SGC – Earth…
Columns of white light flashed in the laboratory of Major Carter. It dimmed to reveal a harried and shell-shocked looking SG1, Harry, plus a stasis pod that contained Thor. Their weapons were still trained outward and the barrels slightly smoking from the residue of sulfur burning off within them. And for some odd reason they just stood there…Harry thought it was partly due to disbelief that they had managed to hold back the tide of Replicators for so long. It was Jack who finally broke the silence.
"Hot damn!" he said, slapping his hand against the nearby lab table. "How's that for timing?"
"Very close, sir," added Sam.
"Sirs!" came an unfamiliar voice. An SF that had been passing through the hall had spotted them in the lab as he had walked past. The sight of them toting shotguns had caused the Security Force Sergeant to pull his ever-present sidearm.
"It's okay, sergeant, everything's under control," said Jack. "Carter, you wanna get on the phone to Hammond and tell him to call off the memorial service for us?"
"Yes, sir," nodded Sam and headed over to the wall phone. Ten minutes later, General Hammond entered the lab and a surprisingly up and about Daniel hurried in as well, wincing with every step. Sam had moved Thor's pod out of the way to an empty corner of her lab, while Jack was trying to crack a few jokes to Teal'C, who as usual, didn't get them, and Harry just leaned lazily against the corner of the lab table.
"SG1, report," ordered Hammond; belying his official tone of voice was the smile on his face as he was certainly happy to see his premiere team safe. Jack gave a brief verbal account of events from their own point of view. The General informed them that apparently the makeshift plan to destroy the ship had worked…the doomed Beliskner had spiraled out of control and immediately began to be ripped apart by the sudden stress on the space frame and the sheer heat of re-entry took care of the rest. Despite this, debris had impacted into the ocean a few hundred miles off the Californian coastline…the Navy was tasked with cleanup duty and to look for anything that might have survived.
Just as Hammond finished informing them of events…they were all startled when Thor's pod changed into a column of white light and vanished.
"Guess the Asgard were in a hurry to get him back," commented Harry.
"And not even a thank you note," stated Jack in mock disappointment.
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The true fallout of the attempted Replicator infestation of Earth became fully evident only a week later. Harry and Sam had finalized the designs for the Naquadah reactor matrix and sent the plans and research off to Area 51 where the reactors would actually be built. They were now engrossed in studying a few Replicator blocks that had been salvaged by the Navy…there were only three dead blocks so there was no danger of the blocks forming a full fledged Replicator.
"I wonder what went through the idiots' mind who developed these things," mused Harry, staring at the angular replicator block he was holding with a pair of forceps.
"Perhaps they were trying to create a self sustaining manufacturing capability," said Sam, looking at her own replicator block through a magnifying lamp.
"Good guess," said Harry, "that would explain why the Replicators are so adaptable and versatile. I mean if you had these little buggers running around a starship and maintaining your systems and fixing damage, you would never have to worry about engineers getting in harms way. But whoever programmed the original baseline code for the AI of the Replicators obviously got something very wrong."
The wall phone in Sam's lab rung and she put down her replicator block to answer it.
"Major Carter…ok…yes…I understand, we'll be there in ten minutes." She put down the phone. "Major Davis is coming over from the Pentagon, apparently we're not out of the woods yet with regards to the Replicators."
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SG1, Harry and General Hammond were seated in a slightly darkened briefing room, watching as Major Davis thumbed the digital projector's remote control, showing classified blueprints and schematics for what looked to be a submarine. Major Davis was the SGC's liaison to the Pentagon. He was a compact looking man, with regulation short dark brown hair and pointed chin. He was considered an armchair warrior by most within the SGC, a title that he was trying his best to get rid of by training whenever the men and woman of SGC trained, hoping that he could get off-world certified status.
"The Navy intercepted a mayday from the commander of a Foxtrot class submarine," said Davis, handing out 'Classified' file folders to each person in the room, "codename…Blackbird."
"Foxtrot?" said Jack as he opened his folder. "That's Russian."
