Author's Note:

OK, this is my first ever published fic, so I hope it does well enough to encourage me to keep writing. I had a lot of fun coming up with different ways I'd like to play out certain situations with my own character here.

As one or two of you may have noticed, the title bears a similarity to a fic called Stargate SG-Fox, by Commander Kitsune. If you aren't familiar with him, I highly recommend giving him a look. He's got some great ideas and this fic was largely inspired by him and his work. Unfortunately, he hasn't posted in some time, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have some stuff worth reading on his page.

I'm looking forward to writing this fic for you guys, but I want to hear your feedback if you have any to give. Maybe in the future, I will post some of my other stories if I get around to fleshing them out a bit. Right now, I have a bunch of great moments here with very little story to connect them to one another. We'll see how it goes now that I have the time in my life to write more often. Hopefully, you'll be seeing more from me soon!

Disclaimer:

The following is a fan written story. Stargate or any of the associated properties mentioned in this story are all owned by their respective companies, authors and/or corporations. This is purely a work of fiction written for pleasure and nonprofit. Please support the official release.

Chapter One: You Have Been Called Upon to Serve

"Not to try and dissuade you from this decision, but why me? There must be countless candidates more suitable than me," I remarked.

The hospital machinery around me beeped softly to indicate my vital signs as the low hum of hospital activity made itself heard through the door to my room. I had arranged for a private room as I was able to arrange one at a decent price with my health insurance. Plus, it wasn't like I expected to worry about things like money for much longer.

"You have always professed a desire to serve," the Man said. "To be of use if called upon. Perhaps there are more suitable candidates out there, but I know you're exactly what I'm looking for and in precisely the right situation to make your recruitment appeal to me."

The curtains blocked out most of the evening light, but the lamp beside my bed made the 'man's' features plain as day to me. A middle-aged man somewhere in his 30's or 40's with short, styled brown hair. He wore an older style black suit with a white undershirt with a popped collar and no tie. His slacks and shoes were both black as well. He was cleanshaven and had a largely unremarkable face. I'd have never picked him out of a crowd if he was standing in it.

"As you may have noticed," I weakly raised on trembling arm to gesture all around us. "I am not as capable as I once was. Perhaps you should have visited me while I was still capable of getting up and going to the bathroom? How much could I achieve as I am?"

Indeed, my aged body wasn't going to be getting out of this bed again, let alone accomplish much of anything. I wasn't here because I was dying of cancer or some terrible illness or injury that was beyond the capabilities of modern medicine. I had ended up here for the most common of all human conditions.

I was here because I was old.

I had lived a fairly normal life, all things considered. A few highlights and a few scars to show I had survived the worst of it, but not any more remarkable than what most old people could tell you. I had never had children of my own, but I had married a woman with two of her own and had loved them both like they were my own. She had passed several years ago, but the children loved me enough in turn that they had both visited me regularly after the fact. Both they and their families had gone home for the day and the Man had come around shortly after. And he had come with an offer.

"You of course won't continue with the body you were born with," he said. "Rather, arrangements have already been made for you, should you accept. Young, fit, and a few added gifts to come along as time goes on. We want you to accept and are prepared to incentivize you appropriately. You're still a Captain America fan, I hope?"

I decided to ignore that last apparent non sequitur. "Let's hear it one more time. Just so we have it all laid out."

The Man hummed, as if in agreement. "Bottom line is that Colonel Jack O'Neill, the 'future' leader of SG-1 and hero of the galaxy, has died in his universe. The man was borderline suicidal after the death of his son, so it's no surprise that this happened in at least one universe spawned off of the original. I know Oma Desala and she asked for my own assistance in finding a replacement as she's predicted disaster without intervention in this matter."

"You've watched the show, albeit some time ago, but you remember the highlights. The entire galaxy, in fact, several galaxies are in mortal peril. Neither she, nor her people are allowed to interfere directly due to the rules and restrictions they place on themselves. However, she's more or less a free agent and able to act in a certain manner without harsh punishment. Her people have made it clear that finding a replacement would be tolerated, albeit however reluctantly by the hardliners."

The Man gestured to me at that point. "You meet the criteria. You have the right mindset and even have prior military service, which is a bonus as far as I'm concerned. As you've said," he smiled wryly at this point. "You're not going to be doing much else. In fact, I can promise that one way or the other, you won't wake up to the same sun tomorrow."

I might have been surprised at this casual mention of my death, but the Man had only more or less confirmed what I strongly suspected myself. My condition hadn't improved since I had been checked into the hospital and I could feel myself growing steadily weaker by the day. After a long life, I had been preparing for whatever may come after. But now…

"A new life," I mused aloud. "And a new purpose. An opportunity to serve. If you really did your research, you'd know how much that idea would appeal to me. You'd know how low the chances are that I'd say no."

There was no trace of shame in the Man's expression as he replied. "Indeed. This offer gives you the chance to satisfy that part of yourself. Do you feel anger that I knew how to sell this to you?"

"No," I answered. "I can't be mad that you're essentially giving me a chance to live the life I've wanted to live. Manipulation or not, it's what I want."

"Is that your acceptance to my proposal?" the Man asked.

"I suppose it is," I shrugged or at least tried to. I was much more tired than I was when this conversation began. "How are we doing this?"

The Man smiled as he reached out and took my hand in a firm grip. I tried to grip back, but I didn't have much strength left in me anymore.

