Stargate: A New Era

A Stargate/Mass Effect Crossover

A/N: First things first, while this is posted under Stargate SG: 1, this fic will involve ALL factors of the Stargate universe with SG-1 at its focus primarily. Just so everyone understands, this takes place after the events of Stargate Universe so this is completely unexplored territory as far as the Stargate-verse is concerned.

Second, I am looking to make this a collab. My other story, Mass Effect: The Unsung Hero which is a Crysis/Mass Effect crossover is my primary story. I also have another story in the works with another author that will be a Command & Conquer/Mass Effect crossover.

Third, since this is NOT going to take precedence over real life and ME:TUH, if I don't receive any SERIOUS offers to help out on this, updates on here will be FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. I am posting this chapter out there to get a feel for what people will think of a crossover between Mass Effect and Stargate which does NOT involve any dimension hopping rather the two universes occupy the same galaxy.

Fourth, if you enjoy reading this chapter let me know! While I won't guarantee faster updates, the more positive reviews I get the more likely I am to write more for this story!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING RELATING TO STARGATE OR MASS EFFECT! THEY ARE OWNED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE CORPORATE ENTITIES!

EDIT 3/2/12: I have gone in and fixed some things, mainly to make it flow a bit better. Part of chapter two has been added on to this chapter to keep all of the SGC's side together. One big thing to note is the size of the Milky Way. I have found sources claiming it to be 1000 light-years (ly) thick, others 10,000. So I am going with 10,000 ly thick and 1,000,000 ly wide. These numbers are not factual nor are they in canon, they are easy to remember so that's what I'm using!

October 28th, 2011

15 years…

15 years of us traveling around the galaxy, beating the odds…

That was what was on everyone's mind today at the SGC. This day, while unremarkable to everyone else on Earth, for everyone in the top secret complex buried inside Cheyenne Mountain it was a milestone in more ways than one.

Not only was today the 15th anniversary of then Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Daniel Jackson going through the Stargate to Abydos and freeing it's people from the tyrannical reign of the Goa'uld Ra, today the President of the United States was making his first visit to the SGC. Along with him were some of the Congressional leadership, the Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs, as well as Lieutenant General Jack O'Neill.

President Henry Hayes finally decided that with it being his last year in office, and with Lucian Alliance activity being at a minimum, to let another select few members of the Congress in on the secret that was at Cheyenne Mountain in the effort to begin talks of disclosure.

For every member who was now a part of the Department of Homeworld Security, it was something they all had reservations about. Everyone who worked for the SGC, Atlantis, Area 51, and a host of other facilities on and off world knew that eventually the secret of the Stargate would have to be made public. Forefront in their minds was the fear of what the general public would think and how they would react to the news that the US government along with others had been in contact with, fought against, and allied Earth with other beings amongst the Milky Way galaxy; Not to mention the historical and technological revelations made along the way.

They all knew about some accounts of where First Contact with other human civilizations had gone very well, but there were others that went to hell. On more than one occasion, SG1, the SGC's flagship team, had been involved in circumstances that led the world they were visiting to devolve into utter chaos simply because the public couldn't handle the truth that the Stargate represented.

There were rumors about using the Ark of Truth to prevent that, by reprogramming it so that everyone who saw its light would be of the same ideals as those who worked at the SGC. There was also the memory implantation technology they had co-developed with another human civilization, that way everyone could see that the SGC had done more good by operating in the dark for 5 years, then finally opening up to the IOA to allow for a measure of international security.

How the people of Earth would react to the program itself paled in comparison to when they found out about Earth's slowly growing fleet of battle-cruisers capable of traveling to other galaxies given the proper coordinates. There was also discussion about how the various Earth militaries would react. Given that the major powers already knew, all it would take would be one rouge state to do something stupid and events that SGC personnel had seen unfold off world would become a reality on Earth.

Everyone was in agreement on one thing though. No matter what happened today, they had a job to do and in Colonel Carter's old lab, Doctor Bill Lee made a discovery that would shake the foundations of Stargate Command.

General Landry's Office

knock knock

"What is it Walter?" Major General Hank Landry called out from his chair. In his dress blues, he was finishing signing some reports before the President and Jack made it down the elevator to level 26 where he would greet them.

"General Sir," the technical sergeant said before entering, "Doctor Lee says he has something very important to discuss with you."

Landry sighed and asked, "What's it about Doctor?" knowing the Doctor usually didn't take no for an answer. Landry was right, and the bald doctor came from around the corner of the door frame.

"General! While doing a routine diagnostic of the dialing computers memory systems, I had it plot out everywhere that we have dialed here from the SGC."

