Stargate Nova Roma - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Journey

(Nova Roma – Control Room – 14 June 2016, 0817)

It had been two weeks and they were still in one piece. Things had settled down after their jump into hyperspace. And so far, they were on schedule. Vale walked into the control room and made his way to the Flight Control Chair. Nova Roma was on autopilot now, but there was always somebody monitoring. This shift, it was Alec Colson who was on duty.

“How is she holding up ?”

“All systems stable.” He paused. “ZPMs are around 86 percent, which we are right on track for the ninety-four day option.”

“Good.” Vale began. “Alas, that will not help us keep sane.”

Vale smiled and shook his head. After launch, things had settled into a routine. But Nova Roma was a barebones facility. And the crew had only been allowed to bring one personal item each. So the crew was – ever so slightly – starting to go stir-crazy when off-duty. Nikita had set up an exchange program to help relief the problem a bit, but there was only much they could do. And from the sound of it, they would still be buzzing along for another eighty days. Vale would have to come up some way to keep morale up. But he did not say anything about this to Colson. Because that would basically be shooting morale in the foot.

“That’s your part of the equation. My job is to keep this tower on course.”

Vale nodded and left Colson to his work. He had to come up with something soon… But for now, he had his daily duties to see to. So he made his way down to the Infirmary. The place had originally been a storage room. Doctor Guskov and his staff had managed to turn said room into a nice little facility with room for five patients. It even came with an Operating Room. At the moment, there were only two patients in the facility. Guskov noticed him coming in.

“Marcus ?”

“Doc ?” He began. “What happened here ?” He gestured towards the two patients. They were both female privates – Andrea Jones and Henrietta ‘Hetty’ McConnell – whom were assigned to the Maintenance department.

“Privates Jones and McConnell had a little disagreement with a stack of crates.” Guskov began. “McConnell has a broken foot and Jones broke three fingers. Other than that, they have several cuts each.”

“Prognosis ?”

“I’ve put splints on both of them. They’ll be fine.” Guskov said. “But McConnell will have to walk on crutches for a couple of weeks.”

“Have there been any other injured ?”

“No, they are my first patients. A fact I am very grateful for.”

Vale had used the time since launch to read up on his crew. Pavel Guskov had worked in Tomsk, which was a major town in region known as Siberia. He had been assigned to the Emergency Room, where he had seen a lot. There, he had also proved himself an extremely capable doctor. This had brought him to the attention of the Russian government.

And when they had needed a doctor to lead a medical team in Africa, he had been their first choice. The hospital hadn’t been the best funded in the world, but it was in Africa that Guskov had truly learned the art of improvised medical procedures. He had operated patients in horrible conditions, with makeshift instruments. But he had never given up.

His file had impressed General O’Neill so much that he had gone to Africa and recruited Guskov to be the CMO of the Beta Site. The Beta Site medical staff had been a disorganized, badly trained mess. Under Guskov, they had become a top-notch team. There was no doubt in his mind that they could give many a hospital staff a run for their money.

“Carry on, doctor.”

He walked out to the Infirmary. As he did so, he passed Victor Leyton and nodded at him. Victor Leyton had been drafted from the British Army. He had been in charge of a maintenance team in Nairobi, Kenya. It was there that he had met Doctor Guskov. After Guskov had been recruited, he had recommended Leyton for the Stargate Program. He had been assigned as second-in-command of the maintenance team at the Alpha Site. When he the ninth chevron project had come to the Beta Site, he had been promoted to Chief of Maintenance of Nova Roma.

He was the superior officer for McConnell and Jones. McConnell was the supervisor for the Hydroponics Bay. Like Leyton, she had been recruited from the British Army. McConnell, however, was from Scotland. She wore the Scottish flag on her shoulder, instead of the British one. She was no expert on botany, but she knew how to get things done. And she had four people who *were* botanists – all of whom were civilians – under her command.

Jones was the supervisor for the Mess Hall. Like McConnell, she oversaw a small group of civilians. And like Leyton and McConnell, she had been drafted from the British Army. Before she had joined the Army, she had been an excellent civilian cook. Then – at age eighteen – she had enrolled in the Army and ended up working in the Mess Hall. Both Jones and McConnell had been assigned to same base as Leyton. He had drafted them both into the Program after his promotion to Chief of Maintenance. Leyton and McConnell were both Caucasian, while Jones was African-American. Back when he had been a centurion, seeing a person of color had been rare. And the few that had been around, had been Nubian slaves. ~Those were very different days.~

Slavery was gone. It had taken him time to wrap his head around the idea. And the religious views had changed a lot. Christianity had not existed in his days, Islam would not be founded for hundreds of years and Buddhism was still unknown. While getting used to the end of slavery had simply taken time, the religious shift had been quite the punch in the stomach. He had found support in the form of Father Harry Gunderson. The priest had listened to him and given him advice. ~So, what do you believe ?~ Honestly – right now – he simply didn’t know the answer.

Before he could ponder it further, he reached the last stop on his inspection tour…the main Science Lab. Alison Porter and Nikita Aranov were gluing together artifacts at the main table. Porter was working on a bowl, while Aranov had his hands on a vase. Vale frowned at the sight. The vase and bowl did not look very valuable. He reached the table and leaned on it.

“How is it going ?”

