Star Trek - Series Fan Fiction / Stargate: Atlantis Fan Fiction / Stargate SG1 Fan Fiction ❯ Timeline ❯ Part 1: ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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Date: 141108, 241108

DISCLAIMER: All Star Trek and Stargate concepts and characters belong to their respective owners and publishers.

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In a desperate Stargate timeline, an elite team of assassins is sent back to the past with one goal ... Terminate Anubis. The repercussions from Anubis's death, however, are far greater than any of them could have ever imagined ... SG/ST crossover

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Time ... The one single immutable constant in all of existence ... It is all pervasive and we know it only from its three faces:- the past, present and the future. We are guided by it. We are influenced by it. We can try to change it but we can never escape it ...

T I M E L I N E

Part 1:

Date : ... Unknown

Location : ... Kheb

A lone hooded figure in a large black robe, clutching a black staff exited a Teltak cargo ship. Immediately, the quiet crowd of two hundred people dropped to their knees in supplication.

"Dra'Kh Gnas Tae' Dej Oma Desala?" growled the figure impatiently.

Translated: "So it is confirmed that this is the location of the famed Oma Desala?"

"T'ruk' v'aney k'Lok. K'lanek no'run do?" A Jaffa with his head bowed to the ground answered.

Translated: "Yes, mighty master. What are thy commands?"

"O'ano me'nak tari'lan!" the voice commanded.

Translated: "Take me to her!"

"G'jek t'ruk k'Lok. K'jek' K'Lanek Anubis!"

Translated: "As my master commands. Make way for Lord Anubis!"

As he took stock of the crowd of loathsome slaves around him, his mind could not help but retreat into the distant past. And with it, came memories of a long forgotten time ... a time when he was feared and renowned throughout the galaxy ... a time when he was attended to by numerous slaves and priests ... a time when hordes of Jaffa lived or perished at his slightest wish. A time where his every whim was catered to and his every fancy, indulged. Now, all these were gone, his status reduced to nothing more than a pale shadow of its former self ... and his once mighty name, an object of scorn and loathing among the System Lords. All these, thanks to the machinations of his rivals on the High Council and the traitors within his ranks.

Years, decades and even centuries may have gone by since his banishment by the System Lords led by Ra but true to his nature, Anubis had not forgotten them, much less forgiven them. Forgiveness was a concept completely unheard of among the Goauld. As a whole, they gave no mercy and expected none in return.

He had little choice then but to grovel (much as he hated it) before the judgement of the High Council for to do so otherwise was to court death. In all things that mattered to the System Lords, their decision was binding and their sentence, non-negotiable. Since ancient times, the Goauld way of settling things remained very simple :- accept the given terms without question or ... face complete and utter annihilation. The High Council never bluffed when it came to matters like this. Wisely (Anubis reminded himself), he had chosen exile. The only thing that had surprised him at the trial somewhat was the fact that they had chosen to spare his life then.

Now, that was unexpected.

Still, after his near death experience at the hands of an assassin that they had sent to kill him later, he knew that he should have known better than to expect any mercy from his fellow compatriots at face value. That had been a good attempt too, Anubis grudgingly admitted to himself for the assassin had nearly succeeded in blowing him up, subsequently ending his life.

Nonetheless, his memories of that incident continued to make him seethe whenever he thought about it. Just fancy that, Anubis, the so-called 'Lord of the Underworld' having to bow to the wishes of another. He swore to make them pay heavily for their humiliation when he had the chance, in particular Ra, Sokar and Lord Yu, the three System Lords that had caused his downfall.

But as of now, he could only watch the proceedings regarding his fate in silence . Their decision was painful but not unexpected to the former System Lord who was once the mightiest of the System Lords after Ra. They had stripped him of all his titles, holdings, servants and slaves. Just about everything ... except for a few guards and one Teltak cargo ship. With that done, the High Council had given him one last command :- that he was to leave and never return to Goauld space on pain of death.

Oh ... How the High and Mighty hath fallen!

