Chapter 2: An Interesting Interlude
Two weeks later, Sam Carter's Lab, SGC
Sam sat in her lab, going over her mission report for PRW-828. It had been a clear-cut mission. She was beginning to worry that SG-1's luck would be running out soon. They had had a series of peaceful, boring missions. They hadn't run into any Goa'uld or enemy Jaffa. They hadn't run afoul of native populations wanting to use them for target practice. They hadn't even run into any bad weather. Everything seemed just a little too peaceful and perfect and Sam suspected that it was only the calm before the storm.
As she typed in her final comments about the mission, her telephone rang. "Carter," she answered.
"Colonel Carter? This is Dr. Brightman. I have the final test results on the gas that you discovered in the weapon from PX7-496. I think we need to brief General O'Neill as soon as possible. These test results don't look so good to me."
The doctor's tone was apprehensive. This alone was enough to worry Sam. Yet, at the same time, she was intrigued. At least it would be an interesting interlude in an otherwise boring week.
"Okay, Dr. Brightman, I'll try to set it up for this afternoon. Dr. Jackson has translated some of the books from the same planet. Maybe he can tell us a little more about the people who made the device at the same time."
Later that afternoon, SGC Briefing Room
General O'Neill was the last to arrive at the briefing that afternoon. As usual, he was up to his eyebrows in reports to be read and phone calls from everyone from the Joint Chiefs to the janitorial staff to return.
"Good afternoon kids. So...as much as I enjoy just getting the chance to hang out with you all, what's up?"
Sam, the one who had arranged the meeting, began by giving him a general overview of the situation. "Sir, we have been examining the device found by SG-6 on PX7-496. I discovered that it is some kind of weapon – like a bomb. It is very similar to our own level of technology."
She passed the General several photographs of the weapon and its interior. She continued her introduction, "It was what was inside the device that was so unusual. I believed it to be some sort of chemical or biological agent, so I sent it to Dr. Brightman and her staff for analysis. The test results are back. In addition, Daniel has been translating some of the books found on the same planet. I was hoping that we could combine all of this information today and find out what exactly the device is, why it was created, and what it does."
Daniel immediately jumped in with the information he had learned so far. Barely stopping for breaths in between sentences, he began, rambling, "Jack, from what I can tell, this weapon is the reason PX7-496 was uninhabited. According to their recent history, they were involved in a great war with a neighboring planet that wanted to take over and colonize their world. Their enemy also didn't have a Stargate, and wanted control over the one on 496. Although not as technologically advanced, their enemy had a much larger population hence their need for colonies. Both sides fought each other for years with neither side making much progress – one side having the advantage in technology, one in numbers. The weapon was really a last-ditch effort by the people of PX7-496 to end the war once and for all. They were going to launch it against the other planet, unfortunately for them, when they tested the weapon something went terribly wrong. It destroyed their entire world, Jack."
Jack, who had remained characteristically silent during this speech, stared at Daniel in astonishment. "You know, it never ceases to amaze me at how much information you can impart in such a short amount of time. Did they teach you how to speak that fast in archeology school?"
Daniel just glared at Jack in annoyance. Jack contemplated Daniel's report for a second. Something bothered him about it. "Daniel? If the weapon destroyed everything and everyone on the planet, who wrote all of those history books that you've been reading?"
Daniel crinkled his forehead in confusion. He obviously hadn't thought about that. "Good question. I don't really know. I only know that the books warn against anyone using or testing the weapon. The authors of all the histories warn that the device is cursed – it will only bring about sorrow and destruction."
Jack leaned back in his chair, "Spooky."
Dr. Brightman, unlike some in the room, had been completely engrossed in Daniel's lecture. Once she was sure that he was finished, she spoke up for the first time. "I think I can clarify what happened, General. My people and I have done several tests on the substance Colonel Carter found in the device. At first, we thought it was a toxin, like nerve gas. What we found is that it is actually a virus. From what we can tell, it attacks weakened immune systems. While it would probably not kill a healthy adult, it is aggressive enough to kill a child or an elderly person. It probably made most of the adult population of PX7-496 very sick for a long time, while killing off the children and elderly."
The three others in the room stared at the doctor in disbelief. "Why would anyone want to kill children and old people? That doesn't even sound like a rational military objective," Sam questioned.
"It gets worse, Colonel," Dr. Brightman warned. "It would appear that the virus also attacks the reproductive system of infected females. Basically, it renders them sterile."
Daniel nodded, feeling a strange combination of revulsion and understanding at this information. "So it effectively kills off the younger generations and makes sure no future generations will be born." He paused, touching one of the books he had brought to the meeting and tapping it with his hand. "These people lived full lives knowing that they had killed their own parents and children and had effectively brought about the end of their entire race. All they could do in the end was render the device useless and write their story down as a warning."
Jack turned to the doctor and asked, "Dr. Brightman, would this virus be an useful weapon against the Goa'uld?"
"I don't think so, General O'Neill. It was designed to attack the human immune system from what we can tell. Since the Goa'uld repress and take over the natural immune system of their human hosts, it would be unlikely to work against them. My people will continue to run experiments to see, however."
Sam had remained silent through most of Brightman's revelations. She knew instinctively that it was wrong to be experimenting with the virus. If something had gone so very wrong on PX7-496, it could just as easily happen on Earth. And while everyone at the SGC was an adult, who knew how quickly and easily the virus could spread to the outside world.
Sam spoke firmly, making her opinion immediately apparent, "Sir, I would advise that we come up with a plan to return the device and virus to PX7-496 and destroy them. That is, if Dr. Brightman's tests show that the virus would be ineffective against the Goa'uld. It sounds like this thing is too dangerous for us to be meddling with, more than we already have."
Daniel concurred, "It did wipe out an entire planet, Jack."
Jack stood and nodded at them, "Advice received and understood. Doctor, keep me up to date on your progress. I will talk to the President and Joint Chiefs about this. They want the damned device shipped off to Area 51 by the end of the month. I will try and dissuade them. Carter, you work on a plan to get rid of that thing."
"Yes sir. Thank you, sir." Both Carter and Brightman stood as he left the room.
Jack sauntered back towards his office when he realized that the Colonel and Doctor were still standing at attention around the table. "Oh for crying out loud! You two are such sticklers for protocol. Dismissed!"
TBC
