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Stargate: First Contact
- Thread starter BrotherBenny
- Start date
Chapter Nineteen
Langford Foundation Annex
Bozeman, Montana
February 12th, 1990
T plus 3 days 2 hours
General John Christopher paced the control centre nervously. His son was more than three days overdue and the Pentagon was pressuring him to blow the annex to prevent anything from coming through the stargate that wasn’t supposed to. According to the experts on site, only a nuclear explosion would be able to destroy the stargate and he certainly wasn’t going to use that in Montana. The ambassador had been staying out of his way and Catherine Langford was doing all she could to stall the closure of this program.
‘Well?’ he asked as she entered the room.
‘We have twenty-two hours,’ Langford answered. ‘If Colonel Christopher and his team have not returned by then, this entire annex will be destroyed by an aerial assault.’
‘Christopher shook his head. ‘I wonder how the military are going to cover themselves in the media with that one.’
‘What else do you recommend?’
‘A second team,’ she replied. ‘I have one on standby.’
‘Who is on this second team?’
‘Lieutenant Colonel Jack O’Neill, special forces; Captain Samantha Carter, US Air Force astrophysicist; and Doctor Daniel Jackson, an Egyptology expert, Cochrane’s friend.’
The General looked at the stargate and narrowed his eyes in thought. ‘Ten hours. If my son hasn’t returned by then, I’ll send the second team. The responsibility will be mine and mine alone.’
Langford nodded. ‘I’ll go and inform Colonel O’Neill.’
‘Is that the same O’Neill who—’
‘Yes it is, General.’
‘I’m not sure he’s the right person to lead a rescue team.’
‘General, O’Neill disobeyed orders to rescue his commanding officer from the enemy in what should have been a suicide mission, but he survived. If anyone can bring your son back, it’s him.’
The general nodded. ‘Alright, have him and his team ready to go in, and I want them heavily armed.’
‘I’ll let them know.’
‘Excellent.’
‘General, there’s a call for you from General Hammond in Washington, he says it’s urgent,’ an aide hurried into the room.
‘I’ll take it here, thank you, Lieutenant.’
‘Aye sir.’
Christopher walked over to the phone on the wall and picked it up. ‘George, what can I do for you?’
‘What do you know of the closest stars to us?’
‘Is that a trick question?’
‘No, John, it’s not. I’ve been monitoring your situation there and I was able to get NASA to retask Hubble for me, on the pretext of National Security.’
‘And?’
‘They found something interesting. According to the records from Montana, your son travelled some ten light-years from Earth, to the Epsilon Eridani system. Since I was retasking Hubble, I had NASA take a close look at what they saw.’
‘Spacecraft?’ Christopher asked, cutting his superior off in mid-stream.
‘Several spacecraft, and they were large. I’ve ordered the orbiters to be fitted with whatever space-based weaponry we have.’
‘George, the only weaponry that’s even close to useful are the comet lasers and they haven’t been perfected yet.’
‘If any of those ships come this way, we need to be ready. NASA is prepping the shuttles for retrofit and launch and gathering the necessary personnel. I won’t be able to keep it quiet from the media for very long, especially today since nothing much is happening, so you need to give me a heads up on what you know, as soon as you know it.’
‘All I currently know is that Colonel Christopher is more than three days overdue. As soon as I have something, I will call you.’
‘Good, and I know what you’re thinking, but I would advise against sending a second team in until you know what happened to the first; Hammond out.’
‘Is there a problem, General?’ the ambassador asked.
‘Yes, there may be several alien ships heading in our direction and my superiors in Washington are gearing up for a war which we’ll lose.’
‘I understand your predicament, but I will say that those vessels will not attack Earth yet, unless they are provoked.’
‘Let’s hope my son does nothing to provoke them then.’
‘Indeed,’ he replied and walked away.
A black cat ran past him and was quickly followed by a man in his sixties and a woman in her forties. They seemed in a hurry but they were always running about the annex. He made a mental note to find out who they were.
‘Best not to ask,’ Langford interrupted his thoughts as she caught him looking in their direction. ‘Suffice it to say that they’re doing a job they were destined to do, without the knowledge of the world at large.’
‘Another covert branch of some government agency?’ the general asked.
‘Sort of.’
‘An off-world government? That makes sense,’ he said with a wan smile and relayed Hammond’s information to her. ‘I’ve spoken with the Ambassador and he assures me that unless they’re provoked the aliens won’t be attacking Earth just yet.’
‘Did he say who they were?’
‘No, but he seemed extremely confident in his knowledge about them.’
She nodded. ‘Which usually means that the same thing happened in his timeline, more or less.’
‘More or less?’
‘His timeline is quite different to ours, but some things are happening, just not in the same way. These aliens will attack and I presume that we’ll be ready by then. I think one of the Foundation’s designers should approach NASA with a particular design for a new space shuttle. After all, we don’t want a repeat of the Challenger disaster, do we?’
‘Most assuredly not, accidents like that are too costly in manpower, funding and politics.’
‘I’m glad you put them in that order,’ Langford frowned.
‘I am in the military, and quite highly-ranked too, you can’t expect me to see the world the way you do.’
‘General, if it wasn’t for the Langford Foundation and other organisations like it, you wouldn’t be where you are today. Most of your weaponry and defence equipment comes from people like us, and we give your own astronauts a lot of training they might not otherwise receive because your illustrious president keeps cutting NASA’s budget.’
Christopher held up his hand in defence. ‘Alright, I take your point, and I apologise. The US Space Probe Agency is still in its infancy, and I don’t want to jeopardise it by bringing in aliens that want to eliminate us from history.’
‘It’ll be fine, the Ambassador tells me it will lead to great things,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you go and talk to him. No specifics, though.’
Langford Foundation Annex
Bozeman, Montana
February 12th, 1990
T plus 3 days 2 hours
General John Christopher paced the control centre nervously. His son was more than three days overdue and the Pentagon was pressuring him to blow the annex to prevent anything from coming through the stargate that wasn’t supposed to. According to the experts on site, only a nuclear explosion would be able to destroy the stargate and he certainly wasn’t going to use that in Montana. The ambassador had been staying out of his way and Catherine Langford was doing all she could to stall the closure of this program.
