1"You know, this place isn't half bad. Could do with some colors though, and maybe some plants. A couple of Guns and Roses posters and an Xbox, you could call this place home." Sheppard felt like he was talking to an empty room, which in fact he was. He stared at his captor, stoned faced and ridged, and the guard stared back at him wordlessly from across an invisible barrier. "So… what do you guys do for fun around here?" Sheppard leaned back on the bench in his little cell. Really, this place wasn't so bad. The bench wasn't as comfortable as his mattress back on Atlantis, but still, not bad at all.
"I see you've made yourself at home."
Sheppard looked up.
"Good, you're going to be in that cell for a very longtime. You lied to me, Col. Sheppard. No one was in those caves." The man's gray eyes matched his uniform. He had a distinguished look to his mirthless face. A face that made Sheppard wonder if the man had ever smiled once in his life.
Yet, it was a relieved Sheppard looking back into those grey serious eyes. "Has anyone ever told you look like Count Dooku? I mean, with that beard you look dead on." It was probably a good thing they couldn't find Rodney and the others. It means they were back in Atlantis, probably.
The man was not amused by Sheppard's antics. "Excuse me? Are you even taking this seriously? Son, you're looking at life in prison or at the least a very long stay at a Federation penal colony."
"Look, if you went down there then you must have found the Stargate. That's how we got here. In fact, my people are probably down there looking for me right now…" Sheppard stopped himself. Something was wrong, he could tell just by the man's blank express. "You did find the Stargate right? This big circular thing…"
"We didn't find a star gate and we didn't find your shuttle. You're just making things worse by lying to us. Cooperate or soon the matter will be out of my hands."
Tales from a Galaxy Far Away
Chapter 1: The standoff
By Oberon
Atlantis
The hulk drifted silently in space. Its appearance was unrecognizable, a shadow of its former glory, mutilated by an awesome force. For many cycles it had orbited the planet below as an ugly twisted mass of burned metal that marred the sky. However, today, its eternal journey through the emptiness was finally at an end. Already debris, smaller pieces of what it once was, succumbed to the pull of the planet below. The pieces of metal burned up as they entered the atmosphere over the vast oceans of the planet. Soon the main bulk of the wreck would share in this fate even while its brothers and sisters, all of them once glorious, looked on in silence - all waiting the day when their journey would end.
"Doctor Weir, the wreck will be entering the atmosphere within the next few minutes," Dr. Zelenka called out from his post a few paces from the gate controls.
"Thank you Radek, has there been any change in its course?" Weir asked, concerned for the native inhabitants of this world. Atlantis had moved to this planet almost 10 years ago. On arrival, the expedition had found the mainland already populated by a city-state civilization that stretched across the continent.
"Not as of yet," said the man with a slight Russian accent. Even after all these years working for Doctor Elizabeth Weir, Radek Zelenka still had not managed to shed his Czech tongue.
"Thank you Radek," Weir turned her attention back to the two people in her office. "Where were we?"
"Col. Sheppard had just indicated he might have found something on the surface. It was then we lost communication." Tayla recounted the tale to Elizabeth Weir. As the Ethosian sat there, in a place once occupied by the ancestors, and the only thing Teyla could think of was John Sheppard. If she could, she would go back to that planet right now.
"I should have gone with him," was Ronon Dex's only response.
"That doesn't matter now. What is important is that we get our people back," Weir assured Ronon and Teyla. But to rescue Sheppard meant she would have to risk the lives of others under her command. "We've tried and failed to establish radio contact. The only thing we can do now is send in a rescue party and hope for the best."
"I'm going," Ronon told Weir.
"I will go as well," Teyla said.
"Very well, but remember, this is a rescue mission. Don't take any unnecessary risks."
Elizabeth stared out the transparent partisan of her office at the retreating forms of Ronon and Teyla. From here, she could see the command tower - or what remained of it. The wall behind the stargate was gone, destroyed sometime ago and they had yet to repair it. Where a wall once stood, now Elizabeth could see a dark blue sea on which the city floated. On the horizon, the wreck of a once mighty starship burned as it streaked across the sky.
Atlantis
"Major Lorne, good luck." Elizabeth Weir looked on as the Major and his men assembled. From her position on the second floor of the control tower, she wished them the best of luck. They'd need it on that hostile planet.
