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Earth
General Taylor greeted General's Dima and Boro when they walked through the stargate from Atlantis, along with their aides, security details and a female Lt. Colonel he didn't know.
Lieutenant Colonel Milan Salar is one of the few women who passed her training to become a Member of Delta Force; and even her fellow male trainees were impressed with her grit and determination. Colonel Salar didn't attend the War College on Lantis, but took the ROTC classes at Lantis University and graduated 20th out of a class of 48 students. One of her instructors at the University was a former Member of Delta Force and contacted an old friend who was still a Member and recommended her for their training program.
Lieutenant Colonel Salar is 37 years old and has a son and daughter from a previous relationship.
xxx
The Pentagon
Present: General's Brennan, Jaro, Dima, Boro and Lieutenant Colonel Milan Salar
General Brennan wanted to meet with General's Jaro, Dima, Boro and Colonel Salar before they met with the Joint Chiefs. "Tell me how you came to your conclusions Colonel?" Brennan asked.
"By studying the data ma'am," she answered. "Everyone on Arda is fighting a fallen angel and his army, or more precisely his army because he's hiding underground, and as we all well know, he's never coming out of his bunker. I noticed there was one number, or sign, that kept repeating itself and that's the number 7. The elf Fëanor had seven sons; the elf Fingolfin stabbed Morgoth, the fallen angel, seven times, and Húrin – while swinging a mighty battle axe – swung it 70 times, killing 70 orcs and kept saying day will come again, 70 times."
"How do you know it was 70 times each Colonel?" General Jaro asked.
"I counted them sir, and I did that three times," she answered. "I looked up our history and found out the number 7 represents God and also perfection and completeness; and 7 x 10 is 70 and that number is in the Old Testament."
"Such as what Húrin did," Brennan said.
"Yes ma'am," Salar replied. "Húrin did that almost 70 years ago and everyone in Aman is preparing for war."
"And they'll arrive seventy years later," Dima said, impressed with the Colonel's research.
"Yes sir, and I surmised that's what Húrin meant when he kept saying day will come again," Salar replied.
"What made you consult your religious texts for the answers Colonel?" Boro asked.
"It was there for everyone to see sir, but the angels and elves didn't recognize the signs because those signs represent God and they don't know that, but we do. I also paid attention to what the humans were doing and saying on Arda, and He did the exact same thing there as He did on earth. After men awoke on Arda they did all the heavy lifting because he was going after his fallen son; and He sent two men into Angband and they both walked out of Angband, and so did the female who was with the first man. Humans are also the only ones who're sent to pronounce the angels dooms to them – and Húrin did that to Morgoth," she answered.
"The same way Enoch pronounced the Watchers' doom," General Brennan said smiling.
"Yes ma'am," Salar replied.
"Now we know why humans were found in the Pegasus galaxy," General Jaro said.
"Yes General, and it's part of the doom they're under," Dima answered.
"Why do you think we were sent a star map of the Big Dipper," General Brennan asked her.
"I don't know General," she answered and pulled up the unknown star system from her tablet, along with the Sol System. "That system is very different from the Sol System and has no other planet, but Arda."
"But it does have the Big Dipper," Dima said.
Colonel Salar overlaid the star maps and studied them. "You're right sir, and I missed that," she replied. "A thought occurred to me while I was studying the two star maps. What if we entered the coordinates to earth in the Pegasus galaxy and see where it takes us. When we travel to any galaxy we enter the coordinates to that galaxy and then the coordinates to where we're going."
"What made you think of that Colonel?" Jaro asked.
"The star map told us sir, and my gut tells me that planet is located where earth is in the Milky Way galaxy," she answered.
"Very good analysis Colonel," Brennan said smiling at her. "You're going back to Atlantis and this is what I want you to do..."
"Yes ma'am," she replied.
xxx
Atlantis
"Atlantis seal this room," Salar said when she walked into the Holo Room.
"Yes Colonel," he replied and did so.
"Atlantis bring up the star map of the Pegasus galaxy," she said and watched as a star map of the Pegasus galaxy appeared around the room. Colonel Salar then entered the coordinates to earth in the Pegasus galaxy. "Where does this take us in the Pegasus galaxy Atlantis?"
"To the planet where the probe is located Colonel," Atlantis answered.
"Thank you Atlantis," she said.
xxx
Earth – General Brennan's Office
"We found them," General Boro said looking at his tablet after Colonel Salar returned to General Brennan's office with the information.
