June 2244

EAS Prometheus- Hyperspace

"I fished in Lake Harris in Florida couple years back. Only time I was able to relax." Captain Michael Jankowski said as he floated in the Officers Quarters of the Prometheus taking a small sip from his protein drink which was to help maintain muscle and bone mass during any extended duration in microgravity.

"Glowfish Lake in Proxima is pretty good right now. Its been a tourist spot since they upped the commercial developments there. You know Michael, some of the Centauri colonies have damned good spots to fish." Commander Alan Chaffin commented. He planned to fish there where the Proxima Glowfish were known. They were as esteemed sport as bass were on Earth.

"The Centauri let humans fish on their planets?" Jankowski gave a look of mild surprise.

"Some do, for a price. Rich guys and senators travel there on tours with Centauri Nobles. Centauri don't fish with a rod like we do. They would rather stun them and pull up the rest. Its lazy." Commander Alan Chaffin knew of a few senators that took trips to Centauri worlds. Though it was rare it did still happen.

"Too good to get their hands dirty I guess." Captain Jankowski admired the Centauri but didn't like their politics. Slavery and conquest of lesser races was still in use there. Even though the Dilgar were long gone he still had worries of a new Centauri Emperor wanting to expand borders once again. When the Centauri wished to conquer they had no problems doing so. He read historical reports from when the Centauri Republic invaded the League and conquered the Narns. Both him and Commander Chaffin were veterans of the Dilgar war and seen firsthand the destruction the Imperium caused across the League.

"Cant fish out here." Captain Jankowski looked out the observation window of the Prometheus. The red swirls of hyperspace still made him mildly nauseous if he stared at them too often.

"I heard rumors of some vessels encountering get this, space jellyfish out here. In hyperspace." Commander Chaffin laughed while looking out into the swirling red void.

"Sounds like pilots looking into hyperspace too much. Stare into the red and anyone will see a face or an animal. I try to not look into the void. Also they don't sound tasty enough or would make dinner of a ship." Captain Jankowski looked away from the viewing port. "Maybe the next planet will have a good spot."

It was only a few weeks ago that Captain Michael Jankowski got assigned to escort the Explorer Lewis and Clark to a the rim of explored space. Him and Commander Alan Chaffin reminisced on Earth life. They were given two other Hyperion Cruisers; The EAS Birmingham and the EAS Knoxville as escorts on the expedition. Due to microgravity environment of deep space they would transfer crew every few days to the rotating section of the Lewis and Clark to experience simulated gravity. Twelve years after the Dilgar War the Earth Alliance expanded and graciously funded expeditions into deep space. The Lewis and Clark was one such Explorer Ship on its mission to explore the unknown and seek out new worlds for the Earth Alliance and make first contact with any new species discovered.

"Captain to CIC.. Captain to CIC!" He heard his tactical officer over the intercom.

"We're on our way!" Captain Jankowski yelled back

"Well lets see what we got now." Commander Chaffin grabbed the handlebars and pulled himself down the corridor.

They floated through the corridor into the Command Information Center deep within the front portion of the Hyperion Cruiser. Surrounded by many armor plates the crew was protected from radiation and from most advanced weaponry. After the Dilgar War many got an upgrade to better withstand advanced weaponry and armor to survive longer in combat.

"Tactical what do we have?" Jankowski asked getting into his chair and strapping himself in.

"Sir the Lewis and Clark reports a faint continuous tachyon signal. It is off the main and secondary beacon networks. Its similar to a beacon of some kind but I picked up a spike of neutrinos as well. Captain Reynolds has ordered a change of course to check it out." Lt. Darren Fredricks the tactical officer said while looking back at his screens for any additional updates or readings.

"Neutrinos? That's odd. Most jumpgates and beacons emit faint neutrinos. Never enough to detect in hyperspace. Keep close to the Clark. Looks like we're going off the beacon network." Commander Chaffin looked back over at Captain Jankowski.

"First contact? The Centauri never reported anything of interest here and most of the League races never ventured this far. We're still far from Minbari borders. If anything we're close to Nochtal space but they have nothing out here." Captain Jankowski knew of Earth's interest in making contact with the Minbari however they took advice from the Centauri to stay away from their borders. Policy indicated to leave them alone for now though he would take a mission for intelligence gathering if offered. He pondered for a long time why the Centauri were afraid of them.