Still, the former System Lord who had fallen from grace, had one last trick up his sleeve. Before his exile, he had been delving deep into the archaic knowledge of the Gate Builders ... studying the Gates and whatever piece of equipment that they had left behind to gain an edge over his fellow System Lords ... And now that he had been stripped of everything ... he had all the time in the universe ... to pursue their knowledge. One thing, however, stood out in his mind from all the information he could glean from them. Their manner of departure ... to a higher plane of existence ... the ancient records held. The claim both mystified and intrigued him at the same time for that was where, he suspected the secrets to ultimate power and knowledge lay.

Ascension.

The path to which the all the mythological Gate Builders had taken, the fallen System Lord deduced.

By himself, he did not know how it was done but he suspected the last of the Gate Builders, this Oma Desala, had the information. Driven by desperation and vengeance, he had hunted down every single clue as to her possible location but all of them had proven to be false leads or red herrings so far until ... by a stroke of luck ... his last lead had taken him to this backwater planet called ... Kheb. This was his last hope ... his final chance to return regain his former glory that the other System Lords had taken from him.

Only power and glory awaited him on this path ... and then finally vengeance ... on those that had dared to take away his rightful inheritance.

Now he stood at the brink of destiny ... the threshold to eternity ... The former System Lord took care to remember everything that was happening around him. After all, he did not want to forget what he believed was going to be a part of the most significant part of his life. His eyes meticulously studied the pitiful crowd before him and the surroundings. All around him the 'slaves' stepped back with their heads bowed to the ground until there was a path large enough for him to pass. Heavily armed guards took their position around the exiled System Lord. None dared look into his hooded face.

Confidently, Anubis took a step forward. Nothing could stop him now. Unknown to the fallen System Lord, however, fate had other plans in store for him.

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About one mile away, the events taking place were being observed through the zoom lens of a high-powered sniper rifle. The rifle was large but well-camouflaged against the background of the desert terrain like its user who fingered the trigger calmly. The wielder of the weapon had been watching his target patiently for some time ... seeking the best time to fire. His companions who were dressed in a similar manner were also watching their respective targets in silence.

Finally the silence around them was broken by the following words.

"Target acquired. Prepare for termination ..." the sniper whispered.

"We're with you," came the soft but clear reply.

There was a soft click and a sizzling burst of energy rippled through the air, hitting the hooded robed figure dead center.

B O O M !

The sound of an ear-splitting explosion broke the silence followed by a second ... then a third. A fiery inferno engulfed the figure and those closest to it. Dust and smoke particles filled the air. For one moment, there was no movement from any of the guards or people as they lay stunned by the event that had just taken place. Then, one of the guards broke out of his shock and move towards the epicenter of the blast.

He stood stunned as though not believing what he was seeing. The flames of the explosion had consumed everything except for a scorched mark on the ground that trailed smoke into the sky.

"K'Lanek Anubis ma'yek! K'Lanek Anubis ma'yek!" he screamed in disbelief.

Translated: Lord Anubis is dead! Lord Anubis is dead!

Pandemonium broke out. Chaos ensued as the wounded screamed in fear and panic and the armed guards in rage and disbelief.

"No'gak! No'gak! K'Lanek Anubis no Fa'dak! S'arek no Vortek!" a wounded guard shouted.

Translated: Impossible! Impossible! Lord Anubis is a god! He cannot die!

Shock settled through the hearts and minds of all those present as they came face to face with the unthinkable. Their seemingly invincible master slain while in full view of them. What was worse, slain in such a manner that not even a piece of his 'resting' body remained. Thus he could no longer be 'awakened' with a sacrophagus.

"M'jek v'Dek T'trot'ek! W'rek C'deo'K!" another wounded guard shouted.

Translated: Find his attacker! We will avenge our 'resting' Master!

The survivors of the attack got to their feet, looking around wildly for the unknown assailants.

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Not faraway ... in another place ...

The perpetrators of the deed were busy examining their handiwork.

"We had better go. The guards are getting antsy," the masked sniper spoke as he folded his single-barrelled weapon into a more compact and portable form.

"I agree," another masked figure spoke while studying the chaotic scene through a pair of binoculars.

Quickly, the group of four camouflaged figures got to their feet and made their way stealthily across the desert to an underground cavern.

