Author's Note

This work was designed as a sequel to the first five books of the John Carter of Mars series which is in the public domain and is a merging of the John Carter of Mars story line with the Stargate SG-1 story line (See the disclaimer below). If you are not familiar with either of these works the author strongly recommends that you view and read them first before reading this story. This story is still under construction and will be updated as new content is completed. The span of the story line will be at least as far as Stargate SG-1 season 3 and will most likely finish up to season 10.

Disclaimer: The author claims no ownership of the characters and events encompassed in Stargate SG-1. No copyright infringement is intended and this work is not for monetary gain. The author also declines responsibility for the actions and words of the characters in this work.

Prologue

- At the Arizona cave, Earth, 1876

It was dark as John Carter opened his eyes. As he became more aware of himself, he realized that he was again wearing clothes as he had worn them before his arrival on Barsoom and when he sat up, they cracked and turned to powder. He took stock of his surroundings and the mouth of a cave beckoned his gaze. The sight that greeted him as he stepped out upon the small ledge that ran at the front of the cave entrance filled him with dismay.

A new heaven and a new landscape spread before him. The silvered mountains in the distance, the almost stationary moon hanging in the sky, and the cacti-studded valley below him were not of Mars. He could hardly believe his eyes, but the truth slowly sank in – he was looking at Arizona from the same ledge that he had gazed at Barsoom in the night sky, ten years before.

With sorrow and anger he cried out the first thought that entered his mind, "Why?!"

"Because while you have served your purpose in balancing the Martian society and preserving their lives, you were not sent to marry or sire a child in the process, Exule!" The voice had originated from behind him and when he turned he saw a bearded man, dressed in white and cream robes, that seemed to glow in the semi-darkness of the starlit night.

"Who are you?", John Carter asked.

"I am the one punished with being your guardian – or more accurately, your prison guard – at least until you are forced to learn some common sense, which doesn't look to be any time soon." After this statement, the stranger appeared to turn hazy, and then he seemed to melt into nothing but a shining mass of something resembling an amorphous jellyfish with wispy tentacles lazily streaming in all directions, which blinked out of existence a moment later.

Alone once more, he rushed back to the cave and searched it thoroughly, desperate to find a way back to his beloved Dejah Thoris. His search revealed the mummified remains of a little old woman with long black hair, and the thing it leaned over was a small charcoal burner with a round copper bowl filled with a small quantity of greenish powder. At the sight of this, the wisp of vapor he saw before his journey to Barsoom came to mind. He must have been drugged by the old woman.

Behind her, hanging from the ceiling by rawhide thongs and stretching entirely across the cave, was a row of human skeletons. From the rawhide strip that held the skeletons aloft, another strip ran to the dead hand of the old woman. He touched the cord and the skeletons rattled, sounding like the rustle of dry leaves.

None of these discoveries, however, would serve him in returning to Barsoom. In his desperation, he called out to the emptiness yet again; "How do I return to Barsoom?"

He heard a quiet chuckle and then a near imperceptible whisper in his ear; "I'll give you a hint to repay a debt you will never remember; you are the key to your own return."

The hint that his 'prison guard' gave him, led him to wonder for years how he could be the key to his return. Often, he would visit that Arizona cave and scour every crack and crevice of it.

On one such trip in 1884 Jasoomian time, he was again in the cave. He would not lose hope. The walls of the main chamber were rough and uncut; the rear wall, however, was made of seemingly impenetrable, smooth, dark gray, stone. He was convinced that this rear wall was the answer, but it was completely devoid of any mark or change in the smooth surface.

Nothing he attempted could penetrate it, not even dynamite. Today however, he had another idea to try. He had not been deprived of his telepathic abilities and his idea was to hurl a thought of command at it for it to open as he had done to the atmosphere plant.

He hurled the thought at the wall and, to his astonishment, an archway in the stone faded away to reveal a room beyond.

As he stepped forward to investigate the room, he took note of a pillar to the right with semi-clear white crystal plates arranged on it, and to the left sat a multilevel platform made of aquamarine crystal and gray metal. An ornate, though not light weight, chair was at the summit of the platform. Directly ahead, a fifteen foot obelisk stood. Six feet from it's base, a fist sized, many faceted, aquamarine gem was set in it's face. Every surface was covered with a thick film of dust and the room smelled of centuries old mustiness.