"Centauri say they've kept to themselves mostly. I doubt its them. Looks like this is someone else. We won't be in charge of first contact here, Captain Reynolds and the Clark will handle that." Commander Alan Chaffin said. Inside he was relieved that there was no risk of another incident like the Omega which happened years before. Although he admired and respected Captain Jankowski's leadership abilities he preferred other people handling first contact scenarios.

They knew enough that the Lewis and Clark had its own diplomatic team and an IPX team which consisted of an archeologist, xenobiologist, technologist along with other scientists and engineers. Captain Kayleigh Reynolds was in charge of this mission along with her executive officer Commander Vladimir Sarkolov. She was a trusted expert by many including Captain Jankowski and Commander Chaffin. The Clark also had a diplomatic team trained in first contact situations should they run into any other species out there.

"Lets see where this takes us. Keep sensors active for anything." Captain Jankowski ordered.

The ships continued to move through hyperspace dropping off beacons. With minor adjustments to their course they were able to track the source of the tachyon and neutrino signal. If there were ships in hyperspace near their position sensors would certainly be able to pick them up.

The Lewis and Clark was an Explorer Class Vessel. One of the only ships designed to go off of the beacon networks for times it could lay its own network of temporary beacons designed to last months. It was also designed with its own jumpgate construction facilities to build new gates which would add on to the existing network. Each Explorer Class ship was designed to largely be self sufficient with its own hydroponics, recycling, mining ships and refinery. It only had minimal weapons for self defense so it had to relay on escorts if they ran into hostiles. Earth Force policy for Explorer Captains was to flee which many preferred rather than risk destruction in a firefight. Explorer Class ships tended to be escorted by a small number of military ships usually Olympus Corvettes and Hyperion Cruisers.

Captain Kaliegh Reynolds was strapped in her chair of the Lewis and Clark. Explorer vessels usually go out to Captains and Commanders with high performance ratings and good recommendations from the Admirals as ships are rare and very expensive. Lucky for her she got a good recommendation from Admiral Thornhill due to her part in League rebuilding efforts and piracy control after the Dilgar War. Her ship was equipped with the latest in advanced sensors making it an efficient vessel for hyperspace operations. Most officers would be very lucky to see one Explorer ship during their lifetimes. Earth Force has only constructed at most 25 ships total compared to the thousands of other military and civilian ships.

In hyperspace an increase in gravity distortions would be a relation to a star or planet in realspace. This would allow ships to navigate and chart nearby stars though slowly as hyperspace never had an exact relationship to realspace. Any ship that would dare go off the beacon network would have to drop off a beacon, jump to realspace, chart location and jump back in to plot a regular route. Jumpgates would constantly transmit their locations via tachyons through normal and hyperspace thus creating a beacon network. If one beacon got lost it would be next to impossible to reestablish a link back. She never heard of any ship lost in hyperspace being rescued and none of the other races except the Vree and Abbai have ever conducted such operations.

Explorer Class Ships had minimized this problem to a degree. Being the only ships in Earth Force that could go off the hyperspace beacon network for short periods of time they were marvels of engineering. Even they still had to drop off beacons to maintain links to the main beacon network. If they found a promising system then a jumpgate can be dropped off tying to the rest of the network as the system developed.

"Gravity eddies increasing with a slight increase in tachyon signal strength. Looks like we're close to the source." Her Tactical Officer, Lt. Aesha Hasani said in her middle eastern accent.

"Drop us out of hyperspace. Full scan of the system" Captain Reynolds said

All ships opened up jump points to enter back into real space. Large vortexes of energy opened up to deposit the Lewis & Clark along with her three Hyperion Cruiser escorts into an area of the star system close by to a gas giant world which was home to several moons. One projected a noticeable shadow on its surface.

"Discovery scanner is active. Getting astrometrics now…. Captain I am picking up at least eight planets around a G type star. Five rocky worlds and three gas giants. Picking up the tachyons from the third planet in the system. No signs of other ships or jumpgates. Nothing on radio bands. Just that faint tachyon signal." Astrometrics officer Lt. Afiba Amewey stated.

"Well this is certainly strange. Get probes launched and make a course toward the planet. Half speed, if there are locals hiding its best not to spook'em." Captain Reynolds stated firmly. The probes launched were small, compact and had a greater speed than any of the ships in sublight.

"Aye changing course now. Telemetry from probes is looking good. No changes in the tachyon signal, its looking pretty consistent so far."

The ships continued to head for the planet at moderate speed. Each ships scanned the system thoroughly for any signs of ships, debris or anything else that may indicate a civilization nearby.

