San Francisco
Earth
Milky Way
Atop the Mark Hopkins Hotel, sitting at the peak of Nob Hill at the highest point in downtown San Francisco, sat the world famous lounge known as Top of the Mark. Though the physical makeup of Top of the Mark had changed since the rebuilding of cities following disclosure, the lounge maintained its distinctive and unique feel. Many things on Earth, and in San Francisco, had changed since that day, but atop the Mark Hopkins Hotel, martinis still flowed in great abundance.
Walking off the elevator, and into the Top of the Mark, Lieutenant Breanne Goodly took in the sights around her. On the center dance floor, happy couples danced to the tunes of the in house band. At tables surrounding the dance floor, tourists, conventioneers, and locals enjoyed a meal and drinks. Casting her gaze towards the rear bar, Goodly saw who she had traveled from Cheyenne Mountain to meet. Making her way towards the table, the man seated at the table took note of her approach, and smiled a familiar smile. As Goodly reached the table, the man rose from his seat and welcomed her.
"Breanne, you are a vision as always." The man began.
"Have you been waiting long Trevain?" Goodly asked.
"No, not at all. Are you certain no one followed you here?" Trevain asked.
"I am absolutely certain. Can you say the same?" Goodly asked in counter.
"Yes, I can. Tell me; how are things with SG-31?" Trevain asked.
"Since you and I last met, we stumbled upon a new ally in the galaxy." Goodly replied.
"This ally, are they powerful?" Trevain asked.
"That they are. These new allies are the descendents of a lost tribe, a group known in legend." Goodly answered.
"Now you have piqued my interest." Trevain quipped.
"Have you ever heard of the Ninth Legion?" Goodly inquired.
"Several years ago, I read an interesting book on the subject on a flight from Europe." Trevain replied.
"This newly discovered group of humans trace their lineage to that Legion. In many ways, they are far more advanced than this world was when we first arrived here." Goodly explained.
"Much has changed here since we arrived." Trevain stated.
Goodly's mind filled with memories of her youth, as the child of a fallen Lucian Alliance warlord. Her, and those selected to accompany her to Earth, were all children of fallen warlords. Selected for their intelligence, each child had been infiltrated onto Earth via cloaked Tel'tak. Upon arrival, these children came into the care of other deep penetration agents of the Alliance. Each child assumed the identity of a recently deceased human of Earth. Concentrating on their studies, these children grew to adulthood and more easily made their way into sensitive positions around the world. The most valuable of these was Breanne Goodly, second in command of SG-31.
"Have you passed word of this development to the Alliance?" Trevain asked.
"I have passed what I can, in drops during off world missions. As further information develops, I will pass it along. These Romans are a warrior culture, and powerful." Goodly stated.
"That is a troublesome development." Trevain added.
"What of your work? Are you any closer to the goal?" Goodly asked.
"On that front, I was victorious." Trevain said with a cruel grin.
"You found the device then?" Goodly asked with slight excitement.
"I did. After purchasing satellite photos from GeoEye, I verified that the device is indeed where my local asset said it would be. When the time is right, I will make proper use of it." Trevain explained.
"What of the local asset?" Goodly asked.
"Does it matter?" Trevain questioned.
"Not at all." Goodly replied.
"We will make our fathers proud." Trevain said firmly.
"What of the other item?" Goodly asked.
"It is in transit, but careful movement takes time. Our brothers and sisters are moving into place, but this also takes time. Our day is coming." Trevain promised.
"On that day, we will make those who brought about our fathers demise pay dearly. Then, the Alliance will finally take its rightful place." Goodly replied in a steely voice.
Looking out from their table, the two Lucian Alliance operatives took in the view of San Francisco Bay. There, lit brightly, the city ship Borealis sat. Cloaked by fog, the outline of Borealis could be seen clearly. That, both agreed, would have been a wonderful target had they the resources.
Though Earth was unaware of the building storm in their midst, they soon would be. On that day, a new and vicious chapter in history would be written. The possible ramifications from that new chapter were uncertain, but would be felt across this galaxy and others.
Human Resettlement Center
Svoriin
Milky Way Galaxy
In days long past, Svoriin had been home to Asgard resettled human refugees from Earth. As a world secure from the Goa'uld under the guises of the Protected Planets Treaty, the humans relocated to this world had thrived. Gleaming glass towers stood above a maze of canals in the handful of cities scattered across the surface of Svoriin. Later, the relocated population of refugees fell to an invasive insect plague, leaving only the cities present as testament to their presence here.