"Get to the point Doctor, today is not a day to dilly-dally" Landry said, exasperated already. Doctor Lee then unrolled a tube of paper he had been carrying with him and laid it out on the General's desk.

"Sir as you know the Milky Way galaxy, compared to other galaxies, is rather average in size. When I had the computer plot where we have been, instead of looking at the galaxy from the 'top-down' view we're used to seeing, I looked in from the edge."

Landry examined the paper, and saw that while the dots that showed the planetary locations were all spread out, but they didn't encompass the entire thickness of the galaxy.

"So the Stargates we've been using have only been in this one slice of the galaxy!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying sir! You forget that the galaxy is estimated to be over 10,000 light years thick! The 'Gate system itself appears only covers a couple thousand of those!" Bill exclaimed.

"I thought that the Ancients seeded the entire galaxy with Stargates?" Landry asked.

"Oh… Uh… you might want to talk to Doctor Jackson on that one… Him being the Ancient expert… along with Ascending and Descending... Twice…" Bill muttered.

"That will have to wait until their next briefing I'm afraid," Landry replied. "SG: 1 is going to be taking the President to the Delta site once the general tour is done."

"Uh… Sir… Neither the President or SG: 1 know about a mission off world…" Walter commented.

Landry looked up from signing his last form with a smile on his face "Oops…"

Elevator 2A

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT NOT JUST YOUR ADMINISTRATION BUT THE PREVIOUS ONE'S AS WELL OPERATED THIS PROGRAM WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION FROM CONGRESS!" Senator Alex Rochester cried out.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Francis Maynard, had decided to give a bit of an introductory speech to the Congressional leadership while in the elevator hoping it would help things down the road.

Unfortunately it didn't look like it would. Major General O'Neill leaned over to Francis and not too subtly whispered, "I told you we should have waited…"

Francis, as much as he wanted to even let a smile crack, maintained a face of stone. Having been through several top-secret briefings to get these short sighted politicians into the base was giving him the biggest headache since the last NID incident where another 'rouge element' tried to get into Atlantis' data base. Doctor McKay however managed to stall the agent long enough for Colonel Sheppard and Ronin to track down and apprehend the man. Thankfully the man was just a regular NID agent and not a Goa'uld.

"At least they are telling us now Alex," Representative Melissa Zaggert said calmly. "I'm sure that it is out of fear of reactions like yours that the General's here have postponed inviting anyone else down here."

"Couldn't have said it better myself Melissa." President Hayes remarked. "Now Alex, believe me when I say that these people here are the best of the best. You owe your life several times over to General O'Neill alone!"

Melissa, a stunning blonde a 5'10" with deep green eyes, simply smiled at the President's compliment. That smile was what many said won her the election for her seat in the House. Having a model's body which she wasn't afraid to flaunt while running around D.C. or swimmimg at the local pools certainly didn't hurt either. Even with her being a relative newcomer to Washington, in 3 short years she knew the in's and outs of the House and was rumored to have a late bid in the upcoming Presidential Election.

Alex Rochester on the other hand looked like a country boy if it weren't for the immaculate suit he wore. Deeply tanned skin from working out in the fields of the Deep South, which came with a physique that he often used to bully the other smaller Congressmen and women, at 6'4" Rochester's jelled hair and jet black eyes made him intimidating to anyone on the Hill. His political career in the Senate started 5 years ago when he managed to somehow force a piece of legislation through that otherwise wouldn't have made it due to increasing partisan disagreements. From there he managed to gain everyone's respect and fear.

"I would certainly hope so, if the United States Air Force was risking the entire planet's neck I wouldn't want some JROTC boys running across the galaxy." Rochester muttered under his breath.

A few seconds later, and the elevator finally came to a halt, revealing two airmen in their dress blues on either side of the door standing at attention arms raised in salute. General Landry came from around the corner and offered a salute to the two Generals and the President.

"Mr. President, General's, Congressman and Congresswoman, welcome to Stargate Command."

A few hours later

Breifing Room

"You have an impressive facility General Landry." Melissa offered as she sat down at one of the middle chairs at the giant meeting table. "Although considering we are underground am I safe in assuming that we saw only a portion of it?"

"Yes ma'am. You saw the most important parts of it though. The Gate Room, the Control Room, Colonel Carters infamous lab, and of course the infirmary." Landry offered his usual seat to the President, and instead took the opposite chair allowing General's Maynard and O'Neill to sit on either side of the President.

Rochester on the other hand was standing by the window that looked over the Gate Room. Shaking his head, he turned around and made for a seat opposite Melissa. "You say the first actual mission through that thing was 15 years ago today, yet we have not seen a single piece of alien technology make an appearance in the American market! How can you justify a program like this!"