"Captain one of the probes is sending telemetry back from the third planet. Data is looking great, conditions are perfect!" Astrometrics Officer was getting excited. "Nitrogen-Oxygen mix, oceans and vegetation." He said as the crew exchanged happy glances. They would get a substantial bonus and promotion if finding a habitable world.

A large image of a blue-green planet was shown on the larger viewscreen with data by the side indicating it was a life-sustaining world. Through spectral analysis the probe could easily determine what gasses, organic materials, chemistry and volcanism was present on a world. Clouds, oceans, and continents could clearly be seen. The probe was programmed to orbit any worlds for more detailed scans if it picked up one similar to Earth and relay it back to the Explorer. Its scanners were fine tuned enough to pick up industrial and other emissions indicative of civilization be it industrial or pre-industrial along with other radiation, digital and other signals.

"Captain! I believe to have found the source of the tachyon signal." Lt. Awewey called out.

"On screen!"

The viewscreen changed to an area of the planet covered in desert. If they had to estimate the desert looked slightly bigger than the Sahara back on Earth. The probes camera zoomed in closer to the structure that had a ramp and stone pillars by the side leading to it.

"Is…. is that a pyramid?" Captain Reynolds asked in a shocked voice.

"That looks like the one in Giza. Those pillars match the ones to the Khufu Pyramid entrance. I been there before when I was a kid." Lt. Amewey said remembering his times as a child touring the area.

"Are there any races that build pyramids like this?" Captain Reynolds asked.

"The Centauri and Brakiri have built pyramids but not like this. That's clear Ancient Egyptian design. Either its one hell of a coincidence or some alien race clearly did show them how to build them." Lt. Amewey responded.

"We can only speculate on the similarities but unless we get a closer look we will never know." Captain Reynolds eyed the screen. Many thoughts were going through her head now over this being a major find in exploration history.

Some alien races have been known to build Pyramid style structures. Each looked different with wide varieties of purposes and designs asides from being Pyramid. The Centauri were known to have built several including the Brakiri. Both societies had built them for purposes unknown as it was lost to history. When first contact was made with the Centauri lots of questions about the outside universe was asked including ancient aliens. The Centauri didn't know much else besides that it has happened before which did fuel a revival of the 'ancient alien theories' that ran around on Earth. Vree Guilds have done such but only to races local to League space.

"Probe has detected a settlement by the pyramid. Zooming in now." Lt. Amewey said activating the probes zoom function.

The camera then zoomed in on a small settlement. It was a mixture of stone and wood primitive housing surrounded by walls and a gate. Mountains and a river with small plants including irrigated farmland could be seen close by. Movement of what looked like people could be seen mining the material and working in the irrigated farmland. Astonished looks increased among the crew and those in the Hyperion escorts alongside them.

"The tachyon source is definitely inside that pyramid. I am picking up major Quantum 40 readings around the pyramid and settlement." The camera zoomed over to a part of the mountain where clearly a mining operation was going on. People clad in garbs were seen chiseling away the minerals in the mountain. Others were seen using primitive sleds and wheelbarrows moving the material to specific areas close to the pyramid.

"Are those people mining Quantum-40?" Captain Reynolds looked at the live images of people mining veins of a darkened material. Most Quantum 40 is generally dark in color and is found in vein deposits on worlds and asteroids.

"I cannot tell from this distance but they are humanoid. Definitely primitive and mining Quantum 40." Lt. Amewey stated.

"If a primitive race is mining Quantum-40 then they are slaves no doubt about it. They'd have no use for the stuff otherwise. Whoever is enslaving them may come back. Inform the fleet and prep the Planetary Expedition Team."

Interplanetary Expeditions had a Xeno-archeological team on board as well as a diplomatic one. They were allowed room on the vessel to help further the exploration mission. They were a team of top scientists that dedicated their lives to researching dead worlds and excavating the remains of civilizations past. A lot of their scientists also worked with Earth Force and the civilian sector to reverse engineer any alien technology recovered. Ever since the Dilgar War ended there has been a rush to explore new sectors. Already IPX and Earth Force Research Directorate were at some of the former Dilgar worlds including Omelos to uncover technologies that may be of use.