‘Well?’ he asked as she entered the room.
‘We have twenty-two hours,’ Langford answered. ‘If Colonel Christopher and his team have not returned by then, this entire annex will be destroyed by an aerial assault.’
‘Christopher shook his head. ‘I wonder how the military are going to cover themselves in the media with that one.’
‘What else do you recommend?’
‘A second team,’ she replied. ‘I have one on standby.’
‘Who is on this second team?’
‘Lieutenant Colonel Jack O’Neill, special forces; Captain Samantha Carter, US Air Force astrophysicist; and Doctor Daniel Jackson, an Egyptology expert, Cochrane’s friend.’
The General looked at the stargate and narrowed his eyes in thought. ‘Ten hours. If my son hasn’t returned by then, I’ll send the second team. The responsibility will be mine and mine alone.’
Langford nodded. ‘I’ll go and inform Colonel O’Neill.’
‘Is that the same O’Neill who—’
‘Yes it is, General.’
‘I’m not sure he’s the right person to lead a rescue team.’
‘General, O’Neill disobeyed orders to rescue his commanding officer from the enemy in what should have been a suicide mission, but he survived. If anyone can bring your son back, it’s him.’
The general nodded. ‘Alright, have him and his team ready to go in, and I want them heavily armed.’
‘I’ll let them know.’
‘Excellent.’
‘General, there’s a call for you from General Hammond in Washington, he says it’s urgent,’ an aide hurried into the room.
‘I’ll take it here, thank you, Lieutenant.’
‘Aye sir.’
Christopher walked over to the phone on the wall and picked it up. ‘George, what can I do for you?’
‘What do you know of the closest stars to us?’
‘Is that a trick question?’
‘No, John, it’s not. I’ve been monitoring your situation there and I was able to get NASA to retask Hubble for me, on the pretext of National Security.’
‘And?’
‘They found something interesting. According to the records from Montana, your son travelled some ten light-years from Earth, to the Epsilon Eridani system. Since I was retasking Hubble, I had NASA take a close look at what they saw.’
‘Spacecraft?’ Christopher asked, cutting his superior off in mid-stream.
‘Several spacecraft, and they were large. I’ve ordered the orbiters to be fitted with whatever space-based weaponry we have.’
‘George, the only weaponry that’s even close to useful are the comet lasers and they haven’t been perfected yet.’
‘If any of those ships come this way, we need to be ready. NASA is prepping the shuttles for retrofit and launch and gathering the necessary personnel. I won’t be able to keep it quiet from the media for very long, especially today since nothing much is happening, so you need to give me a heads up on what you know, as soon as you know it.’
‘All I currently know is that Colonel Christopher is more than three days overdue. As soon as I have something, I will call you.’
‘Good, and I know what you’re thinking, but I would advise against sending a second team in until you know what happened to the first; Hammond out.’
‘Is there a problem, General?’ the ambassador asked.
‘Yes, there may be several alien ships heading in our direction and my superiors in Washington are gearing up for a war which we’ll lose.’
‘I understand your predicament, but I will say that those vessels will not attack Earth yet, unless they are provoked.’
‘Let’s hope my son does nothing to provoke them then.’
‘Indeed,’ he replied and walked away.
A black cat ran past him and was quickly followed by a man in his sixties and a woman in her forties. They seemed in a hurry but they were always running about the annex. He made a mental note to find out who they were.
‘Best not to ask,’ Langford interrupted his thoughts as she caught him looking in their direction. ‘Suffice it to say that they’re doing a job they were destined to do, without the knowledge of the world at large.’
‘Another covert branch of some government agency?’ the general asked.
‘Sort of.’
‘An off-world government? That makes sense,’ he said with a wan smile and relayed Hammond’s information to her. ‘I’ve spoken with the Ambassador and he assures me that unless they’re provoked the aliens won’t be attacking Earth just yet.’
‘Did he say who they were?’
‘No, but he seemed extremely confident in his knowledge about them.’
She nodded. ‘Which usually means that the same thing happened in his timeline, more or less.’
‘More or less?’
‘His timeline is quite different to ours, but some things are happening, just not in the same way. These aliens will attack and I presume that we’ll be ready by then. I think one of the Foundation’s designers should approach NASA with a particular design for a new space shuttle. After all, we don’t want a repeat of the Challenger disaster, do we?’
‘Most assuredly not, accidents like that are too costly in manpower, funding and politics.’
‘I’m glad you put them in that order,’ Langford frowned.
‘I am in the military, and quite highly-ranked too, you can’t expect me to see the world the way you do.’
‘General, if it wasn’t for the Langford Foundation and other organisations like it, you wouldn’t be where you are today. Most of your weaponry and defence equipment comes from people like us, and we give your own astronauts a lot of training they might not otherwise receive because your illustrious president keeps cutting NASA’s budget.’
Christopher held up his hand in defence. ‘Alright, I take your point, and I apologise. The US Space Probe Agency is still in its infancy, and I don’t want to jeopardise it by bringing in aliens that want to eliminate us from history.’
‘It’ll be fine, the Ambassador tells me it will lead to great things,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you go and talk to him. No specifics, though.’
Good to see this one back. Also, a nice tie in to Stargate SG1 as well as Gary Seven.
Chapter Twenty
Shuttlecraft Bounty
February 12th 1990
T plus 3 days 5 hours
‘We’re receiving another message on the diplomatic channel, it’s pretty garbled from the interference in the nebula,’ Cochrane said as he was manning the pilot’s console.
‘What is the current situation?’ Solkar asked.
‘The Romulans have searched the area, found nothing and are leaving. Suggest waiting another three point six hours until they are out of sensor range,’ Cochrane answered.
‘I guess we’re close to home then,’ Sloane added.
