Chapter 184 (1/2)
Goronak, Jaffa encampment
True to his word, Rel'dar had gathered his ground force commanders in his command tent, along with the once captive but now revered Sgt. Linder. Sitting in a semicircle in the center of the tent, the men were overwhelmed with a sense of jubilation and a further sense of belonging. After what felt like years of struggle and searching for a future filled with hope, the Traditionalist Jaffa felt that their task was finally accomplished. Here they sat, awaiting the gift that gave proof to the cementing of an alliance with a powerful race; a race that would lead them into the embrace of ascension.
Concern was still in their hearts. Though a new tomorrow had been found, it had come at an enormous price. That price was the fracturing of the Traditionalist alliance with the Illac Renin. Never had Rel'dar and his followers ever thought possible that Da'vir and his followers would take up arms against Traditionalist forces. Knowing that ascension awaited them at the end of their path, the Traditionalist forces had met hostile force with hostile force of their own against their wayward brothers, in a display of fatalistic and grim determination.
When word arrived for the gathering to standby for the unknown gifts arrival, the level of excitement in the tent reached a crescendo. For five minutes the gathering of men waited with baited breath. Few of the men had ever stopped to consider just how long five minutes could truly be when waiting for something of such importance. Many things could happen in such a short amount of time, and unknown to the men, much was.
In the center of the tent a silver tinted aura of light formed suddenly. As the light expanded, the translucent image of a man sized device took form. With the aura fading, the spectral image took solid form, leaving the device for all to see. Ten seconds later, the device began powering up. From top to bottom, the device shimmered with violet currents of light. Unseen to the Jaffa, the sensor augmenters hidden within the base of the device also powered on. Due to his proximity to the device, Linder's presence and precise geospatial location were noted and quickly passed along to the Videum.
As power levels in the device reached a certain threshold, the ethereal flame of shimmering violet light began to engulf the interior of the text. Rel'dar and his ground commanders sat transfixed on the beauty unfolding before them. So engrossed where they, that not one of them noticed the return of the silver aura of light and sudden disappearance of their one time captive; Sgt. Linder. The light around them was beautiful, and unlike anything the Jaffa had ever encountered before. It made them feel content, and oblivious to the outside world around them.
While the activation of the device had enabled the rescue of Linder, it had a secondary purpose. After detecting the successful beaming away of Linder, the device activated a discreet low power beacon. This beacon was meant for not the Videum or the fleet in orbit. Instead this beacon was meant for the lone cloaked FB-302 orbiting eighteen thousand feet above, in an elliptical flight path.
Launched forty minutes before, this 302 carried a weapon far different than many used against the Jaffa. Hanging from the underbelly of the aircraft GBU-43 Massive Ordinance Air Blast guided bomb or MOAB for short. Weighing in at twenty two thousand six hundred pounds, and sitting at thirty feet one inch in length, MOAB represented the largest freefall weapon ever deployed by the United States Air Force. Eighteen thousand seven hundred pounds of the MOAB's total weight was composed of an explosive known as H6, one of the most energetic explosives used by the US military packing one and a half times the explosive power of TNT.
Following his mission brief, on receipt of the beacon below, the 302 pilot finalized pre-drop procedures begun when first arriving on station. Using the beacon as the aim point, the pilot locked the target into the MOAB's onboard guidance unit. With that done, very little could stop this titan of a weapon from reaching the target it was destined to meet. Mission orders given during his preflight briefing made it very clear that upon receipt of the beacon's signal, the weapon was to be launched. Already armed, the pilot toggled the release and the weapon fell free from the craft carrying it.
”Scalpel zero one, this is Chainsaw five five.” The 302 pilot stated over the radio net.
”Chainsaw, this is Scalpel. Go.” The AWACS controller in the command and control jumper replied.
”The crowd pleaser is away. I say again, the crowd pleaser is away.” Chainsaw five five stated.
”Roger. You are cleared to RTB.” Scalpel zero one replied, clearing the 302 for a return to the ship that had brought her and her pilot to this world.