Fleet Command

July 17

Generals Allison was in the Fleet Command Center when the message from the fleet came in announcing that they had started the battle. It didn't take long before the president and secretary of defense joined her. General O'Neill couldn't be present since he was at Asuras II preparing the Rivendell for flight. Allison had sent him a secured, yet cryptic, message on the commencement of combat. While they were waiting for more news the general showed the president the status of the galaxy at large through the large map table in the center of the command center.

"Sir, from all indications we have now, the Dominion have committed the bulk of their force into moving core ward following the Perseus arm. There's also a sizable force at the Colonies, including two mother ships. Their recent attacks at Earth have somewhat depleted their forces, yet we are already detecting more forces inbound from outside this galaxy." Allison explained.

"And what about the Outer Arm?"

"We're detecting light activity there. It's also where most of our ships currently reside. We're using small forces to steer away Dominion scouting parties from habited and friendly planets. It is also where the Dominion have the most puppets and where most of the assassins and infiltrators came from, some of these puppets are waging covert or overt wars against our local allies."

"And the wolfpacks? What's their status?" the secretary of defense informed.

"Most are currently laid up. The Dominion have increased the escorts on their supply routes and our method of pulling them out of hyperspace is giving off a specific type of radiation which means that the Dominion get about fifteen seconds warning before they exit hyperspace. It is sufficient for them to arm weapons and raise shields, thereby reducing the effects of our strikes. R&D is working on a way to mask the radiation as it is. We're also lacking ZPM's to stand up against the increased warship escorts. If a 306 wishes to survive against a Dominion battle cruiser, she needs a ZPM, or it's gonna be a short fight." Allison explained.

"Understood General." Ryan said. "Once the fleet gets back we'll hopefully have some ZPM's to spare for the smaller ships in the fleet."

"Out of curiosity, are there any project underway to either beef up ZPM production, or find alternative sources of power?" The secretary of defense asked.

"Some. Problem with ZPM production lies in the capsules for the ZPM's, it requires a very rare material, even more scarce than Naquadriah. At this moment our two sources are being exploited to the max. We know of one other source, but it lies well within Dominion controlled territory. I believe there's also a team working on an Arcturus type power generator, but they aren't making much more progress than McKay did initially. There's also another team working on adapting Asgard Ion-Nutrino generators for use on our ships. However, these generators are quite large as it is. McKay or Carter would know more about it honestly." Allison explained.

"The Galactica is getting those Asgard generators right?" The secretary of defense asked.

"Yes, she's a test bed for the technology, she'll also get one Asgard core. We know from Asgard sources that these generators can supply much of the power that a ZPM would give, but their maximum output is somewhat lower than that of a ZPM. Because of the massive size of the battlestar, she's an easy fit for the generators, any current Tau'ri ship design doesn't have the same spare space for a generator."

The information sharing went on for a while. The president took his time getting more information about the space forces.

"General Allison, receiving a new message from General Emerson, voice only." A colonel reported. Both the president and secretary of defense stood up from their chairs which had been brought in for their convenience.

"Play it colonel." Allison ordered.

"This is General Emerson to Fleet Command. Operation Valkyrie is a success. The Ace of Spades has been captured and all other targets have been killed or destroyed. Casualty report and ship status reports are still being compiled. My estimates are approximately twenty percent losses or heavy damage on material, and ten percent losses on personnel. I expect detailed reports to follow within two hours, and for us to leave for the next waypoint in four hours after completion of essential repairs. Emerson out."

The president and secretary smiled widely. General Allison simply nodded. Already busy on calculating the losses sustained and how they would influence future operations. She only knew an overall percentage but it still kept her thinking.

"Can we reply?" the president asked.

"Yes, though we're not sure if they'll receive the message because of the distance and time lag. They may already be gone when a message arrives." The colonel replied.

"At this moment, Emerson is sending the detailed reports already." Allison added.

"Please congratulate General Emerson and the crewmembers of the fleet. Tell him job well done and that we hope to see him and the crews in person soon." Ryan said.

"Yes sir." The colonel replied.

"Colonel, send a message to the group 'outcome recipients' for Operation Valkyrie. Report Operation Valkyrie successful, losses within expected boundary." Allison ordered as she opened up a case file related to Operation Valkyrie. Now that the operation had been executed and the risks of an early disclosure were minimized, the security clearance of the operation would be lowered.

"General, when will the families be notified?" The secretary of defense asked.

"Once the fleet has finished resupplying their stores in the Asgard Galaxy on their way home. By then the fleet will be close enough for us to disclose the operation and its effects to the general public, as well as notifying the families."

"Ten percent, that's over ten thousand crewmembers lost or seriously wounded." Allison said sadly to no-one in particular.

Government command center: naval station Ferguson

Later that day

President Ryan had been called into a meeting by the Tau'ri Congress. Most of the members were not physically present but instead represented by flat screens mounted on the walls of the rather small chamber he was in. The Congress had been scattered across the planet, and even the two galaxies, to ensure that it would not be possible to take it out in its entirety in one fell swoop.

"Mister President, in light of your continued refusal to divulge the location and current mission of our fleet we have been forced to take a difficult decision." One of the senators replied. "Considering that the fleet is of vital importance to the security of the federation and that its absence has allowed the Dominion military to establish a foothold on Earth we demand the following to be produced: 1. the location, mission and status of the Tau'ri fleet to be divulged to this chosen body under the condition that certain facts shall be held secret from the general public which will be determined by the Senate Defense oversight committee; 2. That a full and independent investigation will be launched into the decision-making which has left this planet virtually undefended; 3. That a full and independent investigation will be launched into how the Dominion were able to bypass our defenses in the ways they did; and finally 4. That a full and independent investigation shall be made into possible abuses of power by the executive branch and the military leadership." The senator read aloud. Numerous senators and representatives voiced their agreement, though some also voiced their disagreement.

Ryan took a minute to take the demands in. He hadn't expected this at all, had no warning from friends within Congress, which told him more than the amount of 'here here' callers. Very cautiously, he grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote down the separate demands made by the senator. Meanwhile some of the senators had gotten into a fight about the need for secrecy during times of war. Before it got out of hand, Ryan stepped in.