"Alright everyone, we will be landing in desert terrain so grab hot weather gear. Civilization is primitive there so no flashing fancy technology or weapons around." Major Rachel O'Neill briefed the security detail along as Dr. Gerald Carter and Dr. Sarah Jackson listened. "We will come at a point far from the village and land by the mountains. First place of contact is observing the village. Second is that pyramid. The shuttle will enter the atmosphere away from the village and come in from the other side of the mountains. Our sat picked very few signs of people passing those mountains. We should be able to stay hidden and avoid spooking the locals.

"Doctor Jackson will handle contact with the locals after they are observed. After we get intel from them we move on to the Pyramid and figure out the source of the technology. Doctor Carter will handle whatever technology is in there. None of us are to push buttons like kids figuring out mommys newest holopad."

"What if we encounter hostiles?" One of the GROPOS asked.

"Then we get the fuck out We're not here for a firefight and definitely not against primitives. The Prometheus has a QRF ready if shit hits the fan. All of us will be armed including the civilians." Major O'Neill answered. Per policy civilians will be issued standard PPG Pistols while security forces get issued compact PPG Rifles. She looked over at the team of civilians and security forces.

Dr. Sarah Jackson specialized in xenology and xeno-archeology. Being a linguist she spoke fluent Centauri, Brakiri, Abbai, and even Dilgar after working on Earth Force contracts after the war. She had flocked over to IPX when they opened an exploration bid to new sectors of space being mapped. There were lots of worlds out there that had remains of ancient civilizations long since vanished. Some of them had advanced technology while others didn't. She studied the primitive civilizations that did populate some worlds in League space during observation missions and was glad to work with some scientists from the various League worlds. Her greatest publications included the histories of primitive civilizations in both the Roth and Deneth systems. She put her camo cap over her short hair as Major O'Neill gave her briefing.

Dr. Gerald Carter was an older gentlemen who was the chief engineer and scientist on the team. Having been formerly in Earth Force as an officer during the Dilgar War as Foreign Technology Specialist he studied many of technology the Dilgar used including those they captured from the League. His classified publications on technology helped bolster Earth Force's technological development. After retiring he finished his Doctorate in Engineering and worked with IPX on several other discoveries.

"Any more questions?" She noticed the team was getting ready "Guess not. Let's move out." The team made their way into the shuttle.

EAS Lewis and Clark

Captain Kayleigh Reynolds eyed the display that showed the world the shuttle was heading towards. Had the world been uninhabited it would make a great place for a colony to flourish. If this was the territory of another race they still had to attempt a peaceful first contact regardless.

"Captain Reynolds I have Captain Jankowski on the line."

"Put him through." She put her earpiece in as the image of Captain Michael Jankowski came on screen. "Good to hear from you Jankowski, what can I do for you? She asked knowing he had something on his mind.

"I think it would be a good idea to take the fleet and put it behind that moon's shadow. Stay close and use it for cover if any ships show up." Captain Jankowski said with a hint of tension in his voice.

"I take it you have a bad feeling about this?" Captain Reynolds replied.

"I don't like this Reynolds. Primitives mining Quantum 40, they have no use for the stuff. They are mining it for someone and I have a feeling that someone is coming back. Maybe not now but they will." Captain Jankowski said. He never held back on giving an honest opinion of any situation. Any Earth Force officer to know Captain Jankowski would know he disliked any race that practiced slavery. He had seen what the Dilgar have done to slaves and even how the Centauri treated the Narn.

"Agreed. Tactical, change course and disable the probe." She said to her tactical officer as he made the adjustments to change course. With a push of a button the probe in orbit deactivated and made a burning course towards one of the oceans of the planet. They thankfully had another small probe by the moon to relay any communications and data from the team on the ground.

"Reynolds we will monitor the situation. The QRF is prepped and ready should things get dicey there." Captain Jankowski reassured her he had the situation under control. His QRF Team consisted of a specialized high speed shuttle which would deploy a Tactical Rescue Group of GROPOS should the ground situation get spicy.

"Thanks Jankowski, we will update you if we see anything. ." She said finally. He nodded and closed the channel.

She knew Michael Jankowski from their times securing the League trade routes after the Dilgar War enough to be on a first name basis if not on ships. They have been on enough missions together to know he took fleet security protocols seriously even on peaceful missions. While she had been in charge of logistics of moving materials to other systems, his leadership of security protocols were instrumental in defeating the Drazi Raiders at Balos and Krish. Raiders tried to hit softened targets and convoys for resources, people and even technology to sell on the black market or to other governments. Many races were clamoring for advanced leftover Dilgar, Earth and League technology leftover from the war. Brakiri were especially willing to pay high prices for such resources. When it was time for her to pick officers for this exploration mission she selected him personally.

