O'Neill hears the faint sound of the stargate being activated. He knows that the wounded pilots will be taken back to Earth where they will receive medical care. Unsurprisingly, the injuries that Teal'c had suffered, though probably severe, were almost healed by the time his aircraft had made its rough landing on the sand near the gate. Fortunately, all of the planes had landed safely, the U17Cs on the riverbed near the gate, the O-2s on the meadow runway.
Unfortunately, Earth doesn't have enough replacement pilots who have sufficient security clearance. This means that O'Neill, who has just enough flight time, will get take Talon's place piloting Oscar Deuce One. Lieutenant Spencer Sharpe will act as O'Neill's navigator and weapons officer. O'Neill had the staff cannon removed from the damaged U17C and attached to the top of Oscar Deuce One. The crew chief stated that the additional weight of the staff cannon will make the plane sluggish. However, once the Hellfires have been fired the handling would improve.
As the O-2 aircraft and the flyable UC17C are being repaired, re-armed, and refueled, O'Neill and the other flight crews stand in the Sanctuum command tent listening to Captain Teemurin discuss the latest news about the war.
"The Eastern fleet has been able to halt the enemy advance. By pulling the reserves from the Western and Southern fleets and adding them to the Eastern we were able to halt the advance. This has forced the enemy troop carriers to hold their positions and not cross into Sanctuum. We don't know yet what the outcome will be."
"What about the western front?" Carter asks.
"Without your involvement it would have been lost. With the loss of their capital ships their ability to wreak havoc on the western cities or infrastructure was severely reduced. However, even with those losses they still outnumber our ships over three to one. Fortunately, their firepower is not as overwhelming. Our Western fleet is slowly retreating, trying to take out as many ships as possible. They will attempt to regroup at Raunt'n ridge."
He points to a spot on the map, the same ridge where O'Neill had seen the large mystery ships. O'Neill decides not to mention the strange ships he had seen near the ridge, just in case there are any Urghan spies about.
"The commander of the Western fleet is requesting you return. While the missiles were very effective in destroying the capital ships, the energy weapon appeared to terrify many of the Urghan and Lepronian ships' crews. If you can use them on the remaining ships that might cause a panic and force them to withdraw."
O'Neill speaks English into his radio. "Staff Sergeant Santos, what's the status on the three flyable aircraft?"
After a pause the crew chief's voice comes over the radio. "The staff cannon has been successfully transferred to OD One and tested. Holes have been patched on all three aircraft. No internal or control surface damage found. Fueling now. Will load Hellfires after that. Should be good to go in fifteen or twenty minutes."
"Thanks. We'll be out there shortly. O'Neill out."
Switching back to Themanu he says, "we'll head to grid west five-two and look for the fleet around there. We'll be up in twenty minutes."
"Thank you, Colonel. And to all of you as well. You have provided the edge we needed in this battle."
0
"Uniform Charlie One to Oscar Deuce one, over."
"Oscar Deuce One here, go ahead Carter."
"We're up, climbing to five hundred."
"Good. Once at altitude we'll turn to heading five three degrees and proceed to grid west five-two. Maintain radio silence until we see something. No sense giving the enemy any hints that we're there."
The three planes maintain radio silence during the twenty-minute flight. O'Neill hears lots of radio traffic, both coded and uncoded, coming from both fleets. It sounds like the Sanctuum fleet has not been able to turn the enemy fleet back. What at first had been a slow withdrawal seems to have become a fast retreat. Some of the uncoded messages seem to indicate a certain level of panic has begun to spread through the Sanctuum fleet. To O'Neill it doesn't sound good.
Eventually they see the black dots that represent the battling fleets. Thick smoke surrounds the black dots as they move toward the ridge. As they get closer he can see plenty of flashes and spurts of flame coming from both sides.
O'Neill decides to break radio silence and check in with the good guys. "Oscar Deuce One to Brotillon, do you hear me, over."
