Task Force Ida History

[The Jay]

TASK FORCE IDA HISTORY:
Previously, on Legacy of the Asgard...

Task Force Ida was first launched in June 2006 (SGD: Concero Adveho) and consisted of a single Prometheus-class cruiser, the USS Icarus, staffed by members of the Delian Expedition. With the Asgard still recovering for their war with the Replicators, TF-Ida was tasked with patrolling the far reaches of Asgard space, repaying their allies for their assistance in the past. While on deployment, the Icarus encountered what appeared to be a time-space wormhole, from which emerged a strange alien vessel. Designated as an enemy craft by their Asgard computer core, the ship was engaged and destroyed, with the wormhole collapsing shortly after. A month later the task force ended their tour and returned to the Delian galaxy (SGD: Once Forth They Come), with the vessel's commander removing the incident from his mission log, a decision that to this day has not been explained.

In November 2006, the crew of TF-Ida II undertook a shakedown cruise aboard the Icarus, which had been upgraded with additional Asgard technology as thanks for it's service 4 months prior (SGD: Past Problems). They discover a damaged Jaffa shuttle drifting dead in space, it's only occupant a young human girl. The away team was attacked by an invisible enemy, from which they were to escape, only to learn that the reactor of the Icarus had been sabotaged. While suspicion was initially placed on members of the crew, a corrupt Area 51 tech was revealed to be the culprit.

A month later in December, TF-Ida II was on a routine patrol in Asgard territory when they were pulled from hyperspace and engaged by a hostile fleet (SGD: Know Thy Neighbour). The captain of the Icarus unsealed the classified files for the ship's first tour of duty and was able to identify the enemy as belonging to a species know as the 'Nidhogg', before fainting. Major Bailey quickly assumed command and ordered a scan to be carried out on the vessel, which showed they contained numerous advanced alien technologies. Intent on learning more and yet to be fired away, fighters were launched and an away team was prepped, and transported to the enemy fleet by Puddle Jumper. Once onboard the team came face-to-face with their soon-to-be enemy, who all but ignored them. The team would later learn that these were mind, lacking a Queen to guide them. Interestingly, the drones showed interest in Captain Andre. Undetected, the Queen returned to her ship, and upon learning of her 'guests' ordered their capture. The fleet fired on the Icarus, forcing it to flee. Idun, the ship's Asgard engineer, explained the history of the Nidhogg threat as they jumped to Orilla to gather reinforcements to mount a rescue mission.

For a month the captured members of TF Ida were held by the Nidhogg while a rescue mission was organized (SGD: Exodus). It wasn't until January 2007 that French admiral de Sarraut, the incoming task force commander, and Idun were able to meet with the Asgard High Council. After some debate, seven Asgard cruisers were deployed alongside the Icarus to retrieve their lost compatriots. Meanwhile, the imprisoned personnel ensured telepathic interrogation at the hands of their new enemy before escaping their containment sphere. Now armed, the team made their way to the transmitter room, with hopes of destroying the device that was blocking their radios and transporter beacons.

Just as they were about to destroy the Nidhogg transmitter, the team was attacked, only narrowly escaping (SGD: Genesis). With the jamming now disabled, they crew was beamed to safety onboard the Icarus, which had just arrived with her Asgard escorts. The resuce forces were engaged by the Nidhogg fleet, with the Asgard fleeing after suffering heavy losses, leaving the Icarus to fend for itself. The USS Aeneid, a newly constructed Daedalus-class battlecruiser was redirected to assist with the battle. Together the two battlecruisers were able to destroy a Nighodd vessel with a modified nuclear warhead, opening a window for their escape.

The task force faced one of their darkest days in February 2007, while playing host to the promotion ceremony for Chief Master Sergeant Biggio in orbit above Earth (SGD: Protocol and Deceit). Ares, an Olympian 'god' and enemy of the Delian Expedition, launched a surprise attack on the vessel and destroyed it. While the loss of the ship was a huge blow to the expedition, thankfully no lives were lost.

