From the void of space, like a fiery streak of civilization, a new Quasar Fire-class ship burst forth, ready to unleash its wrath upon the enemy. Originally conceived as a transport behemoth, the product of a collaboration between Szarekh and Tollan, it had been transformed into a formidable aircraft carrier. It was a demonstration of Szarekh's indomitable genius, whose reputation was built on his ability to weaponize seemingly benign objects. Single-handedly, forced to operate covertly, he transformed the transport into a deadly machine.
The Quasar Fire is a triangular colossus, 340 meters long, with its main living, fighting, and engineering superstructure rising 15 meters. The bridge's third of the structure is home to 100-meter-long hangars, skillfully attached to the main frame. There are four of them, each 50 meters tall, rising 30 meters high and stretching 200 meters long. Each section is manufactured separately, then assembled onto the frame and encased in impenetrable armor. In space transport mode, the ship could carry colossal cargo, but as an aircraft carrier, it carried forty-eight fighters ready for combat. In its combat incarnation, the Quasar Fire possessed powerful shields and advanced defense modules capable of repelling fighters and even far more dangerous opponents.
It was precisely the Quasar Fire's exceptional transport capabilities that made it the ideal platform for Szarekh. Furthermore, it could be assembled in a single shipyard in just six months. It wasn't a complex Hattak; it was far more readily available, literally ten times cheaper. Ships of this class either attacked swiftly with air power or retreated swiftly. Szarekh sent many of these ships to the "greater galaxy," where, like silent predators, they bided their time for a swift strike.
This was especially true when the Goa'uld became more cautious and began to heavily guard their stargates. Despite alternative tactics, such as transporting a second gate directly to the battlefield, sometimes circumstances prevented their implementation. In such cases, it was necessary to crush not only the orbital defenses, but the gates themselves. Thanks to access to the entire gate network, crews could change, rest on their homeworld, and replenish supplies. They moved without an air group, obtaining everything they needed only in the desired sector of space. Their targets were hostile small-class ships, airfields, and defense systems of the enemy—the one Szarech had recruited.
And so, two squadrons of maneuverable gliders and one squadron of heavy fighters, reassembled from Teltaks, burst from the ship's hangars. At full combat speed, they breached the orbital defenses, which, as always, were focused on repelling large targets. The automated systems, having caught them in their net, accelerated the ships to a dizzying 1.6 million kilometers per hour. Slowing down, they plunged into the atmosphere, while combat alarms were already blaring across the planet.
"Fire all missile systems!" came the commander's order.
Missiles immediately broke free from the pylons, and the Teltak, like a fiery avalanche, began releasing their own missiles. These, in turn, self-guided, instantly adjusted for flight, using the latest intelligence data they were programmed to use. The enemy's alert squadrons managed to take off, but when the missiles rained down on the runways, none had a chance to take off.
The missiles also destroyed a significant portion of the defenses surrounding the gate, and a Teltaks landed nearby. The special forces team, immediately disabling the shield mounted on the gate, began dialing Urvashi. A modulated signal was sent through the comm system, reporting the mission's success, along with the codes for accessing the helmet systems. Just a minute later, Urvashi herself established contact with the planet, and dozens of thread-spinners began flying out of the gate like giant spiders. Then the Jaffa-armed IFVs appeared, and the special forces team, having completed their task, retreated to carry out other critical missions—blowing up bridges and roads. Only ten minutes had passed since the Quasar Fire had exited hyperspace. The gate had been captured, and a full-scale offensive had begun. Another order completed.