There, another group of four heavily-armed masked men in camouflage awaited them.

"Status report!" barked one man who seemed to be the leader of the group.

"Target has been eliminated! Mission is a success!" came the triumphant reply.

"The recording?" the masked leader in camouflage gear ordered.

The sniper removed the targeting device attached to the sniper rifle and handed it to a waiting hand.

The leader turned a knob on the device and a holographic projection of the event appeared before them in the darkness of the cavern.

"Excellent! You have done well. Anubis is history!"

"Anubis is history!" the words began to resonate from the man's mouth taking the form of an echo.

"ANUBIS IS HISTORY!" the words echoed grew louder until it reached a deafening crescendo.

"A N U B I S ... I S ... H I S T O R Y ! ! !"

The words reverberated back and forth inside the cavern, shaking the place to its very foundations ...

... before spreading outwards like a ripple ...

... when suddenly, without warning ...

... the sound of a blazing alarm burst out, drowning out the echoes reverberating in the cavern.

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A hand thumped down upon the alarm clock and a pair of eyes opened. A man stirred to wakefulness and picked the alarm clock up.

"Six o'clock already? I swear that this clock is trying to kill me," went the familiar voice of Colonel Jack O'Neill, a blonde middle-aged man, veteran of countless battles and visitor to many worlds.

With a huff, he got up from bed and went through his daily routine. First, a bath ... and then breakfast ... before putting on his uniform that distinguished him as a member of the US Army. All too soon, he had finished his breakfast and picked up the car keys and papers from their usual places.

Taking a glance at the words on the paper, he read the headlines on The New York Times.

'World leaders fear global economic meltdown. Geneva, Switzerland. In the light of the looming global financial crisis, world leaders from all four corners of the globe met today in Geneva to address the precarious situation of the world economy ...'

The Colonel was about to read further when his eyes caught sight of something else on the same page.

'UN condemns Anglo-Dutch treaty with South Africa. Today the UN condemned both the British and Dutch governments for breaking ranks with the rest of the civilised world and opening trade and ties with the much reviled apartheid regime in South Africa. When asked about it, the British Prime Minister refused to comment about it claiming that it was just an ordinary agreement with a foreign nation. "What's so different about it? This is not the first time we've signed agreements with another country before," he was quoted as saying ... When asked about the possible benefits that could be obtained from signing a deal with this technological and economic powerhouse, the Prime Minister declined to comment further ...'

'They're lifting sanctions on South Africa? Why, though?' O'Neill wondered.

'South Africa warns Mugabe. Also today, the Pretoria regime in South Africa issued a stern warning to the embattled President of Zimbabwe to return back the farmlands taken by the government from the white settlers as soon as possible or faced the consequences of his actions. "We are not ruling anything out including the use of force ... so if anything unfortunate were to happen, Mugabe has only himself to blame," was the harshest statement yet issued by the South African Defense Force ... Mugabe has in the meantime slammed the threat as 'irresponsible', 'uncivillised' and 'barbaric' and warned the Pretoria regime that it would regret any unprovoked attacks on Zimbabwe. "We will make the invaders bleed if they come. Zimbabwe will become a deathtrap for the invaders, their final resting ground. We will make sure that they never return back to their lands! Long live Zimbabwe! ZIMBABWE! Z I M B A B W E !" he shouted much to the thunderous applause of his supporters. "The ZANU-PF and the people of Zimbabwe stand ready to resist any invasion by the forces of apartheid and colonialism ..."'

'Great! Just great! Not only do we have to deal with outside threats like the Goauld but we also have to deal with a growing turmoil in Africa.'

The Colonel thought before folding the morning papers under his arm. Quietly, he locked the house and got into the car. His car roared to life as he turned the ignition key and then ... he was on his way to Cheyenne Mountain.

He waved to the heavily-armed guards at the gate and they let him through after checking his identity. Upon arrival at the command center which was one mile beneath the earth, he was greeted by the commander of the secret facility, General Hammond. Teal'c and Sam were already there. They greeted him warmly.

"So ... anything new sir?"

"I'm sure you have read it on the papers," the general answered, belying the obvious.