"Don't worry, ma'am. We'll get him back." The Major gave the signal to move but he would be first to reach the gate and be the first to step into the shimmering portal. He stepped through the portal, his hands on the P-90 snapped up in a ready position. In an instant, he traveled halfway across the galaxy.
The first thing the Major saw after rematerialization was people pointing weapons at him. Military training told him this was a bad situation. His team was at a disadvantage both in numbers and the fact these people had him in their cross fire. His heart raced and he desperately tried to stay cool under pressure. He had no idea who these people were, what they wanted or even how he'd gotten here. He had no cover; he stood exposed on a ramp set on a floor of a large open room. There was equipment nearby but none that he could reach. If these people wanted to, they could easily take out his entire team.
This wasn't some cave with 8-legged aliens spitting poison. "This is a trap," Lorne realized. He remembered that he still had his hands on the P-90 and immediately he released his hold on grip, dropping the weapon to the ground slowly. He raised his hands into the air showing that he was not a threat.
If only he could reach his radio, he could warn the others not to come through. Too late, he heard the ripple of the Stargate behind him and the sound of his team raising their weapons in response.
"Lower your weapons!" Someone commanded on the other side of the lab commanded.
"No, lower your weapons," Ronon Dex replied calmly as he held his alien pistol firmly, the business end squarely trained on the person who had just spoken.
"Put them down," Lorne ordered Ronon and his man. Lorne didn't want a blood bath here, especially when his people were at an obvious disadvantage.
"We have you surrounded, lower your weapons or we will fire," the enemy repeated from behind the equipment they use for cover.
"And I say, you first." Ronon locked eyes with the man.
Major Lorne knew he had to do something fast. The situation was getting out of control. Gently the Major laid his hand on the barrow of Ronon's gun and slowly pushed it, lowering it to the floor.
"We surrender."
Federation Outpost, System Unknown
They took his rubber ball. Why did they have to take his rubber ball? As comfortable as it was in his jail cell, nothing could take away the fact that it was BORING. John Sheppard sighed. "Why did they have to take away my ball?"
"Colonel, you're alright," a familiar voice called from outside the invisible force field that kept the colonel prisoner.
Sheppard recognized that voice. It was Major Lorne, one of the soldiers under the Colonel's command.
"Major. Good to see that you could drop by." The man-child of a Colonel gave the disciplined Major his patented boyish grin.
"We came to rescue you," Major Lorne told the Colonel.
The Major didn't look like he was going to do any rescuing any time soon. The Federation men had confiscated the Major's standard issued P-90 and his sidearm. The Major stood regal though, ready to fight even without the usual black blazer that held all the equipment he no doubt would have brought on this mission. Still, like Colonel Sheppard the Major wasn't going anywhere, not while behind one of those invisible force fields. Their captors must have used that transporter technology of theirs to get the Major inside his cell without the Colonel noticing.
"Well, it's the thought that counts."
(-!--!--!--!--!--!--!--!--!-)
Upon Major Lorne's surrender, Teyla Emmagan and the rest of the rescue party had had their equipment stripped on-site. Their captors held them at gunpoint, forcing Teyla to raise her hands in the air while someone collected their weapons. Ronon was of course reluctant to give up his gun, but a hand from Teyla calmed the former runner. One of the captors told them not to worry; they were simply moving them to a detention area. Teyla didn't know what the soldier had meant but then she felt her body tingle all over. A second later, she saw a flash of light washing over her sight and the others in rescue party. She saw them dissolve and she began to panic.
It didn't occur to her that something had happened to her until she saw her surroundings change. Teyla found herself in a room with a seemingly open wall, she saw the other marines from Atlantis across from her. They were separated from each other by no more than a few feet of walking distance. Teyla approached the open wall but changed her mind. Intuition told her there were something to this wall, something that she couldn't see. She had confirmation seconds later when a solider in an identical room across from her walked into what appears to be a force field. The soldier bounced off the invisible barrier which momentary flared up, knocking the soldier to the ground in what was looking like a very painful fall.
