~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*
Gypsies of a Strange and Distant Time
Author: Kitty Pierce Disclaimer: I don't own any of the SGC (god knows I wish I did), but Kaylyna, Robskere, the Vanir-ta and their equipment are mine. So there. *slaps hand away* No that you'd want them anyway.
~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~
Daniel picked up his files, hesitated, then put them down again and scribbled a hasty note on top of them. Collecting it up, he then set off towards the briefing room. Outside his door he almost ran down Major Carter, who was also walking hurriedly there.
"Oh! Sam... thank God I'm not the only one late then," he said, grinning and falling into step beside her. She made a non-committal noise, not looking up, and headed towards her seat as they came in. Daniel shot a quizzical look towards Jack and Teal'c, already in place. The Colonel was sprawled in his chair already bored, and he shrugged. As the two tardy members of SG-1 slipped into their seats, General Hammond cleared his throat.
"I'm glad you remembered to bring your notes, Doctor Jackson, however late they might be." Daniel ducked his head apologetically.
"The Tok'ra will be sending their scientists through the Gate in about half an hour or so," continued the General, "and as you know they are especially interested in this artefact. Did you manage to translate the machine's inscriptions?"
"Almost all, General. I believe it's something to do with a shielding device involving complexities of space-time, or something like that. I had hoped to work with Sam and the scientists to understand it properly..."
In the background Jack started spinning his pen round and round his fingers, and then scooting it around the table in front of him. Another damned 'alien artefact'. Always with the artefacts. Perfectly nice planet, P7Q 611, but after blowing up a couple forests, taking out a dozen or so Jaffa, all they had brought back was another artefact. Great! Technology. As long as it works, I'll put my faith in it and Carter's knowledge, and leave it at that. But always such a great tizzwazz about it. And now the Tok'ra wanting to get in on it as well... he'd be tied up in diplomatic niceties until the weekend. Jack's pen went skittering across the table to hit General Hammond's file. As the balding man took in an annoyed breath, suddenly they were all interrupted.
"Unscheduled offworld activation," blared the security system, flashing red lights everywhere. Jack pushed his chair back hurriedly and got to his feet with the others. "The Tok'ra are quite early, wouldn't you say?" commented Daniel as they headed down to the command room. General Hammond shot Jack a reproachful look as the Colonel sauntered down to the Gate room, glad for the interruption. Daniel and Teal'c followed him, whilst Sam followed silently after the general.
In the command room the officer sat back expectantly as the wormhole was established, waiting for the Tok'ra ID to come through.
And waited, and waited.
As he turned to look at General Hammond, suddenly a signal came through. "It's an unrecognised code, sir," he reported worriedly, locking onto the trace. "Definitely not the Tok'ra."
Beside the General, Sam sat down and began isolating the trace herself. Finally she looked up. "This isn't an information signal, sir, nor even one designed to keep the Stargate open," she stated, her blank mood lifting slightly to puzzlement.
"Could it be the Goa'uld?"
"I think it highly unlikely, sir, it doesn't show any traces of significance... it's more like a sweeper trace..." she replied, frowning at the screen. Just then something lightly bumped into the iris below.
The soldiers with their weapons locked on the Gate looked confused, and then to Colonel O'Neill as he stood there with Teal'c.
"Sir?" he called up to the command station above. The bump repeated suddenly, as if something was knocking to come in, right at the bottom of the iris.
General Hammond frowned. "Do you have any idea of what it is on the other side?" he asked Carter, who shook her head.
"I don't believe it's a danger though, sir," she said, getting up from her chair to look at the Gate below.
"Why not?"
"Well, what do we send through the gate when we're unsure of what's on the other side?"
"The probe."
"Exactly sir, with a sweeper trace. I think we're looking at something similar here."
"We can't let it in, Major."
"It's keeping the gate engaged, sir, and the Tok'ra are due quite soon... and we have the team at stations in case of Goa'uld attack..." Sam said, glancing back at him.
"Nevertheless, it's out of the question." Said the General firmly.
The officer looked up from his computer. "The signal has changed, sir," he reported, bringing up the relevant screen. Sam bent down to look.
"It's audio now," she said, dropping back down her seat.
"Well?" called up Jack, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow as he looked up at the command station.
"Give us a minute or two, Colonel!" said the General, half glaring at him. Jack rolled his eyes, and yawned ostentatiously.
"Watch out, Teal'c, the little bump sounds incredibly dangerous," he commented to the Jaffa beside him, rocking back on his heels.
"On the contrary, O'Neill, I feel that the noise does not in fact - "
"I know, Teal'c."
Sam finished cleaning up the signal and it suddenly came into focus. A tinny replay echoed out. "I don't understand, Robskere, why - *@#':*% - the Linerek normally travels - @5$##;:& - hitch, like on all the expeditions - " came an exasperated female voice crackled through, broken by static. The command crew exchanged puzzled looks.
"A probe then?" said General Hammond slowly.
"I would suspect so, sir," said Carter, the faintest trace of smugness mixed with annoyance in her voice.
General Hammond leant towards the microphone.
"We're going to open the iris. Teams be ready to repel enemy attack," he said bluntly, before nodding to the officer, who tapped in the iris activation code.
In the Gate room below, the soldiers trained their guns once more as the iris jerkily unswirled, revealing the blue event horizon rippling gently. Jack dropped his arms and whispered, "Finally," to Teal'c and Daniel.
Around them fingers tightened on triggers as something emerged from the Stargate.
