Story Stargate: Rebirth

Tite: Stargate: Rebirth

Author: Skywalker_T-65

Characters: SG-1 primarily, the rest of the SG-1 (series) cast, a handful of Atlantis characters

Genre: Action/Adventure, maybe a little romance here and there

Summary: In an alternate take on 'Enemy at the Gate' the Wraith send more than one Super-Hive. Atlantis is destroyed, Earth and her allies culled to the brink of extinction. With no other choice, the last three ships are sent back in time, hoping to prevent this from ever happening. There, they will be left...until a fateful day when SG-1 stumbles upon them.

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate. Keep the lawyers away.

AN: At its heart, this story is a rewrite of one of my older fics (Stargate Redemption...probably posted on here somewhere). It is an AU of that though, and the only real similarity is the time-travel aspect. That being said, here we go!

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Milky Way Galaxy, P6X-894

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The long-disused Stargate of P6X-894 flashed to life, the unstable vortex shooting out over the crumbling stairs set in front of the device. As the blue vortex stabilized, four people walked through the 'puddle' of the Stargate. Three men and a single woman, stumbling slightly as they left the 'Gate. The apparent leader of the group, a man with greying brown hair, cursed slightly as he regained his footing. Once he had stabilized, he glared at the cracked steps.

"Really? We finally find a 'Gate that isn't being maintained and I almost fall on my ass?" the man complained.

"It was bound to happen eventually," the shorter of the other men said, pushing up his glasses slightly.

"Laugh it up Daniel, laugh it up," the leader said.

"It is likely this is not a Goa'uld occupied world Colonel O'Neill," the taller man with the odd tattoo said,"they do not leave the Stargate untended like this."

"Thank you Teal'c, some good news," O'Neill said, looking into the distance, "even if its just trees, trees, and more trees."

That was true, as looking out from the Stargate, all the team could see was trees, and maybe what looked like ruins poking above the canopy. Fairly standard for a world with a Stargate really...if it wasn't forest, it was desert. The Gate-builders hadn't left much to the imagination when choosing planets to settle, which did raise the question of just what they were. But, the only member of the team who cared about that was Daniel Jackson. And he didn't have a chance to say anything, as the one woman on the team raised her radio, curious look on her face.

"Colonel? I'm getting a signal on the radio," she said, confusion laced through her voice, "but we're the first team to explore here, and the Goa'uld don't use radios."

"Radio signal?" O'Neill asked, turning to his subordinate, "it saying anything Carter?"

Samantha Carter turned up the volume on her radio, only static coming out.

"Nothing sir. But, I might be able to triangulate the signal and find out its source."

"Teal'c? This sound like a Goa'uld trap?" O'Neill turned to the resident expert on the alien race.

Teal'c merely shook his head slightly, "No it does not O'Neill. The Goa'uld would not use inferior technology to lay a trap, presuming they even understand how to operate it."

O'Neill nodded his head, and began to walk forward, "Well then, let's go see who our mystery radio is.About time we get something exciting other than shooting at Jaffa. No offense Teal'c."

"None taken O'Neill."

And with that, the small team...SG-1...set out into the woods, weapons ready, if not raised. The dense foliage swallowed them up, leaving no sign they had ever been there, for those who may have been watching. For SG-1 themselves, it just made the hairs on the back of their necks rise up. The trees were normal, and the only sound was native wildlife. Yet, they couldn't shake the feeling that something had begun watching them when they entered the woods. It didn't feel hostile, however that worked, but...it still felt like a pair of eyes were stalking the group.

Daniel looked over his shoulder, pushing some hair out of the way. He didn't see anything, but that didn't mean much when he had the worst eyesight in the group, glasses or not. So he tapped O'Neill on the shoulder, and whispered his worries to the ranking officer of the little team.

"Tell me I'm not the only one who feels like something is following us?"

"You ain't the only one Danny-boy," the older man replied, "why do you think I have my pistol ready?"

Daniel looked down, and noticed that O'Neill had his hand on his M9, the weapon ready to be used.
Moving away again, Daniel nodded his head. The team was ready, if whatever was stalking them (if something was stalking them) proved to be hostile. And with the only 'friendly' races at this point being the Nox and Tollan...it was a good precaution. Who knew what could be out there other than the Goa'uld? Teal'c had admitted himself that they didn't control all the Galaxy, and who knew where this planet was in relation to Goa'uld territory.

So SG-1 moved closer together slowly, as they came to a clearing, part of that ruin peaking out through the trees. The building was different than typical Goa'uld architecture, resembling ancient roman building techniques, more than the Egyptian style seen from Apophis and Ra. Regardless of what it outwardly resembled though, it was falling to pieces. Much like the platform where the Stargate rested, the building obviously hadn't been maintained for centuries, maybe even longer.

"So, creepy old ruin, or more forest walking?" O'Neill asked, though he wasn't being serious.

"Ruin," Daniel replied instantly.

"Not surprised. Carter? Teal'c?"

"I agree with Daniel Jackson."

"The signal does seem to be coming from the building, sir."

O'Neill nodded, as he had been expecting those answers. Well...maybe not the signal part, but he wasn't the one tracing the thing. In any case, it was time to enter the 'creepy old ruin'. And this time, there wasn't any attempt to hid being prepared, as MP5's (and Teal'c's Staff) were raised and ready.

The team knew when to take thing seriously after all. That and the flashlights helped when it became apparent the building was dark as night on the inside. Said flashlights revealed a crumbling hallway, leading deeper into the building.

SG-1 stepped over some of the rubble, walking through the dilapidated hallway. There wasn't anything in sight other than damaged walls and rubble lining the floor. No sign of Goa'uld technology, or any technology really. At least until they reached what was probably the central chamber of the building. There still was nothing overtly technological, though the first intact thing in the building. A large obelisk, sitting in the very center of the room.

"That is the source of the signal sir," Sam said.

"Daniel?" O'Neill asked

"I can't tell who built it from this distance," the resident archeologist answered, "I'd have to get closer."

"Teal'c?"

The Jaffa looked over the device, examining it silently.

