Patience

Part 2 of the Potentials Series

Dedicated to Ecolea, for without her Changing of the Guard series, none of this would have been possible.

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And now, on to the story...

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It had been just shy of five months since the startling announcement made by President Ryan regarding the existence of the Stargate program, of aliens, and of Colonials and Immortals. In five months, the first dome had been designed and built on Luna and the majority of Immortals had moved there. On Mars and her two moons, the Colonials had launched massive construction campaigns that were now producing above-surface living quarters at astonishing rates. One of their Forge ships was prowling through the asteroid belt sucking up raw materiel for new squadrons of fighters and for construction of a new fleet of Battlestars that would eventually join the Galactica and the Daedalus.

On Earth, the SGC was slowly being converted into a multi-national force. After having secured a treaty of sorts with a planet full of Unas, shipments of naquadah were now arriving with increasing regularity. Squadrons of fighter pilots were now based at nearby Peterson AFB. These squadrons were pulling rotational duty on and off the two Battlecruisers, while work continued on three more. Long range patrols were constantly in space, patrolling the outer reaches of the Sol System.

With the revelation of the advanced space going vessels under Air Force control, and the loan of two Air Force shuttles and two Colonial shuttles to NASA, that agency had mothballed their own shuttle fleet. The existing space station, still under construction at the time of the President's speech, had been converted to a construction crew housing facility while the first of several of joint Earth-Colonial-Immortal space stations were built.

With one fell swoop, Earth had advance nearly three hundred years in space fairing technology. Already the presence of advanced medical technologies as released by the Colonials and the Immortals were making a considerable impact on Earth. Nations that only months before had been at each others proverbial throats, were now sending soldiers and pilots to train along side one another in a common defense of the Earth, Luna, and Mars. Using the technologies created by Marius Augustus, the Immortals had built a ship yard for the creation of newer and more advanced Battlecruisers for Earth's defense. Marius' staff had taken a dozen CMUs onto a shuttle and were busily carving out five ships from a large asteroid in the Belt. These ships would become underway replenishment ships for the fleet vessels of the system.

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Elsewhere in the Galaxy

Osiris and Baal had fled to the relative safety of Lord Yu's domain following the submission of Anubis to the Cylons and Count Iblis. It had taken five months for the Council of System Lords to amass a fleet large enough to deal with the threat posed by Anubis and his new allies. It was probably the largest fleet assembled by the System Lords in their recorded history. Fifty Cheops-class cruisers, a hundred Ha'tak-class mother ships, and dozens of Shral'ka-class heavy mother ships, supported by several hundred Al'kesh bombers and thousands of Udajeet fighters. The fleet moved as one into hyperspace for the journey to the domain under control by Anubis and the Cylons.

The Tok'ra operatives aboard many of the fleet ships were unable to make contact with their controllers until the battle had been joined, and even then it was only a short series of emergency messages. The Tok'ra would be unable to do anything to assist.

The Cylons had not been idle either in the intervening months. Hundreds of base ships had been brought to that system from their home system. The 'subjects' of Anubis' home world had been pressed into slave-like conditions building ships and armaments for the Cylons. Now they had tens of thousands of fighters at their disposal. Then the combined fleets of the System Lords appeared in their space and the battle was engaged.

Al'kesh bombers went in with Udajeet fighters trying to cut a hole in the frontal line of Cylon base ships. On the Cylon side, there were four thousand fighters waiting for them. The advantage on the Cylon side was that each fighter carried a pilot, a gunner, and a command Centurion, thus they were somewhat autonomous, at least within the guidelines of their current mission. On the Goa'uld side, each Udajeet fighter had a crew of two; a pilot and a gunner. They were not as independent in their actions as their only goal was to defend their 'God'. The advantage on the Goa'uld side was in the Al'kesh bombers. More guns and more plasma torpedo bombs at their disposal. It was the Goa'uld Al'kesh bombers that fired the first round of shots. What the Goa'uld did not realize was that they had weapons that would enable them to fire at long range. The Cylon fighters were designed with short range interdiction weapons. It would prove a costly mistake.

The Al'kesh bombers came in fast and hard with Udajeet fighters in close support. Space was awash with plasma energies as torpedo bombs found and destroyed Cylon fighters. Still the Cylons did not fire back. For some reason, they had to come close to their targets before opening fire. But this escaped the attention of the dozen System Lords and their First Primes aboard the command mother ships at the rear of the formation. It did not, however, escape the attention of the Asgard probe hiding behind a cloaking screen and observing the unfolding battle.

Now the battle was set. Cylon fighters weaved and dove through the ranks of Udajeet fighters. The two fighter types were equally matched. And while they were engaged, the Al'kesh bombers made their runs at the base ships behind the screen of fighters. And while they scored some lucky hits with their bombs, they were no match for the heavy pulsar cannons that each base ship fielded. In threes and fours, the Al'kesh bombers fell to the lancing beams of pulsar fire. It seemed like hours but was only a matter of ten to fifteen minutes before the final Al'kesh met a fiery plasma death.

Now the Udajeets were on their own. Their 'Gods' called them back to defend the mother ships as now the larger capital ships moved in. Their force fields kept the withering fire of the Cylon fighters away from the hulls of the ships, but would not stand up to the pulsar fire. Now they changed tactics somewhat and engaged the base ships from a distance. But it was a case of too little too late. There were just too many of them and the tactics employed by the System Lords were designed to be used against other Goa'uld, not cybernetic enemies. The battle was not going in their favor. Lord Yu made a desperate decision, one that took him by surprise. Retreat. Retreat to form an alliance. With the Tau'ri.

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Earth, California, San Francisco

June 8th

Marius had been invited to meet Piper's family, but he was also there to speak with a few companies regarding the possibilities of joint mining ventures in the asteroid belt. His meetings were done for the day, and truthfully they had not gone well. Too many of the technologies he was offering for lease to these companies were untried and unproven in their eyes. Now he found himself standing outside a stately looking home of at least two floors, though if one counted the attic, it would be three floors. The door was ornate, more so than he would have thought, with a bit too much glass for his liking. He knocked once, twice, then waited as he could hear someone approaching. And feel them. Though it was like Cassandra had already explained to him, and if he concentrated enough, he could tell that the power signature from the other side of the door was not, in fact, a Quickening, not even a pre-Immortal one.

"Hello?"

"Hi. I'm looking for Piper?"

"Piper! Someone at the door for you!"

Then she appeared at the door and Marius felt his breath leave him. She was a vision of loveliness dressed almost entirely in black. It stirred feelings deep within. And it pained him, but it was the good kind of pain. She invited him in, and upon crossing the threshold, he felt something. Powerful, raw, and immensely and intensely good. He could not put it into words. She brought him into the kitchen area that was all at once small yet fully functional.

"Marco, I'd like to introduce you to my sisters. This is Phoebe, and that's Paige."

"Hmm. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. Your mother must have liked the letter P?"

"It's a tradition in our family."

Phoebe was thinking very impure thoughts over the man her sister had brought in. A damned fine specimen of manhood if ever she had seen one. But there was something else that she could feel, like an electrical current running just under the surface. It was at once exciting and scary.

Paige was having similar feelings. And similar thoughts. But she also saw how much Piper had improved her outlook over the last few weeks and she knew it would be in bad form if she or Phoebe flirted with this hunk of a man.

"So how did your day go? Get a lot of orders?"

"Nope. Nary a one. These companies, they wouldn't know a good deal if came up and begged to bite them."

"Orders? What line of work are you in Marco?"

He looked askance at Piper.

"You didn't tell them?"

"The subject hasn't come up really. I thought I'd let you do that."

"Oh this should be fun. Phoebe, Paige, I have a question for you. Well actually two questions. First of all, do either of you two read the paper or watch the news?"

"Well we did when Piper was dating that reporter. But it's usually too depressing."

"I see. So then I don't look remotely familiar to either one of you?"

"What are you? Rock star?"

"Ah, no. Sorry Paige. Not a rock star. Though I do play guitar, it's not something I've ever tried to make a profession of. No, I've been on the news programs a lot of late. In fact, had it not been for that former boyfriend of Piper's, I daresay she and I would not have met. He did an exposé some months ago, right about the time Jack Ryan released some info that well, let's just say, upset a few notions about alien life."

"You're an alien? Oh my God!"

"No! Not an alien. I was born here on Earth. Sometime around six hundred years before the birth of Christ, in the area that is now known as Spain."

Piper led them all into the living room where Marius took a seat and began to tell his story. But he had barely begun when this thing, this human shaped thing materialized into the living room. He was in shock for all of maybe two seconds. Long enough to see the thing, whatever it was, form a fireball in its hand and throw it at Piper. Paige disappeared in a flash of light, taking Piper with her and reappeared on the far side of the room. Whatever this creature was, it meant to do harm and Marius pulled his sword from beneath his jacket.

"I've no idea what you are, but you are not welcome here. Leave. Or I shall be forced to kill you."

"Human. You can not kill me. Step aside. I'm here only for the Witches."

"Whatever."

Marius took a swing and sliced the creature down its front before pivoting on one foot and bringing the blade up and across its neck. The head came away from the body easily enough and then both parts dissolved in a flash of fire and ash.

"Uhm. Yeah. Ok. Well, that's never happened to me before. What the hell was that?"

"Would you believe a demon?"

"A demon. Uhm, sure. If that was a demon, then who are the witches he mentioned?"

"We are. The three of us. In magical circles, we are known as the Charmed Ones. Three witches who safeguard innocents from evil."

"I think I need a drink. Hell, twenty-six hundred years of life, and now I meet demons and witches. No, that's not true, I mean, there is Cassandra to think about, and oh my, what a lot to think about with that one!"

"What do you mean? Who's Cassandra?"

"Cassandra is one of us, an Immortal. She's also a witch. A very old and very powerful witch."

"I'd love to meet her sometime."

"I'm sure that can be arranged. Though you've already met her Piper."

"I have? Oh, wait a minute, she was at that party at your friend's place a few months ago, the night we met."

"That's the one."

"She's a witch?"

"Yep. In fact she managed to correct a notion I had about you being one of us, a pre-Immortal. She could feel your power, but she told me in no uncertain terms that what I felt, the power I felt, was not that of either Immortal or Yet-To-Be-Immortal. And now that I've seen your powers with my own eyes, I know just what she meant."

"So just how old is she, anyways?"

"Well, I never ask any woman her age. That would be downright impolite of me. But she's older than me, by at least six hundred years."

"Is she the eldest of your kind?"

"No. Not hardly. Methos has at least six thousand years on her."

"Six thousand? Oh my."

"Yeah, well even I get to call him 'Old Man'. He was around before the pyramids were built."

"Oh wow!"

"What's it like, Marius, to see so much history pass before your eyes?"

"Ya know, Phoebe, people have asked me that a thousand times before, and I'll give you the only answer I have. For you, a century ago is the past, it's history. For me, it was a lifetime. I've seen so much and done so much that for me it was just another day. I mean, even Isaac didn't know he was making history when that apple fell on him."

"You knew Newton?"

"No, not really. We traveled in the same circles once upon a time. He was President of Cambridge when I was there getting a law degree. A most formidable debater as I recall."

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The talking continued well into the afternoon and Marius excused himself to return to his hotel. He wanted to change out of his suit and into something far more comfortable for his date that evening with Piper. His phone rang just as he stepped out of the Halliwell's home.

"Ramos."

"How goes the business in San Francisco?"

"About as well as can be expected Marcus. These companies wouldn't know a good deal if it came up and bit them on the ass. I'm beginning to think we need to set up our own manufacturing capability on Luna rather than…"

"Rather than what Marius? Marius? Are you there? Marius?"

But Marius couldn't answer. He'd felt something prick his neck like a mosquito sting but by the time his hand reached up to swat at it, he was falling to the ground.

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"Hey Piper? What time did Marius say he was picking you up for dinner?"

"I forgot to ask. Let me see if he's still outside."

Piper came out just in time to see several men loading a very unconscious looking Marius into a non-descript black panel van with darkly tinted windows. The van pulled away from the curb in a big hurry and she ran out into the street to try and read the license plate numbers only to find Marius' cell phone on the ground. She didn't see the plate numbers. She picked up the cell phone and heard someone speaking from it.

"Hello?"

"Who is this?"

"Who is this?"

"I am Marcus Constantine. What have you done with Marius?"

"Mr. Constantine. My name is Piper Halliwell. Marius was just here, but I realized I'd forgotten to ask him something. So I cam outside just in time to see several men loading him into a van and driving away."

"Stay where you are, Ms. Halliwell. Someone will be contacting you shortly. I have to cut this connection now, but someone will be back with you in a few moments."

"Is Marius alright?"

"I have no idea. I need to go."

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The next call Marcus placed was to Adam Pierson at the SGC.

"Pierson."

"Adam. I need help."

"What's wrong?"

"Marius. I think he's been taken."

"Taken?"

"Yes, taken. By parties unknown. His current love interest was a witness to the tail end of the kidnapping."

"San Francisco? I'll be there soonest."

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"Jack!"

"Adam?"

"Marius is in trouble. I need to get to him."

"Where is he?"

"San Francisco."

"We've got a shuttle topside. Let's go!"

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About ten minutes after Marcus' call to Adam, Marius awoke in the back of a van. His legs and wrists secured by chains.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Why, Mr. President, I am the man that will examine you in detail. To see what makes you and your kind tick."

"Watch it asshole. That's not legal."

"I am quite aware of the pithy laws of this country. They do not apply to myself nor to my colleagues. Come along quietly, Dr. Ramos, and we will leave Ms. Halliwell here, safe and unharmed. Resist, and I will issue orders that she be made to join you. We will take her if only to keep you quiet."

"The hell you will! I am Marius Augustus. Citizen of Luna. President of the Immortal Council. Commander-in-Chief of the Immortal Military. Consider yourself challenged, asshole."

Marius made to raise his sword in salute, but realized too late that he was securely locked in by the many chains around his body. Nonetheless, his captors chose that moment to shoot him with a second dart. Not a tranquilizer dart as he initially thought, but a dart loaded with cyanide. As he felt the poison rush through his veins, he gritted his teeth hard and felt the hidden transmitter in his back-most molar buzz gently into his jaw; a concealed emergency locator beacon encased by a covering that resembled a cavity. The signal went out immediately to a satellite, then down to the SGC. By the time the signal had been relayed to Captain Adam Pierson, Marius had been bundled into a second van with government plates and was being driven to a nearby heliport.

"Jack. We've got a problem."

"What problem? We'll be on the ground in a few, Adam."

"No Jack. Stay in the air. The SGC just received an emergency locator beacon signal from Marius. He was against that idea, as you recall. But it is necessary for any Immortals on Earth. In the event we are taken by someone. He would only activate it if that were the case."

"What are your procedures, Adam?"

"They haven't been tested yet. We didn't anticipate anyone trying to grab one of us, at least not yet."

"Where did the signal originate?"

"Looks like a residential neighborhood in San Francisco. Should we check there first?"

"And we're down. Sam, stay with the ship. Teal'c, Adam, with me."

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A quick check of the Halliwell house proved that neither Phoebe nor Paige had witnessed the kidnapping. Piper only saw the van for a moment, and beyond the description of a black van with no plates and darkly tinted windows, she hadn't seen anything else. It was at this point that Adam called Marcus back recommended to him that the abduction protocols be implemented.

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Federal Building, San Francisco

June 8th

They were finishing up the paper work that would put another serial killer on death row, when his cell phone rang.

"Mulder."

"Hey fibbie. That frequency you asked us to monitor just went ape shit. Looks like someone grabbed an Immortal. We believe it was that cigarette smoking bastard that did it."

"Are you sure?"

"As sure as we can be."

"Do you have a location?"

"The Immortal was grabbed from outside a residential neighborhood in San Francisco. We're tracking a moving signal heading west."

"Get me a location as soon as you can. I'll get Scully."

"You got it Mulder."

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"Who was that Mulder?"

"The guys. They told me the Immortal emergency frequency just went nuts. They think it was someone from the Consortium that grabbed an Immortal."

"With as much security as these Immortals supposedly have, I think I wouldn't want to be in that bastard's shoes when they catch him."

"This is our chance Scully. If we get to him first, they'll have to let me in to see these Grays! Then they'll have to tell me what happened to my sister!"

"Oh Mulder. Don't get your hopes up. Do they have a location yet?"

"The signal is moving west. Are you with me Scully?"

"Yes. I am. I'm going to call Skinner and then Doggett."

"You do that. I'll get us a car."

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"Are you quite sure Methos?"

"I am, Constantine. Marius has been abducted. He was at Piper's home in San Francisco."

"Is she the one I met at his last dinner party?"

"The one and the same. It appears as though only he was taken. The signal we are receiving is moving west at a good rate of speed so we can only assume that it is airborne."

"Your recommendation, Methos?"

"We get him back! And we make sure whoever has done this will not threaten an Immortal, any Immortal, ever again."

"I concur. Very well. I will make the arrangements up here. Are any of the strike teams available?"

"I believe Alex's team is available. Duncan's team is presently off-world."

"Get Alexander moving. I'll get our team up here moving towards Earth as soon as possible."

"I'll be in touch Constantine."

"As will I."

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"Mobilizing the Immortal troops, Adam?"

"Yes. The hostage rescue team is gearing up on Luna. We need to get Alex's team up to speed."

"You contact him. Carter, get us back to the Mountain. Quick as you can, Carter. There's no telling what they'll do to Marco."

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"Adam, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"Alex. Someone grabbed Marius."

"Right. I'll get my team geared up and standing by."

"We'll be on the ground in thirty minutes Alex."

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"Hammond."

"Sir. Dr. Ramos has been taken."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes sir. He was with a woman friend in San Francisco. She managed to see some men as they grabbed him and took off in a black panel van. He has been grabbed by parties unknown. We have a signal from his transponder. It's moving west. I need two teams sir. Alex Phillipson's team and one of the Rainbow units at the mountain."

"I'll make the request to the President. Get him back, Colonel."

"I will sir."

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"Mr. President."

"General Hammond? Is something wrong?"

"Sir. I have a formal request for the assistance of a Rainbow unit. Dr. Marco Ramos, President of the Immortal Council has been abducted by persons and parties unknown. We have a signal from his transponder moving west into Nevada."

"I'll get General Clark to release a team to you."

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"Clark."

"John. It's Jack. Report to General Hammond for a mission briefing. Get your team ready."

"Roger that sir."

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"General Hammond? Rainbow team one is at your disposal."

"Good. Bring your team in and we'll get this briefing underway."

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While all of these events were transpiring, Spender and his colleagues were busily searching for the transponder that this Immortal, Marius, had to have on his person. One of them found it, beneath a false cavity filling in his rear-most molar. It took less than a minute to remove it and to crush it. The signal stopped. Now they continued on their way to their base in northern Canada.

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"Sir. The signal stopped."

"What? How?"

"Unknown sir. We are looking at radar data for the area to correlate the signal to an aircraft. We should have that data shortly."

"Keep on it!"

"Gentlemen, get your teams ready for immediate deployment. As soon as we find that aircraft, I'll authorize you to go in and get our people back."

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Northern Canada

June 9th

An hour passed. Then two. Marius awoke to find himself strapped down to a gurney. Securely strapped. In a room with no windows and a single door.

"Ah, we're awake. Good. Now we may begin. Tell me. How does one become an Immortal?"

"Fuck you."

"Come now, Dr. Ramos, or should I say, Mr. President. It will not hurt anyone to give us this information."

"Go to hell."

"I'd rather hoped you wouldn't take this attitude with me. I know that even if we kill you, you'll just come back to life. So we're not going to torture you directly. No. That would be rather uncultured of me. Instead, I think I'll let my doctors perform a few autopsies on you."

"Won't do you any good. Our internal workings are identical to yours."

"Really? I rather doubt that. You have this most amazing ability to heal, even when your body is quite dead. Now. Observe closely."

As he turned to the side, he saw a man walk in with a scalpel. The man moved to his side and made a deep incision from the base of his neck to the top of his groin. He screamed.

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"

"Tell me what I wish to know, and it will stop."

"If I could, I would! Rat fuck bastard!"

"Do you mean to tell me that even you, as an Immortal, does not know why you are what you are?"

"None of us do!"

"A rather unique opportunity is it not? To discover why you are? To learn why you exist?"

"Fuck off!"

Hours passed. Marius was awake only sporadically. The scientists autopsied Marius after others fed him a steady diet of cyanide, arsenic, and every other poison known to man. When they got to a liter of each, they switched to nerve gases to examine his healing ability. Marius continued to die and revive each and every time, though he tried not to, as these doctors repeatedly cut into his body. They did not use any anesthesia as evidenced by his screams. He watched, barely alive and extremely horrified, as they removed his various organs, only to hear their excited reactions as his organs grew themselves anew. He could only hope that rescue would come soon. He was trying to free himself from these straps, but they were made of some material that resisted stretching. Of course, he could only guess what else they had in store for him once the current course of nerve gases was complete.

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Cheyenne Mountain

June 10th

"Sir, we've got it." A technician announced the finding.

"Show me."

They had been tracking the signal, not the plane, when the signal had been lost, and so it took some hours to weed out the aircraft that had been in the air at the same time. But with the tracking data in hand, it was only a matter of time before the plane was located. And then tracked.

"This is the aircraft in question sir. It's a Gulfstream mod IV. We back-tracked it to a private air field in San Francisco and tracked it via NORAD's radar stations to a location in northern Canada. We tasked a KH-11 to the suspected area and have discovered what appears to be a clandestine base buried beneath the tundra. A follow-on tasking by a KH-12 shows significant heat sources where there should be none."

"Who has the money to build such a facility, General?"

"That's what you'll find out when you raid that base Jack."

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Northern Canada

June 11th

He was awake again after the most current course of biological agents. His body had fought off Ebola and it was an experience he definitely did not want to repeat. He had been watching them for a few minutes now as they cut into him yet again. He was at his wit's end and he could take no more of this torture. He shouted for their attention.

"Ok. You want information? I'll give you information. I'll tell you whatever you wish."

"Dr. Ramos. How very kind of you."

"But I have some requests first. I will understand if not all of my requests can be granted, but for the amount of information I am willing to trade, I sincerely hope that you will attempt to grant at least two of my requests."

"I'm listening."

"And for that I do thank you. First, no more torture. Allow me a few hours to rest and recover my sanity."

"Very well, Doctor. I will order your examination ceased for the moment."

"Thank you. I have one more request.