"Yes," confirmed Davis. "Apparently, the crew was being attacked by a large mechanical spider." A pin could be heard dropping in the room as everyone took in the news and its implications.
"Just one?" asked Jack shrewdly.
"We thought it was a joke at first, but then the transmission cut out," said Davis. "At approximately seventeen hundred the sub was spotted by aircraft off the Nimitz. It had already surfaced and all attempts at communication went unanswered. It was boarded…the crew was found dead."
"All of them?" asked Sam gravely.
"They got the bodies off before they discovered how they died," said Davis in reply. Harry stared at the one photograph in the file that interested him most. It was a rather daring shot by whoever had the camera; the scene showed a control panel somewhere in the Russian Foxtrot sub and a single Replicator was crawling up it.
"That's them," said Jack, apparently staring at the same photo.
"Sir, if this started with only one bug, then it has already replicated," concluded Sam.
"The man who took the pictures, fortunately, made it out of the sub, the Nimitz then contacted the Pentagon, who in turn got a hold of us," reported Davis.
"Do the Russians know we have the sub?" asked Hammond with narrowed eyes.
"No," said Davis emphatically. "We're denying any knowledge, but…this is going to get sticky."
"You have to make sure that none of the Replicators get out of that sub," said Sam sternly.
"It's under tight supervision," reassured Davis. "The harbor has been evacuated and the entire area cordoned off. Our cover story is a dangerous chemical spill."
"Blow it up," stated Jack without preamble.
"The Pentagon has requested that we preserve a number of specimens for study," said Davis, despite Jack's opinion.
"The Asgard already tried that," said Jack patiently, "these buggers are on the verge of wiping out their entire race."
"That's why I'm here," said Davis with a sigh. "You here are closest thing to experts that we've got."
"As an 'expert'," said Jack strongly, "I say, 'Blow it up!'"
"Conventional weapons might not do it, sir," concluded Sam, "at least one of the Replicators survived the destruction of Thor's ship."
"Fine!" conceded Jack, "then tow it out to sea and nuke it!" Major Davis, seeing how adamant Jack was being turned to Hammond and yielded the floor.
"We're in a political mess at the moment, Colonel," sighed Hammond. "The Russians picked up the Asgard ship on radar as it fell into the ocean."
"So?" asked Jack, failing to see what the problem was.
"So, they're not buying our version of the story," explained Davis further. "They already think we're responsible for what happened to their sub…a nuclear explosion in international waters…" He didn't need to finish the sentence. Harry only kept the minutiae of the discussion in the back of his mind; he was staring at the picture of the Replicator…something was there…something obvious…
"I don't think you realize just how dangerous these things are," said Sam severely.
"Is there any other way to neutralize these things…alien technologies you've come across?" asked Davis.
"You don't need alien technologies to do deal with these replicators," said Harry eventually.
"Ambassador?" asked Hammond, inviting elaboration. Harry held up the photo of the Replicator.
"The Replicators that SG1 and I fought on Thor's ship were a neon purple in color…why? Because they consumed they exotic and strong alloys that make up an Asgard warship and used the alloys to replicate…this replicator," he tapped the photo with his finger, "is silver, because it was constructed using the steel and iron from the Foxtrot sub…as a result these Replicators are less resilient and vulnerable to the corrosive effects of saltwater all around them."
"Of course! How could I have missed that?" asked Sam rhetorically, grabbing her own photo.
"All you need do is to send in a well equipped team with USASs, destroy the original Replicator that survived the destruction of Thor's ship and then torpedo the sub…the seawater will take care of the rest. Problem solved, quick, clean, quietly and nuke free," said Harry with a grin.
"I'll inform the Pentagon," said Davis earnestly, looking impressed and walked out of the room.
The incoming subspace path alarm went off and they could hear the inner ring of the gate beginning to spin. "Unscheduled off world activation!" announced Tech Sergeant Walter Harriman's characteristic voice over the PA system.
"We have no teams off world," stated General Hammond and rose out of his chair and hurried down the spiral staircase directly into the control room, Harry and the rest of SG1 following in his wake.
