Misunderstandings
The Situation Room in the basement of the White House was abuzz with activity. Reports came in from all over the world about the alien's incursions and abductions. The events seemed random but those in the room knew there was a method to the choices. The aliens were hunting Goa'uld. The door opened and people came to attention. President Hayes walked in flanked by his staff. "Ok people, what have we got?" President Hayes surveyed the room with a grim expression.
"Mr. President, sir, since about 3 pm local time, thirty-eight persons have been abducted. There have been many injuries but no deaths. In each case, the aliens inserted teams designed to pinpoint, neutralize, and remove targets." General Hammond glanced at the wall. . At this time, there seems to be no further activity."
"How many of the abductees are ours, George," asked the President?
"Eleven are ours, sir," General Hammond reported. "Most of those were taken out of corporate settings or from the Internal Revenue Service. It seems that Goa'uld central was in the basement of the IRS here in Washington." Hammond just shook his head. Everyone suppressed smiles. Americans share distaste for the operations of their tax agency.
"Well, folks, I wouldn't go cheating on next year's income tax returns just yet," snapped the President. "Remember those folks are good American citizens doing their jobs." He turned to Hammond. "Were we able to communicate with the alien base ship?"
"So far, all they said was that they were conducting an operation for the benefit of us all. We protested but they offered no other explanation." Hammond narrowed his eyes. "It seems awfully high handed to me, sir. Especially after announcing that they come in peace."
"Yes, but to be fair. We have done the same thing here when we feel we are chasing bad guys. So I am not ready to brand them enemies. But we shall demand an apology." The President paused and sighed. "It just doesn't feel right when it's being done to us. Does it, George?" Hammond just stood there like stone. He did not like this one bit. President Hayes looked thoughtful. "Admit it George, we have sent in SG teams to other worlds to take down Goa'uld without warning the populace. Then we explain it to them afterwards. But those were primitive societies. Have we heard from O'Neill yet?"
"No sir. The aliens assure us he is well and being treated with the utmost respect. They say he is in conference with their leader. Absolutely, no one up there is willing to interrupt. And the Tok'ra communication devices seem to be jammed." Hammond looked about as frustrated as he felt.
"Any word from the Asgaard?" Hammond shook his head. "Alright, leave our defense forces at DefCon 2 and keep me apprised." The weight of his responsibilities showed on his face. The President turned around to leave. His shoulders sagged just a little, tonight.
Commander Derek stood before his Lady his eyes bright. The day had been theirs. All thirty-eight targets were apprehended. The medical bay was busy removing the symbiotes. And he was receiving the high praise from his lord. Lady Anna was indeed satisfied. She reached out her hand to touch his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Commander Derek, you have my deepest gratitude for your handling of today's battle. You have my blessing." He bowed as she left the room. Yes, it had been a good day.
A bright light flashed in the Oval Office of the White House, and O'Neill appeared without Dr. Jackson. Secret Service Agents aimed their weapons. "Miss me?" joked General O'Neill, looking around the room and seeing all the intent faces. "What?"
"Where's Dr. Jackson, General?" asked President Hayes.
"Oh, we dropped him off at the SGC. It seems Daniel has made one of his discoveries. And it's a whopper." Jack looked around. He could tell that tension in the room was running high. "Did I miss something?"
"You could say so. The aliens have conducted surgical strikes against specific persons all over the planet. We have reason to believe those persons targeted were Goa'uld." General Hammond gestured to a seat. Jack's eyes opened wide. "Take a seat Jack, you debrief right now."
"So what do they want, besides hunting Goa'uld down here?" asked Hayes.
"Me, sir. They want me. They, um, like me, sir." Jack smirked and added, "They say they want an alliance with Earth. And they want an unspecified number of things 'unique to Earth' along with all our knowledge." He drummed his fingers on the table. "It was the best suck up job I have ever seen. They are after something big. That's for sure."
Suck up job? Is that a proper military term, General," Hammond demanded? "Care to elaborate?"
Jack smiled a small ironic self-satisfied grin and said, "They named the big base ship after me, sir. Check this out. According to Daniel, the name of the ship is the 'Commonwealth Starship O'Neill the Great'." Jack looked down and shrugged. No one else was as amused. Jack's face became guarded. Although truth be told, he did like the recognition.
"You have a fan club, Jack. Well, you were up there long enough. Did you learn anything to suggest that these aliens are hostile," asked President Hayes?
