Disclaimer: I do not own stargate.
Review Responses:
Gary: Fixed it, Thanks!
Rice2999: Maybe not too many, I might move along the timeline a little faster. Only touching on the important missions. Tell me what you want!:)
TheOldMasters: Thanks you so much for your response. I had to really take my time to thoroughly read yours, and really appreciated it. I definitely agree with the points you made, the diplomacy and good will of the SGC is a major part of the series and why it is so good. I don't plan on cutting out such things from my story, there definitely will be. It's just that there is no reason for the US military to even think about diplomacy at this point. Just look at it from their standpoint: Aliens have enslaved Earth before, do it to other humans right now, and are much more advanced. All the stargate addresses they have are from Ra (Heliopolis atm), so therefore any stargate trip will be to a hostile Goa'uld world or filled with primitive slaves, no need for diplomacy. If, and when, they encounter another faction then diplomacy will rear its ugly head.
Maybe I went a little overboard about the not sharing thing. UK sharing program? Very likely, eventually. Remember Cliton didn't like John Major, so you'd have to wait for Blair for him to do anything with the UK. It also just always made me mad with China/Russia/US being complete buddy buddy with no problems between them. Additionally, if the US took a more shadow approach (which they should, they have no ships and are one country versus advanced aliens of unknown strength) then the going ons of the galaxy wouldn't force them to bring in other countries because earth is not threatened.
About the blowing up of suns, I was mostly just hitting on how everything has to be done the hard way. For example; current phalanx ciws guns on US navy are self guided by radar... yet railguns in SG series are all manually controlled. (wouldn't Atlantis' defense be easy with railguns that always hit the target? Try evading a shell going mach 6...). I agree with not just blowing up suns all the time, and was mostly thinking of Asurans and Wraith.
EklipsCz: Another awesomely long review! Love your ideas, maybe the SGC will too? :) Anyways, yes you're right about the spaceships. No one would ever build a ship out of completely untested materials. Like how jet engines are tested on the ground before even thinking about putting them in aircraft. The SGC will go incrementally. I also thought the Intars had great promise: it had all the advantages of accuracy, speed, and range of earth weapons but non-lethal! (maybe there was a downside to them that we didn't know about) Perfect for when exploring a primitive world and not wanting to kill people if you have to defend yourselves. Power crystals strong enough to power a gate would only be found with the Ancients. Goa'uld power crystals are powerful, but not that much. For anything requiring tremendous storage they use the carbon nantube based super capacitors. (which are less fragile too).
Just A Crazy-Man: Thanks for the review! I might actually setup a QRF later on, thanks for the idea.
Thanks to everyone else that reviewed, I read every single one.
Senior Master Sergeant Davis
Heavy Equipment Procurement Report
Procurement of vehicles for the program is going behind schedule. HMMWVs (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) were easily acquired, due to their widespread use through out the military. Advanced Light Strike Vehicles (LSVs) were also acquired from Chenowth Racing Products, a brand new third generation light vehicle designed for special operations.
However, heavier weapons have been more problematic.
LAV-25 reconnaissance vehicles are held tightly by the marines, they are not wiling to easily give any up without digging for information about our program. I've put forward a request to take new LAV-25s directly from General Dynamics Land Systems in Canada, so we do not have to deal with the Marines asking why their vehicles are being taken. The Air Force will be a front to keep the Canadians from know whom is really receiving their vehicles.
M1 main battle tanks are similarly hard to come by, but I was advised by Colonel O'Neill to focus on lighter vehicles. Exploration and attacks through the stargate would favor lighter and faster vehicles like the LAV-25 and the HMMWVs. M1s would need heavy logistic support because how fast they run out of fuel. Not to mention any location necessitating a tank for attack is probably too heavily defended for the number of people we have available.
That's not to say that tanks would never be useful, but I agree with Colonel O'Neill that we should focus procurement on light reconnaissance vehicles armed for anti-personnel missions. Should we want any tanks we would need to pull them straight off Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in Warren, Michigan. However, Tanks could be useful in shock and awe against the Goa'uld but their logistics would suit larger conflicts.
