This fanfic is a what-if kind of scenario: what if the Stargate and B5 universes existed in the same galaxy? What if the Alterans had set a 'non-interference' zone that prevented the Vorlons and Shadows from tampering with their chosen descendants? What if they acknowledge and respect this declaration thus allowing the Alterans to ascend and leave behind their immense legacy for their 'children' to find and uncover? What will happen to the Mimbari without the 'existence' of Valen and how will this affect the Shadow War?
This is their story, the story of the Tau'ri, 'children' of the Alterans, heirs to their legacy...
…and the mark they will leave on four galaxies but none more so than the mark they will leave on the Milky Way Galaxy…
Chapter 01:
Prologue
Earth
City of Atlantis
Capital of the Tau'ri Federation
January 10, 2368
Gate Walkers Club
26-year old Jennifer O'Neill growls as menacing as she could at her adversary, wondering for the hundredth or so time just how was she being beaten by such an, to hell with it, OLD man.
He's her father, for goodness sake, yet here she is and being drunk under the table by Jack O'Neill himself!
Her opponent continues to best her with a broad smug grin on his well-lined face as he downs another shot of Jack Daniels, she admits to herself, at 350 something, she forgot just how old 'Old Man Jack' actually is, the old coot still looked pretty much like he did, just with a few more lines, way back when the SGC first started exploring the universe via Stargate; though he spent the first 200 years as a human popsicle, placed in cryo-stasis on the basis of keeping the SG-1 and AR-1 veterans around just in case their skills and long experience were needed again.
They were 'defrosted', as her dad loves to put it, when it became obvious that the galaxy, three and a half galaxies actually, have finally settled down into peaceful equilibrium… "And why do I get the feeling I just jinxed that…?" Jennifer thought to herself a shiver runs down her spine.
Her original purpose coming to the Gate Walkers Club, which her dad opened for the SGC and Atlantis Expedition veterans and their families for a place to relax and remember the good old days before the establishment of the Federation, was to celebrate her promotion to Captain, having climbed up the promotion ladder faster than squirrel wired on a dozen Red Bulls, thanks to the recently settled conflict in the Laurentian Galaxy, of the new Achilles-class Super Battleship Achilles and Commander of the newly established Federation Assault Battle Group Achilles, which is made up of the Achilles herself, six Aurora II-class Battleships, improved, enlarged and upgraded versions of the original Alteran Aurora-class, six BC-608 Daedalus II-class Advanced Battle Cruisers, upgraded version of the original BC-304s, with eight Nebula-class Star Destroyers (Still can't believe Dad actually convinced the council AND the head of Lucasarts to use some of the ship and starfighter design off of Star Wars.), ten Venator-II class Assault Cruisers with two wings of 108 fighters each, two Endurance-class Fleet Carriers with a complement of four starfighter wings of 216 fighters each (ratio is 18 to one squadron; 3 squadrons to one wing), 10 Marathon-class Heavy Cruisers with four squadrons of 72 fighters, 14 Halcyon-class Light Cruisers (Another Jack O'Neill rabbit-out-of-the-hat, as he had convinced Bungie to give the Federation the rights to the Halo series, more specifically the Astraeus, Marathon, Halcyon and UNSC Frigate, now designated as the Pegasus-class Assault Frigate, plus the designs from the Wiki fanfic website; the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon technology; the designs for infantry weapons and ground armor; and the cherry topping: the MJOLNIR-series power armor, dad all but drooled at the thought of being clad in power armor that will make Kull look like walking tin cans.) with two squadrons of 36 fighters, 22 Ares-class Heavy Destroyers, 18 Pacific-class Light Destroyers, 28 Hyperion-class Heavy Frigates, which is essentially a smaller modified version of the Rebel Assault Frigate Mk.1 with more armor, more guns, less exposed components, minus the 'thingy' hanging underneath and a pair of Light MACs built into the nose (Think of the design as hybrid between the Hyperion-class and the Rebel Assault Frigate Mk.1 only beefier), 18 Defiance-class Strike Frigates, which is an enlarged version of the Defiant with bigger engines, more guns, more crew and thicker armor (Star Trek wasn't a complete waste as the Defiant, Prometheus, Akira and Sovereign designs made through the design board's…and mom's scrutiny.) plus two short-barreled fast-firing LMACs, 18 FGE-606 Prometheus II-class Escort Frigates, 28 Stormhawk-class gunships (think of the Corellian Gunship only larger, heavier, more turrets, six VL missile launchers for anti-fighter ops and two VL Alteran Drone launchers for anti-ship/station ops) and 28 Ranger-class Gunships (same as the Expanded Universe's Ranger-class, only with 40% more guns and two more missile launchers)...and six Blackbird-class Heavy Stealth Cruisers plus eight Loki-class Stealth Frigates for added insurance.