"Okay." He said. It took a surprisingly short amount of time for everyone to shut up. "Regarding point three, investigating the breach of our security by the Dominion. At this moment four large investigations are ongoing with regards to this matter, one by the TFBI, one by the TFCIA, one by military intelligence, and a joint investigation by the three former agencies, and representatives from several other agencies, which is well known to all of you. Regarding point four, I wish you the best of luck with that exercise of futility, it is your right to do so. Regarding your first two demands, these are closely linked together and at this moment it is simply impossible to divulge any information regarding these subjects to the Congress."

"Well thank you for your concessions, yet" a senior senator said but he was cut off by the president.

"Which concessions are you referring to senator? I merely informed you of matters which you should already have knowledge off." Ryan interrupted knowing this senator could not handle such interruptions well.

"Semantics Mister President. Let's move on to the first two points. Why can the Senate defense oversight committee not be allowed to publicize information about the fleet?"

"Because the Senate defense oversight committee has no information about the current whereabouts of the fleet. They, as well as all other congressional committees have been deliberately kept in the dark with regards to the fleet." Ryan admitted, knowing full well admitting to doing something deliberately was dangerous politically speaking.

"Say what Mister President? Did you mislead congress?" the Senator asked taking a bite from the bait Ryan had just left dangling right in his face.

"No I did not mislead Congress, I merely did not inform them."

"Who's talking semantics now Mister President?" Now going full for the bait.

"There's a considerable difference between not informing Congress of something, and flat out lying about it." Ryan said. The senator was infuriated and another senator quickly took over for him.

"Mister President, Why have you kept a formation such as the Senate defense oversight committee out of the loop on such important decisions?"

"Because the TFCIA's investigation initially revealed, and was later confirmed by the other investigations, that our government, primarily our civilian government, has been thoroughly compromised by the Dominion. Some of the leaks have been plugged, yet there is the suspicion that more leaks exist and until we are sure, the military is working on a need to know basis."

"What does that exactly mean Mister President?" a senator asked.

"It means that the Tau'ri congress will only be informed about military operations until they have been concluded, and their publication no longer poses a threat on national security."

"And who determines when such publications no longer pose a threat to national security? You?"

"Representatives from the military, this administration and the justice department weigh the risks for every operation and make their recommendations to the leadership of the military, intelligence agencies, and the administration."

"And how can we, the chosen body that represents the Tau'ri Federation, determine if the taxpayers money is being well spent, if no abuses of power or positions have been made, if the requests for funds for future programs are warranted?"

"By trusting those who present the plans and requests, by trusting them to have enough integrity to oversee their own departments to behave responsibly and spend their funds as they were allocated for. Once the most recent financial period is done, there will be a justification coming towards Congress, you will have the chance to determine whether funds have been well spent."

That is not agreeable Mister President."

"Well you'll have to make do with it anyways." Ryan said. Letting it be known that the topic was closed.

A congressman spoke up. "Mister President, considering the importance of the topic of our collective defense, I would like to invite General O'Neill to join us and explain what is currently being done to further our defense."

"I believe General O'Neill is currently off-world and may be unavailable for the foreseeable future." Ryan replied knowing full well the congressman wouldn't quit. General O'Neill was in fact preparing one of the two city ships for service.

"Well, if the general is unwilling to appear we'd be more than happy to summon him for a full inquiry."

"You're free to try his cell." Ryan replied.

"He didn't answer. Would you mind calling him, I assume you have a more direct line of communication." The congressman asked.

"I just tried, he didn't answer my call either, he must be busy being the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

"You know full well what I mean Mister President. I believe you have a 'special' phone." He referred to the old red phone, which wasn't red anymore, and not even a real phone.

"That phone is restricted to emergency calls, not requests from rookie congressmen trying to score their five minutes of fame." Ryan replied. Quite a large number of congressmen went wild shouting shame on you, or in some cases laughing and applauding. While the chairmen of both houses tried to calm down their members, Ryan told one of his subordinates to get a hold of O'Neill and see if he could be available to answer the annoyed congress members.

While the congress members argued among themselves, someone got the message to O'Neill that he was requested to appear.

"Mister President." O'Neill said as a screen activated showing his face and very little background. The congressmen quickly quieted down.

"General O'Neill, what a pleasure to see you. We were informed you were busy."

"I was, am still actually." He replied sarcastically, trying his best to look annoyed.

"Well thank you for taking the time to speak to us in person anyways."

"You had some questions for me regarding our defenses?"

"Ah, yes." The congressman said. "General O'Neill, I'm sure you are aware of the current situation on Earth with regards to the Dominion invasion."

"You're shittin' me right? Is this the kind of questions I can expect from you bunch? I do hope all of you can appreciate the time that is required to not just oversee the defense of Earth, the ground combat currently happening on Earth, as well as the moon, but also the combat on Caprica, Tauron, and a dozen other worlds. Fleet deployments throughout this galaxy and outside this galaxy and many other matters I, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, am responsible for guiding and decision making. Consider this my appearance as per your request, I'll be seeing you on my next performance evaluation in six months." O'Neill ranted. He had planned part of it for quite a while. Nearly every day, some congressman asked for some of his time to talk about this or that matter. He ignored most, and declined the rest.

"General O'Neill, if you leave now we may issue a warrant for your appearance. Any failure on your part may result in charges being brought against you." One of the senators said. Before O'Neill could cut the connection.

O'Neill turned back to face the screen. "If you think prosecuting the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the best use of our collective time and above all, is in the best interest of the Tau'ri Federation, you go right ahead." O'Neill once again turned away and made a very clear 'cut-it-off' signal to someone off-screen.

The congress members were visibly shocked by the rude 'dare' General O'Neill had made. Some were looking over at one another, or writing down a message for someone in another location. Eventually, a senator spoke up. "Well, in that case we shall prepare a summonses to appear in front of the Senate Defense oversight committee to General Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill, two L's. The date to be set on the earliest convenience."

Some of the senators called out loudly, both in support, and against the action.

Ryan said nothing and waited for five minutes. The leaders of both houses were too busy drafting a summons and let control of the meeting slip from their hands. Ryan stood up, and simply walked out, ignoring calls from some of the senators to return to his seat.