‘As long as we do trust the Vulcans on board that freighter,’ Christopher replied and turned to T’Pol. ‘Check the transmission and see if it has the same speech pattern as the previous one.’
The young Vulcan nodded and stepped to Cochrane’s side. After a moment she looked up from the console. ‘It appears to be from the same person, but I cannot be certain.’
Christopher nodded. ‘That’ll do for me, prepare to power up all systems and leave the nebula. Are the explosives in place?’
‘Yes sir,’ Sloane replied. ‘I’ll set the charges just before we board the freighter, they’re already in place. There’ll be nothing left of the shuttle.’
‘Excellent, hopefully the Romulans will be too busy picking through the debris to notice us escape.’
‘Do you think they have left a vessel behind for observation?’ Solkar asked.
‘No, I think they left a vessel behind to destroy us, but they’ll wait until we’re aboard the freighter, then kill us all. Why waste ammunition?’
‘Their disruptors will not be wasted by destroying our two vessels,’ T’Pau interjected. ‘It will barely deplete their energy. I have a question, Colonel. What will we do when we get to Earth?’
‘What do you mean, what will you do? You’ll return home to Vulcan with enough firepower to get rid of the Romulans.’
‘A diplomatic solution is always best. Violence should always be a last resort.’
‘I agree, but based on our experiences with the Romulans thus far, I do not believe that diplomacy will be welcome. They went to Vulcan for one reason alone, to reclaim their homeworld at the expense of their ancient kin. Your people are facing mass extinction, T’Pau. Their only hope is for you to return with the Kir’Shara and to allow us to help you.’
‘The Kir’Shara will force my people into introspection and they will become targets for the Romulans.’
‘Perhaps so, but I have learned that no one fights with more passion than a man defending his home, regardless of how deep those emotions are buried. But you will need to find some way to overcome your cultural pacifism without succumbing to your emotions,’ the colonel added, knowing how delicate that balance could be thanks to Surak’s katra.
‘Colonel, I thank you for your insight, but I do not believe my people will turn to violence en masse.’
‘Then your people will die, T’Pau,’ Cochrane weighed in. ‘The Romulans will not stop until your people have been enslaved or annihilated. You should pray that they only enslave you if you will not fight back.’
‘How can you know what they will do?’ Solkar asked.
‘Some humans in the past have behaved in much the same way,’ Christopher replied, resignation colouring his tone. ‘In Earth’s bloody history, explorers often found native peoples and exploited them before taking the land, either by enslaving them or killing them. We evolved from that kind of barbarism but there are still people today who advocate such behaviour in parts of the world that act differently, and they happen to be in positions of power.’
‘You do not like those people?’ T’Pol asked, an eyebrow raised questioningly.
‘No, I pity them for their skewed view of history and their plans for the future. Mankind can evolve pass its base behaviour but I think we need a dose of reality. When we get to Earth and they see that there is life on other worlds, it might finally be enough to create a social revolution that looks to the future.’
‘Do you believe that my people will accept help from you? We didn’t even know you existed until a few days ago,’ she said.
‘You accepted help from us in your time of need, and your people are probably in greater need now than then.’
‘Because the Romulans are there?’
‘Exactly, who knows what damage they are doing to your people and your world.’
‘Talk like this is not helpful,’ Solkar said. ‘We will reach Earth, speak with your leaders and then return home. Our fate will then be our own. Colonel, I would suggest staying on Earth and not returning with us.’
‘I made a promise to help you rid yourself of the Romulans and I intend to keep that promise.’
‘I am allowing you to break it. Our world does not concern you, Colonel. You appear to have enough problems on your own world and our existence will not change that. It may exacerbate the situation and we could not such distractions if we are to defeat the Romulans.’
‘What exactly are you saying?’ Sloane asked.
‘When we return to Vulcan, we will bury the stargate, preventing anyone from getting though. When Vulcan is safe, it will be unburied and you may then come through.’
‘That is a bad idea,’ Cochrane said. ‘The stargate is a useful tool for a mass evacuation should the need arise.’
‘If a mass evacuation is necessary, then we will have lost our fight with the Romulans,’ Solkar said. ‘We will bury the gate.’
Christopher narrowed his eyes at the Vulcan. ‘What made you come to this decision?’
‘You did. Your ideals may be high, but I cannot allow my people to be “exploited” by yours if and when the Romulans are driven off. I believe that given the opportunity, those same humans who assisted would turn against us if it was in their best interests. Do you dispute that?’
The colonel sank into a chair. ‘No, I can’t dispute your logic there. All I can say is that I think you’re wrong. You haven’t met enough of my people to make a determination on our collective traits. I don’t my people are all that collective. We have cultural and religious traits, nothing that crosses the entire species, except maybe the drive to explore.’
‘If that is the case, then we shall see when we reach Earth.’
‘Then let’s go, the Romulans should have departed by now,’ Cochrane interrupted. ‘I’m anxious to get home.’
‘Indeed,’ Solkar replied. ‘T’Pol, please prepare us for departure.’
‘Powering up all systems. Estimated nebula boundary, five minutes.’
As the Bounty cleared the nebula, everything happened at once. The freighter hove into view, clearly having been en route already, and space rippled as a Romulan warbird decloaked ahead of them, putting itself between them and the freighter.
Shuttlecraft Bounty
February 12th 1990
T plus 3 days 5 hours
‘We’re receiving another message on the diplomatic channel, it’s pretty garbled from the interference in the nebula,’ Cochrane said as he was manning the pilot’s console.
‘What is the current situation?’ Solkar asked.
‘The Romulans have searched the area, found nothing and are leaving. Suggest waiting another three point six hours until they are out of sensor range,’ Cochrane answered.
‘I guess we’re close to home then,’ Sloane added.
‘As long as we do trust the Vulcans on board that freighter,’ Christopher replied and turned to T’Pol. ‘Check the transmission and see if it has the same speech pattern as the previous one.’
The young Vulcan nodded and stepped to Cochrane’s side. After a moment she looked up from the console. ‘It appears to be from the same person, but I cannot be certain.’
