FicWad

Vengeance Of The Gods

Chapter Four

Combat Information CentreBattlestar Solaria, That Same Time



Commander Julian Maynard groaned as he slowly picked himself up off the deck besides the dradis console/map table, he seemed to be hurting everywhere, in his head, down his side, in his legs everywhere from where he had been physically thrown to the deck when the ship had been hit. Using the edge of the map table as a crutch he stood up and looked around at the rest of CIC.



The once pristine command centre was in shambles, the main lights were off leaving only deep amber emergency lighting illuminating the shattered room. Flames were licking up from a number of shattered consoles that had been literally blasted apart by power surges before the ship lost main power. Most of the screens were either dark or completely awash with static, and a thick haze of acrid smelling, possibly toxic smoke hung in the air. Amazingly however most of the crew seemed to be still alive and were slowly but surely picking themselves up off the deck. Lords of Kobol what a mess, he thought, is the whole ship going to be like this? What the frak did that ship hit us with to do this much damage?



A hand grasping the edge of the map table caught his attention and he moved around to assist Colonel Roberts in getting her feet back under her. His XO looked battered and bruised and her face was stained with soot and grime from the smoke filled air, but other than that she seemed to be in relatively good shape. Julian expected that he probably looked the same as her to the rest of the crew.



"Colonel are you alright," he asked concerned.



"Aside from feeling like I've been run over by a Raptor I'm fine sir," Roberts replied, before looking around at the partially destroyed command centre. "What the frak did they hit us with," she said stunned by the damage and the realisation that the entire ship was probably like this, or worse as CIC was deep within the battlestars armoured heart. "It can't have been nukes or we wouldn't be here."



"I don't know," Julian answered noticing out the corner of his eyes the rest of the command crew starting to put out the electrical fires with portable extinguishers. "Whatever it was it was frakking powerful. But finding out can wait until later, we need to know how bad things are elsewhere on the ship."



Roberts nodded in agreement, her face grim. They both knew that the situation was going to be very grim all over the ship. "I'll start checking in with the damage and fire control teams," she said. "See if I can get us a complete damage assessment."



Julian nodded his consent, and Roberts turned away and hurried over to the damage control section of CIC. For his part he turned his attention to the rest of the command crew as the last of the fires was extinguished. "Everyone back to your stations," he ordered. "I want complete status reports on all systems as quickly as they can be gathered. Communications?"



"Yes sir?"



"Are we able to transmit a distress call," Julian asked.



"Negative sir," communications answered. "All our communications arrays are out, we don't even have short range comms. We do still have communication drones however but the systems are being sluggish it will take awhile to program one."



"Do the best you can," Julian instructed. "Try and get short range comm. back as well we need to be able to contact our Vipers and the two Raptors, assuming the aliens didn't shoot them down."



"Yes sir."



***



Rescue Raptor One

Major Keith Matterson sat stiff and alert in the co-pilots seat of the Raptor as Pilgrim carefully guided them clear of the dead hulk that was the Olympia. The two Raptors assigned to search for survivors had been about to land on the derelict cruiser when the alien warship appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to open fire on the Solaria and the cap around her. They'd ducked into the sensor shadow of the Olympia to escape the alien's energy bolts and had only been able to listen in helpless horror as one by one each panicked Viper pilot fell silent.



In the ten minutes since then there had been silence, all attempts to raise the Solaria had been met with complete, terrifying silence. Keith didn't want to think what that could mean, that the Solaria and the nearly sixteen people aboard her were dead, blasted apart by the impossible alien energy weapons. Slowly the two Raptors came out from under the cruiser and the battlestar came into view, but what had once been an elegant ship was now battered and battle scarred.



The mighty Guardian-class battlestar had developed apronounced list to starboard off her central axis, indicating that the ship had taken a pounding on that side; she was also spinning in a lateral counter-clockwise spin, obviously lacking any sort of power to the propulsion systems so she was unable to right herself. From what he could see from here the hull was scorched and pitted.



