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 14]
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
Major General Wallace Oliver West was born into the military lifestyle. His father, William, had been a veteran of the second World War; his mother, Jeanne, had been a nurse he'd met in France and brought back to the States after his time in Europe and left behind to look after Wallace during the War. As such, Wallace had all but grown up on one military base or another, learning how to salute even before he knew his alphabet.
There weren't many other kids his age around the base for any long stretch of time; families moved with their husbands as they were reassigned, so families like his, which stayed at one base for the duration of the war, were rather rare. Thus, most of his time was spent with his mother or the military personnel who weren't busy with some vital assignment at the time.
When he was six, the war was won, and his father returned home. The first thing the man had done upon entering their living room was take notice of the boy playing with plastic soldiers in the corner, giving Wallace a tired smile when he looked up from his game long enough to recognize the person in the photographs on the mantle his mother would sometimes look at and sigh over. Their gazes locked, a generation of experience separating them instead of a few feet.
Soon, William turned and left, heading further into the house and leaving Wallace on his own again. It was his first genuine memory of the man, and the most memorable. He would disappear again a few years later for some place called 'Korea', coming back and retiring afterwards. It would take decades for Wallace to understand why.
Wallace joined the Air Force right out of high school. He had briefly considered more civilian pursuits, but found none of them to have the same sense of satisfaction as the idea of serving his country as his father had for two wars at that point. During training he met the two best men he could ever hope to know, George Hammond and Jacob Carter, all three of them graduating in the same class and being shipped on the same plane to Vietnam almost as soon as they'd finished the ceremony.
Vietnam was the opposite of everything he'd ever thought about war. There were no heroics, no glorious fights of liberation, just mud and jungles and bombs and enemy soldiers who didn't know when to give up. War was ugly, and naivety was not allowed to survive long in the damp, clinging heat.
Wallace's main regret in the war was not following George in a rescue mission after Jacob's plane was shot down. He'd been hard-pressed to believe his friend would survive long enough for a successful rescue, and hadn't wanted to be disappointed with another lost friend. He honestly had been preparing himself for saying goodbye to one or both of them, only to be as shocked as the rest of the men in their wing when everyone, including Jacob, returned alive late that evening.
There was always a small rift between them after that, even after they returned from Vietnam, but that didn't keep any of them from advancing through the ranks, promotion after promotion until they were all wearing stars. George and Jacob started families, while Wallace remained single, tirelessly working to help his country make up for their humiliations.
He met America in 1981. His single star was still brand new, a heavy weight that if anything served to make him more determined to serve his country well. When he was called in to speak to the Chief of Staff about his new assignment, he hadn't thought anything of it until he'd realized there were three people, not just one, waiting for him.
The first man he noticed was the President, causing him to pause long enough until General Dugan called him in. He stood before the trio, wondering who the young man in military garb was and why he and the President were present for a simple reassignment.
"General West," Dugan greeted. "Congratulations on your promotion."
"Thank you, sir." Wallace wisely did not ask any of the questions on the tip of his tongue, no matter what part of him wanted to.
The President had the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. "I assure you, there's been nothing but positive reports of your service so far, excepting the recruits who seem to feel you're something of a hardass."
Wallace barely kept from cracking a grin at that. "Military life isn't easy, sir, and I'm not going to take blame for their foolishness down the line if they don't learn the right way to do things the first time around."
"And a damned good poker face, as well," The President continued, looking more amused. "It's also said that you're also one of the best, if not the best, officer in the Air Force at making decisions under pressure."
"I like to think so, sir," Wallace conceded. "I've seen too many missions go wrong because of hasty decisions to consider doing the same."
General Dugan nodded. "That's the sort of person we need in charge of the newly reactivated project we're assigning you to."
The newly minted General accepted the folder he was handed, looking over the information inside with a thoughtfully neutral expression while Dugan told him what they knew of the original Giza Program. Only once he finished did he look back up, gaze sliding to the last person in the room, who had yet to speak.
"And him, sir?"