Christopher nodded. ‘That’ll do for me, prepare to power up all systems and leave the nebula. Are the explosives in place?’
‘Yes sir,’ Sloane replied. ‘I’ll set the charges just before we board the freighter, they’re already in place. There’ll be nothing left of the shuttle.’
‘Excellent, hopefully the Romulans will be too busy picking through the debris to notice us escape.’
‘Do you think they have left a vessel behind for observation?’ Solkar asked.
‘No, I think they left a vessel behind to destroy us, but they’ll wait until we’re aboard the freighter, then kill us all. Why waste ammunition?’
‘Their disruptors will not be wasted by destroying our two vessels,’ T’Pau interjected. ‘It will barely deplete their energy. I have a question, Colonel. What will we do when we get to Earth?’
‘What do you mean, what will you do? You’ll return home to Vulcan with enough firepower to get rid of the Romulans.’
‘A diplomatic solution is always best. Violence should always be a last resort.’
‘I agree, but based on our experiences with the Romulans thus far, I do not believe that diplomacy will be welcome. They went to Vulcan for one reason alone, to reclaim their homeworld at the expense of their ancient kin. Your people are facing mass extinction, T’Pau. Their only hope is for you to return with the Kir’Shara and to allow us to help you.’
‘The Kir’Shara will force my people into introspection and they will become targets for the Romulans.’
‘Perhaps so, but I have learned that no one fights with more passion than a man defending his home, regardless of how deep those emotions are buried. But you will need to find some way to overcome your cultural pacifism without succumbing to your emotions,’ the colonel added, knowing how delicate that balance could be thanks to Surak’s katra.
‘Colonel, I thank you for your insight, but I do not believe my people will turn to violence en masse.’
‘Then your people will die, T’Pau,’ Cochrane weighed in. ‘The Romulans will not stop until your people have been enslaved or annihilated. You should pray that they only enslave you if you will not fight back.’
‘How can you know what they will do?’ Solkar asked.
‘Some humans in the past have behaved in much the same way,’ Christopher replied, resignation colouring his tone. ‘In Earth’s bloody history, explorers often found native peoples and exploited them before taking the land, either by enslaving them or killing them. We evolved from that kind of barbarism but there are still people today who advocate such behaviour in parts of the world that act differently, and they happen to be in positions of power.’
‘You do not like those people?’ T’Pol asked, an eyebrow raised questioningly.
‘No, I pity them for their skewed view of history and their plans for the future. Mankind can evolve pass its base behaviour but I think we need a dose of reality. When we get to Earth and they see that there is life on other worlds, it might finally be enough to create a social revolution that looks to the future.’
‘Do you believe that my people will accept help from you? We didn’t even know you existed until a few days ago,’ she said.
‘You accepted help from us in your time of need, and your people are probably in greater need now than then.’
‘Because the Romulans are there?’
‘Exactly, who knows what damage they are doing to your people and your world.’
‘Talk like this is not helpful,’ Solkar said. ‘We will reach Earth, speak with your leaders and then return home. Our fate will then be our own. Colonel, I would suggest staying on Earth and not returning with us.’
‘I made a promise to help you rid yourself of the Romulans and I intend to keep that promise.’
‘I am allowing you to break it. Our world does not concern you, Colonel. You appear to have enough problems on your own world and our existence will not change that. It may exacerbate the situation and we could not such distractions if we are to defeat the Romulans.’
‘What exactly are you saying?’ Sloane asked.
‘When we return to Vulcan, we will bury the stargate, preventing anyone from getting though. When Vulcan is safe, it will be unburied and you may then come through.’
‘That is a bad idea,’ Cochrane said. ‘The stargate is a useful tool for a mass evacuation should the need arise.’
‘If a mass evacuation is necessary, then we will have lost our fight with the Romulans,’ Solkar said. ‘We will bury the gate.’
Christopher narrowed his eyes at the Vulcan. ‘What made you come to this decision?’
‘You did. Your ideals may be high, but I cannot allow my people to be “exploited” by yours if and when the Romulans are driven off. I believe that given the opportunity, those same humans who assisted would turn against us if it was in their best interests. Do you dispute that?’
The colonel sank into a chair. ‘No, I can’t dispute your logic there. All I can say is that I think you’re wrong. You haven’t met enough of my people to make a determination on our collective traits. I don’t my people are all that collective. We have cultural and religious traits, nothing that crosses the entire species, except maybe the drive to explore.’
‘If that is the case, then we shall see when we reach Earth.’
‘Then let’s go, the Romulans should have departed by now,’ Cochrane interrupted. ‘I’m anxious to get home.’
‘Indeed,’ Solkar replied. ‘T’Pol, please prepare us for departure.’
‘Powering up all systems. Estimated nebula boundary, five minutes.’
As the Bounty cleared the nebula, everything happened at once. The freighter hove into view, clearly having been en route already, and space rippled as a Romulan warbird decloaked ahead of them, putting itself between them and the freighter.
Chapter Twenty-One
Shuttlecraft Bounty
February 12th 1990
T plus 3 days 8 hours
Solkar raised an eyebrow at the large predatory vessel in front of them as he found it not unexpected that the Romulans would not give up so easily. To his interest, he saw that Colonel Christopher was not bemoaning the current problem but instead trying for a solution to their problem, albeit one which was doomed to failure.
‘This is Colonel Sean Christopher of the Allied Border Defence Force to Romulan vessel. You are hereby ordered to withdraw from this territory. Failure to comply will result in your vessel being impounded and your crew subjected to incarceration.’
Captain Sloane and Doctor Cochrane tried not to laugh at their leader’s ploy, and both T’Pau and T’Pol raised an eyebrow. The response from the Romulan vessel was equally surprising.
‘You dare to oppose us in one of our own stolen craft?’ the Romulan captain yelled, barely containing his anger. ‘You are either very brave or very foolish. I could destroy you easily.’
Christopher smiled and Solkar decided that it could not be considered to be a pleasant image.