"Solaria, Maverick do you read me," Keith said into his helmet microphone. As before the only answer he got from the battlestar was silence. "Solaria, Maverick, if you can hear me please respond."



Again there was silence and the starboard side of the ship came into view and horrified gasps erupted in both Raptors. The flight pod had literally been ripped apart, sliced open along its entire length on every single level. Some of the damage appeared to have come from some tremendous internal explosion, but the rest appeared to be where something powerful had hit the hull and burned right through. Lords of Kobol what could do this, Keith thought.



As the Raptors got closer, more of the damage became visible, at points he could see right through the flight pod to the other side. All along this side there was evidence of damage, cracks and gashes ran along the entire central third of the vessel. Gods I hate to think what conditions are like inside the ship,Keith thought blinking back tears as occurred to him that many of his friends and fellow pilots would be lying dead somewhere in the wreckage of the starboard flight pod. For those left alive in the rest of the ship the Solariawould have become hell in space.



"Rescue Raptor Two, Maverick," Keith said at last.



"Maverick, Shadowsmith," the pilot of the other Raptor responded immediately. "The ship looks to be in a right state, who the frak were the people who did this? Do you think they were Cylons?"



"Unlikely, if it was the Cylons then we're in really deep trouble, because it means they've advanced to an incredible degree over the last forty years and mean to carry on the war where they left off," Keith replied. "No I'd say whoever did this is someone new."



"Aliens? Lords of Kobol real life aliens?"



"That would be my guess. Now Shadowsmith here is what I want you to do. Spool up your FTL drive and jump to the closest Colonial base, bring back help as quickly as possible. We're going to stay here and continue to attempt to contact the Solaria."



"Copy that, Maverick. Are you sure this is a good idea," Shadowsmith asked, as the three Vipers that had someone managed to survive the alien onslaught joined them in formation. "Suppose the aliens come back."



"All the more reason for you to jump out now," Keith replied. "The sooner you jump, the sooner help gets here. If the alien ship comes back then I doubt they would risk challenging a full battle group, however powerful they are. Now go."



"Copy that, Maverick. Gods go with you."



"And with you," Keith answered.



"Spooling up FTL drive now." Keith nodded and looked across at the other Raptor as it floated there in space, coasting forward on inertia alone. For a few moments it remained there, and then vanished in a flash of folding space. Then they were alone with the three Vipers and the crippled battlestar.



Keith sighed and switched to the squadron command frequency. "Vipers, Maverick," he said. "Status report."



***



Themis Ha'takThat Same Time



Commander Julia Seaford looked up with a profound sense of dread in her heart when she heard the sound of her cell door opening. She waited for Themis to come in to begin interrogating her again, and was surprised when she did not. Instead with heavy metallic clanking sounds two Jaffa came into the room, with an unconscious man in Colonial Viper pilot's uniform between them. Roughly the two armoured giants threw the young man down then turned and marched out the door closing behind them.



With effort, and against the protestations of her battered nervous system, Julia got up and went over to where the pilot was lying face down on the deck. A glance at his shoulder patch showed that he was from the battlestar Solaria, for him to be here indicated that the encounter between this alien ships hadn't gone well, for the battlestar. No,she thought, if a battlestar can't stop this ship then what chance do we have if Themis gets more ships and moves on to the Colonies themselves.



Putting aside her sudden feelings of dread for the future, Julia carefully looked the young dark haired pilot over. He didn't appear to have any injuries and acheck of the area around his temples showed that he had not yet been implanted with one of the chips Themis was using to torture her for information. Carefully Julia turned the pilot over and checked his pulse, just as the pilot groaned softly. Slowly a pair of intelligent blue eyes opened and met her gaze.



"Take it easy," Julia said softly. "You're waking up from one of these aliens stuns, so you'll hurt for a little bit, but it passes."