"Two hours to recuperate. Uninterrupted. I'm afraid the monitoring devices will be left on however. Your second request?"

"Tell me why you are doing this."

"I will consider that request."

"If I ever get out of this, I will separate your head from your neck, put it on a pike and pound it into the ground in front of the United Nations building as a warning to any nation or organization that thinks about doing this to another Immortal."

"That's a colorful threat, Dr. Ramos. I doubt very much that you will live long enough to accomplish that however."

"Perhaps. But it's something for me to dream about while answering your questions. I trust that your interrogation methods will no longer be used?"

"For now, since you are being so cooperative, I will make sure they are not used. I trust you will not attempt to leave? No matter. Escape from this facility is impossible."

Marius was exhausted from the endless hours of torture and surgeries. He placed himself into a deep meditative state to try and recover from his ordeal. Two hours would not be enough time, but he would take what he could get. There he remained, in the room in silence, until they came back into the room. Marius was grabbed and strapped to a chair, gagged, and then beaten by three heavily muscled men. Not enough to kill him, but enough to hurt him. Then He walked in. The smoking bastard himself.

"You lied. You said no more torture."

"So I lied. It's part and parcel to my profession. Now then, Mr. President. You will tell me everything we wish to know. Start with your first death."

"My first death. Here we go with the flashbacks. It was in battle. It's been so long that history has forgotten it ever occurred. I was buried in a shallow grave. When I awoke from death, I clawed my way out of the ground where another of my kind awaited my resurrection. He took me in and taught me what I need to know to survive."

Before he could continue, alarms began blaring in the facility. The old man sitting across from him grabbed a two-way radio from one of his guards and ordered the intruders captured and brought to him. Ten minutes passed, then the door opened and two trussed up persons were tossed into the room. One was tall and lanky, with dark hair. The other shorter, with red hair and alabaster skin.

"Agent Mulder and the lovely Agent Scully. Such an uncommon nuisance to see you both again."

And before Spender could say another word, the alarms began blaring again. This time, they were accompanied by explosions and gun fire and that which only Marius could describe as Zat fire.

"It appears that this facility has been compromised. I shall take my leave now. Kill them." Spender gave the order to three of his men in the room before he ran out the door and down the hallway.

Marius realized their mistake before they did. In the zeal to extract information from him, they had neglected to secure his legs to the chair. Only his arms had been tied to the arms of the chair. As one of the armed thugs made to raise his gun and fire at the red-haired woman, Marius jumped up from where he sat, still strapped to the chair, and ran the thug down, splintering the chair in the process. He then turned on the next gunman and drove him into the wall. The third wanted no part of this and made to shoot at the female agent on the ground. Marius dove into his line of fire just as he pulled the trigger, and took a pair of rounds to the heart for his trouble.

A few moments later, three members of Phillipson's squad came into the room. Amanda went to Scully's side and checked her over. Other than some nasty marks from the ropes and gag, she was fine. Connor stood by the door, covering them while Ramirez checked on his former student. One of the Rainbow troopers came in and checked on the male agent on the ground.

Scully was at a loss for words. This man that had been strapped to a chair had jumped up and taken the bullets meant for her. Now he was dying and these soldiers were doing nothing to help him. Beside her, Mulder was in a mild shock. Two more troopers came in with a stretcher and placed the man onto it. Then they all followed the troopers out of the facility. By the time they had made it outside, Marius had revived and Alex Phillipson was kneeling beside him.

"Alex. Damned glad to see ya!"

"Marius. Do you know who took you?"

"No. He never told me his name. All I can tell you is that he's an old mortal and he smokes. A lot. Every time I saw him he had a cig in his hand. As much as he smokes, I'm surprised he's still alive."

"I know who he is. I've been trying to bring him to justice for ten years."

"Who are you?"

"Agent Fox Mulder, FBI. This is my partner, Agent Dana Scully."

"You, you took a bullet for me. Why?"

"Easy, Agent Scully. You're a mortal. I'm not. I'll wake up. You wouldn't have. It was an easy choice."

"I owe you my life."

"Not necessary. Tell me what you know about that man and I'll consider us even."

"Sir. We have a pair of Tel'tacs standing by to return us to the Mountain."

"Excellent. Let's mount up and move out. Oh and Alex? Do us all a favor and torch this place but good."

"Yes, Mr. President."

"Stop that."

They were airborne shortly. The two shuttles were escorted by three fighters. One of the fighters pulled out of the formation and started a strafing run on the facility, dropping large plasma bombs on the surface structures, then rejoined the formation as it flew to the Mountain at a little under Mach five. Once there, the teams dispersed to the infirmary for check-in and to the armory to turn-in their weapons. The trip to the Mountain had been a silent one. Everyone aboard the shuttle could sense the tension emanating from Marius. Marius wanted only one thing; to see the head of that smoking bastard on a pike.

----------------------------------------

Stargate Command

Office of General Hammond

June 11th

"Jack. Your report."

"Sir. We took into custody five men. No obvious leaders. They look to be all foot soldiers. We recovered some documents and computer hardware. The facility is no more. Marius ordered Alex to torch the facility, which he did. I'm not entirely sure what went on in there, however, Alex has informed me that Dr. Ramos was tortured repeatedly. On Marius, they used various types of poisons and numerous chemical and biological agents, after which they performed dozens of autopsies. While he was still very much alive."

"Who did this?"

"The five men we captured are not being at all forth coming. However, the rescue troops on the ground were a few minutes behind a pair of federal agents that attempted to rescue Marius."

"Federal agents? Which agency?"

"Federal Bureau of Investigation. The male agent claims to know who took Marius. He claims he has been on the trail of this person for a decade."

"I see. Make sure everyone is cleared by Dr. Fraiser. Increase the security patrols. Debriefing scheduled for 0800 tomorrow."

"Yes sir!"

Hammond picked up the Red Phone again.

"Mr. President."

"General Hammond. Any news?"

"Yes sir. President Marius has been recovered. Sir, there were two federal agents on the scene that arrived just minutes before our own rescue troops. While we did not recover any of the leaders of this organization, the two FBI agents in question do claim to know who the leader is, and they claim that this man and his organization are a part of various world governments."

"I see. General, have you debriefed these agents?"

"The debriefing is scheduled for 0800 tomorrow."

"Set it up as a video teleconference. I'll have some interested parties on this side. Any organization like that one is not in the best interest of the public."

"I agree sir."

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0800 hours, June 12th

SGC/White House Situation Room Teleconference

Joined in Progress

"First of all, Marius, allow me to say that I am thankful that you are alive and well. It was disheartening to learn that you had been taken. But I am grateful that all our resources were mobilized so quickly and that we were able to locate you and effect a rescue."

"And for that, Mr. President, I will be eternally grateful to the members of the rescue teams, both mortal and Immortal alike. But the reason I was taken sir, eludes me. The man who was in charge, Agent Mulder refers to him as Spender. Why would this Spender want me? Agent Mulder? You seem to know more about this that you are letting on. Please tell us your story."

"Given what I've seen here and what you people deal with on a day to day basis, I can tell that you are open to extreme possibilities. So with that in mind I'll begin this story. And I'll ask Scully to jump in where ever appropriate.

"The information I have on how the conspiracy was formed is primarily speculation, based on what little evidence my partner and I have managed to obtain. We have had, over the years, a lot of evidence that has been destroyed or classified by the government. It is my understanding that this conspiracy began in 1947 with the Roswell crash. Yes, there was a spaceship of some kind that crashed into the desert outside of Roswell, New Mexico. The survivors of that crash were apparently on a survey mission, seeking evidence of the original inhabitants of this planet. I say original, because they view us as a parasite that is meant only to serve as breeders for more of their kind.

"The original inhabitant is a virus. A virus that resembles a thick viscous substance that is pitch black in coloration. We've termed this substance black oil or black cancer. When this virus invades a body, it takes it over and the result is a new alien life form, that emerges after a period of incubation violently from the host. Think of the movie Alien, and you get an idea of how the alien life form emerges from it's host.

"In 1947, the alien survey craft and its survivors were picked up by a secret government agency. This agency came to an agreement with the aliens. In exchange for their cooperation, the human members of the conspiracy would become puppet kings of the aliens. The aliens wanted their help to identify certain types of humans that would serve either as human incubators or who would contribute their DNA for experimentation into the creation of a human-alien hybrid.

"That's unbelievable!"

"Sir, that's as believable as it gets. The rest is far worse. This group of humans in the conspiracy, determined to become more than just puppet rulers, set about a campaign that has lasted a half century to produce a vaccine against the black oil. But their goals are not as altruistic as you might believe. They planned on vaccinating only the members of the conspiracy and their families, not on giving that vaccine to the entire world. They want power.

"To this end, they have authorized the kidnap of and experimentation of numerous human subjects. These subjects are taken mysteriously. Some are returned, many are not. My own sister was taken by them when I was twelve. These men will stop at nothing to enslave their fellow man. They have killed my father, killed Scully's sister, abducted Scully and given her cancer. They harvested all of her ova, Mr. President. She is, or so we believed, barren."

"You are no longer barren Agent Scully?"

"I was taken again sir. This time, they returned to me some of my ova, although how this was accomplished I could not begin to guess. This resulted in the birth of a son, William, who I have had to give up for adoption, so that these men could not get their hands on my son. They tried several times shortly after my William was born. Unsuccessfully I might add."

"Agent Mulder, I was told that these men are members of the government?"

"I have seen Spender numerous times at the FBI. He seems to have free reign of the place."

"Dan? You care to comment on that?"

"Mr. President, I have never heard of any man named Spender. Agent Mulder, are you quite certain that he works for the FBI?"

"Director Murray, no I am not certain that he works there. However, he was a frequent visitor, and I never saw him wear a visitor's badge. He wore no badge of any kind in the numerous times I saw him either in AD Skinner's office or AD Kersh's office."

"Skinner and Kersh are involved in this?"

"For his part, Skinner was an unwitting partner to them. They had something over him initially and so when he was our supervisor, they were able to control him. When Kersh took over as our supervisor, Spender and his associates implanted nanites into AD Skinner to keep him under control. Kersh they were able to manipulate simply because they promised him the directorship of the FBI. The man wants nothing more than power and he will do whatever is necessary to achieve it."

"Agent Mulder. Would you prefer that we bring in AD Skinner or AD Kersh?"

"Given a choice, Mr. Director, I'd rather have Skinner there than Kersh."

"I'm having someone send for him. He should be here shortly."

"Back to your story, Agent."

"Yes, Mr. President. The group of conspirators call themselves the Consortium. They have used the guise of alien abductions to further their inhuman research. Cloning. Biological warfare. Genetic engineering. It is my guess that they saw in an Immortal, if they could duplicate the Immortality factor, the ability to create a super soldier, one that would be loyal to their wants and needs."

"Enough. I do not want trash like this operating in our government. I am authorizing, as of this moment, a task force to bring these people to justice. Agents Mulder and Scully, I would like the two of you to head this task force. For the duration of this investigation, I am directing General Hammond to provide you with office space within the SGC, as it is, without a doubt, the most secure location from which you can operate. How many agents do you feel justified in asking for?"

"As many as Director Murray can spare sir. Though to be honest, I doubt many would want to work for the paranormal division, sir."

"I am familiar with your reputation Agent Mulder. I am also aware that you and Agent Scully have the highest solve rate and case closure rate at the Bureau. You stated previously that this Consortium is international in nature?"

"Yes sir."

"One moment, Agent. AD Skinner has just arrived."

"AD Skinner, Agent Mulder has been filling us in on some rather unique details of your activities with a man named Spender. Care to comment?"

"Sir. With respect. I can not."

"You are refusing an order from your President?"

"Sir. I am sir."

"They know about the nanites, Skinner."

"What? How? Oh I see. Mulder. Then you understand sir, why I can not divulge any details. To do so would mean my death."

"General Hammond, is there anything the SGC can do about this?"

"We've dealt with nanites before, Mr. President. I'm sure we can."

"If the SGC can not, then the Ancients can and will. This is a threat to mortal and Immortal alike. It must be dealt with immediately."

"On that I am also in agreement."

"Tok'Ra? How long have you been listening to us?"

"I have always been here Marius. Mr. President, you and your kind were warned what would happen should one of my 'children' be taken?"

"I was. All I ask is that you heal this man so that he can assist us in bringing these people to justice."

The gaseous cloud seemed to pause for a moment, then winked out, only to reappear in the Situation Room of the White House. It paused for another moment, then engulfed AD Skinner. After a few seconds, it vanished yet again only to reappear at the SGC.

"He has been healed. All traces of nanites have been removed from his body."

"I, for one, do not want you as an enemy Tok'Ra. AD Skinner, please tell us of your role in this conspiracy."

"Yes, Mr. President. I do not know what just happened, but I do feel a lot better. But as to my role in this conspiracy. I was ordered to task Agents Mulder and Scully with various assignments designed to bring to light information the Consortium needed. With their authority, they could speak to any number of individuals, all in the name of Justice, and not be suspected of any ulterior motives. To this end, they were occasionally allowed to see the truth of the conspiracy, only to have any evidence disappear, either destroyed or classified. The members of this consortium appear to me, in any case, to have infiltrated the highest echelons of numerous world governments. Their agents travel with diplomatic passports."

"Will you work with Mulder and Scully, under them, I should say, to bring to light evidence of this conspiracy?"

"I will Mr. President."

"Dan, work with Agent Mulder to hand-pick his task force. I want these people stopped and brought to justice as soon as possible. We have other things we should be dealing with."

"Yes, Mr. President."

It had been an eventful conference. For his part, Marius had pledged the support of Luna and her Immortal denizens in the aid of the Anti-Consortium Task Force, as it was being called by Agent Scully. The two agents in question were given adjoining offices on Level 23, assigned a pair of assistants, and were set to work. Guards in the corridors were doubled, coming from the ranks of the Rainbow team that had been permanently assigned to the SGC, and from the Immortal Strike Teams. After several days of meetings and teleconferences with Director Murray, two dozen FBI agents, most fresh from the Academy, were assigned to work out of Peterson AFB, which was the nearest surface installation to the SGC. With the addition of SFs from various world militaries, both Peterson and Cheyenne were now impenetrable fortresses that a member of the Consortium would be insane to consider breaching.

Spender and his colleagues were still hurting somewhat from their first run in with Immortals. But they had the technology to travel to Luna and take more Immortals for their experiments. And this is what they attempted to do, shortly after word of the task force set up against them reached them via AD Kersh.

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Luna Command Center

June 15th

"General Desiree? Satellites are picking up a ship, unknown configuration, headed our way."

"Any IFF?"

"Negative. Power source unknown. There doesn't appear to be any weapons, either. It's moving quite fast and headed directly for Dome Ryan."

"Alert security to expect intruders. Pass a message along to the Daedalus and ask them for fighter support."

"Sir!"

The ship in question was of the same type the Consortium had been using for several years to fake the alien abductions. But while such ships were invisible to human based radar systems, they were very visible to the LIDAR systems employed by the Immortals and by the Daedalus. Before the unidentified craft in question could land, it was surrounded by F-302 fighters from the Daedalus. The pilots of the craft, seeing no alternative, landed in the open hangar near Dome Ryan and upon their disembarkation, were greeted by Immortal security.

"Greetings gentlemen. I am Mako. First Protector of Luna. Would you care to talk now? Or later at the SGC?"

"Foster, Paul B. Lieutenant. US Marine Corps. Serial number 2345761233."

"Bradley, John H. Major. US Marine Corps. Serial number 2345689988."

"Well, Lieutenant. Major. If you would come with me, we'll get you transferred down to the planet while some friends of mine take your ship apart."

----------------------------------------

"Marius."

"Hello, Mr. President."

"Marcus Constantine. Would you please stop calling me that? Every time some one does, I'm looking over my shoulder for Jack Ryan."

"Hehehe. Of course Marius. We've had a little incident here. Two men, claiming to be US Marine Corps, were captured attempting to land near Dome Ryan. They'll give nothing but name, rank, and serial number."

"Any idea why they were there?"

"Possibly to attempt the abduction of another Immortal. Both were armed with dart pistols. The darts in question are loaded with cyanide."

"Wonderful. Ok. Transfer them down here. Time for a little interrogation."

"Mako will ring down with them shortly."

----------------------------------------

Marius went off in search of Jack O'Neill. He found him in a meeting with General Hammond.

"Jack. General Hammond. I've just gotten off the comms with Constantine on Luna. Apparently, two men were captured attempting to gain access to Dome Ryan. They had in mind to abduct another Immortal, seeing as they were carrying pistols loaded with cyanide darts. Both men claim to be Marines."

"Oh that's not good. Where are they now?"

"Our First Protector, Mako, will be ringing down with them shortly."

"First Protector?"

"A translation of a title from Ancient Rome. Loosely translated, it means Chief of Police. And for Mako, a man that's been a US Marshall since that service was started, it was appropriate."

"Major Ramos to the Ring Room!"

"I think that's my cue, General. With your permission?"

"Of course. Jack? Go with him. Read them their rights. We'll convene an Article 32 as soon as possible."

"Yes sir!"

"Jack?"

"Marco?"

"What's an article 32?"

"The cursory investigation that leads to a full blown court martial."

"And what could these two men get, if they are convicted?"

"Kidnapping for the purposes of medical experimentation? Death penalty."

"Think we could use some of those Goa'uld memory devices on them? To help them with their memories of course."

"I think that can be arranged. Maybe a Zatarc test to verify the truth of their statements too."

"Oh man. I'd hate to be on your bad side."

----------------------------------------

"Mako. Friend. Are these the two miscreants that attempted to abduct one of my citizens?"

"They are indeed. These weapons were found on their person, and there was what appears to be a primitive stasis chamber in their ship. Their ship is like nothing I have seen. No wings. No discernible power source. No obvious weapons. Your staff on Luna said to tell you they will do all they can to learn about that ship."

"Excellent. Now, if you would escort these two gentlemen to the conference room, we can begin. Article 32, wasn't it Colonel?"

"That's correct, Major. The penalty for their crime is death by firing squad. And believe you me, I think just about everyone here will be volunteering for that duty."

"We might have to hold a lottery to decide who gets to pull the trigger. Ya know, if it were up to me, instead of wasting a bullet on these two, we could let an Immortal do it. Only an Immortal can properly remove someone's head so quickly and efficiently. It's what we do best, swords and duels. Do you not agree Protector Mako?"

"An excellent suggestion, Mr. President."

"I'll give that idea some thought. What do you two think of that? Death by firing squad or death by beheading. Tough choice if you ask me."

"Fuck off. I want a lawyer. I want to make a phone call."

"Lawyer eh? I suppose we'll have to call the JAG in on this. But I'm sure they'll recommend an article 32 on the issue in any case. Particularly since General Hammond is asking for one. Then it's off to the firing squad."

"For what? For kidnapping an alien? Hell, sir, they should be giving us medals for that!"

"Do I look like an alien to you son?"

"Well no. But that's not the point. All the things we could learn after dissecting one of your kind! Hell, they promised to inject me with the Immortality serum once they developed it!"

"Idiot child. One does not become Immortal because of an injection! One is either born to Immortality or not. There is no way of changing you into one otherwise. I shall enjoy your interrogation." Marius would indeed enjoy their interrogation.

----------------------------------------

"Chegwidden."

"AJ! You old son of a buck!"

"I'll be damned. George? Hell, man, it's been what, twenty years?"

"Something like that. Imagine my surprise when I call in to get a JAG only to find you at its helm. Long way from the teams, AJ."

"Yeah, well, I guess I couldn't stay twenty-something forever."

"Neither could I. Listen AJ, the reason I called is we need a JAG here. I've got two Marine Corps officers in custody on charges of attempted abduction."

"You want to convene an Article 32?"

"Yes. There are national security, hell, planetary security issues here AJ. The person or persons they attempted to abduct were residents of Luna."

"Immortals?"

"Yes. They have admitted to wanting the Immortal for medical experimentation."

"I see. Sounds pretty clear cut to me, George."

"I agree. However, we want whomever ordered these two to abduct an Immortal. We also want to know how they got their hands on an experimental space craft, the likes of which no one in any of the four branches will admit to ever seeing, let alone owning."

"Interesting and interesting. Alright George, I'll get my best team on the case. Where should I send them?"

"Peterson AFB. I'll have my XO meet them."

"Tell your XO to expect myself and my team. As this is the first case involving the military and Immortals, I want to make sure all the details are attended to."

"See you real soon AJ."

----------------------------------------

After the two prisoners had been escorted to secured quarters and Mako had returned to Luna, Marius placed a call to Luna to speak with Cierdwyn.

"Hello Cierdwyn."

"Marius. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"You've heard, I assume, of the my recent abduction?"

"Of course. I am glad that you were rescued."

"About that. I understand why what was done, was done. In their shoes, knowing nothing about Immortals and thinking I would be justified, I would have done the same thing. It's not the idea that I disagree with. It's the method. I was tortured. Repeatedly dissected while still alive. I've never hated mortals until this very moment. I'm doing all I can to deal with this, but some help might be necessary. I don't know what do, Cierdwyn."

"Want to schedule an appointment?"

"If you could, yes."

"I'll go down on the next shuttle."

"Thanks Cierdwyn."

"Anytime Mr. President."

"Stop that."

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Cheyenne Mountain

June 17th

The team of SG-1 was in the briefing room going over contact data brought back by SG-4 regarding their recent trip through the Stargate to a planet called Adelphi. It was to be a standard meet and greet. A blinding flash of light later and Thor sat at the head of the table.

"Thor! Buddy. How's it going?"

"It goes well O'Neill. General Hammond, please forgive my intrusion. There is a problem that you must address."

"What problem?"

"The Asgard High Council has been approached by Lord Yu. He is representing the Goa'uld Council of System Lords. Recently the Goa'uld Anubis joined forces with the enemy of the Colonials, the Cylons. An attack force of several hundred Goa'uld mother ships engaged in battle with the Cylon/Anubis forces, with the result being that less than a dozen mother ships survived the engagement. The Goa'uld Council has requested assistance from the Asgard in negotiating a temporary truce with Earth and her allies for the purpose of dealing with Anubis and the Cylon Empire. For this reason, we are asking all interested parties to attend an intergalactic conference. We would like for this conference to be held on Earth as we feel that other planets on the Protected Planets list who are at an approximate level of civilization as yours, would feel more at home."

"I will need to speak to my superiors about this. How can we contact you Thor?"

"I will leave a signal device with you. Contact me when you have an answer."

"One question Thor. How many will attend this conference?"

