Author's Note: Stargate belongs to MGM, Double Secret, and Gekko. Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilm.

Contact

CJ:

The first time I experienced one of my visions, I was sitting in my favorite tree in the backyard, watching a squirrel a couple of branches above my head. Although I was only eight, I had a lot of patience, and could sit still for hours on end. As I watched the squirrel, I suddenly began to see another place.

I saw an underground room, large enough that my house would fit inside. Sitting at one end of the room was a large gray ring with a ramp leading up to it. At the other end of the ramp, a military team stood, watching as part of the ring spun. As I watched, the room started to shake. A couple of seconds later, the center of the ring erupted with water, which snapped back to form a vertical puddle. No one moved at first. Then, a young man with glasses walked up the ramp towards the puddle. Even though he wore a uniform, I was pretty sure he wasn't a soldier. He stopped just in front of the puddle, and extended his hands into it. He stood like that for a few moments, testing the water. And then he stepped into the water and disappeared.

The other men in the room began to follow him, ascending the ramp and disappearing one by one… "Skippy!"

I blinked my eyes, and was back in the tree. The squirrel had disappeared. "What?" I called, looking down. My younger sister, Lynn, was standing at the bottom of the tree. Even at five years old, she knew where all of my favorite hiding places were.

"Skippy, Mom says to come inside now!"

"Okay." As I started to climb down, I marveled over the vision I had seen. What was it? Would I see any more?

I got the answer to the last question later that night. As I lay in bed, I began to see more of the man with glasses, and also of his companion, a soldier who wanted to die. By the time I fell asleep much later, they had blown up an alien's spaceship and saved another planet. The last thing I saw before drifting off was Colonel O'Neill saying good-bye to Daniel before stepping through the Stargate again.

Over a year later, I sat once again in my tree. Suddenly, I was back in the underground room, just in time to see the Stargate activate and allow a group of aliens to enter. A firefight with the soldiers on duty followed, which ended with the capture of one of them and the retreat of the remaining aliens back through the Stargate. This was the beginning of more regular visions. Sometimes, I would "see" as often as several times a week. Other times, there would be long stretches where I would not "see" anything.

When my sister and I would play, I started to use people from my visions as my characters. Sometimes I would be Daniel, or Jack, or sometimes Teal'c. When I told the stories to my sister, she became fascinated by them as well, and would often be Sam.

My parents asked me at one point about the new characters. I told them that I had made them up. They seemed to believe me; I had demonstrated an active imagination in the past and they thought that these tales were just another aspect of that.

The visions continued. I learned how to continue functioning while they occurred; given the random timing this proved to be a good thing. When I was eleven, my parents started sending me to a therapist on a weekly basis. They were concerned because I seemed to be losing interest in my surroundings, and had few friends. I guess I can't really blame them: when I wasn't experiencing visions I spent my time either practicing trombone or absorbed in some Star Wars novel. I grew as knowledgeable about the Star Wars galaxy as I was about the Stargate program; between the two I could keep myself occupied for hours with daydreams.

Maria (my therapist) was a great person; from our first meeting she was always willing to listen as I told her these stories. She always asked questions, and suggested that I write down what I saw. She also took it seriously when I told her my growing conviction that the stories were real, especially when I started to have explanations for news stories, ones that differed from the "official" version.

The visions continued, and in my senior year of high school I also began experiencing visions of a new venture begun through the Stargate: the Atlantis expedition. Once again, at Maria's suggestion I wrote down these visions. By the time I graduated from high school, I had filled four 2" binders with the adventures of SG-1, with another started. I also had begun to fill a separate binder with the first adventures of the Atlantis expedition.

Once I started to have an outlet for my visions, I began to once again excel in my studies. I graduated at seventeen, and enrolled in a local university to double major in biology and astrophysics and minor in music. I made the trek off-campus once a week to continue my sessions with Maria. In my sophomore year at school, things got interesting.

I was sitting in class, taking notes from the board. The professor continued her lecture: "So when we take the derivative, we find that…" Her voice trailed off as she looked behind the class at the door. "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

"Is there a CJ Yates in this class?" a voice responded. Hearing my name, I turned to see two men in military uniforms standing in the entrance to the classroom. One of them looked oddly familiar… I turned to look at Prof. She nodded to me, so I packed up my notebook and text, stood up, and headed for the door.

Once in the hallway, the leader motioned for me to walk beside him. "My name is Major Paul Davis," said he, "and I'm with the Air Force. We need your help."

"My help?" I asked, surprised. I knew who Davis was! But that meant…I focused on the more immediate question. "What could the Air Force want with me? I'm a college student!"

As I spoke, we exited the building and Major Davis motioned for me to enter the car that was waiting at the curb. "Let's just say that it's a mission that is right up your alley."

"Mission?" I looked quizzically at the major as the car started. "What mission?"

Davis:

Truthfully, I still had no idea why I was bringing this young man to Cheyenne Mountain. All I know is that General O'Neill got a phone call this morning from General Landry. They talked for almost an hour, and then the General had called me. "I have a job for you Major Davis," he greeted me when I arrived at his office. "You need to pay a visit to Jones University and pick up a young man by the name of CJ Yates. You will then escort him to the SGC. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir," I'd responded. "General, if I may ask?"

"Sorry, Major. I need to keep this quiet until we know more." O'Neill had actually looked sorry; six years of working with the man had finally earned me his trust. He passed me a folder. "This is as much as you can know right now. Make sure Mr. Yates packs for a week's stay at the SGC. Your flight is in two hours."

"Yes sir."

My first stop at Jones was the Registrar's Office. The student at the main desk looked a little startled when Sgt. Nichols and I entered. "May I help you?" she asked.

"Major Davis, United States Air Force," I introduced myself. "I need the schedule of one of your students, a Mr. CJ Yates?"

"One second please." She got up from her desk and entered one of the offices behind her; several moments later she emerged again followed by a woman who looked to be closer to my age.

"I'm Dr. Peterson," she introduced herself. "How can I help you major?"

"As I told your assistant, I need to know the location of one of your students."

Dr. Peterson studied me for a few moments. "Step into my office." Once I had followed her in, she shut the door and motioned for me to have a seat. "Would you please tell me why the Air Force is interested in CJ?"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am," I responded, sitting in the indicated chair.

"Well, major, we don't just give out our students' schedules without a valid reason." By this point she was sitting behind her desk. "I'm afraid that if you can't give me a reason then I'll have to deny your request."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but all I can say is that it's a matter of national security."

She studied me for several long moments before finally nodding her head and turning to the computer. "Here we are," she said. "CJ is in Raven Hall, room 312." She produced a map from a stack of papers on the desk and traced a route for me from our current location.

"Thank you very much, ma'am."

The drive to Raven Hall took less than a minute. I had the driver wait in the car while Nichols and I entered. Rather than try and find the room on our own, I knocked on the open door of the office that sat directly across from the entrance. "Excuse me, where would I find room 312?" I asked the man inside.

He didn't even look up from the computer screen. "Up one floor, fifth door on the right."

"Thank you." We followed his instructions. The door in question was open; as we approached we heard the professor's lecture.