“Slowly, but steady….” Aranov began. “And because it helps to pass the time.”

“What ?”

“You were about to ask why we are bothering to glue these pieces back together.” Porter said. “We say the look on your face. These piece are common and not worth much. Except….they’re from P2Y-101.”

“P2Y-101 ?” He frowned. “I thought that was uninhabited.”

“Which is another reason why we’re gluing them back together.” Aranov said. “We’re hoping they will yield a clue once we’re done. The place should have been a blank slate, but these….” He glued in another piece. “….prove otherwise.”

“Well, keep passing the time.” Vale said. “And let me know if they do yield anything, docs.”

“We’ll do.” Aranov said.

Vale nodded and headed back out.

(Nova Roma – Control Room – 2 September 2016, 0758)

Vale sat down in the Flight Control Chair and looked at the clock. It was at two minutes and counting down. They had decided not to drain the ZPM completely, but to shot the drive down at exactly 0800 hours. The left over power would be used to increase the emergency power supply. Besides him, Colson, Hailey and Leyton were also manning the control room. He looked at the clock again.

“Thirty seconds.” Vale said.

“This is going to be interesting.” Colson began. “And probably not the smoothest ride, either.”

“Yes.” Leyton said. “I figured as much. Ten seconds and counting….Five…four….three…two….one….sub-light.”

Vale cut power to the FTL-drive and Nova Roma dropped back into normal space. They were in a solar system and near a blue gas giant. He engaged the sublight drives at full power and turned the tower away from the planet. Once they were far enough away from the planet, he reduced power to a third. The plan was to spend the rest of the day at sub-light. They would use the time to get their bearings and take a closer look at…well, where-ever they were now.

“What do we have. Hailey ?”

“One red giant star and seven planets.” Hailey said. “The gas giant we just dodged is number six. I recommend we enter orbit of number five. It’s about the same size as Earth, but as barren as the Moon. We should be able to calculate our current position once we are parked.”

“Orbit of number five it is.”

Vale piloted the tower to the planet and put it into orbit. Then he left the chair and put the tower on autopilot. While another member of the crew hopped into the chair, he made his way to Hailey’s console. The solar system they were in appeared to be a rather barren affair. Like Hailey had said, the planet they were orbiting was a dead world. The other planets were also looking pretty lifeless. The only place that had any promise was the third of six moons orbiting the sixth planet. It appeared to be the size of Earth. But the temperature was 50 degrees centigrade planetwide. And the scanners said the whole place was a giant desert.

“Thinking about taking one of the Puddle Jumpers for a spin, sir ?”

“I sure am.” Nova Roma had two Puddle Jumpers at her disposal. These were small, cylindrical spaceships which fitted through the Stargate. He turned to face Hailey. “How long will the calculation take ?”

“An hour to lock down where we are and three to plot the next jump. We did a general plot back at the SGC, but we’ll have to refine it a bit to make sure we don’t end up off-course now.”

“Good.” Vale said. “I’m going to report in to General O’Neill and then we’re going on a field trip.” They had two Ancient Stones to talk to the folks back on Earth. “Should take Nikita’s mind of PY2-101 for a while.” Despite Aranov’s best efforts, they were still no closer to learning who had left the artifacts on the planet. Or why. (They had – however – managed to pin down when the artifacts had been made.) “Keep the math and everything else going until I get back.”

“Yes, sir.”

Vale walked out of the control room. The communications room was a converted closet. There was a table, two chairs and the Ancient Stones. He sat down and put one of the stones on a flat device. He counted to three and then….

(Pentagon – Homeworld Security – 2 September 2016, 0805)

…found himself in the body of Colonel Cameron Mitchell. Finding the commanding officer of SG-1 on stone duty was quite the surprise for Vale. He would have expected Mitchell to be out and about exploring the Milky Way Galaxy. The door to the small office he was in opened and an Airman came with a mug of coffee. Vale figured he most have had a surprised look on his face, because the Airman frowned.

“Everything okay, Colonel Mitchell ?”

He snapped out of it and got up. “I’m afraid Colonel Mitchell has left the building. I’m Colonel Vale and I need to talk to General O’Neill.” Vale pointed to the coffee. “Is that black, Airman ?”

“Yes, sir.” He handed the coffee to Vale. “If I may….using the Stones for the first time, sir ?” Vale nodded and took a sip of the coffee. It was good. (Nova Roma only had instant coffee left.) “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to the General, sir.”

“Lead the way.”

He drank his coffee as the Airman led him to O’Neill’s office. By the time they reach it, his mug was empty. The Airman nodded and O’Neill called for them to enter. Vale spotted a cart with file boxes on it and put the mug there. Then he entered the General’s Office. Jack O’Neill was signing some paperwork as he did so.

“Please tell me you don’t have more paperwork for me to sign, otherwise this conversation might get loud.”

“Nope.” Vale began. “One of the advantages of being a zillion lightyears away. No E-mail, sir.”

O’Neill looked up. “Vale, that better be you or I’m going to yell anyway.” He got up and walked around his desk. “So, how are things going out there ?”

“Well, so far Plan A is holding up. The tower is still in one piece and we’re crunching the numbers for the second jump. We’ve even got some time for sightseeing. And yes, I know that we are not here for that. But after ninety-plus days in hyperspace, the crew is going stir-crazy, sir.”