"If that's what you think Senator Rochester, then you have only begun to learn what we've done here." A new voice spoke from the General's office.

"Daniel!" O'Neill cried out, "I was wondering when my favorite archeologist would show up to keep me company!"

Daniel smiled as he walked into the briefing room. "Good to see you too Jack. Mr. President and General, I hope your trip over here wasn't too much trouble."

Francis shook his head no. "Well I for one was up for doing this in another location, one that's been hard to pry you from Doctor Jackson, but General O'Neill here thought that might be too big of a culture shock for them." President Hayes replied.

"Yes well considering how the IOA has placed everything and everyone it can there, I'm able to do more good there than here now." Daniel answered putting a special emphasis on there to imply the City of Atlantis. "Now... let's get down to business shall we?" Daniel asked as he took his place over by the pull down screen to give his 'brief' history lesson.

Several Hours Later

After Daniel's version of a 'brief' history lesson on everything the Stargate Program has been through, including the Destiny mission, he brought the lights back up to their normal levels.

"I suppose some of you might have some questions." He asked no one in particular.

There was a pregnant pause before the President spoke up, "Very well done Doctor Jackson. I only hope you'll be able to do another presentation like that in the future in front of a much larger audience. Perhaps in New York."

"Thank you Mr. President." Daniel responded sincerely.

There was a another moment of silence which Daniel took to look around the room. Landry was observing everyone, Rochester looked like he was going through information overload and Zaggert had the look in her eyes of many young Air Force Academy graduates when they were told they'd been accepted to receive highly specialized training.

Jack on the other hand was leaning on the table, obviously asleep. Typical Jack... Daniel thought. The man has one of the sharpest minds I know, yet he can't help but fall asleep in a meeting...

"I have a question Doctor Jackson... Given how many times you've gone through the gate and the vast amount of technology you and SG-1 have acquired, why haven't we seen any improvements in the quality of life here in America?" Rochester asked.

"Because Alex, their primary mandate is to get technology to defend Earth, not just the U.S. Of A." the President replied.

"To add to that, we simply do not have the budget to defend Earth, pursue new technology, and develop relations with the humans that have been transplanted across the galaxy, to find a way to make it easier for some joe-schmoe to get a cup of coffee." Jack added, waking up from his nap.

"I would have thought that with the addition of Britain, France, Russia, and China that there would be a bigger budget to be able to pursue that line of thinking." Melissa asked.

"Unfortunately, the International Oversite Advisory has become so bogged down in politics to the point where if we were to actually follow their protocol in times of aggressive actions, then we would loose days if not weeks because of their endless debating over a single mission." Landry answered.

"In response to that, I have drawn up a plan, that if the world governments were to agree to after disclosure, that would essentially transform the SGC into an entirely separate political and military entity. I can go into details later if you'd like." Daniel added.

"How about we take a break first?" President Hayes intervened.

"Sounds like a plan sir!" Jack perked up, "Hank, Daniel and I are going to borrow your office quick."

"Actually Jack, Mr. President, General Francis, I think we better stay here while the Senator and Congresswoman step down to the control room." Landry replied.

"Leave it to Doctor Lee to make a discovery like this..." Daniel commented.

"Carter is going to be mad she never thought of this..." Jack added.

"So Hank, what does this mean?" President Hayes asked.

Everyone in the briefing room was stunned at the news about how the Stargate Network only covered a slice of the galactic disc when they all thought the Ancients had actually covered the entire galaxy. Daniel especially considering how much time he spent lately going over Atlantis' historical database.

"Well sir, I'm of the mind that if we want to explore the entire galaxy, then we are going to need to make sure that any disclosure goes over smoothly so that way we have the backing of the entire planet. As well as elevating the other human worlds to the point where we can actually start sending civil engineers to be able to build up proper defenses." Landry asked.

"What about the Jaffa? Have they not been able to adopt to the new form of government?" Francis asked.

"Unfortunately not, while Teal'c managed to create a democratic federation based on the good ol' U.S. Constitution, not all Jaffa are willing to change." O'Neill answered.

"Damn..." President Hayes cursed. "Well Doctor Jackson, Jack...You are my A-Team when it comes to the Stargate. How do you think our two newbies are taking it?" The President asked, switching topics.

"Rochester seems like an 'America first' kind of guy, great at getting what he wants, but definitely not someone I'd want in charge of this place or Atlantis." O'Neill replied

"I have to agree with Jack Mr. President. Miss Zagert seems like shes willing to see past what we've done and look ahead to what could be accomplished." Daniel added.

President Hayes nodded, "Fair assessment... Kinda makes you wonder what they'd think of seeing the 'Hammond'"

Jack's eye's lit up at that as a smile crept across his face. "Well sir... Carter has the Hammond in orbit over the construction of the Delta site. We could take them on a little field trip..."

