Chapter 21 Tollana, Part 1

Daniel and his team, except for Teal'c, were called to General Hammond's office, and upon entering, they found now General Maybourne, three Pentagon officers, and three extraterrestrial visitors they knew: Narim and Omoc from Tollana, and Thor from the Asgard.

"They're not here to bring gifts, are they?" Jack asked upon seeing their guests. Daniel was thinking the same.

"The Tollan have been on Earth for some time, but they wanted nothing to do with the SGC Command; they wanted to study your culture and limited their political contact. They only wanted a cultural exchange, which still rubbed Jack the wrong way."

"I'm afraid, O'Neill, you are correct," Thor said, and his team understood that the situation was serious. Meanwhile, General Hammond indicated for them to sit down.

"SG1, Commander Thor is right, the situation is dire. Right now, there is a Goa'uld fleet attacking Tollana, and according to our allies, despite the intervention of the Asgard fleet, the situation is not in favor of the Tollan, so they are asking for our help," General Hammond explained.

"We don't have a fleet to face the Goa'uld," Maybourne intervened before they said anything.

Daniel grimaced because they did have a fleet, albeit a small one. But if it was used, the Goa'uld would consider them a threat on par with the Tollan, and the next besieged planet would be Earth. Therefore, Daniel understood Maybourne's refusal this time.

"We don't need a fleet; the Asgard fleet is sufficient to face this Goa'uld fleet," Thor explained calmly before anyone else could say anything.

"So?" Jack asked, frowning.

"A fleet is not the only thing the Goa'uld have brought. They have an army that has invaded the planet through a Stargate and has killed hundreds of people in the first attack. We have not been able to confront them with our security forces. Our defenses against such attacks have been ineffective, and if the situation continues, before the Asgard fleet achieves a victory, our population will not survive. The Goa'uld do not take prisoners in this attack," Omoc said gravely. Daniel swallowed hard because the situation was truly dire.

"Have you considered evacuation?" Sam asked. Daniel also believed that in such a situation, fleeing was the best option, but the Tollan must have also thought the same.

"The gate is not working because the enemy has brought their own Stargate and keeps it active. They also use a signal that prevents the use of Asgard transporters. All alternative methods are inefficient and would not serve to evacuate our entire population," Narim explained.

"General Hammond, we do not have enough military personnel to face such a situation. If the Goa'uld have brought a fleet and have control of a Stargate, there must be hundreds of thousands of Jaffa on that planet," Maybourne said.

Daniel took a few seconds to reach the same conclusion as Maybourne because if the Tollan didn't need ships, the other thing they could request from them, in a situation where a ground army was attacking them, was military assistance. But at this moment, their military support was strategic. The last time Maybourne deployed his people, Daniel thought he heard they were five battalions, about five thousand men. Maybe they also had a reserve, but Daniel would estimate at most triple that number. Taking fifteen thousand men to face hundreds of thousands of Jaffa was a death sentence. If they accepted to help, they would have to mobilize an entire army, and that meant the end of the Stargate Project's secret, something that Maybourne... well, that was something none of their political leaders wanted.

"Maybourne..."

"Jack, these people were warned time and time again about the Goa'uld, but they were never willing to collaborate with us. I don't even know why they're here," Maybourne growled.

"General Maybourne..."

"Actually, it is the Asgard who are requesting your help this time," Thor said, interrupting General Hammond, who sighed and nodded. The Pentagon envoys tensed. This was indeed a serious matter.

Saying no to the Tollan was not the same as saying no to their second strategic ally, and judging by Maybourne and the Pentagon officials' reactions, they truly felt pressured.

"How many personnel are we talking about?" Maybourne asked, surprising everyone. Daniel was somewhat stunned.

"Our terrestrial enemy is not a Jaffa army," Thor said calmly, as if Maybourne hadn't said something Daniel believed impossible.

Thor gestured with his hand, and a hologram of a street, with buildings of a Tollan city, appeared on the table. In the center of the street, a group of ten soldiers clad in black suits and strange helmets walked. They wore armor, but it wasn't Jaffa armor. They also didn't carry staffs or Zat guns; instead, they fired directly from a bracelet on their armor, in bursts of multiple shots, like plasma rifle fire.