“So, you’re planning a little field trip to restore sanity ?”

“Gotta start somewhere, sir.”

“Good.” He gestured to one of the chairs at his desk. “Now that you’ve given me the cliff notes, I want some details.”

O’Neill went back to his chair, while Vale also sat down. The General began asking questions. As he answered them, Vale wondered how Colonel Mitchell was spending his time.

Stargate Nova Roma - Chapter 5

5 – A Desperate Gamble

(Stargate Command – Conference Room – 24 March 2016, 0800)

Marc sat down at the conference table. Besides him, the meeting included Hailey, Teldy and Colson. They were waiting for Mackenzie, General O’Neill and General Landry. The three men entered the room and sat down. It was Mackenzie who began the meet.

“Okay, it’s been three days and we haven’t heard a peep.” He said. “Colonel Telford and his team have just vanished. If they were aboard Destiny, they would have used the Ancient Stones by now.” The Ancient Stones were alien communication devices which allowed people to switch bodies, even over fast distances. Telford’s team had taken several along to contact Earth. “So, where do we stand on Plan B ?”

“We’ve been over every inch of the base.” Hailey began. “And we’ve run every diagnostic we have. The wormhole was stable, the power held and the address was correct. Everything we have says that Telford and his team should be aboard Destiny. Doctor Porter and I triple checked all of it.”

“I read your report.” Mackenzie said. “Good work. But that doesn’t tell us what to do next. Suggestions ?”

“The power source has been recharging slowly over the past three days. It’s currently at thirty percent. We can try again in seven days, sir.” Hailey said. “The problem is that we can’t send a probe. Because radio signals will not travel through a nine chevron wormhole.”

“The International Oversight Authority is still bickering about this situation. But I have no intention of just sending another team until I am absolutely sure that they will not die the second they step through the Gate.” Mackenzie said. “Is there any other way to get data on what is happening on the other end of the wormhole ?”

“No, sir.” Landry said.

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. It was crystal clear that they were at an impasse. They could not send another team through the Gate, but leaving the mystery unanswered – and the crew of Destiny stranded – was also unacceptable. It was Vale who finally broke the silence.

“Then we’ll just have to get there the old-fashioned way.” He began. “Since it is millions of years newer, we already know that Atlantis is many time faster than Destiny. And if we fit Nova Roma with an Atlantis-class star-drive, she will be many times faster than Atlantis. We can make the trip in a fraction of the time it took Destiny.”

“That’s presuming the tower will hold together at those speeds.” O’Neill said.

“Not to mention the fact that we will need ZPMs to power it.” Teldy added.

“Actually.” Colson said. “I have been thinking about that. We have a stockpile of depleted ZPMs.” He leaned forward. “I believe we can use the Ancient nanites aboard Nova Roma to reset them. There is, however, one major drawback which has kept us from using this technology.”

“Which is ?” O’Neill said.

“The reset ZPMs will be nowhere near the same quality as they were during their first lifetime. At full power output, they would last thirty days. That’s presuming they are installed aboard Atlantis.”

Vale nodded. He had read a report by a scientist called Radek Zelenka, which had said that it would take Atlantis nine days to fly from the Milky Way to the Pegasus Galaxy. So if Nova Roma was as fast as Atlantis, there was a good chance they could hop two more galaxies past Pegasus. It was Teldy who asked the obvious question.

“So, how long would they last aboard Nova Roma ?”

“That’s an even bigger problem. The worst case scenario is sixty days, while the best is ninety-four.”

“That’s quite the gap we’re talking about.” O’Neill said. “So, how would you suggest we get around this little….hiccup ?”

“There’s only one way. And you’re not going to like it.” Colson leaned back. “We’re going to have to use our entire supply of currently depleted ZPMs. I believe the current count is twelve.” He paused. “It’s the only way this mission will stand a chance, sir.”

“You right.” O’Neill said. “I don’t like it.”

O’Neill looked at Mackenzie, who had been listening intently. The President knew this would not go over easy with the IOA and he understood why the General didn’t like it. Nova Roma would be using three ZPMs at the moment, which meant four jumps. That meant Nova Roma would end somewhere between two-hundred-and-forty and three-hundred and seventy-six days away from home. Either way, it would be wise to cram over a year’s worth of supplies into the base. But would there be room ? And there was a very real chance of the tower being stranded in the middle of nowhere. With very little or no supplies.

“It’s an enormously risky plan.” Mackenzie said. “There has to be a way to trim down the risk.”

“We can install a Stargate….” Vale said, making everybody look at him. “…and make three hops. Then we use the last three ZPMs to attempt to dial the ninth chevron.”

“You do realize that this whole plan is because we CAN’T dial the ninth chevron ?” O’Neill said.

“True.” Vale said. “But if we’re not at Destiny by the end of the third Hyperspace hop, whoever goes will be out of options. It’ll likely be dial the Gate…” He paused. “….or run out of supplies and die, sirs. I know it isn’t pretty, but it’s this or give up on Colonel Telford’s team and Colonel Young’s crew.” He looked at Mackenzie. “It’s your call, sir.”

There was another moment of silence, then Mackenzie made the call. “Write it up for the IOA. But I want it to be crystal clear that this a volunteer mission. And I want everybody to know what they are signing up for in advance. Full disclosure.”