"So when we take the derivative," she was saying as we reached the doorway, "we find that…" She trailed off as she noticed Sgt. Nichols and me standing in the doorway. "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

Some of the students turned around, but others were still dutifully copying the equation on the board. "Is there a CJ Yates in this class?" I asked her.

A head towards the front of the room turned around and looked right at me. He looked back at the professor, who nodded at him. Quickly, the young man packed up his things and headed towards me.

Once in the hallway, I motioned for him to walk next to me. "My name is Major Paul Davis," I told him, "and I'm with the Air Force. We need your help."

I saw the flash of recognition in his eyes when I said my name. So the file was right! "My help?" he asked, surprised. "What could the Air Force want with me? I'm a college student!"

Yes you are, I thought. And a young one at that. Even if I hadn't read his file, I could have told by looking at him that he wasn't much older than your average high school senior. We had exited the building by this point, and Sgt. Nichols was holding the car door open for the student. I motioned for him to enter first. "Let's just say that it's a mission that is right up your alley."

"Mission?" he asked. "What mission?"

I didn't answer his question. "Which dorm is yours?" I asked, showing him the map. He pointed, and I relayed the information to Sgt. Nichols who was sitting with the driver. "We'll go by your dorm first, but then we need to head for the airport. Pack a bag for a week's trip."

Instead of asking more questions, the young man just studied me for the remainder of the brief trip to his dormitory. When we arrived, he was out of the car before Nichols could get out and open the door.

"Sir?" Nichols looked back at me.

"It's okay, Sgt. Don't worry about it." Nodding, Nichols settled back into his seat. We waited barely two minutes more before Yates came back out carrying a larger backpack. He climbed back in and shut the door, and we were off.

CJ:

I don't even remember what I threw into my backpack. I scribbled a quick note to Rick, my roommate, saying that I had to go away on an unexpected trip, then grabbed my bag and ran back out the door.

The drive to the airport was silent. In fact Major Davis didn't talk to me anymore until we were seated in the plane and had reached cruising altitude. "I believe that you're familiar with the Stargate project."

"You mean it's real?"

"Yes."

"Everything?"

"Yes."

"How did you know about my visions? I only told my psychologist."

"We have our ways."

Right. I knew that that was as good an answer as I could expect for the time being, so I changed the topic. "So how can I help? I'm not exactly the type of person for the SGC."

"I can't explain everything here, but we have a situation that requires your knowledge. We'll arrive in Colorado Springs in about an hour. I suggest that you get some sleep now, because you're going to be busy once we land." With that, Davis got up and moved towards the front of the plane. I turned and looked out the window before closing my eyes and doing as he suggested.

Harriman:

I was waiting outside the elevator when the doors opened to reveal one of our SF's and a young man who didn't look nearly as confused as he should have. Oh, well. "This way, please." I motioned for him to follow me and started down the corridor. When we reached the briefing room, General Landry dismissed me with a "Thank you Walter. We'll take it from here."

"Yes sir," I responded. With that, I headed down to the control room. If the kid wasn't confused now, he probably would be soon.

Sam:

"Thank you for agreeing to this, Mr. Yates," General Landry told the young man Sgt. Harriman had escorted into the briefing room. From the file, I knew that he was eighteen, but he probably could have passed for twelve. Brown hair that was cut military-style, brown eyes that were busy taking in everything around him, he was wearing khaki cargo pants and a black leather jacket. "Have a seat."

"Call me CJ," he responded, taking the seat across from me and setting his backpack on the floor. "What exactly have I agreed to? Major Davis didn't say."

So Jack had gotten Paul to pick CJ up? He really had listened to Landry.

"Colonel Carter?" the General looked at me.

I nodded and took over. "We recently acquired a power source with enough expendable energy to dial the eighth chevron."

"And?" Of course CJ would know that that wasn't the only reason he was brought here.

"It was found on a planet we've designated P4A-913, along with an address we've never seen before. We sent a MALP, which sent back the following images." I slid the folder across the table to him and watched as he flipped through the photos. He started flicking through the photos. "As you can see," I told him when he looked up at me, "there's not much there. But," I motioned for him to keep looking, "someone came to check on the place, while we were still receiving telemetry."

He had found the right photo now. I could tell by the expression on his face, especially the raised eyebrows. "It's a Noghri," he stated, once his voice was working again.

"So you recognize it," the General said.

"Yes sir. But that means…" he trailed off, the expression on his face part disbelief and part unrestrained enthusiasm.

"Continue," Landry prompted him.

"You've found the Star Wars galaxy," he finished.

I nodded my head. "The writings we found refer to it as the Fortis galaxy…what's so funny?"

CJ's smile grew wider as he explained, "The word 'fortis' is Latin for 'force'. I just thought it oddly appropriate."

I smiled too. I may not have seen all of the movies, but even I knew the importance of the Force. "Anyway, Daniel ran a database search on the image. When we realized what was going on, the General decided that an expert was needed."

"For what?"

Said General took over. "We managed to communicate with the Noghri who found the MALP. He agreed to set up a meeting for us with the leading diplomat on the planet. SG-1 is due to embark in an hour and a half, and I'd like you to accompany them as an ambassador."

CJ looked floored. "Excuse me? I'm a college student with no training for this sort of thing!"

"We still think that you're the best man for the job," Landry patiently explained. "You have a thorough knowledge of both the SGC and this new galaxy…"

CJ cut him off. "I respectfully disagree sir, unless you mean to say that I was the only person with a workable combined knowledge."

I jumped in. "That is what we mean. Like General Landry said, we think that you're the best person for the job. Are you interested?"

He hesitated before answering, but I could tell that he'd been ready to answer when he'd walked in the room. "Yes ma'am!"

Landry:

"Thank you son," I told the young man. "Colonel Carter will make sure you're prepped. Dismissed."

I got up and headed for my office. Behind me, I heard Sam telling the young man that the first stop was the Infirmary, just before I closed the door. Sitting at my desk, I looked at the open file that I'd abandoned a half-hour previously when Major Davis had called to say that Yates was on his way down. The rest of SG-1 had already commented on the similarities to their encounter with Joe Spencer, and I couldn't help but agree. And yet there were distinct differences, as well.

I chuckled to myself. If anyone had told me a couple of years ago that I'd be looking at the differences between two people who were basically psychic, I'd have ordered them to get their head checked.

The phone rang, cutting short my musings. "Landry."

"Hey Hank. How're things?"

"Jack! I was just about to call you. Yates agreed; Sam's getting him ready right now."

"Yeah, Davis called me after he dropped the kid off. So we're a go?"

"That's what I just said."

"I'll let the Joint Chiefs know, then. Keep me posted."

"Will do."

Mitchell:

Jackson, Teal'c and I were sitting in the locker room when Sam entered. "So?" I asked her. "Are we going?"

"Yep," she responded, heading for her locker to grab her jacket.

"Yates agreed?" Jackson asked, getting up from the bench and pulling on his own jacket.

Sam nodded. "I've already taken him to the Infirmary, and Dr. Lam's cleared him. I checked back with her once I escorted CJ to the VIP room; she says that the blood sample confirmed the presence of the ATA gene."

"Well, we were expecting that," I pointed out, jumping to my feet. I was ready to go. "So, what's next?"