(This comes up to a total of 231 warships, mind you...)
Her head solidly thumps down on the genuine oak bar, her brain silently throbbing in pain as she pounds the surface of the bar in defeat, groaning out, "You win, Dad…and don't you think it's just a little unfair that I have absolutely no drinking experience compared to you!"
Jack grins broadly as he reaches over and rubs her head in sympathy, her short brownish blonde hair now starting to grow back to its original shoulder-length tresses, "As a reserve General and as your dad in general, it is my most sacred and solemn duty to introduce my daughter to the one of the requirements of a good CO…" Jack orates in his 'very serious' tone.
Jennifer growls sarcastically, "In other words, your version of a good CO is one who can drink like one of the 'boys' one night if not drink them all under the table and fight like a madman with a killer hangover the next morning…"
"Exact…OW!" Jack yelps out as he is slapped in the back of the head.
"Jack, how many times have we talked about you not corrupting our daughter with your bad habits?" scolds Samantha Carter O'Neill, having sneaked up on her husband while he was 'distracted'.
"Hi, mom," Jennifer groans out from her face-down position on the bar, head all but literally throbbing in pain, "you got any sobriety pills on you?"
Sam smiles gently, though Jennifer couldn't see that since she's face-down on the table, "I ALWAYS carry a bunch of them since your dad's such a 'purist'." Sam pull out a glass from under the bar, filling it with water and drops a pair of bluish-white pills in to the glass, the pills instantly dissolves, turning the water dirty-white.
Jennifer grabs the glass as soon as her mother puts in on the bar and drinks it straight down, she sighs in relief as the pills immediately go to work, mentally vowing NEVER to go on a drinking binge again…or at least not against her dad, anyway.
Yet she couldn't shake this strange feeling that things are about to be turned upside down…and she, her parents and their old team, including Uncle Daniel Jackson who had decided to rejoin the mortal realm, something about being Ascended being boring after a while after all the sane, semi-insane and insane situations he found himself in as part of SG-1, are going into be the middle of it…again…
Oi…
Her thought are interrupted when her wrist communicator along with her mom's, dad's, Teal'c's, and Daniel's, which instantly told her one thing…SG-1 is now officially reactivated and she is no doubt going to be part of their adventures…
Double Oi…
She follows the group to Fleet Command, located near the top of Atlantis' central tower, just two floors above the Gate Room and one below the Council Chambers where all the representatives of the Tau'ri Federation meet.
As they cross one of the many open walkways of the city, the glint of sunlight reflecting off metal catches Jennifer's attention, looking towards the source, she couldn't believe what she is seeing, docked along on Atlantis' southeast, south and southwest arms are the old Daedalus, Prometheus (in this timeline, the Prometheus was crippled instead of destroyed thus spending months in the yard for repairs and upgrades) and Odyssey (similar timeline change for the Odyssey with a twist). This suggested that her parents are back to their old jobs as First Contact specialists, general all-around butt-kickers and explorers plus they get to do it with the Big P, Daedalus and Odyssey at their backs.
The briefing was pure vanilla; she is given a patrol route along the Ancient galactic boundary along with two other battle groups plus two Camelot-class fortress-ships (militarized variants of the Atlantis-class city-ships) as mid-center anchors and resupply points, though her primary mission will be to reinforce/assist/and/or extract SG-1 if and when they can for assistance, while Task Force Discovery, headed by SG-1, will make contact with any races and civilizations existing beyond the boundary, it seemed that the navigational lock for the other half of the Milky Way Galaxy has been disengaged by one of the Ascended Ancients who left behind a single message, "You are ready."