"Daniel says that they are not aliens, but actually humans descended from the ancient peoples of Earth. He could read their language. So to answer your question, no, I have nothing specific to indicate that they are hostile." Jack looked thoughtful. "It is weird that they would act so unilaterally without even discussing it with me after so much, er, ...sucking up. Well, you have to wonder."
"They obviously did not trust us down here. So, they made a preemptive strike." Hayes looked grim. It's just unsettling that they are so arrogant. The whole situation is so outrageous. General, what was your impression of their leader," asked the President? "We understand it is a woman. Did you meet with her?"
"Yes sir. She was a knockout." Jack gestured with both hands making a woman's curves. No one was appreciating the humor. "She might be twenty years old. Come to think of it, they are all quite young. And that young woman is as sharp as they come. Her name is Lady Anna, some Lord of the Admiralty title, and very high ranking. Even the Admiral deferred to her. And yet, there is something very off about her. I can't quite put my finger on it." Jack rubbed his hand across his eyes and across his cheek. "It will come to me. Anyway, we are scheduled to meet again tomorrow morning. I got her to agree to let SG-1 come and take a look at the ship and meet their senior staff and officers."
"That's good. Jack, do we know their Homeworld's Gate address? Anything more?" asked Hammond. "We need to check them out on their Homeworld, too."
"Worlds, sir, homeworlds," corrected Jack. "They are not just from one planet." He paused and looked at each person there. "The Commonwealth consists of 26 star systems with a population of 38 BILLION people. And they have had space travel for two thousand years." He let that sink in on each face and watched the reactions. He heard a few groans. Shock and disbelief played against this new reality. "They are way smarter than we are."
Several hours later, Kendall Cross sat across from Col. Tom Rundell, the Pentagon PR man. The camera lights were bright. The interview began. Kendall's first question came unexpectedly. "Can you confirm what we are hearing, that the aliens are really bug people?" Col. Rundell fought the urge to roll his eyes. How this rumor got started was beyond him. But he had to sit on this story and fast.
"No, ma'am. They are definitely not bug people, as you put it. I have myself met their emissaries. They are as human looking as either of us. We believe that they are descendants of Earth just like us. Millennia ago, many of the ancient peoples of Earth were stolen away by real aliens, called the Goa'uld, just like the President said in his speech to Congress."
"Why did they abduct our people today? They said they came in peace. Are they lying?" Kendall had a hard reporters edge to her voice.
"From what they have told us, and we have confirmed this fact, the Commonwealth was chasing real alien bad guys and found some here on Earth. They made preemptive strikes and captured the bad guys, Ms. Cross." Col. Rundell launched into an explanation of the Goa'uld and what they were doing on Earth. "So actually, they did us all a favor.
"A favor. The riots that ensued have resulted in many deaths," Kendall retorted. "In fact, the riots are continuing tonight across the globe. What is the President doing about all this?"
"Ma'am, the President is working with world leaders to restore order. Rundell turned to face into the camera, "and, he has sent Maj. General Jack O'Neill back up to the alien ship to make sure the Commonwealth does not do that again. From General O'Neill's last visit up there, we know that they have asked for an alliance. So I am sure these incursions are just misunderstandings."
"What makes you so sure they will cease their hostilities against us just because General O'Neill asks them?" Kendall pursued the issue. "They took former Vice-President Robert Kinsey out of New York today, as well as many important people from around the world."
"First of all, we do not believe the activities today were a hostile move against us. While we gave the Commonwealth no authorization, their actions helped us. Second, they have begun to return many of the people that they took this afternoon. They removed the symbiotes and healed the host bodies. Former Vice-President Kinsey is resting comfortably at Bethesda Naval Hospital tonight. And most importantly, they seem to have the highest regard for General O'Neill. In point of fact, they have named one of their ships after him." Tom sat back crossing his legs, and watched her reaction. "The base ship is named, The O'Neill." Kendall's eyes widened in surprise. And the producer cut to commercial.
Daniel appeared in a flash of light. He looked around to discover himself standing in front of the Stargate on level 28 of Stargate Command inside Cheyenne Mountain. He looked up to see Sgt. Walter Harriman grabbing the phone. The alarms went off. SF's came running into the Gate room. Daniel held up his hands. His glasses were falling down his nose. He did not dare risk lowering an arm to push them back up. "Hi guys, I'm home." Daniel protested as an airman grabbed his arms. "You don't have to do that, I'm me." And off they went to the infirmary to make sure it was he. General Landry observed from the briefing room, and nodded his head.
