A/N: This is my first fanfic, reviews of any kind are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Disclaimer: Stargate SG1, characters, settings etc. are property of their owners. No copyright infringement is intended. Original characters and plots are property of the author. No profit is being made from the fiction.
Chapter 1 - Introduction
The secretary was having a hard time suppressing her laugh while maintaining her focus on the work that had to get done. It never cease to amaze her that in the year since she started this job that as often as he came here, that he never once seamed comfortable or relaxed. Sure, she had come to expect that a lot, if not most, of the people who's name were in the appointment book in front of her were nervous and /or anxious, the behaviors she typically noticed were sitting on the edge of the seat, eyes quickly and constantly moving about the room, and just generally being jumpy and on edge, but with him it was different.
When he came in he simply nodded at her and then took a seat in the corner pulling himself all the way back in the chair, almost like he was trying to avoid being noticed by anyone else. Then like clockwork, within fifteen seconds he would start pulling at his collar and tie and then after another minute move on to subtle pulls at the sleeves of his jacket and shirt. Perhaps the one thing that puzzled her most about his behavior was that, not only was he in the military, but he was a two-star General!
She just couldn't help but wonder how someone who worked their way through the Air Force, held a job at the Pentagon, and came by her desk to go into the next office at least once a week could appear so uncomfortable in Class A Dress Blues and yet be so calm, almost bored, in these surroundings that still made her on edge at times. Unable to come up with any reason, she decided it was time to turn her attention back to the task at hand, when out of the corner of her eye she saw him adjust his tie, again, and a little giggle slipped past her lips. Expecting him to ignore that like he seemed to ignore almost everything else, she was surprised to see him look up with a strange, yet quite peaceful look on his face. Before she could think about it further, the intercom on her phone buzzed and a voice said, "You can send him in now."
Standing up, she said, "General O'Neill, the President will see you now."
Suddenly remembering where he was, Jack stood up and managed to say, "uh, Thanks!" as he started walking towards the Oval Office. Those few steps gave him the chance to remember why he was here in the first place, this was the weekly briefing he gave the President on all matters relating to Homeworld Security, namely the Stargate program.
Jack opened the door to the Oval Office to see the President coming around from the back of his desk.
"Good afternoon Mr. President," Jack said as he shut the door behind him.
"Hello Jack, what's new this week?" he responded.
"It's actually been a rather slow week Sir, it shouldn't take me that long …" As the President turned to sit down there was a flash of white light and Jack was gone.
"… to bring you up to date," Jack finished from the bridge of an Asgard ship.
"Greetings O'Neill!" a familiar voice said.
"Thor, buddy! Doesn't appear you've lost your sense of timing. So what's going on this time?"
" I have come on a matter of great importance, The Asgard High Council wishes to meet with you."
"Well I have to say that I'm a little surprised to hear that. It's great to see you and everything but it's been so long since we have heard from you that …"
"I apologize for interrupting O'Neill, but time is limited and it is imperative that we depart for Orilla as soon as possible."
"Orilla? Wait, the Asgard home world? What's going on here Thor?"
"I'm sorry, but there is no time to explain. You, SG-1, General Landry and the Odyssey need to return with me. All will be explained upon your arrival."
To say that they were shocked was an understatement, none of them had a clue what they expected to hear when they met with the High Council, but what they had just heard left them all utterly speechless.
~A few minutes before~
"As we speak there are several Asgard beaming aboard your ship to install some upgrades," Thor announced.
"What exactly is it that you are giving us?" Daniel asked.
"Everything we have and know. All our most current technology, all our knowledge," he simply replied.
"You have always been so resistant in the past, saying that we weren't ready, what's changed?" Carter asked.
"While there are still many Asgard that believe that, the simple fact is that our latest attempt to solve our physiological degeneration left all Asgard with a rapidly progressing disease. As a race we are dying, very soon we will all be gone."
When Thor finished that last statement, no one was able to manage any kind of response; they all just stood there trying to process what had just been said. It took them all a little while to get over the shock of what they had just heard. While they all merely continued to just stand there, the Asgard went over their plans and their motivations behind them. When it came down to it, the Asgard were going to destroy themselves before the disease advanced too far to keep their knowledge and technology from falling into the wrong hands. Their ultimate legacy was passing it on to the humans from Earth, the fifth race of an alliance, an alliance formed long ago over many millennia by four great races in the galaxy: the Asgard, the Nox, the Furlings, and the Ancients.