Disclaimer:
I don't own Stargate, I'm not making any money, just enjoyable reading (hopefully).
Seven months after finding their temporary home the stranded expedition members have entered a war with their adversaries, the Collective. Now they are in a desperate struggle to keep the Collective from destroying them and every being in the galaxy.
Jackie O'Neill watched the Stargate dial up. Beside her stood Jara Tel-Amman. The girl seemed unusually tense.
"Something wrong, Jara?" Jackie asked.
Jara turned to the lieutenant. "Nothing is wrong. I just remember the address, that's all."
Jackie felt her eyebrows go up. "You know where we're going? You've been there before?"
Jara shook her head. "Nope. Never been. My mother always said they were good traders, if a bit uncompromising."
"That's good to know." Hofius said.
Jackie shot the major a look. "Were you eavesdropping, sir?"
Hofius grinned. "Eavesdropping is a good source of information."
"Also a quick way to get mashed over the head." Jackie muttered to Jara.
Dani entered the newly christened 'Gateroom', dressed in regular off world attire. Green jumpsuit, vest, combat boots and the handy dandy p-90. She flippantly saluted Hofius. "Sir."
"It's too bad you've got to be in charge. We could always use someone with diplomatic skills." Jackie told the major, pointedly looking at Dani.
Hofius sighed. "I'm beginning to get stir crazy, myself. But I'm no diplomat."
"Better than Dani, I'd bet. Sir." Jackie said.
Just before the last chevron locked, Connor came flying into the room. "Wait!"
The man dialing the Gate was so surprised by Connor's entrance that he stopped dialing. His hand hovered over the
Hofius spun around to look at Connor. "Just what is it you're doing?"
"I think I know how to get us home." Was Connor's response.
"My... office." Hofius said. "All of you. You won't be going offworld just yet."
Ten minutes later, after the team had unsuited and gathered in Hofius' makeshift office.
"Alright Connor, what's this about?" Hofius asked.
A very excited Connor jumped into a long and very scientific explanation.
"Just give us the highlights." Dani cut in.
Connor shrugged. "I can get us home." He said simply.
A simultaneous exclamation of, "What?" could be heard from three of the people in the room.
Jara stood silently, musing over the possibilities. She never revealed any emotion.
"See, I figured out we're not much farther out than the Pegasus Galaxy, so it would just be the simple solution of dialing eight symbols."
"You mean we could go back to Earth?" Jackie asked.
Connor grinned from ear to ear. "With the right amount of power."
"ZPMs." She sighed.
"The Ancient database is full of locations of the other outposts and cities." Connor replied.
"But most of them are occupied by our good friends, the Collective and their little alien armies. And I have a hard time believing they will just let us waltz in and take a very strong power source, willingly." Dani argued.
"But," Connor started.
Hofius silenced them. "We'll check out those addresses and see if we can find anything. Dismissed."
The search took weeks. Jackie was about to give up hope when they finally got word from Lieutenant Andrews team that they found some Ancient ruins and a ZPM. After Andrews and her team brought the ZPM back to the base Connor got to work.
"You're sure this'll work?" Dani asked skeptically.
Jackie smiled to herself. Dani had a valid question, but Connor was an optimist.
"Of course it will work." He said.
"If the whole city is blown up, I'm blaming it on you." She argued.
"It's not going to blow up." Connor huffed.
Before Dani could give another snarky reply, Hofius walked in.
"Settle down kids." The major said, in a way that reminded Jackie of her dad.
The two younger officers snapped to attention, but Hofius just motioned for them to keep sitting.
"Alright, Connor, you've got..." Hofius glanced at his watch, "thirteen minutes. Use them wisely."
Connor looked up from his laptop. "Well, we're ready to try dialing. The ZPM is, for lack of a better word, full. Of course, dialing will probably deplete it."
"You mean, we've got one shot at this."
Connor nodded slowly.
Hofius thought about it. "Do it."
Connor's eyes widened. "N-now?"
"Do you have a problem with that?"
"Uh, no. I just didn't think..."
"Connor, you either do it or I'll get someone else to do it."
Connor stood up, he grabbed his computer and headed out the door.
"We're off to see the wizard." Jackie said.
The gateroom was relatively empty, the only people there were the technicians.
Connor sat down next to the gate, he did some other technical stuff, that Jackie didn't quite understand, before standing up and announcing that they were ready.
"So. Who gets the honor of dialing the gate?" Dani asked.
"Well..." Hofius started, but he was unable to finish because the gate started up.
They jumped back. Jackie watched the last chevron lock.
"Who were we expecting, sir?" Dani wondered.
Then it dawned on Jackie. "Nobody."
Jackie and Hofius ran to the gate controls, but it was too late. Dozens of Collective soldiers marched through the gate.
Dani dragged a shocked Connor behind a pillar. Jackie and the major ducked behind the controls. Various technicians scattered before being discovered.
Through the gaps between the consoles, Jackie watched the aliens search the gateroom looking for anyone, but finding nobody.
Just before the gate shut down, someone walked through. Jackie recognized Tiridus, the Collective guy that captured part of her team eight months ago and continually showed up when they least expected.
One of the alien soldiers reported to Tiridus. Apparently the news didn't sit well with him. "Search the entire city! I want them found."
Dani watched Tiridus stalk out of the gateroom. The guy wasn't happy, but she was more concerned with what he wanted.
Once they were sure there were no more soldiers, Dani and Connor slipped out from behind the pillar that shielded them from the intruders view.
Jackie and Hofius stood up behind the control center.
"Well that was fun." Dani said sarcastically.
"We need to inform the base on what's happening." Hofius said, "Which of these is the speaker system?"
"It's not a speaker system." Connor corrected.
Hofius turned and glared at the scientist.
"It's right here, sir." Jackie pointed to a set of controls.
After warning the base of the threat and telling them to be careful, they left the control room for the armory.
"What do you suppose they want?" Jackie asked, once she was suited up.
"That's a very good question." Hofius said.
"Maybe they want information." Connor suggested.
"Maybe they want new hosts for their Collective friends." Dani added. "Or both."
"Aren't you a ray of sunshine today." Jackie muttered.
They left the armory in search of everyone else. They saw few soldiers as they tip toed down corridors and snuck through alleys.
Eventually they split up, Jackie and Connor went back into the main building to see what they could do, while Hofius and Dani continued to search.
Connor stood in front of the main console fiddling with something, Jackie stood guard just in case.
"What are you doing?" Jackie asked Connor.
"Hopefully rigging a way to catch these guys, or at least track them." He answered. "Unfortunately it's not interfacing correctly with the main control system."
"That's because of the safety protocols. You need to override them."
Connor looked at her, clearly surprised.
"My mother's an astrophysicist. Now hurry up." Jackie said impatiently.
Connor finished the reconfigurations just as they heard the rhythmic sound of Collective soldiers marching.
"They're headed this way." Jackie hissed.
The soldiers rounded the corner.
"Go!" Jackie yelled to Connor before opening fire.
Connor ran and didn't look back.