I began writing this a year or two ago and decided to put it up. Still not sure how to continue it but I don't really think the Reapers will fit in but we will see how it goes.
September 16th 2013 - USS Ajax 7 min out from P3X-999.
Northern most stargate system on the galactic disk. Edge of Sector 495, Orion galactic arm.
Captain Alexei Karenin, a well-respected officer of the Russian air force and commander of the Daedalus class battle cruiser Ajax, was currently bored out of his mind. 'I hate escort missions' he thought, checking over the first quarterly ships status reports, the only thing of interest being the artificial gravity on E deck going offline accidentally during a standard relay replacement, 'damn academy grads, 1 month into their first posting and they've already made 4 stupid mistakes. I should have them whipped regularly.'
"Captain, we are approaching the target system P3X-999." Came the overly eager call from the helm. "Thank you Lieutenant. Comm, please call Colonel Carter to the bridge." Sighing he thought 'I do wish they weren't so chipper in the mornings, I couldn't have ever been like that could I?'
"Yes sir." Came the reply. The ship banked forward ever so slightly as it dropped out of hyperspace, engaged its sub light engines and arched around heading to the small unremarkable planet that was the focus of their mission. "Begin planetary and star system scans," Alexei ordered "put us in a high orbit over the planet and hold position." the bridge set to work.
Alexei leaned back in his chair 'I don't even know why we are here, who the hell would attack us in the middle of nowhere.' he though bitterly looking down on the mass of blue and greenish yellow of the planet in the system that Star Gate Command Pathfinder had dubbed the 'The Fringes'. Samantha Carter came onto the bridge, in a fashion that could only be described as an exited scamper. Alexei raised an eyebrow at the spectacle. "Surely whatever is in this system can't be THAT interesting Colonel?"
"Well we don't know yet Captain." She replied looking a little red in the face, "It just feels so ... GOOD to be exploring again, even if it is only for this one assignment, they haven't deemed a mission 'appropriate' to my skills in over a year. It's so great to be out of Area 51." Sam was smiling broadly enough to light up a street. "I mean, this is the edge of the stargate network. Whatever is beyond here is completely unknown maybe even to the Ancients!"
"I thought the network covered the entire galaxy." Spoke the Executive officer.
"It does in several directions, except up."
"Up?" Alexei looked confused.
Sam attempted to clarify "Well the ancients arrived and spread out over the Galaxy millions of years ago and they created and expanded the network over all the arms and the under half of the galaxy but for some reason they never went up above 2000 light years all along the galactic disk. Dating techniques prove that the network began in the center third of the galaxy, then they moved down and up. But at that point of 2010.7 light-years up from the central plane of the galactic disk in the Orion arm the star gates just, stop. That leaves around 33,000 square light-years left to go at the galaxies highest point. So we are here at the highest system with a stargate on a habitable world on it -"
"And this is where we will set up our great telescope and peer into the murky dark!" Alexei finished over dramatically. Sam gave him an exacerbated look.
"Exactly, and that is also why your here Captain." said the overly upbeat voice of Colonel Mitchell as he strolled onto the bridge "Oh come on! It'll be fun."
Alexei stared at him, "Colonel in my experience a man is either high or mad to enjoy escort duties." he said bitterly.
"Captain, deadline in one minute." came a call from ops.
"Showtime boys and girls." Cam said cheerily.
I hate Americans. Thought Alexei.
_-*%*%*%*-_
Star Gate Command. Gate room. - Same date and time.
"Okay everyone good to go!?" came a call from the Lt Colonel in charge of security for the team.
"I think that's everything." replied Daniel Jackson as he glanced at Dr Carolyn Lam who nodded and Vala who blew him a kiss in response before grinning, "I'll take that as a yes. We are ready." He said putting his handgun in its holster and hand scanner in his breast pocket.
"Good travels gang, try not to piss off anymore extra-terrestrials." General Landry's voice rang over the tanoy as the gate began to spin.
"So what romantic getaway are you whisking me off to this time Daniel?" Vala asked in a mock love-struck voice. Daniel did his best not to be irritated but it still showed on his face, which got another smirk from Vala. "We are going to P3X-999 to set up a new deep space telescope and satellite observation stations so we can see what is beyond the edge of the star gate network, as you well know. We will be there for two weeks mapping anything of interest and scouting out the old ancient outpost there, or what's left of it, so could you please, PLEASE let up on me until we are at least ON the planet?"
