Reviews
frankieu
I don't think they could lock out the Ori since the Ori also know all about Stargates.
Joe Lawyer
There are a few reasons to share the hub with Earth. For starters Jumper Gothic criticizes the SGC for hording the Ancients stuff so he then can't do himself without being a massive hypocrite.
Also he did need Earth's gate as other gates can't reach other galaxies, the DHD's can't provide enough power, and Ayiana needed Stargate Command's computers to make the connection. That's no longer the case of course.
And the central hub is Ayiana's property as she's the only Alterran still alive, more or less. It isn't Gothic's to keep hidden.
Plus keeping the Tauri sweet is important right now as the Confederation can't afford to annoy them. That will change in the future once he has stronger ties with his allies in the Milky Way galaxy and a proper military.
Jump Chain Gothic 4 - Confederation
Part 7
Annwn. Milky Way Galaxy.
The Viper series of starfighters were the Colonial Defense Force's primary space superiority fighter/attack craft. Although they were capable of atmospheric flight. I didn't know what they were armed with, I hadn't watched enough of the remake of the show enough to ever obtain that information, but my version of this fighter (the design of which I was using because of my love of the original show) would be armed with pulse cannons, have shields and be able to outrun anyone else's fighter craft, and it would be more agile.
Of course right now it was nothing more than a blueprint in the form of a 3D hologram, but once I'd consulted with Tali and Seven of Nine we should be able to build a prototype, and from there a squad or two that could be used to protect the city-ship, along with its drones, when my warship was off somewhere else. I could even outsource the building the fighters to other advanced cultures.
I had plans for larger ships, however since I didn't have people to fly them it seemed rather pointless to build them. Plus the Hebridans, my only ally who I could simply pay to do stuff for me since they had a capitalist society, only built smaller vessels in their shipyards, so I wanted to build say a battlestar to go along with my viper fighters I was going to have either build my own shipyard or get help elsewhere.
Perhaps the Asgard could build me a battlestar, I had enough resources and technology to make it worth their while, but they had other concerns right now. Besides it would take time for me recruit and train people who could use my technology even with the ability to copy memories from one person and add them to another person's minds.
So for all I could do with my designs was try to perfect them, and while most would never leave the drawing board, it was at least fun to exercise my intellectual muscles this way. Not that I had a lot of free time for projects such as these so it best to indulge myself while I could.
Soon I'd have to get back to work, and I still needed to improve upon the design for the Death Gliders I planned to hand over to the Free Jaffa faction that I was allied with. I had to find a good balance, an improved design of Death Glider, that would give my allies an advantage over other Jaffa and the Alliance, which also made use of gliders, without making their ships capable of harming my forces.
In the short term I planned to have modified gliders as part of the defence force for my city-ship. I should be able to find enough people to pilot a few squads, and I fairly certain that Master Bra'tac would lend me a few Jaffa who knew how to fly the gliders to act as teachers, in exchange for supplies.
On the subject of supplies I really should be organizing those so I got up and left my office. But as I did someone dialed the gate, and one of the Ancients reported the source of the wormhole was extra-galactic. That really got my attention.
(Line Break)
Atlantis. Pegasus Galaxy.
I'd not expected to return to this city-ship for some time, and I certainly hadn't expected to come here via Stargate, yet here I was. While I didn't have details yet, I was waiting for the meeting to start, I could only assume that the Attro Device had been switched off and that gate network had been restored.
Another unexpected thing was to see Richard Woolsey and General O'Neill both here, but upon thinking about it I realised I shouldn't have found this unexpected as they had their own city-ship, and the ZPMs required to open a wormhole that could reach Atlantis. Like me they must have figured out all city-ships came with a special control crystal that allowed a city-ship to open a wormhole to another galaxy.
Thankfully we weren't forced to wait long, and this was good because I had no desire to make small talk with Tauri, and while Cameron waited outside the conference room I headed inside and took a seat. Ayiana followed me and there were a few whispers from the assembled people about her.
Even knowing that she a clone didn't seem to diminish the awe the Lanteans had for one of progenitors, and while I sometimes worried that I'd made a mistake in having the first Ayiana cloned, right now I was glad that I did as at least she kept attention off me.
The Lantean that I knew as Merlin, although he'd had a few names throughout history, was the leader of this city-ship as well as the remaining Ancients in this galaxy. Also here was Larrin of the Travellers, who was a powerful leader in her own right. Aside from her I spotted a few other people from the more advanced human worlds in this galaxy.