Another typically cryptic message of the Ascended Ancients.
The Prometheus, Daedalus and Odyssey, which have been reconverted back to full warship status after 200+ years as museum ships, have been reequipped with the latest weapons, armor, shields and equipment though all three ships still retain their VLS arrays and their naquadah-enhanced nuclear weapons, including a new ZPM power grid plus two naquadah reactors and four deuterium-fed cold-fusion reactors in reserve, though their outward appearance have not been changed to disguise their actual capabilities. For fighter support, the old F-302 Mongooses have been replaced by newer F-310A Thunderbolt (think Thunderbolt Star Fury but with forward-swept wings, smaller more powerful engine pods, much longer range, quad ion pulse cannons in the engine pods, two assault railguns on the nose, two mini-drone launchers, shields, superior armor, inertial dampeners, mini-gravity field, hyperspace-capability and anti-gravity repulsors), with two squadrons for the Prometheus and four squadrons plus two reserve X-wing (same design but more streamlined, forward-swept wings, quad laser pulse cannons, triple mini-drone launchers, better shields, tougher armor, longer range and no droid but otherwise not too different for the original in terms of capability) squadrons for the Daedalus and Odyssey along with six and 12 Puddle Jumpers respectively.
The Prometheus is designed like the Prometheus in the original timeline except she is 25% longer, 20% wider and 5% lower, is partially redesigned to make her look sleeker, in fact, Jack commented that the Prometheus now looks like the Daedalus' little brother; for protection, Prometheus is equipped a new Asgard/Ancient hybrid shield system and 45 centimeters of a new type of Neutronium/Trinium/Naquadah alloy that would provide better protection than the older generation of armor; for weapons, Prometheus is equipped with five heavy anti-ship double pulse/beam plasma batteries, mounted on the sides of the main hull, above the flight pods and one overlooking the main engines provide the ship-killing muscle, two heavy railgun single secondary batteries mounted on the aft centerline of the ship, 36 pulse laser/railgun hybrid quad mounts with six located under the Prometheus on retracting platforms provide point defense, two Alteran drone launchers each with a load of 50 drones, 12 VLS tubes with a payload of 36 anti-ship/bombardment naquadah-enhanced 10-gigaton nuclear missiles and 48 conventional anti-ship/bombardment missiles along with two 120GT Horizon-II Gatebuster missiles in reserve and one Tollan-derived Linear Ion Beam/Pulse Cannon mounted on the 'chin' of the bow (of course, this big gun will have Jack drooling all over it); for ship systems, Prometheus is now equipped with new increased-range Asgard transporters, Alteran neural command/control systems, life-sign scanners, improved subspace sensors and communications, biometric scanners and an AI-equipped computer system.
The Daedalus and Odyssey essentially remained the same design like the ones in the original timeline except both are a third longer, 15% wider and another 10 meters higher; for protection, both are equipped with the same Asgard/Ancient shield system as the Prometheus as well as the type of armor though thicker at 120 centimeters and a third more dense while the bridge is moved from the top of the 'wing' to forward and just below the 'wing'; for weapons, both retain their four primary Asgard Plasma Cannon armament but with new models in place of the old ones, augmented with an addition set of primary weapons in the form of six heavy anti-ship triple pulse/beam plasma cannon batteries with three on the fore section of the 'wing' while two are mounted on the aft section and one mounted on a retractable platform on the belly, 72 pulse laser/railgun hybrid quad mounts with 12 located underneath on retractable platforms, three Alteran drone launchers, one mounted in the center of the 'wing' and two in the belly, each with a load of 80 drones, 36 VLS tubes with a payload of 72 anti-ship/bombardment naquadah-enhanced 15-gigaton nuclear missiles and 144 conventional anti-ship/bombardment missiles as well as eight 120GT Horizon-II Gatebuster missiles in reserve and a fire-linked fixed pair of Magnetic Accelerator Cannons mounted on the chin of the bow, both with a range of 350000 kilometers and each with a payload of 50 650-ton tungsten-ferrite neutronium-tipped armor-piercing slugs, accelerated to 45% SPL (Speed of Light); for ship systems, both ships are now equipped with new long ranged Asgard transporters, Alteran neural command/control systems, life-sign scanners, improved subspace sensors and communications, biometric scanners and an AI-equipped computer system.