Around them, people ran for their lives, while some fell. Fortunately, the attackers were few. There were security guards who fired many times at these soldiers, but their shots dispersed on the black armor. They even used a cannon, causing a fierce explosion, but the black-clad soldiers only lost their balance and got back up to keep shooting, soon dispatching all the guards, who outnumbered them threefold.

"The Goa'uld attacking Tollana is Anubis, and like Korr, he seems to have created his own soldiers, though this one went further," Thor said, and the hologram changed to show one of the soldiers, alone, but this one didn't have a helmet.

Daniel tensed because it really wasn't a Jaffa, and it looked less human; its skin seemed to be made of some gel and was melted in some parts. Its eyes were white, like those of a blind person. It looked like a decomposing corpse.

"These are human bodies created artificially," Thor explained, and the hologram became transparent, revealing a Goa'uld symbiote inside the warrior, but this one was twice as large as the ones Daniel had seen.

"This symbiote has been programmed to obey orders and lacks significant communicative abilities. This one, in particular, was captured, and when we tried to study it, it activated a device that destroyed its body before we could conduct further analysis. Nevertheless, we have studied their armor, and despite being immune to most anti-personnel weapons, whether energy-based or projectile-based, the suit itself is vulnerable to being pierced by a needle," Thor explained.

"We would have to inject them with poison," Maybourne said, and Thor nodded, causing the hologram to change to show one of their new electromagnetic weapons, undergoing a transformation, to shoot needles.

"With the data we now possess, we can be relatively sure that despite the symbiote's genetic modifications, this poison will be effective and kill the symbiote. The body, we are not sure, but these soldiers do not have consciousness outside their symbiote," Thor explained.

"What differences are there with a common Goa'uld besides their appearance?" Maybourne asked.

The hologram returned to a battlefield scenario, where there were dozens of Goa'uld soldiers facing off against hundreds of Tollan guards, who fought to contain their advance, and among them, the hologram focused on a Tollan guard who, seeing that his weapon was useless, threw it aside and charged at the Goa'uld warrior, who stopped firing and delivered a powerful backhand slap.

The Tollan guard tried to grab the hand that was about to strike him, but he was sent flying about ten meters and then rolled on the ground for another four or five meters, ending up motionless in a strange and twisted position.

"Engaging in hand-to-hand combat is not recommended," Thor explained. Daniel swallowed hard.

"How many of these soldiers are there?" Maybourne asked with a grave expression.

"We believe around ten thousand, so the situation is desperate, and if we don't get ground reinforcements within a few hours, the civilian population of Tollana will be decimated.

"We cannot transport them for a retreat, and there are no troops to cover them to exit the shelters where they are now, and board landing craft to our ships," Thor concluded.

Maybourne stood up, as did General Hammond and the Pentagon officials.

"Commander Thor, we will have an effective response in a few minutes," General Hammond said, and Maybourne nodded.

Jack made a move to leave, but Thor looked at him.

"O'Neill, you and your team were called upon my request, as there is a personal favor I must ask of you," Thor explained. Jack sat back down.

"Thor, just speak," Jack said.

"We have already attempted to disrupt the Goa'uld's control over the portal they control, but I fear that this time, their knowledge of Alteran technology seems to surpass ours. We know that their allies could help us in this aspect, but they are planning an offensive against Anubis and his Goa'uld allies, so they will not do without any of them.

"However, I understand that one of the human replicators is permanently on Earth. I have tried to contact him, but he does not respond to my call, nor to the Tollan's or their government's," Thor explained.

"Well, 03 has told us that he would be around, in case something unexpected happens on Earth, but he also said he would be somewhat busy," Jack said uncomfortably, understanding what Thor wanted from them. Thor nodded to indicate that he understood, and Jack sighed.

"We will try to call him," Jack said, looking at Sam, as he, like everyone else, understood that this was no coincidence; for some reason, 03 had ignored Thor.