"General Landry suggested that our final briefing could be just a quick question and answer with CJ, since he's the expert." Sam started leading us down the hall. "I figured we'd just meet him in the VIP room."

A quick walk brought us to the VIP quarters. Sam knocked, and a voice called for us to come in. Sam led the way in and stepped aside, revealing a kid standing by the bed, dressed in Air Force-issue BDUs. "SG-1, this is CJ Yates," Sam introduced us. "CJ, SG-1."

The kid's face broke into a smile as he extended his hand to me. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He shook hands with Jackson and I and bowed to Teal'c. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sam taking a seat at the table; I joined her and Jackson sat in the armchair. Teal'c remained standing.

"Ambassador," Jackson began as the kid took a seat on the bed.

"Please, call me CJ."

"Okay, CJ. Do you have any idea who the representative we're meeting might be?"

"Sorry, Dr. Jackson. Since I don't have the proper name of the planet, I can't even begin to guess."

"Will it be like a standard first contact?" I asked.

"Sort of," the kid hedged. "If there are Noghri, they're going to search us before taking us to see the delegate. That means that any weapons have to be visible. To that end," he looked right at Sam and I, "I recommend that everyone only take a sidearm. No P90s, no C-4, nothing else."

"Why?" I asked. I had actually been thinking about doing what the kid suggested, but I wanted to know if it was a good idea or not.

"The Noghri are a very honorable people. If they're hosting this meeting, they will make sure that neither party is harmed." CJ met my gaze, supremely confidant in what he was telling me.

"Okay, then." I checked my watch. "We should get our stuff; we're due to leave in fifteen minutes."

CJ:

The trip to supply was routine, but still a little exhilarating for me. I mean, in the last five hours, I'd not only discovered that my visions were real, but also my favorite stories of all time. And now I was going to the Star Wars—excuse me, the Fortis—galaxy.

We entered the 'gate room just as Sgt. Harriman's voice announced "Chevron eight locked!" and the 'gate sprang to life. I couldn't help it: I broke into a smile.

"SG-1 you have a go," General Landry said over the intercom. Mitchell tossed of a casual salute in the direction of the control room before leading the way up the ramp, Teal'c by his side. Sam and Daniel stayed with me.

I paused at the top, just before entering the event horizon.

"It's a piece of cake," Sam assured me.

"Right." And with that, the three of us stepped through.

Daniel:

When I first realized exactly where we were going, I laughed. I couldn't help it. Even with all I've seen and done over the last ten years, this one took the cake.

Once I was done laughing, though, I started wondering how closely the movies would match up to reality. I'm not as into the Star Wars saga as Teal'c, but over the years I've seen the entire original trilogy and two of the new. The culture buff in me took over at that point, starting to ask questions. I'd done what research I could, but even I was intimidated by the amount of material.

When Sam suggested bringing in CJ, I'd been quick to agree with her. We (the SGC) had been keeping an eye on him for a long time, and one of the key points in his file, along with his "visions" of the SGC, was the fact that he was a Star Wars buff. Thankfully, General Landry, Jack, and the President had agreed with Sam and I.

I'd been impressed by CJ when he was answering our questions. He didn't make up an answer when he didn't know, and he had even stood up to Mitchell on the issue of weapons.

When the 'gate had activated, I hadn't missed the grin that appeared on his face. He was as psyched about the trip as I was. I kept pace with him and Sam up the ramp. "It's a piece of cake," Sam assured him when he paused at the top.

"Right." With that, he stepped through, Sam and I right beside him.

When we emerged in the other 'gate room, CJ stumbled ever so slightly. Sam caught his arm, and he sent her a look of gratitude before starting to look around. I also started to study our surroundings, heading straight for the DHD. It was definitely different from those in the Milky Way and Pegasus, but I was able to quickly figure out that our theorized address to get home was, in fact, the correct one.

"So did you figure out our phone number?" Mitchell asked, leaning over the back of the DHD. Incredible timing, no?

"Looks like the second address we found on 913 is right on the money."

"Great," he replied, looking over my shoulder. Following his gaze, I turned around and discovered that a Noghri had entered the room.

"Welcome," the alien said in a gravelly voice.

CJ was already moving forward. "Greetings," he responded, offering his hand palm down. "My name is CJ Yates."

I started a little when the alien bent down and pressed its nose to the back of the hand, but CJ didn't even flinch. Apparently, this was expected. "I greet you, CJ Yates," the Noghri responded. "I am Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar."

I saw recognition in CJ's eyes as he spoke again. "I greet you, Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar," he stated, bowing to the alien. When he rose, he motioned to the rest of us. "This is SG-1."

The anthropologist in me took over. I stepped away from the DHD and approached Khabarakh. "I greet you, Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar," I parroted CJ, bowing at the alien. Straightening up, I offered my hand as CJ had done. "I am Daniel Jackson."

Khabarakh took my hand gently in his own and pressed his nose to it, inhaling. As he stood up again, he spoke, "I greet you Daniel Jackson."

To my immense relief, the others had caught on and proceeded with the ritual as well. While Khabarakh was occupied with them, I spoke in a low voice to CJ. "What's he doing?"

"Taking our scents," CJ responded. "This way he'll automatically know one of us should we ever meet again."

"You are an astute human, CJ Levine," Khabarakh said, turning away from Teal'c. "You bring weapons."

"Only small sidearms for self-defense," the young man assured him.

Apparently this answer was acceptable, for Khabarakh nodded and motioned for us to follow him out of the room.

Teal'c:

I remember the first time that I watched television. I was confused by the variety of images and sounds, mostly because I did not understand at the time that half of what I saw was fictional.

By my third year among the Tau'ri, the rest of SG-1 had introduced me not only to their favorite television shows, but also to movies. I quickly became a fan of the genre known as "science-fiction", especially the Star Wars movies. I have seen each of the six movies at least ten times. And yet I had only read one or two of the books. Clearly, I needed to remedy that situation.

Young Ambassador Yates walked next to Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar as the Noghri led us through a series of rooms, each of which contained rows and rows of shelves lined with boxes. Each room also had several computer terminals. Oddly, we saw no one.

"Khabarakh," Ambassador Yates spoke, "what world are we on?"

"Obroa-skai," the Noghri replied. This name meant nothing to me, but Ambassador Yates nodded his head.

After passing through thirty chambers, Khabarakh clan Khim'bar led us into a conference room. The entire wall opposite the door was transparent, revealing a view unlike anything I had ever seen. The room itself was taken up by a table that could easily seat twelve people. Two more Noghri stood in the far corners of the room, and two women sat at the table, heads bent over what I believe is called a datapad. All I could see of them was the color of their hair: the one of the right was brown, the other red.

"Mal'ary'ush, Master Jade Skywalker," Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar spoke to them as he led us into the room, "the visitors from Earth."

Both women looked up from the datapad. I did not recognize the red-head, but that was certainly Princess Leia looking back at me on the right.

