobile but still full of enemy warriors, and one of those ships had three of his personnel on board, valiantly fighting their way out. He listened to the reports over the radio attentively, these aliens were unlike anything they had encountered before. Not unlike Anubis warriors SG-1 struggled with a few years ago he thought, they were seemingly unstoppable unless you emptied your entire ammunition stores into them. The expedition could not keep up this defense.

It was then that he heard Dr. Glavish mention the drop in power, leaning both hands on the desk in front of him he resisted the urge to grind his teeth. What more could they throw at him? Unfortunately, his question was answered. Dr. Black shouted to the room in general, "SHIELDS ARE ALMOST GONE!". Everything seemed to happen in slow motion to Brigadier General Jason Conway. He noticed the civilians being evacuated through the gate to the temporary Alpha site, military staff ushering them through as quickly as they could, the gate rippling with each desperate soul diving through toward safety. The power drop had done something to the shields, his gaze panned across the room. Sparks were flying from an overheard monitor as an impact with the shield surged the power through the systems, bypassing all the electrical fail safes that had ironically begin to fail. He looked out through the balcony to the golden, flowing hue of the ancient shields protecting the city to see patches opening and closing here and there. It was at this point he watched, powerless to stop, the great green energy blast screaming down from orbit managed to slip through one of the holes in the failing shields and impact pier two at full force, causing an almighty explosion that could be felt even where he stood in the control room. Personnel ducked for cover, teams panicked and reached for fire extinguishers for sparking consoles, and yet more people ran toward the open Stargate. There may only be one more alien ship but whatever the alien warriors within the city had done, it could prove to be the end of them.

And there he stood, powerless to defend, out of weapons and out of armor. Turning to the control room he issued the only order that made sense to him, "Evacuate the city." Pressing his radio ear-piece he contacted Captain Jones, "Achilles, the shield has failed. Grab the ZPM and evacuate as soon as you can." Turning to the team who were looking at him with a mixture of horror and sadness, he took a deep breath. Nodding to Hamish, they silently acknowledged their fate. This enemy was simply unlike anything they had ever faced before.

<Tag All!>

[Dominic Evans]

1503
Meropis City
Stardrives

They had all converged on the star drives, having located the alien infiltration team, but the battle had not been completely clean. Evans emptied the last few bullets on the clip of his P90 into the enemy warrior approaching them, throwing the weapon down and drawing his M9 pistol as quick as he could. He fired a few more shots and together with a team mate's gunfire, the enemy warrior was finally brought down. With the target down he turned to Callaghan to his left, who had been hit by enemy weapons fire. He seemed stable but in a lot of pain. Evans crouched at his side, "You're gonna be okay buddy hang in there." Pushing his radio he called for help, "We've got wounded in the star drives, requesting med-evac a-sap!" He grabbed Callaghan's hand, allowing him to squeeze through the pain. He looked the officer in the eyes. Fortunately, this was a smart move. Evans noticed Callaghan's attention briefly caught by something over his shoulder just as the gunfire resumed. Evans ducked into cover and returned shots with his M9.

It took a few moments, but the team slowly stopped firing their weapons. They noticed that the enemy warrior was not shooting at them. It was just stood there, laughing, a deep bubbling laugh from the depths of a mutated throat. It had not even bothered to carry a weapon on it's person. Evans fired an experimental shot at the alien and noticed, by a brief golden flash, that it had hit a force field. "It's set up something across the hall! A shield or something!" It may have been stating the obvious but it was a lengthy albeit not very wide corridor. The soldiers at the back had caught the gist of the situation as well. It was then that they noticed it, Evans and Ahrima were nearer the front of the search party and their eyes were drawn to the object underneath the console ahead of them. The long corridor, littered with alcoves, converged on a central control room with a hexagonal shaped desk linked to various power conduits that acted as the veins and arteries of the city. Below that was a crude object, wiring leading from it and into the console via a panel that had been forcefully removed. The device had a red light oscillating along it's front, back and forth. Evans listened to the updates from the control room, evacuating? Grab the ZPM? ... Then it struck him. "This must be the device that's draining the shields!" But they couldn't get past the smaller shield the alien had set up for itself. Evans was out of ideas, he turned to Callaghan and was thankful the remaining one enemy warrior had decided not to finish them off. He nodded to the Captain and leant back against the alcove the two were covered in. "Any ideas?" He asked his wounded comrade.