"Based on attendance at the last intergalactic conference, approximately two thousand worlds and empires will be represented."

"And that translates to how many?"

"Each delegation may send up to ten delegates, though only one can actually vote on conference matters. For this conference, we will also expect a delegation from the Colonials and one from the Immortals. While Earth may elect to send the full amount of delegates, the Asgard request that O'Neill be given the voting power on behalf of the Earth delegation."

"I will pass that along to my superiors."

"Thank you."

In a flash of light, Thor was gone, leaving six members of the SGC looking at one another. Needless to say, the mission to Adelphi was postponed until this new matter could be dealt with properly. General Hammond left the room to speak with the President to brief him on the news from the Asgard.

"Mr. President."

"General Hammond. This is becoming a habit. Good news or bad?"

"I would say good, sir. Thor of the Asgard High Council has just left us with a bit of rather interesting news. The last intergalactic conference was just late last year, yet they wish to call a new one. They want us to host it, sir."

"Us as in the SGC? Or us as in Earth?"

"Earth sir. Approximately two thousand delegations of up to ten members each. We'd need a small city to host that many people, sir."

"That's a lot of delegates. Alright. I'll get my people working on it. May I suggest General that all SG teams be recalled to serve as security forces for this conference?"

"An excellent idea, Mr. President. I'll ask Marius for additional security forces and of course all of our Battlecruisers and their fighter squadrons will be on hand to provide air interdiction duties."

"Good. I'll get back to you General."

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White House

Oval Office

June 17th

"Arnie."

"Jack?"

"That was General Hammond at Stargate Command. They've just had a visit from the Asgard. They want Earth to host an intergalactic conference to deal with a new threat."

"What sort of threat?"

"Apparently, Anubis and the Cylons have joined forces. They've already wiped out a Goa'uld task force. The survivors of that battle went to the Asgard and asked them to approach us about a temporary truce to fight this new threat."

"So how many delegates are we talking here? A dozen? A hundred?"

"Uhm, no. Two thousand member worlds and empires. Each with one voting delegate. But each delegate can have a staff of up to nine members."

"That's. That's, Jack, that's twenty thousand people!"

"True. And we have two weeks to put everything together."

"Oh shit! It takes a lot longer to put something like that together! Two weeks?"

"That's what the man said."

"Any ideas, Jack?"

"How many cities in the US are geared towards conventions? While New York or DC would be nice, securing either of these two would be a nightmare. Two nightmares even."

"Vegas?"

"Maybe. Get the governor of Nevada and the Mayor of Las Vegas on a secure line, Arnie."

"Yes, Mr. President."

"Call is ready Jack."

"Governor Mitchell? Mayor Thomas?"

"Mr. President. Your Chief of Staff tells us that we may be of some assistance to you?"

"I have a rather tall order to fill gentlemen and I sincerely hope that you may be able to fill it."

"Ask away sir."

"You are familiar with the press conference some five months ago regarding extraterrestrial life? Yes? Good. One of our allies has requested that Earth host an intergalactic conference. We can expect up to twenty thousand visitors."

"The city of Las Vegas can handle that easily, Mr. President."

"Gentlemen, there is also a time factor involved here. We have two weeks until the conference begins and we can expect it to run for a week to ten days."

"Two weeks!"

"That is correct Mr. Mayor."

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That evening

Peterson AFB

June 17th

The briefing by Admiral Chegwidden earlier that day had been less than informative. Commander Harmon Rabb and Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie had been rushed all day briefing two others on their current case load and then rushed home to pack and grab a suitcase apiece before driving out to Andrews where they would meet Admiral Chegwidden for the flight to Peterson. All they knew was that two Marine Corps officers had been arrested on Luna and charged with the attempted abduction of an Immortal. The Pentagon had passed this call along to Adm. Chegwidden in the hopes that such a high profile case could be handled quietly. In point of fact, the case was passed along to Admiral Chegwidden before Spender and his associates could intervene.

But still, it was too early to tell how the case would go. First up was the requisite Article 32 Investigation and based on the results of that, the trial counsel would recommend further actions to the JAG. The convening authority here was the Air Force in the guise of one Major General George S. Hammond. And while the two men in question had not violated the UCMJ per se, they had violated an international treaty. Or was that an interplanetary treaty? As their plane pulled to a stop, the three officers could see a man waiting for them on the ramp. He was standing besides a Hummer and holding a rather large umbrella as it was raining this night.

"Admiral Chegwidden?"

"Yes?"

"Colonel Jack O'Neill. If you'll follow me, I'll escort you down to the mountain to see General Hammond."

"After you Colonel."

"Colonel O'Neill, do you work with any of these Immortals?"

"I do, ma'am. I have one of them on my team."

"And what team would that be?"

"SG-1."

"The flagship team? The first team created?"

"Correct Commander."

"Why didn't the Air Force JAG want to try this case?"

"The SGC, as you'll soon learn, has teams from every branch of the US military and teams from numerous countries. The General heard you were the best and he wanted the best for this case. It's the first case of its kind and it's my understanding that the two men in custody, well, we want to know who gave them their orders. They haven't cracked yet."

"You've questioned them?"

"Not to worry, Commander. We had an attorney present just to make sure they weren't coerced or anything like that. The attorney in question is Major Stan Kovacek and he is the CO of SG-9, our diplomatic contact team."

"The two men were captured on Luna, correct?"

"Yep. Their spacecraft is unlike any we've ever seen. They thought they were being cute with their stealth tech. But what they failed to realize is that our sensors are decidedly more advanced than anything currently in use on Earth. The C&C on Luna had them the minute they left Earth. We had them surrounded as they pulled to a hover outside Dome Ryan on Luna."

"Dome Ryan? Is that named for the President?"

"I'm not sure. Ah, here we are. Airman, take these bags down to the VIP rooms on level 23. This way please. General Hammond is down on level 26."

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Level 23

Offices of Mulder and Scully

June 18

"Can you believe the nerve they had to try and pull off a second abduction?"

"I think, Scully, that Spender is getting nervous. This whole SGC/Colonial/Immortal thing has got to be a serious kink in his plans. Before the President's announcement, he only had to worry about the Grays and the odd rebel colonist and bounty hunter. Now he's got a whole other mess on his plate."

"He's thinking of ways to get his hands on a symbiote I would guess."

"That would not be a good thing."

Reports from their task force agents were coming in daily. With an Executive Order to give them credibility in their search for the truth and real help from the CIA, they were obtaining more and more evidence that would prove damning in court, should this ever come to trial. Already, they had learned, the Immortal Council had issued a decree to bring evidence of this conspiracy to light. As promised, a small team of Immortals were assigned to help them with the search. Felicia Martins, John Cage, and Paul Kinman had requested and been assigned to the ACTF. Each brought unique abilities to the task force and each had contacts with various criminal organizations that could obtain the information for them. Where information could not be obtained legally, it was stolen by Felicia. When any member of the task force needed to get out of a situation in a hurry, either Cage or Kinman were available to make the pick-up.

The members of the Consortium were finding, much to their dismay, their sources of funding drying up as governments around the world began serious house cleanings to ferret out the sources of monetary support the Consortium had obtained over the previous five decades.

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Las Vegas

Office of the Mayor

June 18th

"Mr. Mayor, what you are asking is overwhelming! It takes a year to plan a major conference and you want us to do it in two weeks?"

"Sue, the President is counting on us. My suggestion is to let the hotels do what they do best. You've got a dozen staff members on your Conventions committee to help you out. Get together with the heads of the hotels and lay it out for them. You'll also need to figure out crowd control procedures. As much as I'd like to meet an alien, somehow I doubt our citizens want that. Too much fear in them instilled by Hollywierd. So we need to cordon off a big section of the strip and place all manner of checkpoints there. Tell the hotels, that for the duration of the conference, their employees will have to remain in-house. That should alleviate some of the bottlenecks at the checkpoints. Get to work Sue. We have far too little time to pull off something of this nature."

"Yes Mr. Mayor. I'll get right on it."

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Next Afternoon

Conference room

June 19th

With over one hundred thousand hotel rooms available in Las Vegas, it was a city that was definitively suited to conventions. But unlike the normal conventions and conferences that usually took place in that city, this one would bring together delegates from places other than Earth. At this first meeting were the representatives from every major hotel in Las Vegas, along with consultants from the police department, the sheriff's department, and the local national guard battalion. It was a daunting task that lay before them. Already they had planned to use several of the smaller hotels as living quarters for the vast numbers of hospitality staff the other hotels would need. A first draft of the plan had a sizeable portion of the Strip closed off and a total of thirty hotels within the closed off section. Each delegation was to have a total of twenty rooms at its disposal.

It took them the better part of thirty hours over a two day period to come up with what they thought of as a workable plan. The day following the end of the initial planning sessions, Susan Meyers, the woman Mayor Thomas had placed in charge of this conference reported back on the committee's progress. The amount of manpower required staggered the Mayor and he immediately put in a call to Governor Mitchell who pledged the support of the Nevada National Guard to help police the Conference area.

Governor Mitchell placed a call of his own later that day to President Ryan and informed him that the task could be done, but only with a lot of help. Mitchell informed Ryan that he would be activating select National Guard units in Nevada to help the Las Vegas law enforcement agencies with their duties.

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Level 23

Offices of Mulder and Scully

June 22nd

Very early that morning, information had come to them via the Lone Gunmen of a possible location for a meeting the upper echelons of the Consortium would be holding in New York City. It had been pure luck that one of their search routines had chanced upon an unsecured email regarding security concerns for this meeting. Information in hand, they had called Mulder on his cell phone and he in turn had called in Scully.

From their office in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, they had placed calls to their agents in the field. The meeting was scheduled for seven thirty that evening. It gave barely enough time to plan and stage the raid. Information in hand, Mulder briefed General Hammond, and requested a strike team be readied to move in on the meeting and round up those present. General Hammond assented to the request and the two Immortal strike teams were readied.

They wanted to capture as many of the Consortium members alive and so the strike teams would be issued Zat guns and Intar loaded weapons. The Intars gave much the same result as a Zat except that more than one shot would not kill the target. Or vaporize it.

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West 46th Street

New York City

1910 hours

June 22nd

The Immortal strike teams were in place. They had as backup two SG teams, and one Rainbow team. Slowly the two teams moved into place and at fifteen past the hour they were ready to pounce on their targets. No one had agreed with Marius' role in the plan, yet he had insisted. They had identified the room where the meeting was taking place and the first part of the raid went into action. Marius activated his own personal force shield and then ringed down into the meeting room.

"Greetings gentlemen. And ladies. I must say, I am surprised it was so easy to find you. Did you not think the warning passed along by the Ancients to the leaders of this world was meant for you? Did you think you could operate with impunity and take any Immortal anywhere for your devious experiments? Well? Have you anything to say before I pronounce judgment on all of you?" He had withdrawn his sword as he made this last statement.

It was Spender who spoke for all of them.

"I do not know how you came to find us here. What we have done is for the betterment of man kind. You are not one of us. You are a mere aberration on human kind. A mutation that should be put down once and for all. If we can not control you, then no one should have the benefit of your presence. You can not be in two places at once, even if you are Immortal. You may be here, but others of our group are at this moment taking into custody the children of President Ryan. If you value their lives at all, you will surrender now."

Outside, the assembled raiders had heard all that was transpiring within. One of the Rainbow troopers put out an urgent call to the Secret Service and alerted them to the threat against the President's children.

"I see. Well then, as I have no other option. I will surrender."

It was the go word they had agreed upon. Duncan's team moved in first, taking the guards around the perimeter easily. With the perimeter secured, the two SG teams moved in to take over Duncan's positions. Then Duncan's and Alex's teams surged ahead into the club on West 46th Street.

"But before I do surrender, you never did answer my question. Why are you doing this?"

Spender would not get the chance to answer that question except in a courtroom. Suddenly the room was filled with Zat and Intar fire and before Spender could utter another word, he was down on the ground, the victim of six Intar shots. All in all, it had been a very successful raid. A dozen guards had been taken, quite alive, along with the man known as Spender. In the meeting room, they had captured in addition to Spender, four men and two women. But one of the men had pressed a silent alarm switch and by the time the prisoners were being moved outside, the address on West 46th Street had been surrounded by dozens of police cars from the New York City police department.

As the police shouted for them to put their weapons down and their hands up, several shuttles decloaked, startling a few policemen into opening fire on the shuttles. Shouts of 'Cease fire!' reverberated throughout the previously quiet neighborhood as the lead officers from the NYPD struggled to get a grip on the situation. The prisoners had been knocked to the ground by the Immortals on the strike teams and those same Immortals were now surrounded by two heavily armed SG teams and one rather ticked off Rainbow team. Angry because these police officers had fired on their ride home.

One police officer, the ranking lieutenant on the scene, shouted out his orders.

"Put your weapons down now!"

To which Major Domingo Chavez of the Rainbow team returned with "You first!"

A stalemate. No one on the ACTF wanted to shoot at the police officers as they were just doing their jobs. As for the police, what they saw were the heavier weapons worn by these commandoes. They did not want to fire either, if only because they were afraid of what those heavier weapons would do to them. One of the shuttles landed disgorging several men and one woman. One of the men picked up a bullhorn and made his presence known to one and all.

"Attention. I am Special Agent Mulder of the FBI. You are interfering with a matter of planetary security. Please lower your weapons so that we may move these prisoners to a secure facility."

"Agent Mulder. I am Lieutenant Rodgers of the New York City police department. Until this matter is resolved to our satisfaction, no one will be allowed to leave this area. Now, please put your weapons down, or we will be forced to open fire."

And while all of this was occurring, one of the shuttle pilots had radioed back to the SGC and was broadcasting to them the events below. General Hammond picked up the Red Phone again and spoke to the President and told him the current situation. It happened that Jack Ryan had been in a conference at that moment with Director Murray of the FBI and so he placed General Hammond on speaker phone. As soon as Dan Murray learned of the current events, he moved to grab another phone to call the SAC in New York City. Within moments of that call, forty-odd agents of the New York FBI field office were out the door and rushing to the scene of the standoff.

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West 46th Street

New York City

1930 hours

June 22nd

More and more police units had taken up positions at the scene of this standoff. They were supported now by a full SWAT team that had deployed into the nearby buildings into over watch positions. Each SWAT sniper now had a heavily armed commando in his sights. With a screech of tires and a blaring of sirens, several more vehicles pulled up. One of the snipers remarked to another, 'Oh great. More feds.'

"Lieutenant Rodgers, I presume?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"SAC Daniel Chalmers, New York Field Office. A bit of a situation here I believe?"

"Who the hell called you?"

"The President called me, sir, because you are interfering with the capture of several wanted terrorists. Now, if you would kindly call off your personnel, we can complete our work here and leave."

"The fuck you say! I'm not taking your word for it! My men and I will stay here until I hear otherwise from my superiors."

"Such an unfortunate attitude."

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"Murray."

"Sir. SAC Chalmers, sir. The local on-scene police commander, one Lieutenant Rodgers, has informed me that until he learns otherwise from his superiors, he will continue to hold our personnel hostage. He has been most impolite and colorful in his word usage. Your orders sir?"

"Stand by one."

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"Mayor's Office. How my I help you?"

"I must speak with Mayor Santorelli, please."

"Is this an emergency?"

"Yes."

"Who shall I say is calling?"

"Daniel Murray, Director of the FBI."

"One moment please Mr. Murray."

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"Mr. Murray? To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"Mr. Mayor, we have a small problem that we hope you can assist us with."

"Who's 'we'?"

"I'm sitting here with President Ryan. We have a small situation on West 46th street. Our domestic terrorism teams went in to capture some criminals plotting against the United States and it seems that someone called the local police. Now your police officers have responded and are presently in a stand off with my people. We have the suspects in custody, however, your police department is interfering with their responsibilities. My agent on the scene, SAC Chalmers, reports that your senior officer on the scene and his personnel have numerous weapons pointed at my people."

"I see. And you found it unnecessary to co-ordinate with our people I assume?"

"There was no time, Mr. Mayor. We received a tip that these criminals would be at that location only a few hours ago. And due to the very sensitive nature of the matter, we found it best to inform as few people as possible, lest these criminals get away yet again."

"And what sort of charges do you expect to be brought against these 'criminals'?"

"Treason among others."

"Very well, I will contact the police commissioner and ask him to call off his men. In the future we ask that you co-ordinate any further actions with our civilian authorities before hand, Mr. Murray."

"Mr. Mayor. This is Jack Ryan. Do you know who I am?"

"Of course. You're the guy who's President now. I wouldn't have voted for you then and I sure as heck won't vote for you now."

"I see. May I ask why you are being so rude to my people?"

"Mr. President. If that's who you really are, there is a protocol for this type of phone call. The Director of the FBI doesn't just pick up a phone and call my office. In fact, I don't really believe you are who you say you are and so I think I will postpone contacting the commissioner until I have some proof. Can't be to careful these days."

"I see. Thank you for your ti…Hello?"

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"He just hung up on me! I don't believe that guy!"

"You and me both Dan. Arnie? What are my options in this situation?"

"Don't support him on his next election campaign. With your permission, I'm gonna leak a copy of this conversation to a few choice individuals. Like maybe a couple of certain Senators."

"Whatever you think is best Arnie. But back to our problem here. If the Mayor won't lend us his support, then what?"

"Dispatch agents from every federal agency we have in New York City to assist those already on the scene. If that doesn't work, ask for a limited force deployment, in a support role of course."

"Oh of course. Deploy military troops into one of our largest cities. The press will love me for that, Arnie. Make it happen with the civilian agencies first, Arnie."

"Of course, Mr. President."

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New York City

Site of the Standoff

June 22nd

1955 hours

As had happened shortly before, a multitude of sirens and screeching tires announced the arrival of even more Federal agents. All of them with the express orders to support the agents already on the scene. Above the scene, the three helicopters of the NYPD were joined by two from the FBI, three from the ATF, and two from the Secret Service. All this made matters worse and now arriving on the scene was the police commissioner along with the Mayor. The only orders the police commissioner had for Lieutenant Rodgers were to take everyone into custody. Anyone that resisted would be brought up on charges.

"SAC Chalmers? I have orders to arrest everyone here. Please surrender your weapons and come along peacefully."

"Excuse me? You're going to arrest me? What the hell!"

The teams that had taken into custody the members of the Consortium were of course watching all these events. It came as a huge surprise to them that they were to be arrested and their captives taken to a temporary holding facility until such time as an investigation could take place into whatever they had been charged with by the government. To the pilots in the support shuttles, the orders they heard to arrest everyone below them came as a shock. Requests for instructions were passed up the line to the SGC who in turn passed them up the line to the President.

In spite of everything going on around them, the members of the Consortium were secretly pleased that the Mayor of New York had remembered them. They had assisted him in his election campaign and now he was repaying that assistance. It paid well to have politicians under their control. But this man who called himself President of the United States, he would have to take great pains to make sure that man knew his place in the days to come. Yes, Spender thought, I shall greatly enjoy teaching John Patrick Ryan a lesson he will not soon forget. And if all is going according to plan, Krycek should now have Ryan's children in his greedy hand.

The order came back fairly quickly. Prevent the local civilian authorities, the NYPD, from interfering with the capture of the Consortium members. On the ground, Intars were raised and aimed at the dozens of police officers. A final request was made by Agent Mulder.

"Lieutenant Rodgers, my superiors have ordered me to stop this stand off. If you do not put your weapons down, we will be forced to open fire."

"You have your orders Agent Mulder, and I have mine. If you fire on us, we will defend ourselves."

Behind them, more vehicles were now pulling up. Media vehicles. The situation had gone from private disaster to public fiasco. A media feeding frenzy was not anyone's desire. Cameras were setup and the news feed went out live to the world, interrupting scheduled programming.

Another shuttle appeared in the skies above the stand off. This one was a new prototype coming directly from the Luna Shipyard. What looked like a gun deployed from the nose portion of the shuttle and a flash of light later, the area around the strike teams was secured via a projected force field. The shuttles landed and took aboard the members of the strike teams and their prisoners, leaving the NYPD unable to do anything to stop them. Any shots they fired at them, simply went nowhere, held in place by the force field. Lieutenant Rodgers could do nothing except stand by and watch as the shuttles lifted and sped off westward.

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June 23rd

0830 hours

Luna

Marius had already been briefed on the situation of late yesterday and the capture of several of these so called Consortium members. The surprise had come to Director Murray when he had learned the names of the major players in the Consortium. Two assistant directors and one agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a US Senator, a special assistant to the UN Secretary General, along with the titular head of the Consortium, one C.G.B. Spender, had all been arrested. A seventh person in the name of Alex Krycek was still being sought after an aborted attempt to kidnap members of the President's family.

Dr. Mitch Guerra, Marius' assistant on the force field project, and now head of special projects on Luna had spent nearly a week examining the ship used by the two Consortium members in their attempt to kidnap an Immortal. The crew compartment, he said, was sealed off from the rest of the ship using lead. Apparently the engines used to power the alien-like vessel gave off tremendous amounts of radiation and without the lead screens in place, any pilots would be dead within hours. The fact that they had planned on placing the kidnapped Immortal into a compartment without lead screens said much for the Consortium's regard for life, human or otherwise. Just now on his agenda he had a meeting with Cierdwyn.

"Come in Cierdwyn, come in. Some coffee? Tea?"

"Some tea would be nice, sir."

"Here for my session?" he asked as he poured two cups of tea.

"That's why I'm here Marius. Marcus sends his best, and asks that you retrieve your cell phone from Ms. Halliwell, before your bill becomes most outrageous."

"Oh damn. In all the excitement, I'd forgotten all about her. Why does she have my cell phone?"

"Because you were kidnapped in front of her home. She saw the men bundling you into their van. And she found your cell phone where you had dropped it midway into your conversation with Marcus. Because of that, and because of what she saw, Marcus was able to get the ball rolling much sooner than would have been possible.

"As to your other problem, might I suggest a friendly conversation with Cassandra? While I won't go into details, suffice to say that the cause of her Immortality was fairly traumatic. And as I understand it, your Piper Halliwell, according to Cassandra, is also a witch?"

"Apparently so. Just when I thought I had a handle on every form of life or un-life on this planet, it goes and throws me a curve ball."

"That's one way of putting it. Take a few days off Marius. It will be good for you. If need be, I'll write it out as a prescription."

"Not necessary. I know better than to go against my Doc."

"You are indeed a wise man, Marius."

