Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate or any of the IPs from which any imported elements may originate.

The Wars of Legends

Pegasus War

Chapter One: Arrival - Raising the Lost City

Beta:

Lieutenant Terrence Tan, a clean shaven, fit young ethnically Chinese man with close cropped hair was a Singaporean engineer and reactivated reservist commando that had through great fortune found himself walking through the halls of the storied and now very cramped halls of the SGC (Stargate Command). All around him in the usually spacious tunnels that made up the base were members of the Atlantis Expedition, hand picked personnel selected by the Expedition's leader, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, from across the Coalition to be part of a daring exploration of the Pegasus galaxy. Not all of them were here, some would follow up this Gate insertion in the Expedition's attached fleet but even as he traversed the hallways he could already see people from not just Earth's many nations, but also contingents from the Chiropteran Swarm, Albion, Jade and other Coalition members.

"Lt. Tan, you're all suited up and ready to go?" His superior officer, Colonel Marshall Sumner of the United States Marine Corps, greeted him as he arrived and joined the small contingent of soldiers and scientists all sporting powered armor modified to operate in high pressure environments such as the bottom of an ocean.

"You have good timing," the Colonel said sarcastically. "We're almost ready to set off, just waiting for Dr. Weir to give the go ahead."

As if Colonel Sumner's words were her cue, this was exactly when Dr. Weir stepped up the ramp that led to the Stargate and turned to address the crowd of Expedition members gathered before the Gate.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" The woman said, immediately silencing the room as they all turned to give her their full attention. "All right, here we go. We're about to try to make a connection. As per what we've gleaned from Earth's Ancient Repository of Knowledge-"

Which is why she, an Earthling, was leading the Expedition.

There had in fact been plenty of jockeying for the honor but leveraging Earth's Repository with its most up to date information being the source of almost all relevant intel on the Pegasus galaxy that they were relying on for the Expedition and the fact that only the Earth gate could connect with the Pegasus via the Atlantis gate due the Ancients' failsafes, Earth had managed to put itself in charge of the operation. No mean feat when they'd been competing against the likes of superpowers like Albion and the Swarm for the role.

"-Atlantis on the other end will be under the ocean and either already flooded or close to it. As such, we'll establish a connection, send in the MALP robot probe to check the situation before sending in our carefully selected team of engineers to restore its power."

This caused some disgruntled muttering among some of the Expedition members who had failed to make the cut for the advance party. Terence himself had only barely made it on, only qualifying thanks to a combination of his admittedly rusty military training and his experience working as an engineer on his homeland's various offworld technology heavy projects. The combination of combat skill and familiarity with alien systems giving him enough of an edge to get onto the team.

"Once they're done," Dr. Weir continued. "They'll dial back and give us the all clear. At which point, we'll go through. Is that clear?"

There were nods from everyone and Dr. Weir smiled, before once more getting serious.

"Now, before we dial the Gate and begin the operation, I need to ask you one last question. Every one of you volunteered for this mission, and you represent many races and over dozens of countries. You are the Coalition's best and brightest. And in light of the adventure we are about to embark on and the enemies we're about to face in the Pegasus, you're also the bravest."

Isn't that an understatement. Terence thought to himself with an inward wince. Those Wraith the Repository talked about sound scary as hell. And the hints that those Asuran replicator wannabes might be running around too sounds even worse.

"I hope we all return one day having discovered a whole new realm for our peoples to explore. But as all of you know, with the dangers ahead of us we may never be able to return home. So I'd like to offer you all one last chance to withdraw your participation."

No one responded. Everyone had come here already having made peace with their choice.

"Begin the dialing sequence." Weir declared with pride at her people, as she stepped down from the ramp to join the other expectant Expedition members even as the Stargate began to spin and one by one the chevrons locked into place.

It was a nerve-racking minute or so as the Earth's Stargate dialed the eight chevron address for the first time in recorded history and it was with a sigh of relief that the wormhole was successfully established. This was the first time they'd tried it, too afraid of what they might find on the other side to risk doing so before now.

"Deploying the MALP," a technician in the Operations Room looking down on the Gateroom said over the speakers as the robotic drone, heavily enhanced with technologies acquired from the Stargate program and donated by Earth's offworld allies, hovered up the ramp and through the event horizon.

