Disclaimer: I don't Stargate or Battlestar Galactica, or anything associated with them

Out of the Dark

Part 1 of the Empires Series

Prologue

Atlantis

Samantha Carter stood on the balcony above the control room of Atlantis, her home. Watching the dazzling sun reflect off the New Lantean Sea always helped her to reflect on the day that had come before, whether it had been good or bad. When she began commanding Atlantis the first time, John had told her that Elizabeth had done the same thing before she was captured by the Asurans. According to him, it had always helped her to cope with the great responsibility that came with the job. Sam had found the advice very helpful, and now stood in the same spot in the evenings, whenever she could. Sometimes even for hours.

"There you are!" Rodney McKay walked out onto the balcony looking rather flustered. Sam smiled, taking one last look at the beautiful red sky in front of her, realising she wasn't going to be seeing it again until it was very dark… "I've been looking all over for you, the mess hall, your quarters, why is it always so hard to find you around here when you're supposed to be…"

"What's wrong, McKay?" Sam cut him off before he could finish his sentence, wishing he would just cut to the chase.

"Oh? Nothing, nothings wrong... In fact, everything's going fine. Really, you couldn't ask for things to go any smoother!" Sam stood, arms folded, and shot him a look. "Uh, yeah, I just wanted to show you something. I was skimming through the Ancient database when I came across something that I think you're going to find very interesting…"

Battlestar Galactica

Laura Roslin stared at the cold, metal wall in front of her, a view that she was met with more than ever these days. The grey wall of the Galactica's infirmary, directly opposite her own specially reserved bed. It had become her least favourite wall in the universe. Galactica wasn't short of drab, metal walls, but this one… she truly loathed it. Doc Cottle had managed to use the blood of the hybrid child Hera to come up with a revolutionary new treatment which had allowed the President to live much longer than she had ever anticipated. However, as the effects the treatments had waned and she once again found herself succumbing to the symptoms of her cancer, the visits became longer and more intense, and as such she found the wall that was currently in front of her an ever more familiar sight.

All of a sudden, a brilliant white light filled the room, and then faded again. Another jump. No doubt another failed search for new resources. Resources that were so badly needed that Roslin felt that the civilians would begin ripping each other apart if they weren't found. "Here we go again…" She lay there, staring at the wall for a few more minutes, before Admiral William Adama appeared in the doorway.

"Madam President. I've got a feeling you're going to want to see this…"