<Tag Stardrive peoples>

[John Callaghan]

1503
Meropis,
Stardrive


John breathed heavily in pain. He had only been hit in his shoulder but it hurt like hell. And it was his good shoulder, too. He saw a British Warrant Officer take down an Alien before he rushed to his side to tell him he'd be okay. The Brit then noticed what was leeching the power from the shields, but they could not reach it. While still in pain, he opened the holster strapped to his right thigh with his left hand. Taking the Glock in his hand, he pointed at the place almost next to his head. "Airduct", he said. 

One of the Marines overheard him, and immediately opened it, while John proceeded to crawl into the hole. He put his teeth together. He had to bite through this. Then came the order to evacuate. He'd be damned if he followed that order. "Callaghan to...hrrgh.. Control. I... I will not follow that order. Hrrgh.. Court-Martial me how... Ever you like, later." Then he tried to look back, to see if the Brit was following him or not. 

[Andrew McManus]

1501
Enemy Vessel
Meropis Orbit

Andrew followed the two down the corridor of the alien ship, trusting the life signs scanner to keep them out of danger. Thoughts played across his mind as they moved, he had been staring at an alien wall for five weeks, having the stimulation of his rescuer's company gave him lots to think on. One such thought was that he was glad the other two were taking point as they were in far better condition than himself, then he reminded himself who has rescuers were and, more importantly, who his captors had been. His thoughts took a darker turn and he edged up between the two men. "We've gotta' do this right, Macky. Nice and quiet." He grunted a reply to Jake. When the command was given, McManus launched himself silently at the middle alien warrior. He grasped the alien warriors neck, turning it with force before the creature had a chance to comprehend it's situation. At the last minute he slowed his actions, just enough, just so that he could stare into the creature's eyes the moment the neck finally cracked. He let the body drop, spitting on it as it fell. It was only then that McManus was aware of his rapid breathing and elevated senses, he was also acutely aware of another person's eyes boring into him, possibly with mild horror. He took a moment and calmed himself.

A now composed McManus was pleased his comrades had agreed to help him fulfill his word to Oberon. A twitch of another thought crossed his mind, the alien's eyes, there had been nothing there, just a blank canvas ready to be programmed with warmongering orders. He didn't have time to let that disturb him as Oberon addressed the group, "I knew you would come back for me if ever you could, Soldier of Meropis. Now, by the look of your friend here, there is a particular urgency to our little escape." McManus smirked, flicking back to what he considered to be himself, they had a job to do and the strange accent of his new friend had brought him back to reality and lifted the red mist that the aliens had brought on. "Aye that there is my friend! I don't know where you come from but back home escaping from a prison cell is generally frowned upon." He quipped comically. He let the man re-arm himself, checking the pistol Jake had given him briefly while there was a chance.

He paused in his tracks. The sound of alien footsteps crunching down the hall. Oberon was sharp one, he would give him that. He had the where-with-all to find the controls and clearly had been paying attention to the buttons the their captors had used as he managed to shut them in, shielding the four of them from view. After what seemed like a few minutes, but was probably more like seconds, the aliens seemed to march off. "Gentleman, I think we are safe to tend our escape. You have aided me, and thus, from now until a time hereafter when my life is given for yours, after this selfless act of freeing me, I am at your service." McManus gave a tilt of the head to show appreciation at this. With a slight limp he made toward the door, "Now that our friends have gone, follow me." He began to lead the other three through the winding corridors of the alien ship, checking at every turn with Harrison and the scanner. Occasionally they would pause and duck into side-rooms as groups of warriors passed. After another minute or so they stopped outside a closed doorway, McManus gestured toward the control panel and looked at Oberon, "In here, best place to plant the C4 I think." Turning to keep an eye on the way they had come he allowed the other three to negotiate the doorway, then followed them in to the power plant.

