Author's notes:

- The Council has voted 65 percent in favor, and the decision stands. The full extent of the Aschen-Jaffa War will be written.

- I know this chapter took very long. I was not only with writer's block, but also not very happy with how I was writing the Jaffa-Aschen war. It was becoming too repetitive for my taste. I tried to change the way I approached this chapter. Hope you like it.

- As always, especial thanks to my betas GriffynRyder and Jdog1021. Diz ztori wud bi a mez guit out dem.

Chapter Twelve

Tyl'mah – Free Jaffa Nation Colony

May 21, 2012

The Stargate had just shut down. Several more Tier 1 Terran Federation specialists had arrived inside the protection of Level A Hazmat suits. The situation on Tyl'mah, and, to a second degree, the entire FJN, was complicated to say the least. The Jaffa, having very little knowledge of chemical or biological warfare, mostly due to the fact that their symbionts and now Tretoning protected them of most biological or chemical exposures, were unaware that the Aschen had studied their physiology, and had prepared a special concoction for them.

It was a slow acting virus, which allowed for massive spreading before acting on its victims. After many months of fleet supply operation through the use of the Stargate, many people had passed through it, and had come in contact with the virus that had been sprayed on all probable items the Jaffa would be picking up to study. It would seem that even though the Aschen had had the intention of protecting Tyl'mah during the last battle, when they tried hard to break the Jaffa Fleet, they did have contingency plans in case the Jaffa succeeded.

The same was true for Nakgora, but the Aschen had been able to press forward, so the concoctions moved forward with them.

More than a month ago, the first symptoms started to show, but it wasn't until the first few Jaffa died of systemic organ failure that they began to understand that they were dealing with a completely different type of war. The Jaffa council had instituted a system-wide shut down of Stargate operations to avoid spreading the disease to other planets, but it was soon clear that every major colony had already been infected, including Dakara.

It was only through the combined efforts of the Terran Federation, Asgard, and the Nox that a major disaster was averted, but in the end, more than 100,000 Jaffa died before they could be administered the anti-virus.

Hazmat protected human teams of medical personnel were inoculating the worst cases first, and on Tyl'mah, the last drug shipment had arrived.

While the process of administering the vaccines would take more time on the other planets, as more than 700 million doses had to be applied. In orbit, the crews of more than 1,500 capital ships had already been cured, and were spitting venom for revenge.

During the more than six months that had passed since the last battle, Ha'tak IIIs had kept arriving at a steady rate of 5 ships per day. The fleet gathered in orbit had never been assembled in those numbers before, not even at the height of Ra's power. 1,304 Ha'tak IIIs were supplemented by 93 Ha'tak IIs and 79 standard Ha'taks. There were also a total of 312 Al'keshes left inside the hangars of some of those capital ships.

The massive fleet assembled was also something the Jaffa were unprepared to handle efficiently; during the last battle many flaws were detected in fleet management. With the numbers now assembled things were going to be even more complicated. But if fleet management was something considered a liability, the same could be said of the 12 reinforced Aschen CSV Battle Groups assembled in Nakgora.

Both forces had measured themselves through the use of scout ships, and both commanders knew that the forces arrayed against each other were more than each respective force could handle. They knew they could not guarantee victory at Nakgora for the Jaffa, or at Tyl'mah for the Aschen.

Rak'nor, while aware of this situation, was completely out of element. While he normally was a model of patience, the rage he felt toward the Aschen's cowardly biological attack was beyond what his patience could control. Then, there was the fact that the fleet had to stay put to guarantee that the vaccines worked, and that they weren't going to have a relapse in hyperspace in the middle of their approach to Nakgora. Thus, the weeks of waiting were making him boil in frustration and anger.

"Fleet Master. We have a message from the Tau'ri on the surface." stated Hai'rak

"On the main screen."

The main screen activated and a blur of activity could be seen. Several Hazmat equipped figures were moving around, and one of them turned to look at Rak'nor as soon as he saw his image appear. "Fleet Master?" the doctor asked in a passive voice.

"Yes. Are we allowed to leave, Doctor?"

The doctor on the other side of the screen nodded. "The quarantine has been lifted. The vaccines are working properly. We still have a lot of doses to administer, but everyone on the Fleet, and the majority here on Tyl'mah should be fine. You are no longer bound by medical authority, Fleet Master. The command authority vested on us by the Free Jaffa Nation Council no longer applies. You are allowed to proceed as you see fit."

"I will never forget what your people have done for all Jaffa. The Tau'ri will have a friend and ally in me to the end of my days." replied Rak'nor.

"We take our alliance seriously, Fleet Master. You can rest assure that we'll always stand at your side." stated the human doctor from the other side, while Rak'nor could barely hear a scornful snort from Hai'rak.

Rak'nor bowed to the doctor while saying. "As will we, Doctor. As we will."

The image faded away, and Rak'nor said without looking at the guards. "Guards! Leave us."

The pair of Jaffa guards left the Pel'tak, and the doors closed.

"Is there a problem, Hai'rak?" asked Rak'nor trying to control the fury building up inside him.

"Problem, Fleet Master?"

"You snorted to the Tau'ri doctor's reply."

Hai'rak took a deep breath, and answered. "I can't stand the Tau'ri, Fleet Master. They take credit for the work of others to look magnanimous, while securing their own interests, and the fact that the Aschen are human makes the Tau'ri even less trustful."

Rak'nor took a deep breath. "You think the Tau'ri are taking credit for the work of others in this situation? Do you think that even if they did, that anyone would care, especially since they are the reason that all of our people are alive? You better open your eyes Hai'rak, because your envy for them is clouding your judgment."

"Envy, Fleet Master? I feel no envy for them."

"It was because of them, that we are no longer bound to the Goa'uld, and because of them that we are free."

"With respects, Fleet Master, but we did most of the fighting."

Rak'nor laughed. "Yes, we fought the Tau'ri on the side of the Goa'uld. Then we fought ourselves to try to knock some senses into our people to stop helping the Goa'uld. But it was the Tau'ri that provided the weapons and supplies, and the knowledge and will to fight, and the Tok'ra who provided most of the intelligence to hit the weakest spots of the System Lords."

"We could have done it without their help."

"Then tell me, why did we supported the Goa'uld for thousands of years, and only when the Tau'ri came, did we rebel against them?"

"Because..." started Hai'rak, before being interrupted by Rak'nor's strong voice.

"Because we didn't have the brains to see the Goa'uld as what they truly were, because we were such fanatics that we couldn't even see the truth if explained to us a thousand times. Because of that, Hai'rak! Now, are you going to tell me that it was us who defeated the replicator threat, or the Ori?"

"They had help from the Asgard, and they took credit for that."

"It was the Asgard who brought the replicator threat to us. One of the mightiest of races couldn't defeat them, and only with the Tau'ri's help did they prevail. Do you think that the Asgard release their technology to everyone. They did so because of the debt they had with them. It's no coincidence that their most powerful vessel class is named after the Tau'ri O'Neill."

"It may be, but it was also them who brought the Ori to us."

"And them again who defeated what we couldn't."

"But it was their fault that we were almost wiped out."

"I have had long talks with Master Teal'c. He said that in the Tau'ri's long search for weapons to defeat the System Lords and replicators that they stumbled upon the communications device that was responsible for the Ori becoming aware of our existence. So you see, it was because of their search for ways to defeat the Goa'uld, which we backed, and the replicators, which the Asgard unintentionally released upon us, that the Ori tried to dominate us. The point is, that it was because of the Tau'ri that we are free, and alive."

Hai'rak just stood in silence, and Rak'nor added. "Then the Aschen tried to wipe us out with biological weapons, and they would have accomplished that if it weren't for the Tau'ri. Yet you still think they are trying to work on their own interest?"

"Yes, because they know that if the Aschen defeat us, they will be next."

"The Tau'ri could defeat the Aschen in a day!"

"Impossible!"

