A Tau'ri from your world

Posted on Tue Feb 19th, 2019 @ 1:17am by Brigadier General Nathan Wolf & Major Jacob Asher & Civillian Dr. Jessica Andrews
Edited on on Tue Feb 19th, 2019 @ 1:18am

Mission: A Brand New Day
Location: Planet Orithius (PCS-211)

Jessica began to pace once again while she waited to speak to the Orithian Council.

*Jessica, you're making me nervous.*

'What if I say the wrong things?'

*You won't, because I trust you to represent the Tok'Ra in all things.*

Jessica collected herself before entering the council chambers to deliver the bad news.

--

When the SG team exited the stargate, they could see that the gate itself was in something of a spaceport with a customs officer. The officer spoke. "Welcome to Orithius. We welcome all who come to our world. Is your visit business or pleasure?"

"Seriously?" Mantelli said.

"Zip it, Tony," Hassan said.

"I'm Major Jacob Asher of the United States Air Force, Stargate Command," Jake said. "Which probably doesn't mean anything to you, but there it is. To my left are Master Sergeant Jamal Hassan and Staff Sergeant Rhiannon O'Connor. Big Mouth on my right is Technical Sergeant Tony Mantelli. Our visit is business. We're looking for someone."

"And who are you looking for." The Custom's officer noted curiously as he began to stamp visitor visas.

"Supposedly there's someone here, one of us, a...what do you call us?" Jake asked. "Oh yeah, a 'Tauri'. Do you know anything about that?"

"A Tauri you say??" The Custom's agent looked at a filing cabinet of visitors. "We've had two Latherions, One Dovac Delegation on its way to meet with the council. And a rather mouthy young Tok'Ra woman who demanded to speak with the council. We don't get Tok'Ra very often."

"What's a...Toke Rah?" Mantelli asked. He looked over at Jake. "Sorry to interrupt."

"No problem, Tony," Jake said. "I was about to ask the same thing."

"The Tok'Ra are an offshoot of the Goa'uld. In fact they hate even being compared to the Goa'uld. Jessica Andrews, Host of Salara." He noted. "She's the only one who matches your description Colonel. Red hair, Twenties, and in need of a filter on her mouth. She called me a.... What was that phrase... 'a muppet.'" The Customs agent noted. "Must be a term from her planet, anyway. Enjoy yourself on Orithius, Don't cause trouble for pity's sake."

"So...Jessica Andrews?" Rhiannon said. "Just a wild guess, but I'd say that's who we're looking for."

"I tend to agree with you Sergeant," Jake said. Rhiannon O'Connor enlisted in the Air Force back in 2014. She was one of the first women to complete the two year Pararescue pipeline. In the three years that followed, Ree had so impressed her commanding officers that she was promoted to Staff Sergeant and assigned to the SGC. Jake had been so impressed with her that he'd immediately selected her for SG-1. "Okay, so, our very polite if equally officious friend said this Jessica Andrews demanded to speak with the council. I'm assuming that if we find the council, we find her. Let's move out. Stay frosty, but try not to look overly threatening."

Mantelli looked like he was going to say something, possibly even complain, but Hassan glared at him and that shut him up. Hassan, Mantelli, and Jake all knew each other from 24th Special Tactics Squadron, the US Air Force's contribution to the Joint Special Operations Command, where they served along side Navy DEVGRU (AKA SEAL Team Six), Army Delta, and Army Rangers, in particular the Regimental Reconnaissance Company. So there was history. Mantelli's mouth frequently got ahead of his brain and it became so regular a thing for Jamal to shut him up that now all Jamal had to do was look at Tony and most of the time, Tony would just shut his trap.

The group made their way through...port of entry or whatever it was until they found what actually looked like an information kiosk. There was a woman behind the desk. Jake walked up to her as though four heavily armed people in military uniforms arriving through the gate was a regular appearance.