"It is not of Goa'uld design O'Neill, nor does it resemble Thor's Hammer," Teal'c finally said.

O'Neill nodded, "Okay then, lets go see what this is. Carefully."

He didn't need to warn them though. The last time they had seen a strange obelisk, O'Neill and Teal'c had ended up in a dungeon they couldn't leave without killing the Jaffa. Just because this one didn't look like Thor's Hammer didn't mean it wasn't also of Asgard design. They knew next to nothing about that race after all, certainly not enough to judge a random obelisk as being theirs or not.

Things seemed to be okay though. No blue light scanning them, nothing overtly technological about the stone. But...they were tempting fate, when Daniel reached out to touch it, wiping away some dust. Still nothing happened, aside from revealing an inscription written in English.

"Here lies Daedalus?" the confused man read, before the dreaded blue light engulfed the team...

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"You just had to touch it, didn't you Daniel?" O'Neill complained, getting to his feet after landing on top of the younger man.

"It didn't do anything when I touched it though!" Daniel protested, rubbing a sore spot, "it activated when I read the inscription for some reason. And who would write an inscription, in modern English?"

"Modern English?" Sam asked, having not seen the inscription.

"Yeah, not even Old English," he replied, "Even odder that it references Daedalus. That's an old Greek myth."

O'Neill opened his mouth to question what exactly Daniel meant, before Teal'c drew the rest of the teams attention. The Jaffa had recovered fastest, and was standing up and looking across the room they were in...the metal room. And what had drawn Teal'c's attention was readily apparent. A window, showing outer space. Stars shining in the distance.

"Okay...when did we end up on a space ship?"

And now that they looked around the room, it was even more obvious that was what had happened to them. There were chairs and consoles scattered around, looking very human in design. Even Teal'c pointed that out.

"It is not a Goa'uld vessel. The design is not like anything I have ever seen," the Jaffa said, walking up to one of the consoles.

"Kind of looks like a Navy ship," O'Neill said, "apparently aliens like our sense of style."

"Not alien...sir," a distorted version of...Sam Carter's voice echoed from behind SG-1.

Somewhat naturally, the one who spun around the fastest was Sam herself...who came face-to-face with an older version of herself. Her mouth opened and shut, while she pointed at the smiling older Sam. O'Neill and Daniel both looked suitably shocked themselves, as Teal'c's eyebrow shot up, the most emotion he ever showed. Old-Sam (though not that old really...maybe O'Neill's age), turned to the leader of SG-1.

"I owe you now sir," she said, the voice still slightly distorted, "you won the bet."

"I did?" O'Neill asked, before getting his wits back, "what bet? And why do you look older...Colonel?"

And indeed, Old-Sam was wearing a Colonel's uniform, as opposed to the Captain that Sam was. And her smile faded as O'Neill asked that question.

"That is a long story. To keep it simple...I am older. Because this ship you are on, Daedalus, is from your future."

As if SG-1 hadn't already experienced things no other human could claim, they now found out they were sitting on a ship from the future?

"Future?" Sam asked, "but time travel is just a theory...the power requirements..."

Future-Sam smiled again, "Are astronomical, yes. Needless to say, it wasn't easy to do this."

"Wait, I have a question," Daniel said, cutting into Future-Sam's speech, "why do you sound like this?"

"Because I am not actually here. What you are talking to is an interactive hologram, programed to answer questions. I tried to give it my personality, but...that's a bit hit-and-miss with this technology."

"So...where are you?" O'Neill asked this time.

"Dead," Future-Sam replied bluntly, "one unfortunate side-effect of playing around with time travel is we couldn't do it accurately. The end-result was ending up one-hundred years too far in the past."

A century too far back? It was suddenly making sense why this ship had been hidden away, if the Stargate itself hadn't even been discovered yet. After all, not much good you could do on turn of the century Earth.

"But why would you come back at all?" Sam asked, "the risks to the timeline, even assuming it worked, would be huge."

"Very big actually, and this wasn't the first time we've done time travel. That is why we didn't interfere with Earth, and turned the ships offline aside from the beaming systems and my hologram."

"Wait...wait...ships? Plural?"

"Three ships sir. USS Daedalus, USS George Hammond, and USS Odyssey. All we had left, after the Wraith."

Three things came to mind on hearing that for SG-1. First, Earth had more than three spaceships in
the future, if these three were the only ones left. Second...General Hammond was going to die sometime in the next decade or so, if they were judging Future-Sam's age right, considering one of the ships was named after him. Finally...what the hell were the Wraith? That final one was said out-loud naturally.

"The Wraith...to explain, I really need to know the date."

"November Fourth, 1997," Daniel answered.

"Thank you. That means you haven't learned of the Ancients yet," Future-Sam replied thoughtfully,
"The Gate-Builders, before you ask Daniel. The Wraith are the ones who finally destroyed their society, in Pegasus. We found the Wraith in 2004, and they destroyed Earth in 2009."

"Destroyed Earth?" Daniel asked, turning white as a ghost.

Future-Sam nodded sadly, "Not in the physical sense maybe. But our society...our people...were wiped out. The Wraith built super-ships that we couldn't fight, and by that point if we couldn't beat them...no one could. Thus, the plan to send our last ships back to try and avert that happening again."

SG-1 stayed silent after that, lost in their thoughts. And one couldn't blame them for that. It wasn't every day you found out that not even twenty years down the line, Earth would be destroyed. And they didn't want to think about how desperate their future-selves must have been to send the ships back with an untested method, if the wildly divergent date was any indication.

Of course, the new question this raised was rearing its ugly head. If they had the ships...did they have the knowledge of what was coming? To better plan and prepare for things? After all, foreknowledge would make things a lot easier to handle in the coming years. Oddly though, it seemed like
Future-Sam predicted they would ask that, and had already started shaking her head.

"I'm guessing you want to know about future events right?" she asked ruefully, "I don't have that knowledge, and it isn't included in the database either. I know of races we'll meet, and how to work with them...but I don't know exact dates or anything along those lines."

"Why the hell not?" O'Neill asked...perhaps a bit more forceful than was strictly necessary.