Thrudheim

Asgard homeworld Orilla

July 19th

On the Asgard homeworld of Orilla, there lies a vast mansion in the hills overlooking the capital city. Its name is Thrudheim, and it's owner is Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet. Today his mansion was devoid of live, normally numerous sons and daughters of Thor roamed the halls of his mansion, but not today. Today only a small group of people were present, all at the request of someone other than Thor. Former General Samantha Carter, now retired from active service and acting as a teacher at the Tau'ri military academy, as well as performing guest lectures at various institutes, hosted a small meeting on the behalf of the Tau'ri Federation. Invited members included Teal'c and Bra'tac of the Free Jaffa, Admiral Baker for the Twelve Colonies, Lya of the Nox and of course Thor and Kvasir of the Asgard Council. They represented the major powers of the alliance and were trustworthy enough to entrust the information Samantha Carter was about to reveal to them. Also present was former Major Barclay, representing his wife, the Ghost crown princess. Those who were already present stood around talking to one another before the meeting would start. The only ones missing were Carter, Barclay and Thor. Lya and Teal'c were talking somewhat to the side.

"Lya I would appreciate it if you could deploy a taskforce to the outer rim. With the Tau'ri fleet unaccounted for, our task force is nearly alone out there. The only other ships to support us are a 304, a 306 and two Hibridian frigates." Teal'c pleaded.

"Teal'c, please don't take this the wrong way, but the Nox are a peaceful people. We already have trouble manning the ships we have right now, to deploy even more ships we'd need to recruit crewmembers we simply don't have."

"We can help you with crewmembers." Teal'c suggested. "I am sure the Tau'ri would be more than willing to detach sufficient crewmembers to crew your ships, even if it's just the enlisted ranks."

"It is a very generous offer Teal'c and I thank you for it. Yet we cannot accept it for our ships work purely through the neural link we have with it. There are no interfaces with the ship's systems, not even an ancient could interface with our ships." Lya said. She nodded to Admiral Baker as he joined the two of them.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." Baker apologized himself. "Mind if I join you?"

"Of course Admiral."

"With regards to the neural interface, Lya, would it not be possible to create some sort of neural interface to change the link ATA carriers have with Ancient tech to one that can link with your technology as well?" Baker suggested. "It wouldn't have to be at a command level, but just for the simple everyday tasks."

"Please believe me Admiral, we have tried such combinations in the past, but have not been able to make it work." Lya explained.

"Perhaps you should let General Carter or another Tau'ri scientist try to find a solution, they are very ingenious and very fond of 'thinking out of the box'." Teal'c suggested.

"We had not thought of that." Lya admitted. "I will take it up with General Carter once we are done here."

"Admiral, how is the rebuilding of your fleet going?" Teal'c asked.

"We've got twelve operational battlestars at this moment, another two are to come out of the dry-docks fully upgraded within two months. After that, we're gonna have to wait for the Tau'ri batches of battlestars. They are paying for them, but we are building them. All the new technology is certainly going to make a dent once we get back on the battle line." Baker said. "To bad that's still some time away."

"All that for a broken down 50 year old battlestar." Lya commented.

"I think we're gonna see the Galactica back again. No other reason to purchase her the way they did." Baker said.

"Your right on that Admiral." Carter said as she joined the group. She, Thor and Barclay had silently entered the room. "How about you join us at the table so we can get started and I'll tell you all about it." She suggested.

The others nodded in agreement and made their way over to a table set up in the center of the room. It was a fairly standard table.

"Gentlemen, lady Lya." Carter started. "Thank you for coming here so quickly and in secrecy and special thanks to Thor for hosting this meeting."

"Before we commence, I would like to stress the absolute need for secrecy on everything that will be said during this meeting. Though the most critical part has already passed, any information about the timeline of the upcoming events can cause serious damage to our fleet." Carter said.

"This room has been checked by both your, and my security services, no recording devices have been detected, the room is completely secure." Thor said. "Please commence your statement."

"I'll cut to the chase. The Tau'ri fleet is returning home by the end of the month, and we request as much ships as possible to join the Galactica and secure Earth orbit in order to bring in additional shielding capacity, for the Dominion are predicted to make an all-out attack on the system, and Earth itself. Two days ago, the Tau'ri fleet ambushed and captured the Dominion Emperor, in the deepest strike in recorded history at over a hundred million light-years away. In the process, three mother ships, and dozens of escort vessels were destroyed at a cost of 35 ships lost, and a further 78 heavily damaged and over 15000 crewmembers killed. Capturing their Emperor and killing many of his sons has obviously enraged them. We plan on bringing in two city ships, one to provide sufficient shield power to protect the entire planet, and one to cover the other city ship as it lands. They can use any help they can get. Currently we are preparing the Galactica and several Aurora class ships to provide support. We would like all of you to send ships as well. The landing is scheduled for the 27th, before the main Dominion forces get to the Sol system."

"The main fleet won't be back until a day later, first, early morning, the fleet will arrive in the Asgard galaxy where they will be resupplied and any wounded will be off-loaded before they will proceed onwards and somewhere during the afternoon will arrive in the vicinity of Earth, and attempt to lift any siege in place, if any is in place. Afterwards, they will cover the deployment of all our Sol system defenses which until now have been hidden from the Dominion." Carter said. For the moment she was finished and sat down giving the others the chance to comment.

No one actually commented at first. To stunned by the most recent development of the Tau'ri fleet.

Lya was the first to comment. "An assassination of the Dominion Emperor." She said somewhat saddened.

Carter merely nodded, understanding the criticism coming from the Nox.

Baker however, nodded in approval. "Cutting of the head of the snake."

"And a large part of his top command and control structure." Carter said. "We captured him actually, he isn't dead yet. Our intent is to put him on trial, perhaps use him as leverage in a future situation."

"I fail to see the benefit to our operations in the Milky Way galaxy?" Kvasir said.

"It's a somewhat long term goal. In the short run, it might make matters worse, by calling their full wrath over us. But in the long run it will force the Dominion to deploy more forces outside this galaxy to guard against the threat of more deep strikes by our fleet. It may also cause dissent within the Dominion ranks if their leader is taken out of the equation. The best situation would be for a civil war to break out between rivalling pretenders, taking the pressure of our galaxy and possible destroy the Dominion empire entirely." Carter explained.

"An ambitious plan General Carter. One that once again showed the fighting prowess of the Tau'ri people." Bra'tac said.

"And a proven strategy, the Virgon monarchy was wiped out in a suicide bombing, it ended the third Virgon-Tauron war with no further bloodshed." Admiral Baker added. "No doubt there are many more examples with yours and mine history where taking out the command and control structure of the hostile government or military seriously reduced, or destroyed their resistance."