"Thanks Doc. Now for something else. You are aware of the upcoming intergalactic conference? Good. I would like you join me there as part of my staff. I am going to need your insights on the minds of the Goa'uld. In fact, I wonder if you would consider working with Agent Mulder to develop a series of papers on why the Goa'uld act the way they do. The Goa'uld and the Tok'ra. When we can understand them better, perhaps we'll be able to work with them?"

"I've read a few of Agent Mulder's monographs. He is a gifted psychologist. I would be happy to work with him."

"Thanks Cierdwyn. And now, I'm afraid I have much work to do. The conference is in little less than a week."

"Of course Mr. President."

"I really wish people would stop calling me that."

"But you are our President, are you not?"

"Yes, but it is not a position I have ever aspired to. Remind sometime to tell you of the scandals and conspiracies of the Roman Senate. Perhaps, someday, I could actually publish my memoirs?"

"Anything is possible in this new era for us, Mr. President."

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Mars

Chamber of the Council of Twelve

June 23rd

0830 hours

"President Tigh. The Council has made it's decision. Five of us will join you for this intergalactic conference. Have you made your own choices?"

"Yes. I have chosen Apollo, Sheba, Dr. Salik, and Starbuck, to accompany me. With the five you have chosen, we now have our delegation completed. Whom have you chosen?"

"Sire Uri. Sire Boreas. Siress Metis. Siress Hera. We have chosen Architect Ryos to accompany us to Earth as he is the one who will build our new city on this world. He has expressed an interest in the possibility of seeing first hand, the various architectures of Earth."

"Thank you, Sire Nereus. We stand in adjournment until six days from now when we shall gather here prior to proceeding to the hangar bays. I ask that you take into consideration that we will be on Earth up to two of their weeks and that you pack all you deem necessary and essential for this event."

Tigh had been gone only a few moments when Sire Uri recognized Ryos, chief architect for his report.

"Assembled members of the Council. I thank you for allowing me to accompany you to Earth for this Conference. I am most anxious to see a few of the places we have been shown via their primitive audio-visual recordings. I say primitive because in that respect, as in so many others, our Earthly brethren are millennia behind us. It is true that their computron technology is much more advanced than ours, yet with the exception of those in the organization called Stargate Command, Earthers had until very recently used primitive space craft to travel to their only satellite. The Thirteenth tribe settled here many thousands of yahrens ago, yet they are even more primitive than our own colonies were five millennia ago. Why is this? Another thing that has come to my attention is the disparity among the peoples of Earth. Whereas we had twelve colony worlds and one form of government, they have one world, with dozens of forms of government. In some areas of Earth, there is food and land in abundance, in other areas, food is scarce and land is at a premium. Why is this so? I firmly believe that we should do away with the treaty that Apollo and Tigh have wrought for us and move to Earth. This dusty red world that we inhabit; it will be decades before we can walk on the surface without protective clothing. Why must we wait? Members of the Council, if you have the opportunity to discuss these issues with the Earth representatives while we are at this conference, I implore you to do so. Thank you for the time allotted to me."

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Cheyenne Mountain

Office of Mulder and Scully

June 23rd

0830 hours

It was a strange feeling for Mulder. A decade of his life spent chasing these men and now they were in custody. All the training, all the investigations, all the hopes and dreams; it all led to this one moment. The prisoners had been transferred late the previous evening to a holding facility at Peterson AFB and now, in the accompaniment of two JAG officers and the JAG himself, Mulder and Scully were on their way there to see the prisoners first hand. Though Mulder had been in on the raid the prior night, he had not yet seen the prisoners as they had been brought out of the building with hoods over their heads. A quick glance by him at the prisoners revealed that all had their arms. A certain one armed bastard was missing.

It had been a close thing. President Ryan had no idea how close he had come to losing his children. Krycek had been in the White House, in the living areas, when he had noticed all of the extra security and that certain members of the detail were now carrying very strange looking weapons. Too much security. Too much risk, well, too much extra risk. He scrubbed his mission and left the way he came, via a service tunnel the Consortium had once built when they had access to previous residents of the building. Time to lay low for a few days, then contact Spender. He did not realize just how impossible that task would prove to be.

But for Mulder and Scully, the feeling was one of elation and relief. The evidence against the Consortium was overwhelming, yet each knew that such things could never be said in a court of law. If the truth were to come out, it would topple at least a dozen world governments, including the fragile one that Ryan was attempting to rebuild. No, the world could never know what these men had done. It was a complex quandary of stellar proportions.

A conclusion that had already been reached by Admiral Chegwidden. Even a military court would not be a place to try these people, if one could call them that. The CIA had been forthcoming for once, and details of how the Consortium interacted with a certain civilian agency by name of NID had come to light. The fact that Senator Kinsey was presumed dead as only small DNA fragments had been found only meant that the NID would be on a chopping block very soon, what with no more high level protection for its agents or for the agency.

A conclusion that was in the process of being reached by one President Ryan. The preliminary reports were on his desk. No way could these truths ever come out. Well, not now in any case. Maybe in a couple hundred years. The actions undertaken by these people had global implications. Had their plan come to fruition, it is likely that every living person on Earth would have been killed or enslaved. Their plan, wrought on a global scale, seemed all too similar to the Goa'uld's plan of galactic control. How to try them? Regardless of their guilt or innocence, these men were US citizens, entitled to the rights therein. A trial by their peers?

Such a thing would be a sham trial. The minute the jury heard the evidence, they'd vote to convict. The evidence was that solid. Yet he could not, in good conscience subject any group of twelve honest men and women to such evidence. Human experimentation. Cloning. Abductions. Murders. Treaties with extraterrestrial parties. All in the name of saving their own skins. But what to do about this? Jack was at an impasse. He needed advice.

"Mulder."

"Agent Mulder, stand by for the President of the United States."

Mulder gulped. Yes he had spoken at length with the President on two previous occasions, but the man had never called him directly. Those two prior conversations had been as part of the task force. Mulder sat down and reached for his cup of coffee.

"Agent Mulder. First allow me to congratulate you and your team for bringing these people to justice. I will sleep better tonight knowing that these men and women are behind bars awaiting trial. And that brings me to my next problem."

"Problem, Mr. President?"

The minute he spoke those three words, the others in the room, his partner and the three from JAG, sat a bit more at attention.

"Yes, problem. The evidence that your teams have gathered; it's more than good enough, in my opinion, to put these men and women away for a very long time. But if word of their actions gets out, we'll have a global panic on our hands. The things these people did, it's…, it's… inhuman."

"On that we are in full agreement sir. What they did was and is inhuman and no jury, civilian or military, should ever have to hear the details. In fact, my self and the JAG team had just reached that same conclusion, Mr. President. The question is, what do we do now?"

"A question I am attempting to answer myself, Agent Mulder."

"Mr. President, with your permission, I will talk to a few people here at the SGC. Perhaps they can come up with a solution?"

"Perhaps. Very well then, Fox. Please see that to that."

"Yes, Mr. President."

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"So the President came to the same conclusion that we did, Agent Mulder?"

"I'm afraid so, Admiral. Now we have the rather unusual order of finding a way to try these bastards for all they've done. And it can never become public. I don't agree with that, but then again, I don't agree that this information should ever be made public. For once, I think the rules of secrecy are a good thing."

"I never thought I'd live to see this day Mulder."

"What day, Scully."

"The day you'd see that classified material exists for a reason. And I agree with you. No one should ever have to hear of what was done to me, among others."

"Ok. Then let us do this. Admiral, if you and your people would head over to Peterson and obtain statements from those 'arrested' last night, that would be helpful. Scully, join them please and help to keep Spender and his cronies somewhat honest?"

"Sure Mulder. But what are you going to do?"

"Talk to Hammond. Maybe talk to some of the Immortals on base. See if they can shed some light on this dilemma."

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Office of General Hammond

0900 hours

"Come!"

"General, uhm, if you have a few minutes?"

"Come in Agent Mulder. Have a seat. Coffee?"

"Uhm, yeah, that would be good. I assume you've read over the reports the task force has prepared?"

"I have. The evidence looks pretty solid to me. Should be easy to get a conviction for all of them."

"Well, therein lies the problem. In all good conscience, none of us want to subject a civilian jury or a military panel to this type of evidence. Bad enough that I have bad dreams most nights. I can't think of any reason why I should subject others to that fate."

"Most military personnel, particularly those in special operations, have the same types of dreams Agent. But I see where you are going with this. What did Admiral Chegwidden have to say about your conclusions?"

"Actually, he agreed. As did President Ryan. So now we are faced with a new dilemma. How to try these men and women in a court of law without telling the entire story. More to the point, what do we do with them once they are convicted. In my opinion, prison life would be too good for them. And we can only execute them once."

"A shame, that. I take it you need an idea?"

"Any idea would be helpful.."

"Well, we can't ask the Immortals to be impartial as these Consortium types did try to take some of their own. And asking the Colonials would not be right as they have enough problems to deal with on their own. I think I may have an idea. But I'm not sure how it will play out."

"I'm all ears, sir."

"One of our off-world allies, the Tollan, have an interesting form of trial called a Triad. It boils down to a prosecutor, a defender, and a neutral third party. I suppose we could ask them for their assistance in this matter. But they don't have the death penalty."

"Death would be too good for them, sir."

"It would. But perhaps permanent exile could be arranged somewhere?"

"A small dark rock would be nice."

"Allow me to make a request of the Tollan, Agent Mulder. I'll get back to you as soon as we have some word from them."

"Sounds right to me, sir."

After agent Mulder left his office, General Hammond placed a call to Luna.

"This is General Hammond at the SGC. I need to speak with President Augustus."

"Of course, sir. One moment."

"Marius."

"Major Ramos. General Hammond here. I have a request that you might be able to fill for us."

"Of course General. How can I be of assistance?"

"You have a construction crew in the asteroid field, correct?"

"That's correct, sir."

"You think you could find a smallish asteroid for us? One that would serve as a prison for seven, possibly ten, prisoners?"

"For the Consortium prisoners, I assume?"

"That is correct. For the remainder of their lives, they'll need to be able to sustain themselves, but they should have no contact whatsoever with the outside."

"I think we can create something to that effect. Give me a few hours to work out the details, sir."

"Right. I'll get back to you at say, 1600?"

"Sounds good, sir."

His next call would be slightly more long distance. To the Tollan home world of Tollana.

"Sergeant, dial up Tollana and get SG-9 on the ramp and ready for a mission."

"Yes sir!"

Maybe five minutes passed before SG-9 appeared in the embarkation room, in full gear, ready to go. They were surprised that General Hammond would be accompanying them. Major Kovacek spoke.

"Sir?"

"I will be joining you for this mission to Tollana, Major. We need a favor from the Tollan."

"Of course sir. After you sir."

It was perhaps the fourth time that General Hammond had been through the gate. It never ceased to amaze him. Though a scientist would swear that once the item passing through the event horizon had dematerialized it could neither see nor experience anything therein, the General would swear he saw a myriad of colors racing by as he entered the gate on Earth and stepped out into the cool evening air of Tollana. Major Kovacek spoke to one of the Tollan guards, and a short time later, Narim appeared.

"General Hammond. Welcome to Tollana. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I must speak with High Chancellor Travell. It is an urgent matter."

"Of course. Please, this way."

"SG-9, stay here."

Narim thought it odd that only a few days before the interplanetary conference that General Hammond himself would come to Tollana. Whatever vexed the man must be indeed important for him to come. And to come without the presence of SG-1 no less! But his questions would be resolved shortly, he hoped.

The walk was not far. The Tollan had rebuilt most of their city in the wake of the attack by Anubis. Had it not been for the Asgard who intervened on their behalf, Hammond felt sure he would not be standing here today. As he mused on this, he and Narim passed into the chambers of the Curia.

"High Chancellor Travell."

"General Hammond. I had not expected to see you before the Conference next week. Is there a problem?"

"I need some advice. You have helped us a time or two before, particularly with Klorel/Skaara, and well, I need advice. It is a legal matter."

"Of course! How may I assist you?"

"You recall mentions of a group called NID in the past yes? The ones responsible for stealing technology from you and the Asgard, among others?"

"Yes, I do recall those incidents. Is the NID stealing again?"

"No. Recently information about another group of humans on our world came to light. They call themselves 'Immortals' and that is exactly what they are."

"Immortal? As in they live longer lives than you?"

"Immortal as in the oldest among them is approximately ten thousand Earth years old. Earth signed an agreement with the Immortals to keep them safe from experimentation. A group of Earth men, however, did not honor that agreement. To make a long story short, these are the same men responsible for the creation of the NID. We have captured them, but find ourselves in a complex situation. If word of their atrocities were to become public knowledge, there would be riots and widespread chaos. The very people that we, the military, are sworn to protect would rise up against us. The crimes these men and women committed, they turn even my stomach, ma'am, and I know that if we were to try them in any court on Earth, there would be no way to keep such proceedings a secret."

"What crimes will they be charged with?"

"The list is long and varied, but it boils down to abduction, genetic experimentation, and murder."

"I see. You realize, General Hammond, that if they were to be tried on Tollana, that there could be no possibility of a sentence of death."

"I realize that. We are prepared to exile them, permanently. But we will not take the chance that they will escape, so we are preparing a prison asteroid for them to live out their lives."

"I see. In the interest of friendship and with the hopes of building a long lasting relationship with Earth, I offer the option of Triad to you, General Hammond. Have you someone in mind for the role of Archon?"

"There are two matters here. One is that these criminals acted with malice aforethought in regards to the Immortals. Another is that they have committed numerous crimes against humanity."

"So there must be two Triads."

"Possibly, though we do hope to have only one. For the Triad involving Immortals, I would think the leader of the Immortals would act as archon on behalf of his people. For the Triad involving Earth in general, I will ask our highest ranking military attorney to become archon on behalf of the peoples of Earth. The other seeker will undoubtedly have their own archon, though I would ask someone from Tollan be present to assist their archon in matters of procedure."

"Agreed. What about the neutral archon?"

"I have no idea. Perhaps you can suggest someone?"

"I think we can find someone objective enough for you. It is agreed General Hammond. Tollana will host these two Triads for you."

"I thank you High Chancellor Travell. I look forward to seeing you at the Conference in a week's time."

----------------------------------------

Office of General Hammond

1645 hours

"Come!"

"General, did you get a chance to speak with the Tollan?"

"I did, agent Mulder. They have agreed to host the Triad. Two Triads to be specific. One with the Immortals and the Consortium, another with Earth and the Consortium. I am fairly certain of the outcome, and have asked President Augustus to design a prison asteroid."

"That is excellent news, sir!"

"It is indeed. Now we only have to inform the prisoners of the location for trial. High Chancellor Travell of the Tollan has given to us two copies of their procedures for the triad. One will stay here, where the JAG team can review it. Another will be given to whatever attorney the prisoners choose. I am allowing one copy to be made which will be forwarded to Luna, so their representative can acquaint himself with the procedures."

"Sounds good. You want me to take the manual down to Admiral Chegwidden and his team?"

"Yes, thank you."

----------------------------------------

June 25th

San Francisco

The intergalactic conference was scheduled to start in less than a week's time, but Marius and Cassandra were in a shuttle flying down to San Francisco. The shuttle pilot had explicit orders from the Immortal Council not to land anywhere longer than necessary to load or unload passengers. He was to remain aloft at all times and he was to maintain a lock on the President at all times. The shuttle came down fast, and hovered for a few minutes in the street in front of the Halliwell home. Marius and Cassandra jumped down the final foot to the ground before the door irised closed behind them and the shuttle shot straight up into the sky only to go into a hover about fifty meters off the ground. Then it cloaked.

They walked up to the door and Marius knocked. But someone altogether unexpected answered the door.

"Hello?"

"Uhm, is Piper available?"

"Who's asking?"

"Marius."

"Let me go and get her. Wait right there."

"Piper?"

"Leo?"

"There's a man at your door asking for you. Marius?"

"Oh! I didn't think he'd come back so soon!"

"Who's Marius? And more to the point, why is there the most powerful witch I've ever felt standing next to him?"

"Witch? Oh, he must have brought Cassandra with him. Did you let them in?"

"No. They're waiting at the door."

"Heya Piper! You remember Cassandra, don't you?"

"A pleasure to meet you again, Piper."

"Likewise, Cassandra."

"Before I forget, I'm told you have my cell phone?"

"Yeah. Everything turn out ok, Marius?"

"As well as can be expected. Though I can safely say, death by Ebola is not at all a pleasant experience."

"Uhm, Ebola? As in the virus from Africa?"

"That would be the one. Those folks that took me, well, they wanted to see what made me tick, so among other things, I got shot up with a massive dose of Ebola. It's something I'd rather not dwell on."

"I understand."

"So who was the gentleman that answered the door?"

"Oh. That's Leo. My husband."

"Husband? I don't recall you mentioning a husband before?"

"We were separated when you and I met."

"Ah. And now?"

"We trying to work things out."

"Ah. Ok. Well, never let it be said that I would be the cause of a divorce. So, friends?"

"Friendship is good."

Phoebe, Paige, and Leo came in at that moment, and after a round of introductions, the three Halliwell sisters began to pick Cassandra's brain for information while Leo and Marius began a conversation, albeit a rather uncomfortable one at first. At least, until Marius made mention of the Ancients.

"The Ancients? What do you know of the Ancients? Are we talking about the founders of Atlantis?"

"One and the same, Leo. They were here before, shall we say, the current generation of mankind."

"But they died out?"

"No. They didn't die. They evolved."

"Evolved?"

"They transcended the need for corporeal bodies. But they wanted children. Immortals are the result of that need for off-spring."

"So you are the off-spring of an Ancient?"

"That's essentially correct. In the fullness of time, I am told, my kind will evolve as well, and take our place among the Ancients. They created us to be Guardians for Earth and her mortal children. We haven't always been the best of Guardians, but we are trying to correct our errors and lead Earth's children along a better path now."

"No offense, but you don't feel any different from a mortal."

Marius looked at him strangely for only a second, before unleashing the full power of his Quickening. He had kept it toned down, per Cassandra's request, that the full power of their Quickening's would interfere with the sisters' abilities to sense danger. Leo fell to his knees shouting in pain, and grasping his head as the full strength of Marius' Quickening rolled over him. Just as quickly as the sensation began, it stopped as Marius tampered down his signature.

"I stand corrected. You are an old one."

"Not so old as that. A mere twenty-six hundred."

Their conversations continued well into the night and when both Marius and Cassandra left, it was with a new understanding of the three sisters and what they meant to the world.

----------------------------------------

July 3rd

Las Vegas

Attendees for the conference slated to kick-off the next day had begun arriving early on the 3rd at the SGC and via ship in orbit. Many of the guests would be housed at the Luxor, the MGM Grand, and at Mandalay Bay, all within a short walk of one another. All of the hotels lay within a twelve block area that had been cordoned off with military police at various check points and force fields securing the entire area. Over head, fighters from numerous airbases in the area would be patrolling round the clock. They were supplemented with F-302 fighters stationed at Peterson AFB and aboard the two existing Battlecruisers, the Prometheus and the Daedalus. Three more Battlecruisers were expected out of the Luna shipyards the next day, along with the first of five Immortal class fleet support ships.

There were already a few dozen ships in orbit. Ships from empires that wished to show off their advanced technology to these primitive Tau'ri. Indeed their first contact with the Tau'ri had come via Stargate sometime in the previous seven years, as had subsequent contacts come via the same means. A Tollan vessel pulled into a parking orbit between an Asgard cruiser and a Goa'uld Ha'tak. High Chancellor Travell, and four other members of the Tollan Curia were aboard that ship and were looking out the main view port when they came into the system. Travell and the Curia had rather fixed assumptions of Tau'ri technology. They were surprised to find out that the Tau'ri had constructed two space going vessels. Vessels made for war primarily and exploration in a secondary role. But they were more surprised to see the two Battlestars in Tau'ri space, one in orbit around the fourth planet, the other around the third. Their scanners showed another vessel, immensely huge, in the nearby asteroid field, and four more that their scans indicated were under construction.

The Goa'uld had already ringed down to the conference site. Marius had asked Nefertiri to act as a liaison to the Goa'uld. She was dressed in much the same way she had dressed when she had been hand maiden to Cleopatra. The fact that she was dressed correctly had startled the Goa'uld representatives. The fact that she spoke in what had been court Egyptian or Goa'uld, was a welcome one.

"Greetings. On behalf of the Tau'ri and of the Immortal Council, I bid you welcome to Earth. I am Nefertiri. I have been assigned as your liaison while on Earth. Should there be anything you need, you have but to ask."

"Tal ma'te. You are hok'tar? Even I, can sense the aura of your ancient power."

"Tal ma'te. Tal mal tiak. I am not hok'tar. I am of a race called Immortals. Do not look at me with envious eyes for my kind can not be hosts. The power of our aura would kill even the strongest of Goa'uld. We have been on Earth for tens of thousands of years. There are those of us who were there when Ra was here. We fight beside the Tau'ri in their quest."

"I see. I am the Jade Emperor, the Exalted Lord Yu Huang Shang-Ti. I am the oldest of the System Lords and leader of the System Lords Council."

"I am Osiris."

"I am Ba'al."

"I am Bastet."

"I am Kali."

"And these are you lo'taurs? Good. If you will come with me, we will get you situated in your rooms. I must apologize up front, however. The rooms that have been provided for you are amongst the most opulent that the Tau'ri can offer, however, they may not be up to your standards. Rest assured, all that can be done to ensure your safety and comfort has been done. None of the delegates will be allowed any weapons. The Tau'ri that you see with weapons are honor guards, to ensure the safety of all of the delegates. Tomorrow evening, when all have arrived, there will be an opening celebration that coincides with a celebration of independence in this host country."

"Independence? From what?"

"Some two hundred years ago, this country that plays host to us was founded as a colony of another country. In time, the colonies rebelled against their parent and formed their own nation-state. They celebrate this day on which they declared their independence and their desire for self-rule. Goddess Kali, this celebration has meanings that even the average Tau'ri has forgotten. But those of us who were there, who fought for Independence alongside the Tau'ri, have not forgotten the sacrifices made. There will be speeches and food for all."

"Very well."

----------------------------------------

At the SGC, delegates were arriving via the Stargate. Just as quickly as they arrived, they were swept through Medical for a baseline check and then taken to the surface where a number of shuttles were standing by for the short hop to the landing facility in Las Vegas. It had been decided that an Immortal would act as liaison to various representatives from the more advanced cultures. Just as Nefertiri was liaising with the Goa'uld, so was Marcus Constantine liaising with the Tollan, Grace Chandler with the Nox, Kassim with the Furlings, and Mako with the Asgard.

