Stargate: Benjamin_Green - Chapter 163

Athena

The close proximity of both the Athena and the Hala ripped both vessels from hyperspace as the Asgard vessel rapidly decelerated. In a feat of deft maneuvering, Athena banked aggressively to the left in an attempt to avoid the impending collision. As she passed close abroad, their hulls incredibly near making contact with one another, Athena’s anti-fighter weapons batteries opened up. Having not yet brought their shields online, the Vanir were caught off guard by the energy weapons fire. Not designed to survive in a combat environment without shields, Hala’s hull was breached in multiple sections along her length.

Powering shields of their own, the Vanir quickly entered a right angled bank of their own. Seeking to engage their attacker head on, the Hala’s banking maneuver would bring her head to head, facing the Athena. In an act born of a will to survive instead of malice, Hala opened up with her both her ion cannons and plasma weaponry, in a vicious display of technology fueled destructive ability. Enhanced by the power derived from the Arcturus device within, Athena’s shields waivered not in the slightest. Bringing pause to the Athena’s bridge crew was the sight of their own plasma beams impacting their enemy’s shields, but failing to weaken the shields to even the smallest degree.

In the same instant, both ship commanders came to the same conclusion; the Grodin was the only weapon capable of felling their enemy. Locked in a dueling series of tightly angled turns, both vessels sought out the most advantageous position to unleash their most fearsome weapon, bringing an end to this prolific display of firepower. In this, Hala possessed the edge necessary. The pod containing her top mounted Grodin swiveled on its axis, and a green colored beam of unimaginable strength lashed out towards Athena. Her turn not yet complete, the beam struck Athena with all its force in the center of the top side of the vessel.

The impact was unlike anything either side would have thought possible. When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object only one outcome is possible, and that was chaos. This chaos took the form of unimaginably bright shafts of piercing green light, forming both a halo around Athena and scattering in all directions of the compass. For a brief moment, Hala’s viewing screens were filled with this impossibly bright green light, washing out all detail both big and small. Sparks showered the interior of the vessel, as systems attempted to compensate for the power anomalies resulting from the horrific assault.

Damaged, but far from crippled, Athena maneuvered for a shot of her own. Unimaginable amounts of power flowed into her Grodin. So much power was present that the weapons outer case began to shimmer. In one horrifying torrent of green energy, Athena lashed back at her attacker. Striking the Hala’s shields nearly head on, the powerful Asgard shields overloaded and failed entirely. In the span of three seconds this warship shifted from hunter to hunted. This one powerful shot was enough to destroy the inner workings of the Grodin and insure it would never fire again without a total rebuild. Seizing the initiative, Athena’s fighter bays began to spew forth F-302 after F-302.

Seven aimed volleys from the plasma beam weapons impacted all of Hala’s weapons batteries within reach. Veering off, Athena skimmed over the top surface of her enemy, all the while firing shot after shot from her anti-fighter weapons batteries. Behind her like a cloud of locusts, the F-302’s swarmed over the Hala. Their naquadah enhanced AMRAAM missiles ripping open small tears in their prey’s tough skin. When their supply of missiles was exhausted, the relentless 302 pilots strafed their target, opening up with their individual rail guns.

Dead in the water, Hala’s battle came to an end. For reasons the 302 pilots could not determine, the Asgard vessel did nothing to prevent their strafing runs. Low on ordinance to employ, and seeing no use in further attacks on a vessel gone silent, the 302’s veered away into a holding pattern. The Athena, with her power conduits severely damaged, her weapons mostly unusable, and hyperspace engines nearly burned out came to a dead stop. Before she returned to service, sizeable repairs would be needed.

“Sir, I’m showing no life signs aboard the Hala.” The sensor operator informed his commanding officer.

“Did decompression kill the crew?” Colonel Eckhart asked.

“No sir. One moment they were their and the next minute sensors detected the transport beaming system in use.” The sensor operator answered.

“We’re in the middle of the galactic void with nowhere to beam to safety. Just where did they go?” Eckhart demanded.

“We detected matter reintegration eighty miles to starboard.” The sensor operator replied.

“They beamed themselves into open space? I suppose death is more palatable to some people than a life where they have little freedom. Communications officer, send a subspace message to the SGC and inform them we are mission complete. You might also want to ask that they send a tow truck for us and our prize.” Eckhart remarked.