As Earth had expanded her domain amongst the stars of this galaxy and others, the insect plague once viewed as a potential weapon against the Goa'uld, had been eradicated. Repurposing Svoriin and its standing infrastructure came shortly after. Entire human populations present on former Goa'uld worlds under the control of the Free Jaffa Nation were relocated. As the program progressed, millions of refugees came to call the cities of Svoriin home. Under the tutelage and care of both the Tau'ri and Nox, these suffering people rapidly advanced in number and in knowledge. To many, Svoriin stood as a symbol of the values of Earth.
What was unknown to all except an exclusive few was that Svoriin was possessed of a secondary purpose. This secondary purpose was considered greater in some eyes. It was for this secondary purpose that Colonel Harry Maybourne and Captain Jack O'Neill were placed in overall command. At the time, it was thought that O'Neill's clone was simply placed here to balance out Maybourne, but that was not the case.
Both Maybourne and O'Neill were possessed of different, but very complimentary skill sets. As a career intelligence officer, Maybourne was an expert in the running of complex agent networks, intelligence gathering programs, and recruiting efforts. O'Neill, despite his clone status, brought to the game the training and lifetime of lessons learned of the Original Jack O'Neill in special operations, insurgent forces training, and mission planning. Working together, with teams recruited from Earth, these two men went about their publicly unspoken second directive.
In the beginning, as refugees arrived, they were under intense and unseen scrutiny. During this time, the political leanings of many were learned. From there, as the list of likely candidates grew, each was given thorough medical and psychological examinations. These examinations were given to all refugees, to ensure their good physical and mental health, and to cover the examinations of the candidates. Little Jack, Maybourne, and a review board from Earth sifted through the findings on all likely candidates. Many were rejected for a host of reasons, by many were also chosen for participation.
After board clearance for participation, the dance of seduction called recruitment began. Maybourne, as he had done many times over the course of career, wooed those in his sights. While Harry's system of doing things took time, it was nonetheless effective. Jack took an altogether different tack. Instead of seducing those in his sights over to his way of thinking, Jack instead went the direct route. Often, over several beers, Captain O'Neill managed to seal the deal in a single sitting.
Those recruited by the two men were recruited for very separate purposes. Those recruited by Colonel Maybourne were brought in to act as intelligence gatherers, support personnel, and as walking and talking soft tools. O'Neill's recruits would serve a far different, but equally important purpose. These men and women were trained in asymmetric warfare.
Training these men and women was accomplished through means familiar to both men in command. In many cases, large programs are began, with a stated purpose meant to benefit civilians on Earth. That stated purpose, while true, is often a cover for a separate goal. This was the case with the education program now used across Earth. Instead of taking years to train the candidate selectee's, they instead learned a lifetime of knowledge through a means similar to Galaran memory transfer. As the training progressed, evaluators from Earth could gauge the progress of each candidate, free of worry about the discovery of a suspicious training ground. This style of training also allowed Earth forces to build the book on those they were sending into the wild; on the off chance, these men and women one day represented a threat to Earth or her interests.
Due to the method in which refugees relocated to Svoriin were housed, the risk of overall discovery for this effort was minimized. Upon their arrival, to alleviate tensions between groups not accustomed to the ways of other groups, the refugees had been housed in districts together. This had served to keep tensions at bay, and allow for an information exchange firewall of sorts among differing refugee groups.
Upon receipt of the cryptic message from Earth that the salmon were running, Maybourne had shifted this endeavor from a simple sand table exercise, to an operational footing. Supplies and munitions that had filtered into Svoriin during each ship delivered resupply run, were now being repositioned for movement and assignment to ground teams. Stocks of munitions and supplies were given to intelligence teams, to cache at sights around the galaxy. Direct action teams were given everything they needed to perform their activities. Soft power teams, working in tandem with Special Forces teams from Earth, would through effort bring others around to the effort.
In total, eighteen hundred men and women would scatter too many worlds. Once there, they would set up their networks and wait for further instructions. Until that day came, these men and women would blend into local agrarian communities. What none of them knew was that this was merely a support structure they were building. Others from Earth would turn this structure into a tool for use against the enemies of Earth.