An hour later

Delta Site, Location: Classifed

"Simply amazing! We are on another planet!" Melissa Zaggert exlaimed as soon as she stepped through the gate.

"Yeah we hear that a lot." Colonel Cameron Mitchell replied as he walked up the path that led from the gate to a nearby mountain. Wearing the standard black BDU with vest, Zat, and P90, Cam was ready for almost anything. "Colonel Cameron Mitchell." He saluted respectfully as the President and General Francis stepped through followed by O'Neill.

"At ease Colonel" the President ordered.

"Thank you sir it's an hon-"

"MITCHELL! WHERE DID YOU GO?" A woman's voice cried out, at which Daniel's head immediately slumped down.

"-or to see you on your first off world trip" Cam finished. "VALA! GET BACK TO THE BASE!" He yelled back down the path he just came from.

"WHY?" Came the annoyed reply.

"BECAUSE WE HAVE VISITORS!" He quickly turned around and smiled at the new comers. "Sorry about that ladies and gentlemen. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the Delta site which is our primary off world training ground."

Delta Site Command Building

"Alex, can you really believe that we are on an alien planet!" Melissa said, nearly squealing like a little school girl as Cam lead the group of VIP's to the briefing area of the site. The command building was the only part of the base that was built into a nearby abandoned mine. Eventually as the mine was explored, dug out, and fortified the pre-fab buildings outside would be gone as room opened up inside.

"It is hard to believe that a single step can take us so far..." He commented.

"Yeah, you ain't seen nothing yet," Cam commented as he cleared a spot by the table for the President to sit down.

"Very impressive so far Colonel Mitchell." The President commented.

"Thank you sir, but until this place is up and running there is no official CO. The SG teams rotate on a regular basis keeping watch over this place, while Carter keeps an eye out from above."

"I'm assuming you mean she's up on one of our battle-cruisers?"

"Yes sir, she should be here any minute now..." Jack commented looking at his watch. "Any minute now..."

In a flash of light, Colonel Samantha Carter was suddenly standing behind Jack with a smile on her face wearing the same black jumpsuit as Cam minus the extra gear with her blonde hair in a regulation pony-tail.

"AH! Carter! I told you don't do that!" Jack cried out causing Sam to laugh.

"Sorry sir, I couldn't resist." Sam then stood at attention and saluted the President which he returned. "I apologize for not being here sooner, I was going over the data that Doctor Lee sent me in a subspace transmission."

Everyone stared at her waiting for her to continue her explanation. "Right," she said awkwardly, "I have a theory that the while Ancients may have originally intended on spreading the Gate System throughout the entire galaxy, they only managed to cover a small portion of the galactic disk's thickness before they were stricken from a plague that we, as of now, know nothing about its origins."

"That does make sense..." Daniel interjected, "Even though the Ancients may have used gate seeding ships like what the Destiny crew has seen, the ships themselves may have been destroyed prematurely while they were in Pegasus."

"Yes, but I managed to find something else interesting. Now that we have several off world sites, we've been able to send out several MALPs to help plot out the Gate System more effectively. One of those MALPs ended up far out side the current disk the gate system inhabits."

"Huh?" Cam and Jack asked at the same time. Carter smiled, then walked over to a white board. Grabbing a marker she drew a long rectangle that was divided into three parts horizontally with the middle section being smaller than the two on top and below it.

"Ok, imagine that this center section here is area which the Gate System occupies." She quick put a "SG" on the middle section to mark it. "Now the planet in question is roughly 300 light years away from the edge of the Gate System. Coincidentally, it happens to be in the Orion arm, the galactic arm that our solar system is in, and only about 20 light years away from Earth laterally. So a hyperspace trip there would only take about 3 hours if I were to leave the Delta Site now."

"Is the planet able to support life?" Melissa Zagert asked.

"Almost every world with a Stargate on it is capable of supporting life, and the MALP sent back data that confirmed that." Sam answered. "Also, Mr. President, Generals, I feel that due to this world being so far outside of the gate network, the Lucian Alliance would have little to no knowledge of its existence. We ourselves only got the data from Atlantis' Milky Way update protocol when we brought the city to operational capacity after she landed."

The President cocked an eye-brow "What does that mean Colonel?"

"Well sir, we managed to hook up all of our existing naquadah generators, but those pale in comparison to having three fully charged ZPM's. McKay managed to transfer the remaining energies of the current ZPM's into a single one, but even with the naquadah generators, most of the power is being diverted to the cloaking device." Sam answered.

