SGC
Cheyenne Mountain AS, CO
"This meeting should be pretty interesting. Notice how well I can understate the obvious?" This was the best humor O'Neill could muster on a morning that would set the tenor for the future of Stargate Command and everyone associated with it. It wasn't often that he got nervous about anything but then…
"I think it's going to turn out much better than you seem to think." General Hammond strode the familiar corridor with his own thoughts in hand. I hope. "It seems to me that a lot of honest effort has gone into some of these proposals."
"An honest effort from bureaucrats? This ought to be good."
The meeting they were referring to was actually a teleconference between the SGC, White House, Pentagon and the State Department. Also sitting in were the Senate Committees with oversight of the SGC, Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Armed Services. Issues that had been boiling for some time were to be hashed out and decided upon. Also, a renewed direction for the SGC would be charted. Some had argued in recent months that the SGC was slowly departing from its mission of exploration and technological development. These voices felt that the SGC's military component had developed a case of tunnel vision due to the ongoing conflict with the Goa'uld.
On the other hand, O'Neill and others pointed to the fact that they were at war with the Goa'uld, declared or not. Earth had been directly assaulted on multiple occasions, the last of which had cost the lives of almost 10,000 US Navy personnel. If this wasn't to be the prime concern of the SGC, then why were they in business? Hadn't the US fomented the Jaffa rebellion? O'Neill supported exploration more than most gave him credit for; he just believed in priorities.
They strode into the SGC's new Command & Control Center. Built over the months following Anubis' attack, it contained state-of-the-art communications nodes. It allowed SGC commanders to also communicate off-world to teams through the gate. It also allowed the SGC to speak with Washington, DC and other capitols more smoothly than a simple secure phone line.
Hammond and O'Neill entered the center and took their seats at the head of a long semi-oval conference table. All of the SGC's Directors were seated on either side. Also seated nearby were Daniel and Sam, actually looking somewhat pensive. Four large plasma screen monitors were on the facing wall. The center monitor was currently dedicated to a White House feed. The others were for the respective agencies.
"The President will be on in 30 seconds" a monotone voice said from the White House feed. The wait seemed unbearable to all involved. Then the same voice announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the President." Everyone rose. The President appeared on the video monitor and stated, "Please be seated."
"Okay, let me start by saying that it's good to see you all and I know we have a lot to deal with, so let's go. General Hammond?"
"Thank you sir, ladies and gentlemen, the events of the last few months have demonstrated a need to better plan the direction of US policy towards a multitude of issues. Among these are the continuing threat of the Goa'uld, the apparent breakdown of our treaty with the Tok'ra, the Replicator threat and the lack of contact with our Atlantis mission. We also must examine the relationship between our dual missions: exploration and the defense of Earth. What has been assembled for your debate and eventual recommendation are a series of proposals that help refine SGC operations."
"The first proposal to be discussed is the expansion of the State Department's role in off-world diplomacy…
At the same time…
Combat Arms Range
Peterson Air Force Base, CO
"CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE!"
"MAKE ALL WEAPONS SAFE!"
Sergeant Patrick Joyce had spent hundreds of hours on various weapons ranges during the past few years. But, even then, he always got excited when the opportunity arose to try a new weapon. Today was qualification day with one of the SGC's more popular pieces of equipment, the P-90 rifle. The P-90 was used by many personnel on off-world missions but was not the mandatory weapon. Some preferred the M-4 rifle like Joyce, some others the MP-5 series of sub-machine gun from Heckler & Koch.
Joyce turned to the Navy SEAL standing next to him on the range, Petty Officer First Class Tony DiSpirito. "What do you think of the P-90?"
DiSpirito thought for a second and then spoke. "It's not bad. A high rate of fire, which comes in handy. I've always had a soft spot for the M-4 though. It got me out of a few touchy situations in Iraq."
"It worked for me in Afghanistan pretty well."
"Let's just hope it makes for nice holes in a Jaffa."
"You bet your ass!"
Back at the SGC…
"Mr. President, the universe's idea of American diplomacy can't continue to always be four or eight Special Forces-types armed to the teeth. After a planet is found to be welcoming, further contact should be left to the diplomatic corps with military assistance as needed."
Shockingly, for once O'Neill found himself in agreement with the Secretary of State. It would definitely free up some of his best operators for other missions. This discussion had come to a head due to the recent tragedy arising from an SG-1 mission. SG-1 found themselves embroiled between two rival governments and religious fanatics. The resulting conflict had cost an astronomical amount of lives and had sent shockwaves through those in the know within the United States Government.
The Secretary dropped his biggest proposal on the table. "I would like to see a permanent diplomatic structure assigned to the SGC. It would not usurp military authority but work in concert with General O'Neill's operation. Also, a formal Ambassador should be posted there to represent our government."
O'Neill and Hammond had seen this coming…