Chapter Nine: Return and Reactions

Well, its be awhile hasn't it… Ummm, well, I took quite a long break from writing in general. But I am back and hopefully will finish this story. Hmmmm, I think this title is apt for the chapter and the overall story as well eh?

I would like to thank everyone who actually waited for this chapter to come out, you are all amazing.

This chapter will probably be quite short as it is been a looooooong time since I have written anything and I need some time to get back into things.

-(December 16th 1998 | Location: Colorado Springs)-

The blaring horn signaling activation of the Stargate rang throughout the mountain as the remnants of SG-1 and their commander stood in the control room, worry line etched in their faces.

"Why is the iris open?" Hammond asked the gate tech harshly as he saw the tell tale event horizon of the wormhole erupt from the gate.. While Jack was his friend and he wanted him back, he couldn't take the risk it wasn't a hostile force. The last thing he needed to make his day worse was a surprise attack by the Goa'uld.

"I-I don't know sir?" the panicking gate tech said as he typed away on his keyboard, sweat building on his brow as he struggled to come up with an answer. He knew what would happen if he failed and it was not a pretty pictures. The best fate he might have is a quick death. On the other hand, he could have his body forcibly possessed and his sprit crushed beneath the might of the parasitic species known as the Goa'uld. "It isn't responding…none of the systems are."

Hammond could only bark out a curse as he saw his men prepare themselves for battle down below in the gate room. If the Goa'uld were here, it would likely be a battle they couldn't win. At least their projectile weaponry had proven effective against the Jaffa forces, if that were not the case, he didn't know what they would do. Sure it took armor piercing rounds to do the trick, but it was better than nothing. No matter what they would hold the line until the last man standing fell in battle. They were the first and last line of defense that protected their home planet against the forces of evil. If it came down to it, Hammond was perfectly prepared to order the destruction of the mountain and bury the gate...along with themselves.

"Take the controls Captain" the General instructed the blond haired women as he felt his muscles tense and his mind whirl as the possibilities swirled throughout his conscious thought. While he had confidence in the gate tech's abilities, Sam was the one who had actually managed to create the entire system from scratch. She might be the smartest person in the Air Force and as such she was the one he wanted at the controls in hope of delaying or preventing any incoming forces.

"Sir, I'm reading an inbound traveler." Sam said, glaring at the screen in front of her. She wasn't naive, unlike Daniel who was muttering that it must be Jack, she knew there was a large chance it wasn't. They had no idea where the man had gone; even if he was still alive he would have never have been able to dial himself back. Even Daniel still has difficulties dialing out on occasion. While it was possible he could have gotten help, it wasn't a fact they could count on. While the man was a good friend of hers, her first duty was to her country and her people.

The muscles of every soldier by the gate were tense in preparation. Everyone there knew that the following few moments could be their last. If the Goa'uld had found a way to bypass the iris, their was little hope of survival. The Goauld would take no prisoners, and they would respond in kind. Their fingers itched on the triggers of their weapons as the braced themselves for the worst.

Up on the observing area, the bald General held his breath as he saw a figure walk out of the wormhole. The lack of clanking which would have signified the arrival of the heavily armored Jaffa quickly allowed him to release said breath however. He recognized the person who was now standing on the ramp, looking at the armed guard in bemusement.

"Colonel O'Neill" Hammond yelled down through his microphone, relief flooding into his voice as he felt like a million pounds was lifted from his shoulders.

"General" the response came from the man giving an nod to his commanding officer as he surveyed the guns pointed at him. "Nice to see the welcoming party" he said with a small smirk.

Hammond let the sarcastic comment slide and moved on to more important issues. "Colonel" he began slowly "How did you get back?"

"Well" Jack began, pausing for a second mulling his answer over. He supposed he could go into details about the little Roswell aliens but given the tension that could be cut with a knife, he thought better of it. "It's a long story."

And that it was…

It was like something out of a science fiction novel. A tale that would go down in history as representing the turning point in human history.

First contact with what would be their greatest of allies, the Asgard.

The people who had once been the students of their ancestors and who would be the ones to teach said ancestors children.

-(Othala)-

Harry was still not used to the feeling of the matter transporter. It was unlike something like apparition which felt like you were stretched down a tube to your destination as a result of a micro wormhole being opened which encompassed the witch or wizard. Matter transportation on the other hand literally broke him down to the subatomic level and send this information downstream where it was reconstructed. To the traveler, it felt like they were instantly in one environment and the next second were at another, which could be quite disconcerting. In this case, one second Harry was in the control chair for his ship, and the next he found himself inside of the Great Hall of Asgard, the central meeting place of the esteemed Asgard High Council. He was the center of attention of the entirety of the Asgard High Council, perhaps the most powerful group in the known universe.

"Errm Hello" he said awkwardly, slipping back into English in his nervousness. You see, the memory dump had profound affects on his personality. Having such a massive amount of knowledge crammed into his head created something of a false personality based on the knowledge he had received, so one of a generic Alteran for all intents and purposes. Even the brain of wizard and Alteran could not stand to have that amount of information being dumped into with without any adverse effects Now that the information was finally settling into his brain, his original personality, that of a young man still rather inexperienced in the world, was beginning to reemerge. It just so happened that it was in a rather inopportune moment.

He may have eons of knowledge and experiences crammed into his head but at his core he was still Harry Potter; a person who had never really been known for his social skills in the first place.

"Greetings" the being in the center of the long table which the High Council sat upon said in English. "You have used an old communication channel, please identify yourself."

"My name is Harry Potter", the black haired young man said, as he looked the being in the eye and regained his composure, "I come as a envoy of my people."

"And your people would be?" the being replied in what was almost a whisper, although it carried well in the room and everyone there could clearly hear it.

"I am the last of the Alteran" Harry replied clearly, holding his head high in pride. His people may have made some grave mistakes, that was something he would never deny. However, even with all of these mistakes, they had left their mark on the universe and it was something he took great pride in. Countless civilizations had risen and fallen and nobody was any wise of their plight. But not is people, even after being dead for millions of years, their name was still spoken with reverence throughout the universe. Because of the memories inside of his head, he knew just what things were like in the past. He know the feeling of accomplishment as the first Stargate was created. He knew the sorry as his people split from their kin, the Ori. He knew the terror as he people waged war against the Wraith. He knew the sorrow as the last of his people died out, along in the universe. "I come on behalf of my people, those who have long lost and blind to the universe."

Silence was his response.

The minds of the Asgard were racing. Never in a million years did they expect to be contacted by a member of the Alteran race once again. They were though to be a dead race, a relic of the past.

"I am Thor, supreme commander of the Asgard fleet" a being to the right of the first one spoke up, being the first to break out of the stupor the rest of the council was in. "Can you prove such a claim?"

"Yes" Harry said, gazing into the stare of the supreme commander. "You species is undergoing genetic deterioration, correct?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes" Thor said quietly, and although he attempted to hide his feelings, Harry could feel the pain in his voice. The Asgard were a proud people, the heirs to the Alterans position in the universe. They build an incredible empire through science and understood the universe better than anyone else. To have fallen so far was a large blow to their pride as a species.

"I can tell you how this disease came to be." Harry said. "It all starts with a race called the Ori."

Sorry about how short this is. I have not written anything in a long time, so I am quire rusty. Anyway, I just want to say thanks for everyone who has still followed this story and I hope you enjoy it.