"The global economic crisis?" the Colonel started.

"No. The other one ..."

"Oh ... The Great Big Fight in Africa? I always knew that there wasn't enough space in Africa for two men like Mugabe and General Karl Molans," the Colonel answered when the door to the briefing room opened.

All eyes turned to see ...

A man in a business suit stepped into the room, with a small briefcase in his hand.

'MIB,' the colonel thought upon seeing the formally-dressed man.

"Good morning, General and to the rest of SG-1," the man greeted with a smile.

"Good morning and you're ..." the General greeted back.

"Mr. Smith will do, people. And like everything in this facility, I do not exist," the man answered warmly in a joking fashion.

They quickly took a seat each at the briefing table except for the man who laid the briefcase on the table and opened it up.

"Now as for the reason I'm here ... The situation in Africa has reached boiling point. On the surface, it appears that South Africa is only gearing for an all-out war with Zimbabwe over the farmlands issue. Nothing is as it seems. As we all know, South Africa is now, first and foremost, the most advanced nation on Earth in the field of science, engineering and medicine. Their military is well-equipped and the soldiers superbly-trained. Both NATO and the former Communist countries have seen nothing like it even at the height of the Cold War. Their war machine is also second to none in Africa. Intelligence reports have indicated that if a war were to break out between South Africa and Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe would not stand a chance. Their armed forces would be completely crushed by the South African military within the first three hours of the attack," the man explained.

"The first three hours? That's not possible. Even the US would require at least three days to break the backbone of the Zimbabwean Army through conventional warfare," O'Neill disagreed.

"Also, their allies in the OAU would not allow them to fall without a fight," Sam added.

"Impossible to believe? We are talking about the most advanced military in the world here whose weapons are vastly superior to those used by both the post-Warsaw pact countries and the West. If things proceed as our analysts had predicted, the OAU would be helpless, unable to do a thing as it is way too disorganised and weak to mount an effective response, if any, to a military incursion by the Pretoria regime. Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi are currently engaged in a proxy war in the heartland of Africa with the Congolese and Angolan Army. Zambia and Tanzania are highly unlikely to intervene due to their intense dislike of Mugabe. Libya and Chad have their own problems while Ethiopia is more concerned about the unstable situation in Somalia and Eritrea. Botswana, Mozambique, Madagascar, Nigeria and Egypt simply do not have the military capacity to match the South African Defense Force. Whether or not Mugabe wishes to acknowledge it, his government would not survive an all-out attack by the South African war machine. Intelligence reports from both our satellites and field agents in Namibia have also shown an overall increase in troop strength of the South African Army in the region by a factor of ten times," the man pointed out.

"The UN would never tolerate an attack of this nature on a member nation," O'Neill replied.

"Just like they would never tolerate apartheid in South Africa. What are they going to do about it, that's the question? Slap sanctions on South Africa? The whole country is already under sanctions and has been since its formation. Declare war on it? The most advanced nation on Earth? Even NATO is not keen to test the strength of the South African military on the battlefield."

The man paused before continuing.

"I'm sure you have read the recent news reports regarding Britain and Holland who are seeking closer ties with South Africa."

They paid closer attention to what the man said.

"They cited reasons like 'sanctions are not working' and 'they are our brethren too'. They are not alone. Other countries like Russia and China are shifting towards a more reconciliatary approach with the Pretoria regime. In fact, certain elements of the US government are also advocating closer ties with South Africa and they are piling pressure on Congress to end the sanctions on South Africa, their apartheid policies notwithstanding."

"Well ... now we all know why our 'friends' in Washington DC, both Senator Kinsey ... and the NID, have been pushing hard to lift the economic, diplomatic and technological embargo on South Africa in recent years ..." the Colonel commented sarcastically.

"Very true and with the increasing threat from the Goauld, they have been growing more vocal about it too," the man stated.

"All in the hope of getting some of that advanced technology," Sam answered.

"So, they've decided to compromise our American values of freedom, justice and equal opportunities for all just to get this 'advanced technology'?" O'Neill snorted with disgust.

The mysterious man smiled thinly before dropping the bombshell.