"So what your saying is that until we manage to secure some more ZPM's or find a way to manufacture them, Atlantis is simply sitting there?" The President asked. After the great city-ship landed in San Francisco Bay, the Navy managed to tow the city out to sea where the chances of a random boat or low flying plane getting past the cloak was slim. It currently sits about 20 miles off shore, with the cloak engaged to maintain its secrecy.

"Not entirely sir." Daniel answered. "Most of what the IOA's people have been up to is searching the main Atlantis database along with the hidden Janus database to find something on power generation for the city."

"What about that one experiment that Doctor McKay and his sister did a while ago?"

"While the chances of them connecting with another inhabited dimension are small, that's a risk we can't take sir." Sam answered remembering the report that mentioned having two McKay's, one from an alternate universe, which gave her a nightmare after she read it.

"Understood Colonel. Now I have yet to step foot aboard one of our battle-cruisers, and I find it fitting that my first one be the one that's named after a close friend of mine." The President stated as he stood up and saluted Carter. "Colonel, permission to come aboard the 'George Hammond'".

Sam saluted back, "Permission granted sir, Marks," She called into her comm unit, "prepare for beaming. 8 targets. No Cameron isn't joining us."

As everyone looked at each other, they all saw a flash of white.

Geo-syncronus Orbit over the Delta Site

DSC-006 'George Hammond' Bridge

The next instant Melissa looked around and saw that she was in some kind of command area, where everyone was standing at attention and saluting the President.

"At ease everyone," he ordered, and they all went promptly back to their stations.

"Major Marks, change our call sign to Space Force One" O'Neill ordered causing everyone including the President to give him a funny look. "What?" He shrugged.

"I think the normal call sign will do fine Major" The President suggested, receiving a prompt 'yes sir' from Marks.

A few hours later

"She's a beautiful ship Colonel, I'm sure George would have been proud to have you be her commanding officer." The President complimented.

"Thank you sir, everyone aboard has at one point served under him and they take being here very seriously." Sam said graciously.

"If you don't mind me asking Colonel Carter," Melissa started, "But why isn't the Navy the one in charge of this fleet? Wouldn't they be better suited for the types of missions you and your crew face?"

"To be honest when we approached them, they were hesitant. They already have several fleets to maintain, train, resupply, and keep track of on Earth. Instead, they offered the Air Force some of their tactical officers so we can get an understanding of ship to ship combat, but since we are in space we found that their expertise wasn't the best. By having men and women who have dealt with air craft and aerial combat, they are used to the three dimensional combat that we face in space" Sam answered as they walked to one of the many mess hall's, this one having been converted to a large conference room for the time the President was on board.

"Well Melissa, Alex, what do you think?" The President asked as he sat down at the end of the table, which happened to have the view port behind him showing a view of the planet.

"Absolutely marvelous Mr. President," Melissa started before Alex could get a word in. "I think this may be the thing that the world needs to hear to bring it together. When they hear that the means of interplanetary and intergalactic travel is possible, that there are humans and aliens out there, most of which need our help and are willing to help us, just imagine the unity that could inspire."

"Or imagine the chaos that would happen!" Alex countered. "I won't deny that the people of the SGC, the Atlantis Expedition, and the Destiny crew have faced and are facing some incredible dangers out there. The fact is that there are people out there on Earth whose only mind set are to destroy everything even related to America. Then add in religious radicals and potential rouge states, it's a time bomb."

"True, but those people are in the minority, and with the backing of the other major nations, I can't help but hope only the best." Melissa countered. "Yes we have enemies on Earth, but Earth as a whole has enemies out here! We have always been explorers and the people of the SGC are our generations great explorers. I'm sure that the names of General O'Neill, Doctor Jackson, and Colonel Carter will eventually be remembered for being the first Terrans to step beyond our solar system." Melissa smiled at the word Terrans, finding it easier to pronounce than the Goa'uld word Tau'ri, and something that everyone on Earth could hopefully latch on to.

"Well said once again Melissa," The President offered. "Now, while the 'Hammond' is a beautiful ship Colonel Carter, I regret to inform you that the Japanese delegation is waiting for me to join them for dinner. If you would be so kind as to beam us to the gate, I look forward to speaking with you soon."

"Of course sir, Marks, 7 to beam down." Sam called using her comm piece, and saluted as the white flash started and whisked away the President and his mini-entourage.

October 30th 2011

SGC

"God am I glad to be off that planet!" Vala complained as they turned in their gear to the SGC quartermaster. "Nothing but men focused on building things does not provide for a good flirtation exercise!"

"Get used to it Vala, now that Lucian Alliance is fighting a civil war, we can finally get a strong foothold on our off world bases." Cam retorted, having finished up.