Standing in a closed off building on the outskirts of Svoriin's capital city, Maybourne and Captain O'Neill watched as operatives and material beamed aboard a ship in orbit. Both men knew this day would come, when they sent their students into harms way. That knowledge did little to make the sight before them any easier to accept.
"They know what to do, and how to do it Jack." Maybourne offered.
"I know Harry, but I wonder if they are ready. Up to this point, it has all been theoretical for these people." Jack replied.
"We trained them as best we could Jack, and you and I are pretty good at what we do. Now, how about you tell me what is really bothering you." Maybourne urged.
"This program was a maybe type of thing. If we are going operational, you have to wonder what is going on in the galaxy to flip this switch." Jack answered.
"You and I both know the answer to that. It is the Lucian Alliance. You, I mean the other you, is pushing hard to bring the Alliance down once and for all." Maybourne explained.
"I really hate it when I cannot agree with myself. Something is just wrong about saying that out loud." Jack relied with a frustrated laugh.
"I am sure you will tell you what exactly is going on, eventually." Maybourne offered.
"Harry, do you have to make it sound like I am talking to myself, and suffering from some type of psychological break?" Jack inquired grumpily.
"If it doesn't work out, you can always come back to my world. I will be King, and you can be my court jester." Harry laughed.
"Not enough blue jello in the galaxy for that Harry." Jack replied while walking away.
Winchester, Virginia
Earth
Milky Way Galaxy
In the time since the abduction of David Sheppard, his brother John's frame of mind had changed. The normally humorous and affable Air Force officer had retreated mentally, becoming withdrawn, irritable, and explosive. Colonel John Sheppard's drinking had also become a problem in the eyes of his friends around him. They realized it far better than John Sheppard, that the drinking was simply a crutch. Instead of that crutch propping him up, it was working in reverse to hold him down far more than he could do alone.
Though the Colonel drank as a means of escape, he also drank to help him sleep. Becoming a vicious cycle, Sheppard began drinking more to sleep, but slept less because of the drinking. As he slipped further down the rabbit hole, his mood, state of mind, and rationality slipped further. Tragically, on a certain level, Colonel Sheppard was fully aware of just how damaging the drinking had become. These thoughts he instead pushed from the forefront of his mind.
Having gone to bed several hours earlier, Colonel John Sheppard tossed and turned. At the start of this attempt to rest, the tossing and turning was due to his difficulty sleeping. Finally though, sleep came. Now, his tossing and turning came from a dream. Due to this dream, Sheppard was soaked in sweat, and mumbling softly. His subconscious was taking him somewhere, but he was not sure the end destination.
Looking around, Sheppard took in the sights surrounding him. Trees, it was always trees. Did he not see enough trees in the universe? The last thing he wanted was to see them in his dreams. Squinting his eyes, little detail beyond the nearest trees came into view. Above the treetops, the sky was dark and stormy. Towering dark clouds looked down on him. Deciding to see where the dream took him, Sheppard began to walk deeper into the forest unfolding before him.
For what seemed like hours, he walked. Continually looking over his shoulder, Sheppard could not quite shake the feeling he was being followed. That feeling was highly unsettling to the career military man. His unsettled feeling reached a crescendo the moment he heard the sounds of movement behind him. Jerking around quickly, Sheppard can see a shadowy figure standing twenty feet away between to thick pine trees. For seconds that feel like minutes, the two figures stare at one another. As Sheppard took a step towards the shadowy figure, the figure broke into a run. The fight or flight instinct taking over, Sheppard charged after the rapidly retreating figure.
Sprinting through the wilderness, the Colonel chased after his prey. Aware on a certain level that he is dreaming, Sheppard cannot help but wonder why his lungs are burning. Looking down at his feet, he marvels at how fast they appear to be moving. Bringing his gaze back to the figure he was pursuing, a moment of panic strikes Sheppard as he realizes the figure has vanished. Coming to a stop, Sheppard looks around frantically. The figure was just in front of him! Where did the figure go? Before that answer can he found, strong hands clamp down on Sheppard's shoulders from behind. Shoving him forward, while spinning him around, Sheppard crashes into a nearby tree.