There is nothing but the usual radio chatter for several long seconds. Finally, the harried voice of the commander comes through the speakers. "Brotillon to Oscar-Deuce One, I hear you. Glad you are back. A small group of cruisers, we believe a total of eight, was able to break through our lines. Their last heading puts them on a direct course to Friannam Center. We do not have any ships between the group and the city. We need you to do what you can to prevent them from reaching Friannam Center."
Lieutenant Sharpe quickly looks at the map. He finds the city on the map and shows it to O'Neill. O'Neill looks and confirms. "Understood. Changing heading to Friannam Center."
Switching back to English, O'Neill contacts the other ships and gives them the new heading. "I estimate ten minutes before we reach their last known position. Look alive though, if they know we're coming they may try to set up an ambush. Let's head up to seven hundred feet, give us a better view."
Five minutes later they see an airship, with the Urghan flag, lying on its side. They can see a number of men walking away from the downed ship and toward the west. O'Neill assumes the ship must have been damaged in the push through the line and the crew members are making their way home. A few minutes later he hears a warning from Siler.
"Colonel, airship, ten o'clock low. About two miles ahead and four hundred feet below us. Looks like one of the bad guys."
O'Neill looks out the door window. He sees that the nose of the airship is pointed toward them and it appears to be gaining altitude. It obviously is coming to stop them.
"Forget it. We can't stop to deal with it. Increase altitude to eight five zero."
Smoke trails the airship as its guns attempt to reach the three aircraft. Either their weapons are not powerful enough to reach them or they have trouble targeting the quicker aircraft. Soon the three airplanes leave the enemy airship behind. O'Neill knows, without a doubt, that they've radioed a warning to the force ahead of them.
Fifteen minutes after that they see the enemy airships. Though they fly at a high rate of speed the airplanes easily catch up with them. The airships fly close together in a 'V' formation, with the trailing airship on the left. O'Neill waits until he and the others are almost over the airships before he breaks radio silence. With the sun high in the sky he hopes that it might be difficult for their lookouts to see them.
Making sure he speaks in English, he breaks radio silence. "Oscar DeuceTwo and Uniform Charlie One, do you read, over."
After receiving confirmations he continues. "Uniform Charlie One, go for the right side of the formation, hit the trailing ship. I'll go for the left side of the formation. Oscar Deuce Two, maintain position. Uniform Charlie, we'll strafe using the staff cannons, no missiles yet. Hold fire until two hundred yards. Hit them as hard as you can. Work your way up the formation then peel off to your starboard before reaching the lead. I'll turn to port after my run. After our turns we'll head back up to six hundred and reassess. Again, hold off on the Hellfires, we may need them later. Acknowledge, over."
"Uniform Charlie One, Roger. Right side of the formation, strafe only, no Hellfires."
"Oscar Deuce Two, Roger that, holding position."
"Let's go." He cuts the radio. "Hold on, Lieutenant."
O'Neill banks the plane to the left and puts it into a dive. He approaches the trailing airship a little faster than he thought. He applies the flaps a bit to slow down. As he does Lieutenant Sharpe opens up with the staff cannon. O'Neill checks his air speed to keep it high enough to avoid stalling. Meanwhile the staff cannon shreds the control surfaces and the rear engines of the trailing airship. He sees the airship's rear turret swing around. O'Neill begins swinging the plane back and forth to mess with the airship gunner's aim. The staff cannon continues to chew up the rear and sides of the airship. The rear of the airship suddenly drops. O'Neill swings to the right to make it around the falling airship and heads to the next airship in line. He hopes Carter's aircraft is doing well but he can't afford to be distracted. He pulls up to give his aircraft a little altitude and to avoid the gunners in the other airships. As he approaches the next airship in line he hears a rattle of metal hitting the side of the plane. He increases speed and brings the nose down a bit to bring the staff cannon back into play. As he moves in behind the next airship the lieutenant opens fire.