Avenger Air Defense Systems have been prioritized for use in the field. Intel believes the Jaffa armies rely heavily on their fighters and the SID believe these anti aircraft vehicles could turn the tide in any engagement. Stinger missiles have already been distributed to teams.
Modified AGM-114 Hellfire missiles are ready for use through the stargate. Tomahawk missiles were also purchased, but SG teams will not likely be far from the stargate on missions; making the range and speed of the Tomahawk unnecessary. Also, the Hellfire missiles are significantly cheaper, allowing for liberal use.
...
A shipment of one 640 kg bulk container of liquid VX from the Newport Chemical Depot has arrived and been put under heavy security. Officially the VX was taken for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment (ACWA) program to test alternate ways of neutralizing the chemical, as opposed to normal incineration. HAZMAT teams are preparing the chemical for use with tranquilizer guns on off world deployments.
...
October 30, 1996
Briefing Room - SGC
"Gentlemen, please take your seat," said General Hammond.
"Doctor Jackson reported in earlier today that he had made further discoveries within the caves on Abydos. Your mission is to investigate his finds and then investigate any other locations that might be interesting to us," instructed the General. This mission didn't rate high enough for any folders or intel pass outs. The General seemed to remember something and stopped his briefing.
"Where's Captain Carter?" the General asked.
"Carter?" asked O'Neill, mystified.
"I'm assigning the Captain to your team for this mission, Colonel," replied the General.
"I'd prefer to put together my own team, sir."
"Carter's our expert on the stargate, and a very important scientist to the SGC as a whole. As our flagship team SG-1 is the best choice to escort such a valuable asset off world. This mission will just be to test the water, so to say."
"Where's he transferring from?" asked O'Neill in resignation.
"She has been with the SGC for a while," said a blond woman in full dress blues entering the room. The uniform was air force, with ribbons signifying combat service. The SGC had its own fatigues and other standard issue wear, but formal dress was non existent. Such things were of no practical use as they would never be used, the SGC was classified after all and a SGC dress uniform would draw attention.
"I take it you're Colonel O'Neill. Captain Samantha Carter reporting, sir," she said with a salute. O'Neill returns the salute with surprise.
"But of course you go by 'sam'" commented Major Brennan.
"Don't worry, Captain. I played with dolls when I was a kid," replied Carter with a laugh.
"GI Joe?"
"Major Matt Mason."
"Oh..," Brennan turned to Major Ferretti, "Who?"
"Astronaut doll, did you have the cool jetpack to make him fly?"
"Let's get started," cut in the General, "Captain Carter began working for the SGC on how to create a dialing computer for the stargate. Doctor Jackson requested a scientist in his last check in and she will fit that role."
"For your first trip through the Stargate, you should be prepared for what to expect," said O'Neill
"I've practically memorized your report from the first mission. I'd like to think I've been preparing for this all my life," replied the Captain.
"I think what the Colonel is saying is... have you ever pulled out of a simulated bombing run in an F-16 at 8-plus Gs," said Ferretti.
"Yes."
"Oh...Well, it's way worse than that," said the embarrassed Major.
"By the time you get to the other side, you're frozen stiff like you've just been through a blizzard ... Naked," injected Brennan.
"That's a result of the compression your molecules undergo during the millisecond required for reconstitution," said Carter.
"Oh, here we go, another scientist. General... please," complained O'Neill.
"Theoretical astrophysicist," corrected the Captain.
"Which means...?"
"It means she is smarter than you are, Colonel. Especially in matters related to the Stargate," said the General. Brennan and Ferretti struggle to hold in laughter as O'Neill glares at them.
"Colonel, I was studying the Gate technology for two years before Daniel Jackson made it work and before you both went through. I should have gone through then. Regardless, I've already been through to study Ra's ship. What's one more mission?" argued the Captain.