"Not just to get this 'advanced technology'. They're thinking of getting South Africa to join Stargate Command!"

"What??!!!" Everyone echoed in disbelief.

"Join Stargate Command? That's not possible! That motley bunch of skinheads and white supremacists is never going to set foot on Cheyenne Mountain! The President would never stand for it! It would go against everything that we, as freedom-loving Americans fight for! This was after all the reason why we all went to places like Iraq in the first place! To make the world a better place! " the Colonel swore loudly.

"Colonel ... control yourself!" the General ordered.

"Sorry sir. I just flew off the handle thinking about it. I can't believe it. Is our country going to compromise its values just so that they could get an edge against the Goauld? And is it worth it?" the Colonel apologised.

"It is only a matter of time before they do. You have no idea what is going on in the White House, the Senate Committee, the Joint-Chiefs-of-Staff and Congress. I do. Which brings me to the other thing I wanted to bring up ... so please pay attention. Now ... we all know that South Africa is ahead of the world in terms of science and technology. What was never mentioned was by how much farther ahead they really were. How far ahead do you think they are Major Carter?" the man answered.

"Ten years, twenty years," the blonde major answered.

"Twenty-five years," O'Neill added.

"Is that what you think it is? You and I ... we've all been fooled. That was what they wanted us to think. The truth is closer to a hundred years," the man answered.

"A hundred years? That's impossible!" O'Neill exclaimed loudly.

"That was what we thought too until one of our intelligence operatives managed to get this on camera in one of their secret bases," the man spoke and showed the picture of several sleek-looking fighters in a hangar.

SG-1 could barely believe it. It was the picture of ...

"Impossible ... it looks like a Eurondan starfighter!" the major drew in her breath.

"So you recognize it? Very good. It is a Eurondan starfighter. Able to operate in both the ocean and atmosphere as well as in deep space. Which fits well with Eurondan military doctrine. They tend to go for multi-terrain combat units. What's more, there's not just one ... but a whole fleet of them from the looks of it. The question is, where did they get them from? I seriously doubt they could have created something like these on their own."

The man stopped before continuing.

"What do you think?"

"The Stargate. That's got to be it," Sam answered.

"Do they have a Stargate? Does the Pretoria regime have access to a Stargate? Now, those are very interesting questions, I'm sure," Mr. Smith commented.

"Since we have no real evidence that they possess a working, functioning Stargate, we can only infer as to its possible existence from their history. In the eighties, South Africa's level of technology was just like the rest of the world, not more advanced than any of us but sufficient for the apartheid regime to survive on its own. Then, in 1985, everything changed. Their level of science and technology began to accelerate by leaps and bounds, revolutionising their society and breathing new life into the weakening apartheid regime. This level of advancement and degree of accomplishment in the field of engineering and medicine, widely regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, was described as nothing short of miraculous since South Africa had been developing in isolation due to tight sanctions by the entire world all that time. The British and Dutch governments have already suspected something and so do the Russians and the Chinese. Although they haven't come to the same conclusion that we have," the man explained.

"One more thing ... according to a census that our field agents had secretly conducted throughout the country, the number of blacks and other races had declined massively while the reverse is true for the white population in South Africa. During this operation, they have also kept track of the total number of whites moving into South Africa from other countries and the birth rates of the white population in South Africa for two decades. We cross-checked the figures with other sources as well just to be sure. This is what we found out. The total number of whites from adding in the annual birthrates and migration from other countries are far less than the overall total number of whites currently residing in the country."

That brought a deep silence to the table.

"We checked and re-checked our figures just to be sure but the overall total number of whites was just too great even by conservative estimates and our compensating for possible errors in the calculation. This led us to another disturbing conclusion. Where are the large number of whites cited in the differences all coming from? The difference between the projected increase in the figures and the actual increase in the number of whites in South Africa were just too large a value to be ignored ...," came the reply.

"The Eurondans are moving into South Africa? That's ... unbelievable," Sam concluded..

"Why would they want to do so? This world does not welcome alien Nazis," the Colonel added.