"They have very advanced technology, and a massive industrial capacity that dwarfs that of ours. It would be very easy for them to defeat the Aschen."

Hai'rak snorted again. "Then if they are so powerful, and our allies, why is it that we are doing the fighting?"

Rak'nor straightened himself and said with a stern face. "You are sworn to secrecy... Swear!"

Hai'rak straightened too, but did not know what to answer.

"Swear that what you hear will be kept a secret!"

"Fleet Master?"

"Now, Hai'rak!"

Hai'rak kneeled, and said. "With the honor of my people and family, I swear that what is said to me will be kept a secret even through death and torture."

"Stand."

Hai'rak stood and waited.

"We fight alone, because there are many people like you who can't stand the Tau'ri, and if they helped us militarily, we could risk a civil war."

"A civil war?"

"Yes. People like you believe that we are able to fight our wars alone, that there is no need for friends, only the need to gain honor in battle. That receiving help from others is accepting that we are unable to solve our problems by ourselves. But if not for the Tau'ri we would by now be fighting the Aschen at the core worlds."

"The Tau'ri have not helped us in fighting the Aschen."

Rak'nor chuckled. "Who do you think helped us upgrade our Ha'taks to Ha'tak III?"

Hai'rak's expression wavered in confusion. "The Tau'ri?"

"Yes, the Tau'ri. Who do you think is providing almost all of the intelligence on Aschen communications and ship movements? Don't tell me that you think that with the few Tel'taks in the front-lines we could have been able to have gathered so much intelligence on our own?"

Hai'rak's face was stupefied.

"Who do you think is helping us determine where to hit the Aschen? The diversionary attack on Nakgora that stopped the Aschen advance in Tyl'mah, and allowed us to gather enough forces to strike back was planned by them."

Hai'rak still couldn't reply.

"Now you know who helped us defeat the Aschen virus, and who is responsible for the fact that we are all still alive. But tell me Hai'rak, Do you know where the 6 Ha'tak IIIs being delivered every day are coming from? I would suppose that you don't know that it is the Tau'ri's industrial might that is doing so."

"Master, you told me it was us..."

"Yes, it is us paying for those ships, so it is a huge effort we are making to have them, but it is the Tau'ri constructing them."

Hai'rak was about to speak, when Rak'nor interrupted him. "And before you say that they are taking advantage of the situation by forcing us to buy the ships, you must know that they had prepared their fleet to strike at the Aschen on day one. The council voted against that, and asked the Tau'ri for help constructing the Ha'taks, but it was far cheaper for them to use their advanced ships in ending the situation with the Aschen, and we were now asking them to commit their entire economy in building our less advanced vessels. We were forcing them to channel their entire industrial output to our war effort."

"They said that they preferred to face the Aschen on their terms, that it would be far cheaper for them to do so that way. In the end, with our insistence, and with an offer of planets for ships to somehow pay for their entire industrial capacity, they accepted."

"So you see, Hai'rak, even if your mind has been tainted with false opinions on the Tau'ri, we are what we are because of them. They are more than just our strongest allies, they are brothers, and in many ways they are more bound in friendship to us than even many Jaffa." Rak'nor finished taking a deep breath and calming himself up, and then added. "I will not have an envious, hatred filled, and short sighted Jaffa as my ship operator." Rak'nor pointed to the door, and said. "You can leave to be reassigned to another ship. Your name will not suffer. You'll just be transferred. But if you decide to stay. You better not talk against the Tau'ri again unless it's justified, or I will make it certain that you never step foot in one of these ships again. Make your choice, and do it fast!"

Hai'rak bowed and said without any indecision in his voice. "I didn't know what you told me, Fleet Master. You know that the planet I come from is not fond of the Tau'ri, and I may have been misled, but I give you my word that I will not speak without proof again. I wish to stay. I wish to keep being your ship operator."

Rak'nor nodded with a serious stare, and replied. "Then send the order. Prepare the fleet for jump."

That ended the discussion between the two. Rak'nor was relieved that he could talk freely with Hai'rak, while Hai'rak's mind was filled with a storm of thoughts, thoughts that were definitely allying him to the Tau'ri. He had been misled by his people. He had to agree that they had been one of the last to join the rebellion, and the ones who had fought most against the Tau'ri and Free Jaffa. Also, his people had been the ones most often defeated by the Tau'ri, and the revenge sentiment for those defeats had been very high, and probably responsible for his opinion of the FJN's human allies.

He knew Rak'nor was right. If it wasn't for the Tau'ri they would never have been united. As a warrior it was hard for him to accept that, but he had gained sufficient insight knowledge to know that most of the things said of the Tau'ri by his people were not well supported, and in many cases were completely contradictory to each other. He let go of his thoughts and decided to create his own opinion on the matter, and only do so with grounded facts.

A few minutes passed, and the Jaffa forces arrayed in orbit started slowly and for the first time to assemble in standard formations. It was common for them to use a lead ship with escorts, and then pack those formations together to form bigger fleets, but there were normally no specifics as to the amount of ships. Today, they had created a formation specifically designed to fight the Aschen. A single ship stood at the front of a conical formation. There were four ships following close behind at its dorsal, ventral, port, and starboard sides, and another eight vessels completing the base of the cone in a circular formation with every ship 45 degrees from each other. At the core stood a command ship plus two escorts, the last two not only deployed to protect the command vessel, but to plug any gaps left from losses, so that the formation could maintain its effectiveness in combat.

A total of 16 ships created the core formation of the Jaffa Fleet.

The Fleet was then formed in different shapes as required by tactical considerations, but they could create a fleet-wide conical formation of standard conical formations, and could break it apart with the knowledge that they would retain combat effectiveness in the smaller formation.

The massive number of ships spread themselves wide and high. A total of 92 standard conical formations created a wall of almost 1,000 km per side of 10 by 10 formations. In unison and with the ease that comes with practice, the ships accelerated ahead, opened up their individual jump points, and ventured into hyperspace in a single swift move.

Residual radiation from hyperspace permeated the area around Tyl'mah where the fleet had jumped away, but in hyperspace, the massive wave of energy released by so many jump vortexes tearing the fabric of space, sent a chilling feeling down the spine of an Aschen Scout Captain's back. The Aschen vessel sent that information as fast as possible to command, then the slower ship quickly moved out of the path and sensor range of the fast approaching Jaffa Fleet.

Only 4 Ha'tak III remained in Tyl'mah's orbit, and while 5 per day would be arriving to supplement them in the defense of the Jaffa colony, Rak'nor was taking a relatively big risk by leaving the colony practically undefended. Relative because he knew through Terran intelligence exactly where the Aschen vessels were located, and the several SSVs the Aschen had in the way to Nakgora were no threat to him. He also knew that if the Aschen wanted to attack at the same time, he always had the speed to not be outmaneuvered.

For the Aschen there was the fact that a total of 1472 Jaffa vessels were moving directly towards Nakgora, and only if the Aschen didn't want to protect a hard won colony would they be willing to part with ships in its defense, and the amount of vessels approaching made that possibility almost nulled, so the risk for Rak'nor was highly diminished.

Nakgora – Aschen controlled space

June 4, 2012

The massive Jaffa fleet had streamed through hyperspace for more than two weeks, and was now close to the Nakgora system.

The cloaked Tel'taks were providing Rak'nor with the intel he needed. The Aschen had their battle groups gathered in orbit in their standard combat formation, some of which were clearly deployed for protection. One was positioned in low orbit protecting the main surface supply base near the Stargate, while three others were surrounding the massive gathering of containers and the main transport ship loading area.

The other eight battle groups were close to the four defensive ones, but were clearly deployed in a way that allowed them to maneuver. They were located in a higher orbit to avoid the detrimental effects of the planet's gravity well.

Hundreds of thousands of drones were scattered all over the battle groups supplementing the Fleet, but the Aschen had also taken the precaution of deploying thousands of drones at the different Lagrange points, drones that were simply powered off, but ready in short notice in case they were needed.