"Are you, are you from the Olympia," the young man asked then his eyes hit on the commanders insignia on her uniform collar.



Julia smiled. "Commander Julia Seaford," she said. "The Olympia was mine until this ship attacked us without warning or provocation. And you are?"



"Captain Lee Adama, call sign Apollo," Lee answered grunting as he sat up, his whole nervous system was tingling like mad, though it was slowly fading away. "I'm not sure how Igot here. The last thing I remember is the Solaria being boarded by these weird armoured figures. Though I don't understand how they approached us without being challenged."



"From what little I've seen of them these aliens are far more technologically advanced than we are," Julia replied. "They crippled my ship with one barrage of some kind of energy bolts, something that should have been impossible."



Lee nodded in agreement, a Vigilance-class heavy cruiser was a powerful warship with strong defences, a single salvo disabling one was supposed to be impossible as the ship was designed to take on and destroy Cylon warships.



"Do you know anything about our captors, ma'am?" Lee asked.



"Only that they appear, Human but there not," Julia answered. "And there commanding officer claims that she's the goddess Themis." At that Lee couldn't help but smirk. "I know its amusing isn't it?"



"Very," Lee said. "This alien woman must be really deluded if she thinks she's one of the Lords of Kobol."



Julia nodded and opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could make a sound the door to the cell opened again. With the familiar clank of metal boots two of the armoured juggernauts that Themis had called Jaffa came into the room. Themis came in moving with regal grace a few steps behind them, with two more Jaffabringing up the rear.



Awkwardly Lee stood up and defiantly faced their captors; Julia did the same joining her fellow officer in presenting a defiant front. Themis smiled softly and looked straight at Lee and inwardly Lee shuddered at the look in her eyes. A cruel, calculating look like she was measuring him up for something.



"Bring him," she ordered.



Inwardly Lee flinched slightly at the oddly deep and distorted voice that the beautiful woman spoke in, a voice that gave away the fact that she wasn't human. The two armoured figures that had preceded her into the room marched up to him and grabbed each of his arms and pulled him forwards. Defiantly he tried to pull out of their grips but they held him fast with inhuman strength, despite his struggles he couldn't free his arms at all.



Themis smiled as she observed the handsome young humans defiant struggles. Unlike many of her kind she had made a point over the thousands of years of her life to try and understand the species they used as hosts and slaves. Those studies confirmed to her that this young man would not come willingly. Calmly she walked over to him and held her hand device close to his forehead before activating it. The crystal in the palm of her hand glowed brightly on a seldom used setting.



The moment the crystal began glowing a strange weakness hit every part of Lee's body and he couldn't help but relax. Despite his desire to resist his captors, he couldn't get his muscles to cooperate. It felt like his body was suddenly too tired to obey his minds commands. Themis withdrew the hand device and turned before walking away. Lee felt himself being dragged towards the entrance to the room, and their was nothing he could do to prevent the Jaffa from half carrying, half dragging him.



"Wait, where are you taking him," Julia said starting forward.



"That is not your concern, Human," Themis answered.



"I'm the senior officer," Julia snapped back stepping forward to intercept the Jaffa. "Take me in his place."



"Stand back, Human. This matter does not concern you," Themis said raising her hand device warningly. Julia didn't move from standing in the Jaffa's way. "Heshak,"Themis hissed before unleashing a concussion blast from the hand device. A rippling wave of force smashed into Julia and picked her up before throwing her hard against the far bulkhead.



As Julia Seaford slumped down to the deck badly stunned and winded from the collision with the wall, Themis turned imperiously around and walked out. The two Jaffacarrying Lee between them followed after their goddess, with the final two Jaffa following behind them as the door to the cell closed.



Gasping as she struggled to get her breath back Julia glared at the closed door. Gods protect you Lee Adama, she thought, because whatever Themis is planning for you it cannot be good.