The delegation from the Ancients was already on Earth, in the form of Methos as son of Tok'Ra, Tok'Ra himself, and Colonel Jack O'Neill, whom after his contact with Tok'Ra, had been transformed into an Ancient.

Shortly after Thor and five others from the Asgard High Council arrived, Thor was taken aside and introduced to Fox Mulder. Before Mulder could even ask a single question, Thor spoke.

"Fox Mulder. You are a legend amongst the Asgard. We have been observing your race for thousands of your years. In that time, there have always been certain individuals whom we could contact if we were to find ourselves stranded on your world. You were identified as one such individual."

"I was? Why?"

"Our rule is one of non-interference with the younger races. Yet many tens of thousands of years ago, our race was of two minds. After a series of very bloody civil wars, the more antagonistic of our kind were banished. Exiled from Asgard space. Though we wish no contact with our long exiled brethren, we do keep tabs, as it were, on them. We have known of their attempts to influence the course of human history. When information regarding your fight against them was intercepted, we identified you as a safe point of contact."

"My sister?"

"As I have stated, there were others of our kind who were more antagonistic. Their stated goal to create stronger races through strife, then to hybridize those stronger races in their own image. If their attempts at hybridization failed, then they would release the pathogen you know as the black cancer in order to create more soldiers for their cause. Once we made contact with the Tau'ri, particularly with O'Neill, we realized that we must attempt to stop them from completing their experiments on your world. To this end, we have prevented their ships from landing here. Now that Earth is a party to the Protected Planets Treaty, they can no longer interfere with your natural growth."

"But there were men and women here working with them?"

"Yes. That is true in many cases. However, they will no longer trouble you. With this scanning device, you will be able to locate any of their technology on your world. Once you have eliminated their influence, the group of men and women whom they were in league with, will fall apart."

"What about my sister?"

"I regret that we were unable to stop them earlier from taking many humans for experimentation. If she still lives, though this is doubtful, she may be on one of their colony worlds. They number approximately one dozen. We would be happy to act on your behalf to attempt to locate her and return her to you."

"If she lives?"

"She may have died during their experiments."

"I have seen clones of her."

"If clones were created, then it is possible that the original body is alive. However, she may not be cognizant of her surroundings."

"I see. Well, this scanner will certainly help. But I want to go with you to find her."

"I'm afraid that will not be possible. We will inform you of the particulars of our search."

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Las Vegas

July 4th

Convention Center

2000 hours

In all his life, Marius had never seen so many powerful people in one room. Representatives from the Ancient Alliance sat at one table together. The Goa'uld at another table. Lesser delegations at various tables interspersed with Tau'ri liaisons. There were rumors he'd heard from a well placed source inside the UN of a pending meeting there to declare the formation of a Sol Confederation, with the Tau'ri, the Immortals, and the Colonials as the first members. The rumors went on with one small fact; the UN wanted control of the technology of both the Colonials and the Immortals. Another stupid power play by his brethren.

But just today, he'd received word from Mitch in the asteroid field. The first two of five planned Immortal-class ships had been completed. When he had first moved to Luna, he gotten together with his staff and had designed this new class of ship. The Immortal class. Three miles long, two miles wide, and a full mile in height. Using the technology given to their trust by Tok'Ra, the ships had been designed to create their own wormhole in space. Using the CombatGates that Tok'Ra had built so many thousands of years ago as beacons, the ship would create a wormhole using one of those beacons as an end point and would emerge in space near that gate. There was no way that a ship as large as an Immortal-class could transit through one of the CombatGates.

It was designed to provide support to the fleet that the Tau'ri and the Colonials were presently building. Machine shops and entertainment venues, manufacturing plants and refineries, vast hydroponic gardens and a full hospital with room for two thousand patients at a time. There were to be aid stations scattered along the periphery of the ship, located near airlocks and transport ring stations, to provide stabilization aid to the severely wounded before moving them to the infirmary. They had taken a lesson from the Colonials in the design of the hangar bays. Along the mid point of the ship, and projecting fore and aft were a series of linked hangars and launch catapults. With a crew of two thousand to keep the ship in space, a flight crew of a thousand to defend the ship, and ground assault troops numbering five thousand, the Immortal class was more than just a support ship.

Thousands of pulse laser turrets and rail gun turrets would protect the ship. At the fore end and under where the bridge lay were two dozen heavy cannons, both pulsar and rail gun. If one were to look at the ship, one might believe it to be a Colonial Battlestar writ very large. But the resemblance was only 'skin deep'. Whereas the Colonials had two hangar bays in projections or 'outriggers' off the main body, the Immortal class used those two 'outriggers' to land the ground assault troops. Each pod could detach from the ship and then be used to enter the atmosphere of a planet. Each pod would become the command center for twenty-five hundred assault troopers. Within the pods, were hundreds of ground assault vehicles, each of them equipped with the Ramos force shield.

Given a full load of raw materials in the numerous cargo bays of the ship, the manufacturing centers could build all of the fighters needed to replace the full compliments of five Battlestars and five Battlecruisers at one time. There were additional cargo areas that carried only the materials necessary to build the weapons said fighters would utilize.

All in all, what had started out its life as an underway replenishment ship had become something much more. The Colonials and the Tau'ri would build their Battlestars and their Battlecruisers, but they would become escorts for these Immortal ships. As Marius took to the podium in the Convention Center, the first of the Immortal class carriers was moving into geo-synchronous orbit over Las Vegas.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Distinguished guests. On behalf of the Tau'ri, the Immortal Council, and the Colonial Council of Twelve, allow me to welcome you to Earth and the opening ceremonies of this Intergalactic Conference. A few of you may have noticed the colorful displays around the area. There is a reason for that. It was on this day, two hundred and twenty seven Earth years ago in our host country, that a number of brave men declared their independence and formed on this continent a new nation. A nation dedicated to the ideals of freedom and liberty for all. Ideals that are evident even today.

"Today, I am known as Marius Augustus, President of the Immortal Council. But two hundred and twenty-seven years ago, I was Marcus Brown, a soldier in the American Revolutionary Army. I can not lay claim to a large part in the war that gained this nation's independence, but I can claim to have been there. From the battle fields in the Carolinas, to the siege of Washington, to the victory at Bunker Hill, I marched and fought alongside the Tau'ri because I believed in the same ideals as they.

"In the intervening years, I have served my adopted country when she needed me most. I was there to celebrate the first manned mechanical flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903. I was listening to the radio when the announcement came that Charles Lindberg had completed his historic flight across the Atlantic and landed in Paris in May of 1927 after a thirty-three and a half hour flight. Some years later, I sat glued to a small black and white screen when the first American Tau'ri walked on their only satellite, Luna, in July of 1969."

While Marius was speaking a series of giant screens behind him and above him were showing scenes from his speech. Epic battle scenes of the Revolutionary War, the first flight at Kitty Hawk, Lindberg's landing at Orly Airport in Paris, and the Lunar landing and first steps by Neil Armstrong. Music played in the background ranging from symphonic masterpieces by Copland to modern composers like John Williams. On the overhead screens, guests were treated to a light show in the form of fireworks. The images and music and fireworks were being transmitted across the United States this evening.

"There were hard times and there were good times. Lean times, and plentiful times. My adopted country, the United States of America, has long stood for equality and justice. When the First World War broke out in Europe, I was there, fighting alongside hundreds of other pilots in the first large scale air war the planet had ever seen. I have been on this world for over twenty-six hundred years, but it has been the last hundred years or so that have been the most exciting. It is said that wars breed new science and technologies. Could the Wright brothers, builders of the first airplane, have envisioned how far we would take their creation? I like to think so.

"In one form or another, I have been in one army or another since my time as a General in Rome. But I would never have imagined, all those centuries ago, that I would one day be a fighter pilot. I flew fighters in both world wars, bi-planes in the First World War, and first Spitfires and later Mustangs in the Second World War. I was among the few pilots of piston powered aircraft in the Second War to shoot down a German jet fighter. Only a few years later I was again flying planes, this time jets, in the Korean Conflict. No matter what anyone tells you about that bloody little skirmish, it was a war, declared or otherwise. Thought I tried to fly for the US in Vietnam, my talents were called upon to build better systems for the military, so I sat that one out.

"It seems strange, now, to be telling all of this. Only a few months ago, the world in general was ignorant of the existence of Immortals and of our contributions to history. It is perhaps our best testament to history, that we as Immortals, have not made such brilliant contributions as have our mortal brethren. But we have seen history as it occurred. It is said often enough, that history is recorded by the victors. That may be true, but it is Immortals, with our long view of things, that know the real events that took place.

"Today, we celebrate another year of freedom. We mourn the passing of so many at the Twin Towers and at the Pentagon and in a rural field in Pennsylvania. Freedom is oft taken for granted, and it is often our intertwined fates that remind us of the price of our freedom, and that is eternal vigilance. Today we come together, in the spirit of cooperation and friendship, to forge a new beginning for our universe. I look out amongst you and see the four races that made up the Alliance of Ancients. An alliance that strove to create a peace in the universe so that the younger races could benefit from that worry free environment. But in your attempts to restrain the younger races, you've created a serious problem. You call us young, or primitive, and believe that we still have much to learn. The most old and wise of the Alliance were the Ancients themselves; the creators of the Stargate system that so many of us utilize today. Many of you believe that the Ancients have left this plane of existence and have moved on to a higher state of being. Many of you would be both correct and incorrect.

"The majority of the Ancients have left this corporeal plane. Yet a few remained behind. They created one more tool before they moved on. They created us; they created Immortals. Our numbers are few and for thousands of years we hunted one another in the quest for a prize. A fool's quest. Those of us alive today, may yet live another hundred thousand years and may eventually evolve to become Ancients ourselves. Yet we can wield their powers. We have their technology. We have a longer view of history. Yet we are still young.

"By comparison to our creators, we are but babes in arms. The eldest of our kind is more than ten thousand years of age. The youngest, a mere twenty-five years of age. I am only twenty-six hundred. Yet we can all trace our lineage to one Ancient; Tok'Ra. He who gave us life is he whom we honor with the taking up of arms against his ancient enemy; the Goa'uld Hegemony. And a few weeks ago, we were content to carry on that fight. Now we come to an interesting dilemma.

"Our 'father's' ancient enemy have come to us for assistance. The Goa'uld Anubis has formed an alliance with a race of cybernetic creatures that call themselves Cylons. Their stated goal? To wipe out all humanoid life in the universe. An ambitious plan, to say the least. And one at which they have every intention of success. This new enemy; the Cylons; they show no fear, they show no mercy. They are unlike any creature I have ever had the displeasure to fight, though admittedly, I have only fought other Tau'ri, other Immortals, and perhaps a few Goa'uld.

"There are races represented in this room tonight that do not wish to share their technologies. Fine. This is not a conference about sharing technology. It is a conference about sharing resources so that we may fight this new enemy. I won't ask the Tollan to share information about their ion cannons and I won't ask the Goa'uld to share information about their physiology, just as I wouldn't ask the Nox to share information about their cloaking technology. No, what we wish to discuss here tonight and over the course of the next two weeks, is how we go about sharing our military might to defeat the Cylons and Anubis.

"We must come up with a plan to integrate our military forces into one command structure. If, for instance, a Tau'ri is the commander of a fleet, then would the Goa'uld and Jaffa assigned to that fleet take orders from a Tau'ri? That is something we must work out, for right now the answer to that question is negative. But this is a discussion for the conference tomorrow.

"In the skies above us, the first ship of the Immortal fleet is taking up station keeping over the conference site. It will remain there, along with our other vessels and fighters to prevent any attack on this most auspicious conference. Please, enjoy your meals, and enjoy the evening's festivities. Good night."

The assembled dignitaries, some with staff, some not, looked skyward and saw on numerous screens a very large ship enter Earth orbit. At one of the tables, Jack O'Neill looked on with something akin to smug satisfaction as he saw the faces of the Tollan, the Goa'uld, and the Tok'ra break out in amazement at the sight. The ship was huge. It dwarfed the nearby Colonial Battlestar and made it the few Goa'uld Ha'taks in orbit look like bathtub toys in comparison. Things were definitely looking better.

"Sorry to disturb your dinners again, but I've just been reminded that I left something out of my speech. While the Representatives are meeting tomorrow and over the course of the next several days, there will be tours available for any interested parties. Informational packets on the tours available will be delivered to each of your rooms while we are here. Enjoy!"

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July 5th

1000 hours

Convention Center

The maintenance staff of the convention center should be commended, thought Marius. In the span of eight hours, they had cleaned up the floor of the main hall of all the trash left from the dinner last evening. They had laid down carpet and arranged a series of tables and chairs in a semi-circular fashion and placed them on ever increasing tiers. The central podium sat in the center of the circle, down on the ground level. He had come in about an hour ago to check over the presentation equipment and his presentation materials. He was scheduled as the sixth speaker of the morning. Because the Asgard had called this meeting in the first place, their representative, Thor, would be the titular chairman of the conference.

Jack O'Neill and Adam Pierson filed into the convention center. They had been up late the night before, after the dinner festivities had ended, at the tables in their casino. Adam, as the oldest inhabitant of the planet, had been selected by the UN Security Council as the representative for Earth. Jack O'Neill, as a newly emerged Ancient, had been selected by Tok'Ra to speak on his behalf, though they both knew that Tok'Ra would probably be hovering out of sight at the meeting.

"The Chair recognizes Lord Ba'al, of the Goa'uld System Lords."

"Commander Thor. Distinguished guests. For thousands of years the Goa'uld have ruled over an empire that spans hundreds of thousands of worlds. Our Ruling Council has been in place at least that long. We police our own kind. A thousand years ago we exiled Anubis for committing acts of atrocities that pale even against our own. Yes. Our own. We know full well that we are reviled for our actions and deeds. But even amongst our kind, Anubis was far worse than any of us. And so we exiled him. And for a thousand years, we knew nothing of him. Now he has returned. He has been building his forces for a number of centuries. The Council hoped that we could handle this matter internally. We did not expect him to ally himself with these Cylons. Osiris and I brought to Lord Yu, news of this alliance, and of the new atrocities committed in the name of the Cylon Empire. It is true that we possess slaves. That we use them as warriors, as laborers, and as scholars. But these Cylons, they have no regard for humanoid life. There only goal is to exterminate all life that is not their own.

"And so, the Ruling Council formed a fleet, the likes of which had not been seen in a thousand years. And we took that fleet to do battle with Anubis and his new allies. We regret to say that almost the entire fleet was destroyed. The Council has come to the conclusion that this is a battle we can not fight on our own. Though it angers us greatly, we must ask for help to defeat these Cylons. Alone, we can not do this. Perhaps together, we can."

"The Chair recognizes Travell, representative of the Tollan."

"On behalf of the people of Tollana, I bid you all greetings. To be quite honest, when we were contacted by the Asgard with news of this conference, we did not know what to expect. The Tau'ri are our allies. We enjoy diplomatic and trade relations with them. It is our policy, and has been for centuries, not to share our technology with less advanced races, out of fear of what those races might accomplish with that technology. But, after seeing the video evidence of the fight between the System Lord fleet and Anubis and the Cylons, we have come to the conclusion that this fight, is our fight. As you have stated, the Cylons view all humanoid life as less than they are. You have told us that they wish to annihilate all human life in the galaxy. As we are of the same root species, we pledge our resources to this fight. We will not share our technology, but we will share the few fleet vessels we have available for this battle."

"The Chair recognizes Methos, representative of Earth."

"Greetings to all. A few weeks ago, shortly after Commander Thor requested this meeting, I was summoned to the United Nations building in New York. On Earth, the United Nations is a quasi governing body where all nations can air their disputes in open forum. It doesn't always work, but we are trying to make it work. As I was saying, I was called before them. They were debating who would be appointed as representative for Earth. Ambassador Richards, of the United States, suggested that I, as the eldest inhabitant of Earth should speak for the Tau'ri. And so here I am.

"We of Earth, recognize the threat posed by Anubis and by the Cylon Empire. We of Earth, pledge our full support to this battle, to defeat the Cylons and to defeat Anubis. We have new agreements now in place with numerous governments of our world to share the burden of the Stargate program, and to share in the technological resources obtained thereof. I thank you for your time.

"The Chair recognizes Marius, Representative of the Immortal Council."

"Greetings to all. I wish to say first that the Immortal Council pledges its full support to this endeavor. Secondly, I have reviewed in detail the video provided by the Asgard regarding the recent battle between Anubis and the Cylons and the Goa'uld forces. There are lessons to be learned. Let's look at them briefly. If you will turn to the video screens on your desks, you will see the data stream taken by the Asgard probe. The first thing I noticed was that the Al'kesh bombers fired first. I wondered about that. So I consulted with a representative of the Colonial Council, and was told, to my amazement, that the Cylon fighters are equipped with short range weaponry only. But this fact escaped those on the command Ha'taks. The Al'kesh fired first and their opening shots went unanswered by the Cylons. As they closed the distance to firing range, the Cylons finally opened fire, decimating the lines of Udajeet fighters. The Al'kesh, rather than staying in the fight as they should have, blew on through the front lines and tried to engage the Cylon Basestars. That proved a costly mistake.

"The weaponry on the Basestar is formidable, designed more for ship to ship fighting than for defense against enemy fighters. Their high power pulsars made short work of the Al'kesh bombers. And the Cylon fighters made short work of the Udajeets. Then when the big ships started firing, you pulled back your more heavily armed vessels and let the lesser pyramid ships meet the enemy. It is my understanding that the System Lords were aboard those more heavily armed Ha'taks and Shral'kas, and so the reason for their remaining at the rear is clear to me at least. But by not utilizing the weapons at hand, they lost the battle. There are lessons to be learned here, lessons that we should take to heart if we are to defeat our mutual enemy. That is all I have to say at this time."

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July 5th

Peterson AFB

Court Martial

It was the first trial, that of a Marine Corps Lieutenant and Major charged with attempted kidnapping of an Immortal. The charges had been read, as per procedure. Yet instead of a regular court martial, the two officers in question had elected for a summary judgment from the JAG. Because of that special circumstance, it would be difficult at best to sentence the two men to any sort of long jail term, primarily due to the national security issues. But the JAG, Admiral AJ Chegwidden had been briefed in on a new 'jail' for the two officers in question.

"Gentlemen, you stand charged with attempted kidnapping of an Immortal citizen. You have both opted for a summary court martial and as such my hands are tied as to the possible punishment. Had this been a standard Article 32 session, odds are you would have been found guilty and sentenced to a period of confinement of no less that ten years. At which time you would have been dishonorably discharged and stripped of all rank and benefits.

Major Bradley, for the charge of attempted kidnapping of a citizen of Luna, you are hereby reduced one grade in rank to Captain. Second Lieutenant Foster, for the charge of attempted kidnapping of a citizen of Luna, you are hereby reduced one grade in rank to Sergeant. On the charge of conspiracy to kidnap an Immortal, you are both reduced two grades in rank, to Second Lieutenant and to Private, respectively. You are both ordered to report to the military prison barracks at Peterson AFB where you will serve a term of no less than one month and no more than three months, without pay. Thereafter, you will both be reassigned to the deep space radar outpost currently under construction in the orbit of Pluto. This hearing is closed."

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July 6th

Conference

Tok'Ra had been watching the proceedings though his presence amongst the delegates was not known. He felt a presence near him and sought it out. It was John. And he was not alone.

"John."

"Tok'Ra. I bring a matter to you that is of the utmost importance. A few days ago, Earth time, we were contacted by four separate entities, none of which exist on this plane of continuity. They have requests to make."

"I see. What sort of requests?"

"You are Tok'Ra, of the Ancients?"

"I am. And you are?"

"I am Q. My race is the Q. We exist in a parallel dimension and where we exist we are the most advanced form of life known."

"A bold statement, Q. What do you seek of me?"

"Tens of thousands of years ago, your race created a device that allowed you to traverse the barriers between dimensions. I met one of your kind at that time. I saw much potential at that time. Now that I have again met your kind, I see that the Q could learn much from you. But that is another matter. In my own universe there are numerous humanoid species. One in particular is most troublesome. They call themselves the Borg. They have some misguided idea that they can achieve perfection and they do this by assimilating other species into their gestalt. They most recently came across the outpost world your kind left in my universe. The Q were not aware of the existence of this outpost world."

"There was only one outpost world in your universe. When we experimented with that technology, we set up a number of outpost worlds, to monitor the growth of other civilizations. We had in mind contact with those races when the time was right, but we evolved and such matters were left unfinished."

"Yes well, these Borg came across your outpost world and assimilated the technology therein. Thankfully, they did not obtain the secret of cross dimensional travel, but they did learn about worm hole theory. Now they are using that theory to assimilate thousands of races at a time. This would not greatly concern the Q as they are no match for us. But we are few. Truth be told, I have taken a liking to some of the lesser races and frankly I do not wish to see them assimilated."

"These lesser races you speak of, who are they?"

"They are the counterparts to this Earth in this dimension. In many ways, the humans of the Federation are more advanced than your humans here. They try peaceful methods of contact first and only resort to warfare when there is no other option. They have strange ideas regarding contact and sharing of technology with less advanced races than they. But it has worked for them. These Borg, unfortunately, will assimilate them because they can not defeat them. The Federation technology is no match for the Borg. Truth be told, the Goa'uld technology is no match for Federation technology either. But, Federation technology is more than a match for Cylon technology."

"I see the beginnings of a deal here, Q. But let me first listen to these other three."

"I am Kosh."

"Kosh. Ok. What do you want?"

"Never ask that question!"

"If I do not ask that question, then how am I to know what you seek from me?"

"That is a fair statement. Our race was young when first we met. The Ancient. A First One. We sought guidance from you. You left; passed beyond the rim. We sought your home world and found much technology. Our brothers, those whom others call Shadows, stole much of this technology. Their belief is chaos. Survival of the fittest. Our belief is Order. Obedience to our rule. A thousand years ago, we fought them, and drove them back to their home world. Now they have returned. Without the First One, our protected races will not survive."

"I see. Well, you're next. Who are you?"

"I am called, the Keeper. Our race keeps the flow of time moving along. I have surmised that all of us here, watch over a group of humans whose home world is Earth. The Earth in my dimension is at war. There is one soldier in this war that is critical to the flow of time. We have interfered in the growth of this soldier, prevented the soldier from dying, but each time we do so, the time line changes. As a Keeper of Time, I know that this soldier will be the one to save their Earth. However we can no longer interfere. The instability in the time matrix of which my Earth is located has become to great. We can risk one, perhaps two more incursions before the time line will cease and revert to the original, in which case several billion human lives will be lost and our race will cease to exist. For though we are considerably more advanced than they, and for they do not know of our existence, they are our antecedents. Without them, we will never be."