"Carter, call 03," Jack ordered. Sam blinked and stared at Jack, who widened his eyes slightly, with a questioning gesture, asking if he should repeat himself.

"Right away, sir," Sam said and raised her right hand, which had a bracelet with a sensor. Sam touched it, and after a few seconds, she looked at Thor and Jack.

"He's not responding, sir," Sam said uncomfortably.

"Carter, call for help," Jack ordered.

"Sir?" Sam asked with confusion.

"Carter, people are dying right now," Jack said, and Sam hurried to call after seeing Narim and Omoc, whose expressions were… well, they were just the expressions a person would have if there was an army exterminating everyone on their planet.

"03, it's a life or death situation, please, help," Sam said without hesitation. Her voice was filled with concern, and before she finished speaking, a strange portal opened beside her, as if a ship were emerging from hyperspace, or a portal were trying to establish itself.

A man emerged from the portal, radiating light from his entire body, but it disappeared in a second, revealing that it was 03, who looked at everyone with a furrowed brow, and then focused his attention on the Tollan.

"What has happened?" 03 asked.

"Tollana is under Goa'uld attack," explained Daniel, who wondered how 03 managed to get there, as teleportation was impossible within the base, which was protected by a shield. 03 grimaced.

"I cannot intervene, if I do, my God will lose the support of the system lords against Anubis, and that could mean defeat for all," 03 said and looked at Thor, who touched a device on his Asgard seat, and 03 blinked.

"I understand, it is possible, but I would have to go to the location to study what the Goa'uld have done to take control of the Stargate network there," 03 said, apparently having received a report from Thor. He looked at the Tollan.

"Omoc, Narim, my apologies, I cannot support you with ships, but if you need soldiers, I can expedite things," 03 said, and before they could say anything, another portal opened, and he entered.

Everyone looked at each other, but before they could speak, Teal'c entered the meeting room. He was wearing a robe, as he had been off-planet in a meeting that had been going on for weeks with the leaders of the alliance of free Jaffa against the Goa'uld System Lords, which had gained momentum with the creation of Tretonin.

"Upon arrival, I have been informed of the situation," Teal'c said, sitting at the table.

"Narim, how is the situation with the civilians?" Sam asked. Narim shook his head.

"Samantha, we lost thousands of people in the first attack. They managed to infiltrate the planet; our sensors overlooked them. When the fleet arrived, their first troops reached the city. There were no negotiations, warnings, or requests for surrender, they just attacked. Our security forces were not effective, and they could only stand in their way so that civilians could flee.

The shields cannot stop them. I have seen these soldiers get up after a building collapsed on them. They do not act like living beings. Fortunately, our weapons managed to repel their fleet long enough for the Asgard fleet to arrive. We have also prevented the deployment of fighters since we accepted their suggestion, and besides increasing the number of defensive cannons, we also built protected places for them, so these warriors have not managed to destroy them all," Narim concluded.

"Well done!" Jack said.

Daniel supposed that if the Tollan had had their cannons as exposed as before, the Asgard would have only found remnants upon arrival, as the Goa'uld fleet would have bombarded the planet, as their goal did not seem to be conquest.

Daniel also remembered the incredible defense system of the Tollan, where a single cannon could take care of several ha'taks and a Goa'uld mothership, without giving them a chance to destroy it.

"Hadn't the Tollan said they didn't see the need to improve their defenses?" Teal'c asked.

Daniel also remembered that, as the Curia had deemed the last Goa'uld attack inefficient and said that their loss was due to not taking into account some strategies, so at most, they assumed they would only hide the cannons, but now they had also built strongholds for them.

"We have spoken with the Curia and warned them about the new reach of Goa'uld technology, granting some enhancements for their defenses," Thor intervened.

"Ah, that's good," Jack said, looking at Thor.

"O'Neill, we have also made part of our technology available to Earth," Thor said. His group looked at Thor.

Daniel now understood why Maybourne and General Hammond went in search of the president.

The door to the meeting room opened again, and a dozen people, led by General Hammond, the president, and three other civilians, entered the room.