The subspace path sprang to life with the characteristic horizontal swirl of unstable waterlike energy and settled into an event horizon as they arrived. Harry immediately sensed a dampening field being projected through the Stargate and he knew that it was that Asgard dialing in.
"Why isn't the iris closing?" asked Hammond.
"I'm trying sir," announced a frustrated Walter, "it's not responding. And we're showing an increasing loss of power in the base."
"What?" asked Sam incredulously.
"Don't be alarmed," stated Harry, "it's the Asgard."
"Are you sure?" asked the General.
"Positive, General…only the Asgard possess the means to achieve this…"
The event horizon remained still for a relatively long amount of time, obviously because of the fact that the subspace path was coming all the way from the Ida galaxy, about four million light years distant from the Milky Way. Eventually the diminutive figure of an Asgard stepped awkwardly through the event horizon.
"That's Thor," said Jack, and hurried out of the control room, Harry and rest behind him. "Stand down!" he ordered the defense teams and they lowered their weapons. "Thor, buddy!"
"Greetings O'Neill," droned Thor, coming to a stop at the base of the ramp, ",Harry."
"Good to see you up and around," said Jack genially, giving Thor a light pat on the shoulder.
"I owe you and the others who participated a great debt of gratitude for saving my life," said Thor, his big head inclined in respect.
"Well, there's timing," said Jack, smirking at Sam.
"Not all of the Replicators perished when we destroyed the Beliskner, Thor," stated Harry. "But we have devised a plan to deal with them that should work."
"That is my main reason for coming," said Thor. "I have come via Stargate because there are no ships to spare. My homeworld is being threatened by the Replicators as well, thus far, all attempts to stop them…have failed. I have come here to seek your help." Thor turned his gaze to Harry pointedly. The Stargate disengaged, plunging the room into momentary darkness, however, the dampening field lifted and power came back online.
"How can we help you?" asked Jack, rather astonished.
"Your projectile weaponry was effective in fatally damaging the Replicators," said Thor, but Harry knew the subtle message Thor was trying to send by staring at him. Thor wanted Harry's help as an Alteran.
"Some," conceded Jack.
"Your strategy and technology for destroying the Beliskner was successful," stated Thor.
"That was all the Ambassador and Carter," protested Jack.
"With all due respect to your situation, Thor," said General Hammond, "we need SG1 here to deal with our Replicator problem."
"I could go, General," said Harry.
"Same here," said Sam. "The plan Harry devised doesn't require his or my presence really, I think we could be of more use to the Asgard."
"Permission granted," nodded the General after a moment's consideration.
"We must leave immediately," droned Thor and he lifted a jewel device…which glowed…and instantly an outgoing subspace path formed in the mouth of the Stargate.
Harry and Sam walked past Jack, who said, "Have fun!"
The scientific duo slowed their pace for Thor and when the tiny Asgard had caught up, they all walked unflinchingly through the event horizon and dematerialized…Harry was acutely aware of the journey as he was shot through the subspace path, due the fact that it was an extra-galactic 'wormhole', which required an astronomical amount of power to generate and sustain. The journey was also quite long as far as using a Stargate was concerned…a whole twelve seconds.
They emerged from the Stargate into a large arrival room. The architecture was of typical Asgardian design, flowing contours of silver chrome, purples and dark obsidian floors. A small staircase that seemed designed for the tiny legs of an Asgard almost caused Sam to trip and fall flat on her face. Harry caught her by the arm and steadied her on her feet.
She looked up to see a whole host of curious Asgard staring at them. They were muttering to each other in their highly pitched language.
"Uh, Thor, why are they staring at us?" whispered Sam.
"You are the first human many of them have seen in near millennia," said Thor, turning his head once again at to stare at Harry pointedly, this made him realize that the Asgard were also staring for another reason, they were looking at him. It was also the first time in millennia that they had beheld an Alteran…and Harry's race was a few million years older than the Asgard…it was also the Alteran's who had initially seeded the roots of civilization amongst the first Asgard.