‘This is Captain Sloane of the Allied Border Defence Force. As the ranking officer, I order you to surrender your vessel and prepare to be boarded. You will not receive further warnings,’ she said, stepping forward.
‘Nicely done, Lily,’ Christopher whispered.
‘They are powering up their weapons,’ T’Pol said without any variation in her tone. ‘However, they do not appear to be functioning at full capacity.’
‘I noticed the damage on their hull. The Vulcans must have given them something to think about. Raise the shields and power up our own weapons.’
‘We can do little to damage that vessel,’ Solkar pointed out.
‘Perhaps not, but we can try to disable their weapons and engines, and leave them unable to pursue us to Earth.’
‘They’re firing.’
Even without maximum power, the Romulan disruptors packed a punch. Several consoles in the small shuttle went dark or exploded, sending shards of polymer flying.
‘Return fire, target their weapons.’
‘Firing now...minimal damage. Their weapons are too heavily shielded.’
Christopher looked at the ship. ‘What about those nacelles, they don’t seem to be as well protected.’
‘They’re firing again,’ Cochrane said.
‘Sloane, take over the helm. Evasive manoeuvres. Get us around to those nacelles and let loose with everything we’ve got.’
‘The freighter is backing off,’ T’Pau said. ‘I will attempt to convince them otherwise.’
Cochrane sighed. ‘You have the Kir’Shara, that should be enough of a reason for them to assist. Send them some of what you’ve translated as proof.’
T’Pau nodded. ‘A logical suggestion.’
The Bounty shuddered as the warbird got a lucky shot in.
‘Warp drive is down, impulse down to two thirds,’ T’Pol informed them.
‘Make every shot count.’
Sloane took the small shuttle on a parabolic course under and over the warbird, then fired at the port-side nacelle. The shields had clearly been weakened in that section and the shuttle’s disruptors hit the pylon directly, blasting the nacelle clean off. Almost simultaneously, the Vulcan freighter executed a similar manoeuvre and the starboard-nacelle tumbled away into the void, exploding moments later.
‘Captain Sloane to Romulan vessel, prepare to be boarded.’
‘I’m reading an energy build-up,’ T’Pol said. ‘Their warp drive is going critical.’
‘Can we escape the blast radius?’ Christopher asked Solkar.
The Vulcan shook his head slightly. ‘The engines will take too long to repair. We do not have the time.’
‘T’Pol, how long do we have?’
‘Three minutes, eleven seconds.’
‘Signal the freighter, we’re going to need a lift.’
‘The T’Plana Hath is standing by for transport.’
‘I guess we’re ready to go then.’
‘T’Pau to T’Plana Hath, energize.’
The three humans and three Vulcans felt the tingle of the transporter beam as it took them from the beleaguered shuttle onto the Vulcan freighter. The freighter jumped into warp moments before the warbird self-destructed, taking the shuttle with it.
‘Thank you for the assist,’ Christopher said to the commander of the vessel, a grey-haired austere-looking Vulcan called Sopek.
‘Take them into custody and set a course for Vulcan,’ Sopek replied.
‘I cannot allow you to do that,’ T’Pau stepped forward. ‘Vulcan is currently under attack by the Romulans. These humans have offered us safe haven while I continue the translation of the Kir’Shara.’
Sopek raised an eyebrow. ‘I did not realise the V’Shar had infiltrated the Syrrannites.’
‘What leads you to believe that I am V’Shar?’
‘Your commanding presence and the fact that expected immediate obedience from me.’
Christopher sighed, taking slight comfort in the fact that it didn’t matter what world you came from, spooks weren’t universally liked. ‘We can stay and argue, or reach Earth and safety. Away from the Romulans you can continue your translations and we can build vessels to help you fight them.’
‘Vulcans do not need assistance. It is not usually our policy to interfere in cultures who have not yet developed faster-than-light technology.’
Sloane chuckled. ‘So we have to have warp drive before you’ll talk to us officially? I see. Well, my country’s military has a program to develop warp technology and we’re not that far away from it. The Langford Foundation has been working on it for some time.’
Sopek nodded. ‘It would seem I have no choice in the matter. If the V’Shar says I must take you to Earth, then I must take you to Earth.’
‘How long before we reach the planet?’
‘Seventeen hours.’
‘I need to send a message to alert my superiors not to send another team through the stargate.’
Sopek glanced at T’Pau before inclining his head. ‘Very well, what frequencies are you using on your world?’
‘Doc?’ Christopher called on Cochrane.
‘The Langford Foundation uses a specific set of frequencies provided by the founder. May I have access to your subspace communications array?’
Sopek led him to a console and Cochrane tapped in the frequency command code. ‘Colonel, channel is open.’
‘This is Colonel Christopher to Langford Annex, Montana, please respond.’
‘This is General Christopher at Langford Annex, Montana, it’s good to hear from you. What is your situation?’
‘We are being escorted by refugees from another world. They are to be provided full diplomatic status upon arrival. There may well be an enemy vessel approaching in the near future.’
‘I take it you are referring to the Romulans.’
Cochrane looked surprised. ‘How do you know about them?’
‘Your Ambassador was recently murdered by one masquerading as a human being. It would appear that we’re already in a cold war. I hope your refugees can help.’
Shuttlecraft Bounty
February 12th 1990
T plus 3 days 8 hours
Solkar raised an eyebrow at the large predatory vessel in front of them as he found it not unexpected that the Romulans would not give up so easily. To his interest, he saw that Colonel Christopher was not bemoaning the current problem but instead trying for a solution to their problem, albeit one which was doomed to failure.
‘This is Colonel Sean Christopher of the Allied Border Defence Force to Romulan vessel. You are hereby ordered to withdraw from this territory. Failure to comply will result in your vessel being impounded and your crew subjected to incarceration.’
Captain Sloane and Doctor Cochrane tried not to laugh at their leader’s ploy, and both T’Pau and T’Pol raised an eyebrow. The response from the Romulan vessel was equally surprising.