"I knew you would ask that sir," Future-Sam said with a grin, "While I know you won't be happy...the reason is rather simple. Ever hear of the butterfly effect?"

Sam and Daniel nodded, while O'Neill and Teal'c (or at least O'Neill) looked confused.

"Simply put...if I told you dates of events, you might try and change those events. This could lead to good thing, like getting a better alliance than my team did. Or, it could end horribly badly. Any foreknowledge I gave would be useless within a month, and would more likely harm than help things. Just giving these ships is changing things as is. Hell, just having them here is changing things...we weren't supposed to come to P6X-894 for another few months."

"So that's why they were here..." Daniel mused, while Sam looked thoughtfully at her holographic counterpart.

"So you didn't want to give us the knowledge, in the hopes that events would pan out more or less the same?" the younger Carter asked.

"Yep. I doubt they will, but we didn't want to take the risk," Future-Sam replied.

"Stupid if you ask me," O'Neill complained, "I mean, its not like knowing when the cafeteria is serving jello is possibly going to change the future."

While current-SG-1 sighed at that comment, Future-Sam laughed. And SG-1 looked surprised at her, as a blush formed on the holograms face.

"Sorry sir...its...just been a long time since I heard you joke."

And now they knew the future sucked if it got rid of Jack O'Neill's humor. But, they had spent longer than they should have talking, and they didn't even know half of what they need to. As just looking at a watch showed they had missed the scheduled check in.

"Can you...beam...us back down to the planet? What is this, Star Trek?"

"Asgard actually. I'm guessing you need to check in with the SGC."

"Yep."

"Hmm...I could just take the ships back to Earth and beam you down there you know."

"I somehow doubt Hammond would appreciate that," O'Neill replied dryly.

"No probably not. Okay, I'll beam you down by the Stargate. Just use the same frequency as the obelisk signal to contact me when you are done."

And with a musical chime and flash of white light, the hologram of Sam Carter was alone once more.
She walked over to the viewport, looking out at the stars. Letting out a sigh, she frowned before turning back to the bridge and 'sitting down' in the Captains chair.

"So many years...I wish I could tell them everything. But they aren't ready...they can't know about their future yet."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Back on the surface of the planet, SG-1 looked around and noticed that they were back at the Stargate. Future-Sam had told the truth evidently. At least about that...they still weren't sure that had been what it looked like up there.

"Okay...anyone believe her?" O'Neill asked, as Daniel walked forward to dial Earth.

"I'm...not sure sir," Sam replied, "she acted like me, but..."

The Captain trailed off at that. She didn't need to say anything else after all. The Goa'uld weren't exactly the subtle type, but that didn't rule out them faking something like this. And the Tollan, Nox, and Asgard (such as they knew of each race) had the technology to do something like this...of course, they probably wouldn't but it didn't mean there weren't other races of their level out there.

"I do not believe that was a trick," Teal'c spoke up, running the conversation through his head, "even if Colonel Carter was a hologram, I could see nothing but the truth in her eyes."

"For what its worth, I agree with him!" Daniel called out by the DHD, as he input the final coordinate for Earth.

As the familiar blue puddle formed, O'Neill tapped in SG-1's code, and waited for confirmation from the other side. As soon as it came through, he opened up a radio signal with the SGC.

"This is Colonel O'Neill, do you read me?" he asked, military formality taking over.

"We read you loud and clear Colonel. Why did you miss the scheduled check-in? I almost sent SG-3 looking for you," General Hammond's voice came over the radio.

"That's...complicated sir," O'Neill replied, "would you believe we found three ships from the future?"

Silence came over the radio. Silence and nothing else, as Hammond digested that bit of news. After a handful of minutes, his voice came back over the radio.

"Are you sure that is what you found Colonel?"

Say what you will about George Hammond, he recovered quickly and didn't even question the claim that there were three time-traveling ships on P6X-894. Then again, when you worked in the Stargate program, that was to be expected really.

"The ships? Well we are sure at least one of them is here. The time-travel part? I ain't sure, but Daniel and Teal'c seem to believe her."

"Her?"

"An older version of Captain Carter. Claims to be a hologram, looks older, the whole nine-yards."

"So...a holographic Captain..."

"Colonel...complete with the uniform."

"Colonel Carter, is claiming to be from the future, on three Earth warships. Am I correct?"

"Nah, that's about the gist of things sir," O'Neill replied easily, "so, what now?"

Hammond's line went silent again, as the General made a phone call. Like it or not, this was something that he had to clear with the President first. The SGC had a lot of leeway when it came to their operations, but there were limitations in everything, and trying to authorize bringing three warships to Earth, even if they were probably friendly, was pushing things a bit. Pushing things a lot really, when the only word they had to go on was a hologram of a time-traveling Sam Carter.

So SG-1 waited..and waited...and waited some more. Eventually, Hammond came back, his voice echoing over the radio.

"If you trust the hologram, you have clearance to bring the ships home. Make certain she isn't trying to trick you. Hammond out."

And with that, the wormhole closed. Leaving SG-1 alone again, with nothing but the wind for company.

Of course, now they had to decide if they actually trusted 'Future-Sam' enough to let her take the ships to Earth. Granted they couldn't stop her, but still.

"Well...back to the ship we go," O'Neill said.

"We're taking them sir?" Sam asked.

"Like it or not, I'm not turning down three free ships. If Teal'c is absolutely certain this isn't a Goa'uld trap..."

"I am certain O'Neill."

"...then I'm fine with it. Just keep an eye on her."

The truth of the matter was just that simple. If the First Prime of Apophis was certain this wasn't some elaborate Goa'uld ploy, then they had to accept the impossible. That there really was three ships from The Future floating in orbit of this planet.

And the evidence supported that in any case...from the fact that (presuming the ships came back in 2009) Future-Sam looked the right age, to knowing enough about Earth, and specifically the Stargate Program, to name a ship after General Hammond. And the fact the bridge of the Daedalus had a very 'Earth' look to it.

And, perhaps most importantly...three warships would jumpstart Earth's defenses in a huge way. Having the ships could keep Earth secure from Goa'uld invasions via-space, and pave the way for building more vessels like them eventually. Instead of having to start from scratch in designing Earth's fleet, they could just use the designs of the future-ships.