Filling Sheppard's eyes is a horrifying sight. Standing there, pinning him against the tree is Colonel John Sheppard. The more John fights, the more the other John restrains him. Every move John tries to bring about his escape is foiled. It is almost as if the Sheppard standing before him can intuit his every move. On a certain level that made sense, as he was fighting himself, or rather, aspects of himself.
"I can do this as long as you keep fighting. You will not be winning a fistfight against yourself. Not that you would want to anyway." Faux John says lightheartedly.
"Who are you?" Sheppard demands furiously.
"If you haven't figured that out yet, this conversation may be a total waste of time." Faux John replied.
"Are you saying you are me?" Sheppard asked.
"For that answer, you get a cookie." Faux John said with a laugh.
"Ok, yeah, that is something I would say." Sheppard replied, relaxing as he did.
"I am going to let go of you now. Don't do something dumb, like try to run." Faux John ordered.
"If this is a dream, it isn't like I could run very far anyway." Sheppard admitted.
"Good point! Try to remember that. John, we need to have a big kid talk." Faux John prompted.
"About what exactly?" Sheppard asked warily.
"You, well, us I suppose. Do you realize what you have done?" Faux John asked.
"I haven't done anything!" Sheppard argued.
"You can lie to people, but don't lie to yourself. Lying to yourself makes you crazy, and I like to believe we are far from crazy. A little misguided, maybe. You have crossed a threshold with what you are doing. Hey, I know, you want your brother back, but this is not the way to do it." Faux John lectured.
"Don't tell me how not to do this! No one else will lift a finger to get my brother back! I am doing what needs to be done!" Sheppard raged.
"At what price? Look at what you are becoming. I like to think we are a good man. A man with faults sure, but a good man. I am going to level with you, ok? You are drinking too much, and falling apart emotionally. You tortured a man! Are you an officer and gentleman, or are you a tyrant no better than the people who took David?" Faux John asked.
"I am nothing like the men that took David! I am going to get David back, and make all of them pay! They have never met anything like me before." Sheppard vowed angrily.
"You want to do this the hard way? Fine by me. Just remember, you can't win against your subconscious." Faux John warned.
Seconds later, Sheppard awoke with a start. Looking around his bedroom quickly, he ran his hands over his face and chest. Yes, he was awake. Sweat ran down his brow, and coated his arms. Shifting off his bed, Colonel Sheppard put his feet on the wooden paneled floor below. Casting his gaze towards the desk in the corner of the bedroom, John eyed the bourbon bottle sitting there calling his name. In the back of his mind, he could here his own voice demanding that he not take another drink. This thought was quickly pushed aside.
Making his way on unsteady legs to the desk, John uncorked his bottle of bourbon. Grabbing the coffee cup he drank from often, he poured himself a generous amount of the strong libation. Looking at the bourbon in the cup, he could almost here his subconscious laughing at him. Lifting the cup to his mouth, Sheppard gulped the drink down quickly. Setting the coffee cup back n the desk, he eyed the bottle within arms reach.
As he eyed the bourbon bottle, a hand came down on his. It was a feminine hand. Turning his head, he did not know who to expect standing behind him.
"I think you have had enough tonight." A melodic and familiar feminine voice stated.
Turning around fully, Sheppard saw just who's voice it was. Standing before him, looking as beautiful as he remembered, was Chaya Sar. Sheppard thought of her often, but often doubted that she did the same of him. Looking in his eyes, Chaya ran her fingertips over his cheekbones. Her eyes filled with emotion as she saw the pain he was clearly feeling.
"You must take better care of yourself John." Chaya suggested.
"Everybody keeps saying that." Sheppard chuckled sadly.
"Perhaps it is time you listen to that advice." Chaya suggested.
"I am fine. Nothing to worry about here, at all." Sheppard said sarcastically.
"I know why you are doing this." Chaya explained.
"Then you also know that I need help." Sheppard countered.
"Yes, I am aware of that as well." Chaya replied.
"Will you help me?" Sheppard almost begged.
"I cannot John. I wish it was not so, but I cannot interfere in this matter." Chaya said sorrowfully.
"You are an ascended being. Did I miss the memo, and the Ancient's have decided to ignore us again?" Sheppard asked in disgust.
"Nothing is as simple as you think. When this tragedy began, I attempted to come to your aide, but I was prevented from doing so. I have been forbidden to help you in this matter." Chaya explained.