"We do." Carter admitted.

"Well, whatever limited means the Colonial fleet currently has, they will be at your disposal. It's not like they've got anything else to do." Baker said. "Rear-Admiral Thrace will report to General Allison tomorrow for orders. She'll bring most of the remaining battlestars with her."

"General Carter, What information, if any, do you have, which indicates that the Dominion will make another strike on Earth?" Thor asked.

"We're constantly checking Dominion fleet movements galaxy-wide. A few hours after the strike we started seeing an increase of activity similar to which we have detected before any previous attacks. We have also detected several hundred transports and warships approaching the galaxy. We've had these on our screens for a while already, but concurrently with the in-galaxy activity, these also changed course for a rendezvous with a large Dominion fleet at a known staging area."

"And the timeline?" Thor asked.

"The approaching fleet will reach the staging area the 27th, they can strike within twelve hours after that." Carter said.

"But those forces already in theater can strike earlier right?" Barclay asked.

"Yes, that's why we're sending a second city ship to cover the landing city ship, and why we want an as large as possible fleet present to distract any possible force trying to interfere with the landing."

"Will that be enough?" Barclay asked. "You've got precious few warships, a few Aurora's, another city ship, the Galactica with whatever strength she has now, and a few battlestars. Not counting what the rest of us might provide, how do you expect to stand up against several Dominion mother ships? From what I understand you need several squadrons of battleships to kill just one."

"We cannot make guarantees, nor are we sure we have enough ships, but we have to try. We can take on any type of Dominion warship sans their mother ships, the rest can, and will be targeted by ancient and Tau'ri built drones."

"And if a mothership shows up?" Barclay asked.

"We'll have to evaluate our options, if possible, we soak up its firepower while the city ship lands and extends its shield, and then leave. We don't have to destroy a mothership on the 27th. We just need to land that city ship." Carter said.

"Just." Baker commented dryly. "What kind of firepower can a landing city ship take?"

"We've got enough ZPM's to power it's shields so anything but a mother ship should be no problem, unless they overwhelm us in numbers, but that's unlikely. A mothership would need to be blocked physically from firing on the landing ship, that's why the other city ship, and any other ships will be there." Carter explained. "The impact from a mother ships main weaponry could probably push the landing city ship deeper into the atmosphere, possible accelerating it to such a speed where it would not be able to land safely, and even be destroyed on touchdown." Carter added.

"General Carter, while we do not have many ships available, I will do my best to assemble a task force to support the Tau'ri fleet." Bra'tac said.

"As we spoke of earlier, General Carter," Barclay started, "The Ghost are not at war with the Dominion, and honestly, we have every intention to keep it that way. We are alone in our galaxy and too far away to depend on your support in case Dominion forces would come after us. However, as part of the honeymoon and introduction tour my wife, the crown-Princess Amarah, has taken with her a small escort task force numbering about a dozen ships. It could of course be arranged that the crown-princess would visit her husband's home world around the 27th." Barclay said with a wink.

"I am sure the crown-princess would be very welcome at Earth as she has been previously." Carter replied diplomatically.

"While a sizable part of the Asgard fleet is already deployed in the Milky Way galaxy and cannot be redeployed from their current tasks quickly, I will attempt to send additional ships from our defense squadrons in defense of Earth." Kvasir said after a short conversation in Asgard with Thor.

"Well, that's all I can ask for Kvasir. We greatly appreciate all the help you can give us." Carter said.

TFS Nicholas

Alliance Task Force 142 (FJN)

Outer rim, July 21st

The TFS Nicholas, a 306 class warship, was attached to alliance task force 142, which was based on a Free Jaffa task force under the command of Hak'Tor. The task force included seven Ha'tak, three Hak'tyl, two Nox frigates, a Hebridian vessel, and the Tau'ri warship. It's task was to check Dominion fleet movements in the outer rim and not allow them to invade neutral, or friendly, worlds. There were about a dozen such task forces operating in the outer rim and while they would sometimes cooperate, they were mostly dependent on themselves to survive.

'I'd wish they'd finally fix the damn a/c' the commander of the Nicholas said to herself, wiping the sweat of her brow. The temperature control had broken down recently. The only way to keep everyone from freezing, was to route heat from the engines into the ventilation ducts, circulating heated air throughout the ship. The only problem was, they couldn't regulate it to enforce a specific temperature.

"Commander Michaels, I'm detecting hyperspace windows forming nearby." The tactical officer reported to Commander Tanya Michaels.

"Relay the information to the rest of the task force and set red alert." She ordered.

Immediately the ship went into combat mode, the lights dimmed and an alarm blared, followed by the tactical officer reporting red alert. Several crewmembers entered the CIC and manned various stations.

"Dominion forces exiting hyperspace, one battlecruiser, three heavy cruisers, seven light cruisers and six destroyers!" the Tactical officer reported.

"Engage the nearest target, fire at will." Michaels ordered. "What's the flagship saying?"

"They are slow to respond ma'am." The communications officer replied.

The ship shook from several impacts.

"Two destroyers and a heavy cruiser are focusing their firepower on us ma'am." The tactical officer reported. In response the Nicholas returned fire on the heavy cruiser, yet doing no damage.

"Evasive maneuvers, commence attack run on that heavy cruiser." Michaels ordered.

The Nicholas quickly left the formation of alliance warships and headed off towards the heavy cruiser. The cruiser and the two destroyers were somewhat separated from the main Dominion force making an attack run on the cruiser survivable.

Meanwhile, the rest of the task force also came to life. The Hak'tyl concentrated their firepower on the Dominion battlecruiser while the ha'tak split up and targeted the other heavy cruisers and some of the light cruisers. The Nox frigates joined up and commenced their own attack runs on a pair of Destroyers. The Hebridian vessel started trading shots with a light cruiser, doing pretty well.

As the Nicholas approached the Heavy cruiser, she managed to overwhelm a part of its shields, quickly firing off several salvo's of railgun munitions to take out the local shield emitters. As the Nicholas diverted its course and fire to one of the two destroyers, she launched six mark 7 nuclear missiles through the hole in the shields. Five missiles made it through and detonated against the hull of the cruiser. It's forward sections were vaporized and the remainder of the ship quickly succumbed to secondary explosions.

"We just lost a Hak'tyl, the flagship is ordering a retreat." The communications officer reported.