"We have MALP telemetry." The technician declared a moment later.

"Sensors indicates…its intact. I repeat, Atlantis is intact!" Dr. Rodney McKay, the Expedition's Head of Technical Sciences declared, prompting a cheer that was quickly silenced as he continued. "Environmental sensors say there's oxygen, no measurable toxins. We have viable life support. Like we feared though the cityship's shields are near depletion."

Thankfully we're prepared for that particular problem thanks to the helpful heads up we got from the Repository of Knowledge.

Dr. Weir looked up at the Ops Room at that and exchanged a look with General O'Neill, the Expedition's Earthside reporting officer. The famous general nodded and leaned down to a microphone to address her through the speakers.

"Dr. Weir, you have a go."

"Thank you, sir." Dr. Weir told the man with a grin, before turning to Terence and the rest of the advance party. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's up to you now."

"Leave it to us," Colonel Sumner declared confidently.

"Advance Party, go!" Weir declared.

With a nod, the Colonel led the team of engineers and scientists along with an escort of soldiers through the Gate. Dr. Rodney McKay rushing down from the Operations Room to join them, managing to step through the gate as the last man.

Together their bodies were deconstructed at an atomic level and stored as data that was transmitted through the wormhole across the vast gulf of space to the Pegasus galaxy where it was reconstructed in perfect detail as they 'stepped' through the other side and found themselves in the darkened halls of Atlantis' Gateroom.

"Alright," Dr. McKay declared after he finished the seemingly mandatory second or two gawking at their surroundings - everyone, even Colonel Sumner had been guilty of it - and regained his wits. "Those of you who are coming down to the power plant are with me. The others who're headed up to the Stargate Ops Room go with Drs. Gordin and Zelenka."

His words seemed to snap the last of the awestruck stragglers out of it and the team burst into action. Terence quickly joined the team headed down to the power plant with Dr. McKay at the lead, using schematics of the city they've acquired from the Repository to guide them.

It was quite a distance to the power plant, but one they covered in a relatively short time thanks to knowing the way and their powered armor. Less than fifteen minutes later they were thus already hastily setting up the series of Earth-built Neutrino-ion Generators, the technology with which to build them being a gift from the Asgard in exchange for access to their Repository, which they hoped would be sufficient to fully power the ancient vessel.

"Power levels are at 87%," Terence read off the tablet he'd plugged into the power plant's Ancient computers to serve as an interface as the eighth Generator was installed. "One more should do it."

"We brought too many?" One of the other scientists on the team, Dr. Simpson if Terence recalled correctly, opined with a little disbelief.

Terence could understand. Who would have thought that they'd managed to power the Ancient's greatest achievement on what amounted to only a handful of Earth made generators. Sure, the Neutrino-ion Generators were insanely powerful but this was Atlantis they were talking about. It was still mind blowing!

"Better too much than too little. Besides, nine was exactly how many I said we'd need when we planned this mission, but no~ someone just had to contradict my math and say we needed twelve, so what we do? We lugged another four more spare generators than we needed along with us."

"McKay, stop whining." Major Sheppard, a United States Air Force officer and the Expedition's second in command of ground operations, told the neurotic scientist from where he was holding a defensive position at the power plant's door alongside the team of soldiers under his command.

"I'm not whining."

"Yes, you are." The Major said sternly. "Now get back to work."

"Fine," Dr. McKay said with an honest to god pout, before turning to the other scientists.

"Now, get to work setting up another one of those generators!" He snapped. "We need this city back at full power ASAP."

The other scientists hurried to obey, but not without a fair few of them sporting grins at their superior's childish antics. Terence was not too proud to admit that he was one of them,

"McKay," Major Sheppard said suddenly. "The team at the Ops Room are done locking down all non-essential systems. They're asking if they should surface the ship."

McKay blinked for a moment before he palmed his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Some genius," one of the scientists that Terence was working next to muttered under his breath.

Thankfully McKay didn't hear him and instead turned to address Major Sheppard.

"Tell them to go ahead." McKay said with a nod. "That should save us some power, just in case"

Sheppard nodded and got back on his subspace radio to relay the news. Terence meanwhile got back to work helping his fellow scientists and engineers to install the ninth Neutrino-ion Generator.

