Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or Battlestar Galactica: 2003.
Another Road not Taken
Chapter2: Chilly Reception
September 5th 2005
Xi System / Tyron Nebula
P3X-493
Stargate
Jumper-1
The wall of ice along the cliff wall began to crack slowly and then violently as the ground started to rumble. The ice shattered after a surge of power from the Stargate that was buried in the side of it and allowed the device to see the outside once again. A few seconds later a medium sized machine rolled through the event horizon and stopped just in front of the gate.
Several seconds ticked by until the salvaged Puddle Jumper from Kobol shot out from the Stargate and the gate shutdown a moment later. This world had been a frozen wasteland for years now and was just barely habitable enough to support its ecosystem.
"Beginning scan now," Colonel Samantha Carter said before the HUD appeared in front of them. "It's amazing this planet is even habitable...only ten percent of the entire surface isn't frozen over. Finding it was difficult...I mean we had to take into account several thousand years of stellar drift inside a nebula just dial the planet."
"Anything Ancient besides the Stargate?" Cam asked.
"...Yes...I'm detecting an energy reading...but it's buried about a mile inside the mountain," Carter shook her head and sat back in her chair.
"Well why don't you just tell it to open up?" Vala asked like it was obvious.
"Because that would be stupid, Vala," Daniel replied as he read the book in his hands.
"Let's try it anyway," Cam said before taking a deep breath. "Open sesame," he waited...one...two...three...
"Told you so," Daniel stated dryly.
"At least I'm trying Daniel," Cam sighed.
"Yeah well...I'm trying to understand where Merlin came from," Daniel responded. "I mean we know he was an Ancient and that he left a lot of his technology in Avalon but we know for a fact that the Ancients ascended ten thousand years ago...a long time before Merlin was recorded to be alive."
"You think he descended back to this plain of existence," Carter guessed.
"No, actually I don't," Daniel nodded. "According to this the Ancients that returned to Earth after the war with the Wraith split into two factions. One of them merged with the native population of Earth and the other left for a distant planet at the edge of the galaxy to rebuild their civilization. That planet was where we found the ZPM and the map. They called it Kobol named after their first City-Ship which was destroyed during the war with the Wraith."
"What about Merlin? He was an Ancient right? So why was he on Earth a few thousand years later?" Cam asked confused.
"I don't know," Daniel shook his head. "The book doesn't say," he added.
"As much I like the history lesson we really should be looking for what we came here for," Vala spoke up impatient.
"Found it," Carter smiled.
"Really?" Cam asked hopefully.
"Yes really," Carter nodded and the ice in front of them started to crack and shatter as a pair of large metal doors opened up from the ground. "Right there," she pointed to the massive open shaft.
"I'm taking her in," Cam said as he eased the Jumper down into the shaft and turned on the forward lights. He quickly sat the Jumper down on one of the pads near on the balcony along the far wall. "Alright, let's go," he said and opened the hatch with his SMG ready.
"The architecture is clearly Ancient," Carter commented as she led the team through facility. "Control room should be that way," she pointed down the corridor. They entered a room filled with several screens and consoles around a central column of wires.
"This doesn't look Ancient to me," Cam commented on the consoles littering the room.
"That's because it's Lantean," Daniel responded. "The Ancients who colonized Kobol must have tried to 'modernize' this place after when they tried to rebuild."
"Well they did a hell of a job with it," Carter spoke up as she accessed the terminal. "There is a lot of systems here...surface energy shield...an arsenal of drones...and a ZPM," the moment she said that the crystal-like power source extended out the side of the center column.
"That makes two...we can send the other one to Atlantis when we get back and let this one power the chair in Antarctica," Cam said with a smile.
"I'd prefer to keep it here until I can figure out exactly what this planet was used for," Carter spoke up.
"Is there a log or something?" Daniel asked and the screen shifted to show several lines of blue coding. "...If I'm reading this right...this facility was an Ancient repair station used to land and repair any ship in their fleet."
"That explains the large hanger we landed in," Cam added.
"SG1, this is the Prometheus, do you copy?" Pendergast's voice sounded through the radio.