"They're at war on that planet General," Dima said.
"I know, and we're not going to get involved in their war and we'll leave that to others," Brennan replied.
"I have an idea ma'am," Salar said to Brennan.
"Tell me about it Colonel," she replied.
"I've looked over the data and...," she said.
"Why Colonel?" Brennan asked.
"They're humans General, and they work for the fallen angel and we've seen what they're done to our fellow humans over the many years," she answered.
"I'll think about it Colonel," she said.
"Thank you ma'am," Salar replied.
xxx
"Why is Colonel Salar sitting behind a desk?" Brennan asked Dima and Boro when they returned to her office after meeting with the Joint Chiefs
"She's very good at what she does," Boro answered.
"Yes she is and she also excels in field work," Brennan said. "I've read her record and she's a rare bird and can do both."
"She has two children General," Dima replied.
"We all have children Stefan and I thought we were beyond that," Brennan said. "Who put her behind a desk?"
"General Carmichael after she returned from maternity leave," Boro answered.
"Did she ever have any dealings with General Carmichael?" Brennan asked.
"Not that I'm aware of General," Boro answered.
"General Carmichael's youngest son was also in training to be a Member of Delta Force that year, but washed out after he was defeated by Milan Salar in a martial arts duel and knife fighting. She has a black belt in aikido and a brown belt in karate and is an expert in Japanese tantō, which are short swords or daggers. He was no match for her and she was the last one chosen to join Delta Force that year. Colonel Salar was taught by a Japanese Master on Lantis for many years – who never forgot the old ways," General Brennan told them.
"Now I know why she defeated Adam Carmichael," General Dima said.
"It seems to me that General Carmichael held a grudge against Colonel Salar, and in spite of that, she rose through the ranks and she's now a Lieutenant Colonel. Then I looked up Adam Carmichael's record and I found that he was a Major for a long time before he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and that was done before his father retired. Apparently someone owed General Carmichael a favor and he called it in. When I went over the records of the other two candidates who also applied for the same position, I found that they were better qualified. That position was for a Team Leader for one of the SG Intelligence Teams and Major Carmichael had no intelligence training, but the other two candidates did, and they got screwed. Adam Carmichael was destined to be no more than a Major, and due to his father's position and influence, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
Unlike Adam Carmichael, Colonel Salar rose through the ranks quickly because of her field work, which is highly classified. She was a Captain at 26 and was promoted to Major shortly after she turned 29. At the age of 34 she was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and that's when she was sat down – and we all know you don't get promoted sitting behind a desk. However, in this case it backfired on the Retired General Malcolm Carmichael because she's the one who came up with the answers to our questions by sitting behind that desk. Gentlemen, you have an asset in Colonel Salar that's not being fully utilized and this is what I'm going to do...," Brennan told them.
General's Dima and Boro both knew who promoted Adam Carmichael and Major General Richard Sterling, the Commander of the Atlantis gate room, retired unexpectedly after 38 years of service, ten days after he promoted him.
xxx
One Week Later
President Sheila Curtis met with General's Brennan, Jaro and the Joint Chiefs in her private conference room next to the Oval Office and they laid out everything for her. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. After hearing the classified report President Curtis okayed General Brennan's recommendations.
xxx
Pegasus Galaxy - Atlantis
Brigadier General David Boston was ordered to General Boro's office after he returned from earth. "Sir," Boston said after reading the classified orders General Boro handed him.
"Report back to me with your findings. You're to use your wormhole drive and be cloaked at all times," Boro said.
"Yes sir," Boston replied.
"Dismissed," Boro said.
xxx
On-board the Zeus
"General," David Boston's pilot said when he told him what coordinates to enter into the computer.
"Just do it Captain," Boston said.
"Yes sir," he replied and did as he was ordered.
"Bring the wormhole drive on-line and cloak the ship," Boston ordered.
"The ship is cloaked and the wormhole drive is on-line General," Zeus replied.
"Let's see where those coordinates to us Captain," Boston said.
"Yes sir," he replied.
xxx
Unknown Space
"Where are we?" Boston asked when they arrived above an unknown planet.
"We're still in the Pegasus galaxy General," Zeus answered.
"I want a deep scan of that planet and this entire star system Zeus and send the results to my computer in my office on my classified channel when you're finished," Boston told his avatar.
"Yes General," Zeus said and began scanning.
xxx
Atlantis
"Report General," Boro said when David Boston walked into his office.