"Do not try to breach the barrier," Teyla instructed the recovering soldier. There were two others Teyla could see, both in separate holding cells identical with her own. Corporal Henson and Johnson, the two marines stopped in their tracks after hearing Teyla's warning. It was tempting to test the barrier herself but soon Teyla resigned herself to waiting.
The Aphosian did not have to wait long before their hosts came for her. Men in yellow uniforms escorted her out of her cell and led her away.
"It is all right," Teyla reassured the marines still in their cell. "I will not be harmed."
Her hosts then took her to a secure room with a table and a single empty chair. An older man was across from her; he motioned for Teyla to take a seat at the empty chair.
"We mean you no harm," Teyla began. She studied the man, no doubt the leader of these people He wore a uniform similar to the guards, but black and gray whereas the guards were mostly yellow. The man's hair and beard were both iron gray, as were his eyes. "Our only purpose here is the safe return of Colonel Sheppard." Teyla spoke with all the diplomacy honed in her years as the leader of the Aphosian people.
"And why exactly was Colonel Sheppard here in the first place?" The man countered.
"We are explorers. Colonel Sheppard, Doctor McKay, and I arrived on this planet by way of the stargate. However, Doctor McKay was soon injured in the caves and Colonel Sheppard went to the surface to seek help," Teyla replied calmly, looking into the man's gray eyes, trying to convey her sincerity.
"Let's say I believe you. What assurance do we have that you would not reveal our location to others?"
This had never crossed Teyla's mind. It had never occurred to her that these people would be secretive to the point of paranoia. Though Teyla had to admit, this should not come as a surprise to her since this technological society could only escape the Wraith's attention by hiding. Still, Teyla judged that this man was willing to listen.
"Colonel Sheppard and the others, they are an honorable people. They will keep your secret if that is what you ask of them," Teyla implored. "Please, talk to them. Then you will know that I have spoken truly."
"You do not count yourself as one of them?" The grey-eyed man asked.
"I am Aphosian. Colonel Sheppard's people saved us from the Wraith even though it meant putting themselves at risk. They are brave and their cause is just."
It was ten years ago that Sheppard and his men arrived on Aphosia. They had come as explorers, much like how Teyla now, looking for trade. They were welcomed by the Aphosians. Teyla Emmagan was already chieftain then and she had offered them food and help in finding others trade partners.
It was the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship but that very night, the Wraith came to Aphosia. The Aphosians were helpless, constant Wraith raiding over the generations had reduced them to a simple people that lived off the land. With little effort, most of Teyla's people became prisoners, soon to be food. Whisked away in an angry shriek that was the Wraith's trademark. The colonel and his men, however, resisted and managed to evacuate the remaining Aphosians to Atlantis – the home of the ancestors. From Atlantis the Colonel mounted a rescue mission and successfully freed Teyla's people. There was a great price; Colonel Sheppard was forced to kill the Wraith Keeper, the guardian of the Hive. This had been a declaration of war on an enemy, who had defeated the original occupants of Atlantis – the powerful people known as the Ancients.
"And because they are the only ones that would stand against the Wraith, I pledged to help them in their war. As for Colonel Sheppard, his people came from a distant planet called Earth."
(-!--!--!--!--!--!--!--!--!-)
The grey-eyed man had Major Lorne brought to him. Teyla Emmagan had created more questions than she'd answered and although he already established a dialogue with Colonel Sheppard, he wanted to hear from someone else.
"I heard from your friend Teyla that you're from Earth. Why don't you tell me about that?"
The Major, stone-faced, stared back at the grey-eyed man. "Lorne, K. Major, United States Marine Core. Serial number…."
The grey-eyed man sighed internally but didn't show his frustration. He slid a pad across the table for the Major to see. On it was a picture taken from President Bill Clinton's first Inauguration. Well-known even in the 25th century, this president carried the stigma of scandal even to this time. History recorded Clinton's incompetence during the Eugenics War, which had destroyed most of the world. The grey-eyed man's research had narrowed down these people's origin to the North American continent based on some of Colonel Sheppard's cultural references and military tradition. The colonel had provided an outdated reference but one found in the Federation cultural database nonetheless. The colonel was right though, he did bear likeness to this Count Dooku, a fictional character from old movies.
"Tell me Major, do you recognize this man?" He asked.