"Think about it, this scenario ... the Eurondan homeworld is a world at war. The Eurondans themselves are not doing well as they face complete and utter defeat at the hands of their enemies, which happens to be their world's version of the Allied forces. By chance, they find a Stargate and come into contact with another country from another world with similar policies and ideology to them, except for one thing. They are less advanced but are at peace and have journeyed through the Stargate in the same manner that we have. What happens? A deal is struck between the two sides. The South African government decides to provide material support and refuge to the fleeing Eurondan population in exchange for advanced technology. Within two years, they have moved hundreds of thousands of people through the Stargate to South Africa where they are given new IDs and a place to live by the government. Eventually, the number of Eurondans fleeing the war on their homeworld increase to such an extent that there is not enough space in South Africa. What happens next? The Pretoria regime reaches the conclusion that somebody has to move out to make room for those coming in," the man continued.

"They forced entire black neighbourhoods and villages out of South Africa into Namibia under a mass relocation program that was condemned by the entire world," Sam spoke.

"Right. But does the Pretoria regime give a d#mn? No, it does not because, one ... the UN can do nothing. Two ... it stands to gain everything from the Eurondan exodus that was happening. And so the government proceeds with the mass deportation of entire black populations to Namibia under the guise of 'New Homes for the Poor'," the man added.

"There has to be a way to stop them," Sam answered.

"How? With the current economic crisis looming on our doorstep and the rising threat from the Goauld on the horizon, our government will do nothing. The British government will do nothing either. The Russians and Chinese are more concerned with their own interests and problems than in trying to stand up for the black population in South Africa. With the permanent members of the Security Council unable or unwilling to do anything about it, what can be done?" the man pointed out.

"SG-1 will go to the Eurondan homeworld and find out what is going on there," the Colonel interjected.

"Going to the Eurondan homeworld? I like that answer," the man laughed.

"Though I don't think that the Eurondans are going to be very forthcoming with answers considering the fact that the last time we were there, we turned down their request for assistance in their hour of need," the Colonel added.

"I was thinking more along the line of making contact with the opposition if possible, sir," the blonde major suggested.

"The Breeders? That's not a bad idea," O'Neill agreed.

"Very well, SG-1. I think you know your next mission," the aged General in his fifties announced.

"Yes sir. SG-1 preparing to depart," the Colonel answered and turned to leave when a voice interrupted them..

"Well, there's just one more thing. I have been authorised to come along with you on your mission," Mr. Smith spoke suddenly, surprising the SG-1 team as he presented the General with a sealed letter.

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"So, he's coming with us?" the Colonel asked, not very happy at the prospect of a new member being added to their team, one whom he knew next to nothing about.

Oh sure ... he was friendly and all that but O'Neill still didn't trust federal agents especially Men In Black.

"Yes. He's cleared to go by the Joint-Chiefs-of-Staff," the General answered after reading the contents of the letter.

'He's coming with us? One of the Feds? Somebody, help us!' O'Neill prayed as the group marched out of the briefing room towards the Stargate chamber..

"Once again we're heading into the unknown ... into possible enemy territory with a distinct possibility of no return," the Colonel quipped to mask his unease of the new man's presence as the General followed them to the Stargate before stopping a good distance from it.

The whole SG-1 team assembled before the Stargate as they prepared to dial in the DHD. Just as they were about to do so ... the Stargate roared to life as a ripple-like wave of water burst forth from the center of its circular arch. The alarm bells began to wail as the ripple-like wave of water pulled back to form a smooth and calm surface in the centre of the ring-shaped construct.

"Incoming visitor! Close the iris!" the general ordered.

The metal enclosure in front of the Stargate sealed shut with a loud click, preventing anyone from going in or out.

"Sir ... we're receiving a transmission. The code matches the ID code we gave to ... It's the Tokra, sir!" one of the technicians shouted.

"The Tokra? Open the iris!" the general ordered.

The iris slid opened and the familiar figure of Anise followed by Jacob Carter stepped through the Stargate.

"Dad!" Sam shouted before running to hug her father.

"Hello Sam. It's being sometime," the grizzled old man that was host to a Goauld symbiote answered as he scooped her up in his arms.