"This is Mitchell, we hear you loud and clear," Cam said back.
"The Prometheus is in orbit and will remain on station in case you need anything," Pendergast told them.
"Much appreciated Prometheus, SG1 out," Cam finished. "Let's head back to the gate and get a science team here to check everything out."
January 8th 2006
Uncharted Territory
Deep Space
Raptor 14
Cockpit
They had been running nearly two years now; running from the things that destroyed their homeworlds. The Cylons were relentless in their attacks following the destruction of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol and those that managed to escape were being hunted. A fleet of over sixty ships; mostly transports had set a course for uncharted space with its only protection being an forty-year old Columbia-Class Battlestar: Galactica.
They had recently returned to their birthplace; the world where they had came to the Twelve Colonies from. The planet Kobol was the key to finding their salvation: Earth. The supposed 'Thirteenth Colony of Kobol' which was said to be nothing more than a myth; the Galactica's commanding officer: Commander Adama had originally made up where Earth was located as a means to give the last of his civilization hope.
When he was on Kobol however...he began to actually believe that Earth existed. The Tomb of Athena on Kobol's surface had given them a direction to follow and after meeting up with the Battlestar Pegasus, a Mercury-class Battlestar launched a coordinated attack on a Cylon Resurrection Ship. The Colonial fleet had continued on its journey after that and after several more skirmishes with the Cylons they had finally decided to send a fleet of raptors to rescue any survivors on the Twelve Colonies.
That brings us to now...
"Here we go...5...4...3...2...1...commence jump," Starbuck called and the small flotilla of raptors disappeared in flashes of yellow light.
"...This doesn't look right," Racetrack said after a moment as she peered through the viewport.
"There are no contacts on DRADIS," Skulls reported.
"What?" Racetrack asked in surprise.
"Frak we're at the wrong jump coordinates, I think there was some kind of glitch in the navcom firmware. Bottom line we're to hell and gone from where we're supposed to be, skipper," Skull explained.
"Okay...any chance we can still catch up with them?" Racetrack asked hopefully.
Skull just shook his head, "not a chance. The mission rules say we head back."
"Frak me it was the first jump," Racetrack grumbled out.
"Yeah well you gave me these coordinates," Skulls told her.
"Back to the barn," Racetrack said with a sigh.
"...Hey I'm picking up a large planetary body, its frakking close," Skulls spoke up after a moment.
"Where did that come from?" Racetrack asked in surprise.
"The hell if I know, there's so much interference that it didn't even register," Skulls explained.
"Hey check this out," Racetrack said as she went over the readings. "Atmosphere is nitrogen-oxygen, organic molecular spectra. Fresh water...hey you know what this is? It's habitable; I think we just found a world that can support human life. Maybe we're not just a bunch of frak-ups after all," she finished.
Skull's eyes suddenly widened at the readings he was getting, "oh frak. I'm picking up a ship in high orbit and its heading right at us."
"Cylon?" Racetrack asked panicking slightly.
"Not sure but whatever it is, it's closing fast...what?" Skulls shouted in alarm as the world around him distorted. "What the frak?" he suddenly found himself on the floor of a room he had never seen before.
"What the frak just happened?" Racetrack shook herself and went for her sidearm when she saw several people with weapons only to find the holster on her side empty.
"I am Colonel Lionel Pendergast, commander of the Prometheus...I have some questions for you," the lead man spoke clearly.
January 8th 2006
Xi System / Tyron Nebula
In orbit above P3X-493
USS Prometheus
Conference Room
"Just so you know you are not under arrest and we just need some questions answered. I hope you realise that," Daniel began.
That's when Racetrack lost it, "I'm not telling you anything you frakking Cylon!"
"What's a Cylon?" Daniel asked curiously.
"What do you mean what's a Cylon? Do you really think I'll fall for your tricks?" Racetrack said in disgust.
"They wouldn't happen to be machines flying around in starfish-shaped ships would they?" Daniel asked but only received silence. "I'll take that as a yes...for the record what is your name and rank?"
"Lieutenant Margaret Edmondson of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol," Racetrack answered finally.
"Well Lieute-" Daniel started.
