Title: All the Difference
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Has references to all Stargate series seasons.
Rating: MA
Disclaimer: Don't own SG1 or any other character from a recognised series.
Summary: SG1 gets some help from an unexpected source… The future.
" " denotes speech, ' ' denotes thought.
AN: Deviates from just after Learning Curve in season 3 (1999).
AN2: Title comes from a poem, can't remember who wrote it. 'Two roads diverge in a shadowed wood. I took the one less travelled, and that has made all the difference.'
SG-1 sat around the main conference room table with General Hammond at the head.
"Sir? What is this about?" Major Carter asked.
"At oh-five-thirty this morning, two people came through the Stargate. One was a civilian and the other appeared to be a Marine Lieutenant Colonel." Hammond explained. "As soon as they stepped through, they surrendered. They were unarmed and have been in one of the VIP quarters under heavy guard."
"So, how does this involve us, sir?" O'Neill asked.
"In two ways, Colonel. Firstly, the Marine asked specifically to speak to SG1, mentioning you all by name, and secondly, they arrived using SG-1's Iris code."
"The one we just got?" Daniel asked.
"The one we haven't used yet?" Sam added.
"Yes." Hammond responded, before hitting the intercom. "Show them in."
The door opened and the new arrivals entered, guarded by two SF's. They were both dressed in green fatigues. The man was in his mid fifties, his dark hair greying at the temples, but his posture and bearing of his six foot plus frame showed he was still fit and active. The only decoration he wore, besides the Marine corpse insignia on his chest and the silver oak leaves of a Lt Colonel, which rested comfortably at his shoulders, was a simple gold wedding ring. The woman seemed awkward in the fatigues; her deep black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, contrasting with her deep olive complexion. She was only in her mid thirties, but she had the eyes of someone older. After Hammond dismissed the SF's, he bid them to sit. The Colonel sat down the table next to Carter, while the woman sat across from him, next to Teal'c.
"Perhaps we should start with introductions…" Hammond began.
"Of course. First of all, I recognise Teal'c and Dr Jackson from meetings around the SGC." The marine began, indicating to the Jaffa and the Archaeologist, who was sitting between Carter and General Hammond. "General O'Neill I remember from fleet meetings at the Office of Homeworld Security. That makes you General Hammond, fitting the descriptions I have heard from General Har… Carter."
The shock around the room was palatable.
"You see any stars on these shoulders?" Jack asked, pointing to his Colonel's Eagle insignia.
"Not for a few years. You can call me Skipper, all my crew did. This young lady… you can call her Min Farshaw."
Major Carter snorted at the name of the young woman, causing 'Skipper' to smile.
"Major?" Hammond asked.
"Sir, Min Farshaw is a character from a book series called The Wheel of Time. She can see visions of the future." Carter replied.
"You always did love those books." Skipper said. "Figured it out yet?"
Sam's brow furrowed for a second then she stared at Skipper.
"How far?" she asked.
"Thirty-seven." He replied.
"Carter?" Jack asked.
"Sixty-nine, sir." She replied.
"Good year." Jack said, still confused.
"Time travel?" Daniel asked.
"Brilliant as always." 'Min' said.
"You've come back thirty-seven years?" Hammond asked.
"Yeah." Skipper responds. "And I just know that Sam's going to claim we shouldn't be telling you anything we are about to tell you, but that has one major drawback."
"Being?" Carter asked.
"You sent us." 'Min' pipped in, looking strait at Crater.
Shocked silence fell over the room.
"I think we need a break." General Hammond said.
"Report, Doctor."
General Hammond, Major Carter and Doctor Frasier sat in General Hammond's office while the visitors were back in their rooms after having lunch in the refectory with Colonel O'Neill, Doctor Jackson and Teal'c.
"Sir, they are dieing. 'Min' has terminal bone cancer. I would say that she has only a week or two to live, except that she is showing none of the secondary symptoms. As for the Lieutenant Colonel, well I discovered during an MRI that he has a sharp shard lodged millimetres from his heart. It took me a while to realise that it was metal." Janet said.
"Metal. That's impossible." Sam blurted out.
"Major?" Hammond asked.