An hour later Daniel was sitting around the table in the briefing room. Daniel continued his report on his visit to the alien ship. Around the table were General Landry, and the flagship team of the SGC. SG-1's Lt. Col. Mitchell, Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c had the band back together. Daniel went down his list. "They claim that there are some new bad guys out there who are about to come gunning for all of us. They don't trust or even like the Jaffa." Teal'c raised an eyebrow and looked offended. "And they claim that the SGC is compromised and under surveillance by other aliens."
"I wonder how they know that, if they are not doing some of their own surveillance too," stated Col. Mitchell. "And you say they have the Ten Commandments inscribed on every doorway? My bible thumping Grandma would be proud," he grinned.
"We've come across very few signs of such things in our travels," added Carter. "It's encouraging. And I can't wait to see the alien ship. So they really named the ship after the General?" Carter looked amazed. Daniel nodded. "Well, if they so strongly believe in a common philosophy with us, maybe this could be a good first contact," offered Carter. "On the other hand, such belief has never stopped anyone on this planet from doing awful things."
"Indeed. Your western history is filled with examples that contradict the teachings of your Bible. Nevertheless, we shall have to persuade them that the Jaffa can be formidable allies." Teal'c stated with emphasis.
"Jack wants SG-1 to go up to the alien ship tomorrow morning to meet with some of the senior staff. He has more meetings with their leader, Lady Anna. After he hears about these incursions, Jack is going to have plenty to say to her this time." Daniel looked around the table. "Something tells me that they know too much and yet not enough. I got the impression these folks want some big-ticket items. My guess is that the Commonwealth is evaluating how to get them. I just don't get the angle."
"That being why are they offering so much?" Landry impatiently got to his feet. "Permission to go."
Emmett Bregman barely looked up from the files he was reading, when Major Davis entered the conference room. A lot had happened in the last two and a half years since he filmed at the SGC. The lives lived by these people were incomprehensible. No wonder the President and the military wanted someone who could explain this all to the People.
"Mr. Bregman, General O'Neill sends you his compliments. He would like to know if you can be ready tomorrow morning to film an interview with a very important person." Major Davis studied the older man's face.
"Sure, who do you have in mind? It would help if I could do some preparation in advance. Do you have a file for me to read, a biography, what?" asked the journalist. Major Davis was all business all the time. Bregman was tired. It had been a long day of intense study and note taking.
"General O'Neill asks that you accompany him to the alien base ship. He wants you to interview the leader of the aliens." Major Davis waited for the response. This should be good he thought. It was a good bet that Bregman never imagined that this would be the assignment. He was right.
"WHAT? Up, up, there," Bregman asked dumfounded, pointing his forefinger upwards. "Are you kidding? That's great. No that's incredible. You mean me, on an alien space ship, up there, in ORBIT?" He paused and thought a moment. "Things aren't going so well are they? Or ARE they? I mean, with the abductions, phew, wow, are you sure I am coming back?" He pointed downward.
"The persons abducted today were Goa'uld. The Commonwealth doctors removed the symbiotes and are currently returning the people taken." Bregman whistled. Major Davis continued. "We have no reason to believe that you would be in danger. General O'Neill is very upset about the abductions and the consequences here on Earth. The President and he agree that an apology should be made by their leader and broadcast. There is also the matter of a nasty rumor. There is a widespread belief that the aliens are really bug people. They need to be shown for what they are, human beings. Already there are charges of a government cover-up." Major Davis looked uncomfortable.
"And that's where I come in," Bregman cocked his head and looked pensive. "Sure, I can do that. But, in the interest of efficiency, I want the same camera team as before. We are already accustomed to each other."
With a rush of activity, Lady Anna entered the room. All made their signs of respect. She looked at each of the newcomers and smiled in satisfaction. There were days when it was especially good to be powerful. You got to meet interesting people. Today was one of those days. Here they all stood together, Lord O'Neill and his team SG-1, including Teal'c, the Jaffa.