The Major said nothing and didn't even look at the picture.
"Come now Major, if you really would have us believe you're a member of the United States Marine Core then what's the harm in confirming what we already know."
Major Lorne did not intend to talk to these people or even look at the picture, but something told him that he should. Besides, the Colonel said they were all right if a bit overcautious. So he looked at the pad on the table, the person was not someone he recognized. "All right, I'll cooperate." He told the grey-eyed man. No harm in telling them that he didn't know anything. "But I still don't know who that man is."
The grey-eyed man passed him another picture. This one is an oil painting of the 16th US President
"And him?" asked the grey-eyed man.
The side profile of the man was unmistakable. The Major had seen the exact painting in Washington DC. "That's simple. Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States." He wondered what exactly was going on.
The same thought was running through the grey-eyed man's mind. And he thought things like this only happened to Picard and the starship Enterprise. A divergence in history, that didn't fully explain everything, but it fit. Now he had to identify the point in time the divergence occurred. That knowledge would be helpful if these people caused any damage to the timeline. "And him?" This was a colored photo of an older man, very distinguished, depicted as he signed a document in what seems like the Oval Office.
"That's FDR."
"Him?" The grey-eyed man handed the Major a serious of pictures and the Major was able to identify each and everyone.
"John F. Kennedy. Richard Nixon. Gerald Ford. Jimmy Carter. George Bush." Major Lorne identified them in sequence. Why would they have him look at pictures of ex-presidents?
The grey-eyed man pointed to the first picture he gave the Major to look it – the picture of Bill Clinton. "But you have no idea who this man is?"
"That's right." The Major answered honestly.
There was only one last picture and this one was of a distinguished Indian in a red Shawani. This is the only known picture of the tyrant, Khan Noonien Singh. This man had ruled much of the world and was the most infamous of the bioengineered supermen that caused the Eugenics War back in the late-20th century. "And him?
"Sorry," Lorn replied. He didn't know.
The grey-eyed man stood up and motion for the guard by the door. "Thank you Major, you been most helpful. Please take the Major back to his cell." There was still one last question to ask, he realized. "Oh, by the way, who is your current president?"
The Major shrugged. "President Clinton." He answered easily.
The man's grey eyes went wild. He held up the picture of Bill to the Major to see. "But not this man?"
Major Lorne looked at the picture. Suddenly he made a connection. "You know what, now that you mention it. He does look familiar. Yeah, that's him, the President's ex-husband."
(-!--!--!--!--!--!--!--!--!-)
Colonel Sheppard saw Major Lorne returned to his cell. Obviously, the Major received the same interrogation tactic as the Colonel.
"Anything interesting?" Sheppard asked as the guards placed Lorne back in the prison cell.
"Not really," the Major replied. "They made me look at a bunch of pictures."
"That's terrible," Sheppard said halfheartedly. "At least they didn't play Barney the Purple Dinosaur."
"Colonel, I think something odd is going on here…" Lorne tried to say.
At that moment, the grey-eyed man walked in. "Colonel, if you'll come with me." This was not a request. "There are a few medical tests we would like to run."
"It's not going to hurt is it?"
"It will be completely noninvasive."
"Glad I could help," Sheppard stood up and the force field came down. He glanced at Lorne. "Hang tight, be right back." He looked to the grey-eyed man questioningly. "I will be coming back, Right?" Those cold grey-eyes told Sheppard nothing. "Right…"
The guards flanked Sheppard, a sign for the Colonel to get a move on.
"So obviously you found the Stargate." Sheppard spoke up as they walked the halls.
"We were just being cautious, you must understand," the grey-eyed man told the Colonel.
"Yeah, I thought as much. I mean how could you NOT find a giant metal ring?"
They came to what Sheppard correctly guessed was the medical facility.
"Doctor, I have brought the subject."
Sheppard didn't like the sound of that.
A woman took Sheppard by the hand and led him to a fancy looking bed. Sheppard spared the woman a second glace.
"Please, lay still." She patted the strange bed thing. The woman saw the apprehension on Sheppard's face. "This is a biobed. It will allow us to take detailed readings of your physiology. Colonel, if you'll just lay here we can get started."