The architecture was unlike anything he had yet seen on Barsoom or Jasoom, though, it did bear some resemblance to one or two Jasoomian churches. The tall ribbed columns, the climbing arches interrupted with sharp angles, and the elegance of the craftsmanship all pointed to this, but the style was simply too angular to have been made by the same artist. What convinced him that this place was not built by any Jasoomian, was that there wasn't a single seam in the structure. Every part of it had been cut straight out of the same material as the wall, the same wall that he had not so much as been able to scratch the surface of.

John Carter spent a year studying the contents of that room. When he first touched the small pillar, the crystals on it came to life in such a way that it made him start. They lit up with a bright glow and the whole pillar hummed quietly. The crystals had writing on them. It was not a language he could decipher, though, not unfamiliar. He had seen it once before in the atmosphere plant on Barsoom. The writing was indeed peculiar, it was a very square shaped script with sharp angles and square dots, often looking like braille, though, braille did not include straight lines.

He found that if he touched a specific crystal, an orange display would appear out of thin air in front of the pillar. It would show much of the strange text as well as what appeared to be the solar system. Where as the rest of the display was orange, the planet that he identified as Barsoom was a light blue. He tried hurling a thought at the strange device to command it to send him back to his beloved Barsoom, but to no avail.

His inspection of the chair proved completely fruitless. When he touched it, there was absolutely no response.

That left the obelisk. It stood near the back of the oval room, with an almost foreboding appearance. Upon his approach to it the gem planted on the obelisk's surface lit up and glowed as the pillar's crystal plates had.

Entranced in his curiosity of the strange monolith, John Carter stepped closer, but stopped as a single thought entered his mind. "What of Edgar and my estate?" If this was indeed his means of returning to Barsoom and his incomparable Dejah Thoris, he could not simply leave.

The old mine, which he found untouched, had made him fabulously wealthy and if he disappeared, his fortune would likely be taken by the courts as he had not written a will and had no direct descendant or spouse on Jasoom. This, he would have to see to before leaving for his beloved Barsoom.

He returned to his house on the Hudson river in New York, set about writing his will, and saw to it that his vast fortune would be given to his adoptive nephew, Edgar. There was much planning to do and among the myriad of details to work out was how he would stage his 'death'. Eventually, he settled on using a poison to simulate death. This poison that he had chosen, an extract from the plant Atropa Belladonna, would make him appear as though he had died of heart failure.

Another important detail was how he would make his way to the device in the Arizona cave once he woke in his tomb. After much deliberation on the subject, he finally came to the decision that he would move the table and the obelisk to his tomb in Virginia. A shipping company would be required as the obelisk and the pillar were both large and heavy. He elected to have a secret chamber excavated below his tomb to place the obelisk and the table in. For nearly ten months, he worked on all of these details studiously, including writing his manuscript of his travels to Barsoom to be given to his nephew.

After he faked his death by heart failure, his adoptive nephew placed the body of John Carter in his Virginian tomb and saw to his estate. Two days later, John Carter was again breathing the thin air of a dying world; the world that he loved more than life.

1

The Search

- Forty years later, in the domain of Helium, Mars, 1926 Earth time

John Carter was intrigued. No, perhaps more than intrigued, for he had just found the same type of writing, yet again, that he had seen so many years ago in that Arizona cave. Over the last forty and more years, he had found it in only four other places on Mars. Each time – except one – the meaning of the writing had been very important to the survival of every single Martian.

The first time he had seen it on Mars had been in the atmosphere plant, – 1876 Earth time – and even though he did not understand it then, the caretaker seemed to hold the writing in high regard.

The second time had been 1884 when he found the transportation device on Earth. That day had indeed been a bright day for him; it marked the start of his return to his beloved Mars.

After his return to Mars in 1886 Earth time, he had gone in search of the caretaker's records. Surprisingly, Carter had been successful in finding them in the atmosphere plant. He spent a great deal of time studying the records and eventually was able to glean a decent grasp of the language.

During his quest to free the incomparable Dejah Thoris from the Temple of the Sun, he saw the writing for the third time. Now, however, he had a name for it; Alteran. The writing had been inscribed on a glowing device – square in shape and gray in color – which was mounted to a large table like platform. The inscriptions on it described it as giving health and long life to all Martians. He did not understand exactly what that meant at the time, and it hardly mattered, his focus was on rescuing his beloved Dejah Thoris.

