Stargate Genesis

Episode 18

"Golden Age"

/Author's Note: Season One is almost over, but Stargate Genesis isn't over by a long shot! Subscribe to our author alerts to stay updated on future stories and Stargate Genesis Season Two, coming next year./

General Jack O'Neill looked at his watch for the seventeenth time. He was standing in a hangar bay at Area 51, with a very apologetic David Telford standing next to him.

"He should be here any second now, General," said Telford.

"Oh, no worries, Colonel," said Jack, sighing. "Say, have you ever played the game 'Angry Birds,' Telford?"

"Excuse me?" asked Telford.

"Carter bought me an iPad for my birthday this year," said Jack. "There's a game on it called 'Angry Birds.' Have you played it?"

"I haven't had the pleasure, General," said Telford.

"Basically, there are these cartoon birds, and you use your finger," said Jack, pantomiming with his hands to demonstrate, "to fling them toward these pigs. The birds, they are angry because … well, I'm not sure why they're angry."

"Sounds very entertaining, Sir," said Telford.

"Better than office work, Colonel," said Jack, chuckling. He didn't do office work. He had an intern for that.

"Here he comes," said Telford, turning his attention to the runway. A sleek black fighter jet touched down and began to taxi toward Jack and Telford. When the fighter arrived in the empty hangar bay, the two men walked over to it. With a hiss the windshield lifted, allowing the pilot to climb out and step down to the floor. Colonel Cameron Mitchell smiled as he removed his helmet.

"It's good to see you, General," he said, extending a hand.

"Same to you, Colonel," returned Jack.

"Let's get the demonstration under way," said Telford. "We've waited long enough."

"Of course," said Cameron, as a pair of technicians opened a panel in the side of the fighter and removed a pair of large fuel cells. Placing the used cells on a cart, they immediately began to install two new cells. "Just need to refuel."

"What are the batteries for?" asked Jack.

"Colonel Mitchell will fill you in on all the details," said Telford. "We've worked very hard on the F308 here at Area 51, and I'm sure you'll appreciate all her bells and whistles."

"Makes me wish I was still a pilot," said Cameron. "You're gonna love her, Jack."

"Unfortunately, I underestimated how long it would take Colonel Mitchell to arrive," said Telford, staring at Cameron, "and there are other matters that need my attention."

"Thank you for your time, Colonel," said Jack.

"It was my pleasure, General," said Telford, saluting. "Enjoy the demonstration."

~~00~~

Sitting in the cockpit as Cameron pulled up, bringing the F308 into the air, Jack took stock of the controls. Gone was the analog interface; the console in front of him consisted of a single holographic panel. Jack waved his hands over the panel, and it came to life, projecting a three-dimensional image of the fighter and the surrounding area.

"Takes a bit of getting used to," said Cameron. "You can bring up standard flight controls by holding your hands in front of you as if you were operating a traditional analog system."

Jack followed Cameron's instructions, and sure enough, a holographic facsimile of the interior of a F302's cockpit appeared around him.

"Well that's… interesting," said Jack.

"Would you like to see what she can do?" asked Cameron.

"Would you be so kind?" asked Jack.

"She's equipped with all the latest gadgets: inertial dampeners, cloaking, energy shielding, a complement of drones, and a miniaturized Asgard beam weapon. But the best part is the new toy they cooked up here at Area 51: the short range wormhole device."

"The what now?" asked Jack, as they flew, cloaked, over the Nevada Desert.

"The guys in R&D call it the Portal device," said Cameron. "Basically, using a concentrated burst of energy, it opens a small wormhole in front of the ship, much like the gate drive on an Elizabeth-class ship, and opens an outgoing wormhole at a location and orientation of your choice within a 250,000 kilometer radius."

"So you can teleport the fighter around the battlefield?" asked Jack.

"Exactly," said Cameron. "The only problem is that because of the amount of power required to open even a small wormhole, they had to install special power cells to make it work. There are two naquadah power cells in every F308, and a single Portal jump depletes a cell."

"So you get two jumps per flight," said Jack. "What about coordinates? The stargate uses seven chevrons to differentiate coordinates that are lightyears apart. How does it work in such a small area?"

"You got me, General," said Cameron. "I don't know how the math works. Ask Sam."

"I'll do that…" said Jack.

"Now," said Cameron. "Want to play with it?"

"Sure," said Jack. "Teach me, oh great professor."

"Bring up the tactical map by placing your hands flat above the display," said Cameron. Jack followed his instructions, and the holographic map once again appeared in front of him.