"Commander Thor, I have already been informed of the situation," the president said upon entering. "On behalf of my nation, I want to say that the Asgard will always have our support, but the political consequences of this situation for our government will be somewhat difficult to bear," the president said.

"The Asgard are aware of this, Mr. President, and as we have agreed before, if necessary, we will support your intervention," Thor said with a nod.

Daniel didn't know they had negotiated with the Asgard to such an extent.

"Commander Thor, we have twenty thousand men prepared for the defense of this base, of which we can take ten thousand, and at the moment, we are 'explaining' the situation to another forty thousand, considering a departure time of half an hour. Our country has more personnel, but this is what we can dispose of in this emergency situation, without causing chaos. I understand that the Asgard will provide the weapons that our soldiers will use," the president said.

"Fifty thousand," Thor said with a slight grimace. Daniel understood that this was already a lot; the half-hour time frame was madness, considering that most of these men were just being informed at this very moment that there was an intergalactic war and they were about to be thrown into it.

The government had been making plans for years in case the Goa'uld suddenly appeared on the planet, but Daniel supposed they didn't expect to have to activate any of those plans, nor did they expect the war to start elsewhere.

Thor was about to speak, but a portal opened in the room, and 03 emerged from it, causing the president's entourage and some of the officers to step back. Daniel understood that these guys had barely learned about the situation because, unlike them, the president and General Hammond moved forward.

"03, it's a pleasure to see you here. Are our allies participating in this operation?" the president asked, extending his hand to 03, who shook it.

"Mr. President, we will not intervene in field operations, but I can help by retaking control of the Stargate network on the planet. I have also obtained soldiers and volunteers to support the ground attack," 03 explained, looking at Narim and Omoc. "Fifty thousand soldiers and one hundred and fifty thousand volunteers will join in defending Tollana," 03 said, then looked at Thor. "They will be ready in ten minutes," he added.

Narim and Omoc stood up and gave a slight bow, their somber expressions changing to hopeful ones.

The president and his group were somewhat surprised by 03's statements, but then they composed themselves, and Maybourne was already whispering in the president's ear. Daniel could already imagine where two hundred thousand men came from, as it was suspected that their allies also had dealings with the African empire, a new world power that had emerged just a few years ago, and had absurd development and construction times. Therefore, this time the conspiracy theorists were right, and the explanation was aliens, specifically, their own allies.

"Commander Thor, if the volunteers can also be employed in this mission, we have another one hundred and fifty thousand men available," the president said with a smile. Earlier, he had shown a circumstantial expression, but now that he was not the only one involved in the biggest scandal to hit this planet in a long time, Daniel supposed he had gained confidence. Thor nodded, and Narim and Omoc bowed again.

"On behalf of the Curia and the people of Tollan, I would like to thank you for your cooperation," Omoc said.

"Where do we get one hundred and fifty thousand volunteers?" Jack asked.

"Trustworthy citizens, willing to fight to maintain the way of life of this great nation," Maybourne said, apparently not only busy with conspiracies off-planet, but also within it.

Daniel could only imagine a person going to an interview where they signed up as a volunteer for a possible war, and one day suddenly being kidnapped, thrown into a ship, and then thrown onto another planet while Maybourne pointed them at their enemy.

Daniel could only conclude that these military forces would not be reliable, but they would still have fifty thousand trained soldiers and another fifty thousand from the African empire, against about ten thousand Goa'uld supersoldiers. He just hoped the volunteers would be sufficient support.

"Then I will prepare the transport and logistics on the O'Neill," Thor said and disappeared in a flash of energy; he must have had the frequency of the shields protecting the place.

"Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, the SG teams are our foremost experts in conflicts with the Goa'uld and extraplanetary threats, so they will be assigned as advisors to the officers commanding the troops in the battlefield and the different operations commands that will be established once they arrive at Tollana," General Hammond explained, and Sam and Jack saluted.