Planetary Expedition Team Alpha

Major Rachel O'Neill and the security team watched as the the shuttle rounded a small flat patch close to the mountains. Not far from the settlement the mountains disguised their approach and kept noises from the engines diminished. Not too far from their area was a path through the mountains that led to the river which passed by the village. The team concealed their compact PPG Rifles in their garments as they made their way through the mountains. Doctor Jackson and Doctor Carter placed a part of their desert garments over their PPG Pistols. They were placed in a way for easy access in case of hostile wildlife or aliens. On everyone's backs they wore water packs which were easily refillable along with having advanced filtration and cooling systems.

"You all been out to the desert before?" Major O'Neill asked the two civilian scientists.

"I studied some archeology sites the former Caliphate and former Saudi states. A few years ago I went with some archaeologists to Descar to study some of their ancient history. Fendimir is a desert world I'd like to visit if the Freehold lets us in." Doctor Sarah Jackson said. She learned of several xeno-archeological sites that popped up around. Getting to them was a bit more difficult.

"I spent time in the Sahara for desert training. When I joined the GROPOS we had to train for any environment. When I was in the Dilgar War I served in some ground campaigns on Balos. This heat is nothing compared to Balos. Doctor Carter have you ever been to the desert?"

"Well when I lived in Nevada my house was on the outskirts of an old mining town. I moved out when I got accepted to Armstrong University. I don't miss it. This…seems pretty nice." He said taking a breath of the fresh air. To him this was better than the filtered air on the ships.

"Stay hydrated everyone. Don't wanna risk heat stroke out here. When we get to that river we can test the water and refill if its good."

Doctor Carter looked up at the clear blue sky. He saw two of the three moons hanging in the sky. The air he breathed in felt so fresh. Unfiltered with no smell of crew, equipment and filtered air. It felt nice to feel real gravity and not the feeling of the rotating section of the ship. The mountains alongside him and the team looked slightly different than the ones he was used to. Plants grew around some of the boulders while small rodents scurried behind rocks as the team walked by.

"Take a look at that!" One of the solders said pointing over towards a small outlet of water by the river. A massive beast larger and fatter than a horse covered in fur was drinking from it.

"Looks like a cross between a warthog and a horse….is…is that desert grass its eating?" One of the soldiers commented

"Its a nice looking animal and yeah that does look like desert grass" She walked toward it slowly and kneeling down at the grass. I'm no botanist but this looks oddly similar to desert grass on Earth. What's it doing all the way out here?." Doctor Jackson said aloud

"Take some samples and bring it onboard the Clark. Too bad we cant take that horse-hog there." She pointed at the massive beast as Doctor Jackson began to approach it.

"Its alright big guy. Come here." She said soothingly. "Nice little alien horse aren't ya?" She got closer to it.

"I wouldn't approach that thing Doctor!" Major O'Neill shouted holding her rifle at low ready.

"Its domesticated!" Doctor Sarah Jackson stated while approaching it. "Its got a harness on it." She stepped forward to pat it on the side while holding the harness attached. All of a sudden the horse sized creature jumped up roared loudly. It started to gallop forward dragging part of the harness behind it which caught Dr. Jackson by the leg. Quickly she was dragged as the creature galloped towards the river

"DAMMITTT HELP MEEEEEEEEE!" She screamed not knowing Major O'Neill and the other soldiers laughed at the scene.

"Its NOT a pet!" Dr. Carter yelled back at her smiling at what transpired.

"So much for fucking concealment! Let's go!" Major O'Neill yelled as the team ran in the same direction as the creature.

They kept a steady jog as the creature started to slow down upon hitting the river and waded in. Dr. Jackson freed herself from the harness as the water ran past her soaking her clothing. She quickly brushed the sand and mud off of her and squeezed the water out of her cap.

"I'm alright guys. This aint my first rodeo!" She brushed most of the mud and dirt off of her uniform. "Done bull riding in my youth. This is nothing!" She yelled and laughed as she moved out of the river towards the team. She quickly noticed that Major O'Neill and her security team turned towards a small boulder by the river, remove their binoculars and take a prone position. Doctor Carter meanwhile tested the water with one of the testing devices given to them.

"Water is clean!" He shouted and filled his canteen with water. He also turned and moved towards what the security team was looking at.