"It's just not the same anymore with out Muscles or Sam. With it being just you, Daniel and me, I have no one else to poke fun at."

"Don't worry, General Landry said that he found someone to take Carter's spot on the team." Cam replied as he left the equipment room to head to the mens locker room.

"Really?" Vala asked, perking up and rushing out the door, "Man? Woman? Who?"

"I don't know Vala," Cam replied impatiently, "We won't find out till our next briefing at 16:00."

"Riight, that's four pm right?"

"Yes Vala," Cam said exasperated. "Now if you don't mind I'm going to take a shower..." Vala's mouth opened for a fraction of second, "... No you may not join me!" Cam shouted as he entered the locker room.

15:50

Briefing Room

"Ah SG-1 glad you're here," Landry spoke as he entered the briefing room from his office. "First off, the President wished me to congratulate you on your job well done with his visit and showing the Congressmen around."

"Thank you General," Daniel said as he grabbed a seat on the General's right, Vala sitting next to him, and Cam sitting on Landry's left. "I hope that Alex Rochester comes around,"

"So do I Jackson, but chances are that that won't happen unless we use the Ark on him." Cam commented. That got him one of Daniels rare evil glares, "What? If we can use the thing to prevent disclosure from sending this planet we have risked our necks for multiple times into utter chaos I say we use it."

"I won't get into that argument again Colonel, the only person who will authorize the Ark's and the memory implantation technology en mass is the President." Landry interrupted. "Now I believe that you all want to meet your newest team member." The three of members of SG-1 nodded. "Walter! Send her up!" Landry called downstairs, knowing the technical sergeant would hear him.

As SG-1 turned around, they saw the small frame of a young woman in Air Force dress blues come up the stairs at the back of the briefing room. When she reached the top, it was clear she had captain's bars and some service ribbons on her jacket.

"Captain Jennifer Hailey reporting as ordered sir" The young Captain saluted.

"At ease Hailey. Doctor Jackson, I'm sure you remember Hailey."

"Yes it's been awhile, I thought you were with SG-7." Daniel replied.

"I was, but the General here saw fit to add me to SG-1." Hailey replied.

"So Hailey, what's your specialty?" Cam asked out of curiosity.

"Theoretical Astrophysics." She answered with a smile.

"So you mean that you're a mini-Carter?"

"Yeah well apparently the guy who read every SG-1 report doesn't remember one of them." She deadpanned.

"Hey now! I read those almost 5 years ago!" Cam shot back. "You can't honestly expect a guy to remember a small detail at the drop of a hat!"

"No sir, what I'm trying to say is that Colonel Carter essentially recruited me into the program, and while in the Academy I was compared to her in every respect." Hailey said simply.

"Take a seat Hailey, I want to get started on your next mission briefing." Landry replied. "I'm sure you four can get caught up some other time. Right now, given Doctor Lee's recent discovery of the Gate System, the President feels that Colonel Carter's suggestion to head to the planet that's outside the established gate zone to be a priority. As such you will head out at 0800. I've already ordered Carter to arrive at the planet a few minutes before you so she can scan the system to determine its possible uses. We will have a quick briefing before you embark tomorrow at 0750. Dismissed."

October 31st

SGC

Ready Room

0730

"So Jackson, any bets on what we'll find on this trip?" Mitchell asked as they geared up in the usual black BDU's, combat vests, and grabbing P-90's along with M9's and Zat's for good measure.

"Umm... Semi-primitive civilization, around 15th century technology wise." Daniel guessed. The Goa'uld had repressed human development as much as they could so that they could maintain their images as gods, and now one of SG-1's standing missions was to elevate the various cultures technology at a reasonable pace.

"Damnit Jackson you said that last week!" Mitchell groaned.

"Yeah well, statistically speaking he's going to be right." Hailey piped up, which caused Daniel to grin widely at Mitchell who rolled his eyes. "However, because this planet was not on the Abydos cartush, the Gou'alds most likely never have been there. If Colonel Carter's and Dr. Lee's theory is right, this planet will most likely be inhabited by an alien civilization."

"And which theory would that be?" Vala asked.

"We know from the Destiny crew that the Ancient's, before they left with Atlantis for Pegasus, used ships made for seeding Stargates on habitable worlds here in the Milky Way and beyond. For whatever reason those ships here in the Milky Way never made it beyond 2000 light years in either direction of the galactic z axis from Earth. In all probability there could have been a race whose policy was to shoot first and ask questions later when it came to automated gate seeding ships." Cam, Daniel, and Vala all stopped what they were doing to get their gear ready and looked at Hailey who was checking her P90. There was a moment of silence before Hailey looked up, "What? I went over the telemetry data and initial reports during breakfast."