Well, the colonel couldn't see anything dangerous about this bed. It was fancy, didn't look too comfortable, but he doubt there was anything inside that would pop out and poke him. Still, you never knew. He hopped on the bed, a bit high but not too much, he laid back and got comfortable.
The woman, the doctor no doubt, left him to join the grey-eyed man.
"Heart, lungs, kidneys, appendix, they're right where they should be," the doctor announced.
Sheppard wasn't even aware the examination had started. He didn't feel anything, for one thing. Their stuff must be as good as the Ancient medical technology back on Atlantis, the ones the expedition couldn't make work. "That's because I AM human," Sheppard added, a bit frustrated at this point. He had been here all-day and only now they established that he was human.
"Hmmm… that's strange. He lack some of the most common antibodies found in almost every human."
"What does that mean, doctor?" The grey-eyed man asked.
Sheppard echoed the same sentiment in his head. "Yeah, what does that mean?"
"I have no idea. But if I had to guess, this man hasn't been infected with any of the common infections we come in contact with in the Federation."
"Thank you, Doctor. You've been of great help." The grey-eyed man turned to Sheppard. "There is still one more test I would like to run but that will have to wait until we return to space dock." He motion for the guard. "Please, take the colonel back to his cell."
Sheppard hopped off the bed. "I thought we were friends. Aren't we passed all that?"
"Unfortunately, son, until I get to the bottom of this, we have to proceed with caution. I'm sure if the situation was reversed you would insist on the same thing."
Atlantis
A steady turning of hard disks as data processed filled the air with a pleasant whirring sound. Rodney McKay stood as overlord, commanding his legions of beautiful peons. They scurried about, performing menial tasks of scientific experiments, all at Rodney's whim. Rodney would have called them his research assistants, his underlings. The truth was they couldn't get a shred of actual work done without him. "But they sure are good to look at though,"
One of his she-minions turned to Rodney; she looked suspiciously like Samantha Carter. "You must let go Rodney."
"Excuse me?" Usually the Sams wanted him NOT to let go.
"To live, you must first die. McKay, you must know what's going on with your body. You're dying; this is your only way out."
A feeling of dread flashed through Rodney's body. The events in the cave flooding back to him; the aliens, the stinger, and the poison. "Oh God..."
"Yes, even now your friends are trying hard to save you. I'm afraid their efforts will not be enough." The minion smiled gently, a face full of warmth and love. "But death does not have to be the end."
"You're-you're an Ancient." Rodney blurted out. "And-and you're here to offer me ascension."
"I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy. To ascend you must know that you are worthy of ascension." The Sam-ancient held Rodney's hand. "And despite everything, all your knowledge, all your accomplishments, you are not worthy. Admit it McKay, in your heart, you know this to be the truth."
"Wait. Wait. Wait. Just hold on a minute!" Rodney pushed the ancient away. "Just how am I unworthy? I have you know, I was this close to ascending on my own."" Rodney held his thumb and index finger close together. "But why am I arguing with myself? I know that Samantha Carter is perfectly alive. You're not an Ancient; you're just a figment of my imagination."
"Yes, I'm just a creation of your subconscious. Just like that time your subconscious mind created me to give you the bad news. The bad news now is that you won't be ascending; you're going to die and there's not a thing you can do about it.
The hard drives were like a tune, grinding on and off, pausing and restarting to a quicker and quicker until a frantic stretch.
"We're losing him! Hold on Rodney."
(-!--!--!--!--!--!--!--!--!-)
Admiral Lee, the one Colonel Sheppard called the grey-eyed man, had been the one to interrogate John Sheppard and it was just his luck the colonel was such a pain in the ass. The admiral turned the corner and when he was sure no one was looking, his hand went to his belt and activated a hidden beacon. A moment later his body vanished is a haze of blue energy.
Admiral Lee stepped off the transporter. There was a man here, dressed in black, his face hidden in the shadows. "The Centripetal Force is with us, Sir. Captain Kruger will support our cause," Admiral Lee told the man in black.
"Welcome home, operative Tyranus. You have done well," the man said a raspy voice.
Admiral Lee didn't respond to the compliment. "I bring you good news. We have recovered the stargate from the planet."
"Excellent." The man in black smiled. "Everything is going as planned."
To be continued….