‘You dare to oppose us in one of our own stolen craft?’ the Romulan captain yelled, barely containing his anger. ‘You are either very brave or very foolish. I could destroy you easily.’
Christopher smiled and Solkar decided that it could not be considered to be a pleasant image.
‘This is Captain Sloane of the Allied Border Defence Force. As the ranking officer, I order you to surrender your vessel and prepare to be boarded. You will not receive further warnings,’ she said, stepping forward.
‘Nicely done, Lily,’ Christopher whispered.
‘They are powering up their weapons,’ T’Pol said without any variation in her tone. ‘However, they do not appear to be functioning at full capacity.’
‘I noticed the damage on their hull. The Vulcans must have given them something to think about. Raise the shields and power up our own weapons.’
‘We can do little to damage that vessel,’ Solkar pointed out.
‘Perhaps not, but we can try to disable their weapons and engines, and leave them unable to pursue us to Earth.’
‘They’re firing.’
Even without maximum power, the Romulan disruptors packed a punch. Several consoles in the small shuttle went dark or exploded, sending shards of polymer flying.
‘Return fire, target their weapons.’
‘Firing now...minimal damage. Their weapons are too heavily shielded.’
Christopher looked at the ship. ‘What about those nacelles, they don’t seem to be as well protected.’
‘They’re firing again,’ Cochrane said.
‘Sloane, take over the helm. Evasive manoeuvres. Get us around to those nacelles and let loose with everything we’ve got.’
‘The freighter is backing off,’ T’Pau said. ‘I will attempt to convince them otherwise.’
Cochrane sighed. ‘You have the Kir’Shara, that should be enough of a reason for them to assist. Send them some of what you’ve translated as proof.’
T’Pau nodded. ‘A logical suggestion.’
The Bounty shuddered as the warbird got a lucky shot in.
‘Warp drive is down, impulse down to two thirds,’ T’Pol informed them.
‘Make every shot count.’
Sloane took the small shuttle on a parabolic course under and over the warbird, then fired at the port-side nacelle. The shields had clearly been weakened in that section and the shuttle’s disruptors hit the pylon directly, blasting the nacelle clean off. Almost simultaneously, the Vulcan freighter executed a similar manoeuvre and the starboard-nacelle tumbled away into the void, exploding moments later.
‘Captain Sloane to Romulan vessel, prepare to be boarded.’
‘I’m reading an energy build-up,’ T’Pol said. ‘Their warp drive is going critical.’
‘Can we escape the blast radius?’ Christopher asked Solkar.
The Vulcan shook his head slightly. ‘The engines will take too long to repair. We do not have the time.’
‘T’Pol, how long do we have?’
‘Three minutes, eleven seconds.’
‘Signal the freighter, we’re going to need a lift.’
‘The T’Plana Hath is standing by for transport.’
‘I guess we’re ready to go then.’
‘T’Pau to T’Plana Hath, energize.’
The three humans and three Vulcans felt the tingle of the transporter beam as it took them from the beleaguered shuttle onto the Vulcan freighter. The freighter jumped into warp moments before the warbird self-destructed, taking the shuttle with it.
‘Thank you for the assist,’ Christopher said to the commander of the vessel, a grey-haired austere-looking Vulcan called Sopek.
‘Take them into custody and set a course for Vulcan,’ Sopek replied.
‘I cannot allow you to do that,’ T’Pau stepped forward. ‘Vulcan is currently under attack by the Romulans. These humans have offered us safe haven while I continue the translation of the Kir’Shara.’
Sopek raised an eyebrow. ‘I did not realise the V’Shar had infiltrated the Syrrannites.’
‘What leads you to believe that I am V’Shar?’
‘Your commanding presence and the fact that expected immediate obedience from me.’
Christopher sighed, taking slight comfort in the fact that it didn’t matter what world you came from, spooks weren’t universally liked. ‘We can stay and argue, or reach Earth and safety. Away from the Romulans you can continue your translations and we can build vessels to help you fight them.’
‘Vulcans do not need assistance. It is not usually our policy to interfere in cultures who have not yet developed faster-than-light technology.’
Sloane chuckled. ‘So we have to have warp drive before you’ll talk to us officially? I see. Well, my country’s military has a program to develop warp technology and we’re not that far away from it. The Langford Foundation has been working on it for some time.’
Sopek nodded. ‘It would seem I have no choice in the matter. If the V’Shar says I must take you to Earth, then I must take you to Earth.’
‘How long before we reach the planet?’
‘Seventeen hours.’
‘I need to send a message to alert my superiors not to send another team through the stargate.’
Sopek glanced at T’Pau before inclining his head. ‘Very well, what frequencies are you using on your world?’
‘Doc?’ Christopher called on Cochrane.
‘The Langford Foundation uses a specific set of frequencies provided by the founder. May I have access to your subspace communications array?’
Sopek led him to a console and Cochrane tapped in the frequency command code. ‘Colonel, channel is open.’
‘This is Colonel Christopher to Langford Annex, Montana, please respond.’
‘This is General Christopher at Langford Annex, Montana, it’s good to hear from you. What is your situation?’
‘We are being escorted by refugees from another world. They are to be provided full diplomatic status upon arrival. There may well be an enemy vessel approaching in the near future.’
‘I take it you are referring to the Romulans.’
Cochrane looked surprised. ‘How do you know about them?’
‘Your Ambassador was recently murdered by one masquerading as a human being. It would appear that we’re already in a cold war. I hope your refugees can help.’
A great installment. The plot's developing nicely here and it's looking like Earth is going to be entering the galactic stage quite a bit earlier than expected.
You may be loving it, Mistral, but the next chapter is the last one. I may do a sequel at some stage, but I have projects piling up like latinum. I'm still working on my Dauntless series and the TNGR - Bloodfire story, and there are two (or more) MyrU stories I want to do.
But I will leave it open for more, I promise.
But I will leave it open for more, I promise.