"You're not going to believe this sir," Boston said and handed a tablet to Boro and they discussed what he found.
xxx
After Colonel Salar returned to Atlantis she was ordered to study the information the probe sent regarding the men in the Northwestern part of Arda, whom the other men called Easterlings. She saw the revolt against the Easterlings and some of the ones who revolted went into hiding, and the probe kept track of them and theirs and the Easterlings' descendants.
xxx
"Thank you Colonel," Boro said when she handed him her report on the Easterlings.
"You're welcome sir," she replied.
"Here are your new orders Colonel," he said and slid a tablet across his desk.
"Thank you sir," she replied and picked up the tablet.
"Dismissed," Boro said.
xxx
Atlantis Shipyards
"At ease Colonel," Colonel Jonathan Banks said after she saluted him. "Follow me."
"Yes sir," Salar replied. Colonel Salar had never been to the Atlantis shipyards and was surprised by its size and admired the avatars at work.
"This is your new ship Colonel," Banks said when they arrived at one of the hangers.
"What's her name?" she asked staring up at the sleek black ship.
"The Arc Royal," Banks answered.
"She's beautiful,"she said.
"Yes she is and she's unlike our other vessels. Here are the schematics and specs," Banks replied and handed her a tablet.
"Thank you sir," she said and took the tablet.
xxx
When Colonel Salar returned to her office she studied the schematics of her new ship. The Arc Royal is an Intelligence vessel, and is 300 meters in length with 10 decks; has 2 Asgard beam weapons; 300 missiles; thousands of mini-drones; 6 forward energy beam cannons with 15 bolts each, and 14 turrets. The Colonel thought the payload was impressive for a small ship and she'll have a crew of 125 and she'll pick her First and Second Officers. The Arc Royal also has a cloak and a wormhole drive.
xxx
General Dima's Office
"Atlantis show us where the humans are located on that planet," Dima said.
"Yes General," Atlantis replied.
"They're everywhere," Boro said looking at the planet in real time.
"But most of them are in the South, which should make our job easier," Dima replied.
"How are we going to evacuate them?" Boro asked.
"The stargates," Dima answered. "We're also going to take care of the problem in the Northwest," Dima answered.
"We've got the go ahead to go to war against the Easterlings," Boro said.
"Yes," Dima replied.
"How are we going to proceed?" Boro asked.
"You of all people should know that answer Boro," Dima said laughing.
Boro smiled.
xxx
Arda - Four Weeks Later
One of Elin's folk married one of Balin's folk and they were having a wedding feast near the river and there was plenty of game, fish, fruits and vegetables and Elin smiled when she saw the children playing. After the feast and after the newlyweds departed and the children were put to bed, some of the adults talked by the river.
"The woman in my dream told me last night that the others have found us, but it'll be awhile before they come for us," Elin told the others.
"Did she tell you why Elin?" Balin asked.
"No," she answered.
"How did they find us?" Haldor asked perplexed.
"She didn't tell me," Elin answered.
"Did she tell you how they're going to get here?" one of Balin's folk asked.
"No she didn't," Elin answered.
Ulmo told the Valar that the others have found the Atani and the conversation Elin had with Balin and the other Atani.
xxx
Arvernien - South Beleriand
Anwen is 16 years old and lives with her 12 year old brother Adair. Anwen began taking care of her younger brother after their mother became ill 6 years ago and died shortly thereafter; and her father died a year before. Anwen and her brother live in a squalid 2 room house in the one the refugee camps in Arvernien and she does all the cleaning and cooking. Anwen wants to leave Arvernien and make something of herself, and knows how to read and write and enjoys teaching her younger brother and some of the other children. A woman spoke to her in her dreams a few times and told her that the others are coming to take her and her brother to a better place, but the woman also told Anwen she didn't know when they'll arrive. She also told Anwen the others will have many strange things with them, but those things will not hurt her or her brother. When Anwen told Adair about the woman in her dreams and about the others, he was overjoyed and told his friends. That's how everyone in Arvernien found out about the others.
For the few weeks there was much debate about the others, who they are and where they're coming from, and some wondered when they'll arrive, while others were skeptical. One woman told them a woman also spoke to her in her dreams and told her about the others, and they will not hurt us and we could trust them. A man confirmed the woman's story about the others.
xxx
"Are we leaving when the others arrive Anwen?" Adair asked.
"Yes we are?" she answered.