"Racetrack...my call sign is Racetrack," she interrupted.
"Racetrack then," Daniel corrected. 'She's a pilot and an experienced one if I'm not mistaken,' he coughed before continuing. "My people have taken a look at your ship and it seems to us that you miscalculated your FTL coordinates which landed you in our laps. Now I would like you to tell me about these Cylons and what they have to do with you exactly?"
"...Fine; they've terrorised our people for nearly two years now, they massacred more than fifty billion and nuked all twelve of our planets into radioactive balls of rock. They're monsters," Racetrack growled out. Daniel was surprised and actually quite horrified at the figures involved. He took a moment to collect himself before speaking again though this time it was more reserved.
"...We're not Cylons," Daniel spoke calmly. "We're peaceful explorers from a planet called Earth that recently-".
"What did you just say?" Racetrack asked with widening eyes.
"We're peaceful explorers from a planet called Earth," Daniel said again.
"You're lying...you have to be," Racetrack shook her head at his words.
"Well I'm not...I might be able to pull a few strings and take you there. Why?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"Our sacred texts spoke of a thirteenth colony of Kobol...of mankind...a planet called Earth," Racetrack answered honestly. "We've been searching for it for the last two years in hopes of creating a new home there...and the Cylons have been chasing us every step of the way."
"...The Ancients must have returned to Earth from Kobol," Daniel muttered under his breath.
"What?" Racetrack blinked.
"Nevermind...I need to make a call...guards!" Daniel stood as the two airmen came in. "Escort the Lieutenant here back to the brig," he ordered and the two led her out the door.
The walk to the brig was a slow one but Racetrack was thankful for the time to think; her eyes dotted the various corridors and people around her where she could see personnel working at their posts. Finally she arrived at her destination and the two airmen closed the door behind her as she entered. Inside the room, the two marines from Galactica were already eating some of the rations they had brought with them, clearly not trusting the food they had been given by their captors.
Skull spotted her and asked "so how'd it go?"
"I'm trying to make sense of all this; I-I think they might be the Thirteenth Tribe we've been looking for," the others stopped at her words.
"...Are you sure?" Skulls after a moment.
"Honestly...I don't know if I'm sure of anything anymore," Racetrack sighed as she sat down.
January 9th 2006
Xi System / Tyron Nebula
P3X-493
Ancient Outpost
Control Room
Several months had passed since they had first come to this world and more and more teams from Earth came to the planet determined to reactivate the many systems of the facility. The ZPM had remained plugged in at the behest of Colonel Carter who had teams trying to install a pair of naquadah generators though they appeared to be unable to supply the needed power.
When the Colonial raptor jumped into orbit above the planet the Prometheus had detected the energy burst it gave off and intercepted it. After beaming its crew of four into the brig they had brought the ship aboard and had technicians working on it continuously. Discussions with the raptor's crew however...
"Have you found them?" Daniel asked as he stepped into the control room.
"The outpost's long-range sensors detected them just ten light-years from the nebula," Carter replied. "Along with a second fleet twenty-seven light-years away and closing in on the first group."
"I think it's safe to assume that the second group is the Cylons," Cam spoke up.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean these killer robots did destroyed twelve planets and murder billions. Why are we going out to fight them?" Vala asked in her usual tone.
"Because judging from what we currently know about them they wish to destroy Earth along with all human life in the universe," Cam replied. "I think I speak for General O'Neill when I say we need to show these things that humanity is not a race you want to mess with."
"The Prometheus is ready to go," Carter said finally. "They're just waiting for us," she added.
"Scotty...four to beam up," Cam quipped into the radio and the four disappeared in columns of light.
Author's Notes:
For a design of the Ancient outpost, think the Lantean shipyard on the planet Taranis in the Pegasus Galaxy during season two episode 2.19 'Inferno.' The facility operates in a similar way with a large shipyard however because the planet is geologically inactive it doesn't produce nearly enough heat to operate a shield so instead it has an arsenal of drones ready to fire along with long range sensors.
Next week I should be updating Stargate: Mass Effect and the week after that I'll update Naruto: Dragon Sage Chronicles.
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