"Very well, helm, plot a course out of here, after we've taken care of that destroyer." Michaels ordered. Meanwhile the second destroyer had also succumbed to the intense weapons fire of the Nicholas, yet the Nicholas' shields were running low, making the third strike was a risk, but one 306 commanders were willing to take.

"Enemy ship in maneuvering into our escape vector." Navigation reported. "Adjusting course."

The Nicholas and its target drew closer and closer until they were nearly upon each other. At this distance, and with her current course, the energy weapons were unable to hit the ship. Instead several railgun batteries had the honor to pound the Dominion ship. They did not finish the job, instead the Nicholas opened a hyperspace window, and entered it, dragging the Dominion destroyer in with it.

Mere minutes later, the Nicholas' hyperdrive started reporting overheating, which rapidly increased to worrisome levels. Not knowing what was causing the drag, the commander ordered the ship out of hyperspace to assess what ailed the hyperdrive. Before they cleared hyperspace, the engine overheated and burned down, destroying the engine and making any hyperspace travel impossible without a completely new hyperspace engine.

"We've exited hyperspace but lost the engine, I have no fix on our current position!" the navigational officer reported first. He was quickly interrupted by the tactical officer, who had much more important news to share.

"Enemy destroyer exited hyperspace with us, range 50 kilometers to our port side, engaging!" the tactical officer reported.

The ship opened fire with all available weapons, which came down to four railguns, and two missile tubes, as the first salvo from the Dominion destroyer cut right through the Nicholas' shields and took out most of the missile tubes, several railgun batteries, and the energy weapons.

"We lost over half of our port side armament." The tactical officer replied.

"Navigation, turn us over so that our starboard side faces the Dominion destroyer." The commander ordered.

"Won't help much ma'am, shields are low everywhere."

"I'm reading signs of an advanced civilization, several space stations and even some space craft." Someone reported.

"Load all remaining tubes with mark 5's and fire at will. Set course for the Dominion destroyer, collision course. Charge the generators and prime the remaining nukes in the armory for detonation on contact. Send a signal to the task force informing them of our situation and the observable star patterns. If we can't beat them, the very least we can do is prevent them from harming the locals."

"Communications are down ma'am, the array went down in the initial strike."

"Launch the emergency buoy."

"Launched." The communications officer reported, seconds later he reported back, "Buoy is gone, hit by a stray blast from the destroyer. The second bouy was destroyed in the first strike."

"Approaching the destroyer, sir, it's loosing shields!"

"Fire everything you've got at it!" Michaels ordered. "Break off collision course, secure all warheads and return the generators to normal parameters."

Two nuclear missiles left the Nicholas but both were shot down by the Dominion destroyer. Meanwhile, railguns took care of more and more weapon systems aboard the destroyer. Quickly, two conventional missiles were launched. These did make it through the remaining defenses of the destroyer and did catastrophic damage.

"The destroyer is splitting in two, I'm not reading any energy signals, life support is fading, I think we did it sir!" the tactical officer reported.

"Good job everyone. Stand down to condition two, secure all remaining weapons and commence repairs immediately. I want a damage report ASAP." Michaels ordered.

"Ma'am, Shields are burnt out, hyperdrive is gone, most weapons are gone with some railguns and one missile tube remaining, sublight is out, communications is out, life-support is barely keeping up considering the amount of internal fires going on. It's going to be a while before we've got anything repaired." Someone reported.

"Can we contact the locals?"

"Negative, short range coms are out, we're using walkies to talk to the other sections."

"Crap."

CIC, Tau'ri Federation Ship

GALACTICA

Midway Station

July 26

"Admiral on deck!" A marine announced as Fleet Admiral Adama entered the CIC.

"At ease everyone." Adama replied.

"Status report." Tigh said as he handed a thin sheet of glass over to Adama. It was a new type of tablet pc, one about as thick as a sheet of paper, and as flexible. For the colonials, it was old technology, long ago discarded in their fear of computers and networks. The Tau'ri had taken the idea, improved upon it, and now started introducing it to the military first.

Adama took it and read it over. Most of the systems were ready as was to be expected considering the ship wasn't fully upgraded yet. But needs meant the ship would go out unfinished. "Reactor four?"

"The chief says it'll be ready by the time we get to Earth."

"That's good, we're going to need it if these predictions from Tau'ri military intelligence are anything to go by." Adama said. "Up to eight Dominion mother ships are presumed available for combat."

"That's a tough nut to crack, even for the Tau'ri fleet." Tigh said.

"We'll manage, together we will." Adama assured him.

"Talking about together, what are we waiting for?" Tigh probed.

"Well, you're gonna find out soon enough." Adama said. "We're awaiting a Tau'ri task force from the Pegasus galaxy. We'll escort them to Earth where we're going to throw a welcoming party for the Tau'ri fleet."

"What kind of party are they planning?" Tigh asked.

"The one with the uninvited guests, and fireworks." Adama replied.

"Who else is invited aside from the Tau'ri fleet and us?"

"The entire alliance for all I know. It's just that a lot didn't RSVP or weren't too sure about their reply. There will be some Jaffa presence, the same for the Asgard, and most of the Colonial fleet will be present, what's left of it anyways. Any more than that, we don't know." Adama said.

"The fleet?" Tigh asked surprised. "At least we'll be with good company."

"Status report of the Asgard systems." Adama asked over the PA.

"Fleet Admiral Adama." Someone came in over the intercom.

"Galactica Actual, Go ahead Hermiod." Adama replied.

"Fleet Admiral. Asgard Core is active at 100 percent. Plasma Beam batteries one through sixteen are operating at full strength considering we are not powered by Zero Point modules, Batteries seventeen through thirty-two are operating at reduced capacity. Hyperdrive is at 70 percent but considering our mission we won't really need it."

"Understood Hermiod." Adama replied. "Tactical, what is our shield status?"

"Sir, we've been working day and night to get it up and running, but we're not gonna get it over 50 percent maximal strength, not counting the lack of ZPM's for power." A Tau'ri Captain reported.

"Understood." Adama replied.

"Sir, more ships are casting off from the station, four Aurora's and a battle cruiser."

"Inform them to assume a defensive hyperspace formation."

"Aye sir."

"The task force?" Tigh asked.

"No." Adama said as his mouth formed in a small grin.