Leia:

Ironically, I was on Obroa-skai on vacation. It was supposed to be a work-free visit to see Luke, Mara, and Ben. But then an artifact that had been sitting in one of the libraries had come to life. One of the Noghri had been working in that wing, helping to put things back where they belonged; even now that the Yuuzhan Vong had been gone for some time repair work was still being done. This particular Noghri had heard sounds, and arrived in time to see a droid of some kind come through what she described as a wall of water.

She had managed to communicate with the droid, and sought me out within an hour saying that there were others who wished to visit from a place called Earth. At first, none of us could make sense of her story, so Luke, Mara, and I had gone with her to inspect the artifact. The droid was no longer responding to anyone, but the Noghri assured us that it had promised another "dialing" the following day.

Back in my quarters, we discussed the situation. "It could be a trap," Mara pointed out.

"Yes, it could," I agreed, "but it doesn't feel like one."

"I agree with Leia," Luke chimed in. "What if a Noghri meets the visitors when they arrive? Then if there's a real problem, the Noghri can insist that they leave."

"And if not, can take them out," Mara nodded her head. "I like it. And I'll meet them with Leia, just in case."

Nothing changes Mara's mind once it's made up, so the next day found both of us reviewing what information was in the archives on the artifact. We were already in one of the conference rooms, heads bent over the datapad, when I sensed several presences approaching. "Mara?"

"I sense them too," my sister-in-law assured me. "Keep reading."

I did as instructed. Then I heard Khabarakh's voice. "Mal'ary'ush, Master Jade Skywalker, the visitors from Earth."

Both of us looked up then. Years of diplomatic and Jedi training let me keep a perfect sabacc face while I gathered first impressions of the visitors. "Welcome to Obroa-skai," I greeted them, offering a diplomat's smile.

The youngest (and shortest) member of the group stepped forward and bowed politely. "It is we who are honored, Ambassador, Master." I started a little at the use of my formal title; how could this person know that? "My name is CJ Yates," he introduced himself, "and this is Essgee One. Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell," the black haired man, "Lt. Col. Samantha Carter," the blond woman, "Dr. Daniel Jackson," the brown haired man who sported frames of some kind around his eyes, "and Teal'c," the tall man with skin the color of dreel wood and a strange gold mark on his forehead.

Mara sent me a brief okay through the Force; she had been Force-probing each of them during the introductions. "Please be seated," I asked. Yates sat across from me, Teal'c sat across from Mara. Lt. Col. Carter sat on Yates' left, and Lt. Col. Mitchell sat on her left. Dr. Jackson chose the seat next to Teal'c.

Yates hadn't offered a title for himself, but he was obviously the spokesbeing for the group, so I took a guess. "Ambassador Yates…"

To my surprise, he cut me off. "Please, call me Ceejay."

"Ceejay," I corrected myself, "how is it that you know who we are? You are unsurprised by the Noghri, Master Skywalker, or me." I already knew the truth of my words; I'd probed him with the Force as they took their seats. Now was the time to find out how honest these people would be.

"Well, that's a bit of a long story. It starts on my planet with a man named George Lucas…"

Sam:

Two hours later, CJ had wrapped up his explanation, and we were now following Khabarakh to our quarters. I got the impression that the two women wanted a chance to confer with others, but I was just as glad to get a chance to lie down.

The Noghri led us down a different hallway from the one we had arrived in, and stopped at a recessed door. Entering a number on a keypad caused the door to slide up into the ceiling, and CJ led the way in.

The room we stepped into was obviously the living room, containing the local equivalents of armchairs and a couch, along with a low table. There was some sort of computer terminal built into the left hand wall, along with a couple of shelves that were obviously meant to be used as desks. Two doors lined both the far and right-hand walls; light poured in from three of them indicating that there were windows in those areas.

CJ had turned back to Khabarakh and accepted a piece of what looked like paper before the Noghri bowed to us and left. Cam and Teal'c were checking out the other rooms. Daniel had headed for the computer, intent on research, but was instead looking at the keyboard in confusion. "Um, CJ?" he called.

I could have sworn CJ was chuckling. "I'll explain in a little bit, Dr. Jackson," he replied, dumping his pack, settling into one of the chairs and removing his boots. I decided that that looked like a great idea. Discarding my own pack, I sat in one of the other chairs, but jumped right back up. "Whoa!"

"It's okay, Colonel," CJ assured me. "It's just a form-chair. Give it a moment to adjust to you."

Cam and Teal'c had come out of the other rooms, hands on their sidearms, when I yelled. Now, Cam was smirking as he came over to us. "Everything alright, Sam?"

I just glared at him. Sitting down again, I managed to keep my seat as the chair moved beneath me. When it was done, I was sitting in the most comfortable chair ever.

"Nice, isn't it?" CJ asked, grinning.

"Oh yeah," I agreed. Daniel had come over to join us and was experiencing a similar sensation as he settled into one of the other form-chairs. Teal'c and Cam were still standing.

"Bedrooms are set up for two people each," Cam told us, motioning to three of the doors. "We can figure out who sleeps where later. Levine, what the heck is that other room?"

CJ got up from his chair and went over to look. "It's the 'fresher," he told us, examining a control panel. Seeing our blank looks, he explained further: "The bathroom."

"Okay," Cam shared a slightly confused look with the rest of us as CJ rejoined the group. He started to say something else, but Daniel jumped in in full anthropologist mode.

"CJ, how old is this civilization?"

Cam cut off CJ's reply with "History lesson later. How much daylight's left?"

"Why?"

"I want to have a look around." Cam was heading for the door as he spoke.

"If you want to go out, let me call Khabarakh. The Noghri aren't going to like us wandering around on our own."

"I'll behave," Cam brushed off the comment. He'd managed to get the door open. "Anyone else coming?"

Daniel, Teal'c and I traded glances, none of us moving. Cam shrugged and headed out. "Five," CJ said, sounding a little amused. He held up a finger to forestall any questions from the three of us and continued counting down. He got as far as "one" when the door opened again. Cam was escorted in by another Noghri, who had Cam's arm twisted around in an uncomfortable-looking hold. I was just relieved that the gun the alien had was still at its waist.

The Noghri led Cam to the center of the room and let go of his arm. "Please do not leave your rooms without arranging an escort, Lt. Col. Mitchell." The alien bowed to the rest of us and left.

Cam shot a look at CJ, one that was meant to be intimidating. CJ just shrugged at him, refraining from saying "I told you so," although I could see the faintest trace of a smirk. Cam glared for another moment before giving up and sitting on the couch. "Ow," he said.

"You're just lucky he didn't stun you with that BlasTech."

"The what?"

"The blaster—laser gun—he was wearing."

"Like the stormtroopers use," Teal'c stated.

This time, CJ did grin. "Yeah," he agreed. "Actually, the Noghri was carrying a BlasTech E-11, the exact make the stormtroopers used."

Daniel and I shared a look. Was this what Jack, Teal'c, and Cam always felt like when the two of us started off on some explanation? Fortunately CJ realized that the rest of us were lost, and explained further. "Blasters are one of the most common weapons in this galaxy. They range in size from handguns the size of a zat or Beretta to tripod-mounted cannons. The technology is also used to provide weapons for starships."

I nodded my head, already trying to figure out how this new technology worked. I pulled myself back to reality when CJ asked if there were any other questions.