The President and General exchanged glances before turning back to him. "He's going to be reporting directly to the President on the status of the project. As you'll be working with him for the next few years, we felt it was prudent to introduce you now so there are fewer complications down the line."
The young man stood, coming around to offer a handshake. "It's nice to meet you, General. I'm Alfred F. Jones, though for official business you can call me America."
In the five seconds it took for them to shake hands, any disbelief Wallace might have held was whisked away upon locking gazes for just long enough that same aged look his father had once held, only magnified to an inhuman degree. This was someone who he could believe had seen hundreds of years of war and conflict for his people.
This was the person he had, indirectly, been serving his entire life.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, America."
The grin he was given in reward was enough to tell him he was in for an interesting few years.
And now, more than ten years later, that man was now hundreds of lightyears away, leading a mission to a world locked away ten thousand years ago and potentially on the cusp of danger. And there was no way to rescue any of his team.
General West looked down at the requisition form before him, thinking of another set of reports that were much less innocuous, when Canada walked in with his own report. Wallace could understand why some people could mistake the man for his brother, but he himself had had little trouble telling them apart at a glance. America - Alfred - had an energy in his actions that speech that his brother simply did not have or else held back.
"General," The northern Nation greeted. "Everything's been moved down to the Gate room and is ready for transfer through to the Away team."
"What about the DPVs?" The General asked, setting his paperwork aside.
"We have two ready to go through, with a potential third and fourth on their way here."
Wallace nodded. "If everything is there, then start sending it all through. We'll send the new vehicles in when they arrive."
"Got it." Canada turned to leave.
"Wait," General West closed his eyes and sighed before looked back to the other man. "What are your thoughts on this mission?"
The Nation's lips pressed together in thought before he finally replied, "I think Alfred knows what he's doing, and if anyone can get his team back to Earth, it'll be him."
"And the potential native populace?"
"If anyone can talk them into being at least willing to consider further talks with us, it'll be him."
"And if he can't?"
"He'll get him team out of there alive if he has to play hero to do it." Canada shook his head. "He'd die for his people, if he had to."
General West said nothing for a moment. "He would, wouldn't he?"
The Nation smiled. "I doubt it'll come to that, though; he's better at surviving than a lot of people give him credit for."
The General returned the smile with his own wry one. "I can believe that. Thank you, Canada."
"No problem."
Only when the door clicked shut did the smile fall, his gaze settling back to the first set of documents, containing a record of what could be myths or history as translated by the archaeology team.
If they were myths, what did it say about the culture? Earth had its own bloody mythology and history, and look at where they still were. If it were history…
His hand settled onto his phone, his mind carefully running through all the possible scenarios for this mission. Was his career - was thirty-five years of honorable service and a clear record worth the lives of everyone in this country and this planet? What if nothing went wrong and the last measure wasn't needed? Could he afford to keep it under lock until it was needed, and what would happen if he was caught with it?
What if it was needed?
That was the question, wasn't it? If he didn't use it, he could be in trouble for working with a program outside of the Air Force to get a hold of such extreme defensive measures, and if he did…
Well, that was for history to decide. He picked up the receiver and dialed, looking out his office window to where the Ring sat, glimmering pool rippling as barrels of water were pushed through to a distant world, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up. He might not like the NID, but they were damned efficient at getting things done without causing waves.
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
AN: Sorry about the delay on this, I was sorta feeling a bit off so I didn't trust myself to write out this character development chapter. General W. O. West only shows up in the movie, so naturally he doesn't get a lot of character development besides 'paranoid General', so I wanted to dig deeper into what made him such a person and how he can so casually do what he does.
I'm not saying his actions in the film are in any way right, just in case you're confused. There's a reason he gets replaced with General Hammond for the series, after all, and not just because of the change in media. It still boggles me how he was able to get hold of a freaking NUKE, though, like. What sort of contacts do you need to get a hold of those?
...I wonder what I'm gonna do with the General after the Abydos Arc. I mean, after all this work I can't just- get rid of him. Or can I? Hmm… this needs more thought. I've got time, though.