So, O'Neill retuned his radio to the frequency that Future-Sam had given them, "Anyone home?"

The answer was the flash of light again, depositing them on the now fully powered-up bridge of the Daedalus.

"I am never going to get used to that."

The hologram of Future-Sam laughed again, "You never did sir. Did you get permission to take the ships home?"

"Can we trust you?" Daniel asked this time.

"I could never do anything to harm Earth or my friends Daniel...and you all are my friends...well, maybe not Captain Carter," Future-Sam said, grinning at the sour look on her younger counterparts face, "and that is me talking...not the programming."

The raw...honesty...and hope...on her face sealed the deal. Everyone on that ship could read facial expressions and emotions, and there was no lying in the holograms face or mannerisms. She was being completely, brutally honest with them. While they still (rightfully) harbored doubts, they were willing to trust her to take them home.

"I can take us into hyperspace any time you want," Future-Sam finally said, "just give the word and the slave-circuits on the other ships will follow us."

O'Neill looked at his team, and then back at Future-Sam. Sighing theatrically, he nodded his head.

"Take us home then."

And with that, a massive hole in space formed off the bow of the Daedalus...and it shot back to its birthplace, the Hammond and Odyssey right behind it.

---

AN: And there we go. If you enjoyed the chapter, just ask to be on an update list and I'll tag you as the story updates.

Fair warning though...I have no idea how regular said updates will be considering ^that is fairly standard length for one of my chapters these days. Hopefully the next chapter will be soon though.

 

Me! Me! Ooooh pick me! Great job Skywalker. I enjoyed hearing good 'voices' of characters. You had five errors in grammar/spelling.

 

Very good and interesting read! More, please!

 

I wouldn't mind getting a tag when you update the story. I know near nothing when it comes to Stargate but your prose, pacing, and characterization are pretty good.

 

AN: Took a bit longer than planned, but here we go. First though, the TAG list (if you want on it, just let me know).

BultarSwan

Mirax Terrik

Tim Battershell

Admiral Volshe

Should be everyone at the moment.

---

USS Daedalus, Hyperspace

---

"Pretty," Jack O'Neill said, as the Daedalus flew through the blue tunnel of hyperspace.

Holo-Sam snorted slightly, "You get used to it sir."

Jack shrugged, and walked over to the rest of SG-1. Teal'c was looking out the bridge windows, probably thinking about something or other. Daniel was trying to ask Holo-Sam about the future, with the hologram pointedly deflecting the questions. Sam herself...looked like a kid in a candy store. Regardless of the origin of the ship, the technology on-board had gotten her interest. Jack couldn't help but grin at that. Sam Carter was still a scientist at heart (which did admittedly annoy him), and she couldn't resist this chance of looking at advanced tech.

"Enjoying yourself Carter?" the Colonel asked with his signature grin.

Sam had the grace to look embarrassed...for all of a few seconds, "This ship is amazing sir. I don't even know what half of the things on here do, but what I do recognize is so far ahead of what we have...I can't believe its only been a decade."

"That's what everyone back home thought," Holo-Sam agreed, "Technology advanced so fast after the turn of the century. Even without the Stargate program."

The sadness remained in her voice even as she said that though. This Jack hadn't reached the point where he could so easily read Sam's emotions, but the hologram wasn't exactly trying to hide her feelings.

"Anyway," Jack changed the subject, "how long till we reach Earth? As nice as this ship is, I don't want to spend a week on it."

"If this were a Ha'tak, it would take months O'Neill," Teal'c spoke up without changing his position, "however, the hyperspace window is different from what I am familiar with."

Well, that explained why he was staring out the window, Jack thought, as Holo-Sam spoke up again.

"Teal'c is correct, though the Ha'tak he is familiar with are being phased out," the AI replied, "the hyperdrive on the Daedalus and the other two ships is much faster though. It shouldn't take more than an hour or so to get back to Earth."

Jack and Daniel had surprised looks on their faces at hearing that. Sam looked even more eager to get into the guts of the ship(s) while Teal'c turned fully around, his eyebrow the highest anyone on SG-1 had seen it.

"I have never heard of such speeds," the Jaffa said, outwardly stoic, inwardly as shocked as everyone else on the ship.

"Asgard technology is amazing that way," Holo-Sam replied with a shrug, "they can go even faster than this."

SG-1 looked at each other, before Jack stated the obvious.

"I really want to meet these guys."

Sam and Daniel nodded their agreement. For different reasons admittedly, but they did agree with the general thought of wanting to meet the Asgard as soon as possible. After all, they seemed to be really advanced. Advanced enough that even Teal'c was impressed by what he saw. And with him being a former First Prime (and thus privy to the most advanced technology Apophis had), that was saying something about the Asgard. And, by extension, Earth now. And it meant something very important...

"We're not ready for this," Daniel said softly, always the most logical minded when it didn't involve the Goa'uld.

Holo-Sam looked at the floor, looking somewhat uncomfortable. She knew her team better than they did at this point, and knew it was only a matter of time until they figured that out. Even as she knew they needed to.

"Daniel's right," Sam said, "we saw what the NID did with the Tollan...what will they do with these ships?"

"They ain't touching these things if I have to pull in every favor I have with Hammond to do it," Jack added, conviction lacing his voice.

"Indeed," Teal'c finished.

Holo-Sam's eyes were wet as she smiled at the younger versions of her closest friends, "I may not have all the data on the future, but don't worry...I won't let anyone misuse this ship. The same goes for Daniel and Teal'c on the other ships."

Said men looked at each other, before both raising eyebrows at Holo-Sam.

"We're right here," Daniel said.

Holo-Sam reminded herself that she was talking to different people (easy enough with a bald Teal'c and Daniel's...interesting...hairstyle), "The Odyssey has you aboard Daniel, like I am here. Teal'c is technically the AI for the Daedalus but I was the only one active at the time you arrived. The Hammond is my ship."