“Yes, sir.” O’Neill said.

“Dismissed.” Mackenzie said.

The look on the President’s face made it clear that the man wanted to spend some time line alone. And Vale couldn’t blame the man. He had just made a very difficult decision. It was at times like this that he was happy he was just a Colonel. Being a head of state meant that you often had the weight of the world on your shoulders. He walked out of the Conference Room and headed for the Mess Hall. He needed a drink.

(Beta Site – Gate Room – 7 April 2016, 0811)

It had taken a day to put the plan – which they had named Operation Deep Star – on paper. After that, the IOA had bickered about approving the plan or turning it down for several days. But four days ago – at 0730 – the notice had come in that Operation Deep Star had been green lit. And what had happened next, had been amazing. Everybody on the base had volunteered. It had made Vale very proud. But it had also made him think twice about volunteering himself. If he signed up, he would probably end up in command. And he was not sure if he was the right man to lead this operation. So he ended up in the Gate Room, staring at the Stargate.

“Still pondering, Marc ?” A male voice said.

He turned to see Alec Colson walking into the Gate Room.

“Yes…so tell me, why did you sign up ?” He turned back to the Gate. “Even if we make it to Destiny, this is very likely to be a one-way trip.” If they managed to get Nova Roma to Destiny, the plan was to transfer the nanites to the starship. They would then feed the tower into the new matrix and try to repair as much of Destiny as possible. They were gambling on said repairs to allow them to dial home. “So…why are you going along with this desperate gamble ?”

“You do remember this desperate gamble is partially your plan ?” Colson said with grin. “But to answer your question…” He paused. “…because as much as I like to criticize the US Air Force, they do get one thing right…they never leave one of their own behind. And to me, giving up on those people is not an option.”

Vale pondered that for a moment. And then realized that Colson was absolutely right. Even if Destiny had been empty, there would still be the folks aboard Nova Roma. Was he really going to abandon them to another commander ? He wondered what his father would say if he was here. ~They’re your men and women.~ His mind flashed. ~The Gods gave their lives into your hands. Do not let go.~ If he was not meant to lead this mission, why had life brought him here ? ~Decision time, Marcus.~

“Thank you, Alec.” He said. “I know what to do.”

And with that, he walked out of the Gate Room to sign up. Part of him knew this was insane, but the bigger part of him knew that it was the right thing do. And he was going to listen to that part.

(Nova Roma – Control Room – 31 May 2016, 2357)

It had taken several weeks to refit Nova Roma with the hyper-drive portion of the star-drive. Next, they had added the Stargate. In order to make sure it was compatible, they had installed a Gate from the Pegasus Galaxy. The Gate also had a forcefield which fitted over it like a glove and would keep any unwanted visitors out when active. That done, they had loaded the tower up with as much supplies as they could. Which meant that the crew – of 103 people – had enough food for two years. The tower also had a water reclamation system and a hydroponics bay.

And now they were three minutes from launch. The Control Room was being manned by the senior officers. That meant Major Hailey on the Science console, Major Teldy on the Security, Doctor Pavel Gurkov – the base’s chief medical officer – monitoring the crew and Sergeant Victor Leyton – the Chief of Maintenance – behind the Engineering console. Vale would be doing the flying.

“All systems in the green, sir.” Leyton said. “Two minutes to launch.”

“Thank you, Sergeant.” Vale said as he sat in the Hot Seat and activated it.

The clock ticked down to one minute. Then past thirty seconds and finally ten. When the clock reached five, Vale began slowly applying power. Nova Roma’s sublight engines engaged and she pulled away from the planet. The image on the viewer in front of the chair changed from the sky, into a field of stars.

“On course, sir.” Leyton said. “Systems are stable. ZPMs are providing steady power. Ready to go to hyperspace.” He hit several keys and a map appeared on the screen in front of Vale and the one at Leyton’s stations. “Jump One course plot ready, Colonel.”

“Here we go….”

Vale grabbed a small joystick, which controlled the FTL section of the drive. He jammed it forward and the hyperspace window opened. Five seconds later, the flying tower dove in. The tower shook and rattled. This was the moment the city either tore itself apart or held together….

Stargate Nova Roma - Chapter 4

4 - Departure

(Nova Roma – Control Room – 21 March 2016, 0700)

The evacuation had begun on schedule. Marc was in the control room, watching as group of people materialized on what they had named the Arrival Platform. Said platform a round slab of metal at the bottom of a flight of stairs. The control room was at the top of those stairs. It was a pentagon-shaped room with controls panels that allowed them to run the entire tower. There had not been enough Ancient consoles for the job, so the place was a hybrid of Ancient, Human and Goa’uld controls.

But the crown jewel of the base was in the middle of the room. An interface – in the form of a special chair – allowing the tower to be flown. Nova Roma could not fly faster-then-light, but she did have excellent sub-light drives. If things went wrong on the other side of the planet, the plan was to use those drives to get Nova Roma to safety. Then they would signal the George Hammond for evacuation back to Earth.

Colson, Hailey and Aranov were amongst those manning the consoles. Vale would sit in the chair. For now, however, he was looking over Colson’s shoulder. Alec was operating Nova Roma’s Asgard Transporter, which was how they were emptying the Beta Site. He nodded and left the man to it. Micro-managing was not this thing.