…

Half an hour later, Daniel was transported to the upper floor of a warehouse, along with two officers, Jack, and Teal'c. Downstairs, which was a kind of huge cargo hold, more than five thousand soldiers were transported, and immediately, Daniel felt the slight, strange movement indicating the entry into hyperspace of an Asgard ship.

"Silence!" one of the military personnel in field gear reprimanded, who was next to Daniel. His voice sounded loud and clear throughout the gigantic warehouse.

The soldiers, who also wore field uniforms but no weapons, and who were downstairs, looked to their commanders and, despite having no idea how they got there, stood at attention.

"Soldiers, Operation 'Unknown Enemy' has been activated!" the officer announced, and immediately, the soldiers felt their vests and pulled out a small injector with disposable needles.

Some brought it to their neck without hesitation and administered a dose; others spent a few seconds looking around, but ultimately also administered a dose.

"God, what is that?" Jack asked alarmed. His voice was only heard in his place and was more of a whisper.

"Nanites. We don't have time to explain anything, and in a few minutes, they will already be fully briefed on the Goa'uld, their forces, and the general details of the Stargate project," explained one of the commanders who held the same rank as Colonel Jack.

"The Goa'uld also possess nanite technology," said Daniel alarmed.

"We know; these nanites will self-destruct as soon as the information transfer is complete," the same military personnel responded.

Daniel sighed in relief, but looked at the soldiers; it seemed that despite their government still praying for a miracle and would sooner cut off a hand than reveal to the world that there were aliens who could come to exterminate them at any moment on a whim, they had taken contingency plans seriously in case of an unexpected attack.

The soldiers who Injected the nanites raised their fist one by one, and in a few seconds, they all had their arms up. Daniel understood that the nanites carried orders to indicate their effectiveness.

"Soldiers, although this plan was designed in case of an attack on our planet, this time, the war will be elsewhere…"

The military commander did not explain who their enemies were, but directly informed that they were heading to an allied planet, which they must defend at all costs, and that under no circumstances should they fail. He then spoke of the Goa'uld supersoldiers they would face, their capabilities, weaponry, and equipment, ordering not to engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, nor leave fallen comrades behind in case of retreat because the Goa'uld had disintegrator weapons, and without a body, there would be no possible medical treatment. Daniel understood that the NID had really planned thoroughly…

Daniel and Teal'c were transported to the bridge of the ship, where there was an operations center, with generals and officers in field gear, making strategies, pointing out different points on various holograms that seemed to be battlefields where they would deploy their troops.

In addition to the generals, there were also men in suits who appeared to be from public security, bearing the coat of arms of the African Empire. They too were strategizing on their own holograms; it seemed that both armies were not going to mix. Narim and Omoc answered questions from both groups about the terrain and the shelters where the civilians they were to secure were located.

"We are leaving the Tollana system," Thor announced, who was in his Asgard command chair.

The ship had just entered hyperspace in the solar system and was already arriving in the Tollan system, which was halfway across the galaxy from Earth. Asgard hyperdrive technology was far superior to that of the Goa'uld.

Daniel, along with the others present, watched as the ship emerged from hyperspace, and then space seemed to distort, and what were small points of light in the distance turned into a space battle with hundreds of ships everywhere.

The Asgard ships were fewer in number, but despite being the same size as a Goa'uld Ha'tak, they were very fast, and the precision of their shots was unmatched. These were the same advantages that the human fleet wanted to achieve over the Goa'uld because they could not overcome this weakness. To do so, they had to train pilots and add numerous support systems, which would make their supposed magic appear as technology. This was a weakness the Goa'uld could not overcome.

Now, in this battle, an Asgard fleet, which was a third of the Goa'uld fleet, faced them without suffering losses, despite their ships not seeming to have an advantage in firepower or shields. It all came down to mobility and the lack of an efficient weapons system on the part of the Goa'uld, which prevented them from fixing their targets, allowing the Asgard ships to maneuver like fighters among their fleet.