Dr. Sarah Jackson grabbed her binoculars and looked towards what the team was watching. Now she learned why the other team had such a look of utter shock on their faces. There were hundreds of people about in the distance. Some towards a group of mines and others gathering water from the river. Hundreds of people that were undeniably…and unmistakably Human….

Human…. All the way out here. "But how?" She thought aloud taking in the view of many dark skinned humans. All in similar garbs and some shirtless utilizing mining tools by the dark veins of Quantum-40 in the distance.

"They're human alright. How in the fuck did humans get all the way out here?" Major O'Neill asked in astonishment."Hey look at that symbol hanging on the left. Is that what I think it is Doctor Jackson?" Major O'Neill asked towards Doctor Jackson. She may not have been an archeologist herself but was familiarized with ancient Earth cultures

"Yeah…. thats the Eye of Ra…." She said in amazement as the drape with the symbol hung over a primitive tent.

"You know, I remember hearing that a couple centuries ago people used to buy into this 'ancient alien' stuff. That aliens built the pyramids and stonehenge. Hell it persisted right when the Centauri came and got asked if they knew of ancient aliens." Doctor Carter mentioned

"One of my ancestors was one of those guys. He used to write books about the Pyramids being used as landing pads for starships. Used to be famous for it too; went on some tv show to preach it. Doctor Daniel Jackson was his name. Said aliens have visited us before and will be back. Well he was right in the end about the greys." Doctor Sarah Jackson said. She had been into genealogy as much as she was into archeology.

"Well he was right about the Vree but they have only had spaceflight for several centuries longer than Earth. Wasn't Ancient Egypt flourishing several thousand years ago?." Major O'Neill asked

"Yes it was. Some races have mentioned spacefaring groups tens of thousands of years old or older but most have been long gone. Except those Vorlons the Centauri mention but no one knows anything about them besides that not even the Centauri will go into their borders. That area of space is too far from here for it to be them."

Major O'Neill stood up. "Well the only way for us to find anything out is to talk to them." She started to walk towards the closest group of people. They were all noticeably darker skinned some with facial markings and paint. Most were wearing primitive garbs and carried baskets of the black material. One of them; a younger man with shoulder length dirty hair looked towards the team noticing their arrival. He shouted something to the rest of the group which seemed to indicate the arrival of the visitors. Most of the workers in and around the tent stopped moving and talking when the team approached.

"Well Doctor Jackson you're the linguist. Time to linguate." Major O'Neill said breaking the silence

Doctor Sarah Jackson approached the people slowly as the team stood by. "Hello" She said in standard Egyptian. Not getting a response from the people he tried again in variety of ancient languages he knew. She then bent down on one knee and started to draw heiroglyphs in the dirt. Once he did that the oldest man in the garbs yelled incomprehensibly and kicked the dirt away. As some locals approached and the team tensed up; Doctor Jackson got out her datapad with a picture of the Eye of Ra and showed it to them as the security team backed away reflexively, drawing their rifles and keeping them at the low ready. They kept them down as Major O'Neill gave the hand signal for low ready.

As Doctor Jackson showed the locals the picture; the older man yelled something else and the locals began to go into a keeling position keeping their heads low. Other village elders yelled and the rest of the people in the mining area did the same.

"Doctor Jackson what did you say to them?" Major O'Neill asked noticeably confused about what had transpired.

"Nothing…. Obviously writing is banned here and they thought we were sent by Ra when I showed them the image. Maybe as a test?" Doctor Jackson theorized

"If writing is banned here then this means more that these humans are slaves to aliens posing as a god. Sergeant Mayes! Relay this information back to the Clark. Myers and Sukov stick with Jackson while she continues to …linguate… with the locals. I don't think they will get hostile but we're taking no chances here. Major O'Neill ordered "Sergeant Mayes get the hummingbird deployed towards the pyramid." She added.

Sergeat Mayes removed his backpack and retrieved a small datapad with a miniture drone attached. It was the size and shape of a small hummingbird with an impressive sensor package that was designed to pick up on lifesigns, radiation, atmosphere and unusual energy signatures. If there were any aliens guarding it the bird would pick it up. With a few touchscreen presses the humming bird rose up like the Earth bird of the same species and darted quickly towards the direction of the pyramid.

"The bird is showing this stuff is a variant of Quantum-40. Its also picking up a concentrated source inside the pyramid. We will have to take some from the mine for analysis on the Clark." The Pyramid and two pllars alongside the entrance quickly came into view over the massive sand dunes. "Bird is picking up no lifesigns around the pyramid. No signs of other known energy signatures either except for the tachyons and neutrinos.