That...made sense really. At least, it did to Sam since she understood technology better than the rest of SG-1. They would have to rotate each of the AI's, if the ships really had been sitting there for a century. It was just a coincidence they ran into her counterpart when they arrived. But...why her? Or why Teal'c and Daniel for that matter?

Jack seemed to read Sam's mind, as he asked that very question, "I sorta understand you and Daniel being all hologhost things, but why Teal'c?"

Holo-Sam smiled at the 'hologhost' bit before answering, "We were the only ones left you would know sir. You...died, trying to evacuate survivors from Earth."

Needless to say, Jack and the rest of SG-1 flinched at that. Even if they hadn't been a team for very long though...it did sound like Jack O'Neill. Even with another decade on his age, he certainly wouldn't be the type to hang back. He would have tried to get people away from the Wraith as long as possible. And it explained why they chose Teal'c for the third AI...at least they knew him.

"Well," Jack said, "that's a downer."

"Indeed," Teal'c said simply.

Sam and Daniel nodded. SG-1 was a new team, but they didn't exactly like hearing about their leader dying like that. And thus, they changed the subject.

"About the Asgard," Daniel said, "are they going to be okay with us having these ships?"

"It is their technology," Sam added.

"I...can't answer that," Holo-Sam said, evading the question, "you will know when you meet them."

"In other words, they already know but you won't tell us?" Jack replied...say what you will about the man, he wasn't stupid.

Holo-Sam made a motion of zipping her lips, and wouldn't answer. Which really told them all they needed to know...now it was just a matter of what they would do when they got back to Earth, more than anything else. So SG-1 settled in for the hour or so they had to wait, wondering just how things would go when they arrived.

---

Unknown Location

---

While SG-1 was discussing things aboard the Daedalus another discussion was taking place they would never know about. On the Higher Plane that the Ascended Ancients lived on, they were watching events with a wary eye. They hadn't interfered when the ships arrived in the past, as their rules dictated. But even they were leery of letting such a young race have such advanced technology. They didn't want to interfere by any means, but even the most strict of Ancients could see where things could horribly backfire in this situation. Thus, they called one of the first meetings they had had in centuries.

A building formed out of the mist of the Higher Plane, Ancient's floating in and taking the form they had in their lifetimes. Hundreds of them filed into the building, taking seats around the room. One of the Ancients walked into the center of the large room, knowing that he was going to be questioned again on the situation.

"Janus, you know why you are being questioned, correct?" one of the Ancients asked the man in the center.

"Naturally Larric," Janus, a former scientist, replied.

"Have you changed your answer?" Larric asked.

Janus merely shook his head in reply, "No it hasn't. I've been through every corner of those ships, and there is no sign of my time machine. However our children got those ships back, it wasn't my technology doing it."

"Were you seen?"

"Not by the AI they left behind no," Janus replied, "but that hologram of Thor might have noticed me when I looked at the Asgard technology. Which is amazing...they truly did surpass us in the end."

Murmurs went up at that, but they didn't last long. Pride in the Asgard aside, it mattered little when the Ancients could easily surpass them now if they wanted to, with their Ascended knowledge. The bigger question remained what to do about those ships. Those of the Ascended who took any interest in looking at the future were understandably rattled, as everything had fallen out of shape.

"What should we do about the ships?" Larric asked the gathered Ancients.

A woman stepped forth from the crowd, a few angry looks sent in her direction. Oma Desala was distinctly unpopular amongst the Ancients for numerous reasons, so her opinion (while valid) was not going to be looked on kindly.

"We should observe this closely," Oma said, forgoing her typical way of talking to get the point across, "and be ready to guide our children."

Somewhat expected it may have been, quite a few cries of dissent came up at Oma even suggesting showing themselves and helping to guide the humans. It went against everything they stood for. They couldn't interfere on the lower plains. It carried far too many risks, and they had held to that for so long, that any suggestion to throw that aside would naturally be met by anger.

Larric however, held up a hand to silence the cries, before turning to Oma, "And how do you suggest we do so Oma? Or why we even should consider breaking our most sacred law?"

Oma looked right into the other Ancient's eyes, "I do not know how we should guide them without drawing attention. But we should keep the option available nonetheless."

"And why is that?"

"The Nox won't, the Furlings have gone into exile, and the Asgard are dying," Oma listed off, not quite able to keep sadness out of her voice, especially with the Asgard, "we are the only ones who can help them. Keep them from destroying themselves with that technology."

Another woman stepped forth at that, Morgan le Fay. She was far from an ally of Oma, but this was one situation she had plenty of experience with, from her 'work' with Merlin.

"Merlin tried to do the same with Camelot," Morgan said, "they did succeed for a time."

"The point of this?" another Ancient spoke up, "if they destroy themselves, it is their own fault. We can not interfere just to save our children. We did not interfere with the Tollan, we did not interfere with any number of races destroyed by the Wraith. We can not break our laws."

Murmurs of agreement echoed through the hall. The Ancients were agreeing that they shouldn't interfere. It was not their place, and they shouldn't abuse their power. That lead down a dark path...they all knew of the Ori. If they let themselves interfere, were they truly better than their dark cousins? Using their power like that opened the way to corruption, and was the primary reason they hadn't ever done so. Say what you will about the Ancients, they weren't idiots.

For her part though, Oma had been expecting this. She knew it would be an uphill slope, and she was well aware of the problems. She had a reputation for helping beings ascend where they wouldn't be able to do on their own. This had ended badly with Anubis...but she still believed it was the right thing. And hiding behind a veneer of order and caution or not...no Ancient wanted to see Terra...their children die from their own mistakes.

"I know this is a radical suggestion," the woman said, "all I request is that some of our people watch over our children. And, if they prove themselves worthy, guide them. Let us try. If we fail...I at least will accept the exile."

The Ancients talked amongst themselves again. Oma raised a good point, in limiting the involvement if they had any. If they merely let Oma and a handful of willing Ancients observe the humans of Earth, they could limit the problems. And if they were willing to accept exile as the punishment, so much the better. But, one meeting alone would not break thousands of years of tradition. It couldn't go that fast.

"We will think on your suggestion Oma Desala," Larric said, as the room and Ancients faded into mist once more.