As the briefing continues, the colonel representing Stargate Command, known also as Explorer Command, which handles all exploration related duties and missions as well as maintenance, control and regulation of all the Stargates across all four universes, have deployed cloaked recon probes across the board to every habitable planet that show signs of both life and spacefaring capability, and according to their currently compiled data, several species are involved in some kind of ideological war but they have not been able to gather any details regarding the cause of the war thus far so SG-1's primary mission will be to find the cause, if not the source, of the war as well as act an intermediary between the warring factions with the Tau'ri military acting as peacekeepers until a permanent peace treaty could be established, at the same time, the flagship team of the new Spartan Corps, Blue Team, will be along to assist SG-1 with combat-related duties as well as rapid-reaction force while the top cyber-warfare and covert-intelligence teams of the Tau'ri Federation will be along to provide peripheral support to SG-1.
SG-1 will be outfitted with the latest in both offensive and defensive technologies but outfitted according to individual preferences; Jack went for the smaller, streamlined version of the MJOLNIR armor, known as the Mjolnir-Scout (think of it as a slimmed down version of the MJOLNIR armor but without the liquid-crystal matrix, strength augmentation is only 110%, speed is only 32 mph, reaction time is boosted by only 60%; in exchange for reduced combat capability, it boasts a larger computer system, Naquadah/Trinium armor plating, an improved Alteran regenerating personal shield capable of withstanding two minutes of sustained plasma fire and two shielded micro-fusion reactors for power), or MS Armor, with an upgraded threat detection/analysis matrix, while arming himself with the Colt BR77E 10mm Gauss/pulse laser Hybrid Battle Rifle, customized with a D-ACOG sight, 40mm grenade launcher, extra large magazine and laser sight/designator, a TDI G-Vector .45-cal SMG with suppressor, laser sight/designator, and 2x tactical scope, a .45-cal Mk.30 Gauss pistol with laser aiming module and detachable suppressor, Zat Mk.4 sidearm and a combat knife plus a stash of C-12 explosives; Sam dons the MS Armor with an upgraded sensor suite and technology analysis matrix while arming herself with the IDI MA7E 7mm Gauss/pulse laser Hybrid Assault Rifle, customized with a SW-1 5-shot shotgun attachment, 2x tactical scope, laser sight and sensor pod, a TDI G-Vector .45 cal SMG with suppressor, sensor pod and Red Dot sight, Zat Mk.4 sidearm and a combat knife; Teal'c dons the Battle version of the Mjolnir-Scout, MS-B Armor, with an upgraded targeting suite and is armed with the HK M420 GPMG-E with red-dot scope, bipod and three 2500-round energy cartridges plus one 1200-round AP energy cartridge, a Battle Staff (think of a hybrid between the staff weapon and the force lance plus an integral sight system linked to suit's visor/HUD), one Zat Mk.5 sidearm and two combat knives; Daniel dons the Pathfinder version of the Mjolnir-Scout, MS-P Armor, with an upgraded computer system, archeological, cultural and linguistic analysis matrices and enlarged memory cores, and is armed with an HK MP-7 with directional microphone, extended magazine and red-dot sights, Zat Mk.4 plus his usual backpack, stuffed with books and notebooks.
Jennifer had one thing to say, "I take it that packing all this firepower is SG-1 SOP?"
Jack, retracting part of his helmet, answers sarcastically, "You could say that."
"Great," was the equally sarcastic reply.
Jennifer notices that her father's sights had strayed to the other peripherals of the MS armor, or more specifically, the jetpacks but before Jack could even move, both Sam and Teal'c grab Jack by the arms and drag him out of the armory with Daniel bring up the rear as usual, grinning slightly at the sight.
Jennifer sighs at her father's childish nature but knew it hid a surprising intelligence underneath, which often fooled a lot of people into underestimating her father.