"Hi," he said, his tone friendly. "We're not from around here, as you may have guessed. We're meeting someone. I was told she...uh...demanded to speak to the council, so I figure she's wherever the council is located. Could you tell me where that is? It's really important that we find this person."

The Receptionist spoke. "Oh yeah, her." She noted. "Normally we wouldn't let them in, but she had diplomatic clearance from the Tok'Ra Council. I assume you have clearance to petition the Orithious Council?"

"I don't think you understand," Jake said evenly, his tone still friendly. "We don't want to petition your council. We're just trying to meet up with Jessica Andrews."

At that moment, the doors to the Council Chambers opened and a flustered young red-headed woman exited. She noticed the SGC Team in front of her. "I'll tell you now, you do not want to waste your time with them. They are useless. Narrow minds, with narrow thinking. You tell them the Goa'uld are waging war, and they do not think about the chains that could be on their person. Instead their only concern is the coins in their.... Hmmm... The SGC... Unexpected..." Jessica noticed the symbol on their uniforms.

"It seems our information was wrong, we thought you sealed the Earth Stargate. What are you doing here?" Jessica retrieved her pack and her staff.

"I'm Major Jake Asher, Doctor Adams," Jake said. "These folks are Master Sergeant Jamal Hassan, Technical Sergeant Tony Mantelli, and Staff Sergeant Rhiannon O'Connor, our medic. Clearly, Doctor Adams, we've unsealed the gate and reactivated the Stargate Program. We've been told about the uprising against Gou'ald, and the person we heard about it from, mentioned you might be here. General McAlister thought you'd be a good resource, that you'd have valuable intelligence that would help us in our efforts to support this uprising. So, here we are, come to bring you home."

"Home..." Jessica noted with a sad look. "It's been about five years since I last saw Earth. I so want to return home, but I cannot stay home, not with what I know now. Walk with me." She gestured. "Yes I do miss Earth terribly, but even though I do want to go home, it would be selfish of me to leave all these people to fight them alone. Maybe I might have been able to go home if I never knew the terrors that the people of this galaxy face, Major Asher. Maybe if I had the comfort of sealing my memories away, like how you sealed your stargate, I might have found comfort in such ignorance." She noted. "Before we speak more, introductions are in order. I am Jessica Andrews of Salara."

"I already introduced myself and my team," Jake said. "We'd like to get back to the SGC as soon as possible. Is there something we can help you wrap up here?"

*Trust them for the time being.*

'And if they turn out to be the people who were following me before I lead the expedition to Antarctica?'

*These do not seem to be those kind of people.*

'They are human military Salara. They have to follow the orders of the President.'

*Even so, We came to find allies against the Goa'uld and allies we have found. They deserve to know what is coming.*

'Alright.'

Jessica looked like she was having an unspoken conversation. Her hands were gesturing and everything.

"Are you alright, Doctor?" Jake asked, a little bewildered. Maybe the good doctor had gone barking mad during her exile.

Mantelli and Hassan looked at each other in a way that said they were wondering the same thing. O'Connor, on the other hand, went over and gently placed her hand on the doctor's arm. "Ma'am? Are you okay?"

"I was speaking with Salara." She noted. "She's telling me to trust you for the time being, but understand; my departure from Earth five years ago was not without incident. We will speak more at the SGC where the walls do not have ears. The Orithians concept of free market economy extends to the point that they'd sell entire conversations, and we have already said too much."

"Okay," Jake said. "Let's go. Just remember, nobody in the US military, or the US Air Force in particular, has seen an alien or been to another planet in about twenty years, until about three days ago. So you showing up with a snake in your head is going to make some people nervous. Just want you to be prepared if you get some less than friendly reactions at first. Hassan, Mantelli, O'Connor, keep your eyes and ears open. I don't want to start any trouble, but we are leaving and we're taking the good doctor with us, regardless of any plans the locals might have."

"Copy that," Hassan said. He turned to the other two sergeants on the team. "You heard the man! Let's move." Ree and Tony immediately took up positions from which they could defend the doctor as they escorted her back to the gate.