---

Earth

---

Back on the lower plane, the three ships from the future exited hyperspace over Earth. Aboard the Daedalus, SG-1 finally got a look at what they looked like as the Odyssey floated by in front of them. Long, sleek, and with obvious hangar bays. They just screamed human in design. No crazy pyramid shape like Ra's ship, and it was a distinctly human thing to leave hangars like these ones. Even more so when one thought about the fact these were built by the United States Air Force, first and foremost.

"Nice," Jack whistled as the Odyssey circled around to get back behind the Daedalus.

"Is that the Point of Origin?" Daniel asked, noting the large symbol on the flank of the ship.

"Yes," Holo-Sam replied, "We decided to identify our ships that way, so the Free Jaffa knew who they belonged to."

Teal'c face cracked an ever so slight smile at the mentioning of 'Free' Jaffa. The rest of SG-1 nodded their heads in understanding, as that type of system made sense.
Jaffa probably couldn't read English (or any other Earth language) so using something they would recognize made more sense.

"Can't anyone with a telescope see us though?" Sam asked curiously.

"The ships are not large enough to be noticed easily," the hologram replied, "however, we integrated some Asgard stealth technology into the design. We can't be seen unless we want to."

"Well, that's a relief," Jack said, "but what if a satellite smacks into one of them?"

Holo-Sam laughed at that, "We'll land the ships on the Moon if need be sir. Right now, I assume you want to be beamed back to the surface?"

Jack nodded, before that flash of white light surrounded him again. When it cleared, he saw a shocked General George Hammond standing up from his desk, staring at SG-1 standing in his office.

"I will never get used to that," the Colonel muttered darkly, "oh, hello General."

Hammond looked at SG-1, before sitting back down in his chair and sighing. Why did he get the feeling that SG-1 shocking him like this was going to become more and more common as the years went by? Good thing he didn't have heart problems.

"Is that how the ship transports you?" the General asked.

"Yep," Jack replied, "neat isn't it?"

Hammond sighed again, "Very. Am I correct in assuming those ships are in orbit then?

"They are," Sam confirmed, "sir, those ships are amazing. According to..."

"You?" Daniel supplied.

"...me, the ships are cloaked to where we couldn't see them if we wanted to. We don't have to worry about anyone finding out about them."

"That is going to be confusing," Hammond said dryly.

"Oh it is sir," Jack replied, "I can only imagine what Teal'c and his hologhost will talk about."

Said Jaffa raised his eyebrow, letting Jack know he didn't like being the butt of a joke. Jack ignored it though, since it was fun. Sam and Daniel just watched with small smiles, while Hammond had to remind himself why Jack O'Neill was his second in command. Putting aside the questionable utility of that choice, Hammond asked more pertinent questions.

"The ships are ours correct? No strings attached?"

SG-1 looked amongst each other, before Daniel said, "Technically yes...but the hologram said the NID isn't allowed to get near them."

"While that does make sense," Hammond agreed (he knew as well as anyone what Maybourne would do with those ships), "how does 'she' plan to enforce it?"

Now the team looked uncomfortable, aside from the typically stoic Teal'c.

"Well sir...each of the ships has an Artificial Intelligence aboard," Sam answered, "they have complete control of the ship's beaming systems. If someone tried to hijack one, they could beam them off. And I really doubt that's all they have control of."

It didn't take a genius of Sam's quality to know the problem here. The ships were technically theirs yes. But the AI's had the final say in how they were used. Sensible precaution? Yes. Annoying and problematic, especially when the politicians and other higher ups got word of it? Yes. Again, it didn't take a genius to know that hell was going to be raised. That being said though...

"We have to agree to that though," Jack said, though he didn't sound happy about it, "they could just leave if they wanted too."

"And go where?" Hammond asked, mostly out of curiosity.

"The Asgard probably," Daniel answered, "it is their technology in those ships. I doubt they'd complain."

Hammond stood back up, and walked into the meeting room. SG-1 followed him, watching as the General paced around the head of the table. He was deep in thought. The ships were important...Earth needed those ships. They probably couldn't replicate the technology any time soon, but even so, just having them would make Earth far more secure. If they were as advanced as they seemed to be...nothing could touch them.

But is it worth the risk? Hammond mused.

True, the ships helped. True, Earth needed them. But the risk was just as great as the reward. The 'AI' aboard the ships may want to help Earth, but what if they annoyed them enough to make them leave? Hammond didn't want to think about that, as he knew the NID would raise hell when they weren't allowed aboard the ships. Maybourne himself would probably bring it right up to the President.

This was quickly going above even his pay grade to be honest. He had to make a call on that red phone in his office...the President would have the final say here, as it should be really.

---

And there we go.

 

As before, more please!

 

Add me, please!

 

AN: And here we go. Tags as per-request:

BultarSwan

Mirax Terrik

Katana_Sundancer

Tim Battershell

Admiral Volshe

---

SGC

---

"Yes sir," George Hammond said, "the ships are ours, but the computers are in control of most systems."

"And they say the NID isn't allowed aboard?" the President asked over the phone.

Hammond nodded even if it couldn't be seen, "Yes. After what happened with the Tollan, I can't say I blame them sir."

A sigh was heard from the other end of the line, and that clued Hammond in that the President didn't disagree with him. None who knew about the Stargate program doubted that getting the Tollan's technology would have been extremely useful. But trying to force them to stay on Earth against their will was just a bad idea on several levels. Then again, he could just be sighing in relation to the political minefield this could lead to. That was also a distinct possibility.

"You know they won't be happy about that, right George?"

"Yes sir."

Another sigh, "I've ordered space around Groom Lake cleared out for the ships. If these...AI...are willing to land them anyway."

"I'll relay that to SG-1 sir," Hammond replied, as the call ended.

With the call over, Hammond set the phone down and massaged his temples. SG-1 wasn't even a year old, and they were already setting up so many headaches for him it wasn't even funny anymore. At least this time they actually got something good for the SGC. No hostile races, or Goa'uld Queens (as much as everyone wanted to forget Hathor ever existed), or ancient ruins. Just good old American technology, with some Norse God/Alien help.

