Chapter 12
It was decided that Sam and Daniel would continue to go into the local high school undercover to help keep an eye on Mr. Hinckley as they still had no idea who the aliens were that gave him the suit or why no one could remember the event in the future.
Tony strolled into class the next morning. He saw the teacher in a private meeting with Sam and Daniel standing at his desk before the class started. He wondered if what they claimed was true or just some strange prank. "Morning Mr. H." he greeted. He added, "Daniel. Sam." Instead of taking his seat he stood before them wondering if the Star Gate was real.
Ralph, Sam and Daniel all paused and looked at the boy. Ralph stated. "Morning Tony."
"Well?" he asked. "Is that gate thing real?"
He nodded. "Yes it is."
"Can I see it?" he asked. He wanted in on the secret of all top secrets.
Sam rolled her eyes. "No." she shook her head.
Daniel asked. "Why not?"
She gave him a shocked look.
He explained. "We are trapped here for now and we may not get back. We may need a backup. Like the mini gate is backup to the big gate. SG-1 could use a backup team. Right now you and I are both teenagers." he reminded her.
She agreed. "We could use a backup team but Mr. Hinckley's class is not exactly SG-1 material."
He countered. "I think they have potential. Tony could lead a team with little training and some more education. Rhonda is pretty smart. Jose and Karl are not stupid either."
"You are serious." she asked him.
"Yes." he nodded. "We can help train them."
Ralph stated. "With the exception of Janet this class is failing."
Daniel replied. "We can give them a carrot. There is no better motivator than going off world."
Sam asked, "And how would we do this without raising eyebrows?"
"Use a school club as a cover." he stated.
She smirked. "The Star Gate Cub Scouts."
Daniel counted. "Astronomy. Maybe an astronomy club."
"I did head the astronomy club when I was in high school." she fondly recalled.
Ralph smiled. "I think an Astronomy club would make a great cover."
Tony stood listening. "Astronomy is star watching, right?"
Sam nodded. "That's right, Tony." She then grew excited. "Maybe we can get Colonel Hammond to back it? We can use cadet titles and base it on the Academy."
Ralph told her. "I will have to get approval for the club from the principle."
Tony asked. "Just how geeked out are we getting here?"
Sam rolled her eyes.
Ralph slowly nodded as he looked upon Tony and recalled Colonel O'Neill and some of the terms that spewed from Jack's lips at the meeting the night before. He concluded. "He's Air Force material."
"I know." Sam agreed. She then looked at Tony. "You have a choice, Tony. Either you continue to squeak by academically and hope you don't get expelled from school and end up a mechanic or you can put some effort into your grades, graduate and use this opportunity to learn from me and Daniel and we can get you into the Air Force Academy and you can come become a commission officer and have a career."
He stated. "I just want to see this star gate and meet aliens."
Daniel told him. "We can arrange that."
"Then I'm in." he agreed. He then took his seat and waited for his class.
Next into the classroom was Janet followed by Rhonda, Jose and Karl.
Karl cheered. "You see the Star Gate, Mr. H.?"
"Have a seat." he instructed. He then closed the door as Sam and Daniel also took their seats. He went to the head of the class. "Yes! I saw the Star Gate last night. Daniel and Sam will remain undercover in the school to keep an eye on me and that suit. We still don't know who the aliens are that gave me the suit or what they can do or the reap motive. Class, you have a very unique opportunity that Dr. Jackson and Major Carter have offered. They will give each of you special training and get you careers in the Air Force. All you have to do is buckle down and graduate."
Rhonda asked. "What would I do in the Air Force?"
Sam stated, "I can get you in any branch of the military. You would be gong to an academy. Basically, free college and you get a career as a commission officer."
"But I'm not good at anything." she rebutted.
Daniel countered. "Everybody has a talent. Usually more than one talent too. What do you like to do?"
"Listen to music and shop." she replied.
Daniel rebutted, "That's every teenage girl. What are you good at? What subjects do you like?"
She shrugged. "I don't know."
Ralph stated. "Maybe you are more of a hands on learner, Rhonda. No one is this class is dumb. All of you are very smart."
Janet asked, "What do you and Sam do for the Air Force? You said I will save your life and I become a doctor."
Daniel informed her. "I research alien ruins and translate languages."
Sam told her. "I program computers and fix alien technology. Well, usually I'm rigging it to work to get us back home."
Jose asked. "Can you teach me to do that, Sam?"
"I can try." she agreed.
Tony smirked. "Can I learn hand to hand combat?"
"Daniel and I can teach you some of that." she agreed.
Karl stated. "I want to fly an alien space ship."
"You can learn." Sam agreed.
Rhonda looked at Daniel. "Can you show me some of what you do?"
"Certainly, Rhonda." he agreed.
Ralph smiled pleased. "Looks like we all got goals to learn."
Meanwhile
Dr. Earnest Littlefield agreed to work on the new Star Gate program. He would be head of the technology department under the control of Knight Industries and the FIRM. He worked with Bonnie Barstow on learning more about the much smaller Gate.
Bonnie sat beside Earnest, both in green battle dress uniforms at the computer near the mini gate. Bonnie stated. "Sam told me that when they tried to use the larger gate to return home from the 1969 incident they overshot 1997 and ended up at least 50 more years into the future. There a woman named Cassie Frasier who is a child in 1997 was able to send them back using the Gate and a ring she had on her finger. That means, Cassie was able to send them home without a solar flare."
Earnest stated. "The wormhole itself can transport a subject through time. It can either be warped around the sun or it can be directed to an area of space where Earth was previously."
"What do mean?" she asked him.
He told her. "The model used of the solar system in school is one dimensional. But space is four dimensional. The Earth is a big ball of gasses traveling through space and the planets and moons all are all traveling behind it in the wake. Like a boat on water. We are being towed behind the sun, and rotating and orbiting in the wake in reality. As the sun moves, so does the entire galaxy. It's constantly moving in space. So, we are always in a new part of space. We never circle back to where we have been. It always going forward. If you can aim the wormhole to hit Earth in a previous part of space you could have a doorway to Earth in the past. You can also calculate what part of space Earth will be in the future. If can aim the wormhole to intercept the planet as it reaches that part of space you can go to the future. I suspect in that future, Cassie was able to send them back using the wormhole directly an not needing to warp it. You just need a very precise dialing address."
Bonnie stated. "So if we could calculate exactly where the Earth will be in space in the year 2004 we can send them back."
Earnest nodded. "And they can come back here at any time. It's the stellar drift that is the key to the calculation. Currently the drift accounts for current time. That's how we can dial another planet and come back and not lose time. But if we calculate to intercept a planet at another part of space time, we can in essence time travel."
Bonnie stated. "All we have to do is figure out the stellar drift and where the Earth will be in space in 2004."
"Exactly," he nodded.
She looked at the mini gate before them. "Then in 2004 they can use the big gate to dial the mini gate and tell us what will happen if there is major shift to the timeline."
"They can gather intel." he agreed.
She sat beside herself for a moment. "We can turn this gate into a intel gathering platform that can go to any planet at any time including Earth."
He nodded. "Yes."
She let out a deep breath. "That's huge."
"It is." he agreed.