The entire Aschen Fleet in the Nakgora system was fully aware of the Jaffa approach, but still Rak'nor had plenty of space to choose where to jump to. He had been analyzing the sensor relay information for the past few days, but it was now thar he had to make the decision on how to proceed.

"Hai'rak."

"Yes, Fleet Master."

"Establish solar orbit. Same range as Nakgora, but ahead of its orbital trajectory. Order wall formation vectored towards the planet, and well outside enemy weapons and drone range."

"Sending the orders, Fleet Master."

The huge Jaffa Fleet was just a mass of ships approaching from hyperspace, but while the fleet had no order, the individual units were formed in the 16 ship standard conical formation. It took some time for them to gather all the standard formations into a fleet wide wall formation, but once that was over, the entire fleet jumped into normal space in unison. The sight of so many jump vortexes forming was majestic, but they were sufficiently far away from the planet to not impress the Aschen. For them, the FJN Fleet jump was only a small bluish blur in the distance.

Aschen Command Space Vessel ...

Admiral Rada Keraz was watching the Jaffa fleet transition on one of the main screens. He knew that on the surface of the planet where the Stargate was located the sun was shining with all intensity. That meant that most of his fleet was in the same heading, that is, towards the sun. The Jaffa had jumped nearly 90 degrees from that vector and on the orbital trajectory of Nakgora. He made a quick analysis even before the computers released theirs, and immediately gave an order to one of the stations operatives.

"Reposition the Fleet. Keep the battle-groups defending the Stargate and the orbital depot as they are, but have the rest to reposition on the same vector as the enemy."

The operator acknowledged his order by repeating it, and proceeded after receiving confirmation.

8 Aschen battle-groups kept their combat formations, but started to reposition to face the Jaffa fleet. The thousands of drones deployed outside of the fleet formations went active, but kept on station waiting for orders. The same was true for those on the Lagrangian points.

FJN Flagship …

"Fleet Master, the enemy is redeploying their fleet."

"I see that, Hai'rak. Get me in contact with Fleet Master Varnah."

"Yes, Fleet Master." answered Hai'rak, and immediately started working with his console. A few seconds later, Varnah appeared on the main screen.

"Rak'nor."

"Varnah, the enemy is too strong for a direct assault. We need to reduce their drone numbers, otherwise we won't be taking this colony back."

"I agree. Should we break the Fleet?"

"I think it's time to test our new combat formations. We'll hit the perimeter of their defenses from every possible vector. We should make a concentrated attack against their main line of defense, and as soon as both fleets reach fighting distance, we'll disband the fleet, and start spreading every formation around the planet striking at them everywhere."

"What about their new drones?"

"They are a concern, but only in great concentrations. We'll keep our approach speed in line with their new drones registered top speed. That way, if they launch an attack, we'll be able to pull off making them bleed for every approach."

"Are we going to keep a Fleet wide wall formation on our approach?"

"I believe it'll be the best. As soon as we disband the fleet, you'll take half of it to the other side of the planet and you'll start harassing the enemy from that area. You'll be in command of those assets until we have thin them down enough for a direct fleet attack."

"Good."

"Don't risk our ships, and make every shot count. We have a huge amount of vessels here, and if we don't mind our resources, we may be forced to leave to refuel again. We just don't know how long this will take, but with the forces the enemy has in orbit of Nakgora, I can already see this becoming a siege."

"Don't worry, I'll keep my forces in check."

"Good luck, Varnah."

"The same to you, Rak'nor."

They both nodded, and the screens on both ships went black again.

A few seconds later, the massive concentration of Jaffa ships started moving forward towards Nakgora.

On the other side, The Aschen forces were finishing their redeployment, and the number of drones arrayed in combat formation were intimidating to say the least.

It took some time for both fleets to reach firing distance, and the Jaffa started to slow down well before being in range to avoid gravitic drone interceptions, but the reality was that the majority of the drones deployed at Nakgora were of the extremely numerous first generation, and while there were many second generation drones present, they were still a very low percentage.

The Aschen drones were deployed wide, and at the same time, tight. Those in tight formations were the ones creating the funnels in front of the main battle-groups, while those deployed wide were the ones occupying a huge volume of space with relatively few drones to force the Jaffa into that area even before reaching the funnels. These created a real complication for the FJN, as the relatively small amount of drones per cubic Mega meter were not enough to justify concentrating ships to destroy them, but the amount of them in every cubic Giga meter were enough to flank the Ha'taks while they penetrated towards the Battle-groups, and they had all the intention of striking them from behind if they tried to escape.

Soon, the Jaffa penetrated this area. The drones avoided the incoming fire as best as they could, and tried to move beyond the Jaffa lines to allow the battle-groups to exert some pressure on them, while they moved from behind to hit the anvil like a hammer.

"Fleet Master, there are more than 1,000 drones that have passed through our flanks, and are still moving away. There are many more trying the same, and we are still not in range of their main forces." informed Hai'rak.

"It's a new tactic. Instead of waiting for us to drop inside their funnels, they are sending ships behind our lines to force us into a wider, but thinner funnel. Keep me informed of their numbers. Tell me when they have more than 30,000 drones in position to flank us." replied Rak'nor.

"They already have more than those numbers moving beyond our lines, Fleet Master."

"I know Hai'rak. But not in position to strike us. Tell me when that number of ships had already crosses our lines, and are in position to surround us."

"Yes, Fleet Master."

"Now, get me Varnah."

Without delay, the image of Fleet Master Varnah appeared on the main screen.

"What is it, Rak'nor."

"I believe that we'll be forced to break the fleet before we are in firing distance. The enemy drones concentrating on our flanks and back will become a threat in no time. Move your forces behind the planet and onto the other side, while I move to intercept them."

"OK. Be careful," answered Varnah, and then added with a laugh. "I won't be around to save your neck this time."

Rak'nor just smiled before the screens faded away.

The wall of ships started to disappear, and in its place, two blurs of vessels could be seen as every Jaffa standard formation started acting on their own. One of the groups was in command of Rak'nor, and it was clearly disintegrating to engage the flanking drones, while the other, in command of Varnah, was in a better formation as it was still moving through the Aschen right flank to approach the planet from its dark side.

Varnah's forces clashed with a few thousand drones that tried to block their movement, while some Aschen battle-groups moved to intercept, but failing to keep up with Varnah's forces momentum. The drones were destroyed with no losses other than a few strained shields.

On the main front, Rak'nor's forces had slowed their advanced, and were now moving away from the planet. Its different units were clearly acting on their own seeking to destroy as many drones as possible. The standard formations moved to intercept, and the results were again predictable. The Aschen older drones were not fast enough to gather enough strength, and in consequence received heavy losses, whereas Rak'nor's forces only lost 5 Ha'taks. The problem was that the little more than four thousand drones destroyed represented less than one percent of the total, and numerical factor was about to get even worse for the Jaffa.

"Fleet Master. Cloaked Tel'taks are reporting Stargate activity."

"Is it incoming or outgoing?"

"Can't say, Fleet Master. The range our Tel'taks are deployed are just enough to detect its emissions, but little more."

"Keep me informed, and send orders to reform the Fleet. We'll wait for Varnah to reach the other side to start harassing our enemy."

"Yes, Fleet Master."

On the surface of Nakgora, the Stargate was shimmering every time a gravitic drone passed through. Every three seconds, and one after the other, the new Aschen drone variant changed their course after leaving the gate, and headed straight up to reach orbit.

On the other side of the planet, Varnah was setting into a very high orbit. The Aschen forces were being repositioned to face his forces, and half of the battle-groups were shadowing the Jaffa from a lower orbit with more than a hundred thousand drones leading the way. It was at this moment, when the Jaffa detected what was happening.

"Fleet Master. I have relay from Fleet Master Varnah's forces. They are detecting drones coming up from the planet. They are receiving reinforcements through the Stargate."

"At what rate?"

Hai'rak got to work with his console and provided a report immediately. "Every three seconds."

