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P2X-395, or Redwall
Chapter 4: A History and a Reconnaissance
The MALP inched its way up the metal ramp to the shimmering pool of "fluctuations" that was the event horizon for a wormhole. A gate to the stars, hence the name "Stargate". There are Stargates on several planets scattered throughout the universe. The Stargate's use depended on the planet's culture, history, and level of technology. Some species used it for their own good, other planets may have had their Stargate buried to protect themselves or to keep others out.For example, on Earth, the Stargate was used early in time. The ancient Egyptians, however, buried it after rebelling against the Goa'uld. The Goa'uld are a parasitic alien species that take humans for hosts and, pretending to be gods, unmercifully rule over any weaker species. The human slaves, realizing that they were false "gods", fought against them and buried the gate. True, the Goa'uld are advanced enough to come in spaceships, but at the time Earth was a small colony and was, thankfully, quickly forgotten.
Time passed and the Stargate and its history slowly became stories, legends, and myths until finally it was completely forgotten. The people of Earth never knew about its existence.
After thousands of years, humans began archaeological digs in Egypt to uncover secrets about the ancient Egyptians. They uncovered several artifacts and learned how they lived and worked and functioned as a society.
One important artifact they found was a ring with strange symbols etched into it with and a podium with the same symbols on it. After extensive research by the American military and scientists, the Stargate was used once for the first time in hundreds of years. After that first attempt, however, the military gave up on the Stargate and left it alone.
A couple of decades passed and the Stargate was once again in the minds of the American military. Thanks to new technology and an archaeologist named Dr. Daniel Jackson, the purpose of the Stargate was revealed and a team was sent through the Stargate to explore the other side. Two members of the team were Dr. Jackson and Col. Jack O'Neill (two 'l's). After a grand adventure of kicking some Goa'uld butt and saving an entire planet, Col. O'Neill and the team went back to Earth. Dr. Jackson stayed behind to live with his new wife. Scientist believed that the Stargate went to one planet only, so it was advised that the Stargate project be abandoned.
A year later, however, the Goa'uld came back, killed some soldiers and kidnapped one. The original team plus Major Samantha Carter was sent to retrieve Jackson and figure out how the Goa'uld came back. After a lengthy conversation that no one understood but themselves, Carter and Jackson figured out that there are Stargates all over the universe and all are connected.
Thus, the Stargate Program created and the Air Force base in Colorado that held the Stargate became the Stargate Command. Small teams were created to explore planets. They made contact with any species and established connections for trading of weapons and technology. Col. O'Neill, Jackson, Carter, and an alien called Teal'C became SG-1 and the best team in the program.
The aforementioned MALP scooted through the event horizon and was shot through the wormhole to the other side. Moments later, the screens in the control room of the SGC blipped and an image was focused on a clearing, surrounded by a forest. "MALP telemetry coming in," remarked a young airman.
"Oh, great, more trees. Be purple, for cryin' out loud! At least then these planets could actually look alien instead of looking like my backyard!" Col. O'Neill was rather cranky this morning. Daniel had drunk most of the coffee and there was no time to brew a new cup.
All the members of SG-1 and their commanding officer, General Hammond, were in the control room watching as the MALP gave them an initial assessment to the planet they would explore next. Carter and Daniel were especially excited. They had dialed this address before, but were unable to establish a stable wormhole. It could have been for any number of reasons, but now that it connected it proved that things on the other side were changing. The two scientists were itching to figure out what it was. O'Neill and Teal'C were also excited, but in an anxious way since they usually thought of the worst scenarios first.
Suddenly, two bulky creatures came walking out of the forest across the clearing in front of the Stargate. The airman focused the camera on them and zoomed in. The creatures walked upright and had long tails. Their paws, noses and ears were a rosy pink and the fur was a rich brown color. They wore what looked like a monk's robe. Basically, they looked like overgrown mice from an experiment gone wrong.
Every mouth in the control room dropped, and when the mice noticed the MALP and the active Stargate, their mouths dropped, too. Brains came to a screeching halt as the mice looked at the silver wheelbarrow and SG-1 looked at the Mickey Mouse models.
Are you happy now? Jack's inner voice cried out. He recovered and cleared his throat. "Hmph. Ah… Mr. Ambassador, it looks like your up!" He spoke to Daniel.
Daniel gaped, opening and closing his mouth like a fish before he realized what Jack meant. "Right." Let's hope they know English. Leaning forward into the microphone, he began: "Hello! Please, don't be afraid! We mean you no harm. My name is Daniel Jackson and I'm speaking to you through the speaker on the cart."
"Egad!" squeaked Brother Maynard. "It speaks!"
Jeez, they even sound like mice! Jack's brain quipped.
Ok, it seems they do know English. Thank God… Daniel reasoned.
"My friends and I would like to visit you and your people and explore your planet," Daniel continued.
Oh dear! There's more than one of you silver talking wheelbarrows! And you want to come here! Oh, this is so not good! Brother Maynard and Brother Eric looked at each other, frightened faces mirroring each other. With a terrified squeak, they jumped, turned around and ran away as if on hot coals.
"They seemed nice," Jack deadpanned. Carter rolled her eyes, Daniel glared, and Teal'C merely did his eyebrow move.
"Sir," said Carter, to both O'Neill and Hammond, "I think we should go. The planet supports life for human beings and those… creatures seemed tame enough to visit."
"They were frightened by the MALP," Teal'C replied.
Ya think! "Oh yeah, I'm sure everyone loves talking machines on that planet," quipped Jack.
"Well, it means that they are not very technologically advanced and are more afraid of us than we are of them," supplied Daniel. Jack scowled.
"Very well. You have a go and can leave when ready. But be careful- just because they look like cute furry mice doesn't mean they're harmless," announced Hammond. He looked at each member to make sure they understood and then headed to his office where a mountain of paperwork was waiting for him.
I included a short history lesson of the Stargate for those who have never seen the show. I hope it helps. For more info go to I hope this chapter wasn't too boring.