"Khabarakh and Leia both referred to the other woman as 'Master Skywalker'," Cam recalled. "Any relation to Luke?"

"Mara Jade Skywalker is Luke's wife." I felt my own eyebrows go up; I may not have seen all of the movies but I was pretty sure Luke wasn't married in any of them. The others all had similar expressions, even Teal'c. "Any thing else?" CJ asked us.

Cam shook his head, and broke out a deck of cards. He motioned for Teal'c to join him, and the two of them began playing War.

"Could you show me how to use the computer?" Daniel asked CJ.

"Give me just a minute." CJ climbed out of his chair and went over to the terminal. Daniel and I followed. As soon as I saw the keyboard I knew why Daniel hadn't been able to get on sooner: the symbols were unlike anything I'd ever seen.

CJ sat in the provided chair, and examined the layout. "Okay, here's the deal. As you've already noticed, Leia and Mara speak English, only in this galaxy it's called Basic. That means that all rules of spoken and written English apply. However, Basic is written in something called Aurebesh."

"These symbols?" I asked, pointing to the keyboard.

CJ nodded his head. "It's actually pretty simple. The board appears to be laid out alphabetically, as opposed to the scrambled layout we're used to. This top row is numbers. The leftmost symbol is one, the rightmost is zero. This symbol," CJ pointed to the one right below the 'one' key, "is the letter aurek, or A. Like I said, the rest follows alphabetically. Over on the right are punctuation marks; these are the same as we have on Earth." With that, CJ got out of the chair to let Daniel have fun.

As Daniel's typing rhythm picked up speed, CJ turned to me. "Is it okay if I call for an escort? I'd like to have a look around."

I looked over at Cam and caught his eye; he nodded agreement. "Sure," I told CJ. "Do you mind if I come?"

"Not at all."

CJ:

Ten minutes later, Sam, Daniel (who was more than willing to leave the computer for actual hands-on observation), and I wondered around one of the many gardens, followed by a Noghri escort. I saw many species that I recognized: Wookiees, Twi'leks, Rodians, Bothans, Sullustans, and others. To my complete lack of surprise, Daniel kept up a steady stream of questions.

"So where exactly are we?"

"Obroa-skai, which is otherwise known as the library world. We're in the section of the galaxy known as the Inner Rim."

"What do the natives look like?"

"There aren't any native Obroans, not in the sense you mean. However, there are humans that live here whose ancestors colonized the planet over five thousand years ago. They had to leave a few years ago when the planet was taken and occupied by the Yuuzhan Vong."

"The what?"

"They're a species from another galaxy that invaded a few years ago on a crusade of sorts. They used biotechnology, literally growing their weapons, homes, ships, and anything else they needed. That's why the skyline here looks so bizarre: any planet the Vong occupied was subjected to some degree of terraforming."

"What's that?" Sam interjected, pointing skywards.

I looked up in time to see an airspeeder soar overhead. "Just an airspeeder, Colonel. It's kind of like a car back on Earth, but it flies using repulsorlift technology. They're common throughout the galaxy."

"How many inhabited worlds are there?" Daniel asked.

"Thousands, I think. No one on Earth really knows for certain."

"Do you recognize any landmarks on this planet?"

"Sorry, Dr. Jackson. If we were on Coruscant or Tatooine, it'd be a different story. But the library of Obroa-skai is spread all over the planet…"

Daniel:

CJ, Sam and I walked around until it was dark. I was so glad that CJ was there to answer my questions; I think our Noghri shadow was starting to find me slightly irritating. But I was in heaven! CJ may as well have been a native guide, he was so knowledgeable.

Take the matter of the computer, for instance. CJ and I discussed it later, but it actually makes sense that the keyboard was laid out alphabetically. Our computer keyboards are based on typewriters, which were originally laid out the same way. But it was discovered that the keys got stuck more often if that was the case, so the layout was scrambled. Here, though, that hadn't been a problem for literally thousands of years. Of course someone would have changed the layout to a more logical one!

Anyway, by the time we got back to the rooms Mitchell and Teal'c had just broken out the MREs. "Would you rather have fresh food?" CJ asked them. "I'm sure the Noghri could…"

"Nah, I don't want to bother them," Mitchell interrupted. I could tell from his face though that he just didn't trust them.

CJ obviously thought the same, but said nothing. Sam and I shared our impressions from the walk while we ate, with CJ occasionally jumping in to answer a question or clarify something. I have to admit, he was amazingly restrained. Whenever I come across a culture that I know through books, I tend to run off at the mouth about it, as Jack was always fond of reminding me.

None of us protested too heavily when Mitchell suggested we turn in; even after all these years 'gate lag still gets to me. "So who's sleeping where?" I asked.

"I was thinking Teal'c with Sam, and the rest of us in one of the other rooms."

"It's not necessary, Colonel," CJ stated. "I know the reasons that no one sleeps alone off-world, it's for security. But that's in unknown situations. Here, no one is going to bother us with the Noghri right outside."

"I agree with Ambassador Levine," Teal'c told Mitchell. "I believe that the Noghri mean us no harm. Nor will they allow anyone else to do us harm."

Mitchell looked over at Sam, but I could see that he was wearing down. Sam just nodded, and I did the same when Mitchell looked at me. "Okay, fine," he said. "Teal'c and I in the corner room, Sam in the one next to the 'fresher, and Jackson and Levine in the other."

We all nodded, grabbed our packs, and headed for the beds. I walked over to the window and traced the skyline with my finger. Frowning, I called over my shoulder, "CJ, what's the window made of?"

The young man stepped up beside me, already out of his jacket and boots. Tapping the window, he smiled. "It's transparisteel. Much, much sturdier than glass."

"Cool." Okay, so Jack's rubbed off on me over the years. "How's it made?"

"No idea," he shrugged. "No offense, Dr. Jackson, but I'm beat. Can your other questions wait until morning?"

I looked over at him. I had forgotten that he not only had 'gate lag to deal with, but also jet lag; he looked exhausted. "Sure thing," I told him. I watched as he left the window and claimed the corner bed before leaving the window myself. Morning would come quicker, after all, the sooner I got to sleep.

Mitchell:

I woke up the next morning to an insistent buzzing that didn't sound like my alarm clock. Opening my eyes, I was greeted by the view out the window, and everything about the previous day came flooding back: Yates, the mission, our arrival in the Star Wars galaxy, meeting Princess Leia…

I rolled out of bed and made for the living room. The buzzing was coming from part of the computer, the part Yates called the comm. Speaking of Yates, he was already halfway to the panel. I watched as he hit a button, which projected a hologram of a Noghri. "CJ here," the kid answered.

"Ambassador Levine, the Mal'ary'ush requests your presence in one hour. I will escort you to her at that time."

"Understood Khabarakh," Yates responded. How could he tell the difference? "We'll see you then." He pressed another button, and the hologram disappeared. Yates turned to face me, still standing in the door of my room. Teal'c had joined me, and both Sam and Jackson had made it to the doors of their rooms as well.

"Okay people, you heard the kid. Freshen up!" I suited actions to words by grabbing clean shirt and shorts and heading for the 'fresher. Yates had given us a quick lesson in its use the previous night, and it only took me a few minutes to remember how it worked. A quick shower, a shave, and ten minutes later I was making way for Jackson.