"Hmm. At that rate they'll replace their losses very fast."

Rak'nor meditated the situation for a few second before giving an order. "Tell our forces in Tyl'mah to coordinate Stargate activity. Tell them to keep Stargate operation on the planet exclusively for resupply, but have them coordinate the closest Stargates via subspace, and have them dial in at Nakgora. I want that the moment the Nakgora Stargate shuts down for them to dial in. If they are able to connect, tell them to have a second Stargate dial in the moment the first shuts down. That way we'll be able to keep ahead of them. Don't use the maximum connection capacity, keep it aleatory."

"Yes, Fleet Master."

It took some time for the Jaffa to set a Stargate dialing operation, but that didn't mean they were successful. The Aschen were also keeping the connection aleatory, and were dialing in as fast as the Jaffa. They were not leaving things to chance, and had also taken their precautions. For the mean time, the FJN Fleet would have to cope with drone reinforcements coming from the gate. On the plus side, the Jaffa had also considered reinforcements, and a constant stream of Ha'taks were on their way to Nakgora at a rate of 5 per day.

The first day of battle was a grueling thing. Brawl after brawl between Jaffa standard formations and Aschen drones tried to tilt the hand to one side, but the number of forces deployed on system were just too much for skirmishes to alter the balance.

It allowed the Jaffa to decrease the number of Aschen drones, and to keep above their reinforcements rates, but it also cost them a lot of Ha'taks.

For the Aschen side, the lost drones were not their major concern. The fuel supplies that had plagued their past engagements were the Achilles heel of their defensive operation. The solution was to send a constant flow of reinforcements from Aschen Prime, but the distance, range and speed of their ships made that operation expensive, to say the least. Supply vessels were highly susceptible to interdiction, and low in numbers, so the solution was to completely replace Nakgora deployed ships with fresh ones. The problem was the range of their ESVs. They required to refuel in order to be able to return home after heavy combat at those ranges.

The problem was solved by the addition of a deep space supply depot were supply vessels could come and go unhampered, and military vessels could refuel without straining their combat endurance. More military ships would be used as supply ships to ferry fuel to those depots, even though it was completely inefficient.

Battle-groups had been prepared when they detected the huge Jaffa Fleet leaving Tyl'mah, and considering the 6 day traveling time, the vessels required for logistical operations, and number of Battle-groups available in Aschen Prime, almost 10 percent of the Fleet would be coming and going just to have a single Battle-group arrive on Nakgora every day.

The Aschen knew they could risk having more ships assigned to the operation. They could even devote more than 50 percent of what they had, but their logistical capacity was already strained to the limit just to keep a constant flow of single Battle-groups heading to and returning from Nakgora daily. So in the end, they at least compromised with the decision of sending a Battle-group every day.

This decision created a problem for the Jaffa. The distance to Tyl'mah was nearly three times greater than to Aschen prime, and while the Jaffa ships were a little faster, the Aschen had the ability to send reinforcements even faster. There was also the fact that the Jaffa only had the availability of 5 ships per day as reinforcements, so if they couldn't keep the logistical war in their favor, even with less resources, they would have to abort the operation, and that was something Rak'nor was not about to let happen.

The first day of fighting ended with 27 more Ha'taks and 21 Al'kesh lost, at the cost for the Aschen of more than 22,000 drones. They replaced 5 losses with new Ha'tak IIIs, but more than 28,000 drones made it through the gate, and more than 34,000 came with the new Battle-group that arrived later that day.

Things were not looking promising. Rak'nor needed to shut the gate if they were going to have any chance of defeating the Aschen. On the plus side, the massive drone operation had taken its toll on fuel supplies to the point that Admiral Keraz had reduced it considerably. Many automated weapons were kept inside their ships, and some just floated around. The majority of the lost drones had been of the newer variant which had the speed to engage the Jaffa, but the ones kept on bays or floating were of the older design.

The Aschen battle-group that was replaced by the new arrivals transferred most of its fuel to the supply depot or other units, and left all of its drones to supplement the defenses before leaving. In short, while with less fuel supplies, they ended with more drones than at the start of the day, while the Jaffa had less forces to deal with them.

Nakgora – Contested space

June 5, 2012

FJN Flagship

2nd day of battle of the Nakgora Campaign.

"I don't care what they need to do. If they require every single Stargate in the Free Jaffa Nation dialing to Nakgora to beat the Aschen, then have them do it! I need that line of reinforcements nullified. Now get me Varnah."

"Yes, Fleet Master."

The main screen activated and the tired face of Varnah appeared.

"You look tired my friend."

"You are not looking fresh either." replied Varnah.

Rak'nor chuckled. "I guess we should follow our own orders and rest like the stand down fleet."

"I guess we should. The problem is I have too much adrenalin to even consider resting. What can I do for you?"

"Our attempts at cutting the Aschen Stargate communications line have been ineffective. I'm considering other approaches, but we also have new Aschen vessels arriving, and if intelligence reports are correct, they have a constant line of ships on approach. I'd like for you to find ways to disrupt that approach, while I deal with the Stargate. If we don't stop their resupply operations, there'll be no way we'll be taking this system back."

"I'll see to it immediately. Shall I assign more forces to this?"

"Do whatever you need, but try to keep 1/3 of your fleet resting. We need our crews at 100 percent, but if you require more vessels to stop their approach, then do as you see fit."

"Good. I'll get on with it. The next batch of enemy ships is several hours from here, so I should have time to try something by then."

"See you soon, Varnah. Good luck."

Varnah nodded and the screens went blank.

"Now. The Stargate. What can we do to shut it down?"

"Ehh..." started Hai'rak.

"Just thinking out loud Hai'rak. No need to answer."

"Yes, Fleet Master, but if something occurs to me..."

"It's appreciated." Rak'nor replied with little focus as his mind was in overdrive searching for a solution. He then asked. "How many cloak capable Tel'taks do we have?"

Hai'rak looked at Rak'nor with some apprehension before answering. "We have four in system, plus three on their way here, and three more heading back to Tyl'mah. They are being replaced at a rate of 1 per week. But Fleet Master, the Aschen have proven able to detect them at closer ranges. If you plan on using them to somehow attack the Stargate, they'll be detected well before they reach it."

"Then we'll have to find a way they don't. Recall all Tel'taks heading for Tyl'mah, and bring the four in system to our hangars. I want them configured for automated operations, and rigged for explosion. The same way we did when we attacked Nakgora last time."

"Yes, Fleet Master." answered Hai'rak and immediately got to work, but after a few seconds of interaction with his systems, he turned to Rak'nor and said. "Fleet Master Varnah is requisitioning all available Tel'taks. He has also requested the Tyl'mah garrison to petition for more ships."

"I know where he is going. We are thinking the same, only he wants to do so in hyperspace."

"In hyperspace? That's suicidal."

Rak'nor chuckled. "Yes, for the Aschen. Our ships will be automated."

"That has never been tried, Fleet Master."

"Yes it has."

"Where? When?" asked Hai'rak in confusion.

"That was a Tau'ri recommendation, and have proved successful for them against the Replicators, and the Wraith."

"The Wraith?"

"It's a race that defeated the Ancients in the Pegasus Galaxy, and which the Tau'ri are now fighting. As a matter of fact, that race uses the same strategy."

"A race that defeated the Ancients? The Tau'ri are at war?"

"I'll tell you about that later. But in short, the war the Tau'ri and the Asgard are currently fighting in Pegasus would most likely escalate into something never seen before. The battles we are fighting will look like child's play compared to those. They have already wiped out more than a thousand ships bigger than Ha'taks in a single battle, and the Wraith possesses ships in excess of 10 km."

"How can the Tau'ri defeat a race that defeated the Ancients?"