Harry bowed his head in greeting and let his true inner self flare for a few moments. Sam would see nothing…but the Asgard in the room would perceive a bright white aura spreading out from him like a giant eagle unfolding its wings. The assembled Asgard's eyes widened and then they too bowed their heads slightly…as they recognized Harry for who he was.
"Come," said Thor and led the way through the throng of Asgard. Harry reeled his aura in and followed, with Sam at his side.
The walked down the hall leading off from the arrival room and immediately turned into another room that Harry recognized as a dedicated transporter room. Thor stepped over to the curved control pedestal and manipulated the jewels on it.
"I am transporting us to the ship we will use for our efforts," said Thor, and without warning they were all engulfed in the white light of a transporter beam and vanished.
They reappeared in the observation lounge on board another Beliskner-class Asgard warship. The ship was docked with a gigantic anti-gravity drydock that hovered over a very beautiful and high tech city along a coastline, small hovercars occasionally flew past the observation window all going about their business but the view was dominated by a huge warship that was moored to the same drydock, but it was not of a class that Harry was familiar with.
It had the same hammer and wedge design of all Asgard ships but was far larger than any other class and sleeker, with rounded edges and a much more predatory look than he had come to expect from Asgard ship design. The hull was also clearly made out of some new alloy that he had not yet seen before, that gleamed a beautiful chrome silver in the sun.
"Wow," said Sam in awe, and stared at the ship.
"A beautiful ship, Thor," said Harry with a grin. "Your shipbuilders have outdone themselves with this one."
"Yes," droned Thor. "The O'Neill was supposed to be our last great hope."
"The O'Neill?" asked Sam, looking bemused. Harry grinned at the sentiment. The Asgard was a race that had its unique quirks. One of them is, that once you earned their respect, they started to name things after you. Harry had an Asgard city named after him somewhere on this planet, it wasn't called 'Harry City' of course…its name was 'Tyr City'.
"Yes," answered Thor. "It is the most advanced Asgard technological creation yet. It is the first Asgard vessel designed solely to fight in a war against the Replicators."
"So why aren't we taking that?" asked Sam.
"It isn't ready," said Thor gravely.
"What is the situation you are facing with regards to the Replicators, Thor?" asked Harry, getting to the point, tearing his eyes away from the O'Neill.
"Five Asgard ships are currently engaging three ships controlled by the Replicators, which are on their way here," said Thor. "We are going to join the battle and with both your help…stop them."
"Ok," said Sam faintly.
"For the sake of Asgard, we must not fail," said Thor stoically.
"No pressure," said a wide-eyed Sam. The Asgard ship they were on abruptly disengaged from the drydock, pointed its bow to the heavens, causing the view of the O'Neill to abruptly vanish and be replaced by blue with specked clouds and the ship sped upward and out of the atmosphere within moments.
"Relax Major," advised Harry with a grin. "As long as you remember to see the forest for it's trees, then no solution to a problem is beyond your grasp."
"Yeah, well," said Sam, not sure how to reply to that statement, she turned to Thor. "Is there any refreshing facilities for humans on this ship?" Thor inclined his head in the standard Asgard gesture of appearing to think something over. A door in the observation lounge opened by itself to reveal beyond a water fountain, mirror and toilet.
"This room was prepared for your arrival ahead of time," stated Thor as the unasked question was written on Sam's facial expression. She walked into the refreshing station and the door closed behind her.
"You have reached a new stage of your development," said Thor without preamble, turning toward Harry.
"I have," nodded Harry. "My legacy as an Alteran is now accessible to me, to a marginal extent."
"Then can I and the Asgard as a people request that you help us in any way that you can," said Thor, bowing his head.
"You know I will, my friend," said Harry kindly. "I agreed long ago to honor the old Alliance of Four. You did so when you rescued me from Loki and educated me, how can I now refuse lending my full knowledge and power to the Asgard's aid. I would imagine that my Ascended ancestors in the higher planes of existence would be very put off with me if I allowed the Asgard as a race to die out, when it was within my power to save you."