***



Lee Adama felt strength returning to his limbs as the Jaffa dragged him down the corridors and passageways that made up the interior of this alien warship. Alert blue eyes took in everything around him, noticing that the walls were made of some kind of greyish blue material that looked more like stone than metal. Every few metres were support bars that looked to be made of gold. Lords of Kobol how much did it cost to build this ship, he thought, there's gold everywhere.



Ahead of him a few paces away walked the self-proclaimed goddess Themis. Every moment she made was purposeful and looking at her neck Lee was sure he could see a healed scar there. He didn't have long to think what could have caused the scar because ahead of them a wall like door slid into the ceiling revealing another compartment. Inside stood a number of the deck crew and pilots from the Solaria, all of them male, and being forced to stand in a straight line by three more of the armoured figures. Two pointing staff like weapons at them, while a third walked tirelessly back and forth behind them.



"Join the line, Human," Themis instructed him. The Jaffa released his arms and he wavered but stood upright and glared defiantly at the woman. Themis glared at him before nodding to one of the other Jaffa, who flicked a switch on the staff he was holding. The tip of the staff opened with a crackle of energy and pointed it at one of the assembled deck crew. "Join the line or I will have that man killed," Themis said.



Lee sighed and knowing he had no real choice in the matter staggered over and joined the line. As he looked at the wall everyone was facing he noticed for the first time that apedestal stood there and on the pedestal was a tank. A tank lit from within by a yellow light and filled with bubbling liquid, liquid in which a single snake like creature hung suspended. The sight of snake filled Lee with instinctual loathing, though suspended as it was in the liquid it appeared to be helpless.



Themis smiled as she moved to stand next to the tank, before looking at each Colonial in turn, ignoring the hate filled looks she was getting off them. They would soon learn to show proper respect to the Goa'uld, but first there was another matter to attend to. One of them was going to be given the truly great honour of becoming the new host of a ally that she had known well and had missed for sometime ever since the Tok'ra robbed him of his host.



"Greetings," she said to the men. "I am the great goddess Themis. I am sure you are curious as to why I have separated you from the rest of your fellow prisoners. You are here because one of you is going to be given a great honour. You see my friend here," she nodded her head at the tank and its contents. "Is in need of a new host and I have decided that one of you will fill that role."



Host, Lee thought and with a jolt of horror suddenly understood what Themis was saying, and what she was. Despite her claim to be agoddess she was one of those snake things inside a human body. There parasites, he thought as Themis reached into the tank and pulled out the snake, which hissed slightly and started to look around, and she wants to put that thing in one of us.



"Now which one of you will the new host to my friend Helios," Themis said and holding the symbiote in her hand she began to slowly walk down the line of men. Helios carefully looked at each one, before emitting a hiss of dismissal as he decided that that particular Human was not the host for him.



After a few moments Themis came to Lee standing at the end of the line, and Lee found himself looking straight at the snake she was holding. Four beady red eyes looked back at him with great intelligence, and great evil. Then Helios hissed but it was a different hiss to the sound he had been emitting before.



Themis smiled softly, evilly, as in her hand Helios vibrated in longing, wanting the Human in front of him. Though he was a defiant one she couldn't help but appreciate Helios taste, the black haired, blue eyed Human was in perfect shape and would make an excellent host.



"Congratulations,"Themis said the evil smile still on her face. "Helios has decided to give you the great honour of being his new host."



"Frak you," Lee replied defiantly. "You're not putting that thing in me."



"Insolence,"Themis said sounding amused. "What makes you think you have a choice Human? Jaffa, kel'shak nen dor."



The armoured juggernaut figure that had been walking back and forth behind the assembled line of Colonial officers pushed Lee forwards towards the goddess. Then the Jaffa put a hand on his shoulders and forced Lee down onto his knees. Themis continued to smile as she crossed the remaining distance between them. With her free hand she moved Lee's head to the side, exposing the side of his neck. Lee tried to move his head to bite her hand but like the Jaffa Themis was impossibly, inhumanly strong and he couldn't move at all.