"Do you know where the others are taking us?" Adair asked.
"No I don't, but the woman in my dream told me we'll never have to worry about dark things again," she answered.
"Are there going to be elves where we're going?" he asked.
"No, only mortals," she answered.
xxx
Atlantis – General Dima's Office
"Why did you pick Major Henry Daniels as your First Officer?" Dima asked Salar.
"He has an excellent record and passed his Marine Special Forces training. He started his career as a Special Forces Operative with one of the stargate teams before he was transferred to a ship years later. Major Daniels has proven he has command of the ground and space sir," she answered.
"Who did you choose Captain Cruz as your Second Officer?" Boro asked.
"Captain Maria Cruz was assigned as a Security Officer onboard a ship after she graduated from the Marine Academy. She's now Chief of Security onboard the Falcon and is an excellent Commander. Someone at the Marine Academy put a notation in her file and thought she'll command her own boat one day, and after reading her record I agree, because she certainly knows her way around a ship."
"Colonel Salar is very good at spotting talent," Boro said to Dima after she left his office.
"She'll go far, along with the two she chose as her First and Second Officer," he replied.
xxx
When Major Henry Daniels was told he was chosen to be the First Officer of the Arc Royal, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was handed his new orders.
General Ming told Daniels about the First Officer position onboard the Arc Royal, and suggested he apply for that position; and like any good officer, he saluted and did as he was ordered. Henry Daniels was genuinely surprised that he was chosen.
Captain Maria Cruz was ecstatic when she found out she was chosen to be the Second Officer of the Arc Royal, and the 30 year old was promoted to Major when she returned to Atlantis and then received her new orders.
Lieutenant Colonel Henry Daniels and Major Marie Cruz met their Commanding Officer when they arrived at the Atlantis shipyards. She gave them a tour of the ship and told them the Arc Royal is an Intelligence vessel.
"The Arc Royal is a real beauty ma'am," Cruz said while they were having lunch after their tour of the ship.
"I think so," Salar replied. "Colonel Daniels and I have a meeting on earth in a few days and I want all the systems checked and double checked and make sure this ship is in tip top shape Major. When we return we're going on our shakedown cruise."
"I will ma'am," Cruz said smiling.
"I know you will," Salar replied.
The rest of the Senior Staff reported for duty later that day.
xxx
"Do you know why we haven't walked through the stargate yet sir?" Sgt. Desmond asked his Commander a week later.
"No I don't Sargent," Carmichael answered. "Our orders are to wait."
"Off-world activation," a Corporal said. "It's coming from earth General."
Major General Lei Ming was looking down when she saw Lt. Colonel Carmichael's jaw drop when he saw General's Dima, Boro, Colonel Milan Salar and Lt. Colonel Henry Daniels walk through the stargate from earth with their aides and security detail. General Ming noticed Colonel Carmichael never took his eyes off the eagles on Colonel Salar's collars, and saw envy on his face. She knew his father couldn't help him now and Henry Daniels finally got the promotion he deserved.
"I'll be damned," Carmichael said softly under his breath and noticed Colonel Salar never saw him and was talking to Henry Daniels. Adam Carmichael hasn't seen Milan Salar since she defeated him all those years ago.
xxx
"She's a what?" Retired General Malcolm Carmichael asked with a stunned look on his face.
"She's now a full bird dad," Adam answered. When Adam returned from his mission off-world, he went to his parents home and told his father about Colonel Salar.
"How the hell did she became a full Colonel?" his father asked still surprised.
"I don't know dad, but she was with General's Dima and Boro when they returned to Atlantis from earth," he answered.
"Do you know why they went to earth?" his father asked.
"No I don't," Adam answered.
"Something big is going on in the Pegasus galaxy son. When Colonel Salar passed her training she was assigned to Delta Force Intelligence and I never had access to her files," he said. "General Boro is also a Member of Delta Force and now you know why he's the Head of Intelligence in the Pegasus galaxy. Don't ask me how I know that and never repeat it to anyone."
"I won't dad," Adam replied. True to his word, Adam Carmichael never told anyone what his father told him.
"A word to the wise son, don't every cross General Boro and stay out of his way...he's ruthless and hard as they come," his father told him. Retired General Malcolm Carmichael knew Adam had hit a wall – as most Majors do – and now knows others know what he did, and they'll make sure Adam will never rise about the rank of Lt. Colonel, but he'll never tell his son that.