"Use both hands to zoom in or out, and rotate the display," said Cameron. Jack played with the controls, zooming all the way out to the maximum radius, which included a large portion of the country. Then he zoomed back in, selecting an area that was 100 kilometers across, centered on the fighter.

"You can use the interface to position an outgoing wormhole anywhere within the radius," said Cameron. "You can also rotate it to any orientation you want, so that the fighter will be going in that direction when it comes out of the wormhole."

Jack set a wormhole 50 kilometers in front of the fighter, going the same direction they were already going.

"The Portal device is voice activated," said Cameron. "The command is 'activate horizon'."

Within a second of Cameron speaking the command, the computer calculated the exact coordinates of the outgoing wormhole based on the F308's current position, projected a miniature wormhole toward the nose of the fighter, and opened an event horizon just long enough for them to pass through it and rematerialize on the other side at the spot Jack had designated. Their velocity was maintained, and the fighter continued to fly above the desert.

"That was cool," said Jack.

"It's fun, right?" said Cameron. "But you can do better than that, General. Get creative, hey?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You asked for it," he said, before taking control of the fighter and sending it into a nosedive toward the desert floor. As the F308 plummeted toward the ground, Jack opened the tactical map and positioned an outgoing wormhole just above the ground a few kilometers away, oriented up towards the sky.

"Activate horizon," said Jack just moments before the fighter was about to make contact with the Earth. They passed through the open wormhole and were suddenly rocketing straight up into the air, away from the ground.

"Whoooo!" yelled Cameron. "Now you're thinking with Portals!"

"What?" asked Jack.

"Nothing," said Cameron. "That was badass. I was worried there for a second, but I never should have doubted you, Jack."

"Of course not," said Jack, leveling out the fighter. "Just don't tell Carter."

"Sure thing, boss," said Cameron. "Well that's both of the naquadah cells. Let's take her in."

~~00~~

"May I present to you Admiral Stephen Caldwell of the Pegasus Armada, and Admiral David Telford of the Homeworld Armada," announced General Samantha Carter to the small audience of select high-ranking military officers and politicians seated before her. To her right stood Caldwell, who had come back to Earth via stargate for the ceremony, and Telford. The audience applauded. On one side of the room she saw the President of the United States, seated next to delegates from several other countries. On the other side of the room she saw Jack, Teyla Emmagen, Richard Woolsey, Cameron, and SG-1.

"For the first time in human history," she continued, "the people of Earth have united in a common cause. Thanks to the support of nations from around the globe and the combined knowledge and technology we have obtained in the last sixteen years, we have constructed the largest and most powerful fleet this galaxy has ever seen."

"Two armadas of twenty-five tactical Elizabeth-class starships, each outfitted with a complement of F308 fighters, and manned by the best men and women our planet has to offer," said Sam. "Admiral Caldwell will take the Pegasus Armada to Atlantis, and use it to wipe out the remaining Wraith threat in the Pegasus galaxy. Admiral Telford will take command of the Homeworld Armada and use it to bolster our ongoing efforts to dismantle the terrorist group known as the Lucian Alliance. Together, they will protect our interests and allies in the Milky Way and Pegasus Galaxies."

The audience stood and cheered. Sam looked at Teyla, who looked back and nodded. Then she turned to Caldwell and Telford and saluted.

"Godspeed, Admirals," she said, before the two men were beamed up to their command ships.

~~00~~

Lynn carefully hung her latest painting on the wall next to the others. She adjusted it and then stepped back to admire her work. She had painted a green and blue lizard, like the ones they had seen on P3X-987 while looking for one of Janus' labs. In her painting, the lizard was reclining on a smooth rock, soaking up the hot sun.

[Not the most pleasant memory,] said Danesh.

"You don't like the lizard?" asked Lynn.

[I don't like what came after it,] said Danesh.

"It wasn't real," said Lynn.

[Nothing is more real than our deepest fears,] said Danesh. [Even after all this time, you still fear me.]

"Not as much as you fear yourself," said Lynn. "Our fears are only real if we let them control us."

"Now, enough melodrama," she continued, turning back to her easel. "What should I paint next?"

[Perhaps Major Warren would pose for you,] suggested Danesh.

"We should be so lucky," chuckled Lynn, feeling suddenly flush. "No, I don't think she'd go for that. I think she might have an eye for Major Greer."

[Too bad,] said Danesh. [If the woman wasn't so uptight, she would be a wonderful lover.]

"She's not so bad," said Lynn. "Not everyone would take the revelation that you were originally a Goa'uld so calmly."

[I only told her that so she would understand how difficult it was for me to prove myself. She had to learn that my admiration is not so easily earned. Self-entitlement like hers should not be encouraged,] said Danesh.