"I said they were at war, not that they have defeated them. The Tau'ri have shown us battle footage of the War with the Ancients, and the number of ships they fought are unimaginable. They were not defeated because their enemy was more advanced, but because they were far far far more numerous. The Tau'ri currently have control of Pegasus, but after studying the war with the Ancients, they know the Wraith are building up their forces for a counter attack, and the Tau'ri are devoting all of their available resources into exploring that Galaxy, and you know how large galaxies can be. I don't envy their position, and they are still helping us."

Hai'rak just nodded in awe.

Rak'nor sighed and addressed Hai'rak again. "Tell Varnah, I need the Tel'taks to take down the Stargate. Tell him to use one Tel'tak for the job, but to later use Al'kesh bombers. He probably won't need cloaking ability after the first attack. The Aschen are smart, and they probably won't keep their ships together after what will happen today."

"Yes, Fleet Master."

Hai'rak made as ordered, and a few seconds later the main screen activated.

"Rak'nor."

"Varnah."

"So we are thinking on the same lines?"

Rak'nor chuckled. "I guess the Tau'ri made an impression with the videos they showed us."

Varnah chuckled back. "I guess they did. But there aren't enough cloak Tel'taks to do the job. The majority of them were deployed on the front-lines. The rest are just transport ships, and we don't have the capability to replicate that technology. With the scientific teams we have available, it will take a lot of time for them to be able to reverse engineer it. We are stuck with what we have, and they are not many. Especially here. If you want me to stop their reinforcements. I'll need them. But I know taking down the Stargate is a priority. What do we do?"

"Take one Tel'tak, and use it to destroy the approaching Aschen reinforcements. I don't think you'll be able to do the same twice, as they will certainly have their ships sufficiently spaced out to avoid that. Later you can use uncloaked Tel'taks or Al'keshes to do the same on individual units."

"Their approach formations are sufficiently spaced out for us to be unable to destroy them with just one Tel'tak. I would need more for this attack."

"True, but not when they are preparing for transition. Wait until they are close enough to Nakgora to make the attack."

"If we fail, we'll be unable to try again as they'll be close enough to make the transition. Are we willing to risk that?"

"Yes. Let's hope we are at least able to take their command vessel. But taking down the Stargate is the priority, and I will need some of your forces to pull that off."

"What do you need?"

"We'll attack on the other side of the planet in relation to the Stargate and its orbital defensive perimeter. We'll clear a path for several Tel'taks to approach at low altitude from different vectors from the other side of the planet. If we are successful we'll only need one Tel'tak as the rest will be able to pull back. If they are detected and intercepted, then we can detonate one to not only clear the area of drones coming out of the Stargate, but the residual radiation should mask the other approaching Tel'taks to finish the job."

"We are going to destroy the Stargate? I thought you wanted to knock it down or something. If we take this system, we won't have a Stargate to resupply our forces."

"We won't take this system if that Stargate is in operation, and if we just knock it down, they can have it up and running in no time. If we retake Nakgora, we'll resupply via Tel'taks, or even use Ha'taks if necessary. We'll later bring a Stargate from one of the planets we are selling to the Tau'ri, or ask them for one. I'm sure they'll be able to spare a few, if they don't already have the ability to produce them. But the Nakgora Stargate will certainly detonate if a Tel'tak impacts it and explodes while it's active. The explosion will cause severe damage to the ecosystem in that area, but we need to take this planet no matter what if we want a free way to the Aschen core worlds."

Varnah reluctantly nodded. "OK. What do you want me to do?"

"We need to hit the entire orbital perimeter. We need to pin them down. We'll move some of the fleet from behind the planet in a way that shows that they are heading to reinforce elements on the other side. We'll have the Tel'taks with them. One after the other they'll start dropping into the atmosphere. They'll have to drop slowly. The heat of reentry will be easily detected. We need to avoid that, even if they are more vulnerable while coasting through the defensive drones in that area. Let's hope their sensors are not as advanced as their capital ships. If they are, then the other Tel'taks will have to move fast even if they are detected at reentry. They'll have to hide below water for some time to avoid detection once they are in."

Varnah nodded. "We'll use three?"

"Yes. You'll keep one to intercept their Fleet. Now... The question is: Do we attack them in force as a Fleet?, or do we just pressure them with individual formation on the entire front?"

"I'd prefer to use individual formations. They are big enough to handle strong opposition, and small enough to easily disengage to avoid losses. The Aschen have a lot of forces here. We need to conserve our strength."

Rak'nor nodded. "I agree. Let's prepare for the attack."

Some hours passed before the Tel'taks were ready, but once they were, the forces that were harassing the Aschen pulled back to gather strength with the rest of the fleet. The huge mass of Jaffa vessels, which were dwarfed by the number of Aschen drones present in orbit, started to consolidate into several small fleets to then drop on the planet as individual formations to strike and pin the Aschen in their orbital positions.

The amount of golden plasma pulses that were dropping towards the planet, and into Aschen capital ships and drones, looked like a summer storm rain. Hundreds of thousands of bolts were being fired every second. The amount of energy heading towards their enemy was simply enormous, but the range was too high for them to be effective. Several drones were destroyed, but the capital ships just maneuvered to avoid them. The few bolts that were able to impact just fizzled on their shields.

The great majority of the energy pulses passed through, dissipating into the upper atmosphere, but the bigger bolts of the main cannons, even with highly decreased strength, still struck the surface of the planet. Many just evaporated water in the oceans, some just glassed some sand in the deserts, but a few struck forests or jungles creating fires. At first they were negligible, but as the minutes of the attack passed, and the range decreased, the bolts started to cause more and more damage to the ecosystem.

Thousands of smoke columns billowed into the atmosphere. Habitable planets were normally huge, and while the damage of the attack was negligible to them, the surface marks were clearly seen from orbit.

The Aschen drones pressed forward. Ha'taks kept their fire intensity. Many of their shots were directed towards the Stargate, but the range was too high, and the mass of Aschen capital ships and drones protecting that sector made any attempt of an orbital bombardment ineffective.

The two forces collided with fierce determination. Ha'taks avoided most of the incoming drones, but many were still destroyed at the hands of the gravitic equipped ones.

A sector of the assault was deliberately kept understrength, and when the Aschen pressed the attack on that area, the Jaffa sent reinforcements to supplement it. For the Aschen this looked as if the Jaffa were just moving ships to reinforce that sector, and the fact they were doing so from the other side of the planet, made it look even more convincing. For the Jaffa, it was only a stratagem. It was the means of delivering the cloaked Tel'taks from a sector in which the advanced sensors of the Aschen capital ships couldn't detect them.

The small vessels moved under-cloak and with the cover of the Huge Ha'tak's super structures to avoid detection in open space, but as soon as the planet came in between of the main Aschen forces, they detached and coasted towards the planet. The thousands of drones in that area moved to intercept, trying to keep the approaching Jaffa forces from joining with their already heavily engaged counterparts.

The two Jaffa groups trying to join made the faked move of retreating. Aschen drones pressed forward to try and cripple the fleeing ships, but that only gave breathing room for the cloaked Tel'taks to enter the atmosphere at a very low and undetectable speed.

The transit time from one side of the planet to the other would take nearly a day for the Tel'taks to perform. They couldn't increase their speed as the atmospheric shock-waves generated could be more easily detected, so they were forced to move at subsonic speeds.

Fighting for such prolonged periods definitely worked against the Jaffa, as the Aschen reinforcements were more than enough to handle the losses while theirs were not. The FJN forces started to fight in withdrawal, and after several minutes had retreated to a safe distance. The loss of 36 Ha'taks for only 15,361 drones was high, but at least they had accomplished their deployment operation, and it was only a matter of time to see it to fruition.

Varnah's Ha'tak III

Three hours later …

"They are in sensor range, Fleet Master." said the ship operator.

"Keep the sensors aimed at them at maximum power, and have the Tel'tak ride that wave from below. Let's hope some high intensity emissions are able to help mask the cloaking system for the Tel'tak to make a closer approach." replied Varnah.

"Yes, Fleet Master." said the ship operator, bowing.