Sitting across from me were the two Tauri, and while General O'Neill seemed friendly enough I could not help noticing that the Woolsey was avoiding eye contact. I imagined that the IOA was not pleased about me uniting human worlds across the Milky Way. Or maybe it was because Ayiana had taken SG1 to that Stargate hub network. Which no doubt Stargate Command was using as a means to get a budget increase, and while the IOA would want to get their greasy mitts on the hubs it was the SGC who had a claim on them.
Of course the network was Alterran, and all humans, be they Latean, Tauri, or from some galaxy yet unknown to us, were descended from the Alterran and had a right to what they'd left behind. The Tauri had to learn that they weren't the only humans with the right to pick over the Alterran's legacy.
Even the Tok'ra had someone in attendance. A woman called Anise, or possibly Freya, although I might be mixing the names of symboit and human up. I'd left her here some time ago after originally hiring her to look over some Goa'uld tech for me. Which wasn't as bad as it sounded as she'd wanted to stay here.
I noted that when the Asgard repensative beamed in, that it someone I didn't recognise, I'd started being able to tell all the Asgard apart. However this little grey person was unknown to me, however the pendant the being wore told me that it was a member of the high council.
"Greetings" said the small alien.
With that the meeting began.
"I have gathered you here to share the most dire of news" Merlin began by saying "Less than a week ago the Attro Device was destroyed by the hostile aliens that we have been tracking for some time".
Well that wasn't a surprise either, we all knew something must have happened to the outpost that contained the device otherwise we wouldn't have been able to use the gate here in Atlantis.
"We do not know if the aliens understood the purpose of the outpost or if they were simply destroying signs of advanced technology as they have done so in the past" Merlin said next "Either way the result is the same, the Stargates are active once again".
Which the unknown aliens might use to their advantage.
"What about the space vampires?" O'Neill asked.
Merlin understood what the General meant by that. I was sure it helped that the de-ascended being had lived on Earth were vampires were a legend.
"Those that we have not hunted down and destroyed, have by now gone into hiding" Merlin told the group "We suspect that they will hibernate for at least a century, and the re-emerge when our guard is done, only that won't be the case. We will be sure to warn every human population in this galaxy about a possible Wraith return".
My Judgement day clock wasn't warning me about any major destruction so there wouldn't be a true culling for at least a century, although lone Wraith could still be out there feeding on people, and since I was getting no warnings I could only assume that these unknown aliens weren't going to around wiping out human populations. Which was nice.
I'd once debated the morality of wiping out the Wraith, because they'd never been a direct threat to me or the people I cared about. Now it seemed unimportant.
"This unknown race, who we know are somehow related to the Wraith, have attacked several human settlements, enslaving the populations" Merlin informed everyone "We're not sure why, but they seem to be using the humans as labour for some sort of project".
While other people muttered and exchanged words I was already considering what to do about this. I also realised that I should have seen this coming, and that I should have done something about it. However there was no point berating myself now.
"We do not have the resources to defend the humans of this galaxy" Merlin said "We require your help".
The sad truth was that there wasn't much most of us could do. The Asgard were recovering from a massive war and genetic problems. My Confederation simply didn't have the manpower to help out in this galaxy. The Travellers had limited resources. The Tok'ra were barely a civilization anymore.
As for the Tauri now that Ayiana had shown them how extensive the gate network really was they'd be spreading what people they could spare to go off world around pretty thin as they explored the new gate networks.
"I can supply you plenty of security bots" I offered the Ancients.
This wasn't met with much enthusiasm.
"We've had trouble with artificial life forms before" the Lantean who sat next to Merlin pointed out.
They were worrying over nothing.
"My robots aren't like the replicators, they have very simple programming" I said in an effort to assure the people of Atlantis "They're security guards more than soldiers, they can help defend you".
I intended to offer them The Hahne-Kedar-manufactured LOKI Mechs, which were a bipedal humanoid security robot designed for security detail and guard duty in locations where manpower is an issue, or where the use of organics for "around the clock" shifts was unfeasible.
While they were initially used exclusively by the Alliance for colony guard duty, the LOKI Mech came into new use following the Battle of the Citadel in 2183. Numerous civilian and military sector units saw staggering losses from Sovereign's attack and incidents involving the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius. As such use of these mechs became more common.
The robots were known to malfunction, although not through a fault of their own, which could be a problem to say the least, and that was why I had my AI Cortana take control of them whenever that was possible. Alas Cortana was limited in range so we couldn't use the bots as an army.