"Sir, the magnetic field generated by the MRI would have ripped the metal shard right out of his chest and right through the machine." Sam explained.
"We'll just have to see how they explain this." General Hammond said, dismissing the two officers.
SG1, General Hammond, Dr Frasier and the new arrivals once again sat around the conference table in the briefing room, the SGC personal reeling to understand the comment they had just heard.
"Magic?" Janet said incredulously.
"There are lost of historical references to magic but I always believed that they were either tricks or the use of technology that the observer failed to understand." Dr Jackson began before seeing the smirk on the marine Colonel's face. "What?"
"Sorry Daniel. You just reminded me of someone I used to know." Skipper replied.
"There has never been any scientific evidence of the existence of magic." Sam stated.
Skipper saw Min getting angry and about to blurt out, so he put a restraining hand on her shoulder. After a glace at him, she calmed down and let him respond.
"As one scientist said 'There is no gravity, what we are observing is a completely different phenomenon with the exact same properties.' A lot of people exposed to magic tend to rationalise it away as something else. And as you told me on more than one occasion Sam, 'Absence of proof is not proof of absence.'"
"Nice sentiment Colonel, but do you expect us to take your word?" Hammond asked.
"No sir. How about Sam's word?"
"What have you got future Carter stuffed in your pants?" Jack asked, earning a fierce glare from Sam.
"No Colonel." Skipper responded. "If you would have the SF's bring the box we came with, General?"
Hammond called in a guard to fetch the box and bring it back. Upon opening it they found a keypad and a touchpad mouse which doubled as a hand print scanner, but no monitor.
"General, please put your hand on the scanner." Skipper said.
Hammond placed his hand on the pad and a four sided screen appeared in the space above the box, which had rapidly scrolling text that no one was able to read.
"Identifying." A female voice said from the box.
"Was that…?" Jack asked.
"What can I say? The programmer had the hots for Angelina Jolie." Skipper said with a shrug. "Her personal computer had a dancing holographic Angelina as the screensaver."
"Identity confirmed. General George Hammond, Retired. Last posting Commanding Officer, International Space Fleet and Homeworld Security, Washington DC. Retired September 23rd, 2013. Access granted." The computer said as the display changed to a pail blue screen. "Awaiting command."
"Tell it to run briefing one." Skipper instructed. "It will only respond to your voice pattern."
"Run briefing one." General Hammond said hesitantly, having taken his hand off the pad.
"Confirmed."
The four faces of the screen changed into identical images of Sam from the shoulders up. She looked much older, tired and sad. She was dressed in class 'A' uniform with two silver stars sitting on each shoulder. The room behind her was clearly identifiable as General Hammond's office, but with a change in the personal effects on the wall and cabinet behind her.
"Greeting General Hammond, SG1 and, I assume by the time the Colonel gets around to showing you this, Janet as well. I'm sure you have a number of questions, including why the Skipper and his companion, who I'm sure he has come up with a suitable pseudonym for, probably Ghanima or Min, I had to order him not to us Rip Van Winkle, have been sent back in time. Another major question you have, or will once you examine them, is why them since they are dieing." The Sam on the screen sighed before continuing. "The answer to the first question is that we had to change the way things are going. All of Earth's allies have been annihilated, and now it's our turn. I can't say more at the moment, but we needed help and a head start. To that end this computer contains plans to a series of technological advancements that are developable under current or near current Earth capabilities. Some of these plans will be locked until certain technological milestones have been reached. To answer the second question, it revolves around magic…"
The SGC personnel stared at the display in shock as the future version of Sam laid out some pretty remarkable events.
The next day saw Sam in her lab, looking over the plans that the futuristic computer had released, which General Hammond had copied onto a burnt disk for her, and marvelling at the wealth of information they contained. For the moment she had put aside the plans for guns, power generation units and armour in order to examine the plans for the space vessels. There were two designs for space based fighters. The first was obviously designed to mimic and counter the Death Gliders, its shape closely resembling that of the enemy craft. It was designated the F-302 "Mongoose", and was designed as a two seat Fighter/Interceptor, equipped with 4 different engine types to allow both in atmospheric and space flight, one of which allowing the F-302 to perform short hyperspace jumps. The F-302 had an armament of modified AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles as well as two wing root mounted 20mm Vulcan cannons, and is constructed in modular sections to allow easy transport through the Gate.