"Well, with all due respect, Doctor-" started O'Neill
"It is appropriate to refer to a person by their rank, not their salutation. Call me Captain, not Doctor," replied the visible agitated Air Force officer.
"Captain Carter's assignment to this unit is not an option, it's an order," the General ended the conversation.
"I'm an Air Force officer just like you are, Colonel. And just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle," continued Carter.
"Oh, this has nothing to do with you being a woman. I like women. I've just got a little problem with scientists," O'Neill said unfazed.
"Colonel, I logged over 100 hours in enemy airspace during the Gulf War. Is that tough enough for you? Or are we going to have to arm wrestle?" Carter finished the discussion, with Brennan and Ferretti looking impressed. O'Neill just shrugs and sits back in his chair.
"I hate to throw a damper on your enthusiasm, but this is about the defense of the United States; not a pissing contest over combat time," entered Lieutenant Colonel Bert Samuels, a mission analyst for the SGC.
"Lt. Colonel, in my admittedly faulty memory I remember that you didn't want this shindig to go down?" Colonel O'Neill made no attempt to hide his contempt for the man.
"With the information available to me at the time, the best approach appeared to be burying the stargate. With the new information on the Goa'uld's capabilities from Ra's ship, that approach is obviously not viable. They don't need the stargate, they could just come by ship; and it is idiotic to believe they have completely forgotten about the home world of their slaves," replied the man with no visible acknowledgment of O'Neill's antagonism.
"Colonel, your dismissed," said General Hammond.
October 30, 1996
Skaara's village - Abydos
The sun beat down on O'Neil harder than he remembered. His hat and mask did nothing to stop either the sand or light from causing him discomfort. Humvee and LSV tracks littered the area around the pyramid as SG teams got used to their new vehicles.
The hot deserts of Abydos was a major difference from the freezing cold temperatures of the Alaskan base. The quick change in scenery from just walking through the stargate was still difficult to get used to.
O'Neill could see Jackson and a few of the boys from the village running towards his team. Skaara seemed to be wearing Jackson's hat while another had on his military vest, sans any weapons.
"Colonel! Over here!" waved over the Doctor.
"Doctor, you reported that you had something for us?" asked Colonel O'Neill.
"Well...actually, two things," excitedly stammered the archeologist, but he was distracted by the new member of SG-1. "Oh, um.. I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson, nice to meet you." Said man stuck out his hand to Captain CArter after wiping it on his pants several times to remove the sand.
"Nice to meet you Doctor. I've read several of your reports, I think your discovery of the address on the cover stones was particularly brilliant," complemented the astrophysicist.
"Please do continue," impatiently coaxed the Colonel to Jackson.
"Well, I was right about the caves. There is a whole other room! A cavern really! You're going to really want to see this," said Daniel as he began to lead the team in the direction of the caves.
"And the other discovery?"
"The other- Oh yes! I was talking to Skaara about my necklace, the Eye of Ra, which Catherine Langford had given to me. You see, I was wondering why they recognized it so easily when we first showed up. There is a whole maze of catacombs where they buried their dead after the rebellion failed," Doctor Jackson said while walking.
"Rebel... wait! What?" O'Neill was getting tired of how hard it was to get information from the doctor.
"Oh yes, um I forgot. You see it seems that the rebellion on earth was not just a spur of the moment thing, quite the opposite. It seems it was organized heavily and one occurred here at the same time as the one on Earth! Not as successful though..." explained Jackson.
"What about the catacombs? Why are a bunch of bodies so important?."
"The catacombs lead to a chamber of Ra. It talks about the eye and is very interesting, I think there might be a secret room," explained Doctor Jackson.
Any further questions were halted as they reached the caves where Jackson and O'Neill had previously been. The Colonel followed the Doctor as he grabbed a torch and led them further in. O'Neill easily spotted the disturbed rocks in one corner, Jackson must have moved them.
"It took some trial an error, but by studying the architecture that remains undisturbed I was able to determine about where the corridor to the next room should be. This cave suffered a serious collapse some time ago, in a few decades more it might have been impossible to determine where to go without doing some serious excavation," explained the archeologist.