"Thank you," said Thor emphatically. Harry kneeled in front of Thor and placed a hand on the tiny Asgard's shoulder…Thor did a very un-Asgardian thing and gasped, as he was flooded with Harry's feelings of friendship and loyalty and above all a sense of that they were equals.
"As one my kind said, 'Words cannot convey the spirit.'"
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Three hours later and Sam was looking like she had just wrung her own mind through a tumble dryer. And Harry could clearly sympathize, Thor was many things, but he was not a teacher like Heimdoll. Ever since she had emerged from the bathroom, she had requested that Thor go through everything the Asgard had on the Replicators. What followed was a science lecture on the Replicator technology that left her baffled.
Harry, on the other hand, while he understood what was being said, was finding Thor's droning voice rather vexing, as he was speaking in English(for Sam's benefit), which was entirely too cumbersome to describe some of the science involved and he was constantly translating the English into Alteran Standard in his head to understand what Thor was saying. Sam had leaned her hands on her head, as if to support it, as if it was absorbing all the huge amounts of information Thor was presenting them.
"…each replicator block, is capable of exerting a reactive, modulating, mono-polar energy field on other blocks," said Thor, as ahead of them a holographic screen showed a graphic of a grouping of replicator blocks assembling themselves into a standard 'bug' form. "Allowing the Replicators to assemble themselves into many forms." A single block on the Replicator was highlighted and became transparent, the view zoomed in to show layer after layer of complex energy matrices. "To our knowledge, the interior of a Replicator block contains the following; two million isolated keyron pathways…"
"Whoah, whoah," said Sam, and paused the holodisplay by moving the jewel on the pedestal. She turned to Thor who was seated in a standard Asgard control throne. "What is a keyron?"
"In simplest terms, it is an energy particle," said Thor.
"I've never even heard of it," said Sam.
"I am aware of that," nodded Thor. Harry on the other hand was familiar with a keyron particle, though he hardly ever thought it could be used in such a manner to construct a self replicating technology.
"So how am I supposed to figure out a way to stop a keyron based technology, if I don't even know what a keyron is?" implored Sam.
"The Asgard would never invent a weapon, that propels small weights of iron and carbon alloys, by igniting a combination of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur," said Thor patiently.
"Ok, I get your point," said Sam ruefully.
"We cannot think like you," said Thor. Harry also took that to mean that the Asgard could also not think like an Alteran. Harry stared at the keyron matrices as Sam continued her conversation with Thor. He closed his eyes and hesitantly opened the door the Infinite Universe in his mind…he looked around at the flashing dimensions of Alteran text and knowledge and thought of one thing…keyron…in Alteran…the infinite whiteness shifted with blinding speed and rotated in every dimension conceivable by math…a ethereal mist flowed slowly past and Harry snatched it and allowed it to be absorbed into his conscious mind…with a wrench of effort he pulled out of the void and came back to the ship…
He opened his eyes to find a worried Sam staring at him.
"Are you Ok?"
"Fine," said Harry, and saw that there was now a simulation of an actual replicator next to the control pedestal he was standing at. "You come up with anything yet?"
"No," said Sam bluntly. "It's one thing to confront the replicators with shotguns, but this is another level of playing field. We're talking about ship to ship combat."
"Indeed," said Harry. They were interrupted however, when the holographic screen flared to life and an unfamiliar Asgard appeared on the screen accompanied by a sensor profile image of the space ahead. The Asgard spoke to Thor for a few moments.
"What is it?" asked Sam.
"We have lost contact with the Asgard ships confronting the Replicators," said Thor.
"Could it be a communication problem?" she said, as the Asgard on the screen continued to speak.
"No," said Harry darkly. "The ships are no longer being detected." The holoscreen showing the Asgard faded, and resolved to show a full resolution sensor profile of three Asgard vessels, designated in an angry red color, heading at maximum sublight thrust to the Asgard homeworld.
"So what are those?" she asked, pointing at the screen.
"Replicators," answered Thor simply.
"We're too late then," said Sam, as the ship they were on moved in behind the advancing Replicator ships on the sensor profile.
"We are too late too have made a difference in the battle," said Harry with a raised eyebrow. "But not too late to make a difference in the war."