Thor's ship soon entered the battle, firing plasma fire in all directions. A Ha'tak ship that was in their path started firing at them, causing a slight tremor on the ship. Even so, the plasma shots did not concentrate on the Ha'tak, but an energy beam shot out, hitting the Ha'tak and making all its shields glow. Three more Ha'tak approached, and a second energy beam was fired at one of them, causing its shield to glow and triggering an explosion on the Ha'tak, so Daniel understood that the energy beam was a terrifying weapon.

The damaged Ha'tak was covered by the other three as it retreated. Thor's ship fired a couple more times but did not pursue the Ha'tak; instead, they ignored them.

The Ha'tak ships moved out of their way, but the Goa'uld fleet did not stand idly by, as a swarm of smaller ships, with the speed of fighters, surrounded them, dodging most of the plasma shots and easily evading the energy beams. These ships were Al'kesh, with greater speed but less firepower than a Ha'tak.

Daniel knew that Al'kesh were not attack or assault ships; they were bombers, and in the quantity surrounding them, they were extremely dangerous, but for some reason, they did not approach…

An Al'kesh broke formation, as there were ships ahead, and it had to maneuver closer to them and away from their circle. Immediately, the Al'kesh received three plasma shots that damaged its shields and made it flee for its life. That was taken advantage of by an Asgard ship, which caught up to it at the same speed, firing its plasma cannons, destroying the Al'kesh, and escaping the rest when they tried to surround it.

Daniel saw a new hologram unfold in the middle of the bridge to show the space battle.

Daniel finally saw the ship they were on, surprised by its size, as it was about three or four times larger than the fast Asgard ships. This was also not Thor's Hammer, which Daniel had seen before when the replicators brought it to Earth.

Daniel could also see the entirety of the battle, between about three hundred Goa'uld Ha'tak and five hundred Al'kesh vs. a hundred Asgard ships, moving at high speed, most of them. But there were twenty of them that were more than three times larger, like Thor's new ship, and they were firing energy beams. These seemed to resist with force and were forming a defensive blockade for Tollana, being harassed by most of the Al'kesh because the Ha'tak did not seem to be their rivals.

"That's a great ship," praised Teal'c as he watched the Asgard ships withstand the onslaught of a bunch of Al'kesh, and prevented the Ha'tak from getting close, firing their energy beams every time they tried.

"This is a new model of Asgard battleship, the O'Neill class battle cruisers. The smaller and more mobile ones are of the Daniel Jackson class. They don't have great offensive capabilities, but in tactical mobility and defense, they are ideal for repelling attacks from Goa'uld fleets, supported by Al'kesh and smaller ships. Unfortunately, this time, it's the Goa'uld who can choose what kind of ships to face because most of the Tollan defense cannons have been destroyed, and we must ensure that the Ha'tak cannot implement an orbital bombardment on Tollana," explained Thor as his ship approached the defensive perimeter, crossing the battlefield.

Daniel was a little worried because the Ha'tak, to protect themselves from the mobility of the new Asgard ships, had established a defensive perimeter that they intended to cross.

Daniel hoped that the Ha'tak in the front would focus their fire on them, but in the end, they were too busy trying to chase the Daniel Jackson class ships to pursue them, and their enemies remained the Al'kesh", who could not get close enough to launch their bombs, so they passed through the center of the battle with impunity; the Al'kesh were just mosquitoes to the shields of the O'Neill class.

Daniel felt proud of the tactical deployment of the ships bearing his name, and as their shields resisted the Al'kesh attack with minimal damage, Daniel understood how the defensive line was being held at Tollana.

The O'Neill class were ships equipped with powerful weapons and strong defenses. If the Asgard could use them freely in this battle, escorted by the smaller and faster ones, the Goa'uld would have to retreat, provided they did not have overwhelming numerical superiority.

This also meant that these ships were designed to face the Goa'uld. That was strange, considering that until recently, a single Asgard ship could decimate a Goa'uld fleet without suffering damage. It was only with the appearance of Anubis that their technology had improved, and now their weapons and shields could stand up to the Asgard.

Daniel wondered if the Asgard had been thinking about the System Lord Korr… Daniel shook his head because until recently, the Asgard were in ruins, and as Thor himself told them, their fleet was a disaster, and they had to request strategic help from Earth, help that ended up giving them the System Lord Korr, and it was from then on that the Asgard fleet defeated the replicators and created these new ships.