Yates had rummaged through someone's pack and collected a pile of ration bars for breakfast. I nodded my approval and grabbed my favorite: apple peanut butter. Over the next hour and a half the rest of the group took turns in the 'fresher and had "breakfast". With ten minutes left until Khabarakh was due, I began to pull on my vest.

"Colonel?" Yates called from across the room. "I don't think that that's necessary."

I had suspected that he'd say something like that, and I was ready with a counterproposal. "What if I just wore the belt and sidearm?"

The kid seemed a little surprised by my response, but responded quickly. "I think that that would be fine."

Nodding, which also let the rest of the team know that they were to do likewise, I pulled the gun belt off of my vest and strapped it on. I was just clipping the holster around my thigh when the door chimed.

Jackson pushed the button, and the door slid up to reveal Khabarakh, right on time. He noted our weapons, but decided against saying anything. Instead, he motioned for us to follow him. Yates and Jackson were first out the door. Sam and Teal'c went next, and I gave the room one last check before joining them and closing the door behind us.

Luke:

After their meeting with the Earth delegation, Leia and Mara had come right back to our quarters and discussed the situation with Han and I. "It's a five-person group," Leia started off. "Two of them are obviously military, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Teal'c and Dr. Jackson have had military training."

"Teal'c is definitely a warrior," Mara jumped in. "Even without a rank. He's also not human."

Leia nodded. "That was the sense I got, too. The Ambassador also felt different. He wasn't surprised by Khabarakh, the other Noghri, Mara, or me. And he knew my title before anyone had told him."

"He claims that we," Mara gesture encompassed all of us, "are well known on Earth. The others all recognized Leia, at least. Yates was the only one who knew me, though."

"You said the Ambassador was a kid?" Han asked Leia.

"He's definitely younger than the others," Leia answered, "but I don't know that I'd call him a 'kid'. He looks to be about two or three years younger than Jacen and Jaina."

Han just looked at me; no matter what, he was going to keep calling the Ambassador "kid". I just smiled at my old friend before turning back to my sister and my wife. Han and I questioned them for another hour before agreeing to be at the next day's meeting.

As Khabarakh led Essgee One into the meeting room, I reached out with the Force to form my own opinions of them. I was only half-listening to Leia's introductions; I already knew their names. All of them recognized Han, Threepio, and Artoo. Once again, though, Ambassador Yates was the only one who recognized Lowie.

I agreed with Mara; Teal'c was definitely not human. I also got an impression of great age, and the calm that only a seasoned warrior can exhibit. And yet I also sensed excitement beneath his calm exterior.

Dr. Jackson was a little easier to read. His mind was a swirl of questions; obviously the man was an academic. And yet he seemed tempered, somehow, by his military companions.

As suggested by their titles, Lt. Colonels Mitchell and Carter were military in manners and bearing. Mitchell was wary of all of us, even though I detected an undercurrent of excitement. Carter, though, had almost as many questions in her mind as Dr. Jackson. Another academic?

And then there was the Ambassador. As Leia had noted, he was young. I wasn't surprised to learn later that he was only nineteen Standard years of age. But he had a calm about him, the kind that only familiarity brings. He definitely knew all of us.

Leia was just finishing the introductions as I disengaged from the Force. "It's an honor to meet all of you," Ambassador Yates said as he and his companions sat down. "I assume that you have more questions for us?"

For most of the next three and a half hours, I let the others do the talking; only occasionally did I ask a question. The gist of the conversation was about the threats in our respective galaxies, but we did get a brief lecture on how the ring, or Stargate, allowed for travel between planets and galaxies. (I know my group was surprised to learn that these humans had a working military base not only on Earth, but also in a second galaxy.) Essgee One and their people seem to have made their share of enemies: just within their home galaxy, which they call the Milky Way, there have been the Goa'uld, the Replicators, the Aschen, and the Re'tu. Then there were their current antagonists, the Ori, from yet another galaxy. And in the Pegasus, the location of Atlantis base, there were aliens called the Wraith.

It certainly made our own list of enemies seem small. All we've had are the Sith, the Ssi-ruuk, and the Yuuzhan Vong. Well, and the Empire, but they haven't officially been enemies for over a decade now.

At this point in the conversation, Khabarakh interrupted, saying that the midday meal was ready. I excused myself, saying that I had to get back to the Academy. I pulled Mara aside before I left. "Do me a favor? Keep an eye on Ceejay."

"You think he has potential?" she asked, feeling me with the Force.

"I do." I kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

"Count on it, Farmboy."

Mara:

Leia had taken care of the arrangements for lunch, and I was not surprised to see a variety of dishes laid out. My sister-in-law picked a seat at the round table, and Teal'c and Jackson took the seats on either side of her. Han didn't look too thrilled, but quietly sat on Jackson's left. I was more surprised when Lowie didn't raise a fuss and settled himself on Teal'c's right. Mitchell sat next to Han and Carter took the seat next to Lowie. I opted to sit next to the blond woman, and Yates took the last seat between me and Mitchell.

I merely watched at first. Once again, Yates had an uncanny recognition of our galaxy; I heard him recommending the nerf steaks to Mitchell before helping himself to the Ithorian green salad. The rest of Essgee One (what kind of a name was that for a team?) behaved like people who had faced unfamiliar dishes before: each found something that looked vaguely familiar, tried a couple of bites, and then either ate more or moved on to another dish.

Of course the conversation continued, but now it had moved on to life in our respective galaxies in general, rather than focusing on threats. Leia seemed to be enjoying talking with Jackson and Teal'c; apparently Teal'c, while not as knowledgeable as Yates, was more familiar with our galaxy than the rest of his team. Han got into a discussion with Mitchell, the subject of which occasionally drew some comment from Lowie.

Once I was satisfied that everything was, at least for the moment, okay, I turned to the Earth woman next to me. "So what are the weapons you're carrying?" I asked, motioning to the odd-looking blaster strapped to her thigh.

"I'm carrying a zat'nik'tel," she responded, not thrown at all by the question. "We call them zats. It's a piece of technology we acquired from the Goa'uld. Cam and Daniel are carrying Berettas, which are Earth-based."

"The zats are similar to blasters," Yates jumped in. I know that my confusion hadn't shown on my face, but somehow he'd known. "One shot with a zat stuns a person, and two shots within 15 minutes kill them. The Berettas are slug-throwers."

I inclined my head slightly at Yates, thanking him. "How do the zats work?"

"We're still not entirely sure," Carter responded. "We've been using them for almost nine years, but our level of understanding isn't quite there yet."

"How do you recharge them?"

"They seem to have an unlimited power supply. And we've never had trouble acquiring more if necessary."

I smirked a little; I could guess what she meant by 'acquiring'. Instead of commenting, though, I turned to Yates. "So why don't you carry a weapon, Yates?"

The kid smiled at me. "From what I understand, diplomats don't usually go on an assignment with a weapon strapped to their leg. And I was never trained in their use."

I had reached out with the Force and gently probed him as he spoke. "But you do know how to defend yourself."

"I do," he stated, quiet confidence in his voice.