The Man began to explain. "When you get there, you'll have just been sent to Cheyanne Mountain. All the memories of your life there will be available to you as well as most of the ones from here. You will keep everything personal to you, but certain information will be blocked as it pertains to events that must occur as they are fixed points. Otherwise, you'll have the freedom to make changes as you see fit. It'll be your story, so tell it how you want it to be told. You have our trust, so just do what you believe to be right."

"That's good," I said. My eyes were getting heavy. I didn't think I was going to be waking up in this room again.

"Before you go to sleep," the Man added. "You should know that this universe isn't the original Stargate Universe. One of the reasons you have so much latitude is that it'll be an amalgamation of the remnants of several different universes reforming. Most things will be the same, but you'll certainly recognize some things as you explore more. Plus, Oma will certainly want to plant certain nuggets of information into your head to ensure you're not left in the dark and remove others for your own protection."

"Sounds like it'll be…quite the…party," I sighed, finally closing my eyes.

Just before drifting asleep, I heard the beeping of the monitors around me change into a long constant drone.

~SG-WOLF~

On a plane of existence mortal minds couldn't truly comprehend, two powerful beings pondered over the consciousness they held between them, represented by a shining ball of light.

"You found one to agree on the first attempt?" asked the first. "I did not think you would be so successful on your first candidate."

The second shrugged. "I made a careful selection. His soul is one happy to help and was ready to pass onto the realm of souls when I made the pitch to him," the second being.

Oma Desala had shed her corporeal form thousands of years ago in favor of existing in a state above what most beings experienced. Still, she, like most of her people, had retained some semblance of her mortal form to project while interacting with one another. Oma had chosen to keep her face in this interaction and allow her true form, consisting of nebulous light and several bright tendrils, to be seen as her body.

The Man she was dealing with was one of several dozen entities she had come into contact with since she had become something of a radical among her own people. Most of the other ascended Alterrans knew of the existence of these other beings but chose not to interact much with them. When Oma was all but cast out by her own people, she sought out these other entities for company and to satisfy curiosity.

Many of them were unknowable and mysterious to her. Some chose to ignore her existence entirely when she approached them. Others were fascinating and entirely different than what she and her people had assumed them to be. These interactions taught Oma that while her people considered themselves all knowing, they really weren't. She had learned enough to have learned that she knew only a portion of what existence had to offer. Being ascended offered her great opportunities to explore and learn, but she was one of the few ascended that seemed to revel in that rather than ignore it.

The Man was the one who had explained to her the nature of her universe when she had encountered him. She was utterly fascinated by his existence and his incredible ability to cross between universes when her own people had never even made the attempt, according to her knowledge. When it became clear to her what her own universe was a part of and what would come, she had asked the Man why he had revealed this knowledge to her. He told her that a time of great change and upheaval would come upon her universe and galaxy soon. However, while many events were set to happen, a great setback had taken place when a man named Jack O'Neill had committed suicide. He had informed her in no uncertain terms that he was one of the most important players in the years ahead and any hope for the future had relied upon him being the right man in the right place at the right time.

She had been appalled to learn this. She had begun discussing options with him that she knew the others would never allow her to get away with. Whether using their own powers or lost pieces of technology left behind by their people. She had been thinking how to carry out these far-flung plans in the vain hope her people would listen to her when the Man had offered an option she had not considered.

As a being that existed outside of her universe, he could recruit her a new candidate. This person or 'champion' as the Man referred to them as, could not only fill the role of his dead predecessor, but perhaps even make improvements. Someone who could use their advanced knowledge of events to shift events even further into her and her galaxy's favor.

She had questioned him about the wisdom of this action, even if the others would allow it. He had explained that it was the best way to solve her problem and that since he was not bound to the rules of her people, he could act with more freedom than she. He also explained that since she would be allowed to review the 'champion' before he was placed, her people couldn't really fault her for making sure the 'champion' didn't have forbidden or dangerous knowledge. She had come up with several arguments against this idea which were each shot down by the Man with simple and straightforward logic. She had wondered what the Man could have as an ulterior motive in this situation but couldn't prove anything malicious was lying beneath his suggestion. With some skepticism remaining, she had accepted his offer.

Now, the two stood looking over the 'champion.'

"He won't be able to go into this with all of his knowledge intact. I've reviewed what you've told me and what he already knows and I will have to remove some of his knowledge of certain events, places and technologies," Oma said.

"As agreed upon," the Man said, nodding. "I believe it will give him a chance to rise to the occasion."

"You hold a great deal of confidence in this one," Oma remarked, somewhat skeptical of there being a hidden agenda to this situation. "Why is that?" She had been deceived once before. She had vowed to never let it happen again.

"I've found that many humans hold incredible potential within them," the Man said. Oma saw him straighten his jacket before putting his hands inside his pockets. Or at least, that's what his astral form appeared to do according to her own perception of the Man. "Most simply never have the need, the means or the opportunity to truly express it," the Man continued. "This was one of a hundred candidates I had scouted and apart from being one of the better choices, was also the most convenient to recruit. He had few ties and little incentive to refuse. All we have to do is prepare to insert him surreptitiously onto Earth and make sure his body and cover story is ready. He'll get it done."

Oma hummed thoughtfully as she continued examining the soul before her, already deciding which pieces of knowledge had to go. A few tidbits would be added by her, but not too much and nothing truly obvious. She was on thin ice here no matter how the Man wanted to phrase it or rationalize it to her.

"For all of our sake's," Oma said, preparing herself. "I hope you are right."