“Sir ?” One of the other people manning the consoles said. “Our VIPs have arrived.”

Captain Carl Grogan had served on SG-9 and later on SG-24. Vale had recruited him from there to seed several more experienced people in his very green security detail. He had quickly proved himself and been put in command of his own team two weeks ago. His team also included Sergeant Dusty Mehra, a female veteran from Atlantis. And she was not the only lady he had drafted from Atlantis. Nova Roma’s security branch was led by Major Anne Teldy. Also recruited from there was Doctor Alison Porter. She was the second-in-command of the Science department. Hailey had offered her the leadership of the department, but she had turned it down. Marc made a mental note to ask her about why she had done so later, but for now, he had other things to worry about. He turned to Grogan.

“Give the Hammond the green light to beam them down.”

There was a flash and President Mackenzie and General O’Neill appeared on the Arrival Platform. They were both wearing military fatigues. Mackenzie saw the room and whistled. The military personnel snapped to attention.

“At ease.” Mackenzie began as the two of them walked towards the control room. “I like it. It’s like Atlantis, but it isn’t at the same time. It could use a Stargate though.” He gestured towards the far wall. “It feels….incomplete.”

“Alas, there was only one Gate to go around.” O’Neill said as they reached the top of the stairs. “Colonel Vale.”

“Mister President, General. Welcome to Nova Roma.”

“So, how are things going ?” Mackenzie said.

“We’re on schedule. The base will be empty at 0715 hours, we can dial five minutes after that, sir.”

“Good.” Mackenzie began. “That gives me ten minutes to take a closer look at this impossible chair.”

He sat down in the Flight Control Chair. Or – as Marc was calling it – The Hot Seat. Vale and O’Neill exchanged looks, but didn’t object. Mackenzie gave Vale a nod and the Colonel began explaining the workings of the Hot Seat. The President listened intently as Vale did so. After he finished, Mackenzie hit several buttons. A screen showing a panorama of the sky above the tower lowered.

“It’s amazing.” He said. “And this chair is a mix of Goa’uld, Ancient, Asgard and Tau’ri technology ?”

“Yes, sir.” Vale said. “But I’m surprised you’re calling it Tau’ri technology, sir. And not American technology, sir.”

“This chair was build using American ideas, Russian ideas, Chinese ideas and a whole bunch of stuff we retro-engineered from alien gear. The American label just doesn’t fit any more, Colonel. This chair is humanity’s work.” He paused. “Sorry, I sometimes get a bit poetical.”

“I get that way myself sometimes, sir.” Vale said with a chuckle.

“How does she handle ?”

“We’ve only taking her up twice to make sure the sub-lights work properly. We didn’t take her out of the atmosphere, but she handle like a dream. And if the math is right, she can clear the atmosphere in twenty seconds.”

“Sirs ?” Grogan began. “The Beta Site is empty. And we are ready to begin running diagnostics, sirs.”

“Then I’ll get out of this chair and let you get to it.” Mackenzie raised the screen and stood up. “It’s all yours, Colonel.”

Vale took the chair and they set to work.

(Beta Site – Gate Room – 21 March 2016, 0720)

Colonel David Telford stood in the Gate Room and looked at the Stargate. Even after all these years, the Ancient device still impressed him. He turned around and gave the technician who was here to operate the Gate a nod. She was one of five people – besides his sixteen member team – who were still here. The other four were guards outside the Gate Room. There was a pause and then the Stargate began to move. A low hum – which was slowly growing louder – indicated that the device was now drawing power.

“Thirty percent of potential and increasing.” She said.

“Stability ?”

“Ninety-five percent and holding.”

The power continued to increase. It ticked past forty percent, then fifty, sixty and seventy. But when they reached seventy-five percent of potential, the stability indicator began to fall rapidly. For every percent more power, they lost five percent stability. By the time they got to ninety percent power, the stability dial was down to twenty percent. Telford rushed to a nearby console and increased the cooling of the power source to maximum. The stability dial only climbed five percent. Telford cursed and moved to a panel with levers, which controlled a series of emergency vents. He opened all of them halfway.

“Stability at thirty percent and holding.” The technician said. “Power at ninety-nine point nine seven percent of potential, sir.”

Telford looked at the Stargate, it was still dialing. He opened the emergency vents all the way and the stability increased to thirty-five percent. They were balancing right on the edge here. The Gate had locked the eighth chevron and was now dialing the last one. Telford held his breath. This was the moment of truth. After what felt like forever….the ninth chevron locked and the wormhole formed.

“Wormhole established. Stability at forty percent.” The technician said. “Disconnect in fifty-two seconds.”

“Move, people !”

The team made its way through the event horizon of the wormhole. Telford grabbed his backpack with equipment and ran towards the Gate. As he got there, the last member of the team went through. They were down to ten seconds. Telford gave the Gate Room one last look, then stepped through himself. Five seconds later, the Gate switched off.