While their ship was destroyed, TF Ida still had work to do, and were transferred to the newly completed USS Odyssey under the command of Colonel Cameron Mitchel in April 2007 (SGD: The French Connection). It had come to light that their former commander Admiral de Sarraut had been operating a rouge French base on an asteroid in Asgard space, and the Odyssey was send to investigate. Upon locating the asteroid, F-302s were launched to take out it's shields and defences, but the plan backfired when a mole onboard hacked their computer network, leaving the battlecruiser without shields or hyperdrive.

A powerful beam weapon fired on the Odyssey, severely damaging it. Beaming systems were shut down to stop the traitor escaping, and an away team assembled to knock out the weapon (SGD: Succession). Radio chattered suggests the French may no longer be in control of the facility, a suspicion soon confirmed by the away team, who find that strange aliens have seized the base. On board the cruiser, Abi Ely is able to pinpoint the traitors location, and capture him with the help of a security team. The away team soon plant their explosives and free the French prisoners, before being beamed back to the Odyssey, where they trigger the explosives and destroy the base. The battlecruiser jumped into hyperspace, only to be dragged out into an ambush by a Nidhogg vessel. The F-302s were scrambled and able to engage the vessel to open an escape route, but not before Captain Jason "Wolf" was killed. A fighter squadron on the Iliad would later be named in his honour.

Come June 2007 the task force found themselves on board the Aeneid and en route to an Asgard laboratory on Utarro, planning to lure the Nidhogg into a time dialation field to bring a swift end to the war (SGD: Olympomachy). Four enemy ships are lured in before disaster strikes, with the lab's weapons firing on not only the Nidhogg ships but also the Aeneid. All crew abandon ship to the surface, and the severely damaged ship is programmed to jump away to safety on autopilot. Trapped on the lab, the crew is able to take out most of the enemy ships before it's circuits blow. Squadron Leader Syria and Captain Cromin attempt a spacewalk to repair the weapon, but to no avail. Warriors from the remaining ships soon beam down, capturing the entire crew, but not before a distress signalled can be sent out.

For five months the captured members were held by the Nidhogg, subjected to torture and pointless manual labour. During this time the Asgard's genetic degradation problem reaches an irreparable point. The race installs a core of their technology and knowledge into the Odyssey and then commits mass suicide, bringing their civilization to an end (SG1: Unending). Finally in November 2007 intelligence revealing the locations of the surviving members of TF Ida was uncovered by the Delain Expedition, who under the command of then-Colonel Loveridge, launched a series of operations to rescue the team by deploying the majority of his expedition to the Ida Galaxy. While off-world teams SD-1 through SD-4 assisted the local population on Mallala and shut down an Ori weapons factory, SD-5 tracked down the vessel holding TF Ida and moved in to liberate them (SGD: Legacy of the Asgard).

In the preceding months the members of TF Ida had been subject to a lengthy period of torture and slave labour, during which Captain Andre was taken and brainwashed to serve as the successor to the dying Queen. Escaping as he was being returned from a torture session, Chief Hansford was able to break away from his captors and free the rest of the crew from their containment sphere. Soon reunited with SD-5, both teams made their way toward the shuttle bay to escape only to be intercepted by the brainwashed Des, who attacked them. Only through the invention of the Ori – who drop out from hyperspace and attack the Nidhogg ship – is the crew able to overpower and subdue Des. Making their way back to the awaiting Puddle Jumper, SD-5 and TF Ida are able to slip away in the resulting chaos of the Nidhogg-Ori battle.

Shortly after, Task Force Ida was officially stepped down, it’s remaining personnel transferring to the SGC or other off-world expeditions. With the Asgard gone and the missing crew members saved, Earth pulled out of the Ida galaxy. A rouge tribe of Asgard, who fleed long ago to the Pegasus galaxy, was encountered by Daniel Jack and the Atlantis expedition in 2008 (SGA: The Lost Tribe), who have yet to be seen since revealing themselves and fleeing their base of operations.