"Admiral, I'm reading a massive hyperspace track inbound for our location." Someone at the DRADIS console reported. Actually the DRADIS array had been swapped out for a much more sophisticated sensor array, yet for all Colonial personnel it remained DRADIS, and all other personnel had adopted it as well. "Sir, these tracks are massive, it can't be right, we've got nothing this large in the entire alliance fleet, not even a Battlestar is this big."

"Oh you're reading them right, don't worry. They are friendly." Adama replied. "Put their arrival on the DRADIS screen."

Adama, as well as most others in the CIC turned their attention to the DRADIS console that hung over the plot table, it changed its display to the feed of an external camera.

"Hyperspace window opening."

The first ships to exit the newly formed, massive, hyperspace window, were about a dozen small ships belonging to the Traveler fleet, they were quickly followed by seven Aurora class warships. There was a little delay between the first group, and the second group of arrivals. Without warning, the first city ship exited hyperspace.

"Atlantis?" someone exclaimed loudly. Others asked themselves the same kind of questions.

All were cut short by the arrival of the second city ship.

"IFF identifies the city ships as the TFS Rivendell and TFS The Tomb."

"Admiral, the energy levels produced by the Rivendell suggest she's got over a dozen ZPM's running."

"That replicator deal happened to include a number of city ships?" Tigh asked surprised.

"Yes, five in total, but they put all attention into making these two operational for this mission." Adama replied.

"Sir, with even one or two of those ZPMs our shields…" the tactical officer started.

"Don't even think about it Captain, the Rivendell is going to need every bit of power she can get." Adama replied. "Contact Supreme Commander O'Neill aboard the Rivendell, request he brings his task force in formation with Galactica and prepare to establish a joint hyperspace window with all ships."

"O'Neill confirms. He's also opened a channel with all ships."

"Put it on the speakers."

"Crewmembers of this fleet, you all know I'm not one for overly long speeches so I'll do my best to keep it short. As you all know, the Dominion have managed to land forces on the surface of Earth. Her defenses have been bypassed and her shields rendered useless for large parts of the planet. Since the landings, ground forces have valiantly fought off the invaders of their homes, our homes. What few of you know, is that the Tau'ri fleet has been on a deep strike against a high value Dominion target. Ten days ago, the Tau'ri fleet struck the Dominion emperor and senior command staff in transit. Over the course of the battle, three Dominion mother ships were destroyed, a large part of the senior command structure has been killed, and the Dominion emperor has been taken prisoner. The fleet is now on their way back home and will arrive at Earth in a matter of days. Immediately following the battle with the Dominion mother ships, Atlantis detected a large amount of movement with Dominion forces and the expectation is that they will make another attack on our home system. At this moment, Earth has no shields and is very vulnerable to orbital bombardment, something which the Dominion so far have not used against Earth. Intelligence suggests that's about to change. The reason we brought the Rivendell and the Tomb, is because Earth needs a new planetary shield, which will be provided by the Rivendell. The Tomb will be present to cover the Rivendell as she enters Earth's atmosphere for landing. The other ships, including Galactica, will back the Rivendell up. At Earth, we will be joined by local forces from the Asgard, Jaffa and the Colonies. It is of paramount importance that the Rivendell makes it down to the surface of Earth intact and has enough time to deploy her shields across the planet. Once Rivendell has landed and her shields have been deployed to cover the entire planet, the fleet in orbit will retreat to a nearby location. The next day, this alliance fleet will return to Earth to defend the returning Tau'ri fleet. Once that's done, and all Dominion ships in the system have been taken out, we will aid in the deployment of the systems local defenses which until now have been hidden from sight."

"Stand to your duties, and we will make it through."

Adama picked up a receiver to reply, "So say we all." Tigh was quick to reply, and once Adama said it a second time, he had the entire CIC and nearby hallways cheering it with him. Soon, other ships joined in.

"All ships have entered formation, computers have been linked and we are ready for hyperspace." The navigational officer reported.

"Commence hyperspace jump to Earth, best speed possible." Adama ordered.

Fleet Command, Atlantis

July 27

Both General Allison and President Ryan had joined a gathering of high ranking military officers inside the command room of the Tau'ri Fleet Command. It was quite unusual to have so many officers present, even more so because a fair part of them were not with the Tau'ri military, but with allied militaries. All personnel reported to General Allison, Ryan had made it clear that his presence was merely as an observer, not commander.

"General Allison, We have the Rivendell and the Tomb on sensors, approximately fifteen minutes out. We've also detected sensor distortions in two sectors, both are known approaches for Dominion ships to Earth."

"Inform Supreme Commander O'Neill that there will most likely be a hostile presence when he arrives. Coordinate with the local forces to ensure they arrive seconds after the city ships arrive." Allison ordered. "Set red alert at all stations throughout the solar system, activate the chair and launch an initial volley of drones near the arrival coordinates of our ships. Inform all fighter squadrons to take off and head for the pre-established rally points."

A number of 'yes sir's' followed.

Ryan stood beside Allison and leaned over, "Have you decided where you're going to land Rivendell?"

"The largest gaps in shield cover are over Europe and North America, with Australia also suffering a fair bit. We also wanted to put it down on a large piece of water, preferably an ocean, not a lake or interior sea. So our choice was limited to the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. If you were to look out of the window right now, you'd be looking at the Atlantic ocean, Atlantis can support any fleet in orbit with long range fire. We're putting her down somewhere between the Azores and Bermuda."

"General, We've started receiving conflicting sensor reports from the Rivendell!" Someone reported.

"Explain." Allison ordered.

"Sir, now that the Rivendell is so close, she can link her sensor data in real time to us. The mainframe then checks it with our own readings and uses it to increase the accuracy of the scans, but there's a large amount of discrepancies, too much for the different point of view."

"What does it mean?" Ryan asked.

"Sir, it means that either our own sensor data, or that coming from Rivendell is wrong."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know sir." The officer replied.

"Get doctors Carter, McKay and Zelenka in here by any means necessary." Ryan said to an aide.

Carter, while being the furthest away, was the first who entered Fleet Command. She immediately went over to the officer who reported the problem and started to investigate. "Where's the feed from the Tomb?" she asked.

"The Tomb doesn't have her long range sensor suite upgraded yet, she can't link 'em yet." McKay said as he walked in, sweating somewhat from the run.

"Great." Carter said. "Okay, check the source from the Atlantis signal, we can't check Rivendell, but if we could rule out Atlantis we at least know which signal is the right one."