Believe me, I haven't forgotten, but I need to do more research on that one, so it's currently taking a back seat. And in another two Dauntless stories, I'll be introducing a spin-off, so that's more work for me.
Epilogue
Langford Foundation Annex
Conference Room 4
February 16th 1990
General John Christopher strode into the conference room, followed by Colonel Shaun Christopher, Captain Sloane, Doctor Cochrane and Catherine Langford. Already present were T’Pau, T’Pol and Solkar, the other Vulcans refusing to step foot on foreign soil and remaining their ship. Christopher allowed his son and colleagues to sit down before addressing them. They looked apprehensive, and the Vulcans were inscrutable as always.
‘I have just finished speaking with President Kinsey and he has agreed to grant you diplomatic status, but for the time being you must remain within the confines of this facility and other Langford Foundation buildings.’
‘So we are prisoners?’ Solkar asked.
‘Earth is not a united world, and there is much fear and xenophobia even among different nations here. It is safer for you to stay here, where everyone is open-minded. You may be able to go to diplomatic functions in time, once President Kinsey has informed the other world leaders, but for now I ask that you follow my lead. You will have all the facilities you need to complete your work.’
‘Have you discovered the situation on Vulcan?’
Christopher turned to his son. ‘Shaun?’
‘I’ve looked over the mission report from my colleague, Colonel Jack O’Neill, and his team’s covert reconnaissance. I’m afraid to say that ShiKahr has been almost completely destroyed. There are Romulan patrols everywhere and Vulcans are being herded into ghettos or being taken off-world, we don’t know where.’
‘They are being taken to Remus,’ T’Pau said. ‘It is the co-orbiting mining world of Romulus. But we don’t know where Romulus is, no one does, except Syrran.’
‘He was blindfolded or unconscious for much of the journey there,’ Colonel Christopher replied.
‘That brings me to my next piece of information. President Kinsey isn’t happy about waiting around for the Romulans to find either of us, so he has asked that a special program be put together to find allies and hopefully the Romulan homeworld. Colonel, you and your team here will be the primary explorers.’
‘You will need assistance in navigating the hazards of the galaxy,’ T’Pol said. ‘We know of many of the races in this part of the galaxy and can help you in your endeavours.’
‘General, this is an opportunity I wouldn’t like to waste.’
‘I agree, Ambassador T’Pol, if you’re willing to join SG1?’
‘I am,’ she stated, seemingly ignoring the look she was getting from Solkar.
‘In the meantime, the Langford Foundation has agreed to share more of its classified technology with NASA in order to build a new fleet of armed shuttles. We’ll need ships to defend ourselves and this will be our first line of defence.’
‘We will not be sharing our technology with you,’ Solkar said. ‘I will be leaving aboard the T’Plana Hath to rendezvous with a number of Vulcan vessels to find a safe haven for the Vulcan High Command in exile. We will retake our homeworld from the Romulans without force.’
‘Ambassador, with all due respect, I think you will find that the Romulans will not respond to diplomacy. But by all means, do try. It will save a lot of lives.’
Solkar inclined his head and then leaned back.
‘General, how soon can we get moving on this program?’ Sloane asked.
‘The stargate and supercomputers will be moved to Area 51 which is where you’ll be operating from. I estimate your first mission will take place in approximately one month’s time. In the meantime however, I’d like your opinions on team leaders for the other SG teams.’
‘SG?’ Cochrane asked.
‘The new organisation will be known as Stargate Command, or the SGC, and your team will be Stargate 1, or SG1.’
‘I recommend Jack O’Neill and his team for SG2, as well as marine-specific and science-specific teams, who knows what we’ll find out there.’
‘I will pass your recommendations on to General Hammond, he’ll be taking over.’
‘You’re being reassigned?’ Langford asked, having been quiet till now.
He smiled. ‘I’m being promoted, Ms Langford, Commander-in-Chief of the National Space Probe Agency, officially NASA’s government oversight department.’
‘If you will excuse us,’ Solkar said and the female Vulcans followed him out of the room.
‘We’re going to have trouble with him.’
‘Keep an eye on T’Pol, I don’t completely trust her.’
‘I do,’ Christopher shot back at his father’s accusation. ‘The Vulcans assisted us in escaping the Romulans. Without them we’d all be dead. We owe it to them to trust them, and to give them a chance to trust us.’
The General nodded. ‘Fine.’ He turned to Catherine Langford. ‘I’d like you to dispose of this annex quietly. No trace must remain of its existence.’
‘That will be difficult, but I believe that I have the perfect people to take control of the facility.’
‘Gary Seven and his band of meddlers?’
‘Yes, General, unless you’d like Khan Noonien Singh to control the world?’
The old man’s face darkened. ‘Not while I still breathe. Can Gary stop him?’
‘He has done so far.’
‘Very well then, let him have the place.’
Langford nodded. ‘I’ll let him know. Captain Sloane, Doctor Cochrane, why don’t you join me.’
They both nodded and left the conference room, leaving father and son alone.
‘I thought you were dead when you didn’t check in, I had to pull a few strings to keep them from blowing this place to pieces.’
‘Next time, don’t. It’s not worth the security risk. If the Romulans come here in force, and we have to believe they will, then we need to have security contingencies in place. Make sure that the International Space Station has weapons and some kind of shielding, they’ll need it. And the laser protection system will need more funding.’
‘America doesn’t have that kind of money. If you can find new technology on your travels, then the NSPA can patent it and get the money that way.’
Shaun Christopher nodded but before he could say anything a voice squawked over the facility’s address system. ‘All personnel to launch stations, repeat, all personnel to launch stations. T’Plana Hath is taking off.’
‘In broad daylight? Cocky sons of bitches.’
Both men shared a smile as the entire facility shook. They glanced out the window as the freighter took to the skies, doubtless not to be seen again.
END
The Stargate crossover may well continue, at some point in the future, but other projects will put that on the backburner.