Nodding my head, I decided to change the topic. "Yates, how is it that you know so much about us?"

If he was thrown by my abruptness, he didn't show it. "Like I said yesterday, your stories are well known on Earth. But you asked how I know so much. The best way to describe it is that I grew up in this galaxy. I've been collecting stories since I was about six Standard years old."

"I see. Is that why you were chosen as the Ambassador for this mission?"

Carter spoke up from my other side. "That was part of the reason. Ceejay also has extensive knowledge of the Stargate program, which made him the best man for the job."

I nodded, not turning to face the other woman. "How old are you?" I asked Yates.

"Nineteen. I'm a college student back on Earth."

"You've been collecting my galaxy's stories for thirteen years. How long have you known about the Stargate?"

"Since the first mission, almost ten years ago."

Something from the conversation that morning came back to me. "How did you find out? I thought the project wasn't public knowledge."

"I started having these…visions, I guess you could call them. Flashes of what was happening to the team. I didn't really understand what they were at first; I just thought that they were stories I had dreamed up. It wouldn't have been the first time it happened."

"Didn't you find the visions disconcerting?"

"Not really. It was a way for me to escape life for a little while."

"And you never told anyone about these flashes?"

Yates hesitated before answering, but I could tell it was only because he was now aware that the rest of the table was listening, as well. "I told my parents, and entertained my younger sister. The only other person I ever told was my psychologist. Like a Minder," he explained, "a psychologist is responsible for a person's mental health. She was always interested in what I told her about the Stargate project, and put the information in my file. I'm guessing that was how the Air Force found out about me." As he spoke the last sentence he looked past me at Carter.

I sensed rather than saw the look she exchanged with the rest of her team, particularly Mitchell. I turned back to her as she began to speak. "Your psychologist is a good friend of Dr. McKenzie. He's the psychologist for the SGC," Carter explained to the rest of us. "Ceejay's psychologist shared the information with him several years ago, and he's been keeping an eye on the situation since then."

I looked back at Yates, who seemed relieved to know how he had been chosen. He caught my eye and smiled. "Any other questions?" he asked me.

Later that evening, I walked into our quarters at the Academy to find Ben setting the table for dinner. "Mommy!" he greeted me, running over and jumping into my arms.

I smiled as I returned his embrace. Some days, I was sure I left only to be greeted like that when I returned. "How was your day?" I asked him as I carried him to where I could here Luke in the kitchen area.

"Good. I played with the other Jedi kids and listened to Tionne sing."

"Sounds like fun." We had reached the kitchen by now, and Luke looked up from the plates of food.

"Ben," he asked our son, "did you finish setting the table?"

"Yes, Dad," the boy responded.

"Then please take the plates out. Hi, honey," he greeted me as our son climbed down from my arms and did as he was told. "How did the rest of the day go?"

"Pretty well," I responded, stepping over for a hug. "Hello, Artoo," I greeted the astromech droid as he trundled past carrying a tray of drinks. He trilled in response, swiveling his head to look at me.

"Did our visitors have any other new information?"

"Oh yes. But nothing vital. At this point, it's more of a trade negotiation." We moved back to the dining room and sat at the table, which Ben had finished setting. "You're right about Yates, though. He does seem to have potential."

Luke nodded. "Leia says that they'll be here for at least a couple more days. I'd like you to keep working with her on the negotiations, if that's okay."

I nodded, understanding that he wanted me to keep subtly testing Yates. "Are you going to invite him to the Academy?"

"I might," Luke admitted as Ben asked "Invite who?"

"Remember those visitors that Aunt Leia and I have been talking about? Well, your dad and I think that one of them may be Force-sensitive."

"Really?" Ben said, wide-eyed. "Are you going to train him, Dad?"

Luke and I both chuckled. "Maybe, Ben. Maybe."

CJ:

Over the following two days, the team and I continued to exchange information with Leia and Mara. Luke came by whenever he could get away from the Academy, and Han came and went as he pleased. On the fifth day of our stay, I awoke once again to the chime of the comm panel. "CJ," I answered.

"This is Luke. I was wondering if you would like to tour the Academy today."

I looked over at Mitchell, who nodded that I could go. "That would be great. When and where should I meet you?"

"I'll come to your suite in a couple of hours. Anyone else who wishes to join us may."

"I'll see you then." I switched off the comm and turned to find that the rest of the team had joined Mitchell and I. "Anyone else want to tour the Jedi Academy with me?"

Teal'c:

Colonel Carter, Ambassador Yates and I were waiting for Master Skywalker when he arrived. After a brief ride in the airspeeder, we arrived at the Jedi Academy. As we exited the airspeeder, I noticed that a young woman and boy were standing near the landing area, seemingly waiting for us.

On seeing us, the young boy let go of the woman's hand and raced over, jumping into the waiting arms of Master Skywalker. "Hi Daddy!" the child greeted him.

I cocked my eyebrow at Ambassador Yates, who was unsurprised. Once more, I was reminded of my need to read more of the books on our return to Earth. I had missed much, apparently.

Master Skywalker turned back to us. "Lt. Col. Carter, Teal'c, Ambassador Levine, this is my son, Ben." The pride was evident in his voice. "Ben, these are some of the visitors Aunt Leia and Mom have been meeting with over the last few days."

Bright blue eyes studied us from under the red hair that obviously came from his mother. Climbing down from his father's arms, young Ben Skywalker approached us with only the slightest hesitation.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ambassador Yates crouch down so that he was at the same eye level as the child. "Hello Ben," he greeted the boy, holding out his hand. "You can call me CJ."

Ben Skywalker reached out and took Ambassador Yates' hand, and I could see his pleasure at being treated like an adult. "Hi CJ," he said.

Colonel Carter dropped down next to the pair. "Hi Ben," she smiled, also offering her hand. "My name is Sam." Ambassador Yates got up as this was going on, and nodded to me. Bowing my head, I also crouched and greeted the child.

Once I was done, Master Skywalker introduced us to Master Tionne, who had approached while we introduced ourselves to Ben Skywalker. "Okay, Ben, time to go with Tionne," he told his son. I could tell that the boy was not happy about this, but he merely hugged his father once again and followed Tionne around the side of the building.

Master Skywalker motioned for us to follow him into the building. "This is the fourth Academy I've created," he told us as we walked. "The first was destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong, and the other two were merely temporary replacements." He led us into a room that obviously served as a lounge of sorts. "Please have a seat. We'll start the tour in a moment, but first I have something that I would like to clear up." He looked at Ambassador Yates. "CJ, did you ever wonder why you received these visions of the Stargate program?"

Ambassador Yates nodded his head. "I have a theory," he said, and related the basics of the SGC's encounter with Joe Spencer. "From what we learned then, I think that I must have the ATA gene. But I don't know why I could see things without a stone like Joe had."

"Your blood test did reveal the gene," Colonel Carter said.

"May I perform a small test?" Master Skywalker asked Ambassador Yates. The young human nodded, and Master Skywalker closed his eyes. I watched closely, but saw no movement from either party until Master Skywalker abruptly fell over backwards.

Ambassador Yates and I reached the Jedi's side simultaneously. "Sorry, Master," the younger man apologized as we helped the other to his feet.