Even as Terence and the rest of the team worked hard to restore full power to Atlantis, the rest of the Expedition waiting at Stargate Command back on Earth began streaming through the Gate having received the all clear from Colonel Sumner once they'd restored the City's power to a sustainable 60%.

Daniel Jackson was among them, walking through the event horizon hand in hand with his girlfriend Sarah Gardner.

As they come through, both archaeologists couldn't help but gasp in awe at the architecture. They couldn't help it. Not only was it beautiful but it was also so different from what they'd been used to from the Ancients back in the Milky Way. Instead of the monolithic stone construction of Ancients they were familiar with, it seemed that the Lanteans had favored a sleeker, more 'futuristic' aesthetic.

"It's to be expected I guess." Sarah mused. "They aren't called the Ancients for no reason. Their civilization was ancient. Its culture must have invariably changed and drifted over time.

Daniel nodded both in agreement at her observation and at the fact that they were thinking the same thing.

"I can't wait to see what caused this change," Daniel said, offering Sarah a smile.

"Doctor Jackson, Doctor Gardner, I think you two can gush and discuss research ideas later." Dr. Weir said addressing them with a chiding, amused smile. "But right now you two need to get off the Gate deck. You're blocking the way."

"We're sorry," the two sheepish archaeologists apologized as they moved out of the way allowing a Canadian combat engineer pushing a crate of supplies past them with an amused shake his head.

"The SGC says that's the last of the initial supplies, Dr. Weir." Colonel Sumner declared from the Stargate Ops Room that overlooked the Gateroom.

"Noted. Thank you, Colonel Sumner." Dr. Weir replied. "Give our thanks to General O'Neill and Stargate Command would you?"

"Yes, mam." The Colonel returned as he tapped his headset to send the message along.

He'd probably only managed a few words when a champagne bottle rolled through the wormhole just moments before the Stargate shut down.

"What?" Dr. Weir said, blinking in confusion.

"It's addressed to you, mam." A helpful marine serving as Gate security said as he handed the bottle to the Expedition's leader. "It's from General O'Neill."

"Good luck?" Dr. Weir said, still sounding confused as she read the attached note.

"That's Jack for you," Daniel said with a laugh at his friend's antics.

"Is he always like this?" Dr. Weir asked, turning to look at Daniel.

"Most of the time," Daniel admitted with a shrug, even as next to him Sarah nodded in agreement.

Dr. Weir sighed and shook her head in exasperation.

"Dr. Weir," Colonel Sumner said from the Ops Room. "We're got the okay to surface from Dr. McKay. Your orders?"

"Do it, Colonel."

"Surface?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Doctors Gardner, Jackson, you'll want to see this," Dr. Weir declared as she walked over to a large observation stained glass window at the top of a set of stairs leading up from the Gate to the Ops Room, gesturing for them to join her.

"What is it?" Daniel asked, even as the city shook and they obliged.

The three doctors, and the whole Expedition really, watched with bated breath as the gleaming towers and sturdy piers of the mighty cityship of Atlantis rose steadily through the water column.

"Wow!" Someone that Daniel didn't recognize gasped, giving voice to what everyone felt, as the lost city breached the surface.

Sunlight played across its beautiful architecture for the first time in thousands of years, illuminating the shining jewel of Alteran and Lantean civilization once more.

After eons of slumber at the bottom of the Lantean ocean, Atlantis had risen.

Done!

Here it is folks! The first chapter of the Pegasus chapter of the Wars of Legends verse. It won't feature the original series' main characters much. So if that's you're here looking for, I'm sorry but this probably won't be you cup of tea. It'll, like the rest of the Wars of Legends verse, also mainly be focused on the Stargate side of things, so if you're looking for a heavy Harry Potter or Blood+ centric story again you'll likely have to look elsewhere.

Also, this story is going to be less focused than the rest of the WoLverse excepting Sidestories. In those I always I had a personal end goal that the main characters were striving for, yet I wasn't able to do the same for this fic. I hope it doesn't affect the quality too much but it was something I noticed as I wrote the fic and something that should be shared.

With those warnings out of the way, what did you readers think of this chapter? Do let me know in a review or two.

Beyond that, there's really nothing more to say today. So… Till next time, ciao~!