"My problem is similar to that of the Keeper. Greetings. I am Amanda. I am also a Q. Unlike the Keeper, however, I have seven human lives that depend on me. I have tried to help them. They are presently stuck, by my design, in a temporal loop, unaware. The outcome has been the same, time after time. The death of one, the loss of two more, and the psychological damage of the remaining four. All are necessary to the survival of their Earth."

"I see. And what is it you four require from me?"

"They require from you, dear Tok'Ra, some of your children."

"And what do I get in return?"

"When the time comes, they will return the favor."

"Very well. We are in agreement. I will choose the leader of the expedition. Then the leader will choose who will go. A month. Then the journeys betwixt dimensions shall commence."

"Then it is agreed."

The others left Tok'Ra. He was deep in thought. As much as he loved his children, his Immortal creations, he would have to choose one to sacrifice. With all the potential problems involved in cross dimensional travel, the choice was easily reached, though not easily accepted. It would have to be Marius. But should he tell him or not? That was the most difficult of questions. And should he decide to tell Marius, when would be the best time to do so? He was, after all, in the midst of a conference, and there were dozens of problems already on his plate. Tok'Ra resolved to think on this matter further, and perhaps to consult with his son on this matter.

Marius was unaware of this new development. The conference had adjourned for a lunch break and would resume opening statements at 1400 hours that afternoon. Just now, he was in his room at the Luxor, speaking with Mitch Guerra, his head of research and development.

"What news do you have for me Mitch?"

"All good news I'm afraid."

"That's usually the best kind of news, Mitch."

"Most definitely, Mr. President."

"Stop that. Every time someone calls me that, I'm looking over my shoulder for President Ryan."

"Uhm, ok. On to the good stuff. As you are well aware, the first Immortal has cleared space dock. She will be ready for space trials inside of a month. She's your design, so we'll leave the naming to you. Your designs called for the ability to launch eighteen fighters at any given moment. We've increased that to ninety fighters. Each hangar bay can launch eighteen fighters at the same time. There are five primary hangar bays and an even dozen support bays for shuttles and the larger gunships we've created. One of my teams took the basic design of an Al'kesh and improved it radically. It now looks like a rather flattened version of the original Al'kesh. Actually, it looks something like a cross between a flat Al'kesh, and an elongated X-302. It has four internal rotary launchers for every missile in the current US inventory. Four additional external hardpoints for a variety of weapons including rotary launchers for anti-ship missiles. These external points can also be reconfigured for Search and Rescue missions in that they will mate up to a disabled ship. In the SAR configuration, all but one of the internal launch bays are removed, and a maximum of two fighters can be retrieved. There is a single gun turret under the nose of the craft, and a pair of turrets at the rear of the craft, one mounted above the engines, one below. This gunship carries a crew of six; two pilots, three gunners, and a weapons specialist or bombardier.

"We added eight docking stations to the exterior of the vessel. The Prometheus class Battlecruisers can dock at those stations to perform underway replenishment, transfer wounded, or just hitch a ride. In the event of engine failure, the docked Battlecruisers can provide engine power to the mother vessel. Another design team looked at the Colonial Viper class fighter and made changes to it to make it compatible to our technology.

"The redesigned Viper; we're calling it a Mk III Cobra Interceptor; is faster and not dependant on tylium fuel. It has been fitted with two naquadah generators; one to provide power for the engines and other systems, and one to provide power solely for the weapons. There is a single internal rotary launch cell that will carry the SIM-182 Venom class Space Intercept Missile. It can carry fourteen of the missiles in the launcher. We've left the guns in place where they would be on a Viper, but with the additional power provided by the naquadah generator the guns are considerably more powerful. As you may recall, the Viper was a tri-wing fighter, with the wings set up in a delta formation. On the two lower wings, we've added a fairly standard dual-missile rail for Air Intercept Missiles. Though the AIMs will work in space, the SIMs will work at drastically reduced range in atmospheric conditions. The reason is that we did away with directional fins on the SIMs and replaced them with directional thrusters."

"How well do the directional thrusters work?"

"During a test firing, the Venom missile did a full one-eighty and destroyed the assigned target when it overshot."

"Outstanding!"

"We thought so to. The Immortal Strike Carriers will…"

"Strike carriers? I thought these were designed as support ships?"

"After we finished building the first one, seeing all the armament and space craft it would carry, we changed the designation."

"So you were saying?"

"Yes. The strike carrier will be home to two hundred of the Cobra interceptors, four hundred Mustang attack interceptors, one hundred and fifty bombers, and one hundred shuttles. Additionally, the two 'outrigger' pods? We made some small changes there to your designs. We subtracted some of the personal berthing areas to make room for aircraft. One of the outrigger pods will be home to a Marine Expeditionary Unit, the other to an Armored Cavalry Regiment. The MEU will have at its disposal eight AV-8B Harriers and eight AH-64D Longbow Apaches for close air support. The Cavalry Regiment will have sixteen AH-64D Longbow Apaches to provide support. Each outrigger pod will also carry a dozen Stingray light tanks, eight M109A6 Paladins for medium range fire support, eight M270A1 MLRS for long range fire support, and enough M113A3s to carry all ground fighting personnel. Each of the vehicles, whether wheeled, tracked, or airborne, is equipped with a small version of your force shield.

"When you figure in troop numbers, pilot numbers and general crew, the strike carrier will be home to approximately seven thousand two hundred personnel. Add in another thousand to cover all of the vital ship areas, engineering, bridge, security, medical, etcetera. So, eighty-two hundred, give or take a hundred."

""Good God. That's not a strike carrier, that's a fleet of its own!"

"True. We've halted construction on the remaining three Immortals, and are gearing up to produce Battlecruisers. With our production facility now at full strength in terms of CMUs, and with a full stockpile of naquadah and trinium, we can have eight of the Battlecruisers, complete with attached strike wings ready to go in a few weeks."

"Earth has five Battlecruisers at its disposal for system protection, yes?"

"Correct Marco."

"Ok. Full production on the Prometheus class Battlecruisers so the first strike carrier will have its full compliment of escorts. Is the first SC ready in all other regards?"

"No. All planes are aboard. No personnel or equipment as of yet."

"Ok. I'll work the personnel angle on this side. Once this conference is over with, I'd like to take the first SC out on its maiden voyage. Hopefully by then I will have picked out a name for her."

"Ok. Luna out."

The briefing had not taken as much time as Marius had thought so he left his quarters and went out in search of one particular individual. Though he was intending only to speak with President Ryan, he found to his surprise, said President conversing over coffee with Sergei Golovko, Russian Representative to the Earth Delegation.

"Mr. President. I had hoped to speak to you alone, but this opportunity is much too good to pass up."

"Please, Marius. Join us. Have you met Sergei Golovko?"

"I have not had the pleasure as yet. My greetings to you, Mr. Chairman."

"You are Marius? The Immortal President? Ah but it is good to finally meet you! I had hoped that Ivan Emmetovich here would arrange a meeting between us. But you are here now so I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity!"

"Please gentlemen, be seated. Coffee would be an excellent option just now. I don't know about you two, but it seems to me that the opening rounds of any multi-national conference are always quite boring. You know, during the second great war, I was a fighter pilot. At the onset of the war, or at least from the perspective of the US, I was flying fighters over England and into Germany. On one such mission, I was tasked to fly a lot further east, to carry a classified document to your Iosef Stalin. Unfortunately, my plane was shot down somewhere near Stalingrad. That was, unfortunately, the only view I've had of Russia in the past century. It was many weeks before I could get back to my unit in England, where after a short convalescence, I was transferred to the Pacific front. The documents were destroyed when the plane crashed and since high command never saw fit to tell me of their contents, my meeting with Stalin did not take place.

"Compared to my prior trip to your country, back around the turn of the 11th century, the countryside had not dramatically changed. True, it was distinctly more industrialized, but it was still, Russia."

"You were shot down near Stalingrad? I wonder if any records of your mission yet exist?"

"I could not attest to that Mr. Chairman."

"Please, call me Sergei."

"Of course. Sergei. I spent a pair of weeks assisting one of your Army units there in Stalingrad, before I was able to make my way down the coast, and then to England. The truth of it is that the time I spent with the Soviet defenders in Stalingrad is among my more treasured memories. A group of individuals, fighting against very long odds. It is the stuff of legends, yes?"

"Indeed. But you did not seek out Ivan Emmetovich just to tell this tale, no?"

"No. That was a bit of a flashback. When one is as long lived as Immortals generally are, a person or accent or place will stir up memories of past events. But enough of the memories. Jack, Sergei, I come to you a man with a problem. As you may have seen at the opening ceremony, the first of five new Immortal class vessels is ready. Initially I had envisioned it as a long range support ship. Providing logistical and medical support for this war that is to come. But as things happen, what I envisioned and what my staff created are different. The result is not a underway replenishment craft, but something more along the lines of a carrier.

"Think for a moment, if you will, Jack. When ever some major event occurs in the world, generally the first question out of the President's mouth is 'Where are our carriers?' Why is that so? Simply because a carrier is one hell of a force projection tactic. Would you two agree with this?"

"Yes."

"Da."

"Good. With that in mind think on the new Immortal class carrier. A space wing comprised of space superiority interceptors, attack craft, long range bombers, and ship to surface shuttles. If you noticed, the carrier has two 'outrigger' pods, for lack of a better term. These pods are designed to detach from the carrier and descend to a planetary landing and will act as command centers for any ground offensives. Ideally, we would place a Marine Expeditionary Unit and an Armored Cavalry Regiment aboard the carrier, one to each pod, with all the personnel and equipment needed and desired. Of course, there are always space limitations inherent in any vessel, so the requirements for equipment will have to be attenuated to achieve the 'most bang for the buck' as it were. Both ground forces should also provide their own air support as support from the space borne fighters may not always be available. Now, what I would like to see is a composite force for the first carrier. What I mean, is a force of pilots and ground troops from both the United States and from Russia, with perhaps some special forces types from Britain or Australia. Any personnel assigned to the carrier would of course be retained on lists maintained by their parent countries, however, at this time, I would venture that we will pick up their payroll issues."

"I was under the impression, Marius, that the Immortal Council did not have such a budget?"

"Not normally, no. However, Jack, we have recently made forays into the asteroid belt and have commenced mining and refining of certain precious metals. Gold. Silver. Platinum. And Titanium. And with the expected income from the licensing of certain Ancient's technology, we expect our coffers will soon be full to overflowing. Granted that at the moment, we are still finding it necessary to import a certain amount of foodstuffs from Earth, however, our agricultural facilities are proceeding apace and we expect to become at least partially self-sufficient by year's end. As an added incentive, I would add that with one full year's service aboard the carrier, I will extend immigration rights to any who wish to do so. Within limits of course."

"In as much as your offer is a generous one, comrade, I'm afraid that our military forces have pulled back from their Cold-War era standings even more so than those of the United States."

"Of this I am aware, Sergei, however if you could arrange licensing for us, of certain military designs, then the Immortal Council could see to their production."

"And which designs did you have in mind?"

"For starters, the Yakolev 141, the Kamov 50, and SS-N-19 missile. I was thinking on something also like an AEW helicopter, but the only one I am aware of is the Westland SeaKing used by the British. Unless either of you know of something similar in your own inventories?"

"Why a helicopter AEW platform and not a jet?"

"Simple Mr. Chairman. The ground deployment pods can not support such a jet. Which is why I am asking for platforms that are either vertical take-off or short roll take-off. And, frankly, the support for such aircraft as either the Mainstay AWACS or an E2-C or even an E3 would be too much particularly with the limited amount of space available within the ground deployment pods. When you factor in all the ground personnel, their support vehicles and aircraft, the space becomes an important issue."

"Alright, I can see the need for aircraft like the Yak-141 or the Ka-50, but the SS-N-19?"

"The SS-N-19 or P-700 Granat as I believe you call it, will be loaded onto the strike carrier, and perhaps onto the Battlecruisers that support the carrier, though I am not sure that we can load any amount of the Shipwreck missiles onto the Battlecruisers. In short, I want a long range strike missile capability for the strike carriers. Something that can be used against other capital ships and perhaps against planetary targets."

"Would the missile not burn up during a planetary atmospheric entry?"

"It would as it is not designed for such a flight. However, my development staff assures me that the missiles could be fitted with a limited force shield that would protect it during the atmospheric insertion phase of a planetary bombardment."

"Excellent! I would very much like a tour of this strike carrier when possible, Marius."

"Something that should be easy to arrange, for both of you. Now, with that out of the way I see that time grows short. I must bid you good day as unfortunately I must return to the conference. I have been told that the representative from Kelowna is scheduled to speak this afternoon."

"Very well. It was a pleasure to meet you Marius."

"And I you, Sergei. Jack, I will see you later I presume?"

"This evening, at dinner. I believe we are seated at the same table?"

"This evening then. Good day gentlemen."

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Conference Room

Afternoon of July 6th

"The Chair recognizes the Representative from Kelowna, Jonas Quinn."

"On behalf of the people of Kelowna, I thank the Asgard for inviting us to this conference. My greetings to one and all. I am Jonas Quinn, duly appointed Representative of the planet of Kelowna. I have listened for a few days now to the tales told by other delegates and their own planets' encounters with Anubis. This Goa'uld came to Kelowna not long ago and demanded from us a radioactive substance that we call naquadria. How such a substance came to be on our world, we do not know. We do know, however, that long ago, our world was colonized by a Goa'uld as we have examined numerous sites of antiquity. The Goa'uld left our world after my people rebelled and cast them from our world. I myself, have fought them on numerous occasions whilst in the company of SG-1 of the Tau'ri's Stargate Command facility. Which is why I am most skeptical of this proposed alliance between the Goa'uld Council and this august body. That is the purpose, after all, of this conference. But if I may suggest, there are numerous worlds and small empires represented here that are at approximately the same level of technology as Kelowna and Earth. Perhaps a mutual defense alliance between us 'lesser' worlds would also be appropriate at this time? It is something to consider.

"There are numerous worlds on the Protected Planets Treaty whose time for removal from the protections of the treaty have come. I am told that of those planets removed from the treaty because of advances in their science and culture, very few are still free of Goa'uld involvement. Is it not enough that a planet enjoys protection from the Goa'uld until such time as it has evolved sufficiently only to be forcibly enslaved once the treaty has expired for that world? The time has come for those of us who can to join together in a spirit of cooperation and mutual defense. Mr. Chairman, I ask that this measure be considered for approval by those delegates here. Thank you for your time."

"Mr. Chairman! If I may?"

"The Chair recognizes Marius, Representative of the Immortal Council."

"With respect to my learned colleague from Kelowna, I believe his idea of an alliance is an excellent one. I believe that there is a precedence for such an alliance in history, yes?"

"Yes. Once there was an alliance of four races. The Asgard. The Nox. The Furlings. And the Ancients. We were united together to guide the younger races and keep them from harm. With the passing of the Ancients to the next level of their evolution, the alliance dissolved."

"Not all of the Ancients have moved on. The one known as Tok'Ra is still here. And though we as Immortals are but babes in arms by comparison to Tok'Ra, it is we who will evolve with time to become Ancients ourselves."

"Mr. Chairman! I object to this statement! There is no proof offered by the representative of the Immortals that they will become Ancients!"

"I'm sorry, sir. I did not catch your name during the introductions a few days ago."

"You. Who claim to be cast in the image of the Ancients. I am Takreesh of the Furlings. I do not believe, for one moment, that one such as Tok'Ra would have created such an inferior human as you."

"Please. How am I inferior?"

"I see no distinction between you and the Tau'ri, or with the Colonials, and I object to them being offered three votes at this conference. All of you live in the same system. You who are Immortal were born on the home world of the Tau'ri. Yet you now have an independent voice in this proceeding. The Council of Furling demands proof of your statements! We will not allow this conference to proceed unless some measure of proof is offered!"

The next voice that was heard did not come from one place in the room, but rather from all places at once.

"Takreesh of the Furlings. You do not know me, though perhaps one of your antecedents did. I am Tok'Ra; he who is against Ra. You demand proof? What right have you to demand proof of the existence of children of the Ancients? I knew long ago that the alliance would falter when my race moved on beyond this plane of existence. But I had hoped that of all the races in the Alliance, that the Furlings would keep to their agreement and protect Earth. Did I not ask your race to do this? And did you? No. You left my children and their mortal cousins to die. I should have known better, all those millennia ago, than to trust a Furling."

"How dare you speak to me in this fashion! Show yourself, coward!"

At the center of the room, in full view of one and all, a golden cloud of sparkling particles faded into existence.

"I am here Furling. If you do not wish to partake of this new alliance, then leave. If you leave, then know this; as long as the Children of the Ancients live, there can be no relations between them and the Furlings. Are you so willing to cast aside millennia of trust between your race and mine?"

"You…you are an Ancient? You are Tok'Ra?"

"I am. The energies that make up my body also flow within the bodies of the Immortals. They, more than any other race in the known universes, are our children. This is the proof I offer to you, Furling."

"Mr. Chairman, the Furlings withdraw their objections."

For many of those in the crowded room of delegates, the sight of an Ancient made them sit up and take renewed notice of these Immortals. For Marius and Methos, it was the phrase 'known universes' that made them take notice. Methos made it a point to speak to his father at the earliest opportunity.

Shortly after the Furlings withdrew their objections, another delegate made a motion to adjourn for the day. There were many things to consider, primarily the proposed alliance of lesser worlds as put forth by the Kelownian delegate. It was something that was on the minds of many at this conference.

Marius made his way out of the conference hall and to his room. There was much on his mind and so he did not notice the other in his room.

"So you're an Immortal, eh? Not much to look at."

"Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?"

"It's amazing what you can do with a few well placed bribes. Oh, don't bother trying the phone. I've pulled it from the wall. Now, why don't we sit for a moment. I have a request to make of you."

"You answered one of my questions. Who the hell are you remains to be determined."

"Forgive me. I'm Alex Krycek. I believe you are holding some associates of mine."

"Associates? Oh. The so called Consortium?"

"Yes. That's them."

"You want them released? Is that it?"

"Hell no! I want them tried for their crimes! I want them to suffer. The way they made me suffer."

"How so?"

"They sent me to Russia to investigate an incidence of the Black Oil. I lost my arm and they infected me with that disease! I want them to suffer! I wan them to know pain and anguish intimately!"

"They will. You understand, they can't be tried in any court on Earth. If word of their misdeeds were to leak out, there would be world-wide panic. So we've changed the venue."

"I see. Will they be executed?"

"No. The new venue does not allow for capital punishment. They will be sentenced to exile from Earth. We've prepared a nice little prison asteroid for them."

"I see. Very well then. I shall leave you now. But remember this. Things are not always as they seem. You think you have eliminated all of the Consortium members, then think again. I have already been contacted by one, one that you believe is dead. He placed quite an attractive price on your head. Were I you, I'd get myself a bodyguard."

"You're not me. I can take care of myself."

Marius felt the sting of a dart and fell at once to the floor. When he awoke a few moments later, the room was empty save for himself. In addition to everything else, he now had a new worry.

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Tour Group 6

New York City

There were two dozen different tour groups that had emerged from the Conference Hall at Las Vegas two days before. While their official delegates were busy in meetings, the lesser members of the delegations were out on various tours. Ryos, Architect of the Colonial Colony world of Mars had joined this particular group. Just now, the group was in a shuttle over flying the city these Earthers called New York.

Below him he could see a mass of humanity. The tour guide gave the population of the cities below him at over nineteen million inhabitants. He paid little attention to the droning on of the guide except for when it suited him. He had thought these primitives to be backwards but now he saw that their architecture was intriguing. It was local dusk and many in the shuttle breathed in sharply when several beams of light filled the night sky. For a brief moment, Ryos thought they were under attack. The tour guide set his mind at ease. What they were witnessing was a memorial made of light. On the spot from which the beams emanated, there had been two towers, each one hundred and ten stories high. The Twin Towers, as they were called, had been a center for international trade. Two Earth years ago, madmen had crashed one plane into each tower bringing them down with a heavy loss of life. The tour guide referred to these madmen as terrorists and hijackers both.

Ryos had heard the term terrorist before. Many thought of the Cylons as such. Those that bring terror into the night. As he gazed upon the beams of light, he noticed the view screen in front of him as it displayed an image of what the towers had been like. Again he marveled at the sheer immensity of the structures. Colonial architecture had nothing like this! The tallest structure in all the Colonies, had been a mere twenty floors. Perhaps these Earthers were not so primitive after all. Now he felt the shuttle as it banked to the west to chase the setting sun. Moments later they had left the grand city far behind. Below them stretched a mountain chain and green valleys. Here he noticed something else. Whereas the great city behind them had been full of millions of inhabitants, these great open spaces below him were dotted few and far in between with the lights of structures and cities. The Tau'ri seemed to conglomerate inside large cities, though there were many who preferred the wide open spaces left to them in their countries.

Now their tour guide pointed out vast fields below them and the numerous machines that were harvesting crops. Ryos had grown up in space and so this was new to him. He always thought of harvesting crops in the agro ships, but here he saw what it was like to harvest crops from the ground. Mars would not provide fertile ground for decades to come, but perhaps then they could make the planet green like Earth. Now the shuttle turned slightly south as they made for the vast open plains. Below him he saw vast herds of creatures. The tour guide called them cattle. The shuttle flew low enough so that the passengers could see riders on horseback moving amongst the vast herds. Their guide explained that the riders below were moving the herds either to market or to a new pasture where they could feed. When one passenger asked, the tour guided told them that cows were a major food source for the Tau'ri.

Now the shuttle banked again and headed west. Shortly they passed the coastline and then they saw below them a vast ocean, occasionally spotting a huge vessel traversing the open sea. Ryos thought that if this was how the Tau'ri moved large amounts of cargo, then the Colonials could teach them something. The guide explained that the level of advancement and technology for Earth allowed them to travel above and below the sea, though there were limits to how far down they could reach. The deepest spot in the ocean was at something called the Mariana's Trench where the seabed lay some seven miles below the surface. Only once had a manned craft traversed that distance and even then the craft was only able to spend some twenty minutes at the bottom due to the tremendous pressures exerted on the craft. The guide went further by stating that research was underway in many countries exploring the possibilities of undersea colonies. Ryos thought this ridiculously absurd as no Colonial had ever considered this possibility.