"Good. Doctor Carter lets head towards that pyramid. We can figure out whats inside."

EAS Prometheus

Captain Michael Jankowski looked over the latest mission report with the rest of the crew. He looked over at the facial expressions of his crew and those of Captain Reynolds and her crew. Some had shock and others had anger. Inside he felt angry that aliens were keeping humans as slaves. His anger was shared with others who heard the same. On one of the video screens was Captain Reynolds and Doctor Sarah Jackson. Other Captains including Captain

"Alright so to update everyone I managed to figure out their language. They told me that they worship Ra and he has wanted everyone to mine this mineral for him. Every so often he returns to collect the mineral and some of the women here. One of the village elders took us to a ruined building under the sands where I was able to translate how they got here. Thousands of years ago Ra came to Earth looking for a new host for his dying body. Night became day as a massive light appeared in the village. Other villagers ran away in fear except for one boy who walked towards the light. Ra took his body like a parasite leaving the original body to die."

"He used his new body to rule over the inhabitants and brought them over through some sort of gateway called a stargate. He used the slaves to mine this mineral they call Naquada which seems to be the basis for their technology. There was a rebellion on Earth assisted by 'beings of light.' The gods were driven off Earth taking the stargate with them. Ra soon forbade reading and writing punishing those who disobeyed harshly. The village elder told me that Ra is due to arrive very shortly for this mineral. The rest of the team is hiding out on the outskirts of the village to avoid detection in case this Ra comes back. Doctor Carter should be on soon with his findings." Doctor Jackson finished explaining.

"Doctor Carter is coming in."

"Patch him through."

"Hello everyone.. Doctor Jackson I discovered your stargate." Doctor Carter uploaded images which got transmitted to her computer as well as the fleet. On the screen were various pictures of a large circular device on a stepped platform. In the inner circle of the device were various symbols etched while triangular marking were on the outside of the circle. In front was a cylinder shaped device with similar symbols going in a circular pattern around a red globe. "This device is made of a type of Quantum 40 that is pure and gives off little radiation. Somehow it absorbs and gives off neutrinos and tachyons! The technology is amazing… I've never seen anything quite like it… This is definitely the source of the tachyons we found in hyperspace. I believe whenever this device is active it will give off exponentially more particles. I would not recommend activating the device until I can get more engineers here which given our current circumstances is going to have to wait." Doctor Carter finished his explanation on everything.

"Major O'Neill you can get the rest of the team ready for immediate extraction. Captain Jankowski go ahead and get that shuttle… " Captain Reynolds started to order before being interpreted by blip on the sensor screens.

"Captain picking up possible jump point close to the planet!" Her tactical officer sounded.

"Dammit… Major go ahead and hide out. We will take care of things up here." Captain Jankowski reassured them.

"Visual on the contact, do we have course and heading?" An image from the satellite orbiting the moon came into view. A large pyramid came into view, gold in color with a dark underside. Captain Reynolds looked pretty amazed by the apparent decorative nature of the ship.

"Object is heading towards the village. Came in from the side of the planet away from us. No change in course yet." Lt. Hasani said.

"They haven't seen us. Good, keep sensors on passive mode and keep use of laser comms only." Captain Reynolds responded. She knew enough of security protocols that laser communications were effective at close ranges and could not be intercepted easily.

"Object is slightly larger than that pyramid on the surface. We cannot get any more data from this distance." Lt. Ameway said.

"Captain Reynolds I recommend we put the fleet at condition yellow and consider this ship as a potential hostile until we get more information." Captain Jankowski suggested.

"Agreed ..Go ahead sound condition yellow throughout the fleet.

"General quarters General quarters! All hands man your battle stations. Set condition yellow throughout the fleet. Possible hostile contact being observed. Prepare for potential condition red." Captain Janowski strapped himself in and watched all of the video monitors.

Meanwhile on the ground the team witnessed the sight of large pyramid shaped vessel slowly descending into the atmosphere soon moving into a hovering position on the pyramid. They watched as they were hidden in a part of the city that gave them a vantage point to observe it. In astonishment to them and the people the pyramid changed course and headed back towards space. "Well looks like we're stuck here for a while…" Major O'Neill said under her breath

"Captain! Object has changed course and is heading for us!"Lt. Aesha Hasani yelled reading the data on her sensors.