"Are you alright, Master Skywalker?" I asked, righting the chair.

"Yes, thank you Teal'c." He looked at Ambassador Yates. "CJ, you're Force-sensitive."

CJ:

I felt my jaw drop a little, even though I had realized it myself when Luke had toppled over. Both of Teal'c's eyebrows were trying their best to disappear into his hair, and Sam's jaw was hanging.

"I'd like to run a simple test on your blood, if that's okay," Luke told me.

"Sure." Luke motioned for someone behind me to enter the room, and a young Padawan came in. As she drew my blood, I continued speaking to Luke. "You think that that's why I didn't need a stone to see things the way Joe did. You think that the Force augments the ATA gene."

"That's my theory, yes," the Jedi nodded. "The analysis will confirm the presence of midi-chlorians."

"Of what?" Sam asked.

"Microscopic organisms that enhance our connection to the Force," I explained. "The higher an individual's midi-chlorian count, the more Force-sensitive that person is."

Luke nodded. "The analysis will not take long. In the meantime, shall we start the tour?"

Sam:

We had seen part of the Academy's library, some of the meditation rooms, and were observing a practice lightsaber duel when Luke's commlink went off. He excused himself and left the three of us in the doorway.

"CJ," I asked the young man, "what's going on?"

"I'm not sure," he frowned after the Jedi Master.

Teal'c also turned his attention away from the duel. "I believe that Master Skywalker would tell us if it was of importance."

CJ smiled. "I'm sure he would, too, Teal'c." With that, the two of them returned to watching the duel. I, however, watched Luke until he finished his conversation with the unknown person, returned his commlink to his belt, and came back to us.

"Everything okay?" I asked him over the sudden noise; the duel had finished and the spectators were applauding the victor.

He nodded. "If you don't mind," he said to all of us, "we should continue." CJ and Teal'c nodded, and the three of us followed the Jedi out of the gym and down the hall. The next room we entered was undoubtedly the infirmary; amazingly, it smelled like the one back at the SGC. If that hadn't given its purpose away, the row of beds along the walls probably would have. In the far left corner I spotted a tall empty tank of some kind.

"Bacta," CJ said, following my gaze. "Heals the most serious injuries."

Luke led us through the beds to where someone was working at a desk. As we approached, the individual stood and faced us, and I involuntarily sucked in my breath. "It's okay," I heard CJ mutter, but all of my attention was on the alien in front of me.

If someone had decided that fish were meant to be land-dwellers, they would have created just such an individual. The head was high and domed, the eyes resting on small stalks that could obviously move around for a greater range of vision. The chin was covered in short, barb-like appendages, and the mouth was a wide, lipless opening. Salmon-pink skin, which contrasted pleasantly with the white robes. The hands were webbed, but with finger-like appendages.

"Ambassador Yates, Lt. Col. Carter, Teal'c, this is Jedi Master Cilghal," Luke introduced us. "Cilghal, these are our visitors from Earth."

CJ had stepped forward. "It is an honor to meet you, Master," he bowed.

"As it is for me," Cilghal responded. Her voice was surprisingly musical, like waves over a gravel beach. She looked at Luke. "Master, I have completed the analysis. The Ambassador's blood shows a higher midi-chlorian count than most of our current Padawans."

Luke nodded, apparently not surprised by this. Either he had already suspected, or else Cilghal had been the one to call him and had explained then. "CJ," Luke addressed the young man, "would you be interested in training as a Jedi?"

CJ's face lit up. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

CJ began to respond, then stopped. He looked at me. "I'm sorry, Master Skywalker," I said, "but we need to talk with the rest of the team before CJ gives you an answer."

Luke nodded his understanding. "Then we will continue the tour."

Daniel:

Mitchell and I had spent the day continuing negotiations with Leia and Mara, but we had already been in our quarters for almost an hour when Sam, Teal'c and CJ returned.

"How was the tour?" Mitchell asked from his spot on the couch.

"Impressive," Teal'c stated. Sam just nodded agreement.

CJ sat in one of the form-chairs. "Luke offered to train me as a Jedi," he commented, unlacing his boots.

"What?" Mitchell and I asked simultaneously.

"Apparently, CJ is Force-sensitive." Sam gave us a quick summary of all that had happened during their day. "So how was your day?"

"We met with Leia and Mara and discussed possible trading opportunities," I explained. "They have impressive technology they're willing to share, and we have a lot of information that they want. I think that we could set something up."

"The only downside to that plan is that you can only trade through the Stargate or by ship," CJ pointed out. "The power requirements for the 'gate to dial here are enormous. And for all we know this galaxy is further out that Pegasus. If it takes the Daedalus three weeks to get there, how long do you think that it would take to reach here?"

"CJ has a point," Sam agreed. "That is something we'll have to consider."

Mitchell nodded. "Fine. I want us to ship out tomorrow."

"What?" CJ protested. "But we've only been here…"

"Five days," Mitchell cut him off. "Landry gave us six. Therefore, we leave tomorrow." He looked at the young man. "I'm sorry, Ambassador. Those are our orders."

"I understand that, Colonel," CJ responded, meeting Mitchell's gaze. "But my orders, as I understand them, are to provide a conduit for trade between our galaxies. I believe that those orders would best be served by my remaining here. I'm staying."

A silent battle of wills took place for a couple of minutes. "Okay," Mitchell relented. With that, he got up and headed for the 'fresher.

"CJ," Sam said, "your decision to stay wouldn't have anything to do with Luke's offer, would it?"

"Why, Colonel Carter," the young man said, sounding remarkably like Jack, "whatever gave you that idea?"

I couldn't help it: I laughed. Sam and CJ joined me, and Teal'c even smiled.

CJ:

The following morning, I walked with SG-1 back to the 'gate room. I had contacted Luke to accept his offer, and would move into the Academy that afternoon. Sam carried a list of items I thought I would need, which she would arrange to get to me. As Daniel dialed out, I started to say my good-byes. "Colonel Mitchell, it's been a pleasure," I said as I shook his hand. He nodded in return. When the 'gate activated, he tapped out his IDC on the GDO strapped to his wrist and headed through the wormhole.

I turned to Teal'c. "I left my duffel bag from school in the VIP quarters. In it are a couple of Star Wars novels. You're welcome to read them."

"Thank you, Ambassador Yates." Teal'c bowed slightly. "It was an honor to meet you."

"Same here," I returned the bow before he turned towards the 'gate. I turned to Sam and Daniel. "Thanks for everything."

"I'll send those items within a couple of days," Sam assured me. She offered her hand, and I took it. "See you later."

"Definitely." I then offered my hand to Dr. Jackson. "It was a pleasure working with you, Daniel. I hope you find those sources useful." I had compiled a list of books that I thought Daniel should read to make more sense of the data he had gathered.

"I think they'll be fine." He shook my hand. "Good luck, CJ."

"Thanks." I watched as he and Sam headed for the 'gate. Both looked back at me before entering the event horizon, and Sam raised her hand in farewell. They stepped through, but I continued to stare at the 'gate until it deactivated. Smiling to myself, I turned and left the 'gate room. I still had to move what things I had with me into my new room at the Academy, after all…