Now he looked down as the shuttle flew over a country called China. Near the coast of the vast country, were large population centers, but a little further inland Ryos was appalled at the very primitive conditions he saw. Here there were homes made of native materials, and farmers worked their fields by hand or by using beasts of burden. Ryos could not fathom the disparity between what he had seen in the country called the United States and what he saw below him in China. Could there truly be so vast a difference in life between the two nations? This he resolved to have answered the moment he returned to the conference site.

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Dinning Room

Las Vegas Hilton

It was a quiet meal, though there were various sessions of music and speeches planned throughout the evening. Marius sat at a table for nine, his companions for the evening being Jack Ryan in his capacity as President of the United States. Sergei Golovko, representing the Russian President. The Prince of Wales, as the unofficial representative of the British government. Commander Apollo, military leader of the Colonial fleet. Colonel Athena, commander of the Daedalus. Colonel Starbuck, strike commander of the Galactica. Colonel Jack O'Neill, in his role as official representative of the Ancients and Captain Adam Pierson as the delegate for Earth. Even before the meal started in earnest, Marius waved to one of the waiters attending to their table and made a short whispered request and a few moments later, the waiter returned bring several bottles of a blush wine.

"Marius, I know several vineyards, but I must confess to never having heard of Augustine Estates?"

"It's a small winery Adam, but of all the wines I've ever tried, I must admit to liking this one completely. Apollo, it's not ambrosia, but it's as close to it as you'll find on Earth."

Around the table the guests were taking short sips and tasting the wine, and they found it quite to their satisfaction, so much so that Sergei asked where he could obtain more of it.

"I'll have to send you a case Sergei. You'll find that I am quite partial to this particular winery as I happen to own it."

"Indeed? It is quite good. There is a certain flavor I'm trying to place. It is not overly pronounced, yet it is still there, like a fleeting after image."

"That's just the effect I was hoping for. I mix fresh mint into each batch."

"Mint? I never would have thought of that!"

"If you think my wine is good Adam, then wait until you try my beer."

"You brew beer also? You are a man of many talents, Marius."

"From you Methos, I consider that high praise indeed!"

"Captain Pierson, do I detect a proper British accent?"

"Quite correct, your Highness. At some point in my life, I have lived in nearly every part of the world, yet I call England my home. I've had an estate there since Rome was the dominant force in England. There is much to be said for walking about in the countryside on a proper British morning when the air is crisp with just a hint of rain."

"A most apt description. Though I much prefer to fly in those conditions than to be on the ground. I have a World War Two era fighter that I have restored. It's the same one that an uncle of mine flew during the war. A Spitfire."

"Ah! Now that was a right proper fighter plane! Your Highness, were you aware that I flew for the RAF before the US got involved in the war? No? It's true. When word came to me of the Empire's struggle with Germany, I volunteered to fly in the Eagle squadron. I flew dozens of missions before the US entered the war and I rotated stateside as an instructor pilot. When our first squadrons went to England, I was there, flying and fighting in 1942. I was shot down near Stalingrad and had to make my way back to England over the course of a few weeks, no, more like two months. After a short stay in a hospital, I was transferred to the Pacific front. I missed the battle of Midway, but flew in pretty much every major battle thereafter. I think of all my time flying, and I believe that the best invention for the airplane has been the ejector seat, because, believe me, having to pull back a canopy and climb out of a burning aircraft is not a pleasant experience. Once over Stalingrad and a few times over the Pacific were more than enough for me. Whomever said 'may you live in interesting times' never met an Immortal."

"Well said Marius. Your Highness, I too was in British uniform for all of the Second World War, as a code breaker at Station X. I was part of the team at Bletchley Park that helped to crack the Enigma codes."

"Without which, I daresay, the war might have gone on a lot longer. It seems that you have had many great adventures as Immortals. It would be a grand thing, to live as long as you do, to bear witness to so much history."

"Living as long as we do, your Highness, has its disadvantages. Outliving so many others is but one of them."

"Well said Adam. Well said."

The conversations continued on through the meal. When things were looking as if they were about to wrap up for the evening, Marius brought up the topic he had discussed earlier with President Ryan and with Chairman Golovko.

"Well, Jack, you and Sergei have had the day to think on it. What can you offer in terms of men and materiel for the first strike carrier?"

"I have discussed your request with my government and with my President. The people of Russia pledge five squadrons of pilots and two Motor Rifle companies. I have spoken at length with the designers at the Kamov and Yakolev design bureaus and they will license the two designs you seek, along with the schematics for the Granat missile system."

"Excellent!"

"I spoke briefly with Secretary Bretano and he has agreed to assign the 12th ACR to the strike carrier, provided we get them back at some point in the future."

"Of course! They will be returned and I believe somewhat better trained to take on extra-terrestrial enemies."

"Additionally, after having spoken with Sergei and hearing about the loan of two motor rifle companies, Secretary Bretano suggested a partial Marine Expeditionary Unit to round out your ground personnel needs. He is also issuing orders to all the pilots currently in training to report to Peterson for advanced training as space borne fighter pilots. That should bring your squadrons to nearly full strength."

"Very true. Yet we would still need additional pilots. Commander Apollo, would it be possible to borrow some of your pilots? To round out the squadrons and perhaps a few veteran pilots to serve as tactical instructors?"

"I think we can do this. Yes. It will be done."

"Your Highness, would England care to contribute to the cause?"

"While I do not speak for my government, I do believe that something can be arranged. You only need pilots?"

"We also need pilots. But to round out the ground personnel, I had in mind some special operations forces, perhaps a unit from each of your countries? Additionally, and if at all possible, the design schematics for the Westland SeaKing AEW helicopter?"

"I don't see that as any great problem. I shall communicate that to my government forthwith."

With one major problem off his mind now, Marius took the time to introduce the others to his other favorite passion. Beer. Again with a slight hint of mint. Marius had always thought that beer was too bitter for his taste. With the slight sweetness of mint added to the brewing process, the bitterness disappeared.

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At another table

"Sire Uri. I have much to report."

"As well you should Architect Ryos. You have been on tours of the planet, yes?"

"I have Sire. And a most interesting planet indeed. The blend of architectures from Europe to the Americas to the Far East are most unique. Back home on Caprica, we had structures that went no more than twenty floors above the ground. Did you know that here in the Americas, they have structures that stretch far into the sky? I saw buildings in a city called New York that stretched more than one hundred floors into the sky! These Earthers are not as primitive as I had thought. There is as much as they can teach us as we can teach them. In many areas, they are far behind us, yet in a number of areas, they are as far advanced as perhaps a thousand or more yahrens."

"Really? I do not see how that could be possible."

"We had small oceans on Caprica, yes? Did we ever consider traveling under them? Or living in them?"

"How preposterous! Of course not!"

"These Earthers…they not only have designed craft that can travel to the bottom of their oceans, they are designing structures that can withstand the pressures at those depths to open colonies on the sea floor. From there, they can mine the ocean floor for precious metals and vital minerals necessary to their economy. While it is true that they have only had practical nuclear power for less than a century, it is also true that they went from riding on beasts of burden to landing men on their only satellite in less than a century! It took the colonies more than a thousand yahrens to accomplish the same advance! If I may be so bold Sires and Siresses, to suggest an exchange program, between their designers, scientists, and engineers and ours? It would greatly benefit both our peoples."

"An item to be taken under advisement, architect Ryos. You have another tour scheduled tomorrow yes?"

"Yes. They will be showing us centers of manufacturing and power production."

"Very well. We expect a full report when the conference is over."

"Of course."

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July 7th

Conference Room

"This session is called to order. The chair recognizes the Representative of Earth."

"Mr. Chairman. Distinguished delegates. I have thought long and hard on the matter brought forth by the delegate of Kelowna and have come to the conclusion that such a treaty is entirely workable. Earth only has to look at its own example of this treaty to realize that is an idea with merit, though one that has its own unique set of problems. On Earth, we have a body called the United Nations. Each government on Earth sends a delegate to this body to discuss matters of international treaty and law and to send in, as a group, troops to oversee peaceful missions. This body is also responsible for missions of aid and mercy whenever the need arises. Perhaps at this conference we can lay the ground work for such an organization. I should point out that here on Earth, each nation has chosen to abide by the decisions of the United Nations, though it does not always do just that. Also, while the United Nations does maintain a force of military personnel, that force is pulled from the participating nations. Each member nation retains the right of self governance and self protection. It is not by any means a perfect system, but there are many advantages to working as a group of nations rather than attempting to solve a problem alone. Mr. Chairman, I wish to, at this time, second the motion put forth by the delegate of Kelowna. Thank you for your time."

"The motion for the formation of an alliance of planets has been put forth and seconded. The rules of the conference allow for five local planetary days of debate before the motion may be called for a vote by the conference. This body will adjourn for six hours so as to allow all member delegates to contact their respective governments. When we reconvene we will begin hearing discussion on the subject. This is meeting is adjourned for now."

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Tour Group 6

Shuttle over Washington, D.C.

"Good morning to all. Before we proceed on our scheduled tour, a suggestion was made to alter slightly the sights we will be viewing. In order to more fully demonstrate our history, we will be spending half the day at two museums in our nation's capitol city. The first is the Air and Space museum. The second is American History museum at the Behring Center. I have been told that both buildings will be closed to all except our tour groups and that there will be numerous historical experts available to answer any of your questions. If not, then we will be landing in what is called the National Mall. It is a large green space surrounded by and containing numerous monuments of historical significance. One end of the mall is capped by a monument to Abraham Lincoln, former president of the United States, while the opposite end is capped by the Capitol building."

Architect Ryos listened remotely as they flew over the green space in question. He could see the monuments to which the guide was referring. Their shuttle landed and moments later all were seated within what the Earthers called a 'tour bus' that would take them to the two museums in question. Ryos really had no use for seeing things from a historical perspective. What was past was past and would not come again. But if he had to go through this in order to see the centers for manufacturing and power production then he would do so. By the end of the day, he would find his thoughts on historical events greatly changed.

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Marius' Hotel Room

Marius sat at his terminal in his room. He was in the process of placing a call to Luna.

"Marius, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

"Just touching base with you Constantine. The conference proceeds apace and I am calling to request a favor."

"Of course! Name it."

"I was visited a day or two ago by a gentleman who was formerly in the employ of the Consortium. He claimed we have nothing to fear from him, however, he also claimed that there are additional Consortium members still out there. He claimed to have been contacted by one of them who offered a substantial reward for my head."

"I see. But Marius, you should be able to handle any mortal threat, no?"

"I would love to say yes to that, however, before I could say anything to him, he hit me with a fast acting poison dart and I dropped like a rock."

"Yes. I see your point. I shall assemble a guard detail at once. I think perhaps three is a usable number, no?"

"Yes. Three would allow at least my guards to rotate their shifts as needs arise. Patch me through to Hamza would you? I have a request to make of him as well."

"Of course. Anything else Marius?"

"One more thing. The first of our strike carriers is ready. Come up with a name for the commander of the ground forces that will be housed aboard. I would prefer it were an Immortal, but we will make do with what we have."

"I'll see to it at once. Good day to you Marius and please hold while I get Hamza."

Marius had been thinking about the whole bodyguard issue for a few days, ever since his little talk with Krycek, but in truth, he didn't want the bodyguards. He wanted to be able to deal with this issue himself but he also realized that he could not. As Krycek so succinctly demonstrated, all it took was one dart and he would be down. Then his assailant could take his head. That Krycek had not done so had been a lesson learned. His reasoning in contacting Hamza was on a more personal nature. A few hundred years ago, he had studied under Hamza and learned from him the art of the weapons-smith. Hamza was a master of the art of sword making.

"Hamza. It is good to see your ugly face again, old friend."

"Were you not once a student of mine, Marius, I would have your head for that comment. But I see that the title of President has not gone completely to your head. Not yet in any case."

"I'm trying very hard not to think of myself as your President, Hamza, but there are too many people who would think of me as such. I think of myself as a soldier, not necessarily a leader. I accepted the job because the council wished it. It is something I would gladly trade to another, given the chance."

"Then that is what makes you the right man for the job. Now then, how may I be of assistance, old friend?"

"I need you to put your skills to work for me. I'm uploading a file to you. I've had in mind for some time the creation of a series of ceremonial blades for an honor guard. At the moment, the two strike teams assigned to the SGC are using standard issue military sabers. I'd like to change that to something any Immortal could actually utilize in battle if need be. I'd also like a staff weapon designed by you for use by me and the three as yet unnamed bodyguards that will be assigned to me. Something that looks like a walking staff, feels like a walking staff, yet hides within a decent blade. It must also hide any number of devices that could get a trapped Immortal out of danger. We are moving into uncertain times where any one of us, particularly those who serve the SGC, can be captured by the enemy. Any advantage in that type of situation could mean prolonged life."

"I have designed many such staff weapons in the past for Kings and Warlords. With some updating on the blade weapons, such a request is easily fulfilled. The ceremonial swords, however, are a different matter. You know as well as I do that a sword for an Immortal is as much a symbol of who they are as it is functional. Some prefer a light and easily wielded weapon while others prefer a heavy sword meant as much for cutting as for blunt force. But I shall see what I can come up with. Shall I assume that the staff weapons will take priority?"

"A good assumption. The quicker I have a reliable weapon at my ready disposal, the safer I will feel. And since it will be one of your creations, I will feel very safe indeed."

"I will take that as the compliment it was meant to be. I thank you Marius. You have given much of yourself to our cause. It shall be my honor to design a blade for you."

Marius had just closed the connection when he felt the prickly sensation that boded another Immortal near him. Just as he turned around from his terminal, Tok'Ra appeared.

"Rest easy, young one. It is only I, Tok'Ra. A situation has arisen and I am in need of your assistance on this matter."

"Of course. Father-Creator, how may I be of assistance?"

"You could start by not calling me that. True, I may have yielded some of my Quickening energies to create you and others like you, however, I am not the Creator. I shall tell you this. There is an older race, long gone from our plane of existence; the Progenitors. In the beginning, it was they who walked amongst the stars like giants, millions of years before the Ancients first took to the stars. They found the universe to be a lonely place and so they created us; they created the Ancients. Their one ideal, to nurture the younger races so that they may one day nurture other younger races. They passed along this noble goal to us, and we have done as much as possible to nurture you along. Call me father, perhaps, but not father-creator."

"As you say, Tok'Ra. Now then, father, how may I be of assistance?"

"A million years ago, our race was much like the humans are today. We were explorers, but we found the vast distances between stars a difficult void to cross. Three research teams were formed to look at different aspects of the same problem. The team I was on developed the Stargate network, which the Tau'ri and so many others utilize. Another team developed the Hyperdrive. Again, a device used by untold numbers of races. The third team; they developed the dimensional mirror. And so we began exploring, sending out Hyperdrive equipped ships to lay down the Stargate network. And we used the dimensional portal to open the pathways between dimensions. And we explored. In many other universes, we left outposts or, in many cases, monitoring stations, as we believed these particular universes to be the most promising in terms of development.

"Time passed and we evolved. These other universes were forgotten. Truthfully I had not thought of those heady days of exploration until just a few days ago, when I was visited by four others like me. Though the Ancients are still by far much older than these other Progenitor descendants, they possess many of the same skills that we do. They breached the passageway between dimensions to call to my attention the outposts we left behind many hundreds of thousands of years ago. It seems that these outposts have been discovered and the technology therein put to use, though not all of the discoveries were made by benevolent races.

"You must go to those four places and reclaim our lost technologies. There are many things you must do to accomplish that goal, but do them you must. In the wrong hands, those technologies can allow others to break the barriers between dimensions. The results of which would be disastrous. You must go Marius. You may tell three others of this task that I have lain before you."

"I will do this. But I have some conditions that must be met first."

"And what are these conditions?"

"In a month's time, I was to take the first strike carrier out on her maiden voyage. If I am on that carrier when the crossing between dimensions happens, then so be it. But that will leave Earth, Mars, and Luna virtually undefended. Is it within your power to complete one or two other strike carriers? Complete in all respects, including all equipment, and support ships?"

"I can not make something appear from nothing, but I will show you how to accomplish this task using an advanced form of your creation nanomachines. The advanced version will allow you to build a strike carrier, complete with all support craft, in a month's time. I can install those new machines today, if you accept this mission. By the time your first ship leaves this dimension, your next two ships will be ready. I believe your second ship is nearly complete?"

"It is. The third has not even had a keel laid yet however."

"That will not be a problem. What is your second request?"

"Tell me of the places I must walk, of the challenges that lie ahead of me. Is there anything that I need to be concerned with?"

"In one of those universes, you will encounter a race that has the ability to phase shift slightly out of normal sight. Your Quickening will allow you to see this race easily. That is what you wanted, yes?"

"Yes. You know of Fox Mulder? Yes? Good. Does his sister yet live?"

"Yes. She is with those the Asgard cast out long ago. And yes, he will find her."

"In my time as an Immortal I have seen many whose gift of insight and deduction led them to great fame. Yet I have rarely seen a pair like Mulder and Scully. Theirs is a gift unique amongst the Tau'ri and that gift could serve generations to come. If I gave them a choice, could they be transformed in the same manner as you did with Colonel O'Neill?"

"It is possible."

"You wanted an eternal companion for your son. One who would serve to ground him and keep him out of trouble. That is entirely understandable."

"You mentioned a dimensional portal earlier. The one I have seen in the reports of the SGC is the size of a mirror. How will I be able to transport a ship the size of a strike carrier through such a device?"

"I will equip your strike carrier with a dimension portal projector. It will open a portal large enough to allow your strike carrier to travel through. Please be aware of one thing, however. In these other dimensions where you must walk, there may be some hyperspace beacons of Ancient design for you to home in on while using the wormhole projectors on your carrier. I will feed to your navigational computers the necessary information regarding each dimension once you enter it. Please be aware, Marius, that the dimensional projector has limited usage. Once its power core is gone, it will be completely useless as the material that makes up the core comes from a dimension completely alien to this one. Seven trips is all you will get. That should be more than enough to accomplish your missions."

"A final request, Tok'Ra. Should I need you or your counsel in one of these other dimensions, will you be available?"

"You have but to call. Now, as an added bonus, Marius, I will show you how to manipulate your Quickening to summon the forces of nature. You may find it useful in all the dark places you will journey to."

"That sounds rather ominous."

And so saying, Tok'Ra passed through Marius quickly and then disappeared. And in the wake of his passage, Marius knew instinctively how to call down the lightning and the wind, the rain and the heat. The knowledge in of itself was terrifying and he hoped and prayed he would never have to use such forces.

Though it felt like he had been speaking with Tok'Ra for the better part of an hour, only a few minutes had passed and in that moment he realized that he too could slow down the passage of time to a near crawl. But it was not something he wished to test anytime soon. Marius returned to his terminal.

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Elsewhere

"My son."

"Dad? Is something wrong?"

"Your friend Marius is a wise man, though he has much yet to learn. I ask that you look after him in the months to come, for I fear I have requested of him a task that may be insurmountable and I am afraid that I am more than likely sending him and many others to their deaths."

"You said you are sending Marius to his death? But he is like me, an Immortal? How can he die?"

"I am sending him on a journey. If he survives, he will be a more able leader for this universe. If he dies, and he very well may die, he will be remembered, by me if by no one else. He has accepted a challenge that will lead him to all the dark corners of the multi-verse. He will stand in the light to shine it down onto evil. And no evil shall escape him. He is being sent on a journey to correct past mistakes of the Ancients. If he returns alive, he will be forever changed by the journey."

"What do you ask of me, Dad?"

"Give him your counsel. He may not ask for it, or even seek it out, but he will need it. If you have need of me, you have but to call my name, and I shall appear to you."

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July 12th

Conference Room

"This session is called to order. There is a motion on the floor to create an alliance of races that will deal with the threat of Anubis and the Cylons. You may use the voting machines in front of you to register your acceptance or denial of this motion."

The delegates had thirty minutes in which to cast their vote on this first issue. Thirty minutes to vote after five long, tiring and long-winded days of debate. Debate that had been oft-times very heated. But now it all came down to this. For Marius and Methos, the vote was easy. Acceptance. For the Goa'uld, the decision was harder, but it was still, acceptance. And so it went, until all the delegates had voted on this first issue.

"If you would take your seats, please. The motion to create an alliance to deal with the threat of Anubis and the Cylons has passed with a vote of nineteen hundred and fifty in favor, forty-nine against, and one abstention. The second matter before this body is that of a motion put forth by the delegate of Kelowna and seconded by the delegate of Earth in respect to the formation of an intergalactic alliance. The principle members of this newly formed alliance will be Kelowna, Colonial Mars, Immortal Luna, the Tau'ri, the Tollan, the Asgard, and the Ancients. These seven member governments may decide to allow others to join as the need arises. These seven members pledge that an attack on any one of them by any race constitutes an attack on all of them. It is an alliance of mutual defense and mutual assistance. As only seven governments are concerned with the creation of this alliance, only seven unanimous votes will be taken into consideration. However, other delegates may vote on this issue as well. Again, you may use the voting machines to register your acceptance or denial."

Thirty minutes later, that motion had passed as well, receiving the unanimous support of the principle members as well as more than fifteen hundred affirmative votes.

"The motion has passed. This concludes the business of this conference and we stand adjourned. I thank the delegates for their time in these matters and bid all of you safe journeys home. I ask that the principle members of the new alliance stay for a few moments to work out some groundwork."

Gradually the conference room emptied out leaving only Jonas of Kelowna, Apollo of Colonial Mars, Marius of Immortal Luna, Methos of the Tau'ri, Narim of the Tollan, Thor of the Asgard, and O'Neill of the Ancients. The meeting did not last long. It was more of a formality that would decide where, at least for now, a temporary headquarters facility would be located. With four of the members being from the same system of planets, the decision was reached fairly quickly. And so until a more permanent location could be found, the as yet unnamed alliance would be headquartered on Luna. The Asgard and the Tollan both pledged to build the facility, with the Kelownans and the Immortals pledging to secure the facility. Before they adjourned, Jack O'Neill put forth a name for their alliance. The Alliance of Independent Systems. Until a more formal declaration of laws could be worked out, the name would prove workable. Marius spoke for a few moments before they left.