O'Neill grabbed another torch off the wall and followed Jackson down a hallway that was getting increasingly elaborate in architectural design. The hallway deposited them in a giant room with Horus guard statues lined up against an outwardly sloped wall.
The far back wall looked like an upside down trapezoid as a result of the slope side walls. A giant golden symbol for Ra hung in the middle of the wall, surrounded by lines and lines of what looked to be hieroglyphs.
"What do they say?" asked O'Neill as he walked forward.
"What do.. Take a closer look, Colonel," said Doctor Jackson with a smirk.
The Colonel walked up to the wall, holding out his torch to illuminate the wall. The light reveal lines and lines of golden covered markings. There was no doubt in the Colonel's mind that it was all pure gold.
Colonel O'Neill's closer inspection reveal that the writings were not hieroglyphics; in fact, they were not writings at all. Each of the long lines running down the wall were dozens of star constellations, making up hundreds of stargate addresses.
"Yes, sir. I agree, we'll prepare to receive them immediately. Estimated? Easily more than a hundred, maybe several times that. Copy that," O'Neill talked into his radio to General Hammond through the stargate. "Alright Jackson we're going to check out your other 'little' discovery. But if it's anything like the last one you might be giving the General a heart attack."
"Doctor Jackson, can you tell us anything about this Eye of Ra?" asked Captain Carter.
"It looks like this," the Doctor fished out the the pendant around his neck," and the writings in the chamber describe it as a source of great power."
"What kind of power are we talking about here?" asked O'Neill.
"Well it really depends on what we find when we get there. If this is a temple built for Ra by the Abydonians then it may just be some trinket they believe has magical powers. But if this was built by Ra it could be anything, technology maybe," said Jackson.
"I agree. But based on what we've seen from the Goa'uld already this could be anything. Maybe how the Goa'uld create their liquid Potenium?" commented Captain Carter.
"Well kids, I guess we'll just have to find out. Won't we," said O'Neill as he held his hand out to signal the archeologist to lead the way.
The catacombs were carved out of limestone and filled with rows upon rows of decoration made of human remains. Intricate patterns were created from the skulls and bones, reminiscent of the Paris catacombs. After only a few glances even O'Neil had to focus forward on the path ahead of them. It was another example of how much blood was on the hands of the Goa'uld.
At the end of the catacombs the group descended down a flight of stairs, lighting torches on the walls as they went.
"This is as far as the catacombs go," said Daniel.
"No eyes?" asked O'Neill. Skaara, whom had followed the group down, points to the walls and talks to Daniel in his language.
"The Ra's eye is mentioned many times on these walls," translated Jackson.
"Just so we're clear. It's not a real eye. It's a jewel... or something," O'Neill told the boy, who didn't understand a word he said.
Daniel walked over to the wall and began reading form the scripts.
"So, you didn't read this earlier? We don't have all... well actually we do. Continue," mutters O'Neill as he finds a stone to sit on.
"There's just nothing. Just a lot of talk about the power of Ra, the size of his domain..," said the Doctor.
"Big domain?"
"Of course there's no talk of a secret chamber where he keeps his most valuable possessions. He's not that stupid. But there are hints," said the archeologist as he walked to another part of the catacombs. "This section talks about how Ra draws his power from the sun. Some king of trigger for a secret door... Rays of sun will reveal all." Jackson runs his hand across a giant red diamond imbedded in the wall.
"Rays of sun? Think any light will do?" asked Captain Carter.
"It's possible." Daniel brings his torch over to the wall and shines it on a large jewel, but nothing happens.
"Maybe you need to focus it," suggests Carter. Daniel tries a magnifying glass from his backpack with no success. He takes a step back and examines the wall.
"It's red," comments O'Neill from behind them. Daniel jumps, not noticing him approach. Taking a second look Daniel also notices the picture of the sun has red rays, there is no other red anywhere in the room.