Vala pulled a face of deep concentration "Ummmm no." Daniels head dropped in defeat. She smile again.
"Chevron seven locked." The brilliant and very familiar wormhole burst forth from it confines of subspace and then settled back into the watery looking event horizon. "Alright lets go" the colonel called and Daniel, Vala and the good Doctor along with five soldiers and seven more scientist walked through to rendezvous with the Cruiser.
_-*%*%*%*-_
Planet P3X-999, The Fringes System.
On the other side, Danial face was struck by a sudden burst of sunlight, he shielded his eyes 'the one time I forget my sunglasses' he though irritably, pulling out his hand scanner and walking over to stand in the shaded patch cast by the stargate.
"Alright boys and girls, no more than a 20 meter spread for now and NO ONE goes off on their own, set up and start scanning for a suitable camp site." A chorus of acknowledgement came back. "Stargate command this is Stevenson everything is green so far, we will report back in four hours."
"Understood colonel." The gate closed behind them.
"Jackson to Ajax, come in please..." There was a pause
"We read you Doctor, this is Ajax, we are transmitting planetary scans do you copy?"
There was a beep from his scanner which lit up with a map of the planet, Daniel skimmed through it and nodded to himself in satisfaction, "Scans received and appreciated."
"Stand by for personnel transport. We will be remaining in system for seven days doing a full catalogue of everything in the system, and deploying the satellite network."
"Understood Ajax, next check in is scheduled 3 hours 54 minutes from now."
"Copy Jackson, Ajax out."
There was a flash of light and Colonel's Carter and Mitchell along with ten soldiers appeared before them "Daniel, buddy how you been this past week."
"WE have been wonderful Cam." Said Vala bounding up to them, "How was your trip with captain grouchy." she asked smiling.
"Oh come on leave Alexei alone he's under a lot of stress, on a very dull posting. His wife is like a month away from popping out little Alexei junior and he gets posted way out here." Sam tried to reason. "Well he doesn't have to turn into the grouchy Russkie and take it out on the rest of us does he." Cam said. "Let's get going we've got a base to build." They walked over to Dr Lam and the colonel and began looking over maps to find a suitable location to begin construction of the new deep space telescope.
Daniel raised his hand to shield his eyes, Vala walked up to him, "Would these be helpful darling?" she asked sweetly holding up his sunglasses that he had left in the mess hall that morning "Getting forgetful in your old age are we?". He gave her an irritated look before taking them with a muttered thank you and turned away. She sighed a little 'when am I going to get thought to him.'
_-*%*%*%*-_
September 21st - Survey Teams finally locate a suitable base camp inside the basin of a small long dead volcano now covered in grass and nothing more than a moderately sized hill with a small depression on its peek on the coast of the smallest continent in the Northern Hemisphere, 1.7Km due west from the Ruins of the ancient outpost.
Ajax transmits data package containing all information on the star system before breaking orbit and returning home. It is scheduled to return in January to begin investigation of neighbouring systems.
October 4th – Temporary base structures and warehouse structures are complete housing the Barracks, landing pad, warehouse, Hanger, labs and civilian accommodations. Assembling of the telescope begins, the star gate is transported to the base. Project chiefs Col. Samanther Carter, Col. Cameron Mitchell and Col. Mark Stevenson relieved. Base commanders are appointed;
Security chief Major Kim Hye Gi, UN Peace Keepers Ground Forces (Originally South Korean Army).
Head of Research Dr Sophia Kantor, Homeworld Research and Development Service, Project Pathfinder, (Former assistant director of Astrophysics at Innsbruck University Austria).
Chief of Base Operations Mark Ericsson, Homeworld Intelligence Service (MIT Graduate and former Homeworld Intelligence chief of operations for Chinese Whispers observation station Echo 3, Luna base.)
October 5th - Construction of the Telescope is complete, the new science teams and defense forces of SGC marines and a flight of five F-302 Interceptors arrive, total base population 112. Tests of base shield systems are successful. Attempt at an alternative base cloak failed at this time due to insufficient power provided by geothermal tap, problems to be re-examined at a later date (Yet to be determined).
October 10th - Telescope tests on in system stellar bodies successful. Outer system scans due to start 7:00AM the following day. Long range sensor satellites are brought online having been left in orbit by Ajax before its departure. Base is registered as fully operational.
_-*%*%*%*-_