"But I don't see how we have the time?" she argued.
"You will note that the Replicators are not traveling at hyperspeed," said Harry. "It requires full power from the neutrino-ion generators to generate the subspace field, at the moment, the replicators are using that power to make more of themselves."
"And Replicators do not view time in the same way we do," said Thor. "They can afford to wait, as they know we have no viable means of stopping them."
"How do they gain control of your own ships in the first place?" asked Sam.
"The Replicators are capable of modifying our own weapons technology beyond our understanding," said Thor neutrally. "They also create projectiles made out of Replicator blocks and fling them at our ships, which simply phases through the shields and allows them to infest ships."
"So that means they can easily blow us to smithereens or infest this ship," said Sam. "So why don't they?"
"We have shown no signs of aggression," said Harry simply.
"And this ships technology is less advanced than the ones the Replicators are currently occupying," said Thor in turn.
"Not really helping, am I?" said Sam ruefully.
"I have an idea," said Harry, eventually.
"What is it?" asked Sam eagerly, hoping to build off whatever Harry had come up with.
"If it's successful, we can perhaps stop one of the ships," he said. "But then the Replicators will perceive us as a threat and we will come under instant attack from the remaining two ships and we will not survive that."
"Ok, but what's your plan?"
"What allows the Replicators to communicate with one another is the reactive, mono-polar energy field that binds the blocks together, it's the foundation upon which they can perform tasks and react coherently. To effectively combat the Replicators on a ship-to-ship scale we will need to destroy that foundation."
"So what can disrupt that energy field then?" asked Sam, and then it hit her. She turned to Thor and asked, "How did you disrupt power to the SGC when you walked through the Stargate?"
"I projected an energy dampening field through the Stargate," said Thor. "The subspace field of the Stargate itself, acts as a lens and allows the effect to permeate everywhere in the immediate area around the Stargate. But to disrupt simple electrical components is relatively easy; to disrupt a keyron generated field is something infinitely more difficult. The Asgard has explored energy disruption technology as a method of fighting the Replicators before…unsuccessfully."
Harry turned back to the control pedestal and shifted the jewels and he began tapping on the Asgard characters as fast as he could.
"What are you doing?" asked Sam.
"I am modifying the Asgard matter disruptor weapon that you saw Thor use on Simeria, when he destroyed Heru'ur's forces," said Harry. "You can figure out a way for us to stop all three ships, while I concentrate on this."
Sam was about to ask another question but Thor called her over. "Let Harry work, I am confident he will succeed, but he won't succeed if we constantly disrupt him with questions."
"Ok, so let's assume he can get the energy disruption weapon working, how can we take out all three ships at once with it?" asked Sam rhetorically and frowned, eventually she sighed and rubbed her neck wearily.
"You are tired?" said Thor.
"Yeah," said Sam.
"It's another advantage the Replicators have over us, they do not require rest," explained Thor.
"But they do need to eat," said Sam thoughtfully.
"Yes, in order to replicate."
"And they are what they eat," said Sam, then asked, "what's the strongest material you know of?"
"We have just developed a new alloy of naquadah, trinium, and carbon. It was used to create the hull of the O'Neill."
"Can that ship be piloted using remote control?"
"Yes, why?"
"So we can get the Replicators to chase after it," she explained. "The O'Neill is the most advanced ship you have, to them it will look like an all you can eat buffet. It would definitely buy time for another shot with Harry's energy disruptor, and if perhaps, that ship could also be modified with the disruptor technology, we would take out the last ship."
"A compelling strategy, and carries great risk," said Thor. "If the Replicators manage to infest the O'Neill, then they will consume its technology and we will have created an even more advanced version of the Replicators. One that is perhaps…unstoppable."
"Done," announced Harry, rubbing his aching right hand…tapping controls that fast was always something he never relished doing. He shifted the appropriate jewel and it displayed the schematics of the altered matter disruptor to Thor and Sam. "I have the weapon charging now…it should be enough for five consecutive shots that will encompass the entirety of an Asgard vessel, after which a recharge period of a minute is required. Have you come up with a strategy?"