Varnah's Ha'tak was keeping station in the center of the Nakgora system, but in hyperspace. The ship was illuminating the approaching Aschen ships with its sensors at maximum power, while the cloaked Tel'tak was making its approach at maximum speed below the sensor emission wave. The purpose of that tactic was to fill Aschen sensor systems with a lot of radiation to make them less sensitive, and summing that to hyperspace radiation, it should make them less able to detect the approaching Tel'tak.

Varnah didn't want the Aschen to break formation because of his presence, so he started to slowly move away from the Aschen Fleet as to allow them a safe transition. He just wanted to look like a picket. A vessel deployed by the Jaffa to warn them of the approaching enemy vessels, and while subspace sensors could easily work from normal space, they were more effective in hyperspace, at least for the purpose of detecting vessels in that realm.

At the same time as Varnah's Ha'tak started moving away, the Tel'tak was moving at maximum speed towards the Aschen, while they were starting to slow and close ranks for a united transition.

With all of the effort taken to avoid detection, the Tel'tak was nevertheless detected, but the FJN managed to keep the element of surprise. The Aschen commander was slow to determine the menace as ships in hyperspace were unable to fire beyond their hyperspace drive field. Only special weapons, like Ancient drones, Replicator blocks, and any weapon that could keep the field active around them were able to cause any damage in hyperspace. But energy weapons were unable to operate beyond the very very short distance of the hyperspace field perimeter.

What really caught the attention of the Command Captain of the Aschen approaching forces, was the determination and speed of the approaching Tel'tak, but by the time his order started to be processed, and the Aschen ships started to accelerate and break formation, the Tel'tak was already on them.

The explosion was massive. Varnah's Ha'tak, being far away from it, was forced to accelerate to avoid damage. There was nothing that remained of the Aschen forces, but the combat systems signals that were emitted before being destroyed. 1 Command Space Vessel, 27 Escort Space Vessels, 9 Scout Space Vessels, and its complement of thousands of drones were destroyed, and only 1 Tel'tak had been necessary to accomplish that. It was the best kill to death ratio the Jaffa had ever been able to accomplish against the Aschen.

On board the Flagship of the Aschen forces arrayed in orbit, the worried face of the normally unemotional Admiral Keraz said it all. They were in trouble.

The second day of combat finished with a few more Ha'taks destroyed at the hands of several thousand self-destructing drones. It was a complete stalemate, and only the Stargate approaching Tel'taks had any chance of altering that balance.

Nakgora – Contested space

June 6, 2012

Stargate

3rd day of battle of the Nakgora Campaign.

The Stargate shut down only to activate again. It had been a constant for the last few days, only that this time, it wasn't gravitic drones coming out of it, but wave after wave of Jaffa warriors.

The constant dialing from different planets had finally paid off, and had beaten the Aschen in dialing in. The first warriors out were welcomed by the automated defenses installed by the Aschen. It was a massacre, but slowly the defenses were taken out. More than a hundred Jaffa warriors lay dead in the surrounding area, but those were not going to be the last. The gravitic drones that had previously come out of the gate were turning around and heading back for it.

They hovered several kilometers away of the Stargate, and started firing their low powered pulse cannons. They were low powered against shielded warships, but were overkill against ground troops. The Jaffa warriors were gone very fast, and the area was left ablaze.

More warriors kept coming, and it was only because of Rak'nor's orders that more loss of lives was spared. No more Jaffa were allowed to move in, and the area close to the Stargate was left still in control of the Aschen. The Jaffa had at least been able to stop their drone reinforcements, at least for the time being.

The Approaching Tel'taks stopped their advance seeking cover in different locations. All kept their cloaks on, but still they submerged in any body of water they could find. Two did so in lakes, while one did the same in a deep river. They waited for the time they could be needed again.

Hyperspace

A few hours later …

The approaching Aschen Battle-group was completely spread-out. They didn't want to suffer the same fate as the previous vessels, but approaching towards them at maximum speed was a strong formation of FJN Al'kesh bombers. The Jaffa had rigged them for auto-run, and an enhanced self-destruct. Every Aschen warship had a Jaffa counterpart heading towards it, while many more remained stationed in hyperspace close to Nakgora in case someone got through.

The first explosion between an Al'kesh and a Scout lit up hyperspace. The two vessels ceased to exist, but the explosion was so strong that two more Al'kesh that were relatively close were destroyed in the process. It was clear that measuring the energy release of an explosion in hyperspace was not an exact science, at least for the Jaffa.

For the Aschen, the first exchange had cost them a scout and its crew, and while the Jaffa automated bombers were approaching fast, the Aschen were also reacting fast. What could have been a massacre ended up being a dispersion. Two more scouts were destroyed before they started jumping away into interstellar space.

The Jaffa were not able to destroy the approaching Aschen Battle-group, but were at least able to rout them into normal space. The Aschen ships were completely dispersed as individual units. The distance they were traveling between each other in hyperspace meant that a jump to normal space would position each ship light years away from each other, and in the best of cases, at least several million kilometers. Their formation was completely broken apart, and there was no Captain willing to jump back without proper reconnaissance. They had been effectively pinned down.

The FJN Al'keshes kept patrolling hyperspace like hungry predators, but it was clear to Varnah that more needed to be done.

"Prepare two standard formations, and deploy them in hyperspace." ordered Varnah.

"Yes, Fleet Master." answered his ship operator.

"Next time have the Al'kesh sensors link to our hyperspace deployed Ha'taks to determine their jump locations, specifically the ones from their Command vessels. We'll take them down in normal space."

"Yes, Fleet Master."

The day ended up being as the days before. A constant harassing campaign against the Aschen orbital forces, and while no side was able to break the stalemate, the Jaffa had at least been able to stop the reinforcements.

Nakgora – Contested space

June 8, 2012

Stargate

5th day of battle of the Nakgora Campaign.

The constant harassing of Aschen forces had continued the day before. There had been minor changes in each side's tactics, but mostly it was all the same.

The Aschen approaching Nakgora had formed a perimeter several light years from the system, and were unwilling to challenge the Al'keshes protecting it. On the planet's orbit, the Aschen had kept a strong opposition, but their fuel supplies were a matter of concern. They had started increasing the volume of space protected by their drones. The density of them in the outer perimeter was very low, but it at least forced the Jaffa fleet into bypassing them to reach Aschen forces in orbit, this at the same time, allowed the older and slower drones to fall onto them to inflict some damage.

The Jaffa had to deploy forces to face the small amount of drones in the outer perimeter to avoid the above. This allowed the Aschen to pin the Jaffa fighting a small number of drones, and to conserve fuel for the numerous drones protecting the inner areas of the defensive perimeter.

The real change happened in the Stargate. The Jaffa were beaten in the dialing race, and lost control of it. Gravitic drones started to pour out of it again.

Rak'nor didn't wait for a change of luck, and immediately ordered the cloaked Tel'taks into engaging the Stargate. The three units available had found shelter in nearby lakes and in a deep river, and one of them started a slow approach to its target.

The cloaked vessel crossed the distance, and struck the Stargate at the same time as a Gravitic drone was making its way out of it. The explosion was amplified when the active gate detonated. The area inside a 100 kilometer diameter circle was completely destroyed. The Aschen supply dump was no more, and several Gravitic drones that were inside the blast zone were torn apart by the atmospheric shock-waves.

The gate destruction ended the main Aschen method of reinforcement, and took a thorn out of Rak'nor's side. If the Aschen were unable to break the siege, then it was only a matter of time for them to be forced to retreat.

Nakgora – Contested space

June 9, 2012

Aschen Flagship

6th day of battle of the Nakgora Campaign.

For Admiral Rada Keraz it was only a matter of adapting to circumstances. He had lost the Stargate, and hyperspace was interdicted. He could do nothing about the gate, but he could still contest hyperspace, and that was what he had been planning and preparing to do since the Jaffa started combat in that medium. He had no ship capable of combat in hyperspace, but he had the resources to create a hybrid solution.