"Yup... She's Carter's clone..." Cam muttered as he left the room.

SGC

Briefing Room

0800

"We are calling this planet as POG-001," Landry began, "seeing as this planet doesn't fit the computers usual designation parameters." The super computer that was constantly working to determine new gate addresses based on old address from the Abydos cartush and the data that O'Neill entered used an alphanumeric system based on the planets distance and location in relation to Earth to name them. Since this new planet was outside of its established area, to set it apart the team who monitored the computer decided a new designation, 'Planet Out of Gatesystem', was needed. SG-1, back up to the standard 4 person squad with the addition of Hailey, was standing in the briefing room as Landry sat his usual chair. "The President is hoping this mission will involve meeting a race similar in technology to the Ancients, but I'm holding my breath. For now, this is a routine mission SG-1. Scout the planet and determine it's usefulness. Colonel Carter will be there a few minutes after you step through the gate to scout the system."

"Yes sir," Cam replied.

"You have a go SG-1, God speed." Landry spoke as he stood up, "Walter! Begin the dialing sequence!"

Without replying, Walter typed in the proper commands in the dialing computer to dial POG-001. After putting his hand on the hand scanner to authorize the outgoing wormhole, the gate began its usual routine of the inner ring spinning around until the proper chevron got to the top.

"Chevron one engaged," He announced as the gate physically locked in the coordinates. For some unknown reason, the gate at the SGC was the only one in the Milky way that had to physically lock in the chevrons. Carter's most widely accepted theory was that it was designed as a fail safe in case the Dial Home Devices were destroyed. The DHD's were normally what powered and controlled the gate, and since the SGC's DHD was a jerry-rigged super computer that Carter 'MacGyver'-ed together, there may be something in the DHD that wasn't replicated in the super computer.

"Chevron two engaged." Walter continued as the right side blast door opened up to allow SG-1 into the gate room.

"Alright guys, let's try this again. Any bets on what we're gonna find?" Cam asked, trying to build up some camaraderie with Hailey. The four of them lined up in front of the ramp leading up to the gate, each doing some last minute equipment checks.

"Mountains of treasure!" Vala blurted out, knowing full well that was not what they would find. Even if they did, Daniel would most likely not let her keep any of it.

"Chevron three engaged."

"Vala's disqualified for not taking this seriously," Cam began, "Captain?"

"Ruins of an ancient civilization, around our level of technology plus or minus a century." Hailey stated confidently as she repositioned her ball cap so her ponytail would fit through the back more comfortably.

"Oh ho! Carter junior not taking any prisoners!" Cam laughed, earning a small glare from Hailey at the nick name. "Let's see, I'm going to say forgotten Ancient outpost."

"With or without a ZPM?" Daniel asked.

"Chevron four engaged."

"Depleted ZPM. Come on Jackson you know by now that we're not that lucky."

"In that case, I'm going to say a garden world, that has yet to be untouched by any advanced civilization." Daniel smirked as he secured his P90 to his vest.

"Chevron five engaged."

"So what's in the pot?" Hailey asked.

"Winner doesn't have to buy dinner when we get back." Cam answered.

"Chevron six engaged."

"You mean you don't eat on base?" Hailey pressed, a look of concern on her face.

"Well we do when we're on duty, but as soon as we get off we all usually head out to a good restaurant to kick off our free time." The standard rotation for SG teams was one week of being on base followed by four days off. SG:1 however usually never went by the rotation schedule, only heading home after a major crisis was averted or when ordered to.

"Chevron seven locked." As soon as Walter finished, the gate created it's usual 'kawoosh', as Carter termed it, before it stabilized in the standard water like event horizon. Before Walter gave SG-1 the all clear, he noticed something on the power regulation monitors. "General, the gate is drawing power from off world." He announced.

"How is that possible?" Landry asked, having been in the control room behind Walter.

"Well sir, the gate on the other side might be drawing the power in and its translating back through the wormhole. It wouldn't be the first time something like that has happened." Walter offered.

"Send a MALP in to be sure SG-1 won't step into a hostile environment."

"Yes sir."

As Walter typed away on his station and Landry looked on, SG-1 waited patiently.

"General!" Cam shouted, "What's the hold up?"

"We have power translating back through the gate Mitchell, we are bringing down a MALP to be sure you won't be stepping into a trap." Landry called out using the PA.

"Thank you sir! It's nice to feel wnated!"

Five minutes later, the MALP probe had arrived and was sent through the gate. While the MALP's looks hadn't changed over 15 years, the technology on the inside had. Utilizing the latest in sensors and communication suites, MALPs could now broadcast through subspace if necessary the information they were gathering on a given planet."Receiving telemetry now General." Walter said. "Nothing in the immediate area, although there is a strong energy signature the MALP isn't recognizing."