"Fascinating," said Thor, looking at the schematic display.
"Anyone?" asked Harry expectantly. Sam briefly explained her plan again. "Yes, that should work. Brilliant, Major." Sam shrugged modestly.
"Harry, please transmit the modifications to the drydock, I will implement them there," said Thor, and he was abruptly lit with the brilliant white light of a transporter beam and vanished. (Since the Asgard homeworld was back in range by now.)
Harry pressed the appropriate symbols and the modifications were transmitted.
An anxious twenty minutes passed as the Asgard homeworld steadily grew bigger.
"It's taking too long," muttered Sam.
"No, look," said Harry, pointing at the sensor profile display. The sleek lines of the O'Neill streaked out of the atmosphere and accelerated at point six of lightspeed past the Replicator infested vessels. "Now that is an impressive sublight speed."
There was a flash of a transporter and Thor was again seated on his control chair.
"The O'Neill is away," he reported.
Harry anxiously watched the sensors for what the Replicators were doing…they had stopped within orbit of the Asgard homeworld…and…and were turning around!
"That's it, they're chasing after it!" said Sam. And indeed the Replicators accelerated their ships to their own top speed of point five lightspeed in a clear attempt at pursuit. Harry stepped up to the control console and took control of their own ship and set off in pursuit behind them.
"Ok, Thor, start slowing down the O'Neill, make it look as if the engines are overheating," said Harry. The small Asgard thumbed a jewel device in his hand and sent his instructions by thought to the computer.
A minute into the pursuit and the O'Neill did indeed start to slow down, till it leveled off at point four five of lightspeed.
"The Replicators will intercept the O'Neill in two standard minutes," reported Thor. And again…Harry experienced that long void of time before battle was joined. His hands hovering over the controls for the energy disruptor.
"One standard minute," reported Thor.
"The Replicators will enter the O'Neill's weapon's range in forty five seconds," said Harry for Sam's benefit, as there was no way she could understand the scrolling Asgard text on the display. The seconds counted slowly down until…
"Five…four…three…two…one…firing!"
From Thor's ship a pulse the width of the ship itself was shot towards the nearest Replicator ship. The pulse distorted the light of the stars and was tinted slightly towards the purple end of the light frequency spectrum. The pulse washed upon the Replicator ship like an ocean wave breaking upon the beach. Instantly, the Replicator ship in question began to list on an uncontrolled vector as all the Replicators on board had ceased to function.
The remaining two Replicator ships turned towards Thor's ship in apparent anger (though they knew a Replicator was not capable of feeling anything) and was about to fire when the O'Neill did an abrupt about face (something it could not have done with a crew on board due to the sheer G-forces involved would overwhelm any inertial dampening system) and fired a similar energy disruption pulse that disabled the second Replicator ship.
The element of surprise was complete.
"Taking evasive action," said Harry in a strained voice and he pitched their ship in a sharp turn to starboard. The sole remaining Replicator ship sent a beam of solid blue energy that partially hit the shields. The ship rocked under the impact nevertheless. "Shields down to thirty percent," said Harry in near disbelief…any weapon that could do that to an Asgard shield deserved respect, no matter who made it.
"The O'Neill is firing again," said Sam.
The ship in question sent another wave of disruption energy at the Replicator ship. But the Replicators had anticipated it and taken their own evasive action. The ship was only partially hit with the disruption wave. Harry swung Thor's own ship around and fired…getting a solid hit.
"Yes!" cried Sam in victory. "We did it!" In her exuberance she hugged Thor, bumping the Asgard's head with her own. "Oooh, sorry, I didn't hurt you did I?"
"I am fine," said Thor patiently.
"We did it," said Sam again.
"That we did, Major," said Harry with an amused grin.
"The energy disruptor schematics are being sent to every Asgard ship in the Ida galaxy. What we did here today will perhaps mark a turn of tide against the Replicators," said Thor. "On behalf of the Asgard people I thank you. You have both done as you have promised, and therefore we will do as we have promised."