Langford Foundation Annex
Conference Room 4
February 16th 1990
General John Christopher strode into the conference room, followed by Colonel Shaun Christopher, Captain Sloane, Doctor Cochrane and Catherine Langford. Already present were T’Pau, T’Pol and Solkar, the other Vulcans refusing to step foot on foreign soil and remaining their ship. Christopher allowed his son and colleagues to sit down before addressing them. They looked apprehensive, and the Vulcans were inscrutable as always.
‘I have just finished speaking with President Kinsey and he has agreed to grant you diplomatic status, but for the time being you must remain within the confines of this facility and other Langford Foundation buildings.’
‘So we are prisoners?’ Solkar asked.
‘Earth is not a united world, and there is much fear and xenophobia even among different nations here. It is safer for you to stay here, where everyone is open-minded. You may be able to go to diplomatic functions in time, once President Kinsey has informed the other world leaders, but for now I ask that you follow my lead. You will have all the facilities you need to complete your work.’
‘Have you discovered the situation on Vulcan?’
Christopher turned to his son. ‘Shaun?’
‘I’ve looked over the mission report from my colleague, Colonel Jack O’Neill, and his team’s covert reconnaissance. I’m afraid to say that ShiKahr has been almost completely destroyed. There are Romulan patrols everywhere and Vulcans are being herded into ghettos or being taken off-world, we don’t know where.’
‘They are being taken to Remus,’ T’Pau said. ‘It is the co-orbiting mining world of Romulus. But we don’t know where Romulus is, no one does, except Syrran.’
‘He was blindfolded or unconscious for much of the journey there,’ Colonel Christopher replied.
‘That brings me to my next piece of information. President Kinsey isn’t happy about waiting around for the Romulans to find either of us, so he has asked that a special program be put together to find allies and hopefully the Romulan homeworld. Colonel, you and your team here will be the primary explorers.’
‘You will need assistance in navigating the hazards of the galaxy,’ T’Pol said. ‘We know of many of the races in this part of the galaxy and can help you in your endeavours.’
‘General, this is an opportunity I wouldn’t like to waste.’
‘I agree, Ambassador T’Pol, if you’re willing to join SG1?’
‘I am,’ she stated, seemingly ignoring the look she was getting from Solkar.
‘In the meantime, the Langford Foundation has agreed to share more of its classified technology with NASA in order to build a new fleet of armed shuttles. We’ll need ships to defend ourselves and this will be our first line of defence.’
‘We will not be sharing our technology with you,’ Solkar said. ‘I will be leaving aboard the T’Plana Hath to rendezvous with a number of Vulcan vessels to find a safe haven for the Vulcan High Command in exile. We will retake our homeworld from the Romulans without force.’
‘Ambassador, with all due respect, I think you will find that the Romulans will not respond to diplomacy. But by all means, do try. It will save a lot of lives.’
Solkar inclined his head and then leaned back.
‘General, how soon can we get moving on this program?’ Sloane asked.
‘The stargate and supercomputers will be moved to Area 51 which is where you’ll be operating from. I estimate your first mission will take place in approximately one month’s time. In the meantime however, I’d like your opinions on team leaders for the other SG teams.’
‘SG?’ Cochrane asked.
‘The new organisation will be known as Stargate Command, or the SGC, and your team will be Stargate 1, or SG1.’
‘I recommend Jack O’Neill and his team for SG2, as well as marine-specific and science-specific teams, who knows what we’ll find out there.’
‘I will pass your recommendations on to General Hammond, he’ll be taking over.’
‘You’re being reassigned?’ Langford asked, having been quiet till now.
He smiled. ‘I’m being promoted, Ms Langford, Commander-in-Chief of the National Space Probe Agency, officially NASA’s government oversight department.’
‘If you will excuse us,’ Solkar said and the female Vulcans followed him out of the room.
‘We’re going to have trouble with him.’
‘Keep an eye on T’Pol, I don’t completely trust her.’
‘I do,’ Christopher shot back at his father’s accusation. ‘The Vulcans assisted us in escaping the Romulans. Without them we’d all be dead. We owe it to them to trust them, and to give them a chance to trust us.’
The General nodded. ‘Fine.’ He turned to Catherine Langford. ‘I’d like you to dispose of this annex quietly. No trace must remain of its existence.’
‘That will be difficult, but I believe that I have the perfect people to take control of the facility.’
‘Gary Seven and his band of meddlers?’
‘Yes, General, unless you’d like Khan Noonien Singh to control the world?’
The old man’s face darkened. ‘Not while I still breathe. Can Gary stop him?’
‘He has done so far.’
‘Very well then, let him have the place.’
Langford nodded. ‘I’ll let him know. Captain Sloane, Doctor Cochrane, why don’t you join me.’
They both nodded and left the conference room, leaving father and son alone.
‘I thought you were dead when you didn’t check in, I had to pull a few strings to keep them from blowing this place to pieces.’
‘Next time, don’t. It’s not worth the security risk. If the Romulans come here in force, and we have to believe they will, then we need to have security contingencies in place. Make sure that the International Space Station has weapons and some kind of shielding, they’ll need it. And the laser protection system will need more funding.’
‘America doesn’t have that kind of money. If you can find new technology on your travels, then the NSPA can patent it and get the money that way.’
Shaun Christopher nodded but before he could say anything a voice squawked over the facility’s address system. ‘All personnel to launch stations, repeat, all personnel to launch stations. T’Plana Hath is taking off.’
‘In broad daylight? Cocky sons of bitches.’
Both men shared a smile as the entire facility shook. They glanced out the window as the freighter took to the skies, doubtless not to be seen again.
END
***
The Stargate crossover may well continue, at some point in the future, but other projects will put that on the backburner.
Thanks, (but I don't see any missing commas or such though I'll be glad to change it if you point them out.)
When I do the second story, I may well fill in the missing few days here.
RobertScorpio
Pariah
I hope it does continue. This has been one of my guilty pleasures here in the fanfic. I am a quasi fan of Stargate...and your story was, in tone, very good.
Rob
Rob
Thanks, I have other projects to write first, and then I will probably come back to this.