The second fighter design had a much more terrestrial design. It was called the SA-43 "Hammerhead", the nickname derived from the small proto-wings at the nose of the craft which vaguely resembled a Hammerhead Shark. The single seat SA-43 had a much more modular design than the F-302, which not only allowed for ease of repair, be simply changing out modules, but also afforded the fighter a much greater combat versatility, being able to be adapted for almost any conceivable role, including SAR operations. The primary configuration resulted in a Fighter/Interceptor/Ground Support aircraft that had more agility and adaptability than the sturdier and slightly faster F-302. With a gimbal mounted light Rail gun under the nose of the aircraft able to sweep a 50 degree arc, two wing mounted hard points capable of mounting almost any pylon mountable armament or equipment in the US armoury and twin, dorsal mounted heavy cannon turret, capable of 180 degree rear auto targeting and tracking with 30 degree elevation, in the traditional blind spot of above and behind the craft, the SA-43 is a deadly aircraft.
Still amazed with the two fighters, Sam began to skim through the attached notes for the two larger ship designs. One of the designs, the Valkyrie Class, seemed to be a frigate style patrol vessel, with a fair amount of firepower loaded onto a relatively small hull, with the recommended operational tour length being around two weeks, as life support systems were sacrificed to allow for more weaponry. The class was designed to defensively patrol systems and be able to engage any hostile ships long enough for assistance to arrive.
That assistance would be in the form of the Prometheus Class Light Cruiser (Mark IV). Sam was just about to launch into studying the Cruiser's schematics and design notes when she was interrupted by a clearing voice. Thinking it was Colonel O'Neill, she turned towards the door.
"Don't stress so much Sam. Those plans aren't going anywhere."
The ease at which the Skipper was leaning against the door frame in her lab, the unconscious way he avoided touching any of her equipment and the slight hint to his voice, similar to the one Jack had when he was once again ordering her to go home after twenty odd hours in the lab, gave Sam, for one brief instant, a feeling of intense familiarity with the newly arrived Marine.
"They're just… there's so much here." She said, trying to contain her scientific enthusiasm.
She frowned slightly when he chuckled.
"Sorry Sam. It's just we spent almost thirty years working together on those designs and other projects. It is odd to see you so excited when there's no ship in the slips. You look like a kid in an electronics shop."
"The saying is a kid in a candy shop." Sam replied.
"Yeah, but you preferred soldering irons and circuit boards to candy as a child." Skipper said with a grin. "I've only seen you more excited on three occasions. The last was when we lanced 'Joyce's Hope', my Valkyrie class ship."
"When were the other two?" Sam couldn't help asking.
"Ask me some other time. I might even tell you." He smiled. "Hammond want's to see us."
"Right." Sam said, slightly annoyed at the cryptic response.
She quickly packed up and followed Skipper to the briefing room, where The General, Min and the rest of SG1 waited.
"Major, Colonel. Please be seated. Since General Carter's briefing yesterday, with presidential approval, we have been searching for the two mentioned individuals. Private Alexander Harris will be here by the end of next week, he has just left on leave after the end of basic training with the Marines. The other individual, one Tara Mclay, we are having more difficulty in locating. We have records of her leaving her home town in Kansas a little over two weeks ago. We have enrolment records to UC Sunnydale, but she is not scheduled there for another week." General Hammond explained.
There was silence for a few moments.
"Oxnard." Skipper said, stunning the room.
"Whonard?" Jack asked.
"Oxnard. She'll be in Oxnard for four days starting tomorrow. Once she told me she stopped there for almost a week before she started at UC Sunnydale." Noting the startled looks he continued. "So I know her. From the future, remember."
"Ok. SG1, head to Oxnard and retrieve Miss Mclay." Hammond ordered.
"General. Teal'c should not go; she'll get spooked when she senses him. I suggest you send Dr Frasier instead and have her and Sam make contact. Miss Mclay is nervous around men until she gets to know them."
"Very well." Hammond said. "Dismissed"
"Senses him?" Daniel said.
"Sam?!?" Jack fumed.
TBC….