His scouts were useless in combat, so he used the same tactic the Jaffa were employing. He rigged those ships for automated operations. They weren't small bombers or transports like the Al'keshes and Tel'taks, and operating them without a crew was close to impossible for long periods, but he only needed a few seconds, and for that time frame, the rigging was more than enough. His real problem was the fact that their self-destruct was not based on the Naquada explosions the Jaffa used, but on conventional charges or fusion reactor overcharges. This would create a very small explosion in hyperspace that wouldn't be able to harm a thing. His solution was to fly the Scouts with drones inside its hyperspace field, and detonate them close to their targets.

He wanted the Jaffa to feel the strain, so he organized his forces to give them a strong initial blow. His subspace sensors had detected two Jaffa Ha'tak formations of 16 ships each, both stationed in hyperspace. He didn't know the Jaffa had those ships ready to intercept any ship jumping to normal space to avoid the Al'keshes, and because none of his reinforcements had gotten close enough to try to run the blocked, they hadn't been used, so for him, they just presented some juicy targets.

Apart from the Ha'taks, there were a total of 283 Al'keshes patrolling hyperspace, and they were not flying in any formations, so intercepting them would be a very difficult task, but if the Jaffa wanted to fight in hyperspace he was going to give them hell.

He had 140 Scouts in system. 108 were part of the 12 battle-groups present, but 32 were those that had been deployed independently to scout adjacent star systems.

Two of those SSVs (Scout Space Vessels) entered hyperspace with a strong flight of the older drones in formation. Each of the vessels selected one of the Jaffa Ha'tak formations as a target, and detonated their drone warheads a few seconds after entering hyperspace. 32 Ha'taks were destroyed in flash.

Immediately after, he started sending his scouts one at a time to try and destroy as many Al'kesh as were possible to open the way for reinforcements to arrive. The Jaffa on the other hand were not going to present the Aschen with more juicy targets, and for every SSV entering hyperspace, an Al'kesh was assigned to destroy it. 138 SSVs and the same number of Al'keshes were destroyed in the most important engagement of the day.

15 other SSVs coming from the ships trying to break the blockade did the same, and 15 other Al'keshes suffered the same fate.

The battle in hyperspace, while performed by individual units at a time, had still been very intense. The Jaffa had suffered a lot of losses, but they still had 128 Al'keshes protecting the approaches. For the Aschen, who were a very practical people, the attack had not only served them to cause the Jaffa serious losses, and to thin the hyperspace defenses to try to run the blockade, but most importantly had served to transfer the remaining fuel of the SSVs to the other ships before being sent to attack in hyperspace, and that had given them enough resources to keep the drones in operation for several more days of combat.

Nakgora – Contested space

June 12, 2012

Jaffa Flagship

9th day of battle of the Nakgora Campaign.

The Jaffa had pressed the attack on the Aschen orbital forces for the last few days. The intention was not to break the Aschen Fleet in an all out assault as that would have meant their demise. They just didn't have enough forces to exert a defeat, but they did force the Aschen into moving their drones to protect their capital ships and their orbital perimeter, and that had forced them to spend more precious fuel.

Losses in normal space for both sides had been low, but losses in hyperspace had placed the Jaffa at their limit. Admiral Rada Keraz had kept the scouts arriving with the reinforcements, attacking the Jaffa Al'keshes, but as his fuel supplies dwindled, he started draining fuel from his ESVs (Escort Space Vessels) and into its drones to keep them operational. He then started using those drained escorts into attacking the Jaffa hyperspace siege.

This tactic had decreased the number of escorts in the Aschen Fleet at Nakgora from 340 to 275, but had kept the Aschen fuel condition on the green. On the Jaffa side, there was some decision making to do as they only had 36 Al'keshes left to keep the blockade, and they were becoming too few to manage that.

On the Jaffa Flagship, Varnah had arrived via ring transporter a few minutes ago to decide how to proceed. The information they were about to discuss was considered top secret so that not even ship operators were allowed to hear, and that had forced a direct meeting between the two Fleet Masters.

"We no longer have enough Al'keshes to maintain the blockade. We need to make a decision. We either retreat, or we start using Ha'taks to do the same. What do we do?" asked Rak'nor.

"I believe it would be a waste of resources to use Ha'taks in that way." answered Varnah.

"I have seen the numbers, Varnah. We are losing a Ha'tak for every 400 to 500 drones we destroy. Its become a constant now. A single Aschen escort is able to carry more drones than we are able to destroy with a Ha'tak. So one of their escorts is worth more than one of our motherships in terms of kill ratios. Now, the problem is that if they break the blockade, their reinforcements will put an end to our attempt at recapturing Nakgora. We can't defeat their current forces in orbit without losing the entire Fleet. We need to drain their resources, but if their reinforcements arrive, we'll be at square one. So, again, we either retreat, or we use Ha'taks to keep the blockade strong." replied Rak'nor.

"What about the Tau'ri's intelligence? If they are right, then the Aschen have close to 12,000 capital ships over Aschen prime. If they want, they can bring them in and end this stalemate in a heartbeat. Using our Ha'taks in that way will only reduce our ability to face them. We can keep this stalemate at Tyl'mah, but the distance between Nakgora and Aschen Prime means we can be mauled by their main Fleet any time if we stay here. I say we pull back, reinforce our Fleet at Tyl'mah, and wait for the Tel'taks to arrive at the front-lines for use in hyperspace combat. We still have enough of them in the core worlds to make any Aschen hyperspace approach a bloody proposition."

Rak'nor shrugged. "The Tau'ri also said that the Aschen logistics capability is very limited. They have grown in numbers, but they are still not enough to manage a full assault. They are using capital ships to resupply ships coming this way. Their bottleneck are the Escort Vessels, they are very limited in range, but they are also their most numerous warship. They can't threaten us without them. As you said, we are at a stalemate, but if we pull back, they can reinforce Nakgora with thousands of ships and we'll need to wait for a couple of years to have the numbers to turn them around. I would prefer to stay. We can use the older Ha'taks, and hope the Aschen's supply situation in Nakgora breaks before we do. If they do first, then we can shift motherships into attacking their colonies to force them to pull back while we keep reinforcing Nakgora. At least that is what the Tau'ri recommend."

Varnah sighed, and a few seconds passed before he answered. "It's a big bet, but it's either that or a probable several-year-long-cold-war massing ships and protecting our borders."

"Yes, and the Aschen could use those years to field a replacement for their escort vessel. A ship designed for long range combat that would severely hamper our abilities to contain them. We need to force them to develop defensive measures for our advance, and not the other way around. We need to keep the pressure on them. We can't let them breathe."

"I agree. We'll just have to manage crew transfers. As losses mount, the crew removed from the automated Ha'taks will start to cramp our other vessels, and losses to Aschen drone fighting will start being felt deeply."

Rak'nor nodded. "We'll use a single Ha'tak as a transfer vessel. As soon as it's full, we'll send it back to Tyl'mah. We may have to use just a couple of them for transport duties, but that way we won't threaten idle crews in combat."

"That's a good option. So, we stay?"

"The council supports our decision, but it has to be unanimous. If there is disagreement, then a defensive stance would be given more weight, in this case, a retreat to Tyl'mah. So, If you agree, then we stay."

"You have my support." answered Varnah, but at seeing Rak'nor's face and his intention of speaking, he added. "Not only because you have my loyalty, but because I consider your course of action a better long term strategy. It may put us in a difficult situation in the short term, but if we pull this off, we'll have a better standing in the future. I agree to stay."

"Then it's settled. We stay to fight, and in a few days we'll know if it was the correct decision. Tau'ri intelligence reports that the Aschen are starting to send a greater number of Scout Vessels to Nakgora. It's clear they want to use their less capable ship in hyperspace combat. We'll order our units in hyperspace to avoid engaging them. We'll try to focus only on their Escort and Command vessels. If they want to reinforce their fleet in orbit with scouts, they are welcome to do it. They are useless. We'll self-destruct our Al'keshes and Ha'taks only against their Escorts and Command ships." said Rak'nor.