"Gentlemen. No. Friends, I should say. What we have wrought here today, I believe, will stand for millennia. As you may or may not be aware, the shipyards under Lunar control are presently producing large warships for the upcoming battles with Anubis and the Cylons. At this time, I am prepared to pledge the following. The first ship will be given to Earth for usage by the Tau'ri. The second will go to the Colonials. The third vessel for Luna. While the Council of Immortals had only pledged to build a total of five such vessels, I will ask that an additional five be built. One for the Tollan, one for the Asgard, and one for the Kelownans. The remaining four warships will each have a fleet built around them and those four ships will eventually become the flagships of four fleets with which we will take the battle, indeed the war, to Anubis and to the Cylons. I foresee a time when we may be forced to use those fleets against our Goa'uld allies, but for now, we will battle test them against the Cylons and Anubis."

"You would give us a ship?"

"Yes, Narim. I would. It is what friends do for one another. The basic design of the vessel will remain unchanged for all, but you are to feel free to install anything else you deem fit. Once given to you, that ship will remain in the service of Tollana alone. The same for Kelowna and for the Asgard as well as the Tau'ri and the Colonials."

"But are you not also Tau'ri?"

"I thought I was once, Narim. I was born on Earth and have spent the last two millennia there. But I am a child of the Ancients. An Immortal. Or as the Goa'uld might say, a hok'tar. It is perhaps time that we Immortals thought of ourselves in the manner the Ancients meant for us to be, as guardians for this universe."

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July 21st

Tollan Home World

Chambers of the Curia

It had been a long hard road for Fox Mulder of the FBI. Ten years spent chasing the men who in only a few moments would be placed on trial for their crimes against the peoples of Earth. He would act as Seeker for this trial, if it could be called that. The rules of Tollan law were vastly different from Earth rules. Acting in the role of Archon for Earth was Admiral A.J. Chegwidden, in his capacity as Judge Advocate General for the United States military. The smoking bastard himself, C.G.B. Spender, was acting as the other Archon. Under the rules of Tollan law, a neutral third party had been found and asked to serve. There had been much debate on this particular subject, but in the end, Jonas of Kelowna had agreed to serve in this capacity.

"Greetings to all. I am High Councilor Travell of Tollana. The parties within this chamber have agreed to abide by the decision of this Triad. The parties have also agreed to all the rules of Triad. Lastly, though there had been a request for two separate Triads at the onset, they have been combined into one for the sake of expediency. We will hear first from Fox William Mulder, Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States of America, Earth. Please Mr. Mulder, if you would give us a short summary of the deeds purported by you to have been done by the Archon Spender and his associates."

"Thank you madam chair. There has existed on Earth, for a number of decades, a conspiracy to hide the truth from the peoples of Earth. The leader of this conspiracy, Spender, has in his time, authorized the abduction of my fellow citizens for the purposes of experimentation. Experiments, I might add, that no Earth government, or any government for that matter, would ever condone on one of its enemies, let alone on its own citizens. Experiments that included the harvesting of ova from female subjects so as to create genetically perfect clones. The harvesting of aforementioned ova for the creation of human-alien hybrids. They have endeavored to create a biological weapon, that if released on Earth, would have killed off the vast majority of the population.

"They have created advanced vehicles for atmospheric and space flight, with little or no regard for the safety of the pilots of said vehicles. I have documented proof that the pilots of those vehicles were exposed to radiation the likes of which would kill any person in this room within minutes. They have used those vehicles to perpetuate the lie that aliens, that is, persons of extra-terrestrial origin, had been abducting our citizenry. For more than a decade during my investigations of this organization, I have seen evidence and have logged it into the proper authorities only to have said evidence disappear. The man seated there, to the left of me, is responsible for more atrocities than even the worst psychotic mind my race has ever produced."

"Thank you Agent Mulder. We will now hear from Archon Spender."

"Good day to all. While Agent Mulder may certainly be creative in his characterization of the truth as he knows it, I certainly will not deny that I and my associates have done what he claims. Yes, we authorized the harvesting of ova, but it was only done after certain characteristics were noted in the women whose ova were taken. We made many advances in the mapping of the human genome. Some of those advances have been given to the right people so that our research could continue unmolested. Mr. Mulder, is quite correct that we performed this research, however, it was with the blessing and consent of many world governments. Our breakthroughs in human genetics and in cloning have led to many advances in medical science.

"Yes, we have created advanced aircraft, and we have used them to perpetuate the myth of alien abduction, but here we only adopted a ruse that others had already used. Strange how our planetary media have not picked up on the fact that numerous sightings of supposed aliens mostly resemble the Asgard? But yes, we did create advanced aircraft. In fact our designs are being studied by various world governments for possible adaptation in their own military arsenals. As to the charge that we created biological weapons, that madam chair, is an outright falsehood. The weapon in question is something that we internally called the Black Oil or the Black Cancer. It is an insidious virus of extra-terrestrial origin that upon infection, transforms the host into an alien entity. It is true that we did experiment with it, that we did purposefully infect test subjects with this virus, but that was merely to chart the method by which the organism transforms its host so that we could develop a cure and a vaccine.

"Mr. Mulder would have you believe that we in the so-called 'Consortium' are nothing more than power hungry psychotics who wished to enslave their fellow man. Nothing could be further from the truth. What we did, and I fully admit to most everything in the list of charges, we did for the betterment of mankind. So that we, not some alien virus, would be the winner in this most horrid and abhorrent of wars. We could ill afford to follow the letter of the laws of Earth. In point of fact, oft times we followed the spirit of those laws in our actions."

"We will now hear from the Earth Archon, Admiral A.J. Chegwidden."

"High Councilor Travell, fellow Archons. The matter before us this day is not an easy one. The list of charges against Archon Spender and his associates, if they had been heard in an Earth court, would undoubtedly have resulted in the most severest of punishments; death. But we are not on Earth. The most severe punishment available to us on Tollana is exile. So let us examine the arguments put forth by Archon Spender in detail.

"He fully admits to the ordering of numerous abductions of Earth's citizens. This is not in question. But whether those who were abducted were taken for peaceful purposes or nefarious ones, the fact is that they were taken against their will. These men and women of Earth had no say in the matter. They had no say as to whether their ova would be harvested and they certainly had no say in how those ova were utilized. The fact that they were conducting genetic research can be construed in various ways. However, on Earth, such genetic research is highly scrutinized. The fact that they were also conducting experiments in human cloning, experiments that have been banned in every nation on Earth, tells me that their purposes in conducting these abductions were more nefarious than peaceful.

"Furthermore, the fact that Archon Spender admits to the ordering of purposeful infections of test subjects using the alien virus is abhorrent in the extreme. Dr. Scully, an associate of Agent Mulder, has stated for the record that no cure exists for the alien virus. That once infected, if not immediately treated with a vaccine, the host creature, be it human or lower life form, is slowly transformed into an alien entity. The rest is speculation on her part, but is based on autopsies conducted by her person. That is, that the host is alive during the incubation process, that they can feel the entity growing within them and that they can do nothing to stop it. She speculates that the alien entity over rides a portion of the human brain and prevents the host from taking its own life.

"Additionally, there is the matter of their creation of advanced aircraft. Now, being a member of the military, I see the need for newer and more advanced aircraft, particularly in light of recent events in our galaxy. However, there are tried and true methods for testing such aircraft, and exposing the pilots to dangerous levels of radiation is not one of those methods. Our military pilots train for years and it takes time and financial resources to train those pilots. To think that these men could throw away talented human lives so easily goes against my very nature as a military officer.

"Fellow Archons, were this case to have been heard on Earth, I would not have been hard pressed to have found Spender and his associates guilty of all charges. I would not have lost any sleep over having them sentenced to death. But, we are not on Earth, and things are different here. The death penalty is out of the question. I vote for exile."

"You have each presented your arguments well and concisely. We will adjourn for three hours while the Neutral Archon considers your statements. We stand adjourned."

Marius had not been allowed in the Curia chambers whilst the arguments were made. For that matter, other than the seeker, and the three archons, and of course, Travell, no one else had been allowed in to the Curia chambers. But now that they had recessed for three hours, Marius found himself walking up to High Councilor Travell.

"Councilor Travell? If I may have a few moments of your time?"

"President Augustus. Of course. Let us go to my office, where we will not be disturbed."

"After you, madam."

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"Now then, President Augustus, to what do I owe this honor?"

"Please, Councilor, call me Marius."

"Very well. Marius. Is construction proceeding well on Luna?"

"Yes actually. Your building techniques are not radically different from ours, though they are much faster. The building is proceeding quite quickly, particularly now that the force fields are in place. With the shields in place, there is no need for the construction crews to wear bulky spacesuits. Hopefully, you will consent to placing one or two of your ion cannons for added defense of the headquarters facility?"

"That particular item is scheduled for debate before the Curia after this matter of Triad is completed. "

"Good. Now, if I may ask a question?"

"Of course, Marius, but you do realize that any question of a technological level will have to go before the full Curia?"

"I do, but the question I have is more a curious one that anything to do with technology. I listened quite closely to the statements made by the parties just a few moments ago. I must say, that Spender's arguments, though grossly misguided, have some merit."

"I had not expected you to say that. Was it not you that they abducted and experimented on?"

"Yes, I was one of their test subjects. I said their actions were misguided. I did not say I approved of them. I wonder, with all your advances in the medical sciences, and with the statements made by Narim to members of the Tau'ri previously that crime is almost unheard of on your world, I wonder how that can be?"

"All of our citizens are implanted with health monitors. Additionally, all undergo routine psychological examinations and if anything is found amiss, then appropriate actions are taken immediately."

"I see. Would such appropriate actions include possibly the complete erasure of the short and long term memory or perhaps the personality centers of the brain?"

"Such a procedure is possible with our technology. If a Tollan were found to be mentally unstable, for whatever reason, that person would undergo a mind and personality erasure and a new personality and skill set implanted."

"As an alternative to permanent exile, that may have some appeal to Spender and his associates. Would the Tollan be willing to do this for us? To wipe their personality and memory engrams and to rebuild them with something more appropriate? The prison asteroid that we have created for them can just as easily be turned into a listening post. Or a deep space radar post. Or even a research post."

"Even with all that they have done to you and to other Tau'ri, you would consider this form of punishment?"

"I would Councilor. I have been alive for over two millennia. In my time, I have been sentenced to exile once or twice. Such a punishment is worse than death. Knowing that you can never return to your home, upon fear of death. I wouldn't wish exile on anyone. Perhaps this re-programming of yours could be offered as a viable option?"

"Yes, I think that will be possible, provided of course, that they are willing."

"Of course."

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Curia Chamber

Tollana

The Triad was about to reconvene, and Marius had his answer from the Tollans. The mind wipe procedure would be available to any of the accused if they opted for the procedure.

"Triad is now in session. Does the Neutral Archon have any questions for either party?"

"I do. Consortium Archon, you admit to everything that has been done to the population on Earth?"

"We do. But again, what we did was for the safety of Earth."

"I see. So in your eyes you are not guilty of the crimes charged?"

"We are not guilty of anything but fighting to preserve the Earth way of life."

"I take that as a not guilty. Earth Archon, how do Earth laws interpret the actions of the Consortium?"

"They have admitted their culpability to their actions. Their actions have violated numerous Earth laws. We vote guilty."

"I see. Then the deciding vote must come from me. This is a most difficult situation. The Consortium has admitted culpability yet they admit no guilt. It is obvious that numerous Earth laws were broken in pursuit of their actions, yet they claim it was done for the safety and security of Earth. But for lofty goals such as those to come to fruition, it must be in accordance with all parties and the laws of all parties. That such work was done in secret tells me that they were in pursuit of these goals not for the betterment of their fellow man, but for the betterment of themselves. I must agree, therefore, with the Earth Archon and vote guilty."

"Before sentence is pronounced, President Augustus wishes to address the Triad. Mr. President?"

"Thank you Councilor. We find ourselves, now that the Consortium has been found guilty, faced with an impressive dilemma. The rules of Triad forbid a death penalty, that much was known prior to the commencement of these proceedings. They do allow for exile however. That exile would be permanent. To this end, we of the Immortal Council, upon request from the Earth contingent, have developed a prison asteroid for the Consortium members. They will live out their lives on that asteroid, with no hope of ever returning to Earth. Once they are inside their prison home, the outer airlocks will be welded shut, and a cover of reinforced trinium laid over the airlocks. They must work for everything within their new home. If something breaks, they must fix it. The asteroid is equipped with hydroponic facilities so that the prisoners will not starve. They must grow their own food, repair or make their own clothing, and they must extract their own atmospheric gases from the supplies provided. If each of them does their fare share of the work required, they will continue to live. If one of them fails to do the work, all will suffer.

"But there is an alternative, thanks to the Tollan and their advanced medical sciences. Having experienced exile myself, I know that it is not an easy thing to accept, that is, not being able to return to your home. In this light, I have asked the Tollan to make available to any or all of the Consortium members here a process called mind erasure. Your memories and personality will be completely erased and a new set of memories and a new personality encoded therein. But this is not a decision to be made with long thought. It must be a quick decision. So decide now. Councilor?"

"Your offer, Mr. President, considering what they did to you and others of the Tau'ri is most generous. It shows the true quality of leadership. Now then, Consortium Archon, you have been found guilty by Triad of the charges aforementioned. Decide. I will call each of you by name and you must give your decision."

"Archon Spender, what is your decision?"

"Exile."

"Ms. Diana Fowley, your decision?"

"Erasure."

"Ms. Marita Covarrubias?"

"Erasure."

"Mr. Brad Follmer?"

"Erasure."

"Mr. Alvin Kersh?"

"Erasure."

"Mr. Richard Matheson?"

"Erasure."

"Archon Spender, as all of your associates have chosen erasure, do you wish to reconsider your decision?"

"Yes. Erasure."

"Very well then. Guards? Take them to the medical center where they will be separated and sequestered until such time as our doctors and scientists have declared their former memories and personalities erased. This Triad is now complete and we are adjourned."

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Outside the Chambers of the Curia, Agents Mulder and Scully accosted Marius.

"Erasure? Are you out of your mind? After what those people did to us, to Earth, you give the option of erasure? Good God man, why?"

"Simple numbers really. Tell me, Mr. Mulder, how long does it take to train a soldier? Or a scientist or engineer?"

"Years. Why?"

"The enemy we are fighting, they are cybernetic. They can build billions upon billions upon billions of soldiers and have them ready to fight and fly as soon as they are built. When faced with odds like those, even the most stubborn of us, the most brave of us, cowers. But we can't afford to cower. To do so would mean the enslavement of the entire galaxy, possibly other galaxies as well. We can ill afford to do that. So I gave them the option. But there was a catch, and I'll fill you in on that now. After the procedures and they have been retrained, as scientists and engineers, they will be shipped to a certain 'research' asteroid. So, either way, we win and they are off Earth for good."

"You sneaky SOB. I'll admit I was confused, but your plan is most admirable."

"Thank you, Dr. Scully. Now, if the two of you would join me for a walk, I have something else I must inform you of."

And so they walked. And Marius told him of his deal with Tok'Ra. And they became two of the three people he would be allowed to tell. But how could they accept Immortality if it meant outliving their son, William?

"Tok'Ra? Are you around?"

"I am here, Marius. Have your two friends decided?"

"They have a question first. Dana?"

"Mulder and I have considered the offer. But we can not in good conscience accept the offer knowing that we will outlive our son."

"That should not concern you, Dana. Your son, I have already examined. He is destined to become Immortal. He is, as other Immortals would call it, a pre-Immortal."

"He has the potential to become an Immortal? In that case, both Mulder and I accept this gift."

So saying, Tok'Ra flew at both of them and passed through them. And when Tok'Ra was done, two new Ancients had been brought into the universe.

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August 6th

Personal Log

"It has been a hectic few weeks, and now the new headquarters of the Alliance of Independent Systems building is complete. All of the founding members have sent delegations to the building and they have written in record time, a charter for the organization. Drawn upon from the many documents of Earth, of the Tollan, and the Kelownans, the AIS charter calls for mutual defense in the event of attack, mutual aid in the event of catastrophe, and peace through force. If one member world is attacked, all are to consider themselves under attack and rush to the aid of the attacked world. If one world experiences a catastrophe of any kind, be it planet quake, or volcanic eruption, or even widespread crop failure, all will come to the aid of that world. Peace through force. An example of three words that when spoken, speak volumes. Peace is achievable. But it can only be maintained through force, but only where necessary. It allows for each member system to cede to the AIS control, up to ten percent of their military forces.

"The first strike carrier has received a name. All carriers to follow will be named in the same fashion, for the great fleet admirals in Earth history. The first strike carrier, which goes out on extended trials in less than a week, is the AIS Strike Carrier Admiral Halsey. The next one will be the Kuznetsov, followed by the Nelson, the Spruance, and the Bismarck.

"AIS Halsey has undergone a minor re-fit to accommodate the SS-N-19 missiles, which have been since re-designated to their more common name of 'Shipwreck'. True to Tok'Ra's word, the creation engines at the Luna Shipyards have been updated and are now able to produce in record time. The research staff at Luna is looking at ways to make them even more productive.

"The former members of the Consortium have undergone their erasure procedures and have been retrained as viable scientists and engineers. They have been posted to the re-fitted research asteroid.

"Agent Dana Scully has accepted a position with the AIS to serve as Chief Medical Officer aboard the AIS Halsey. Her partner, Agent Fox Mulder, has also accepted a position on the AIS Halsey and will now be head of the diplomatic first contact team. Technically, both positions should have been given to military officers, so the AIS Ruling Council granted both of them commissions at the equivalent rank. Two more Majors for the officer's pool aboard the Halsey. The JAG, Admiral A.J. Chegwidden, because of the sheer amount of military troops that would be based on the strike carriers, consented to assigning a shipboard JAG. After a rather swift set of promotions, Commander Bud Roberts, and his wife, Lieutenant Commander Harriet Roberts have come aboard the Halsey and are settling in to their new offices.

"Piper, the woman who held my interest, made her choice and I will honor it. I can only hope that she and Leo will live a long a fruitful life together. I wish her well.

"Marcus Constantine is very good at his job. He named three bodyguards to my protective detail. Kyra, a five hundred year old Immortal. Reagan Cole, a thousand year old Immortal. And Alison, a fairly new Immortal at only two hundred. Three women. This could be fun.

"Marcus also nominated an overall ground commander for the AIS Halsey. A nomination that saw little debate in the Council chambers of the AIS. As of tomorrow, Kassim will assume his duties as ground commander. At his disposal are two deployment pods, each with a mixed nationality regiment, that is, a regiment composed of members from various Earth nations. Primarily from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council; the US, the UK, Russia, China, and France, though there are two SAS teams from Australia.

"The pilots are having fun while we are still in Earth orbit. The Halsey has received its full compliment of squadrons and eight Battlecruisers. It makes for an interesting sight when the Halsey comes into view and the eight Battlecruisers are docked, four 'above' and four 'below'. Each Battlecruiser has been slightly re-fit to accommodate twelve F-302 attack fighters, twelve Cobra interceptors, and two shuttles, along with a pair of forward looking launch tubes for the Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The AIS Council has also approved names for the Battlecruisers. They will be named for cities within the systems of the ruling council. Prometheus will retain its name as the lead ship in the class, but the other ships joining the Halsey for trials will be the Dallas, the Kiev, the Tollana, the Kelowna, the Ryan, the Cydonia, and the Los Angeles.

"The AIS Halsey has also been completely stocked with provisions and equipment, just in case.

"I had a chance to speak with Apollo recently. I asked him how it was possible that his people spoke Earth standard English? His response? They were speaking Colonial standard. How odd that two languages could evolve so far apart and yet still be similar enough that we understand each other. Another of the universe's little mysteries, I guess. Unless Tok'Ra and his associates had something to do with this mystery. I tend to believe that they did, rather than to trust chance at the former theory.

"SG-1 will be accompanying us on the extended trials for the Halsey. Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c will be assuming temporary roles as wing commanders for the squadrons. Major Carter will join the bridge crew. Doctor Jackson will join Mulder's first contact team. And Methos, will join me on the bridge as my second in command. The AIS Ruling Council have given to me the honor of being the first Captain for the Halsey. It is a role that I will do my utmost to fulfill.

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August 12th

Space Station Independence

It was a tremendous crowd that turned out to see the Halsey off on her maiden voyage. A shakedown cruise to work out all the little bugs known to be hiding in her systems. Though it was planned as a short duration mission, her storage spaces were filled to capacity. All squadrons were aboard, the troop pods at full readiness. The main view screen aboard the Halsey showed the view of Independence Station, the first space station to be completed as a joint venture between Earth, Colonial Mars, and Immortal Luna. A huge station, bristling with weapons ports and docking bays. It was home to over a thousand personnel. Five full manufacturing centers, research labs, and even a large agricultural dome at the top that would be, in time, home to a decent sized forest of food producing plants and trees.

"Independence Station to AIS Halsey. You are cleared to maneuver."

"Roger Independence. Ok people. Let's make this one count. Helm, move us away from the station, thrusters only."

"Aye sir."

Slowly, the Halsey moved out from one of the two large docking ports that had been attached to Independence Station. With mooring cables released, the Halsey increased her speed until she was moving away from the station at 500 kph.

"Independence Station to AIS Halsey. We show you clear of the docking station. Good luck and God speed. Independence out."

"Helm, plot a course for the Orion cluster."

"Course plotted, sir."

"Attention all hands, this is the Captain. Secure for hyperspace transit. When we emerge from transit, all ready squadrons will launch into a CAP. That is all."

Aboard Independence Station, the crowd looked on as the Halsey styled for a moment, before the large fore-mounted wormhole projectors activated. It was a new and untested technology, at least to them. It was a technology that the Ancients had first developed and deployed millennia ago. The projectors opened the wormhole and the Halsey moved through. It would not be an instantaneous journey, as the sheer mass involved and the amount of power necessary to open a stable wormhole were both immense. But within ten minutes, the Halsey would emerge at a predetermined spot in the Orion cluster, where the Battlecruisers Houston and Moscow were waiting. The ships were there to scout out the cluster and to lay down an early warning net of sensors.

Unfortunately, the Halsey did not emerge from the wormhole into the Orion cluster. Or rather, they did, but not in this universe.

And while they were in transit to Orion, something else, quite unexpected happened on Earth.

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White House

Oval Office

The man walked in as if the mere act of walking into the Oval Office were the most natural thing in the world. The President was sitting at his desk speaking with his Chief of Staff, Arnold van Damm, seated in front of the desk.

"Senator Kinsey? You're supposed to be dead!"

"Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated, Mr. Ryan."

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