In fact, the Asgard had the same time as Anubis to act, and with their technology, and despite Anubis stealing ships and adding them to his fleet, the Asgard fleet should still be able to match their numbers, and with the tactical and technological superiority of the Asgard, it should give them an easy battle, equalizing the Goa'uld fleet without leaving other territories unprotected…

They are holding back, Daniel understood, but why were they doing it when Anubis had openly challenged them? Daniel didn't understand because the Asgard should be desperate to destroy Anubis, who had the replicators, and they were about to declare war on the System Lord Korr for it. From this point of view, restraining themselves made no sense.

"03, the enemy is scattered, we will have to divide our battalions and reinforce them with volunteers. I know they seem numerous, but the morale of the volunteers is not assured, and if the Goa'uld get more reinforcements or employ terror tactics, without the support of artillery, they could turn around and run," said one of the officers from the African Empire, approaching 03 after discussing with the others for a few seconds and interrupting Daniel's thoughts.

03 looked at the American generals, with a question in his gaze. The generals looked at each other with hesitation.

"Without artillery to support them, even professional soldiers are unlikely to stay," the general reluctantly said. 03 nodded solemnly.

"I will start working immediately. The sooner we close the portal, the fewer reinforcements and unexpected surprises will appear," said 03, disappearing in a beam of light.

"Teal'c, what are terror tactics?" Daniel asked, wondering which of the many atrocities committed by the Goa'uld they were referring to.

"In a lost battle, it is possible for the Jaffa to take naquadah bombs and throw themselves against their enemies. It is strange that they haven't used them yet, considering that the goal of this attack is to exterminate the population and that the enemy has a Chappa'ai," explained Teal'c.

Daniel grimaced; he would run too, although he didn't believe he would stand any chance of escaping such an attack.

Daniel also understood the military's reluctance to fight without artillery against such possible threats.

"Their artillery would not be effective against the Goa'uld warriors, and employing higher-performance weapons would cause the destruction of the cities and casualties we want to avoid," said Thor. The generals and commanders looked at each other and returned to their planning.

"How will the soldiers be transported to the planet?" Daniel asked. Thor conjured up a small hologram beside him.

The hologram was of a kind of capsule, several meters tall and long; it didn't look like a ship.

"These capsules were designed for deploying drones in the event of a possible threat or war, but the war we had was against the replicators, and now our enemy also has such technology. Still, their design will serve to deploy troops safely, and Tollana's airspace is under our control; there will be no enemy fire from the surface, as we can target any anti-aircraft weapons deployed," explained Thor.

Daniel understood that using drones, when the enemy had replicators that could bypass any computer defense, was suicide, so he understood why the Asgard decided to run to Earth and not take risks.

"Generals, we are in position and ready for troop deployment," Thor reported, and the generals hurried to indicate their battlefields.

"Commander Thor, I would like to join the battle alongside Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c said, and Thor nodded, transporting Teal'c.

Daniel knew how to use weapons, but unlike Teal'c and Jack, he was always dragged into shootouts, and in this situation, it was better not to hinder the battle, so he stayed and watched.

The space battle was at a standstill. The Ha'tak couldn't fix the maneuverable Daniel Jackson class cruisers long enough to shoot them down, and the large cruisers were out of their reach, under siege by hundreds of Al'kesh that did little damage to their shields. Daniel knew that the Al'kesh were bombers, but faced with the large number of plasma cannons on the Asgard ships, before an Al'kesh could get close enough to release a bomb payload, it would be destroyed, so they could only linger and fire plasma cannons with little effect before being targeted and having to maneuver to avoid destruction.

"This battle will be won, but if we fail to secure the surface, it will be pointless," Thor said as he observed the space battle.

A window opened, and 03 appeared, in a room with many screens around him and a hologram of the planet Tollan in front, where millions of red dots were indicated.

"They are using some kind of spatial distortion device to create false signals all over the planet," said 03.