Jessica winced at Jake for a moment. "Salara is not a Goa'uld!" She said forcibly until a voice within calmed her. "But we have bigger problems than our differences, Major. I'll explain on the way to the Stargate."

She began to walk to the gate. "Yes... The Tau'ri have inspired the galaxy to take up arms against the system lords, but your enemies have had time to regroup and grow stronger. For every planet that shakes off the yoke of Goa'uld oppression, another succumbs to it. I'm afraid sealing your gate will not keep Earth safe this time. This time you are indeed at war." She noted as they neared the customs desk.

"Ahh Ms. Andrews. Did you enjoy your time on Orithius." The customs officer smiled.

"No, your people are still backwards fools." Jessica stated tactlessly.

"Have a nice day, please come to Orithius again." The customs officer sarcastically shrugged her off.

Jake chuckled. "Doctor, I like you already. Just do me a favor, please. If we're going to be working together, try, whenever possible not to start trouble that we are going to have to shoot our way out of. Mantelli, dial the gate."

"Copy that," Mantelli said. He dialed the Earth gate and when the gate wheel was done spinning and had locked on Earth's gate, the really impressive wormhole effect occurred. The dialing device was a safe distance from the gate, but it was directly in front of it. Mantelli wasn't used to the effect that happened every time a gate opened a wormhole, so he instinctively flinched. He relaxed when he realized that he hadn't been vaporized.

Hassan pulled out his transmitter (every member of the team had one) and sent the signal to the SGC to advise that friendlies were coming in. He received the response code a moment later.

"Iris should be open, Major," he said. "Or else it's not, and we're going make impressive chunky salsa stains on the back of it when we hit it."

O'Connor looked vaguely ill and that made Jake smile. "Okay everyone, let's go home. I'll bring up the rear."

Hassan nodded and went through the gate, followed my Mantelli and O'Connor.

"Your turn, Doctor," Jake said. "Ready to come home?"

"I've been waiting for a Hershey's bar, a Cup of Starbucks coffee, a pizza, wine, and many other things for five years Major." She briskly walked into the wormhole.

Jake chuckled, took one last look around, and stepped through the wormhole...and found Colonel Nathan Wolf, the SGC's Chief of Staff, waiting for him. In front of him were an even dozen Air Force SFs (Security Forces) pointing everything from M-4s to SAWs to a couple of turret mounted .50 caliber machine guns in his direction. Jake grinned.

"I come in peace," he said. "Take me to your leader."

"Stand down," Nathan said to the SFs. "Welcome back, Major. I take it this young lady is Doctor Andrews?"

"She matches her photo," Jake said. "And she fits the description, so I hope she is who she says she is."

Nathan nodded. "Alright, Jake. You and your team can stand down. We'll meet in the conference room in one hour and debrief Doctor Andrews. Doctor, my name is Colonel Nathan Wolf. I'm the SGC's Chief of Staff. When I speak, you can assume that Major General McAlister, the CO of the SGC, is speaking. Until we know more about you, I'm going to assign two SFs to you as escorts. Nothing personal, just a precaution. They'll take you to guest quarters we've set up in anticipation of your arrival. We're pretty bare bones here, so it's not fancy, but it is comfortable, clean, and safe. If you'd like something to eat, the SFs can escort you to the DFAC (dinning facility). If there are no other questions, I'll see everyone in an hour."

"Yes, sir," Jake said. He led his team to the armory to turn in their long arms, after which they'd head for their quarters to take off their field gear. They'd all taken to carrying pistols when on base, in case something got through the gate. The Army was still transitioning to the Sig Sauer P320 in 9mm, and the Air Force still mostly used Beretta M9s. Which is the pistol the the Security Forces Squadron assigned to the SGC were using. But all the services' Special Operations units had been using Glock 19s for the last five years or so, so that's what SG-1 was carrying.