Stargate Nova Roma - Episode 3

3 - Getting Started

(New York City, Apartment Building – Seventh Floor – 15 March 2016)

Major Marc Vale stepped into his apartment and put his groceries in the kitchen. For nearly five years, Marcus Valerius had spent his time catching up to the modern world. He had begun by learning to read and write English. Then he had spent a lot of time updating his military training and his knowledge of history. But in his mind, his greatest achievement was learning to fly. Much to his own amazement, he had turned out to be a natural talent. He had begun flying small propeller planes, but had quickly advanced to bigger models. (And even fighter jets, including the F-302 space fighter.)

It was this skill that led him away from the Beta Site and the Stargate program. In July of 2015, he had been put on loan to the Air National Guard and the 103^rd Rescue Squadron. His job was to fly the squadron’s HC-130 Hercules transport aircraft. But his training had included parachuting out of the plane. The first time he had done it, Marc had considered it insane. But now he considered one of the most normal things in the world.

He was unpacking his groceries when the bell rang. Marc frowned and went to open the door. It was somebody he never expected to see standing on his doorstep.

“Mister President ?” The President of the United States of America was standing outside his door. To Marc, it was like having the Emperor of Rome coming to see you in person. In the old days, there was a good chance of you being dead when he left. “What brings you to my humble home ?” He stepped aside to let the man inside.

“A job offer, Major.”

The President stepped inside. His name was Robert Mackenzie. His predecessor had been called Henry Hayes. Hayes had become President in 2004, with a man called Robert Kinsey as his Vice-President. Shortly after, Kinsey had resigned. Mackenzie had been picked to take over the position. It was at that point that Mackenzie learned about the Stargate Program. And he had become a solid supporter of it. He had also helped Hayes land re-election in 2008. In 2012 – after eight years as Vice-President – Mackenzie had landed in the hot seat himself. At the moment, he was busy running for re-election. Which was another reason Vale had not expected him.

“Will you have a seat, sir ?” Marc said, while gesturing towards his small living room.

“Thank you, Major.”

Vale followed Mackenzie, closing the door and locking it. Mackenzie was fifty-five years old, with green eyes and black hair. He was fit and had a sharp mind. Before entering the world of politics at the age of thirty-five, he had served in the US Navy. He had enlisted at the age of seventeen. Between these two careers, he had made a lot of friends. And it was very likely for him to get re-elected. But none of that was on Vale’s mind as the President sat on his couch.

“Can I get you anything, sir ?”

“Got any cold beer ? It’s been one of those days…”

“Yes, sir.” Vale walked into the kitchen and quickly grabbed two beers from the fridge and two clean glasses from one of the cabinets above the sink. Then he made his way back to the living room. He sat down in a chair across from the President, while opening the beers. He put the glasses down and filled the President’s glass. “So, what kind of job are we talking about here, sir ?”

“A command.” Mackenzie sipped his beer. “We’ve figured out how to dial the ninth chevron, major.”

“Why do I have a feeling there’s a but coming, sir ?”

“That’s one of the reasons why I want you for this job, major.” Mackenzie began. “You’re sharp. And there is indeed a but, Major. Have you ever heard of P2X-110 ?” Vale nodded no. He had never heard about this planet. “It’s a planet that used to be on the border between Ra and Apophis’ territories. And they both wanted it, resulting in multiple battles. I believe it was nicknamed Yo-yo Prime, because it kept going back and forth between the two System Lords.”

It clicked in Marc’s head. “I heard about Yo-yo Prime. It was the planet surrounded by a massive debris field. But I never heard where the field came from. I presume the debris was caused by the battles, sir. So what happened after the Goa’uld Empire fell, sir ? Who lives there now ?”

“Nobody.” Mackenzie leaned back. “Which is why we moved the Beta Site over there and began using the debris to build a power source capable of dialing the ninth chevron. We finished it three days ago and are now running tests. The problem is that there are some who have reservations….” Mackenzie took another sip of beer. “….and that they might be right. This project is experimental and uses alien technology. Our best scientists – including Doctor Aranov and Mister Colson - estimated there’s a twenty percent chance the whole thing might – literally – blow up on us. We need a Plan B. And that’s where you come in.”

Mackenzie reached into his chest pocket and took out a folded piece of paper, which he gave to Vale. Marc opened it to find a schematic of an Ancient tower.

“Is this the Ancient tower they found me in ?”

“No, we’re calling it Nova Roma.” Mackenzie said. “After you left, we discovered why these Atlantis prototypes never made it into the final product. The metal doesn’t age well. It has become extremely brittle. One touch and it falls apart. Which is why the Ancients introduced the nanites. Eventually, the Ancients decided the nanites were too difficult to program. So, they figured out how to make a material that didn’t need them.”

“But we can’t make this material.”

“No, but it turned out the nanites could. So we merged all the towers together. The result is Nova Roma. A tower sized escape pod.” Mackenzie paused. “Before we start dialing, we’ll evacuate all non-essential personnel to Nova Roma. Only Colonel Telford and his team will remain.” Colonel David Telford had been the planned commander of Destiny, a long time ago. But things had not gone as planned. “And I want you to be in command of the tower.”

“I’m still not entirely clear why you picked me, sir.” Vale began. “And what about Major Anders ? Or Captain Hailey ?”

“Claus Anders has recently been promoted to Full Bird Colonel. He’s been reassigned to command of Deep Space Carrier construction. Major Hailey has been reassigned to Nellis Air Force Base. She is assigned to the development of the X-305.” Mackenzie paused. “So, are you onboard ?”