She watches as SG-1 walks over the beaming pad and, in a brilliant silver flash, SG-1 is beamed aboard the Prometheus, following after them, grinning at the irony that she is indeed following her parents' footsteps, she nods at the operator and is beamed aboard the Achilles.
She makes her way to the bridge, as she steps through the door, her XO announces, "Captain on the bridge!" in accordance to naval protocol and tradition, she responds with a warm, "As you were." She watches her bridge crew resume their duties with professional speed as she takes her command chair and looks out the viewport as Task Force Discovery breaks free of the atmosphere and moves ahead of the fleet as a large hyperspace window opens before the legendary triumvirate of ships, jumps in sequence, first Daedalus, then the Prometheus and finally the Odyssey with the window closing behind her.
Jennifer looks over to her XO, "Commander, inform the battle group to prepare for hyperspace."
"Helm," she follows up on her orders, "Set course for Sector B-17E and our designated rendezvous point with Yavin 4."
"Engage." And with that single command, events are set in motion that will forever change the course of destiny for many races…
In their respective homeworlds, the Vorlons sense a collective disturbance in their vaunted 'circle' but could not feel where it is coming from; the Shadows also sense that a change is coming, wondering if it could be an useful tool/ally or could be a new enemy to be destroyed; either way, the chaos they have been fermenting will be glorious…
The secret war between the servants of the ordered Vorlons and the servants of the chaotic Shadows has finally blazed into open conflict!
But this conflict has been met by disapproval by many of the First Ones as well as many of the Ascended so, with unanimous approval, the Alteran Navigational Lock has been disengaged thus allowing for indirect intervention…through the Tau'ri…
The neutral First Ones and Ascended as well as Lorien have watched the Tau'ri grow from their humble beginnings as a young, inventive race making their bold steps into a wide and dangerous galaxy that only wished to enslave or destroy them with only a select few to hold the line and protect their one small planet that, unknown at that time, will change the destiny for hundreds of civilizations; a race that fought against impossible odds with guile, ingenuity, courage and just a bit of sarcasm and sheer bluster; a race that simple refuse to bow to what some would call an inevitable demise, only to triumph in unexpected ways and by unexpected means, the Tau'ri grew with each defeat and triumph, learning more about the universe while keeping an open mind with each new race they encounter; the expedition to what the Tau'ri call the Pegasus Irregular Galaxy and their discovery, recovery and use of the city-ship Atlantis as well as their own unique learning experience in a galaxy not their own, showed that the Tau'ri's unique talent to adopt will make them a far greater and far wiser power than that of the Ori, Shadows or Vorlons.
The arrival of the Tau'ri in the now-unlocked half of the Milky Way Galaxy will give the younger races a chance to truly grow on their own…and without the interference of either the Vorlons or the Shadows.
On Omelos, Warmaster Jha'dur awakens from a sound sleep, jerking out of the arms of her lover Warmaster Dal'shan, with an overwhelming feeling that something is coming that will change the war forever…
On Mimbar, Delenn awakens for a troubled dream, her mind reverberating with the words of an unseen speaker as a galaxy majestically spun below, her mind realizing that this is her home galaxy, 'The war between the light and the darkness changes! The circle of the Vorlons will be destroyed! A new race will show the true path to enlightenment! No longer will the older races interfere with the growth of the younger races! The chosen race will break the unseen shackles and set the younger races free! True free will! All races have the sacred right to make their own path, their own destiny, not shackled to foolish singular notions of order and chaos, for such is impossibility! Chaos cannot exist without order, order without chaos; the truth lies within a balance point between both! The chosen race will come soon…they will show you, all of you, the way…' The dream, no, vision must be shared with the Grey Council and the Vorlons as quickly as possible, that much she knew…
Across the 'known' universe, the leaders of every race are also receiving 'the vision', bringing hope to many but to the Yolu, secret allies of the old Alterans, this is the signal they have been patiently waiting for, the descendants of the Alterans are coming…and judging from the strength of 'the vision', they are both strong and wise but also posses an open mind with a child's sense of wonder, eager to learn the secrets of the universe…just like their predecessors.
But for those with designs of their own, this did not bode well for the future...
They have NO idea just who they are trying to mess with...