Derek's own intelligence team had spent the day culling through Stargate Command's files. The SGC reports indicated that O'Neill had killed many other ancient System Lords, including Ra. Most importantly to Derek, O'Neill had killed Apophis. Apophis had destroyed Derek's entire planet, murdering his family. Considering the level of development of this planet, Derek found that claim bizarre. Equally bizarre was the strange alliance between O'Neill and the Jaffa named Teal'c. A human was the commander of the former First Prime of Apophis. That human was Jack O'Neill.
As far as Derek was concerned, the defeat of the System Lords brought more questions than answers. Scattered intelligence reports indicated that O'Neill was behind that defeat. At every turn, the name of O'Neill was repeated. Derek reviewed the questions in his mind: what role did O'Neill truly play; why, after all these millennia, did the Jaffa rebel; and how did the System Lords meet their collective defeat?
Derek suppressed an urge to kill the Jaffa, reminding himself that this was the famous Teal'c of SG-1. Previously, this Jaffa had been Teal'c, First Prime of Apophis, the destroyer of worlds. But, a guest was sacrosanct. There was plenty of time.
The thought occurred to him that his life was better than he could ever have imagined. After the terrible tragedy of his son Charlie's death more than a decade ago, Jack was despondent. For that reason alone, he had accepted the suicide assignment to Abydos. That mission, the first roundtrip through the Stargate to an alien planet, had opened the universe to Jack's people and unleashed a terrible enemy. Jack led his people through that danger and jeopardy to this day. His efforts seemed to be bearing fruit. The Goa'uld were defeated. The Jaffa were free and allies of Earth. Powerful aliens, such as the Asgaard and the Tok'ra, were friends and defenders of his world. New aliens sought an alliance with Earth. And best of all, Major General Jack O'Neill sat in orbit on board an alien space ship named for him, looking at a beautiful young woman, who wanted him.Lady Anna observed Jack in his reverie. Jack conveyed to her his government's temper tantrum. Earth's officials objected to yesterday's abductions of Goa'uld infested persons from Earth. The security of his planet was such a mess that the Commonwealth could not risk alerting the enemy to the strikes. The first priority of the Commonwealth had been to contain the enemy incursion. Jack wanted assurances that she would not order more unilateral actions or preemptive strikes. Unfortunately, circumstances were not that simple.
Jack shook himself from his musings. His mandate was to secure alien technology and knowledge to defend Earth. The Lady offered everything he had sought since the first time he went through the Stargate. And what did they want in return? The Lady said they wanted knowledge and some specific things unique to Earth. How bad could that be? He did not want to think about that answer. Jack decided to take the plunge. "Look, I have to know that we have an understanding that this sort of behavior will not be repeated. I want your word on that, ma'am." Lady Anna regarded him thoughtfully. She had solved a terrible problem for these primitives, so what were they bitching about? She cocked her head to one side. Jack spoke softly and deliberately. "We have to ask you to meet with our leader, the President of the United States, in order to calm the people down there. They are terrified. We want to broadcast the meeting where you give him these assurances." He waited for her to think. She seemed uncertain about something.
Lady Anna remembered the proverb that kind words turn away wrath. Oh well. "My Lord, I understand your complaint. First, I must tell you that we reserve the right to do whatever is necessary to defend ourselves against enemies of our people. That being said, we seek an alliance where we can act in unison. Unfortunately, the situation down on the planet is such that we cannot begin to act in concert with you until security breaches are remedied. I must stress to you the importance of securing your planet from alien surveillance. And you must take action to secure your nation's information from internal spying. We can assist you with the necessary security procedures. However, there is the danger that a political imbalance will be created between the powers of this world." Lady Anna sensed relief in the General. He was wary, but somewhat satisfied.
"What remedies do you mean," asked Jack? "Are you offering some of that advanced technology you offered before? And, what is the price? And don't say me. I am honored, but please be serious."
"But My Lord General, I was completely serious when I stated my terms. We must have you." Lady Anna felt him tense. Negotiations always began like this. Each sided tested to see if the terms were firm. "My Lord, my people need you and we shall not settle for a 'no.' Whatever you offer, the price must include you, My Lord."
"I hate to disappoint a lady, but until I know more about you and what you want, the answer IS no." Jack regarded her intently. These negotiations were like pulling teeth. He wondered what the team had already discovered this morning. Having the team together was reassuring. Whatever these folks had in mind, SG-1 would get to the bottom of it.