"If we do that, they could use their scouts to resupply their forces in orbit." replied Varnah.

"I agree, and they may prolong the battle for a few days, but those ships are very small to carry the supplies required to keep half a million drones in operation, and I strongly believe that using our Ha'taks against their scouts would be a complete waste of resources. We'll only face them if it's strictly necessary. Only if their main capital ships, or cargo vessels are hiding behind them. but only then, and while trying to out maneuver them to reach the vessels behind."

The meeting ended almost an hour later, and the orders for automated deployment were dispatched to the 18 Ha'taks and 63 Ha'taks II remaining. Crews began moving to a Ha'tak III for their transfer to Tyl'mah. The Ha'taks III would be the last to be used for hyperspace combat, and only if the Ha'taks and Ha'taks II were not sufficient.

Nakgora – Contested space

June 16, 2012

Jaffa Flagship

13th day of battle of the Nakgora Campaign.

The days passed, and the amount of Aschen Escort Vessels in Nakgora had dropped to 244, but there were still less than half a million drones, and they had been kept in the green concerning their fuel supplies. The number of escorts had been reduced at a steady rate of almost 30 vessels per day, and with the current number of ships remaining, the Aschen could only keep fuel at safe levels for eight more days before being forced to either retreat or break the blockade.

On the Jaffa side, things had been the same. It was the daily routine of attacking Aschen units in orbit to force them to use fuel, and the constant struggle that had become hyperspace self-destruct fighting. There were no more Al'keshes or Ha'taks available, and only 36 Ha'tak II were left to blockade the hyperspace approaches. These last units were already being supplemented by Ha'tak III, of which 1,216 were still available, the majority deployed in normal space harassing the Aschen forces in orbit.

The routine was about to be broken, as Nakgora was being approached by more than a hundred Aschen Vessels. The constant flow of ships had stopped trying to break the blockade for the last few days, and had concentrated what forces they had available to launch an all out attack. 3 Battle-groups comprised each of 1 CSVs, 27 ESVs, and 9 SSVs were reinforced by 31 SSVs and 7 transports. The formation was spread-out, but the front was composed mostly by the 58 SSVs available.

The FJN Hyperspace forces moved relentlessly to face the approaching enemy forces. Ships that were about to approach SSV detonation range entered normal space to allow the Aschen scouts to keep moving forward. Some other vessels changed trajectory to force the SSVs into intercepting them, which in turn, allowed other vessels to strike from the flanks. When the distance shortened, the units that had jumped to normal space reentered hyperspace to smite at the juicier targets.

The slow Aschen transports were the first to be destroyed by the self-destructing Motherships, but the 81 ESVs soon followed the same fate. The amount of Ha'tak IIs and IIIs that where heading towards the unprotected Aschen forces quickly turned the tide of the attack. The CSVs that were the only crewed vessels, immediately turned around and headed back towards friendly space, while the SSVs tried unsuccessfully to intercept Jaffa vessels. Only a few ships were able to accomplish their task, and soon, with their controlling CSVs moving away, they were forced to do the same.

The day ended badly for both sides. Losses had been heavy, but the Jaffa had at least been able to repel the Aschen reinforcing operation.

Nakgora – Contested space

June 25, 2012

Jaffa Flagship

22nd day of battle of the Nakgora Campaign.

Rak'nor was watching the main screen. The Aschen had only 12 Command Space Vessels remaining in orbit. Every single Escort and Scout had transfered their fuel supplies to the CSVs and drones, and had then engaged the Jaffa forces in hyperspace. Now, there were none of them remaining, and Rak'nor knew there was nowhere else the Aschen could get fuel to supply its drones, unless they wanted to use CSVs in automated attacks.

Drone operations had been greatly reduced, but still, more than 350,000 remained challenging the FJN assault.

He watched part of his fleet fighting the Aschen forces in orbit as has been the norm for the last 22 days, when suddenly, things changed. Sensors detected Aschen ships jumping into hyperspace in the general location where their forces had been forced to retreat at their first attempt to break the blockade. The ESVs and CSVs joined forces, and jumped back to normal space still far away from Nakgora. Half an hour later, which the Aschen probably used to transfer crew from the ESVs into the CSVs, the ships entered hyperspace again, and headed towards the Jaffa Fleet.

Rak'nor's forces in hyperspace reacted immediately, and the automated Ha'taks moved to intercept. It was at that time that the CSVs stationed in orbit, including the Aschen Flagship, jumped to hyperspace leaving every drone behind.

The approaching ESVs accelerated to force the Jaffa into engaging them, and to give a window of retreat for the Aschen Command vessels. They succeeded. Ha'tak after Ha'tak were destroyed by the ESVs, and the Command Vessels move away from Nakgora safely.

The smile on Rak'nor's face was growing before Hai'rak spoke to him.

"Transmission received from the Aschen on all frequencies. They are using our language."

Rak'nor frowned and said. "Show me."

A simple computer generated message played. "Jaffa Fleet, you have ten minutes to pull your forces engaging our orbital defenses. Beyond that period any attempt at attack, will see our forces dropping on the planet and detonating every single fusion warhead. It is your decision if the entire ecosystem is destroyed."

Hai'rak's jaw almost dropped to the floor. He turned to see Rak'nor who still couldn't believe his luck. After 22 days of combat, he had inflicted a logistical victory, and had forced the Aschen to retreat. He knew there were more drones deployed than the Aschen could carry on their ships, and while many would have to be sacrificed in a retreat, the Aschen had left every single one, but not with the intention of sacrificing them. They had left them to guarantee that neither side could get a hold of the colony. The Aschen drones didn't have the fuel to fight, so if the Jaffa forced a fight to make them consume their last reserves of fuel, they were just going to send every single one of them crashing to the ground detonating their fusion warheads.

If the Jaffa continued the fight, they were not going to recapture an ecologically sound planet, but a completely devastated one. Rak'nor gave the order. "Pull our forces back to higher orbit, and get me in contact with Varnah."

Hai'rak nodded, and a few seconds later the face of Fleet Master Varnah appeared on the main screen.

"Have you listened to the message?" asked Rak'nor.

"Yes, just finished." answered Varnah.

"This is not a decision we can make. This is something the Council has to agree upon, but in the mean time, I want to keep the Aschen as far away from here as possible. I'll keep half of the Fleet in orbit and protecting hyperspace for any counter attack, but I want you to take the rest and follow the Aschen as they pull back. Press them and divert forces to attack their colonies. Watch out for hyperspace interceptions, as they will certainly start using this new tactic to drive us off. Use our speed advantage to flank them, but I want them on the defensive. We can't let them mount a counter attack."

"I agree. I'll send some forces with automated Ha'taks with them, and I'll prepare the rest of my ships to start a harassing campaign."

"Good. In the mean time, I'll get in contact with the Council to see how they want to proceed with the drones assembled in orbit. We don't have control of Nakgora, but we forced the Aschen to retreat and we broke their beach head into our space. This has been a strategic victory. Let's keep it that way. Proceed with your attacks. I'll make sure this system remains in our hands no matter what. Good luck, Varnah, and good hunting."

Varnah nodded. "I'll give the Aschen enough fear to force them to stay at their systems. You won't have to worry about them." Varnah bowed in respect and his image disappeared from the main screen.

Rak'nor stood for a moment thinking of his friend, and then turned to look at the planet outside the main window. There were hundreds of thousands of drones, but not a single could be seen with the naked eye. The burden of the decision ahead of him would decide the fate of the beautiful spheric jewel floating in front of him. Every living creature on and in the planet stood in the balance, and even if the Council gave the go ahead, he wasn't sure he would be able to carry that responsibility on his shoulders. He was thankful that that decision would not bother him at the moment, so he turned around and left the Pel'tak to gather for a well deserved rest.