"Careful with the hug, Dad. You've grown strong ... you know ..." the major commented in surprise.

"Well, when the Goauld are not being the big bad wolves that they usually are, there's much good that they could do," the old man answered with a smile on his face.

"Greetings, Tau'ri. There is much that we need to discuss," the Tokra called Anise announced, breaking the visible display of affection.

"So, what brings you here? I'm sure it's more than just to exchange pleasant greetings ..." the Colonel asked not liking the Tokra woman one bit.

"You are right O'Neill. I bring important news that may determine the fate of this galaxy. Three hours ago, we received news from one of our agents stationed in Cronus's territory that unknown aliens had attacked the Goauld. We thought that it was an isolated incident at first and that the Goauld would retaliate in kind but then we received reports of similar events taking place from our agents operating in Goauld territories from all over the galaxy. All this reports point to one distinct possibility only, however outrageous it may seem. Some previously unknown alien race from uncharted space has launched a full-scale invasion of all the Goauld territories especially those belonging to the System Lords," Anise answered.

"The Goauld being invaded?" SG-1 chorused in disbelief.

"She speaks the truth. Believe me, the Tokra High Council did not believe the news either when they first received it. It seemed impossible ... improbable that somebody would dare attack or challenge the might of the Goauld in such a daring blatant manner but it happened. Not only that, this new enemy of the Goauld is attacking their territories simultaneously on all fronts and winning. At present all the minor Goaulds are reported to have fallen before the onslaught. The major System Lords are not doing well with Apophis and Cronus taking the brunt of the attack. Baal has also suffered heavy losses and is not expected to last much longer. Lord Yu is hard-pressed to defend his remaining territories. The situation is so grave that all the System Lords have set aside their differences for now and combined all their remaining forces together in order to face this new enemy," Selmak spoke up.

"If the Goauld are losing the war, I am not going to shed tears over it," the Colonel remarked.

"We would agree with your assessment normally ... Colonel O'Neill. But is is the nature of this new enemy of the Goauld that has us concerned. This message was delivered to the Goauld after the attack was launched," Anise answered before leaving a strange-looking metal device on the floor.

A holographic projection of a strange bipedal alien appeared in front of them.

"False gods! Heed this message! You shall not profane the name of the true gods any longer. Your days are numbered!" the alien spoke.

"The true gods, eh? Seems like we are surrounded by religious nuts these days," the Colonel quipped.

His remarks were ignored.

The holographic projection disappeared and Anise retreived the strange metal device from the ground.

"What is more we have never encountered any of their ships or weapons in any part of the galaxy before. They would appear out of nowhere before attacking the Goauld ships in large numbers. Their weapons are unusually effective ... they seemed specially designed to bypass the shielding of the Goauld ships to strike the hull beneath," Selmak explained.

"Bypass the shielding? Like the Tollans?" Sam asked, with growing interest.

"Yes. Except that they were able to do it with both projectile and energy weapons," Anise answered.

"So who're these new guys so that we can go and say 'Hi, welcome to the neighbourhood?'" the Colonel asked sarcastically.

Anise frowned at the comment.

"Watch it, O'Neill," Hammond warned.

"Sorry Sir," the Colonel answered. "I just couldn't help it."

"According to one of our agents who survived the attack ... they claimed to serve the Founders whoever that maybe," Selmak continued.

"The Founders?" Sam echoed.

"That's all that we know about them. So far, no one, dead or alive has ever seen the Founders," Anise commented.

"And you would us to go and make contact with these new boys in the neighbourhood for you?" the Colonel deduced.

"That would be just about right except for one thing. The Tokra would like to accompany you on this mission as well," Selmak answered.

"You can't be serious, Dad! We don't even know what the Founders are like and we would be going into a war zone where it's a free for all!" Sam objected.

"You can't stop me! I'm going in as the Tokra representative!" Jacob answered.

"I can and I will!" the major insisted.

"It is of grave importance to make contact with this new race to determine their intentions. If they respond to our peaceful overtures, they would make a powerful ally," Selmak answered taking over from her host.

"Major! That's enough! He's right! We can't stop him if he's going as one of our allies," the General ordered.

TBC

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