Tears ran down Sheppard's face, as his knees began to buckle. Slowly, he crumpled to the floor, coming to rest on his knees. Chaya, kneeling beside him, clutched him closely as he sobbed. Looking towards the ceiling, she cursed the others who had forbidden her to help this man, to help the man she loved.
"John, I need you to listen closely. You are on the correct path to bring your brother home. This is much bigger than you know. When the time comes, when you truly need my help, I will be there at your side. Even if it costs me exile, I will be there." Chaya vowed.
"I may have to go into exile with you at the rate I am going." Sheppard said in between tear choked gasps.
"When that time comes, we will be together. I promise you that." Chaya said soothingly.
Tollana
Milky Way Galaxy
Tollana was a world wrecked by conflict. Since the recovery effort of Tollan survivors by Earth, small scale salvage missions had scoured the many destroyed Tollan settlements. This was done not to increase technology holdings of Earth, but instead to recover items needed by the Tollan to rebuild the many facets of their civilization. During these joint Tau'ri/Tollan missions, those Tollan's present were overcome with heartbreak at the sight of their world in ruin.
That emotional wound would begin to heal today, setting right a wrong committed years ago. In orbit around Tollana sat three vessels. USS Oriskany and USS Essex, both of the Athena Class, were present, fresh from their recent overhaul. Their presence here was twofold. First, they would deliver not one, but two devices that would return Tollana to its state of natural beauty before its devastation. Once that was complete, Oriskany and Essex would make use of their newly added matter stream construction modules; building infrastructure required for a Tollan return.
Also in orbit was a vessel far different from the other two present. USS Carl Sagan, of the Copernicus Class of science vessels, stood proudly above the wrecked ecosystem of the world below. With her, Sagan carried High Chancellor Narim and a delegation of Tollan scientific minds. From their vantage point aboard Sagan, making use of her powerful sensors, this delegation would watch the process of terraforming Tollana unfold. During the days of Travell's reign as High Chancellor, the spirit of teamwork seen in those of the Tau'ri and Tollan present today, would have been unthinkable, likely impossible. In the days following High Chancellor Narim's rise to power, the Tollan people not only worked hand in hand with their Tau'ri counterparts, but also had members present among the ranks of the Destiny Expedition. Times had changed greatly in a relatively short period.
Within the confines of Sagan's largest sensor theater, a collection of Tollan and Tau'ri scientific minds gathered. Sitting at a multitude of workstations, men and women glanced from their holographic display screens to the large repurposed countdown clock above the theaters doorway. Barely contained excitement rippled through each Tollan aboard Sagan. In scant moments, those Tollan's present would witness an act many had once scarcely believed possible; the rebirth of Tollana. Off to the side of the theater, former astronaut Randal Jacoby, Sagan's commander, began speaking with High Chancellor Narim.
"How are you feeling Chancellor?" Jacoby asked lightly.
"Like my people, I can hardly contain my excitement. This day has been a long time coming for my people. We owe Earth more than we can ever repay." Narim replied sincerely.
"It is all part of being a good ally. Speaking of allies, I hear that your people have become close with our friends from Alba Longa." Jacoby said.
"Our two peoples have grown close since their introduction and induction to the United Worlds. Though they are the lost children of Earth, they have much in common with the Tollan. They have graciously offered to maintain a protective presence on Tollana moving forward. With the assistance of so many allied races and worlds, Tollana will never again fall." Narim stated.
"That is our hope. Earth and our allies want nothing more than to see the Tollan people reclaim their place in this galaxy. Together, all of our worlds will progress working in tandem." Jacoby replied.
"When will the process on Tollana begin?" Narim asked excitedly.
"Any moment now. You and your people are in for a show." Jacoby hinted.
"A show?" Narim asked in confusion.
"It is a figure of speech. You are going to see something few have seen before over the next three days. Then, it turns into a construction matter." Jacoby explained.
Onboard Oriskany and Essex, the show had already begun. Over the previous hour, the exogenesis device had been undergone diagnostic testing aboard Oriskany. Onboard Essex, a similar device had undergone the same. In the case of the device aboard Essex, it was a device identical in construction to the exogenesis device. Its purpose was very different though. While the exogenesis device had been developed by the Ancients to terraform worlds for habitation, it was a process that only required a single device. Having taken measurements of critical materials within the crust of Tollana, the Tau'ri had approached the Ancient's to ascertain if the exogenesis device could be used to boost the amount of vital elements present within a planets crust. This question was one the Ancients had never considered, but after much thought and discussion, come to a consensus that the device could indeed bring about this outcome. For that reason, two devices were present for today's evolution.