Hailey had come up to the control room by that point and was looking over Walter's shoulder at his monitor. "General, if memory serves me correctly, this is the same signature we picked up when we first dialed the Icarus planet!"

"You mean that we might have found a means to get to the Destiny?" Landry asked, shocked at the fact that they would finally be able to establish a supply line to the nearly 'lost' team. The last known contact was when Dr. Rush and Colonel Young informed O'Neill of their plan to skip the galaxy they were in by putting themselves in stasis pods and forcing the ship to stay in FTL. The thing was that the ship was low on power and even if they managed to get everyone in stasis pods, the trip would take Destiny three years minimum. There was also the risk that if Destiny ran out of power before they crossed the void between galaxies, the ship would drift on bare minimum power until it found a suitable star to recharge at. If the SGC were able to get another base set up with the ability to dial the Destiny, the crew wouldn't have to worry about food, water, or repairs when they woke up.

"It's a distinct possibility sir. We'll have to set up a serious operation there to see if it's just a small deposit located directly beneath the gate or if the core is identical to Icarus."

Landry went over to the PA mic, "SG-1 you have a go. Captain Hailey will brief you on the situation on the other side."

"Roger that General! Hailey get down here! SG-1 is moving out!" Cam shouted, starting to walk up the ramp to the gate, with Daniel and Vala behind. Hailey ran out of the control room, down the stairs, and through the already open blast door (the security SF already had begun to open it) and up the ramp to start her first mission on SG-1.

"Well... Would you look at that... Evergreens... Not like we don't see those every other planet we visit." Cam groaned. "Hailey, what was causing the gate to get some extra power?"

"Well, if my theory is right, then either the gate is either sitting on top of a large naquadria deposit or we have an Icarus type planet." She stated simply as she immediately jumped off the side of the pedestal that the gate was on to get a soil sample. "Doctor Jackson, could you possibly get me some scrapings from the DHD and the gate? I'd like to have some carbon dating done to see how long ago this planet was seeded. It would give us some idea of when the Ancients sent out the gate seeding ships."

Daniel turned around from his sight seeing. The gate was situated in a deep valley that could almost be called a canyon, and beyond the field the gate was in was indeed a huge forest filled with this planets version of evergreens. What got Daniel's attention was more so the multiple water falls he could hear in the distance and the lake that was off to the forests left when viewed from the gate. "What? Oh! Yeah sure!" He stammered as he got out his seldom used toolkit to get some samples. "You know Mitchell, why don't you check and see if Sam is in orbit yet?"

"Hey! I'm the leader of this team and I know what to do!" He shot back.

"So you already tried radioing Sam then?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrow.

The two of them locked eyes for a minute... Before Cam reached for his walkie-talkie and grumbled into it, "Sam this is Mitchell, can you hear me?"

"We read you Cameron, how are things down there?"

"Just peachy Carter... Are you sure you weren't abducted by a rouge Asgard and flash cloned like O'Neill was?"

"No... Why?"

"No reason, other than your replacement is a miniature version of you."

"Haha! Yeah I heard Hailey made SG-1, she's got a good head on her shoulders."

"Speaking of which, Colonel..." Hailey interrupted, "Did General Landry brief you on our findings here?"

"Yes he did. We just dropped into orbit a minute ago but something is disrupting our sensors. We can't get an accurate read of the system or of the planet. The only reason I know you're down there is because of your beaming beacons."

"So you can't tell us if there are any locals?" Vala asked, having kept quiet the entire time enjoying how Hailey was handling the boys.

"Unfortunately not... We're working on getting the sensor's patched but that is going to take some time. In the mean time set any samples you've taken already in front of the gate with a beam tag and we can analyze them up here."

Daniel put his own samples in separate glass jars and from one of his vest pockets pulled out a device no bigger than a USB thumb drive that had some stretch cord on it. Taking Hailey's samples and his, he tied the cord around the jars and pressed a small button on the device before setting it down in front of the gate. A fraction of a second later, the 'package' disappeared in a bright light.

"Package received. Usual check-in period Cam?"

"I'll be sure to call every hour starting now, Sam. Unless of course we find something even more amazing than trees!" Cam pseudo yelled as he cocked his P90 and began to head for the area between the forest and the beach.

A/N: Alright Chapter 1 down! I know I didn't mention much in the way of Mass Effect, but I wanted to set up a good background for the Stargate side first. Don't worry, O'Neill, Teal'c, Melissa Zagert and Alex Rochester will make future appearances! As will members of Atlantis and Destiny!

As all other writers say, please leave a review! I can't fix anything with my writing if you don't tell me what you think needs fixing!