Walking in, Zelenka also got to work on the problem. McKay ran to the other side of the room, nearly knocking the president over, muttering a 'sorry' along the way.

"Got it!" Zelenka exclaimed after just two minutes. "You see, I routed every part of the process from collecting the data, all the way to interpreting and projecting the data on the screens here, through the Asgard core we have in the City. I first checked the entire process as a whole, and nothing came up. If it had, Atlantis would have reported it as well the moment it had occurred. Then I investigated every sub process. What I found was that instead of the sensor array collecting and interpreting the data, then sending it to the various display programs and making a copy for the record, there was no direct link to the display programs. The display programs have all been modified to use the copies from the database. These copies can be changed much easier and also in real time." Zelenka explained.

"Great, so we can just reinstate the affected sub process and regain proper sensor reading on the screens here." McKay said.

"No, Don't!" Carter said before McKay could get to a terminal. "We should trace the signal of whomever makes these changes. They have to be made in real-time, which means they have a constant feed into Atlantis. In the meantime we can just use the signals from Rivendell, it also shouldn't show to the infiltrators that we've ceased using their signal, since they are only accessing the records."

"Right, right." McKay said. "I'll start the trace from my lab, Zelenka, you're with me."

Carter got an earpiece from a nearby stash and activated it. "Jack"

"Sam, what's going on?" O'Neill replied.

"We've hit a snag with our own sensors, we'll be using yours for the time being, I'm putting them on the main screens here in a sec."

"Understood, go ahead."

Mere seconds later, the sensor screens went black. It didn't take long before new sensor reading began coming in, this time from Rivendell. O'Neill had already marked numerous signals as either friendly, hostile or unknown. He had also made predictions and drew up probable movements of large Dominion forces near, or approaching Earth.

"O'Neill's been busy." Ryan commented upon seeing the numerous notations made.

"Shit." Allison commented. "Two motherships ready for action at twelve lightyears from Earth, how the fuck did our patrols miss that."

"If they could manipulate our feeds they might also have been able to avoid our own patrols." Carter offered.

"Inform all forces we'll be facing two motherships today. Other forces include two dozen battle cruisers, and nearly a hundred escort vessels." Allison ordered.

Chair room

TFS Rivendell

The chair room of the Rivendell was virtually identical to the one on Atlantis, before it was destroyed. All that was different were the wall panels which were on the ground, having recently been removed to make modifications to the conduits hidden behind them. O'Neill was reclined in the chair, eyes closed as he 'saw' everything that happened around the ship, and Earth. For others around him, he had pulled up a projection of the Sol system.

"Galactica Actual to O'Neill."

"I'm here Adama, what's the plan?" O'Neill asked as he invited the other forces involved into the conversation.

"Rivendell goes in as planned, the Tomb will take up covering position directly over Rivendell. If a Dominion mothership arrives the Tomb will place itself between the mother ship and Rivendell, intercepting its weapons fire and returning fire. Meanwhile Galactica will also cover Rivendell from forces attempting to fire at her from another direction. Other ships will engage targets at will, but prioritize hostiles harassing Rivendell first, the Tomb second, and Galactica third. In case a second mother ship arrives, Galactica will intercept it and take up a covering position between the mother ship and Rivendell. All other forces will have the same assignments. If a third mother ship arrives, or a sizable formation of Dominion capital ships forms, the Colonial battlestars will form a so called 'shield wall', wherein they enter a close formation with each other, and create a seamless wall of shields. Considering the strength of their shields, this should not be used against Dominion mother ships." Adama explained.

"Understood." O'Neill confirmed. Sheppard, Thrace and several other commanders voiced their understanding of the plan.

"Okay guys, we're about to exit hyperspace. Let's prep some of the systems." O'Neill said. "Drones, shields, thrusters, internal dampeners. Where's that checklist Sheppard talked about?"

CIC, Galactica

"Twenty seconds to Earth." Navigation reported.

"Condition one is set, all weapons are powered and ready. Shields will be at 60 percent strength considering the power sources available right now. All other systems nominal." Tigh reported.

"Understood." Adama said.

As the Galactica, Rivendell and the Tomb reached earth, they exited hyperspace in a gigantic hyperspace window. Piece by piece, two city ships, Galactica, a Tau'ri battle cruiser, eleven Aurora's and twelve Traveler ships exited the hyperspace window. Shortly after, another hyperspace window opened, and eleven Colonial battlestars, four Tau'ri 306 class vessels, 28 Ha'tak of different designs, five Hak'tyl, a Nox frigate and cruiser, five Asgard O'Neill class warships and 3 Hebridian ships, exited the hyperspace window. The two forces quickly entered one formation and settled in for the landing of Rivendell.

"Admiral, the Rivendell is commencing landing procedure, she reports that her long range sensors may go off-line, but she did detect movement of Dominion forces near Earth." Someone reported.

"Understood, copy to the other ships. Be ready for combat." Adama replied. There wasn't much he could do now, they had to hold position while Rivendell landed before they could retreat. Meanwhile the fighter squadrons had deployed and taken up position around the fleet.

"Sir, we've got hyperspace activity." An officer reported. "It's the Dominion fleet, two mother ships, two dozen battle cruisers and a whole bunch of escorts."

"Order the fleet to engage according to plan. Coordinate with the Tomb so we both take on one mother ship." Adama ordered.

Tigh grabbed a phone. "This is the XO, All guns, fire at will!"

Immediately the thirty two plasma batteries swung into action. While not every battery could get a firing solution on a hostile ship, most were able to find a target, and within seconds two destroyers were pummeled into pieces and a dozen other ships took fire. In return, the opening salvo of the Dominion fleet destroyed two Ha'tak, and damaged several other vessels. Rivendell, did not take any fire, being shielded by the allied fleet.

Quickly though, the Dominion caught on and shifted fire to the landing city ship. The Tomb was already in a perfect position to take the brunt of the first mother ship's fire meant for Rivendell. Galactica however was slightly out of position and the first salvo of the second mother ship was allowed to hit home on the Rivendell's shields. Galactica shifted its position and quickly moved into a better position from which all of Rivendell was shielded from weapons fire from the second mother ship.

Inside the CIC, people steadied themselves on the nearest fixed object. Hit after hit shook the ship in its entirety. So far, the shields held up, but initial calculations showed they would not hold for long.