By now the other ships know they are under attack. They begin to break formation and turn to bring their side guns to bear. The staff cannon on O'Neill's aircraft continues ripping into the airship. The airship turns to the starboard, presenting a much bigger target. O'Neill plays with the rudder, turning the plane so that the staff cannon's fire spreads along the airship's side. He waits until the last second before banking to the left to move around his second victim. As bullets slam into his ship he pushes the throttle forward to increase speed. He hears the lieutenant give out a yelp. Once around the second airship he banks back to the right to aim the staff cannon at the next ship. Sharpe opens fire, blasting the rear and side of the third ship. More bullets strike O'Neill's plane. He can't wait any more, pushing the throttle forward to give him more speed and pulling back on the stick. He flies up and over the ship he was firing at. He continues his climb and begins a left turn to get away from the machine gun and cannon fire.
He looks quickly at the lieutenant. "You okay?"
"Yeah, took something in the leg. Wrapped my belt around it. It's not too bad."
"Oscar Deuce One to Uniform Charlie, what's your status? Over."
"Uniform Charlie to Oscar Deuce One. We've taken several hits. Controls are sluggish but I think we are okay."
"We've got some bruises also. Head up to six hundred. Over."
"Roger. Heading up to six hundred."
Once at six hundred feet O'Neill begins a large circle over the enemy airships, a mix of both Urghan and some other country. Before their strafing run there were six ships. As a result of their run two ships have hit the ground. Another ship appears to be slowly sinking. One ship lists severely to one side, and another seems to be just drifting. The lead ship, which had escaped unscathed, has turned around to face the damaged ships.
O'Neill looks at Uniform Charlie One. Her wings and tail have plenty of holes and tears. He's not sure how much more damage she can take.
"Uniform Charlie One, how do I look?"
"Sir, damage to your rudders, stabilizer, and wings. Aft engine seems to be trailing light smoke."
O'Neill glances at the control panel. Oil pressure seems low but other than that the aft engine seems okay.
"Okay, thanks. Siler, stay up here and observe. You too, Carter. I'm going down to see if they want to continue the fight or not."
O'Neill pushes the plane into a shallow dive and heads toward the still in-the-air airships. He angles slightly away from the airships to let them know he is not attacking them. Switching to Themanu he tries to contact them.
"Stargate Air Force to Urghan command ship, do you hear me?"
After a long pause he hears, "yes, I hear you."
"What are your intentions?"
"I could ask you the same question."
"If you agree to withdraw and return to the western border we'll let you retrieve your crews. Otherwise we will knock your remaining ships out of the air."
O'Neill waits for an answer. He can empathize with the commander. The officer's force was almost wiped out by two little airplanes. The officer probably feels his career sinking faster than his airships.
"Very well. We'll put out a flag of truce. Please give us the time necessary to retrieve our sailors from the damaged ships. We'll need to use the Konoich to help carry our men from the stricken airships. She's unable to make way on her own and will need to be towed."
"Understood. We observed that one of your ships appears to have crashed some distance back toward the battle line. The other we passed but did not engage. I encourage you contact them so they will know of your decision. We will notify Sanctuum of your decision as well. We will observe your withdraw."
"Thank you, Stargate Air Force. I will notify the Alphit to strike its colors as well."
O'Neill turns away and gains altitude. Switching to English he contacts the ships. "You heard, Carter?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Siler?"
"Yes,Sir."
"We'll wait here and observe their withdrawal. I think I have an hour of flight time left. How about you two?"
"Oscar Deuce Two, about the same."
"Uniform Charlie, same here."
"We'll take it easy, lazy circles, nothing fancy until further notice."
O'Neill contacts the Brotillon, letting her know that five of the ships in the breakthrough were destroyed and the commander has agreed for the surviving ships to fly truce flags and withdraw.
He sits back and waits.
0
"Brotillon to Oscar Deuce One, please respond."
"This is Oscar Deuce One, go ahead."
"Please head to Raunt'n Ridge. A large section of our front has collapsed and is in retreat toward that location. We will need your assistance to counterattack."