<Tag Oberon/Oliver>

[Plot Twist]

0945
Gate Ops
Atlantis

The tone of Sheppard's voice said enough about the situation as it was, "Alright so we've manually uncoupled it, now what!?" A distressed Rodney McKay entered a few more commands into his laptop which was interfaced with the ancient control panel. "Look I don't know what to suggest okay!? According to this there is no way that Stargate should be building up the kind of energy it is, it must be some sort of subspace fail safe." Knowing that they weren't going to give up there Sheppard applied further pressure with a growl, "Rodney..." "Yes I have tried to look for it in the hard code but all I've managed to find is that this power build up doesn't just stop there, it seems to be city-wide. I would suggest we jettison the gate but that doesn't stop the fact the city seems to be slowly gearing up toward a subspace self destruct and as of right now we have no idea why." Ronan and Teyla stood behind Sheppard, waiting for their leader to tell them how to get out of this situation. They had just helped him manually remove some very large and very complicated components from the Stargate but knew nothing more than that.

It was at this point that the expedition leader, Richard Woolsey, stepped forward. His jaw set in an expression of grim determination. He had been fighting the IOA for months over their decision to keep Atlantis on the moon rather than returning to Pegasus, the situation they were in right now was exactly one of the reasons why. If this city went up...
"Rodney, what kind of damage are we talking about here?"
"Well not to mention our lives, the moon would probably be blown to smithereens which would cause massive tidal disruption and possibly even world wide tsunamis down on Earth and lets not get into the falling debris I mean-" Richard held up a hand.
"Thanks... Rodney.. I get the picture.." Silence fell on the room. Radek looked to Sheppard, Sheppard looked to Woolsey and McKay looked down at his laptop. They could be looking at the fate of Atlantis here, due to some sort of mischievous ancient fail safe buried so deep in the code that to disable it could destroy the city. Woolsey broke the tension with his voice like a hot knife through butter, "Any suggestions?" Stuttering slightly, Rodney raised a feeble hand, "Well there is one but..." "Go on..." "Assuming this IS a fail safe to prevent anybody from stealing the city then we've only got one choice, and it could result in us being completely dis-integrated... We have to use the wormhole drive to jump back to Pegasus."
Woolsey's expression flickered, only for a second, but Sheppard noticed it. He shared the leader's thoughts. If this worked Woolsey would be dragged over the coals kicking and screaming by the IOA, defying all orders and going rogue with the city-ship had heavy and complicated political consequences on Atlantis, Earth and the SGC. The alternative however, well that was quite simple. If they engaged the wormhole drive and the last time they had used it was a fluke then it could all go wrong. The city could be torn apart into molecules by the opening wormhole. What other choices did they have? Sit here and let the city blow up half the moon and take the entire Westen Hemisphere of Earth with it? Woolsey made the call.
"Alright. We'll make the jump." He nodded to Sheppard who saluted briefly, "I'll get Carson in the chair". Rodney and Radek exchanged looks, this was it. They were going to jump the city back to the Pegasus Galaxy...

<Tag None>

[Deleted]

1455
Stardrive Section
Meropis City
Achilles grins as he uses the Ribbon Device's kinetic energy blast to knock an alien officer about 10 feet (3.048 meters) into a power conduit, electrocuting him to death.

This enjoyment was short lived however, as he heard the claxon's and saw the flashing lights of a distress command. "Achilles, the shield has failed. Grab the ZPM and evacuate as soon as you can." The general sounded desperate in his voice.

"Roger that General," Achilles stated, and then pauses to take 6 shots from the particle magnum on an enemy soldier. "On my way tot he ZPM room." After saying those words, he headed over to the transport booth, and told the computer tot ake him tot he ZPM room.

---

1503
ZPM Room
Meropis City
Once he reached the ZPM room, he exited the booth slowly, and cleared the hallway and room tactically, making sure to clear the corners. "ZPM Room secured. No hostiles in sight. Attempting to secure ZPM. After a few short moments, Achilles had entered his command code and removed the ZPM. After which, he placed it in his left thigh's cago pocket, and then wired it to his shield emitter.

Arson, in his trademark Goa'uld voice now spoke. "General. We have secured the ZPM, and I have tied it into our Goa'uld shield emitter. Both Ancient and Goa'uld shields increase in strength when the power supply goes up, and/or when the surface area goes down. Since I have added a power source with nearly one thousand time's that of a Goa'uld power supply, and shrunk it to a surface area, thousand of times smaller, it should absorb tens of thousands of times more energy before dissipation. Achilles and I will be the last one out the gate."

Back in control, Achilles took them to the transport booth, and waited fr the battle report to determine where to go.