"Then, tell me, My Lord General, what would ease your apprehensions? We have been acquainted for less than three days. Yes, trust and friendship take time. But, you have an immediate problem, the lack of security from existing alien surveillance devices. If you want to wait years until we can forge a friendship filled with goodwill, fine. We can depart and let nature take its course. We can wait. Can you?" Lady Anna was fishing, but would he take the bait?
Oh she was good, thought Jack. He knew she was also telling the truth about the SGC being compromised. Ever since she told Jack about the devices, O'Neill had ordered Landry to get teams of experts combing the SGC for the devices. So far they had found two. But who owned those devices was anyone's guess. They were not from this world, according to the reports. He could not afford to wait to correct the problem. "OK, let's make a small trade to show mutual goodwill. You agree to an interview and meet with my leader, the President of the United States. Please, Lady Anna, say something reassuring to the people down there. And I shall do something for you; say an interview for your press people. You do have media types," Jack asked?
"Yes, My Lord. Your proposal is wise. We should make mutual gestures of cooperation if we are to become friends and allies. My people would be curious to hear a greeting from your own honored self." This was better than she ever thought possible. Without showing her ecstatic delight, Lady Anna solemnly agreed. "You have my permission for the interview."
"Thank you ma'am. I am sure it is just the first effort of many we shall make together." Jack rose to summon Emmett Bregman and contact his team. "I need a recess to consult with my people and to make the arrangements, My Lady." He was getting better at this diplomacy stuff. Ha, and Daniel doubted me. Jack was proud of himself.
In the meantime, Teal'c was cooling his heals in the anteroom to the Lady's office. He had been there for sometime. Teal'c was tired of being stared at by the children, who were everywhere on this ship. What they were doing he could not guess. But they were afraid of him. So he tried again to smile and appear friendly. It wasn't working. What kind of people were these who would endanger their own children on such a dangerous expedition?
On another deck, Lt. Col. Samantha Carter was with Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell. They were in one of the manufacturing facilities on board the huge spacecraft. Carter was in her element and delighted with the tour. Mitchell was waiting for something special to happen. Being with SG-1 was magic as far as he was concerned. It was just like he imagined it would be; going to alien space ships; solving important riddles; and checking out aliens. He had no clue about the stuff around him. Oh yeah, this pony ride was already a good time. Carter grabbed his sleeve and tugged. "Do you see that? It's a ZPM, a Zero Point Module!" She tugged so hard he leaned over. She whirled around fast to the young officer guiding them through the facility. "Where did you get that?" She looked at him excitedly.
"We made it, right here," Commander Eli replied. "Do you know what it is, Col. Carter?" He was surprised people this undeveloped knew anything. But then he reminded himself that they were SG-1, the primitives who defeated the Goa'uld. They must have learned something along the way. But the Goa'uld did not use ZPMs. This fact that she knew about a ZPM was interesting. These people were such a set of contradictions. He assumed a patient attitude and waited.
"Yes, a ZPM derives its power from vacuum energy. That energy is derived from a self-contained region of subspace time. It could power a whole city." She looked at Eli with amazement. " You MADE a ZPM? I assume you use it to power the ship." Carter was excited. Mitchell blew a small whistle. The Commander smiled and shrugged as if to say of course. Mitchell looked at Carter's bright expression. Carter sparkled with the look of a kid in a candy store. Oh yes, this was worth it.
The doors to the Lady's office opened. The children focused their attention toward the doorway. Teal'c stood waiting for O'Neill. As the General exited, Teal'c could see something had been accomplished. The Lady came out, too. She approached Teal'c and made a Jaffa gesture of greeting, "Tec'ma'Te, Master Teal'c. We are honored to have you here this day." He smiled. Perhaps they did not dislike Jaffa so much after all. He bowed and replied, "Tec'ma'tec, Lady Anna."
"General O'Neill, we have assigned to you a guide to take you around the ship." Lady Anna beckoned to a little girl with brown hair and big soft eyes. "I shall await your team, My Lord." Turning to Teal'c, the Lady addressed him respectfully. "Master Teal'c, General O'Neill is about to give instructions for the interview. While we are waiting, would you join me for midmorning tea?" She looked up at him with a beaming smile. Then, she gestured for him to come inside. Teal'c looked over at O'Neill who put his hand on Teal'c's shoulder and patted it.
"Go for it, buddy." And the General excused himself, grinning a self-satisfied smile. Teal'c raised an eyebrow and bowed to the Lady. "Indeed."