"Understood. Our fuel is low but we can help out."
Speaking in English, he asks Carter how her fuel is holding up. "I can probably spend ten minutes, maybe fifteen, there. If we have to do any combat flying it will be less. By the time I reach the airfield I might be running on vapors."
"Same here," Siler adds.
O'Neill has them assume a heading toward the ridge. About fifteen minutes later they approach the ridge. The retreating ships seem to be moving at high speed. The combined enemy fleet pursues them at high speed as well. He hears Carter's voice in English.
"Colonel, take look at the ridge."
He has to stretch up to peer over the cowling. On this side of the long ridge, hovering just above the treetops and fifty feet below the top of the ridge, are four huge aircraft. The first time he saw them he didn't have a chance to really look at them. Now he can take a good long look. They are half again as large as the largest battleship he's seen. Unlike any other airship he has seen, pairs of vertical lift propellers are evenly spaced along the top instead of along the sides. Along the side of each airship facing them are a dozen large square hatchways. He assumes the other side has something similar. He's not sure but he thinks they might be some kind of gun port. The strangest thing about these ships is that each one has several large, strange looking bags hanging from the fore and aft gondolas. O'Neill cannot understand what they are.
"What do you think, Carter?"
"Not sure. I don't know why they didn't have such large ships in the battle, unless they are not designed to be very mobile. Might be stationary gunships."
"We'll see. Let's go into a circular holding pattern and see what they want us to do."
They begin flying a large circular pattern, keeping their eyes on both the approaching fleets and the strange ships hidden behind the ridge. They listen as the Brotillon coordinates the Sanctuum retreat. Several of the radio operators speak openly on the frequency. O'Neill thinks this is strange, since this will allow anyone listening to hear what their plans are. A little over a dozen frigates and cruisers, what looks like most of the remaining Sanctuum fleet, approach the ridge. The enemy fleet consists of almost three dozen destroyers, cruisers and frigates. One of the radio operators suggests that once over the ridge they drop down and separate so the enemy will be forced to break up to follow their retreat. A senior officer comes on the radio and rebukes the person for speaking out like that.
The retreating Sanctuum ships soon reach the ridge. O'Neill watches as they fly over the ridge and then past the hidden airships. The retreating airships drop toward the ground and then come to an abrupt stop. The airships quickly turn to face the approaching enemy. The enemy ships continue their approach at high speed. They are less than a quarter mile from the ridge when O'Neill notices the bags under the large ships suddenly open, dropping what must be thousands of gallons of water. Dropping the ballast allows the ships to quickly rise above the ridge. To the enemy fleet it must seem that these ships have appeared out of nowhere. Before the enemy ships can react the large Sanctuum ships are engulfed in clouds of smoke as they fire a massive broadside. The gunships rock back and forth in response to the broadsides' recoil. The ships directly in the broadside's path shudder as dozens of shells tear into them. Before they can react another broadside leaps from the gunships. The second barrage rips through the airships, causing several airships to plummet toward the ground. Before a third broadside can be fired a dozen more enemy ships begin dropping toward the ground. Small white parachutes fill the air beneath many of the sinking ships. Those ships that did not suffer direct fire from the broadside try to scatter and fly away. Since the enemy ships no longer approach in formation the gunships begin to turn slightly so that their guns will bear on the fleeing airships.
The no-longer-retreating airships now rise above the gunships and add their own gunfire. The enemy ships, in complete disarray, begin a frantic retreat. The retreating airships are easy pickings for the powerful gunships. The rest of the Sanctuum fleet begins to cross the ridge, chasing after enemy stragglers, being sure to stay high enough to avoid friendly fire.
"Brotillon to Oscar Deuce One," comes over the radio.
"Oscar Deuce One. Over."