"Callaghan to...hrrgh.. Control. I... I will not follow that order. Hrrgh.. Court-Martial me how... Ever you like, later." Damn those young hot-heads. "Achilles to control, Arson and I will go down there with our ridiculously strengthened shield and get our men and women out of the stardrive to the gate."

---

1505
Stardrive Section
Meropis City
Achilles used the transport booth to get close to the fighting, and then once he exited, he linked up with Ahrima and the others at the energy shield.

"Report, Lieutenant." He said looking at Ahrima. His body language and voice made it clear it was the host talking.

[tag all]

[Hamish Flanagan]

1503
Control Room
Meropis

When the word had come through that the Captain had been hit, Hamish felt a weakness overcome him. His knees wanted to give out and he was desperate to find something to lean on. allowing himself to stammer back a few steps, he let his hand rest on one of the pillars holding the ceiling up in the Control Room, his eyes not daring to blink; his mind racing rapidly as he desperately hoped for the next few words to follow from the solider briefing them on the Captain's condition that things weren't too major.
With a thankful breath, he allowed himself to feel some relief.

The Captain was in pain, but he was alive.

Without anymore hesitation, the CMO tapped into his comm. "Flanagan ta' Med Bay, I need a bloody Field Medic headed down ta' the Stardrive sector ASAP!" he felt his voice becoming more urgent than it's usual calm sound. The idea of the city falling to the mercy of these blasted Aliens had him panicked, and God knew, it was starting to show. His eyes had been resting on General Conway for the most of the time he had been in the Control Room, desperately feeling sorry for the man being in such a position where he had so many peoples lives in his hands. Every minor decision having massive consequences.

Then he heard it.


"SHIELDS ARE ALMOST GONE!"
"Evacuate the City."

The General's words burned at his ears and the CMO offered the man an apologetic look that he couldn't be of more use to him in this pivotal moment. But then the thought of the field medic he had requested to tend to Callaghan raced back to the forefront of his mind. He couldn't have it. He couldn't be responsible for risking a member of his medical team losing their life when, by all standards, they should have been evacuated along with the rest of the personnel.
And so, he clicked his earpiece once more. "Dr. Flanagan ta' Med Bay. Cancel tha' request for a field med.... All personnel, except Dr. Gully an' Dr. Nero please report ta' th' gate room. I's time ta' go, folks. I's time ta' evacuate the city. I'll respon' ta' the call-out near the Stardrive myself." he took notice of General Conway and hoped he would understand the Doctor's decision. "I've gotta' make sure these boys get back here a'righ', General. Ya' consent would be very well appreciated, sir." he fastened his backpack once more and readied to head off; no matter the General's words. It was his duty to tend to this no matter what. And as a Civilian, he didn't fall under military command.

"Callaghan, whether ya' bloody neck deep in a firefigh' or no', I'm comin'a patch ya' up, lad! Hang in there, boy-o!"

1513
Stardrive
Meropis

With the corridors cleared, Hamish found himself racing through countless bodies and passing by walls riddled with bullet holes and blast holes until eventually, he found himself amidst it all. Side-by-side with those whom had been holding the line this entire time; putting their lives on the line for those beyond.
He offered them all a nod, his hand resting on the sidearm that sat on his thigh.

He turned to Evans, uncertainty plaguing his features now that he couldn't see any sign of the Captain.
"Callaghan? Where is he, lad? Is he a'righ'?" he questioned uneasily, hoisting his backpack off his back and beginning to search through the contents - when the sound of rustling in the air vent caught him. His eyes flashed over to it, and the shadowed outline of Callaghan had just been enough to confirm where the Captain was, answering his own question to some degree. He breathed a sigh of relief, flashing his torch toward the vent and giving a only just audible call out to the Captain.

"Ya' wanna' get ya'self sorted before ya' go racin' back inta' action, lad? It'll only take a jiffy." he smiled. "Either let me do it, or take a bandage an' a'leas' dress it a lil' 'til ya've done wha' ya need'a do. They're ya' only options, my friend." he grinned; his usual friendly, charming doctor smile.
Finally, he felt as though he was paying these men and women some use. Regardless of rushing away at the last minute when Conway had called the evacuation of the city.
Something he felt infinitely bad for.

