The world changed forever in 2004. When a giant fleet of alien vessels appeared out of nowhere and started attacking cities and military targets around the world, the cat was well and truly let out of the bag.

Never mind that Anubis' fleet was destroyed, the world suddenly wanted to know what had happened and why. The Air Force had no choice but to reveal the Stargate Program to the world. Some nations threw a royal fit at the news. Others, persuaded by the U.S. and Russia, agreed to form an oversight committee to make sure that such costly mistakes never happened again. The fact that they also got access to juicy alien technology and new scientific knowledge of all sorts probably had something to do with it as well.

Thus 16 nations became a part of the Stargate Program, and even more joined when a way was discovered to the fabled city of Atlantis. Germany, Russia, China, Mexico, Australia, South Africa, and others joined the Americans in exploring the cosmos, protecting Earth, and gaining knowledge and technology.

Beyond Earth, other things were changing as well. A rogue Tollan scientist was fiddling with an Ancient device and wound up unleashing a wave of energy on the galaxy. Rather than killing anyone, the wave seemed to have no effect. Only later would it be revealed to begin a reverse-aging process in anyone eighteen years of age or older, or their species' equivalent. They would age backwards until they were once again eighteen physically, then age normally. The wave did not stop at the Milky Way's edge, but kept going.

The Goa'uld kept up their history of fighting, except that Ba'al had discovered Anubis' old Kull Warrior production facility and overnight became the most powerful Goa'uld in the galaxy. The Tok'ra queen Egeria wound up surviving due to the mysterious Ancient device, and gave hope to the Tok'ra as a whole. The Tok'ra, Free Jaffa, Earth, and other allies around the galaxy were working towards an endgame, the demise of the Goa'uld and the end of the Kull Warriors forever.

Josh stopped the recording, and looked over at the other six members of the SGC's newest recruitment efforts. From three separate nations, the recruits were considered among the best and brightest in the world. Not all of them were even military, what mattered was more the flexible mindset and adaptability than previous training.

"You know, I don't think that O'Neill likes me very much," stated one of the others, Seth. He was an example of non-military, recruited because he had actually managed to hack into the SGC's mainframe before Anubis had attacked Earth. He had even helped get the American public to back the continued program by hacking into various news stations and gifting them with info he had gleaned from his previous hack. He was not athletic, but neither was he an example of a stereotypical hacker. He was decently in shape, and didn't even need glasses anymore, at least not with the whole reverse-aging thing going on. Josh nodded at him.

"You know, I don't think O'Neill likes much of anybody," he replied. An inch over Seth's 6'1" tall, he was almost unhealthily thin. "But, Jacob says he's alright, and not to get too 'butthurt' about anything he says." Josh had a great reason for knowing Jacob, but was not supposed to tell them why. That would come after they were all accepted into the program.

The others nodded, except for one. Hulking, muscle-bound, and silent, he was the most militarily experienced of the new recruits. Even after three weeks of training, the other recruits simply knew him as "Manny." He had been a demolitions expert and close quarters combatant within the South African military. Other than having supposedly more Black Ops experience even than the good General, not much more was known about him. He certainly wasn't talking. He just kept reading another SGC mission report.

Josh picked up his own copy of one. O'Neill had ordered them each to read a mountain of them. Some had balked at the idea, but Josh found it fascinating. It was his favorite part of training. There was a whole galaxy of unbelievably cool stuff out there, and he wanted very much to be a part of the teams exploring it.

The door swung open, and O'Neill walked in, a little pale-faced but also a little angry. The recruits all stood up and at attention. The General's gaze swung across all of them, but settled on Satterfield. She swallowed nervously.

"I'll give you credit, Lieutenant. It takes a spine to pull what you did."

"Thank you, sir." Satterfield answered. If at all possible she pulled herself to even greater stiffness. She had a reason to be nervous; during the last training exercise, which had been concealed to look like an attempt by the Trust to infiltrate the SGC, she had shot the General. With an Entar, admittedly, but she had still shot him. Nailed him in the head, too. He had to be sent to the Infirmary afterward for monitoring. Still, at the time he had seemed to be brainwashed.

The woman was actually middle-aged, and an experienced member of the Air Force. She was formerly an enlisted person, and had decided to become an officer and then the energy wave had come and made sure her career would last a lot longer. Her brunette hair was just barely salted with grey, and even over the last three weeks that grey had diminished noticeably. Right now her eyes were locked straight ahead.

"Relax, you made the right call. Good aim, too." He looked at everyone else. "You all have, by some miracle, managed to pass the standards of the SGC's recruitment policy. You will be assigned to SG teams as positions become open. For now, keep reading mission reports. Dismissed." Each of the newbies saluted the General. He turned and left.