"Dammit! How can they see us? We're in the shadow of that moon!" Captain Reynolds asked aloud.

"Their sensors must be pretty damn good then. Have the Knoxville and Birmingham take position in front of the Clark. Have gun batteries on standby!" Captain Jankowski ordered

"Captain Jankowski please do not have the fleet move to condition red just yet we need to still attempt a first contact!" She asked still knowing to attempt a peaceful first contact first.

"Acknowledged but moment they do anything crazy we will open fire…. if they do, jump into hyperspace right away and head towards the nearest beacon. We cannot risk losing the Clark."

"Captain I am picking up a few weapons emplacements on the ship. Its giving off a hell of an energy signature for such a small ship.

"Incoming visual and audio transmission from the ship! Translation matrix is active."

An image came in on the viewscreen for all the Captains to see. A large throne style room was visible with gold ornamentation around it and what seemed to be walls of Egyptian style hieroglyphics. Seated on the chair was a slender long haired person wearing a flowing black robe with gold streaks running all over it. On top behind his head was a red disc surrounded by a gold crescent on the bottom curving out towards the sides. Most of the crew would think they were staring at a woman until the person rose and spoke.

"This is the territory of the Surpreme System Lord Ra. Who do you serve and why have trespassed here?" The man asked in a strangely booming voice. His eyes glowed a strange yellow flash for a brief second.

"This is Captain Kayleigh Reynolds of the Earth Alliance ship Lewis and Clark on a peaceful exploration mission. We discovered a signal here that led us to believe a civilization existed here. We mean no harm.

"You serve no System Lord? Which world do you come from?" Ra said. Captain Reynolds could tell he was angry.

"We come from the planet Earth. We do not serve any gods, you might have visited our world many thousands of years ago and influenced some of our early history. We seek a peace and understanding of our cultures…" She knew this got Ra's attention.

"You are from the world of the Tau'ri?" He asked.

"I….I don't understand what is the Tau'ri, we are humans.." She was confused by his statement. What did Tau'ri mean?

"I am your god…You will surrender your ships and bow before your or face your destruction!" He threatened.

"Im not sorry to interrupt but its not the policy of Earth Force to bow to aliens impersonating gods." Captain Jankowski decided to speak up.

"Captain! Energy spike from the ship."

"Attention all ships! All batteries and all forward guns open fire! I repeat open fire! Fire! Keep interceptors charged and protect the Clark!"

The pyramid ship fired its energy bolts at the Lewis and Clark while interceptor bolts from the Prometheus and Knoxville clashed with them. A barrage of plasma and laser fire lashed out striking a yellow energy barrier which dissipated over the field. The Lewis and Clark changed course and made preparations to enter hyperspace.

"Alien vessel has shields sir!

"Keep on firing. How much longer till the Clark enters hyperspace?"

"Three more minutes. Interceptors getting hot."

"Rotate us ninety degrees starboard give broadside from our cannons.

The shields of Ra's ship continued to glow under the sustained fire from three of the Hyperion Cruisers. As the Hyperion's interceptors got hot they turned to utilize interceptors from another side while the others cooled. The pyramid ship moved closer and continued to fire. The other Hyperions started to alter position to provide more covering fire for the Clark.

"Captain reading energy fluctuations around the energy barrier its starting to weaken! Jump type signature detected the ship is leaving!" The crew breathed a big sigh of relief upon hearing the news.

"Status on the Clark and the rest of the fleet?

"Sir…. The Lewis and Clark is damaged. They took hits to their engines and cannot enter hyperspace."

"Dammit!" Captain Jankowski slammed his fist into the armrest. Looks like we're stuck here. Send all repair teams to them and assist. Those jump drives need to be back online asap!"

Ra's Personal Ship

Meanwhile Ra watched the spinning swirls of hyperspace as his ship tunneled through it. One of his Primes detected engine traces of objects orbiting the moon and was not happy interlopers had come into his territory. Throughout his reign he had seen a few races interlope into the territories of the System Lords only to be punished. Now he had seen the Tau'ri… a domain they let go of long ago.. a world most of the Goa'uld no longer cared about as they had their own problems to deal with. Now it was a problem many years later. Even old planets that would rise up would be punished. He would not announce this news to the other System Lords.

"This ship is not a warship. We will come back with a fleet and crush the Tau'ri. Assemble all Ship Primes at Edfu and prepare my Ha'tak for battle." He ordered. It was time for them to learn the full might of his forces.