Gypsies of a Strange and Distant Time
Author: Kitty Pierce Disclaimer: I don't own any of the SGC (god knows I wish I did), but Kaylyna, Robskere, the Vanir-ta and their equipment are mine. So there. *slaps hand away* No that you'd want them anyway.
~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~
Daniel picked up his files, hesitated, then put them down again and scribbled a hasty note on top of them. Collecting it up, he then set off towards the briefing room. Outside his door he almost ran down Major Carter, who was also walking hurriedly there.
"Oh! Sam... thank God I'm not the only one late then," he said, grinning and falling into step beside her. She made a non-committal noise, not looking up, and headed towards her seat as they came in. Daniel shot a quizzical look towards Jack and Teal'c, already in place. The Colonel was sprawled in his chair already bored, and he shrugged. As the two tardy members of SG-1 slipped into their seats, General Hammond cleared his throat.
"I'm glad you remembered to bring your notes, Doctor Jackson, however late they might be." Daniel ducked his head apologetically.
"The Tok'ra will be sending their scientists through the Gate in about half an hour or so," continued the General, "and as you know they are especially interested in this artefact. Did you manage to translate the machine's inscriptions?"
"Almost all, General. I believe it's something to do with a shielding device involving complexities of space-time, or something like that. I had hoped to work with Sam and the scientists to understand it properly..."
In the background Jack started spinning his pen round and round his fingers, and then scooting it around the table in front of him. Another damned 'alien artefact'. Always with the artefacts. Perfectly nice planet, P7Q 611, but after blowing up a couple forests, taking out a dozen or so Jaffa, all they had brought back was another artefact. Great! Technology. As long as it works, I'll put my faith in it and Carter's knowledge, and leave it at that. But always such a great tizzwazz about it. And now the Tok'ra wanting to get in on it as well... he'd be tied up in diplomatic niceties until the weekend. Jack's pen went skittering across the table to hit General Hammond's file. As the balding man took in an annoyed breath, suddenly they were all interrupted.
"Unscheduled offworld activation," blared the security system, flashing red lights everywhere. Jack pushed his chair back hurriedly and got to his feet with the others. "The Tok'ra are quite early, wouldn't you say?" commented Daniel as they headed down to the command room. General Hammond shot Jack a reproachful look as the Colonel sauntered down to the Gate room, glad for the interruption. Daniel and Teal'c followed him, whilst Sam followed silently after the general.
In the command room the officer sat back expectantly as the wormhole was established, waiting for the Tok'ra ID to come through.
And waited, and waited.
As he turned to look at General Hammond, suddenly a signal came through. "It's an unrecognised code, sir," he reported worriedly, locking onto the trace. "Definitely not the Tok'ra."
Beside the General, Sam sat down and began isolating the trace herself. Finally she looked up. "This isn't an information signal, sir, nor even one designed to keep the Stargate open," she stated, her blank mood lifting slightly to puzzlement.
"Could it be the Goa'uld?"
"I think it highly unlikely, sir, it doesn't show any traces of significance... it's more like a sweeper trace..." she replied, frowning at the screen. Just then something lightly bumped into the iris below.
The soldiers with their weapons locked on the Gate looked confused, and then to Colonel O'Neill as he stood there with Teal'c.
"Sir?" he called up to the command station above. The bump repeated suddenly, as if something was knocking to come in, right at the bottom of the iris.
General Hammond frowned. "Do you have any idea of what it is on the other side?" he asked Carter, who shook her head.
"I don't believe it's a danger though, sir," she said, getting up from her chair to look at the Gate below.
"Why not?"
"Well, what do we send through the gate when we're unsure of what's on the other side?"
"The probe."
"Exactly sir, with a sweeper trace. I think we're looking at something similar here."
"We can't let it in, Major."
"It's keeping the gate engaged, sir, and the Tok'ra are due quite soon... and we have the team at stations in case of Goa'uld attack..." Sam said, glancing back at him.
"Nevertheless, it's out of the question." Said the General firmly.
The officer looked up from his computer. "The signal has changed, sir," he reported, bringing up the relevant screen. Sam bent down to look.
"It's audio now," she said, dropping back down her seat.
"Well?" called up Jack, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow as he looked up at the command station.
"Give us a minute or two, Colonel!" said the General, half glaring at him. Jack rolled his eyes, and yawned ostentatiously.
"Watch out, Teal'c, the little bump sounds incredibly dangerous," he commented to the Jaffa beside him, rocking back on his heels.
"On the contrary, O'Neill, I feel that the noise does not in fact - "
"I know, Teal'c."
Sam finished cleaning up the signal and it suddenly came into focus. A tinny replay echoed out. "I don't understand, Robskere, why - *@#':*% - the Linerek normally travels - @5$##;:& - hitch, like on all the expeditions - " came an exasperated female voice crackled through, broken by static. The command crew exchanged puzzled looks.
"A probe then?" said General Hammond slowly.
"I would suspect so, sir," said Carter, the faintest trace of smugness mixed with annoyance in her voice.
General Hammond leant towards the microphone.
"We're going to open the iris. Teams be ready to repel enemy attack," he said bluntly, before nodding to the officer, who tapped in the iris activation code.
In the Gate room below, the soldiers trained their guns once more as the iris jerkily unswirled, revealing the blue event horizon rippling gently. Jack dropped his arms and whispered, "Finally," to Teal'c and Daniel.
Around them fingers tightened on triggers as something emerged from the Stargate.