Perhaps it was time to find address that fault and use what my group had learned to improve upon the bots programming. It was starting to seem as if I was going to need an army. But sorting that out could wait until I was back on Annwn, for now I needed to focus on this important meeting.
(Line Break)
Aurora-class Warship. Alternate Reality.
While I'd been trying to bring more worlds into the Confederation one of my companions, Seven of Nine, had been using her Asgard made science vessel, to scout out alternate versions of the Stargate verse. I was a little worried about her going off on her own as while she was a capable person I had strong protective urges when it came to my women.
Plus she was off on a science ship which had a small crew, a couple of Lanteans who I'd been able to spare from the lot running Annwn, an Asgard engineer and some robots. If she was somehow boarded then she might be in trouble. But since her ship could phase cloak and had Asgard shields I knew didn't need to worry too much.
Coming to alternate realities wasn't just a matter of exploration, I had valid reasons for wanting to find some different version of this universe. There were several technologies I wanted to acquire that were found on Earth at some point in the main timeline, but for one reason or another I couldn't acquire in that timeline.
So when Seven had returned to report in about finding a reality that contained an Earth which had no Stargate project I'd jumped at the chance to explore it. According to the scans Seven of Nine had taken, which I was confirming now, the Stargate was sitting in a warehouse in Washington DC. It must have been put into storage, and sealed shut.
Not that the Stargate really mattered as I could get one of those from any countless number of universes. I'd come here to grab some tech that should be right where SG1 had taken it from, or had otherwise been removed from the planet. No doubt there was a lot of stuff on that planet, more stuff than even I could remember, but that was fine as I did later recall something I could just go back for it.
The first thing I looked for was a ship that belonged to Osiris, a Goa'uld who was once a powerful System Lord among the Goa'uld. Thousands of years ago Osiris and his Queen, who'd been called Isis, led an attack against Ra. After being defeated, Ra stripped the two of their hosts and locked them in Canopic Jars for eternal punishment. In the year 2000, after finding the two jars, Dr. Sarah Gardner opened the Osiris jar, freeing Osiris and taking Gardner as his new host.
Taking advantage of the "favorable conditions" following the deaths of Apophis and Cronus, Osiris built up a powerful army in a short amount of time. He was then enlisted into the service of Anubis by Zipacna. In 2003, Osiris was captured by SG-1, being removed from his host, Dr. Sarah Gardner. Either the extraction process itself or the Tok'ra killed him shortly after.
While I'd like to ensure the Osiris wasn't unleashed, however the tiny naquadah generator in its stasis jar was too weak to be picked up by my scans.
I could not detect Osiris, although I had located Seth, and Hathor's sarcophagus, but I'd already dealt with them. Seth I'd beamed up into the vacuum of space, he was a evil cult leader and frankly deserved it. I wasn't quite sure what do with Hathor, she was a Goa'uld and too dangerous to allow to go free, but there was something different about her.
After some thought I decided to transport her sarcophagus, and let the Tok'ra deal with her or I could just leave her on some barren rock. Then again the Tok'ra might be able to save the host. Seth's host had been active for thousands of years, and he'd killed many people so he'd most likely be totally insane.
I didn't stop with beaming Seth into space I also beamed up all of the zat weapons in his compound. I had no need for those weapons, but the Progressive Party Jaffa did, and while I could construct such weapons, it would be easier just to loot stuff in raids and then hand over the spoils of the raids to my allies, at least when I didn't want the stuff for myself.
Aside from a pile of zat guns we also got a few shock grenades. Which had never been of much use to me as I had vastly superior grenades, but again the Progressive Jaffa could get use from the devices.
Since Osiris's ship was still here, it was safe to assume that the parasite was still sealed in its jar. The ship, which was currently getting lifted into the spare shuttlebay via a tractor beam, was similar to a Tel'tak, a cargo ship. It was of a quite strange design, and if the scans were anything to go by it was more primitive than the newer Goa'uld ships such as the Al'kesh. This was understandable, as the ship had lain under Egyptian sands for at least five thousand years. Even the Goa'uld could have greatly advanced their technology during all that time.
Aside from the ship there was a Kara kesh, a Goa'uld hand device, unless to me since I could throw people around with just the power of my mind, but it was made from naquadah, and anything made from that material had value in this galaxy.