Of course, it was more the reverse, but Hammond didn't know that.

"You called sir?" Jack's voice filtered through the General's headache, as SG-1 had gathered in the office.

"Yes I did. Can you contact those ships?"

"Yep. Carter?"

Sam fiddled with the radio she was carrying, and soon enough her own voice came out of the device. Hammond raised an eyebrow at that, and the fact SG-1 just went along with it. Something he would have to get used to apparently.

"What do you need?" the distorted voice asked.

Hammond took the radio from Sam and spoke into it, "Space has been cleared around Groom Lake for your ships to land."

"Area 51 sir? I'm assuming that the entire area has been cleared of anyone who might see the ships?"

The General didn't even raise an eyebrow at the infamous name and just replied, "Yes."

On the Hammond, Holo-Sam was scanning the area to make certain that no one would see the ship. Not that she didn't trust Hammond, but better safe than sorry. If Earth hadn't been ready for Disclosure before the Wraith had arrived, it certainly wasn't ready now that it wasn't even a year into the Stargate Program. And certainly not ready to be thrown into things by seeing three spaceships heading for Area 51.

Admittedly watching the internet would be hilarious, the AI mused, smiling slightly at the idea.

As she thought that, a ping from the console announced that the scan was complete. And, somewhat surprisingly, it seemed that the area around Area 51 was clear of anyone who wasn't on the base. Of course, there was still the problem of the size of the ships to deal with. Three 250 meter long ships sitting in the middle of the desert wouldn't go unnoticed forever. Even if construction on the Prometheus' hangar had begun, it wouldn't be ready or large enough. The best option would be cloaking the ships.

"Daniel, Teal'c," Holo-Sam contacted the other two ships, "are the cloaks ready?"

"Ready as its ever been," Holo-Daniel replied.

"Indeed," Holo-Teal'c added.

Sam nodded and sent the signal to begin the descent. All three of the ships activated their cloaks and went in from an angle that wouldn't be seen by anyone on the
surface. Red light surrounded the ships as they burned their way through the atmosphere, not unlike large meteors. The shields were quite capable of keeping the ships from any harm, but it was still a sight to behold. As soon as they cleared the cloud layer though, the three AI began feeling nostalgic. The cloaks kept them hidden, allowing them to look out at the surface of Earth as it passed them by.

Seeing the planet free of fires and Wraith was a sight for sore eyes. And just renewed the determination to not let the same thing happen again. Their past selves hadn't seen most of what the Galaxy (and Pegasus) had to offer yet, but the AI had. And even if they weren't going to tell about the future, they knew just what to do to avoid the worst of what had happened in the old timeline.

"So, when are we meeting them?" Holo-Daniel asked, as the three ships settled down outside the base.

"As soon as they can get here I suppose," Holo-Sam replied, knowing Daniel was talking about their past selves.

That was going to be an interesting meeting to be sure. Sam and Holo-Sam had already spent quite some time 'comparing notes' on the way back to Earth.

"Daniel Jackson will be just as curious," Holo-Teal'c commented.

The AI counterpart to that man smiled as he scratched his head, "It will be interesting to talk to...myself. I'm just worried if he asks about Sha're."

Sam the AI winced, while the Jaffa AI looked away, in shame or regret. None of them looked forward to that meeting. Nor did any of them expect it to not be the first question Daniel asked of his future counterpart. The only reason he was in the SGC right now was finding his wife. Telling him what had happened to her...would not end well. Neither would keeping quiet about it.

Still though...

"What are we going to tell him?" Holo-Sam mused, "or about anything really. The Tollan...Asgard...Nox. The Ancients?"

Neither of the other AI really had an answer for that. Sure, the plan was not to tell them anything about the future, but holding to that could be difficult. Just as difficult as Daniel's job to keep any crew far away from the Asgard Core on his ship. They wouldn't have a whole lot of time to discuss that though, as they had by now disabled part of the cloak to let the Area 51 personnel find the ship(s). And, at that very moment, a group of airmen were standing outside the hull of the Daedalus.

"Should I allow them in Colonel Carter?" Holo-Teal'c asked.

The head-AI nodded, "For now, yes. None of them are wearing NID uniforms, and if they try messing with anything you can just beam them out."

The Jaffa nodded himself, and his image blinked out as he focused on his own ship. Such as lowering a ramp to allow the Area 51 men aboard the ship. Said men were slightly spooked by this (aside from their leader), which was understandable. Especially with the fact there wasn't a greeting party for them...just a ramp up into a spaceship. Working at Area 51 aside, that was hardly something they could be ready for on a whim. But, after a couple minutes of just staring at the Daedalus, they eventually got up the nerve to walk up the ramp.

Once they were actually in the ship, the nervousness start to go away to a certain extent. The halls were very clearly a human design, looking like something out of an aircraft carrier or destroyer. No odd colors or forcefields, just dull grey metal with the occasional piping. It also helped that rooms were clearly marked, such as the armory they had just walked past on their way to what they hoped was the bridge. As it turned out, the men got lucky and did reach the bridge fairly easily. Once there, they saw
Holo-Teal'c waiting for them.

What wasn't expected, was that both the leader of the group, and the AI raised their eyebrows in unison.

"Teal'c?" the man questioned.

"Major Kawalsky?"

---

Heliopolis, Alliance of Four Great Races Castle

---

Meanwhile, on a storm-ridden world, another meeting was taking place. The ancient castle on Heliopolis showed signs of being repaired, its DHD replaced and its walls restored. For one of the first things the crews of the time-travelling ships had done was stabilize this building and the priceless archive contained within it. That, and cut off the Stargate from the network at large, neatly preventing the first test of the Stargate on Earth from working. But, there was one more motive for restoring and keeping this world.

"The ships have been found?" a hologram of a diminutive Asgard asked.

Holo-Sam nodded, transmitting from Earth, "Yes they have Thor. Sooner than we expected too."

This was that reason...the building had been designed as a meeting room, and thus, had hologram projectors built into the walls to allow the Four Great Races to communicate even from long distances.

"This is worrying," a Nox added, "we have met SG-1 recently, and while I trust them, I'm not sure Earth is ready yet."