The fourth time he found the writing however, he knew more about just who these 'Alterans' were. According to various ancient records and legends, these Alterans were not of Mars, and had come to Mars to save the Martians from extinction in ancient times. The legends told that the Alterans placed three devices on Mars, one being the atmosphere plant, the second a device to extend the life span of all Martians, and the third, well, he wasn't completely sure, but the inscriptions referred to some sort of 'illusion' and a protective barrier. Strangely enough, the transportation device was not mentioned in the old legends and records.

It was during his foray into the land of Okar, the land of the yellow men, that he found the fourth Alteran device. It resembled a ribbed pillar, excepting that it broadened at the top with a bulbous set of orange semi-globes. As soon as he touched this device, it lit up and shot an orange beam into the sky, completely baffling him as to it's purpose.

Today, the inscriptions were not accompanied with a device and they referred to something called an 'Astria Porta' that seemed to be linked to travel between worlds, but the occasional drawing would look nothing like the transportation device he had discovered forty years ago.

"Grandfather! I found more of the Alteran inscriptions! Come look." Thuvasis, the son of Carthoris and Thuvia of Ptarth, called to him from across the room. They were in the ruins of an ancient city, long abandoned, on the edge of one of the many dead seas. There had been descriptions of a place called 'Midgard' where the Alterans settled. To John Carter, Midgard sounded eerily similar to Earth.

John Carter walked over to read the inscription that Thuvasis found. "It says that the Astria Porta was placed in Midgard as the doorway to many homes or places."

"Let us travel to Jasoom and search for the 'Astria Porta' there, you yourself have said that this 'Midgard' sounds like Jasoom."

"You know my thoughts on that, Thuvasis, I will not abandon my family to return to Jasoom again."

"But everything points to Jasoom!"

Indeed, everything did seem to point to Earth, but John Carter was not prepared to accept that. He had found so much on Mars and he believed he would find more. Aside from his family, the study of the Alterans and later the search for the Astria Porta had been his sole focus for nearly thirty years.

John Carter replied stubbornly, "We will not go."

"Are you not the very same John Carter that united the hordes of the green men against Zodanga? Are you not the very same man who returned from the deadly Valley Dor rescuing Thuvia of Ptarth, my mother, from the slavery of the infamous Therns? Where has my grandfather, the great John Carter, gone and who is this that has been left in his place that would turn away from so great an adventure? If you will not go, I will!" Thuvasis angrily shouted.

Immediately, the Warlord of Barsoom rose from his crouched position, grabbed Thuvasis by his chest harness, and threw him against the wall with his sword point poised on his grandson's throat. Enraged, he hissed through his teeth, "You do not know what you say! Were you not my grandson, you would not see another day for your words. You know nothing of traveling between worlds and nothing of Jasoom!"

As he spoke, John Carter slowly increased the pressure of his sword against Thuvasis' throat. Thuvasis' eyes widened in alarm and he flinched as the sword point broke his skin, though his anger still boiled within him. When his grandfather finished speaking, a drop of Thuvasis' blood ran down his neck.

Upon seeing the red streak, it was John Carter's turn to widen his eyes in alarm as he realized how close he had come to actually harming his errant grandson. He hastily withdrew his sword and stepped back, releasing Thuvasis. "Return to Helium and await me there, I will not tolerate such disrespect."

His anger still clear on his face, though now mixed with the shame of his insolence, Thuvasis turned and climbed to the rooftop that held their fliers. John heard the low hum of Thuvasis' flier moments later.

John Carter was stricken by Thuvasis' words, when indeed had he turned away from a great adventure? He spent the remainder of the day searching the ruins, but his labor was not fruitful. His mind would constantly return to his grandson and ponder the source of their conflict.

Could the Astria Porta truly be on Earth? His sleep that night, in the ruins of the ancient city, was troubled by this question. The ten years he spent stranded on Earth left deep scars and he was not willing to risk being separated from his family yet again. All night he struggled with his desire to find the Astria Porta and what he realized was his fear of losing his family.

When the sun rose and the land was suddenly flooded with light as all Martian mornings start, John Carter rose from his sleeping silks and furs having hardly slept. He mounted his one man flier and set a course for Helium. There was nothing more for him to find in the dead city.

The journey was quiet and short thanks to the marvelous craft that is the Martian flier.