“Yes, sir. But I still do not know why you want me in command.”

“Because you skipped over two-thousand years of civilization and history without going insane. A command in the Stargate Program takes a special breed of leader. And a hop like that proves to me that you are a leader like that.” Mackenzie stood up, as did Vale. He took out another piece of paper, which he also handed to Vale. “These are the details. And show up in dress uniform, Lieutenant-Colonel. We’ll have to do the promotion ceremony to make it official.”

Marc opened the front door. But there was still one question on his mind. “One last question, sir. Why did you come to ask me in person ? I thought one of the perks of being the President was that you had people to this sort of thing for you ?”

“True, but I was in town for a whole list of meetings. I needed a break.” Mackenzie said. “Thank you for the beer.”

“You’re welcome, sir.”

Mackenzie walked out and Vale closed the door behind him. He had a lot of work to do. But he had no intention of doing so on an empty stomach. So he went into the kitchen and set about making dinner.

(P2X-110 / Beta Site – Power Generation Room – 21 March 2016, 0639 Hours)

Vale had done his homework, so he already knew what the Beta Site looked like. But it was nevertheless an impressive sight. The George Hammond – one of Earth’s warships - had just teleported him down to the surface. There were eight Goa’uld hyper-drive cores connected to a control section. The power conduits were laced with naquadah. This element was the material the Stargates were made off. It increased the power as it moved down the line. This was also the reason Nova Roma existed. If something went wrong, the naquadah could grow instable and explode with enough of a bang to wipe the base and anything within one-seventy-five kilometers off the map. And that was presuming the Stargate itself didn’t detonate as well. If it did, the explosion would be many times more massive. Which was why Nova Roma was placed on the far side of the planet. As he studied the power room, he noticed Colonel Telford approaching.

“Colonel Telford.”

“Colonel Vale.”

“Very impressive place you’ve got here.” Vale gestured towards the installation. “I can see why they put Nova Roma so far away. This really is a power house. How much power do you have to play with ?”

“We’re not entirely sure. But at least eighty-five Goa’uld hyper-drive cores worth.” Telford paused. “We’ve already dialed the Pegasus Galaxy twice. So the range is good enough for inter-galactic dialing.”

The door to the room opened and Major Jennifer Hailey walked in. She was here to take a closer look at Nova Roma, hoping to learn things that could be put into the X-305. Seconds later, she was followed by Nikita Aranov and Alec Colson. Aranov and Colson were the two ranking scientists for Nova Roma. Colson and Hailey were discussing what appeared to be a rough outline of the X-305. (The 305 was nowhere near construction ready. But the first drawings were already being made.) Aranov was reading a book, while eating a sandwich. When they got close, Hailey closed the folder. She and Colson turned their attention to the colonels.

“Colonels.” Hailey said with a salute.

“Marc, Colonel Telford.” Colson said.

“Alec, Major.” Vale said.

Telford simply gave the two of them a nod in reply. It was only then that Aranov realized what was going on. He quickly put away his book and finished his sandwich.

“This is not the mess hall.”

“No, it’s not.” Vale began with a snicker. “So, everybody ready to get this show on the road ?”

“The technicians are running the final diagnostics now.” Telford began. “Base evac will begin in twenty minutes, people. So make sure all your essential gear is packed and everything else is secured. Get to it.”

“Yes, sir.” Hailey said.

Hailey left, followed by Colson and Aranov. Vale and Telford also walked out of the room. Marc gave Telford a nod and ran to catch up with Aranov.

“Nikita, got a minute ?”

“Sure, what’s up ?”

“Not here.” Vale said. “We need some place private. Your office should do.”

Aranov nodded and led the way.

(Beta Site – Aranov’s Office – 21 March 2016, 0645 Hours)

On any other day, Aranov’s office would have been a mess. The place was home to a large collection of books and artifacts. There were also several maps mounted on the walls. But except for the maps, all of that was tucked out of view now. Nikita sat at the side of his desk which the computer faced, while Marc sat across from him.

“So, what’s bothering you, boss ?”

“They’ve been testing the power source for nine days now.” Vale began. “I’ve read your reports on this rodeo. But that report is now nine days old, so I was wondering if you wanted to add something.”

“Look, I’m no engineer…” Aranov took a deep breath. “…but I do know that Goa’uld math is a pain to translate. As are instructions manuals. All it takes, is one decimal in the wrong place and it all goes off the rails. And Alec IS an engineer. A very good one, as we both know.” He paused. “Without him, there is no way we could have completed Nova Roma. I trust his judgement, boss.”

“So do I. Was there anything off during the tests ? Anything that didn’t make it into the official paperwork ?”

“No.” Aranov began. “Telford was on top of any trouble.”

“Okay, let’s run through the plan one last time.”

Aranov nodded and they got to work.

Stargate Nova Roma - Episode 2

2 – Awakening

(Tower Seven – Stasis Lab – 29 May 2010)

What Marcus didn’t know what that he had never left the well. Instead, he and the boy had been teleported by an Ancient device buried deep underneath the town. It had relayed them to another, which had send them further along, until they had reached Tower Seven. There, they had been put inside a pair of stasis chambers. That had been over two-thousand years ago.