In the Lady's anteroom, one of the children motioned to O'Neill to come to the table. Jack looked dubious but smiled and approached. "Hello there, what can I do for you?" Jack was curious about the little girl. She looked about 10 years old. What were all these children doing all over the place?
"My Lord, I am here to help you. I am your Page, Rebecca. I know the ship really well. Our Lady asked me to take you first to your office." The girl looked up with big brown eyes. There was fear in those eyes.
"My office?" Jack was taken aback, and frowned in confusion. The girl cringed and backed away. "Hey, I didn't mean to scare you. C'mere." He sat down and held his hand out. The child regarded him warily. Clearly she was conflicted by her fear and curiosity. "I won't hurt you. You've gotta believe me." Her eyes were flooding. "Oh God." He reached out and took her arm gently. Jack loved children. He hated being the cause of her distress. She froze. He just sat there quietly letting her get used to him. Big tears rolled down her face. "Why are you afraid, Becky?" Jack spoke slowly. He wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Because you are going to kill me," she blurted out. She was sobbing now. She lost it.
"Kill you, oh no, never." Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Who told you such a thing?" He just stroked her hair gently.
"Everyone." The girl calmed down a little.
"Why do you think I would do that?" Jack wondered what was going on around this place. It was crawling with youngsters. They were staring at him ready to run. One hid under a table.
"You are O'Neill. You make war and kill people. Maybe you are going to kill me?" She started to lose it again. Jack felt angry. This was awful. How could he explain war to a child? What was she doing here anyway?
"I don't make war on children. If and I stress if, I kill someone, there has to be a very good reason, like, oh say, they are trying to kill me. But you and I are going to be friends." Jack tried a smile. "Now, dry those tears and show me that office, ok?" He waited for her to nod her head. "Ok? Hmm," he reached in his pocket and handed her a tissue. " Ok." He stood up. As they headed out the door, Rebecca looked up solemnly at him, and paused, then she put her small hand in his large one. Jeez, he wondered, what were these kids told about me?
The name on the door was in English and whatever their language was. It read 'Major General Jack O'Neill, U.S.A., Earth.' The office was spacious and elegant. Someone had furnished it to look like the Lady's office, with one exception. It had an American flag, hung backwards with the block of stars on the outside away from the pole. Nice touch. They were really trying hard to impress him. Jack took that fact as a good sign. It's just that they worked a little too hard.
"Becky, I need to contact my team, how do I use your com system?" Jack hoped the tears were over.
"You ask the computer to contact whomever you wish." She looked at him wondering why he asked.
"Oh, of course, I forgot. Thanks." Jack went to work asking the team to come to his new office. Then he checked out the swivel of his chair, going around a few times. Becky giggled. He looked over and smiled. "What? Do you want a turn?" Her eyes grew wide. She decided he wasn't so bad.
Teal'c sat before the alien leader, called The Lady. For a human female, she was a formidable presence. For a young one, she was disturbing. This one knew no fear. She regarded him steadily. He had the distinct impression she was sensing him. He was as curious about her as she was about him. He was certain. His stoic demeanor belied his discomfort. Caution would be advisable. She began her interrogation disguised as carefully polite conversation. This meeting held danger. He decided she would learn nothing. Nothing.
Daniel Jackson had been aboard alien ships before this trip. But this one was beyond anything he had ever encountered. For one thing, it was as big as a city. He had read how the Lost City of Atlantis could fly through space. But, that was so many millennia ago and by a different race, the Ancients. This ship was built and operated by ordinary humans. Judging by the accomplishments he could see all around him, there was great hope for the human race. The best discovery was the food dispensers. They were right out of science fiction television shows. The problem was how to describe what was desired, in what quantities, temperature, and cuisine. Fortunately, his host, who did know, had invited him to midmorning tea. Daniel stood back and watched in fascination as the gracious young scientist spoke to the machine. Each item was delivered in a pretty place setting. These people appreciated the niceties of life.
"So, Dr. Gilead, how long have you been working on this ship?" Daniel took a sip of the hot beverage and found it quite to his liking. In fact, everything was very good. His obvious enjoyment and delight pleased his young host. The man could not be older than his early twenties. Yet, he seemed to have a mature air about him and a very responsible position for being so young, as were so many on this ship.