"It is pointless to resist, you are being given a great honour," Themis said with a grin as she held Helios close to Lee's neck before releasing him. With a muscular flick Helios leapt out of her hand, onto Lee's shoulder, hissed once before burrowing into the side of Lee's neck.



Lee screamed as the sharp pain erupted first at the side of his neck as the snake broke his skin, and then went deeper as it burrowed inside. He felt the thing moving about inside his neck, threading its way through the muscle towards his spinal cord. Each time it moved it sent asearing wave of pain through his nervous system. Redness tainted his vision as he felt the snake wrap around his spine, then an even sharper pain erupted at the nape of his neck.



Then he felt something enter his mind, something that was highly intelligent but stinking of cruelty and unspeakable evil. Its thoughts rolled with darkness and aterrible lust for power. It swept through his mind like a hurricane, roughly pushing aside his thoughts and starting to fill the resultant void with itself. He fought back, pushing back at the dark presence - that he somehow knew to be Helios - with all his strength, with every bit of will power and determination that he had. The malevolent thoughts of the snake quaked, rippling with surprise and momentary disbelief. Then he got a sense of strange amusement.



"You are strong, Lee Adama," Helios said to him, "good I like strong willed hosts. But you cannot defeat me."



Even as the snake's words echoed through his mind, Helios struck at him with increased force, blasting through his resistance with ease and starting to push him back. He tried to resist, tried to continue to fight but he couldn't. It was like he was on a slippery slope with nothing to get a grip on at all. Sensation faded away and he couldn't feel his body anymore, he screamed silently in dismay and defeat as he felt Helios take control away from him.



The last lingering bits of pain faded away as invisible walls erected around his thoughts making him a prisoner, divorced from the rest of his body. He could still see and hear everything, but it was slightly muted as if there was a haze between him and the rest of the world.



"You are mine now, Lee Adama," Helios said into his mental prison his mind voice mocking. "Mine, forever."



***



Themis watched smiling as Helios entered the body of the young Colonial officer, making the defiant man scream with pain. The Human collapsed to the floor and convulsed repeatedly as he futilely tried to resist the symbiote. After a few moments Lee went still before slowly standing up again.



He looked into Themis eyes for a moment then his flashed brightly with whitish-gold light. "Greetings, Themis," Helios said speaking through his new host. Behind him the horrified Colonial officers flinched as they heard the depth and distortion in Lee's voice. "It is agreeable to see you again."



"Same here, Helios. What do you think of your new host?"



"He is acceptable, and he has knowledge that will be most beneficial to us," Helios answered then turned to look at the Colonials with a face that while familiar was now the face of a stranger. "Jaffa, take them back to their cells."



"Yes my lord," the Jaffa in charge of the detachment replied in an emotionless voice that creped Helios out a bit, he hadn't had much chance to get used to Jaffa without emotions or thoughts beyond what was necessary to function before the Tok'ra had captured him and ripped him out of his last host.



Themis came to stand beside him and watched as the Jaffa led the Humans out of the room. A short time ago they would have had them all killed, but now there were new uses for Humans, especially with the manpower shortage that plagued Lord Zeus fleet thanks to Anubis and the Free Jaffa.



"Let us go, Helios," Themis said. "We have to get you some more appropriate clothing. Then we have to report in to Lord Zeus."



Helios nodded and left the room, with Themis following a few paces behind him. He was looking forward to having some slaves wash his new host body and provide him clothes more fitting of a god. It had been so long that he would enjoy every minute of it.



"Not if I have a say in it you won't," Lee said from his mental prison.



"Silence, Human. You cannot do anything against me," Helios thought subjecting Lee's captive thoughts to a blast of intense torment, yet surprisingly the Human didn't scream like his previous host had when he'd done that. "Oh you are going to be a challenge to break in aren't you?"



"You may have my body but you'll never have my soul," Lee told him.



"We shall see about that, Lee Adama. We shall definitely see."