"Oscar Deuce One, your 'Eye in the Sky' reports that possibly a dozen enemy ships have broken off and are moving to the south, we think to work around our battle lines or to join in the attack on our southern border. If so, they will pass near your base. Some of our ships are in pursuit but may not catch them in time. You may want to warn your people and see if you can do something."
"Understood. Do you still need our assistance here?"
"I do not believe so. Much of the enemy fleet is in retreat. If we need your assistance we will let you know."
"Understood. Will change heading to pursue."
O'Neill quickly notifies the other planes before he turns and takes a heading that will carry the Stargate fleet toward the river. He hopes they will be able to catch up to the enemy ships before they can get too far. He tries to raise Fort Carter to warn them but the hills seem to be interfering with the signals.
0
"What do you think, Colonel?"
"Whoever they are they seem to be in trouble."
Not long after their airplanes had turned toward the river they flew over half a dozen Urghan and Lepronian airships, with varying degrees of damage, fleeing toward the border. Several miles away O'Neill saw a number of strange looking airships, each with oversized gondolas and a large number of vertical lift engines. O'Neill assumes they are troop carriers. They appear to have stopped their advance into Sanctuum territory. While some are maintaining their position, most seem to be moving away from the Sanctuum border. It looks like the invasion, at least from the west, is over. He warns the Brotillon just in case the troop carriers decide to turn around.
Several minutes after reaching the river and turning south they come across several airships lying crumpled on the ground. The first three display the Urghan flag. Dozens of men walk across the riverbed toward the Urghan border. Half a mile past those airships were four more ships, all of them from Sanctuum. Three of the airships, one cruiser and two destroyers, lie on the ground. The fourth airship, a cruiser, floats over the other airships. All of its engine pylons have been destroyed and its stern, where its main drive propellers are located, has been severely damaged. Several of the cruiser's mooring lines have been tied to the downed aircraft to keep it from drifting. The crews on the ground are busy salvaging what they can from the downed airships and dragging the equipment toward the still aloft aircraft. They wave as O'Neill and the others fly over.
After flying several more miles they see two more airships. Both appear to have received considerable damage, with each ship trailing smoke from their stern engines. O'Neill changes course to bypass the airships at a safe distance. As he passes the airships he sees the striped flag of Sanctuum on their sides. He slows and begins to circle the ships so he can read their names. If he is correct they are the Biralbian and the Shenaid.
He tries to contact them. The Brialbian fails to respond but he successfully raises the Shenaid.
"This is Shenaid."
"This is Oscar Deuce One. What's your situation?"
"We caught up with the airships who had broken away and attempted to stop them. We lost four ships to their three, and the rest of their ships escaped. They have four battleships, one dreadnought, and several cruisers."
" I thought we had destroyed their battleships and dreadnoughts in the first attack."
"I thought so too. They must have been held in reserve until after you had finished your attack."
"I see. We'll attempt to catch up. We'll also notify Sanctuum command of your situation. Oscar Deuce One out."
"Thank you. Shenaid out."
The airplanes fly along the river for several more minutes. As they do O'Neill closely watches the fuel gauge. It shows that he has maybe ten or fifteen minutes of fuel left. If they find the airships they will only have a few minutes to engage before they have to head to the air base. As they continue along the river they come across a number of objects that had been dropped from one or more airships to help keep them aloft. A few minutes later they see the enemy ships.
One of the battleships lists slightly to starboard, but otherwise it and the other battleships seem okay. Two cruisers have been tied to the dreadnought's airships to either keep it up in the air or to provide a tow. Five other cruisers provide escort for the dreadnought and battleships.
"Uniform Charlie One to Oscar Deuce One."
"Oscar Deuce One here, go ahead, Carter."
"What's the plan, Sir?"
"The dreadnought should be primary target, since it will cause the most damage. We don't have much fuel left. Put a hellfire through its center section. It might set off their bomb load. Then target the battleships. Oscar Deuce Two, you follow her in. If Uniform Charlie doesn't take out the dreadnought with the hellfire put one up its rear, then hit the battleships. I'll follow up, hit what's left. After your run head to base. I'll circle around and see if it will be necessary use my remaining Hellfires. Over."