Thor's ship and the O'Neill came alongside each other in formation and with a brief pause flashed into the purple swirling distortion of a hyperspace window.
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An hour later the two ships reverted to normal space directly over Earth.
"Ok, I'm scanning the area off California for the Foxtrot submarine," said Harry and moved the jewels on the control pedestal and tapped in the coordinates. The sensor display in front showed Earth, then zoomed in to the East coast of the United States. It zoomed further until it showed an overview of the harbor where the Foxtrot class sub was being held. Harry could see a surface vessel, probably a Missile Frigate, and another submarine.
"I take it the other submarine is American?" asked Harry, changing the readout of the sensors to display readings in English.
"Yes," said Sam. "The dimensions match that of a Los-Angeles Class Attack submarine. Probably the Dallas."
"I'm detecting numerous Replicator signatures inside the Foxtrot," said Harry. "I'm also detecting Teal'C and the Colonel's subspace transponders. Minute explosive energy discharges as well, they're probably fighting the Replicators."
"The Dallas is firing torpedoes!" exclaimed Sam.
"It seems that the Replicators have trapped O'Neill and Teal'C in a section of the underwater vessel," reported Thor, staring at his own sensor readout.
"Beam them out, hurry!" she instructed as the torpedoes exploded against the hull of the Russian submarine.
"Transport in progress," said Harry.
Two columns of light appeared on the floor and in front of them appeared Teal'C and Jack lying on the floor both curled into protective positions…no doubt the Replicators had been on the verge of overwhelming them. Jack uncurled and stared around him, catching sight of Thor, Harry and Sam looking at him in his undignified position in amusement.
"Now that's timing!" announced Jack, pointing at Thor.
"We came as soon as we could, sir," said Sam happily. Jack sat up and kneeled next to a recovering Teal'C, placing a brotherly hand on his back. "You all right?" Teal'C ever stoically nodded.
"I am all right, O'Neill," said the Jaffa.
"I take things weren't going so well?" asked Harry shrewdly.
"Your plan worked beautifully," said Jack. "Except we didn't count on the Replicators wanting to trap and kill us after mother bug was destroyed. But then you showed up and…here was are!"
"So the bugs are all taken care of down there?" asked Sam.
"Pretty much, you?"
"We kicked their asses," said Sam with a grin.
Jack nodded thoughtfully, but then frowned, "They had asses?"
Harry and Sam chuckled in response. "Come Colonel," said Harry, giving Jack a hand up and guided him over to the observation window where the O'Neill dominated the view.
"Sweet looking ship," said Jack, impressed.
"You are looking at the latest class of Asgard battlecruiser, Colonel," said Harry and grinned while gesturing at the ship, "Say hello to the O'Neill."
"Oh yeah," said Jack, looking eager and beginning to look smug.
"I have a city named after me," said Harry nonchalantly. It was hilarious seeing the look of smugness fade from Jack's face and his shoulders visibly slump in disbelief.
"Oh."
"The Asgard are most grateful for all your assistance, one day we shall repay you for your assistance by helping you in your fight against the Goa'uld," said Thor.
"One day?" said Jack with a sigh, sounding disappointed.
"While we have saved the Asgard homeworld, it is but one planet," explained Thor. "The conflict against the Replicators stretches across my galaxy. Though it is a clear turning point, now that we have a viable means of fighting the Replicators, thanks to Harry. Once the Asgard are successful in scouring our galaxy of the scourge, we will be able to commit more ships to this galaxy, and perhaps even aid you in your own ship construction."
"Cool," said Jack.
"Until we meet again," said Thor in goodbye. Harry and Teal'C bowed in response and Sam nodded.
"Yeah," said Jack. "Come around any time, in fact, I'll take you fishing…I'd love to do that…there's this lake in Northern Minnesota where the bass grow that big…well…" Jack, Teal'C, Sam and Harry were consumed with the bright light of a transportation beam and Harry could have sworn he had seen a gleam in Thor's eye and his mouth was quirked in a near smirk directed at Jack, before the ship vanished around them and they were safely deposited within the SGC.
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