The Star Gate Program (Hetalia/Stargate SG1 X-Over)
Author: Ashynarr
Summary: It was the discovery of the century. A device older than human civilization, capable of transporting people across the galaxy in an instant. But things have a way of quickly becoming complicated, pushing America and others to their limits as they find themselves embroiled in galactic politics and intrigue throughout the stars.
Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine. Stargate isn't mine.
Warning: Alterations of the Stargate timeline/canon and Hetalia canon
[Inspired by Stargate Reopened; I recommend reading it if you have the time.]
[Chapter 12]
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[January 1994]
When Daniel had been told to get changed into his new mission uniform, he definitely hadn't been expecting the military equivalent of a hazmat suit, abel much less unwieldy. It currently bore a muted gray patterning, but apparently it would darken or lighten based on the heat of the environment, a feature already in the making on Earth even before the sudden access to an entire alien database.
(His time on Heliopolis, though brief, had been extremely interesting. Between the closer examination of the alien language and the prank left squeaking in his bed, he wasn't sure whether to be thankful or forlorn over being dragged away to what was more his official specialty.)
In addition, the bulky helmet had been replaced with a pair of heavy duty goggles (thankfully with the corrective glass in them in his case) and a facemask that was probably solid enough to even keep him from needing antihistamines for the trip. Not that he wasn't bringing them just in case (they had to remove the masks to eat sometime, and he definitely didn't want to take the risk if he could avoid it), but it was a nice gesture all the same.
He'd also gotten time to get to know the person leading this mission through to whatever was beyond the pseudo-Egyptian corridors on the other side of the Stargate. Colonel Jones was strange, to be certain, seeming to shift between a full military persona to a simple man who loved archaeology and astronomy as much as humanly possible. He'd admitted to being absolutely ashamed at not catching what Daniel had earlier, and had even asked for a refresher on the texts Daniel had learned, something the archaeologist was more than alright with providing.
Speaking of which, where was the Colonel? He'd been standing here with the soldiers and other scientists going through on the first wave for a while now...
As if the thought had summoned him, the young-looking officer and Dr. Langford both came in, causing everyone to straighten up and give them their attention. With the slightest hint of a grin the Colonel directed them all to stand up. "Alright, you all have already seen what the MALP has to offer, as well as what we can guess about what's on the other side. The suits you're wearing will hopefully make First Contact with whatever beings are on the other side much less tragic for both parties, while still being capable of providing protection if things go sour and we need to retreat. Before we head into the Gate room to prepare for the mission, Dr. Langford has a few words to share."
"Thank you, Colonel." She smiled, turning back to the room. "First, I would like to thank all of you for everything you've done so far and everything you will continue to do for as long as you continue to be part of this project. As it stands, by the time most of you return I will probably be gone."
At the startled looks between the scientists, the corners of her eyes crinkled. "This mission is the culmination of my father's life's work, and mine as well. But with my fiance home at last and the Stargate Program well on its way, I feel that it's time for me to step down and let younger minds take charge. I thank you all for your support and kindness, and wish you all good luck in your future endeavors."
With that Dr. Langford stepped back, allowing Jones to take the stage again. "We'll all definitely miss you, Dr., and it's a shame we'll be missing the retirement party, but hopefully you'll be able to enjoy your retirement in peace."
The Colonel turned back to the rest of the room. "Still, we have a mission we have to get to, so if you want to say your goodbyes do it now, then get down to the Gate room and await further orders."
Daniel held back until almost everyone else had finished speaking to the elderly archaeologist, catching her attention with a sheepish smile. "It's a shame we didn't have more of a chance to work together, Dr. Langford; I really enjoyed learning about all of this from you."
She snorted in amusement. "You picked up on half of it on your own before I said a thing, don't flatter me too much. And I thought I told you to call me Catherine?"
"Sorry, Catherine," Daniel apologized. "Still, you aren't going to stick around for the mission results?"
"It'll take a while for the paperworks to go through; I'm not leaving right away." Catherine looked thoughtful for a moment, eventually nodding her head slightly and pulling something from around her neck and handing it to the younger man. "I want you to have this; I've had it since I was a little girl, but I feel this is something that belongs back where it came from."
"I-" And what could Daniel say to that, especially for such a gorgeous amulet that proudly depicted the Eye of Ra? "Thank you, I'll keep it safe."
"You'd better keep it safe, Daniel - I didn't hold onto it for sixty-odd years just for you to lose it in a week or two."
Despite himself he laughed, grinning as he shook her hand. "I'll do my best then."
It slipped easily around his own neck, tucking neatly under the collar of his suit as he joined the rest of the team in front of the Ring. With a nod of greeting, the Colonel turned to the dialing room, signaling to them before turning back to his team.
"The first thing we're doing on the other side is securing the building we're going to emerge into. I expect a complete report of all exits and corridors to the place within twenty-four hours of arrival, as well as key defensible points and fallback routes. From there we'll have teams explore around the building and, if no contact has been made with whatever locals are there, a team will eventually be put together to look for the nearest settlement or ruins."
Jones grinned. "If we run into them early, however, I expect everyone to be on their best behavior. This is First Contact we're talking about, after all, and I for one want it to go well. The address is about to be dialed, so everyone put your face masks and goggles on now so that we're ready by the time the wormhole settles."
Daniel removed his glasses and tucked them away into a side pocket, the goggles and face mask heavy on his face. The rumbling of the Ring as it moved was still a sight to see, along with the beautiful (and deadly) bellowing of energy before it was sucked back into the gentle rippling pool of light.
The Colonel turned back to them, his eyes glittering with suppressed excitement as he gave the order. "Alright, men, let's get going."
Everyone else started going through in groups of three or four, eventually leaving just Jones and Daniel still on Earth. Jones gave him an amused look when he ran his hand over the pool briefly, eventually nudging him through before following-
-dissolution speeding stars shooting past twisting falling on and on and on-
and emerging on the other side uncomfortably cold before the chill of not-space melted away into a muffled heat that felt very reminiscent of the digs back in Egypt, especially with the pyramid-like chamber around them. Daniel took a moment to look around, not noticing the Colonel stumble briefly beside him before straightening up like nothing had happened.
The sound of a radio crackling startled him out of his rapture briefly, causing him to turn as the Colonel responded to the inquiry of everyone's safe arrival with a brief, "Everyone's alright, no surprises waiting for us on the other side. We're exploring and setting up shop right now, will update with a more complete report in a few hours."
The wormhole closed, and Daniel briefly thought he saw Jone's eyes tense before he relaxed and turned to him, asking if he wanted to join the rest of the team now to see if there was any clue for the address back to Earth. The archaeologist shook his head and dismissed what he'd seen, more focused on what was waiting for them ahead.
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AN: Aww yeah finally getting into things! Hopefully my OC will come out a solid character to everyone when she shows up, as I want to make use of her in future events on Abydos as well. I should say, even before I introduce her, there will be no pairings of any sort in this story, excepting MAYBE a little bit of hinted Jack/Sam way way down the line. But this story has always been about the adventure, not the shipping, and I intend to keep it that way.
...Alright, now that I've teased you all enough, there will also be Daniel/Sha're, because that's canon, and who am I to resist keeping another awesome female character around for amazing shenanigans? Still, romance will not be a huge part of this story, so most of that will be in the background.
Finally, since I got into my whole constellation headcanon thing, Heliopolis is in the Boötes constellation, Abydos is in the Fornax constellation. Unfortunately, this means the two are in almost completely opposite directions from each other in this story. Oh well. I'll list other star names and their constellations from here on out as I visit the various 'canon' worlds or come up with new ones.