Dr. Gilead replied, "I have had the honor to serve our Great Lady on board this ship and others for the past seven years." He too was enjoying the encounter. Dr. Jackson was all he had imagined about the intrepid explorer and scholar. "My family has served our Lady's House for sixteen generations. So when an opening became available on this expedition, I was a natural candidate."
Daniel's curiosity was aroused. "Sixteen generations. Really. How do you know? You keep records that far back?" Dr. Gilead nodded. "Do you think I would be allowed, sometime, to look at those records?" The young scholar smiled and nodded with his mouth full. "How far do they go back, do you think?"
"Oh I can tell you for a fact they go back to the beginning. We have the scrolls from before the time of our abduction from the Holy Mother Planet. Everything is meticulously recorded for each family, especially for the royal family. The Chronicles of the Kings are perfectly preserved." Gilead took a bite of his cake and regarded his guest. "You do not have a record of your family's heritage, Dr. Jackson?"
"We do, just not back so far as you do. For example, I have traced my family back 8 generations across 200 years to another country on our planet. I have done considerable research." Daniel paused noticing the other man's face. "Did I say something to offend you?"
"No, no, Dr. Jackson. Did I hear you say that there were 8 generations in 200 years?" Gilead seemed regretful.
"Well yes, some of those of course overlapped, but people did not live so long back then, not like we do now." Daniel had the feeling something was very wrong. "You said your family went back sixteen generations. How long a period does that cover?"
"Oh no, you misunderstand, Dr. Jackson. I did not say my family went back sixteen generations. I said we had served our Lady's family for sixteen generations. We go back much farther in the Chronicles." Gilead was proud of his heritage obviously.
"Oh, I did not understand. But please, how many years does that cover?" Daniel had the feeling this was important.
"Let's see, if you figure that half of the generations were before the advent of Genetic Restoration, then probably around 1500 years."
Daniel's sense of excitement grew. "Genetic Restoration," he quickly asked? "Sounds interesting. But that's a lot of years for just 16 generations. So, how long are people living with 'genetic restoration,' these days?" Daniel smiled a little friendly grin.
"Well that depends on which generation post Restoration you are. If your ancestors started three generations ago it would be different than for someone whose ancestors started four generations ago." Gilead paused to sip his tea. "All things being equal, a 4-Gen Restoration, like myself, should live between 225-240 years."
"Oh, really, is that in Earth years, or some other measurement?" Daniel took a sip of his tea.
"Our worlds are comparable. I think our years are nearly the same give or take three days per year difference," replied Dr. Gilead. He paused, considering if this was the time for the revelation. His Lady wished it to be natural. "I am actually 38 years older than you, Dr. Jackson." Daniel shot tea out his nose.
In his "office," Jack thought his head would explode. What Daniel was telling him could not be possible. Suddenly, he knew how Kynthia felt after he told her that people lived for tens of thousands of days. She said it was practically forever, considering her life span had been just 100 days. If what these people told Daniel was true, he felt humbled. A 4-Gen person would live the equivalent of three of his lifetimes.
"Jack, do you realize what this means?" Daniel was talking rapidly again. "A person could do more, be more, than we ever dreamed. Imagine what could be accomplished if your life span were extended. A longer career, more time to do research, find cures for disease, invent new technologies...it's unbelievable."
"Daniel what you are telling me is they are measuring our lives in dog years. And I defy anyone to describe it better." Jack sighed.
A realization struck Daniel. "Jack, all those kids we see around here could be any age at all. If Dr. Gilead looks 21 years old, but is in his late seventies, the Lady could be nearly eighty herself. These children are not children."
"Sir, our own research into the human genome indicates that we start aging after puberty because we can no longer perfectly replicate our own DNA. Each time a cell turns over; it loses the end fragments of its DNA in the process. More and more DNA is lost every time a cell divides until it can't do it any more. This is one reason we die, Sir. They must have discovered the solution." Carter noticed Jack's eyes glaze over. "Sir, longevity has a downside too. If you live longer, you could have more children, hence larger populations making greater demands on resources. You would need more room to grow. No wonder they have 38 billion people on so many planets. It makes sense. They probably started with only ten or twenty thousand people. If you don't kill each other off and have few diseases, then in just over two thousand years, you would have tens of billions of people. I did some calculations just now, and..."
"Ack! Carter, stop! I get it. Thank you. What I don't get is why they told Daniel just now. Seems to be awfully convenient timing, now doesn't it? They are working hard at something." He waved his hands around the office. "Not to mention the office. Oh yeah, they want something and are dangling immortality in front of us."