"No matter why you said it, she understood. She is like us, an outsider," said Lynn, picking up a brush. "I'm glad you've started to go easier on her. And speaking of self-entitlement, you should hear yourself talk."

[Are my boasts undeserved?] asked Danesh.

"You and I have come a long way, Danesh," said Lynn. "but a little humility never killed anyone."

[You are correct, as always,] sighed Danesh.

"Don't forget it," said Lynn, smiling.

~~00~~

Sitting around the conference room, the members of SG-1 turned their attention to Sam as she began to speak.

"We have discovered the location of the site the Lucian Alliance intends to use to dial the Elizabeth," said Sam.

"Wait," said Jessica, "the Alliance is still trying to capture the Elizabeth? We have an entire fleet of ships more advanced than the Elizabeth right here in the Milky Way."

"Best guess is that the Alliance still has an interest in the Genesis Address," said Sam. "The Elizabeth may not be as powerful tactically as the ships in the Homeworld Armada, but it was never meant to be. It's a long range exploration ship, and its ZPM-powered gate drive can still travel much greater distances in a single jump than anything in the Armada."

"Can't they just build their own? Orlando Reynolds was working out of Area 51 before he defected, right?" asked Greer.

"Well, not everyone at Area 51 has access to every project," said Sam. "And even if he did-"

"More importantly," interrupted Cameron, "is the fact that for whatever reason, the Alliance wants to take control of the Elizabeth, and we can't let that happen."

"I've informed Colonel Sheppard of the situation," said Sam. "They are doing what they can on their end to prepare for an attempt on the ship. In the meantime, it's up to us to make sure the Alliance never gets the chance."

She brought up a holographic display of a planet above the conference table. The image spun and zoomed in on a military facility. Above it in geosynchronous orbit were two dozen heavily armed starships.

"That must be every ship the Alliance has," said Danesh.

"Well, we don't know for sure how large their forces are, especially considering the fractured nature of their organisation," said Sam, "but with such a large concentration of ships, we can't attack them head-on."

"And you're certain the matter bridge is in that facility?" asked Jessica.

"It's highly likely," said Sam. "With Langara under our protection, there are no planets left in the Milky Way whose core fits the profile necessary for establishing a wormhole connection to the Elizabeth. The only way we know of that the Alliance have access to is the matter bridge, and it wouldn't have been cheap or easy to build."

"So if we destroy it they won't have a backup," suggested Greer.

"Yes," confirmed Sam. "We have them on the run. If we can stop them from getting to the Elizabeth, it will only be a matter of time before we break them."

"And we won't be using the Armada at all?" asked Cameron.

"Attacking a force of this size would be a waste of our new fleet, Colonel," said Danesh. "Brute force is rarely the best solution."

"Can we beam in and sabotage the device?" asked Greer.

"Won't work," said Jessica. "They will scramble any signals we send in."

"There may be another way," said Danesh.

"What are you suggesting, Danesh?" asked Sam.

"Perhaps the answer to this problem," said Danesh. "Is a Tok'ra one."

~~00~~

The Charles Kawalsky materialized near the planet the Lucian Alliance was using as a base of operations, and immediately cloaked itself. From the bridge, Colonel Quire could see the Alliance blockade over the planet's surface. Colonel Mitchell and Major Warren stood on the bridge next to him. Against Jessica's protestations, she and Cameron would stay behind while Greer and Danesh infiltrated the base. The new F308s could only fit two people, and if they used two they would increase the risk of detection. Besides, the plan was to destroy the machine, not to reprogram it. They didn't need Jessica.

"Thanks again for volunteering, Colonel Quire," said Cameron.

"Of course," said Quire, smiling. "If anyone can do this, it's SG-1, and I want to be here to see it."

"You're very confident, Colonel," said Jessica. "Especially after what happened last time."

"You mean when you saved this ship and everyone on it?" asked Quire. Jessica smiled despite herself.

"Thank you, sir," she said.

"Danesh, Greer, are you ready to go?" asked Cameron.

"Ready as we'll ever be," came Greer's voice over the comm.

"You have a go," said Quire. He looked out at the planet, and the ships orbiting above it. One tiny fighter against a fleet of mercenaries. If anyone could do it, it was SG-1…

~~00~~

Greer piloted the F308 toward the surface of the planet some distance away from the facility. Cloaked and undetected, the fighter entered the atmosphere and continued to dive toward the ground below them.

"Remind me again why we couldn't just land by the facility?" asked Greer. "We are cloaked."