"Roger, Oscar Deuce One. Uniform Charlie heading in. Over."
"Roger, Oscar Deuce Two heading in. Over."
O'Neill watches the two planes pull forward. After a few seconds he sees a missile leave Uniform Charlie One. Just before it hits Uniform Charlie begins a climb and a sharp turn to the left. The missile strikes the large gondola hanging between its support airships. O'Neill sees a small explosion but nothing else happens. Oscar Deuce Two proceeds to put a missile into the gondola right next to the previous hit. The shaped charge burns its way into the ship. A bright light then an explosion shows that the missile hit something. Additional explosions begin ripping through the gondola. A number of white parachutes begin to appear below the stricken ship as pieces of the gondola begin to fall. One of the airships providing support for the dreadnaught cuts its lines and moves away. The other fails to cut them in time and is dragged toward the ground as the dreadnought falls from the sky. He watches as the two planes duck and weave among the ships, either firing their Hellfire missiles or, in the case of Uniform Charlie, blasting nearby ships with the staff cannon.
As the two airplanes continue their attack the enemy airships begin to turn and change their altitude to fight back. As the airships focus on the first two planes O'Neill pushes the throttle forward and heads toward the right side of the fleet. He flies around the two battleships that have been hit and have begun to drop. He heads directly toward the third battleship, giving Lieutenant Sharpe time to light up the airship. Unfortunately, the third battleship has turned so its side faces O'Neill's plane. The guns swing around and aim right at him.
"Target, target," O'Neill yells. Puffs of smoke show that the battleship has opened fire. O'Neill noses the plane down as the large shells fly overhead. He hears something strike the top of the ship. He quickly pulls up so that the lieutenant can reacquire the target and fire a missile. O'Neill banks the plane to the left and then straightens out. The lieutenant struggles to get the laser back on target. O'Neill holds his heading as the missile heads toward the battleship. He feels something striking the ship, either shrapnel or bullets. As the missile reaches the battleship O'Neill banks hard to the right and pushes the nose down to gain speed. The missile rips through the battleship. Just for good measure O'Neill swings back toward the battleship, giving Sharpe a chance to blast the ship with the staff cannon. After half a dozen hits O'Neill banks right sharply and dives under the battleship. As he passes under the airship a cruiser presents a perfect target for the staff cannon. The lieutenant opens fire with the staff cannon at the same time as he aims the laser at the ship. He fires another missile. The cruiser's crew can't tell where the blasts originate. By the time someone spots Oscar Deuce One the missile has struck. O'Neill banks left and heads away. He feels the O-2 shudder as something hits it. He banks again and pulls back on the stick to gain altitude.
"Uniform Charlie One to Oscar Deuce One. Do you copy."
"Yeah, I'm still here."
"We're out of Hellfires. We took some damage and our fuel is low. We have to head back."
"Understood. Oscar Deuce Two, what's your status?"
"Out of missiles as well. Took some hits but we're still in one piece. Fuel low as well."
"Follow Uniform Charlie to base. Will assess the damage we've caused and head to base ASAP. Oscar Deuce One out."
O'Neill notices that his O-2 does not respond very well. He looks at the wings and control surfaces. He can see a lot of holes. He hates to think about what the rest of the airplane looks like. He makes a gentle turn so he can look at the enemy ships. The dreadnought and one of its escort cruisers lie on the ground. Lots of figures mill around the ships. Three of the battleships lie crumpled on the riverbed. The final battleship's stern drags along the ground. All but two of the escort cruisers have also crashed. The remaining cruisers just circle, apparently confused at what to do next. They attempt to fire at O'Neill's plane but miss. It looks like the fight has left this group as well.
"Colonel," Lieutenant Sharpe says. "I think we'd better head for base."
O'Neill looks at the fuel gauge and agrees. "You're right. Based on what we have left one of us may have to get out and push."