After using the ship's scanners, which I could access while sitting in the control chair, I was able to find the Ancient Healing Device, that in the show Daniel Jackson found in a temple in South America. Now that I knew where it was I sent Cameron to go fetch it.
Long after the Ancients left for Pegasus, a Goa'uld named Telchak discovered the device and used it to create the first sarcophagus. Anubis went to war with Telchak over the device, and, though he was victorious, Telchak hid the device on Earth, preventing Anubis from using it.
After his ascension Anubis used his newfound knowledge of the workings of the device to create the Kull warriors. Fortunately for everyone other than Anubis, the SGC was able to locate the original device on Earth and they handed it over to the Tok'ra in order to help develop the first Kull disruptor which proved to be a great weapon against the Kull warriors.
When Cameron returned via beaming tech, I scanned the device with a tricorder and found that it was inactive. The device itself was a cube composed mostly of naquadah, with several buttons on the sides featuring several Ancient symbols. I could also detect the crystals used in the device.
As the name suggested the primary purpose of this technology is to heal, however it was keyed to interact with the much more advanced physiology of the Ancients, making it harmful to baseline humans (capable of driving them insane within hours of direct exposure). The device was also capable of reanimating dead tissue, even to the point of giving life to something that had not been alive before.
Reanimated dead humans took on a zombified appearance and personality. Once active the zombies immediately attack every living human they can find. These zombies had to be blown to bits, by grenades or C-4. Otherwise they would be able to absorb a large amount of firepower until finally downed, only to rise again after a few minutes.
Because of that I felt that the humans of this world owed me a favour. Given the rate of deforestation of the rainforests there would come a day when the device would be found, and then some idiot would turn it on, and not long after that there would be zombies.
"That's odd I'm getting an energy reading from Area 51" I said out loud.
It was familiar to me, and according to the ships records the signature was Goa'uld. I could have tractor the ship up, but the base was a lot more secure than a remote bit of desert in Africa. Besides I wanted to find out what else they had down there.
"Let's suit up and head down there" I said to Cameron.
I was so used to having Ayiana around that I almost attempted to speak to her, to tell her to stay on the ship, but she'd remained behind in Atlantis for reasons of her own. She hadn't even told me if she was coming back. However since she planned to go to Destiny when I did it was safe to assume she would return to my city-ship sometime soon.
(Line Break)
Area 51. Alternate Earth.
In the Stargate show The Groom Lake Facility which was at Nellis Air Force Base, in a part of the Nevada desert known as Area 51, was the top secret base where all technology brought back through the stargate was sent for study and development.
Recovered artifacts and technology housed there at different times included the beta stargate, a couple of Death Gliders, some of Ma'chello's inventions, the quantum mirror, the Tok'ra symbiote poison, the inter-dimensional device, Osiris's wrist device, the mimic devices, the Sodan cloak, and the Ancient spacecraft and time travel device, just to name some.
I'd considered raiding the Area 51 in the reality I called home, however that would led to war with the Tauri, and I didn't desire that despite the fact that I was sure I could win. All I'd have to do was expose the truth and the let the political fallout destroy Stargate Command.
Thanks for files I'd stolen from the SGC I knew that Colonel Maybourne had been assigned to the facility for a time, and during his tenure there he supervised certain covert research projects resulting from rogue teams using the beta stargate to steal and reverse engineer alien technology such as the Touchstone.
Despite strict precautions, the facility was plagued by security breaches, which led to some artifacts and research, including Osiris's wrist device, the mimic devices, nanotechnology, symbiote poison, and the Sodan cloak, have been stolen by rogue agents.
In addition to research and development, Area 51 was also used as a military detention center. When Nerus visited Earth and revealed that he had been conspiring with the Ori, he was taken into custody and imprisoned in the basement of Area 51 for several months. In the Stargate verse I called home Nerus was still out there somewhere. Most likely working for Baal.
"It's a cargo ship" I said to Cameron.
After inspecting the craft I found that the Tauri of this reality had taken the ship apart and had put it back together, and they'd done a good job. The ship wouldn't fly, but I could repair, and then hand it over my Jaffa allies. Which along with the weapons would make them very happy. I had no need for this vessel as primitive compared to what I could build.
"We can tag it and beam it up to the ship" I said to my Terminator.
"It's not been here long" she told me.
I nodded, and checked my omni-tool to discover a Goa'uld life sign. Which I hadn't been able to detect from orbit. While still cloaked, out of phase, I tracked down the life sign and found not a Goa'uld, rather a Tok'ra. I knew he was Tok'ra because I recognised him.