Sam sighed, "I don't disagree with you Lya. But we will do everything we can to make sure they are ready."

Lya nodded her head, a slight smile on her elven face. The Nox were friends to all (well, excepting the Goa'uld), and that was especially true of the humans of Earth, via their time-traveling counterparts. Thus, she was more than happy at the news that Sam was doing everything in her power to help them along. There was the lingering doubt about the advanced technology, but if Thor and his people were willing to take this chance...well...so too were the Nox.

Speaking of Thor...

"I have my own doubts Colonel Carter," the Asgard said, "I have repaired the Hammer on Cimmeria, but I am still worried that these ships will be misused. Maybe even to steal more of our technology, or what the Ancients have left behind."

"We've gathered what we can of the Ancients and put it into storage on Atlantis," Sam replied, "Teyla and her people are doing a good job of watching over it. John told me that much in his last report."

The AI was referring to John Sheppard, the resident AI on the Ancient City. In addition to Heliopolis, Atlantis had been stabilized fairly early on after the arrival from the future. The Wraith were avoided like the plague (in no way were they ready to fight them yet) but the city had been raised, as everyone on the time-traveling ships had been aware of how close to running out of power it had been. Rescuing Teyla and the Athosians had been an accident much as the last time...the Daedalus had been on a scout mission when the world was undergoing a culling. It hadn't intervened (to avoid waking the Wraith) but it had relocated the remaining population to Atlantis.

The people had been understandably terrified and untrustworthy of the holograms, but once it became apparent they were the closest things to the Ancients/Ancestors, that morphed into the trust the two parties had in the old timeline. And thus, Atlantis was safe and secure for whenever it would be needed. But that's getting off topic...

"That is good," Thor said approvingly.

"What about your people?" Lya asked this time.

Thor looked over at his long-time ally, "The Replicators have taken to hiding from our forces. The Railguns that were provided to destroy their blocks have made them more cautious when assaulting our forces. In addition, we have completed a prototype of the Anti-Replicator Gun on a planetary scale."

"And the genetic problem? Was our help sufficient?"

Thor nodded, "Indeed. And I thank the Nox for their aid, though it is shameful we forgot our ancient alliance and were too proud to ask for help in the timeline Colonel Carter comes from."

Lya's smile turned a bit sad at that, "At least you no longer have to worry now."

Thor nodded, and those who knew him well (such as the two 'in' the room) were able to see an ever-so-slight smile on his alien lips. Truly, salvaging Heliopolis and Atlantis...bringing the ships back...helping the Athosians...all were good deeds and great things. But nothing more so than saving the Asgard, both by giving them effective weapons against the Replicators and Nox aid with their genetic issues. And, the Asgard were forever thankful for that aid. It was a large part of the reason they were willing to allow their technology to be used by Earth.

"It was the least we could do Thor," Sam added, "on another note...any luck contacting the Furlings?"

That was another thing that had been an ongoing effort for years now. Two of the holoprojectors remained dim in the meeting room. The Ancients, which would likely never shine again unless there was a still-existing community hidden in either Pegasus or the Milky Way. And the Furlings, the mysterious Third Race that none knew what had happened too. After the defeat of Ra that had lead to the abandonment of Heliopolis, the Furlings had vanished from the Milky Way, without informing either of their remaining Allies why or where they had gone.

Thus, Thor shook his head in the negative, "We have been sending messages in every code or frequency the Furlings ever used. They have yet to respond. So far as the
Asgard know, they may very well have become extinct or Ascended as the Ancients did."

"The Nox have had no more luck. The Furling homeworld is barren, no signs they had ever been there."

Sam sighed, "I figured as much. We only ever found the Crystal Skull and the Gateway, nothing else of the Furlings."

Even the Ancients were more well-known than the Furlings. Mysterious didn't begin to describe that race, not with the fact that no human had even seen one, in either timeline. Nonetheless though, at least the Asgard and Nox had reformed their part of the Alliance. With the time-travelers, it was now an Alliance of Three Races, one that was keeping a very close eye on both the Goa'uld and Wraith. As part of that plan, a series of satellites had been co-designed amongst the three races, Asgard sensors, human design, and Nox cloaks. These had been spread around the major worlds of the System Lords, to watch any major movements. Such as...

"Two Ha'tak are leaving orbit of one of Apophis' worlds," a mechanical voice reported from a newly installed console on the wall.

Three heads turned to said console, and then to their own rooms. Sam in the Core Room on the Odyssey, Thor on the Beliskner and Lya in one of the Nox floating cities. All of them were looking at their own variation of the console, watching the live feed from the satellite. And what they saw was indeed two first-generation Ha'tak, breaking orbit from the world on a course towards...Earth.

"I know this..." Sam muttered, "what is the date..."

Moving a stone on the Core, Holo-Sam checked the date. It was March 1, 1998. This was too soon...Kinsey hadn't even visited after the Quantum Mirror incident yet. Assuming things had even gone the same as before, which wasn't a given by any means. It also meant the ships wouldn't be given a chance to be studied before being put to the test.

"I cannot protect Earth, Colonel Carter," Thor spoke up, "we are in better shape than you told me of the other timeline, but the Asgard cannot engage the Goa'uld over a world that is not in the Treaty."

Holo-Sam sighed, "I know Thor. Its up to our ships to do this...even though I didn't want to expose them yet."

"I do not blame you for that," the Asgard said.

And one couldn't blame her. Obviously, keeping the 304's hidden as long as possible was a good thing. But to have to expose them so early...that was not good. There wasn't a choice in the matter though. Not if they wanted to keep Earth safe. SG-1, the past one, wouldn't be able to get aboard those ships if they had already left. Not to mention the fact that they went on a mission after Daniel should have gone through the mirror...either he never did, or something else had changed. And if he didn't go through the mirror, they didn't have the coordinates to Apophis' Ha'taks.

"I'll give the SGC the news and ready the ships. Can I count on you to keep an eye on the rest of the Goa'uld?"

"Yes."

"Of course."

Sam nodded once more, before the lights in Heliopolis dimmed as the holograms vanished.

---

And there we go.