Aranov stood next to the stasis chambers. They had discovered the second chamber – containing young Antonius – further into Tower Seven. He had managed to access the logs for the chambers and realized that neither the centurion or the boy had aged a day. When he figured out why, he whistled.

“The pods have frozen them in time.”

Colson and Haley were at the room’s main control panel.

“We’re going to have to be careful.” Haley said. “If we get it wrong, they are going to age into dust.”

“I think we should take the diver approach.” Colson began. “Slowly reducing the power as we go.” He punched up a screen. “There is an automated program for the job. But this thing was designed for Ancients, so….”

“…we put the function on manual and reduce it slower than the programs schedule.”

It was at this point that Major Claus Anders entered the room. “How are things going ?” He said. “Are we ready to thaw our two ancient icicles ?” His voice grew serious. “And what about the psychological shock ? We’re going to have tell them that over two-thousand years have passed. We’re talking a major transition here.”

“Yeah, I have an idea or two about that.” Aranov said. “For now, however, let’s deal with the physical.”

“Do it.” Anders said. “But I want Doc H and a full medical team in place before we dial power down one volt.” Doctor Julia Henderson was the Beta Site’s Chief Medical Officer. She was a top notch doctor from New Zealand. “We’re not taking any chances.”

“You’re the boss.” Aranov said.

Aranov took out his radio and began setting it up.

(Beta Site – Tent – 29 May 2010, Three Hours Later)

Marcus was asleep on his bed. Then he heard something and his eyes snapped open. ~What the….~ His mind flashed, as he realized that he was no longer in his room. In fact, this place was unlike any place he had ever seen. It was a tent, but not of any fabric he knew off. His bed was crude woodwork, but the mattress was odd. As were the sheets. The place was lit by several oil lamps. He examined himself and found that he was wearing a simple white T-shirt and a pair of pants which stopped at his knees. His uniform was on a nearby chair.

“Where am I ?”

He got to his feet. His legs were stiff, but operational. He made his way to the exit of the tent. Marcus stepped outside and gasped. Because he was seeing something impossible. There were two suns in the sky.

“No…” He shook his head. “….that cannot be.”

But it was. His head swam. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. What he was seeing could not be. Yet it was. He opened his eyes and made his way into the tent. Marcus found his sword next to his uniform. He picked it up and went back outside. Looking around, he realized that his tent was part of some kind of military camp. His sword at the ready, he made his way to the center.

 “Where am I ?” He muttered. “What is this place ?”

It was at this time that people came out of the tents. They all wore the same clothing – which Marcus figured was an uniform – and were carrying some kind of devices. And from the way they were carrying them, he figured these devices were some sort of weapons. They were yelling him in a language he did not understand. It wasn’t Greek or Latin. They pointed the devices at him.

~Stay calm, Marcus.~

He studied the group. There were eleven of them. They were a mix of men and women. Some were white, others were Nubian and some had a color of skin Marcus had never seen before. Suddenly, another man came from one of the tents. He said something to the group and they lowered their weapons. Then he looked at Marcus. He spoke Latin with a thick accent, but it was clear enough to understand.

“Greetings, Centurion Valerius. I am Tribune Anders.” He began. “Put your sword away and follow me. I have a lot to tell you.”

He had no idea what else to do, so he lowered his sword and followed the man. The Tribune led him towards a large tent. Inside was a large collection of tables and benches. Anders sat on one of the benches and gestured for him to sit across from him, which he did.

“Tribune….” Marcus began. “….where am I ? The sky, it is….”

“….impossible ?” Anders said with a smile. “Centurion, I have a lot to tell you. And you will consider most of it impossible.”

Marcus leaned on the table and listened as the Tribune told him of impossible things.

(Beta Site – Valerius’ tent – 3 June 2010, 0800)

After the Tribune had finished, Marcus had returned to his tent. It was as if his head refused to accept what he had been told. He had spent the last couple of days hiding in his tent. At least here, the world made sense. The whole thing was insane. Two-thousand and twenty-two years….gone. How was he supposed to believe that ? His family, all dead. It made his heart heavy. Suddenly, there was a noise outside. He grabbed his sword and followed his ears. They lead him to the center of the camp.

Two soldiers were arguing. One of them was a blond man with green eyes, while the other was a black haired woman with brown eyes. The Tribune had given him a device which translated the other languages in the camp to Latin. It had taken him two days to figure the odd machine out, but now he knew how to operate it. He shook his head. ~It’s like something from the myths, made by the gods themselves.~ They were standing next to a large weapon. The weapon itself stood next to a large ring. Anders had called it an Astra Porta, a Gate to the Stars.

“The schedule says that you were to clean it, Decurion.” The man was saying.

“There was a problem in the caves. They needed my help. I simply did not get around to cleaning the weapon.”

“No excuses, I want…”

Marcus cleared his throat and gave the two of them a stern look. “Are you two done ?” He looked at the female Decurion. “Decurion, clean the weapon.” Then he looked at man. “You, help her. And no arguments. These kind of conversations are not good for unit morale. Is that clear ?”

“Yes, sir.” The two of them said, before setting to the task.

He made his way back to his tent, pondering what had just happened. ~Two thousand years and still….~ He was not a part of their army. So they did not have to obey his orders. But they had, so maybe…..just maybe, there was a place for him in this world.