The human was called Martouf, and he was the host of Lantash, together they were Tok'ra operative, and the mate of Jolinar of Malkshur and her host Rosha. He became a close friend of SG-1, particularly of Major Samantha Carter.
In the show he died because he'd been brainwashed into become an assassin. He was killed despite efforts to only wound him, Tok'ra were harder to kill and could heal better than humans, however the brainwashing had been too powerful, and Martouf had died. Lantash had lived on, at least for a time, but while inhabiting a member of a SG team he'd sacrificed himself to allow others to escape.
For a moment I did consider that this could be some evil version of Lantash, but the way the host was dressed, and the look of peace on the man's face convinced me otherwise.
"Cortana take control of this base's security" I ordered.
While this place would have the best electronic defences you could get on this planet they would be no match for my AI. Once she was in control I de-cloaked, and startled Martouf.
"Come with me if you want out of here" I told the Tok'ra while holding out my arm.
While I must look very strange to him, given my armour, he my hand and I beamed him away from this place.
(Line Break)
Aurora-class Warship. Alternate Reality.
"Are we going to return to our reality?" question Cameron once I had returned to my chair.
I'd just spent some time talking to Martouf and Lantash, they'd taken turns speaking, as they explained how they'd ended in a cell at Area 51. In this universe the Tok'ra had been almost totally wiped out. So in desperation the remaining Tok'ra had decided to flee to parts unknown. But not to hide, there plan had been to find any world that could be a threat to the Goa'uld and to help prepare them for the day when they would enter conflict with the parasites.
Martouf and Lantash had sought out Earth, believing that the Tauri might have developed enough to challenge the Goa'uld since then time when Ra had left. However rather than cooperate with the Tok'ra, and learn what they could, some branch of the American government had decided to lock him up at Area 51 and try to back engineer Martouf's cargo ship without any help.
Which was just plain sad as with Martouf's help and the cargo ship, which was now in my vessel's cargo bay, this version of Earth could have advanced their society to a point were they could fight the Goa'uld. But that wasn't my concern.
Since the Martouf and Lantash of my dimension had died years ago there should be little issue with Martouf/Lantash joining the Tok'ra of the dimension I currently called home. Hopefully the Tok'ra would keep quiet on the details about how I'd recovered Martouf. I didn't want the Tauri knowing that I had a reality drive. I'd discuss this with Tok'ra when I dropped Martouf off.
"Not just yet" I said "I want to check out a few places in this galaxy".
Since the Tauri of this galaxy had never ventured out into the universe via the Stargate it was possible that the Tollan civilization still existed, assuming some System Lord hadn't destroyed them. It was worth making the hyperspace jump to go and find out.
Also the world known as Altair, the planet the android versions of SG1 came from might still exist here, and I wasn't interested in acquiring both the technology that allowed for the copying of minds and their transference into android bodies. But if the remaining android on that planet had never gotten any help the whole complex could have broken down by now I'd have to wait and see.
Another thing I wanted to obtain was the Quantum Mirror. In the show the device was found on a world the Tauri called P3R-233 by Dr. Daniel Jackson, who upon touching it is transported through the Quantum Mirror into an alternate reality where he finds that Earth is about to be overrun by a Goa'uld invasion force, which is being led by Teal'c, who still served Apophis in that universe.
Daniel Jackson discovered that his reality is facing exactly the same threat. Daniel Jackson escaped that reality, and was able to warn his friends. Afterward all that the mirror was transported to Earth and stored in Area 51. And in some realites it could still be there.
Nearly one year later, an alternate Dr. Samantha Carter and Major Charles Kawalsky escape their reality through the Quantum mirror. When Dr. Carter begins to suffer entropic cascade failure at the cellular level due to the presence of two Samantha Carters in one reality, Major General George S. Hammond and SG-1 decide that, to save Dr. Carter's life, they will free their Earth, which has been taken over by Apophis' forces, that were led by Teal'c, who still Apophis's First Prime in that reality.
The General also orderd that, upon completion of the mission, the Quantum Mirror to be destroyed. The Quantum mirror in the reality I currently home was eventually melted down at Area 51. However in some realities the General may not have given that order, or may not have ever needed to.
I would soon find out. I planned to use the mirror to do some exploring as while I had a reality drive on my ship, this vessel couldn't spend too far away from Annwn least its absence make a hostile party bold enough to attack. Plus I was sure that Martouf/Lantash would be eager to rejoin his people.