"Concentrate all our firepower on that mother ship, target its main weaponry first." Adama said. Tigh quickly relayed the order to the gun crews.

"Sir, the Tjolver is coming up from behind." The DRADIS officer reported.

Adama picked up a receiver and punched in a code which would put him in direct contact with Tjolver Actual. "Starbuck, stay out of his line of fire, you wouldn't last long."

"Never dreamt of it sir, just passing by for some friendly support fire." Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace replied.

"Understood."

As promised, the Tjolver passed by closely, firing all her weaponry at the mother ship, but not positioning herself between the mother ship, and Rivendell or Galactica. While it did minimal damage, she was able to take advantage of the holes Galactica's weaponry had created, and launch several nuclear missiles directly at gunports of the Dominion mother ship. Once the Tjolver finished its pass, the next battlestar lined up. The process was repeated after four more battlestars had made a pass. Over at the Tomb, the remaining battlestars executed the same maneuver to devastating effect. Quickly, the main weaponry on both mother ships was reduced by as much as seventy five percent.

"Rivendell is entering the atmosphere, one minute to splashdown." Someone reported.

"More Dominion warships exiting hyperspace, no motherships, but a load of escorts and cruisers." The DRADIS officer reported.

"Shield status?" Adama asked.

"Sixty percent." The tactical officer replied.

"Detail the battlestars to combatting the new arrivals, have them split up in pairs if need be." Adama ordered.

"Bill, that might not be enough, those ships are so spread out, no amount of ships can block that kind of firepower. You may need to abort widening the shields." Tigh said.

"I know, we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it." Adama said.

"Sir, four more Jaffa Ha'tak have been lost, three have withdrawn. One hak'tyl is also retreating as well as two aurora's, six traveler ships and an Asgard O'Neill."

"I want to speak to O'Neill the moment Rivendell has landed." Adama said.

Chair room, Rivendell

O'Neill was still in the chair piloting the giant city ship, guiding it down through the atmosphere towards its predesignated landing site. While his face was calm, in his mind he was everything but calm. Still, too much weapons fire impacted the shield, and he was forced to spend more power to prevent the city from crashing into the ocean, instead of landing. 'like a leaf kissing the surface of a pond' McKay described it. Unfortunately, his orbital sensor feed was inoperable during landing so he had no clue as to what was happening in orbit.

"O'Neill, Thrusters to full, we're almost there!" someone said through the intercom.

"I'm trying." O'Neill grumbled to no-one in particular. He prepared the sublight engines to fire a short and weak burst just in case he had to call of the landing.

"We're off course!"

"Tell me about it!" he replied angered. He knew, he was watching Rivendell moving away from its predesignated landing site in real time. He mentally gave the 'prepare for splashdown warning' which the PA system spread throughout the entire city.

Not much later, which seemed to be an eternity but was in reality just about fifteen seconds, the city touched the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. Despite his attempts, the city came down hard. Waves rippled out from the city and would head for the nearest shore before dissipating.

"Thrusters are overheated, they shut down. Minor hull breach at the southern pier, some flooding as a result. Affected sections have been closed off. Shield at full strength."

"Thank god." O'Neill muttered.

"Sir I have Admiral Adama for you." Someone from ops reported.

"Atlantis, Galactica. Rivendell has touched down. Minor damage incurred during landing but shields are operational." O'Neill reported.

"You're off course by a bit." Adama replied.

"Yeah." O'Neill agreed.

"A bit? That's not even the same ZIP code, is it even the same continent?" Sheppard asked.

"It's the same ocean. That's all that matter." O'Neill cut off the joking.

"We've got other problems." Adama said.

"Yeah, about that." O'Neill said as he opened the sensor logs and reviewed the situation in orbit, and the surrounding systems. "We've got a problem."

"Frak." Adama said as he received the sensor feed from Rivendell. "O'Neill, I hate to do this now, but I'm calling it. The fleet is falling apart and more and more Dominion ships are arriving. I cannot guarantee the safety of Rivendell if she attempts to deploy her shields globally right now."

"I agree." Sheppard said. "The Tomb is barely holding up and she's got the best shields up here, the rest is off much worse and we could lose every single ship as well as Rivendell if we try to deploy now. We'll have to wait for the fleet."

CIC, Galactica

"This is Galactica to the fleet, recall all your fighters and retreat to the rally point, the deployment's been called off." Adama said into the receiver which he held upside down. "XO, recall our vipers and spool up the FTL drive, combat landings authorized. Plot jump for the rally point. Any viper that cannot land before we jump, is to head down and find a safe place to land."

"Sir, The Tomb is being harassed by Dominion cruisers."

"Put us between The Tomb and those cruisers." Adama ordered. "Jump us out once the Tomb has entered hyperspace."

"The Tjolver is jumping, that's the last of the Battlestars. The Jaffa are out." The tactical officer reported. "The Asgard entered hyperspace, we're all that's left together with The Tomb."

The deck trembled as the ship's engines were pushed beyond their limit to reach The Tomb in time. Meanwhile viper after viper landed in the landing bays which were becoming more and more crowded with vipers hailing from all battlestars. As they reached The Tomb, Galactica positioned itself directly in the line of fire from over a dozen cruisers, including seven battle cruisers.

Once the weapons fire ceased impacting the Tomb, it opened up a massive hyperspace window, and entered it. As the hyperspace window closed, Galactica retracted the hanger bays, and jumped out.

With the last allied ship gone, the Dominion turned their attention to Rivendell. Curious as to its reason for being landed the way it was. A fleet of Dominion warships gathered overhead, scanning the city, firing the occasional beam at it, trying to find out all they could.

After an hour, the Dominion formation spread out, and on cue started bombarding Rivendell. No progress was made, but it made them feel better, and above all, they were not being challenged, whereas before they were always fired upon if they attempted to perform an orbital bombardment, this time they were left alone. Rivendell had shifted too far east for Atlantis to render long range support against the bombarding ships.

Rivendell could stand this bombardment for several years.

That's it for now. I've also started work on a new project which is a BSGxSG1 crossover. Instead of the usual friendliness or extreme hostility with either side having a massive edge, I hope to create a story in which both sides are more or less equal, both in guilt, but also in the way quantity vs technology usually works out in such fic's. I cannot give you an ETA as it is very much a work in progress and I first want to prove that it can work…