Information streamed between the three vessels in orbit. Sensor data was checked and rechecked. In anticipation of Tollan apprehension at what they were about to see, those aboard Sagan were reminded of the exact series of events for the first phase of this event. To help their understanding, a video animation file played, showing them a digital representation of what would happen, and why. Narim, wanting a better view of the opening stages of the process to come, made his way to Sagan's observation deck. Standing there, leaning over the large picture window's rails, he fixed his eyes on the location where the process would begin. Casting his gaze towards Essex and Oriskany in the distance, he watched as the two Athena Class vessels altered their orientation. In less than a minute, both large and imposing craft angled their noses towards the large continent beneath them.
Incredible amounts of power began to channel into the Grodin aboard Essex. Normally a relatively low power weapon, for its purpose today it was being purposely overpowered. Data logs of the weapons performance in a greatly overpowered state would later be evaluated on Earth, for possible use in the future. Power, flowing through conduits in great amounts, channeled into the fearsome energy weapon. At the weapons discharge point, an ethereal green glow could be seen. As the glow intensified, Essex unleashed a torrent of energy in one ferocious moment. From the discharge point, a green beam of destructive energy lanced towards Tollana's surface. Passing through the atmosphere, air rippled and roiled as the beam charged onwards.
Impacting the rocky and scared surface of a tectonic fault line, lethal green energy pulverized rock and soil. Lancing through Tollana's surface, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock atomized along the beams path. At a distance of seven miles beneath the planets surface, the beams travel stopped. In the beams wake, a shaft ran from surface to subsurface. Before the shafts red hot surfaces could begin to cool, tremors ran through the two opposing tectonic plates.
As pressure released throughout the fault line, Tollana was wracked with an earthquake of unimaginable proportions. Seeing this on their onboard sensors, the crew of Essex let loose their modified exogenesis device. Making use of the systems found in an Ancient drone weapon, the exogenesis device glowed a golden hue. Racing away from the port side fighter bay of Essex, the exogenesis device sliced through Tollana's atmosphere. As it did, volcanoes near the Grodin strike site erupted. Ignoring this, the exogenesis device continued downward. Sensing the path cut for it, the device charged into the planets crust. At a depth of three miles beneath the surface, the device detonated.
Waves of energy raced through Tollana's crust. As this wave rippled through the planets subsurface realm, trillions of nanites spewed into every nook and crack of the crust. Half of these nanites began to transform rock into elements critical to Tollan technology. The other half of these nanites used material in their path to create further nanites. In this way, the mineral wealth of Tollana grew by orders of magnitude. When complete, the remaining nanites present in the crust would sacrifice themselves, creating further mineral wealth.
From Oriskany, the second exogenesis device launched. Racing towards Tollana's surface, as its companion device had a moment before, the device sliced through the planets atmosphere. At an altitude of forty thousand feet above the planets surface, the device detonated. From within the device, trillions of nanites streamed into the wind currents high above Tollana's surface. As they descended, many of these nanites would latch onto ash spewing in the atmosphere, from volcanoes below. Making use of the carbon in this ash, further nanites would be constructed. As the descending thick cloud of nanites came into contact with the planets surface, all organic and inorganic matter encountered would be torn into base elements. These base elements would be further transformed into trees, water, grass, and many other pieces of a complex ecosystem.
Onboard Sagan, cheering erupted from many, while several Tollan's broke into tears. For those crying, this was a day never imagined as reality. Those in tears found themselves embraced in fierce hugs by Tollan and Tau'ri alike. For this brief moment, the peoples of two civilizations put everything aside, and stood as one. Here and now they were not Tau'ri and Tollan, they were simply human.
Over the next seventy two hours, the terraforming process would run its course as it once had on New Heliopolis. When complete, the truly exciting part would begin. A new capital for the Tollan people would be built. Making use of matter stream construction, this process would not take months or years, but instead days. Once again, the Tollan would stand among other powerful civilizations scattered across the Milky Way galaxy.