But God as his witnesses; he wasn't going to leave these serving folk behind. He'd leave with them. Especially in the horrid circumstance that any one of them were mortally wounded. At least, with him by their side, they'd have someone to set things straight before they headed back through the gate. Someone to keep anyone of them alive until proper medical help could be obtained.

<TAG GEN. Conway/Callaghan/Evans/Ahrima>

[John Callaghan]

1510
Meropis,
Stardrive

John crawled through the narrow ducts, and after a few minutes he reached his exit. While on the road, he heard his radio, and the Chief Doc telling him he was on his way. He could not be bothered with that right now. He crawled on, and was annoyed when the doctor interrupted him again. "Uhm, I'm a little occupied here", John whispered before crawling on. After he arrived at his exit, the Captain quietly opened the way out, and with huge pain in his arm aimed at what seemed to be generating the shield. John squeezed the trigger and felt the recoil of his pistol. What followed was a tiny explosion which rendered the device inoperable.

A moment later, the Marines standing on the other side opened fire on the Alien. This one seemed to go down more easily that the others he had faced so far. He didn't mind, though. The enemy killed, and it was now safe for him to come out of his air vent. One of the Marines helped him up, and leaning on the Corporal, he turned to the Doctor and said "Now, you may treat me, if you insist"

[Dominic Evans]

1515
Stardrive
Meropis

Dominic Evans sighed and shook his head, "God speed ya crazy son of a gun..." He said, helping Callaghan up into the air vents. It was a cold, calculated decision but it made sense in the heat of the situation. Callaghan would not be much use here lying in an alcove wounded, so he'd chosen to head through the air duct and try to get past the enemy's shield. The walls vibrated, another blast somewhere else in the city. It was then that Evans noticed the cavalry arriving. Hamish and Achilles rounded the corner, both looking concerned, albeit for different reasons. The medical chief asked Evans where the patient was, to which he grimaced and nodded toward the air duct. Noticing Hamish roll his eyes and start unpacking his gear, he used the brief cease fire to check his own weapon's ammunition, one clip left. The Doc was speaking into the open vent, trying to grab the attention of the rogue Captain. He was drowned out by a couple of experimental shots from the others aat the alien shield blocking the corridor, it was still holding up strong. Evans sat with his back to the wall within the alcove, the walls shook again. He didn't really need to take cover, this enemy was draining the Meropis systems and seemed quite happy to stand there and let it happen, safe in the knowledge that his shield would protect him. It was almost as if the human soldiers were of no concern to him. The lights began to flicker and then went out, it must have been the device thought Evans. Torches atop guns and on uniforms flicked on along the corridor, the only light behind the shield coming from the alien's device and the small parts of it's armor that seemed to be powered somehow. A malicious red light flickering back and forth as the machine went to work.

And then it happened, a brief moment of silence punctuated by a shout as Captain Callaghan shot at the device the alien had plugged into the systems. The lights powered back up and Evans seized the moment, diving around the corner and out of cover he opened fire with his P90. As did everyone else. This alien went down faster than the others. The smoke curled from the end of the barrel of Evan's weapon as the alien, still standing, slowly wobbled. A great crash signaled that the unwelcome visitor had fallen face down. Evans remembered what the other aliens had done when they had been taken down, and with a shout he warned Callaghan, "Get back into cover!" His warning was justified with a high a pitch whining, escalating in pitch until it reached it's crescendo, the alien's body exploding. He winced, before slowly poking his head out from cover. It was clear, the lights were back on. But was it too late? The shields were already drained. Another impact shook the walls, sending dust trickling down on Evans from above.

They had all been so focused on their own situation here that they'd forgotten about the orbital bombardment. The walls shaking yet again confirmed they were still under attack. "Sir, that one felt like it came from the pier just to the East of here, we need to move!" Evans shouted toward the base XO with no small amount of urgency, getting to his feet and heading toward the wounded Callaghan's position. He may have spoken out of turn but the situation had now sunk in, they needed to get out of here, and fast. The adrenaline started rushing as the realization set in. If that last shot had been a hundred meters or so toward their position, some of them might not be alive anymore. Where would the next shot land? And how much of the city had been destroyed already? Evans broke into a run toward Callaghan.