Colonel Mitchell jumped in, "Sorta like Methuselah." They all just looked at him. "Sure, my Grandma read me the story of Methuselah, the guy in the Bible who lived 969 years. According to the Bible, people used to live for a really long time. Noah lived 950 years. His son, Shem, lived 600 years. After the flood, life spans were shorter. Abraham lived 175 years. Moses lived 120 years."
"You know your Bible pretty well there, Mitchell." Jack was impressed. "I'm listening to it on tape."
"My Grandma made us memorize stuff. Sundays at Grandma's house meant a lot of bible thumping." Mitchell sighed.
Carter spoke up again. "Sir, maybe the Goa'uld or some other aliens had something to do with shortening our life spans. They did it on Argos. Why not here? And, I am guessing, somehow these people figured out how to reverse it. Hence the name, Restoration."
"Jack, I've got it! I know what they want. The Lady told us the first day but we did not understand. She literally told us point blank as well as she was able." Daniel pushed his glasses up. "One of the Lady's titles was Judge of the People. In ancient times, during threat or invasion, the Old Testament told of a person who would arise to lead the people against the enemy. A volunteer army would be formed. The Judge would lead the army in battle to destroy the enemy. The Judge would also render decisions on disputes but had God's special calling. Lady Anna is a Judge, in the real biblical sense of the word. She told us that before Apophis attacked, there was no fleet, no war. She said her people wanted to learn to defend themselves!"
"What if Lady Anna wants you to help them make war, Jack? It would make sense. She told you she wants to finish the Goa'uld. Yesterday, that woman made it clear how serious she is. She told us that the Goa'uld had associates as bad as the Goa'uld. She wants their associates dead." Daniel looked at Jack. "The Lady believes you defeated the Goa'uld. That's why she wants you."
Mitchell jumped in. "Right, I know this story. See this king of Canaan was doing some bad stuff. The good guys had a woman judge. Her name was Deborah and she wanted to revolt. So she called up a guy named Barak to lead the army with her. She took a group of warriors to lure the bad guys out of their fortress. Then she got them to chase her to where Barak was waiting with an army of ten thousand troops. They won. Gee, I never thought all those long, long hours in Sunday school would pay off like this!"
"Oy." Jack leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes. "OK, I have to talk to the President. And then I have to see her ladyship again. You folks, go mingle. See what else you can learn about these associates."
All morning, Commander Derek reviewed plans to use the alien surveillance devices in the SGC against their sources. He had orders to determine the destination of their broadcasts with all speed. The Lady was correct. Finding the listeners was a priority. His training taught him that the more one knew about an adversary, the better. At some point, he would need to activate some of the devices to broadcast his own feed out into deep space. He had ships standing by once a vector had been established.
Derek's assistant, Lt. Andrew, interrupted to hand him the reports on the scans of the planet. His scans detected more recognizable energy emissions from under the ice in Antarctica. But anomalous power signatures of an unknown nature emanated from Jerusalem. Something was definitely buried down there. The power emissions were scant but present. Obtaining the items would be problematic.
At this point, discretion dictated a political solution to obtaining the buried items. After yesterday's battle, the childish governments dirtside had performed a diplomatic hissy fit over his successful efforts to clean up their world. Their behavior was typical of primitives. Even though they could not handle the problem, they objected when someone else did. In political matters, it was best to let the Lady attempt diplomacy. If diplomacy failed, there was his way. Nothing and no one down there was a match for his forces, well, except for Lord O'Neill.
Derek operated an efficient intelligence network. In three days, his teams had combed the data banks of the entire planet and had organized the information into a useable summary and index. His analysts reported that the populace of this world was in a constant state of unrest. It seemed that the denizens of this world were always killing each other. Maybe this world was filled with homicidal maniacs. He just shook his head. This place needed a sure hand. The Commonwealth provided stability and security to many worlds. In time, they would understand and appreciate what The Commonwealth was doing to secure this planet's future, and indeed, the future of the whole human race. He handed back the report and instructed Lt. Andrew to prep the Special Forces teams. Derek contacted Lady Janelle, assistant to Lady Anna. Yes, he'd discovered everything The Lady had instructed him to find. She knew things in an uncanny way. Truly, she was the Judge of All The People.