As he approached Helium, the two great towers that were unique to it gleamed in the sunshine of Mars, one red and the other yellow. The banner fluttering down the length of his craft, emblazoned with the insignia of the prince of Helium, identified him as the returning ruler that he was. Before he had settled his flier down on his palace landing platform, there was a greeting party awaiting him.

Among the officers and servants of his house (Who immediately set about making fast his craft.), was his wife, Dejah Thoris. There was a worried frown on her graceful face as John Carter stepped forward with the traditional Martian greeting and a smile on his face, "Kaor, my princess."

He placed his left hand on her right shoulder, as tradition dictated, and then, noticing the frown on her face and the tension in her stance he asked, "What is troubling you?"

"Our grandson is residing in his father's house here in Helium as you commanded." Her expression turned questioning as she finished speaking, "He has not offered an explanation."

At hearing this, all the joy of reuniting with his wife faded to the back of his mind as he was reminded why he had returned to Helium from his searches through the ancient ruins. Thuvasis would have to be punished. "Let's discuss this inside."

During the short walk to John Carter's private study, Dejah looked at her obviously distraught husband questioningly as she tried to fathom what would cause such a schism between him and their grandson.

They had always been close, sharing many interests and traits, among which was her husband's thirst for adventure. Thuvasis had been working on the Alteran research with John for the majority of his young life, fascinated with it and his grandfather's stories of Jasoom from an early age.

As they entered the study, Dejah all but ignored the high arches, the ornate carvings, and the fine furniture that graced it. It was the same throughout their palace, as was the custom for Martian royalty.

The Warlord of Barsoom wearily sank into one of the beautifully crafted chairs. "Thuvasis has disrespected me and accused me of cowardice. He must be punished, but I can't bring myself to punish him as tradition would demand."

Dejah Thoris was astonished and horrified that Thuvasis would do such a thing, to challenge one's superior in such a way was a challenge to a fight to the death on Barsoom. "What were the circumstances of this?!"

John Carter sighed, his brows knit together, and said, "He believes that we must go to Jasoom to find the Astria Porta, we quarreled, and he proclaimed that he would go alone if I did not go. I will not risk being permanently separated from you and our children again."

"He did not do this publicly did he?", Dejah asked, concern for both John and Thuvasis clear in her voice and written across her face. If no one was present at the time, her husband's hand would not be forced.

"No he did not, but I cannot allow him to go unpunished for this." The thought that his grandson had been so foolish both saddened and angered him, but this had been some time coming. Thuvasis had grown more and more impatient to find the mysterious Alteran device over the past few years. The desire for adventure was as strong in him as it was in John Carter himself, the difference between the two being that Carter was far older and more experienced. Not punishing Thuvasis for this would be opening the door for him to do something like this yet again, and possibly in public. He would be forced to do battle with his grandson if that happened.

Dejah understood what her husband meant, but Thuvasis could not be publicly punished either because that would reveal the reason for his punishment. "Then forbid him to study the Alterans any further or entertain the idea of traveling to Jasoom."

"Very well.", with a sigh John Carter agreed, but he knew that this would not guarantee that his grandson would not attempt to leave for Earth. He would have a guard placed around the transportation device to prevent Thuvasis from leaving.

He had long ago moved the corresponding transportation device that was on Mars – After he found it – to his palace in Helium. As he called a pair of guards to follow him, he walked to the special chamber that he reserved for the device, and upon arriving he leaped forward with a shouted "Thuvasis!"

There Thuvasis stood, with his hand poised, nearly touching the aquamarine gem on the face of the obelisk. Thuvasis' eyes, the same color as his father's and grandfather's, were as hard as the metal that shared the color, "I said I would go, grandfather, and I will. This is something I must pursue.", and with that Thuvasis vanished as his hand touched the gem.

His grandson had planned well. If John Carter had not chosen to place a guard on the room, he would never have known whether Thuvasis left for Earth or simply left Helium. Except there was one thing he did not know or take into consideration. To leave one planet and travel to another, you had to touch the device and will the device to take you to a specific place on the other world. If you didn't choose a location, there were any number of random places you could be dropped. This was a hard earned lesson that John Carter had not imparted to his grandson and was also the reason for his near despair upon seeing Thuvasis vanish.

How would he find his grandson out of the sea of people on Earth? The task that now lay before him could take years, years that would be spent away from his wife and family, but he would not and could not leave Thuvasis on Earth without knowing his fate. John Carter would return to Earth.