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[Plot Twist]

1520
Control Room
Meropis

Conway grimaced as yet more personnel rushed through the open Stargate to safety. He would stay, he would be the last man standing. Achilles had secured the ZPM and wired it to his personal shield, he would stand side by side with his executive officer until every last man was through that gate to safety. The leader acknowledged the back and forth radio transmissions, damn it he cursed under his breath, injured personnel and an ongoing firefight in the bowels of the city. The Stardrive team were likely to be the last out to safety, but he would wait. Jason glanced at the monitors in front of him, reading the information available to him that informed him, with a great deal of flashing lights and urgency, that the city had taken a beaten. Some of the piers were underground due to the city having been sat there for thousands of years, but piers two and three were above ground and parts of the structure had been destroyed completely whereas others were incredibly unstable. Thankfully, the main tower was thin enough to have avoided being hit so far. But the General was painfully aware that, with the shields sabotaged, just one hit from orbit could destroy the entire tower and potentially the Stargate as well.

A hyper drive window cracked open above the planet and an ancient city-ship emphatically burst through straight into the ongoing battle. Down on the planet surface an astonished technician grabbed General Conway's attention, a sense or urgency rising in his voice, "Sir! Detecting a hyper space window opening... Receiving a signal.. It's Atlantis Sir!" The room seemed to brighten. The city-ship floated elegantly through the space above the planet, drifting toward the three alien ships that had been bombarding Meropis. The only ship with weapons capability turned it's attention from the planet to the newcomer, launching a barrage of green energy blasts at Atlantis, for now bouncing harmlessly off the shields. The enemy fighter horde that had been returning from their victory on the planet surface, having sent the Meropis Jumpers fleeing for their lives, diverted toward this new threat. The Meropis technician spoke again, "Sir there seems to be some sort of automatic link opening up between the two cities, pulling it up on screen now." Conway looked up at the overheard monitors to see Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard's face looking back at him.
"Colonel Sheppard! Well, you are a sight for sore eyes..."
"General Conway Sir! Our first wormhole jump from the milky way brought us to the edge of this galaxy, seems likes a natural stop-off for a few snacks. We picked you up on the long range scanners, thought you could use some help..." He replied, saluting as he did so. Aware of the quizzical look Conway was giving him he expanded, "Long story, Sir. We almost destroyed the moon, had no choice but to jump." He smirked, it was almost comical put that way.
"We appreciate the support Colonel, just in the nick of time it seems. We have men on board one of the alien ships, as soon as you detect their jumper would you mind blowing these demons out of the sky? They've been causing a bit of trouble here."
"It would be my pleasure Sir, Sheppard out." Saluting, he closed the channel.


1521
Atlantis
Meropis Orbit

Dr. Rodney McKay was bent over one of the consoles in the control room as John closed the channel to Meropis. "Alright, it looks like they're being attacked by three mother ships with around a hundred enemy fighters who are now headed our way." He tapped a few commands into the laptop wired to the ancient control panel, "My god, Meropis is damn near destroyed! I mean it sure as hell won't fly again and they're shields are non-existent." John, looking concerned, tapped his ear-piece to open a channel. "Carson, we've got incoming." 

Down in the drone control chair, Carson Beckett leaned back and let the neural interface kick in again, "Aye Colonel, I'll hold them off." He delicately moved his right hand, interacting with the small fluid-like panel built in to the chair, and closed his eyes in concentration. The drones poured from Atlantis, with a fully stocked drone store this would have made for a truly impressive sight. They broke through the shields containing the Atlantis atmosphere and charged toward the horde of Etruscan fighters. Weaving playfully in and out they began to fill the void with explosions as the drones hit him. The fighters began to disperse around the city, drones in tow, not one of them breaching the shield.

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[Sakanoue Yoko]

1517
Gate Ops
Meriois

Yoko had finally made it to the the Gate room. She watched at people where evacuating from the base, exactly what she expected from her evaluation of the of the battles statues. She turned back and looked at Ellenor with a kind smile to mask her true feelings on the situation. "see the Commander has everything under control, now go throw the gate like everything else I'll be right behind you" she say turning to walk towards the command room to see the full status of the situation. Though she didn't get to far as walking against the crowd of people, who where making their way throw the gate.

1520
Control Room
Meropis

She finally made her way to the Control Room, and look straight at the monitors an noticed Atlantic, a base she had only heard rumors of till now, was orbiting the planet and drawing most of the enemies attention. "Well it seem luck has turned in our favor" she said with a bit of a laugh hiding her smile behind her fan.