"That's why we haven't been able to locate the portal and destroy it with an orbital bombardment," confirmed Thor. "We have also failed to isolate the interference signal; it adapts to all our attempts to nullify it. We suspect Anubis is using replicators," explained Thor.

"Yes, it's a too complex program. I can't overcome it," said 03, and Daniel blinked at his quick surrender, but Thor looked alarmed, widening his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Thor asked.

"I will use the anti-replicator weapon system. Stop trying to block my access; I know this ship has one of those," said 03.

"The anti-replicator weapon has already been tested; some targets were eliminated, but then the signal multiplied. Anubis should be aware of this technology," Thor said.

"If it's useless, then stop trying to block my access to it. I can use it in another way," said 03.

"In what other way?" Thor asked.

"In a way that will be effective in overcoming Anubis's replicators. You're wasting my time," replied 03.

"I must confess that giving you access to our weapon system does not inspire confidence," admitted Thor.

"The Asgard and their insistence on defending the instigators of this war also do not inspire confidence, so I will not provide explanations," replied 03.

Daniel shook his head and hurried to intervene before his allies started a fight.

"Hmmmmm…" Daniel cleared his throat, and he looked at Thor first. "Thor, 03, is there any way to work independently with the anti-replicator weapon system?" Daniel asked. Thor and 03 looked at him.

"I can create a separate subsystem," Thor said reluctantly.

"If this subsystem is isolated from the rest and I am given access to delete it after use, I can work with it," 03 said grudgingly.

"Agreed," said Thor.

"I will start working on it right away, I will notify you when it's ready to neutralize the interference and regain control of the Stargate," said 03, and he cut off the communication.

Daniel sighed mentally. Since the space battle supervised by Thor was at a standstill, he went to see how the troop deployment was going, where the generals had noticed the impasse and the attempt at a fight between their allies but had said nothing.

The hologram divided into dozens of target zones was still displayed for the generals, and Daniel could see Thor's ship releasing the capsules for descent, as the Asgard teleport ace couldn't be used outside the ship and its shields.

Daniel wondered where Jack, Sam, and Teal'c were, while watching the holograms show the capsules descending in different zones. As Thor anticipated, there were no anti-air defenses…

An alarm sounded, interrupting Daniel's thoughts.

"It's a call from the Goa'uld fleet, they will only see our tactical deployment, only me," Thor said and opened the communication.

On the screen appeared a Goa'uld that Daniel already knew, and in fact, he had met him on that planet just before, only he used to serve Apophis.

"Asgard, you allow inferior species to fight your battles," complained Zipacna, who was seated on a Goa'uld throne bearing the mark of Anubis.

"Goa'uld, unlike you and yours, the Asgard have allies," Thor said indifferently. "You cannot win this battle. If you surrender, I will allow your troops to withdraw," Thor offered, but Zipacna laughed.

"Asgard, the Kull warriors are invincible, you only send these human pigs to die," mocked Zipacna, and cut off the communication.

Daniel grimaced. Sometimes he doubted the intelligence of the Goa'uld, because if humans were pigs, didn't that mean the Goa'uld liked to see themselves as pigs?

Technical clarifications:

Asgard shields are not stronger than those of the Goa'uld; as mentioned, bombers are not effective because the Asgard have already taken them into account and designed advanced weapon systems to prevent Al'kesh from approaching their ships. Ha'tak vessels have great firepower, but the O'Neill class of Asgard ships has particle beams, which are too much for a Ha'tak even with upgraded shields.

The Asgard are not humans; they can design an effective weapon against the armor of the Kull warriors and also seek an effective method to combat them. However, as shown, these Kull warriors are not the same as in the original series because their creator, Anubis, possesses much more advanced technology, and he would not hesitate to use it on his supersoldiers. In the next chapter, we will continue to see more differences in the Kull warriors.

The technology used by 03 to penetrate shields will be discussed in later chapters, although many should already imagine what technology it is, and no, the other human replicators cannot use it; this will also be discussed in later chapters. I mention it here so you know I haven't overlooked explaining it.