"Captain?" prompts the Doctor. Carter slings her P90 over her shoulder and flips on the red laser sight. After a second of focus on the large jewel in the center of the wall loud noises start to echo through the room. Colonel O'Neil slings his own weapon into his hands, pointing it at the wall which is now turning to the side.
The Colonel passed his torch over to Skaara, "Wave it at anything that slithers." The group walks through the narrow opening and begin lighting torches as they pass. Artifacts littered the room, hand gauntlets, golden boxes, smooth metal balls, small handheld weapons, rings, and gold treasures.
"Jack pot," said O'Neill, "Be careful what you touch, no idea what Ra could have hidden in here." The group spreads out and begins to look for the Eye of Ra.
"Oh my god," exclaims an amazing Daniel Jackson from across the room. The Doctor is reading from a stone tablet with familiar looking markings, but not Goa'uld.
"Doctor, what is it?" asked Captain Carter.
"It's... this is the same language as the one from Heliopolis. Similar to Latin..." Jackson begins murmuring to himself as he deciphers the tablet. "I can't tell much, this dialect is much older than even the one found at Heliopolis. From what I do recognize... it seems to be a general history!"
"Doctor Jackson, there doesn't seem to be any 'Eyes of Ra' here," interrupted Colonel O'Neill from across the room. Ferretti, Brennan, Skaara, and the Colonel continued search through the piles of artifacts, but nothing revealed the Eye of Ra.
"What if it's not here?" asked Carter.
"Well where could it be, a secret compartment?" replied Jackson.
"A secret compartment inside a secret chamber?" said Carter dubiously.
"Why not?" Jackson begins tapping on the walls with a small metal flashlight he pulled out of his bag.
"Hey! Why are we carrying these torches?" asked O'Neill.
"Its just for emergencies," said Daniel distractedly. He stops in front of one specific wall and hits it multiple more times, each giving a distinct hollow sound. "Its here, I know it."
"I don't see a jewel or anything. Not even any hieroglyphics," observed Carter.
"There's got to be a way to open it," replied Jackson.
"Yeah, stand back," orders O'Neill as he points his weapon towards the wall. Daniel scrambled backwards from the gun. O'Neill is careful to point the gun downward so that the bullets that get through go straight into the ground. The rest of the group covers there ears before the Colonel unloads a few burst into the wall.
"Stop! You can't just shoot at it, you don't know what could be destroyed!" cried out Jackson.
Dust kicked up as the wall splintered from the impacts. O'Neill walked up to the damaged section, ignored the Doctor's pleas, and with a few kicks a hole big enough to walk through was opened.
The room was not ornate or regal like the previous one, simply four walls with a risen platform in the middle.
"Ra must have thought no one would come here, making extravagance useless," commented Carter.
The Eye of Ra was a red crystal held within a gold circle. The symbol of Ra was attached onto the crystal and made of orange, green, and blue gemstones outlined in black and gold.
"The symbol of Ra is completely different from the crystal itself. Almost like it was added on later," commented Carter.
"Well we don't know who made the stargate, but know that they were used by the Heliopolis races, and now Ra uses them. This could be like that, repurposed for his use," explained Jackson.
"So how is this a source of great power?" asked O'Neill.
"I can answer that Colonel," said Captain Carter. She pulled out several devices from her pack, small handheld sized computers designed for preliminary examination. "With just a quick look I can make some guesses based on its properties, like magnetism and composition."
The Captain pulled out a single device and attached two wires to either side of the crystal. After turning on the device sparks flew immediately from the attached wires and the device smoked in the Captains hands.
"I'm guessing that's not supposed to happen," said O'Neill.
"That was ... That's amazing!" shouted the astrophysicist.
"Care to enlighten us, Captain?"
"Yes, sir! I sent some small electrical current through to test the conductivity, but it returned an order of magnitude greater!" exclaimed the excited scientist.
"And this helps us how?"
"If this amplifies electrical inputs then we could hook it up to a power source and get astronomical returns. Think of it like putting a super charger on an engine!" explained Carter.
There is chapter 7.