<Tag Everyone>

[Ahrima]

1513
Stardrive
Meropis

These aliens had proven themselves to be warriors of a different measure. Tactically, Ahrima had to wonder how long it would be before they captured the city. Physically, they appeared superior, as they were able to absorb a great deal of punishment before being incapacitated, a distinct advantage they had over herself and her Tau'ri counterparts. And yet, the Jaffa was not willing to admit defeat. Every enemy had a weakness. It was just a matter of finding it. As she and the marines took down one of the intruders, they found a sole remaining one, but he found himself... protected by some sort of field. And beyond that, he was taunting them as he laughed at their futile attempts to subdue him. It was painfully obvious that it wouldn't happen as long as he was behind that protective field.

Chief Warrant Officer Evans spoke out, soliciting ideas from the group. It was Captain Callaghan that suggested the airducts. He insisted on being the one to go, despite his injury. "If he is discovered before he disables the unit, he will die," she said matter of factly. She then moved a few steps forward, her eyes glaring at the taunting intruder. His haughty sneer only made Ahrima desire to dislocate his jaw with the bottom of her boot. She removed the knife she had liberated from a fallen comrade earlier. She flipped the blade in the air, her hand releasing the handle and gripping the blade. She continued to toss the knife in such a manner until the field that had been protecting the alien began to flicker. In that momentary distraction when the intruder realized he was helpless, Ahrima hurled the blade which found itself embedded in the alien's right thigh. The blade didn't travel too deep into his leg, and Ahrima was unable to determine if he had let out a cry in pain or frustration before a cacaphony of P90s filled the room, and the alien fell to the ground.

"Get back into cover!"

Heeding Evans' warning, Ahrima did just that as the familiar whine of the alien's self-destruct device reached its pitch and exploded. Ahrima peered around once she felt it was safe to do so. She was still frustrated. There was no opportunity to interrogate these intruders and learn anything of value from them. Just as Captain Callaghan was pulled to safety so that he could be treated, Achilles arrived. "Report, Lieutenant."

Ahrima took a deep breath. "The area is secure. All immediate threats neutralized, Colonel," she replied to the host of the Tok'ra. Her eyes drifted towards Captain Callaghan. "There were also casualties... a number more grave than others." She didn't elaborate. It wasn't as if they had the time, and she imagined that the base XO could draw the appropriate conclusions.

"Sir, that one felt like it came from the pier just to the East of here, we need to move!"

Ahrima could hardly disagree. "I suggest we stick to the interior of the city. It will provide more protection against the bombardment!"

[Dominic Evans]

1520
Stardrive
Meropis

The Star drive team had been running for almost five minutes now. It pained Evans to have to leave behind fallen comrades next to the bodies of their enemies but sometimes in war, that was how it had to be. And so they ran. Explosions shook the city, Evans looked ahead of him to see a support beam straining under the pressure of the destroyed level above it. He called out a warning cry and turned to see Ahrima diving through at the last moment. She was at the rear of the group thankfully but that had been a close call. They had got to the transporters but the fear only worsened when one of the marines urgently tapped the button to active the doors. Nothing, one of the blasts must have cut the power to this section. They would have to take the staircase up to the main tower in order to reach the gate and effect their escape. Evans glanced over at Callaghan who was being supported by one of the marines, there was no way he was in a position to run up countless flights of stairs. They had no choice, the team made toward the ancient staircase and began their ascent.

A few moments later the familiar pounding of explosions in and around the city came to a sudden stop. The silence was almost deafening and the shock of the lack of noise spreading throughout the city caused the team to stop in their tracks on the stairs. Evans exchanged a glance with Ahrima and looked up and then back down the stair case. Unsure as to what to do he thought through his options. They could continue to press on up the staircase but the wounded among the group could be brought into an even worse condition by pushing them too hard. They could stop and sit where they were bit if the blasts began again and one of them happened to hit this section, they would all be blown into non-existence. On the other hand, if they continued, one of the alien blasts were just as likely to hit the next section of stairs as they traversed them. Evans slumped down on the step he was currently on, the marine holding Callaghan carefully lowered the pair down two stairs up. Evans clutched at the radio on his chest,
"Control, this is Evans. The blasts have stopped. Awaiting orders." He ran a hand through his hair and took a moment to catch his breath. Was it safe?

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