"And how would we get inside the facility once we landed, Major?" retorted Danesh. "The matter bridge is almost certainly deep underground."

"When this all goes horribly wrong, just remember I was against it from the beginning," said Greer.

"Get ready, Major," said Danesh. "We are almost there."

Danesh activated the controls for the modified Tok'ra tunneling crystal which had been installed on the front of the fighter. As the F308 approached the surface, she activated the crystal, which shot forward and immediately began to create a tunnel where it hit the ground just wide enough for the fighter.

~~00~~

Deep undergound, the F308 came to a stop in what appeared to be a huge concrete storage room. The Tok'ra crystal had bored a hole straight through the wall and emptied the fighter into the room just as they had managed to lose enough speed for Greer to perform a shaky landing, if such a maneuver could be called a landing. Around them were shelving units full of crates.

"We won't have long," said Danesh as they opened the cockpit of the F308 and climbed out. A sliver of light appeared as a door on the far end of the room creaked open. Greer put a finger to his lips and stepped behind a shelving unit filled with crates marked "Operation Genesis."

"What the hell?" came a voice from the doorway as the new arrival saw the fighter and the crystalline hole in the wall. Greer stepped out from behind the crates and zatted the intruder, who fell to the floor.

"Let's go," he said.

~~00~~

"The energy signature is just ahead," said Danesh, looking at her handheld. "The stargate must be in the next room. Surely the matter bridge is there as well."

"Are we close enough for this to work?" asked Greer, pulling the small EMP device out of his vest.

"It should work," said Danesh. "The matter bridge is a fragile device. If they are able to repair the damage, it will take them months, at least."

"It is fortunate then," came a voice from behind them, "that your little explosive will never go off."

Greer and Danesh turned around to see three Lucian Alliance soldiers pointing energy weapons at them.

"Put down your weapons," said the man in the middle. "There's no need for violence."

~~00~~

Greer and Danesh were led to a door down the hallway, where they were shoved into a dark room. The door was closed before Greer could take stock of the room, and they were plunged into total darkness.

"Cowards!" shouted Danesh.

Greer got to his feet and began to feel around for the door. The walls were cold and damp.

"Hello?" came a familiar voice. Greer stopped what he was doing.

"Who's there?" asked the voice.

"Amelia?" responded Greer.

"Major Greer?"

"You are Amelia Reynolds?" asked Danesh. "Why are you in this room? It was my understanding that you were under your brother's protection."

"That's what I thought," said Amelia, weakly. "He doesn't have as much influence with the Alliance as he thought he did. When he brought me back to them, they locked me up as an insurance policy, to make sure Orlando would go through with their plan."

"Their plan to hijack the Elizabeth?" asked Greer. By this point he had retrieved the spare knife from his boot, and was trying to jimmy the lock open.

"Yes," said Amelia.

"Do you know where the matter bridge is?" asked Danesh.

"Well yeah, I know where it is, but-"

"We have means of escape, Amelia Reynolds, and we will take you with us, if you show us where the matter bridge is," said Danesh.

Greer popped the lock open, and the door swung inward.

"Let's go," he said. Danesh helped Amelia to her feet, and the three of them walked out into the hallway.

"You won't be able to stop them," said Amelia. "We have to leave now, before they realize we've escaped."

Suddenly there was a flash of light on the ceiling, and an energy barrier materialized in a cylinder around Greer, Danesh, and Amelia.

"You didn't really think we would put SG-1 in a room with a bad lock and leave them unattended, did you?" said Orlando, stepping out from around the corner. "You have quite the reputation; we weren't about to underestimate you."

"Why not just put us in the real cage from the start?" asked Danesh.

"Oh, I was just having a bit of fun," said Orlando, smirking. "It's the little things in life, you know?"

"Let us go Orlando," pleaded Amelia, "This isn't you. This is crazy."

"Oh, I can't do that, sis," said Orlando, stepping closer. "You see, the final calibrations have been made. We are ready to dial the Elizabeth, and soon we will find the Genesis address and unlock its power for ourselves."

In the distance they could hear the sound of the stargate activating.

"That's my cue," said Orlando. "I had better get going."

"You pathetic cretin," spat Danesh. "This will not end well for you."

"Bold words for a Goa'uld," retorted Orlando.

They watched as Orlando turned and walked back toward the gate room. A rushing sound indicated that the event horizon had opened.

Amelia looked over at Greer. In his eyes she saw the same cold fury she had witnessed the first time they met.

"Don't wait up, sis," called Orlando as he disappeared around the corner.

Written by Caleb Palmquist

Story by Caleb Palmquist and Andrew Marron