Ex uno disce omnes From one, all will learn FT;Semi-closed

[Azaranthia]

OOC Thread here: viewtopic.php?ns=1&f=4&t=30739

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Milky Way Galaxy, Sol System, Earth, 2060


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“........reports are still coming in from the European Union concerning the destruction of vital oil refineries in Berlin and other key areas, further weakening the energy production for Europe as the latest in a string of terrorist attacks that have rocked Europe for the past year. Accusations have been thrown at China and Russia that they have been backing these attacks, due to suspicious evidence uncovered by the Union Army when they raided several terrorist bases that had information linking to Russian and Chinese government officials. Said governments deny involvement and have been working to bring those linked in for questioning. This new event in a long line of controversies has the United Federation of Nations in an uproar, with the last meeting having to be adjourned early due to heat of the arguments being displayed, going so far as to near-fist fights.

The United States and Russia came to blows about energy resources and foreign policy, while China blamed the U.S. and Europe for 'provoking' the terrorists with their operations in the Middle East decades ago. Many are worried that the increasing tensions and rumored black ops missions are a sign that the Federation is disintegrating. And that if we want to avoid war, countries need to sit down and reopen respectful talks to work out their problems. This is Amanda Gray at the UFN building in Geneva. Back to you, Steven.”

A man grunted as he reached over and turned off the television, sighing as he pushed himself out of the chair he had been relaxing in and moved to the window to gaze out at the rest of the facility. Things were certainly starting to look bad for the Federation, and as a member of the United Federal Armed Forces, he was caught in the middle of it. He turned to gaze at the name display on his desk. General Marcus Sorren, UFAF. He was in command of the Eclipse facility deep under Chiyah Mountain, or “Old Man” Mountain. It was here that the Stargate facility was located.

Stargates....

Marcus chuckled. They were one of those things that had changed human history. From the fire and the wheel, to the cotton gin, to microchips, discoveries over human history had changed the path humanity took. The discovery of the Stargate during World War II had done just that. Although the war effort had drained resources away from investigating the Stargate, it was during the '60's that the U.S. military focused its efforts on studying and researching it. It had been accidentally found under the mountain when the military moved to have a secret training facility here for test projects and operations. Study over the course of the next few decades caused the discovery that it was actually a portal, a wormhole to similar gates all across the galaxy. They found themselves discovering countless worlds, although many were uninhabitable or unreachable due to being destroyed or near some kind of phenomenon that blocked Stargate travel. However, the United States alone could not have been able to fund such expeditions, especially with the costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This problem was solved when the world nearly came to World War III over Iran and the United Nations was decided to be expanded to be a ruling world government that every nation took part in as a method to achieve peace.

The United Nations was renamed to the United Federation of Nations and a new government, military, and power structure was established. Programs to reduce poverty, famine, disease, and more were instigated and the newly created United Federation Armed Forces, an entirely volunteer and neutral force, was used to keep the peace away from nations trying to push their way to war. As a way of proving America was a partner in this, the American military revealed the Stargate to the world and was able to receive funding and manpower to found a program that would study and advance knowledge of the gates. This led to a formation of an organization, multi-national, that would send teams through the gates to investigate the worlds they led to and try to find who built these gates. It was obvious that other, advanced races existed, or at least had, one of which had built the gates. Humanity was not alone in the galaxy and UFN High Command was determined to try and find them. So, the SG teams were formed, formed from the most elite soldiers the nations of the world could supply, they were trained to deal with the rough conditions of gate travel and what they might expect. Thankfully, due to the Stargate and the formation of a world government, technology had not lagged behind the decades since the gate was found. The financial problems the world started to run into developing new technologies was largely abated by the massive budgets accrued by the UFN and this enabled the leaps forward in technology. Railguns were finally realized, with the mastery of electromagnetic forces achieved by the Masterson coils, which were at the core of the new rifles, rockets, and coilguns employed by the UFN ground forces and new naval ships.

”More like spaceships.” Marcus shook his head.

An age-old dream and fantasy of humanity; the ability to build spaceships and go out to explore the stars. They were halfway there; they had constructed spaceships which enabled them to move into the rest of the Solar System, establishing gas mining and conversion facilities at Jupiter and Saturn along mining operations in the asteroid belt and on Mars. Scientists even theorized that with the prototype ion engines they were working on, they could even make traveling to the system's edge an affair done in a matter of hours. However, the budgets required for constant inter-system travel were enormous and the finances of the UFN as is were under attack by member nations. That and every nation under the UFN was bristling at it or each other and focus was dying. The only reason the system facilities remained working was that they solved the resource issues Earth had been plagued with during the dawn of the 21st century, and enabled them to start repairing the environment. They were unable, however, to find a way to break the lightspeed barrier and as such, bouncing about the galaxy in tin-cans would have to wait.

However, the United States only kept the facility going due to optimism about the resources they could find on these worlds, and the fact that their current President, Angela Taylors, was an idealist who hoped that the Stargate program could see some new discovery to help its failing budget. She had appointed him here to motivate and push the teams in their efforts. That had been five years ago, and he had made progress in the mapping of new planets, especially with help from the deep space probes NASA was sending in as the SG program sent probes and teams into the gates. However, aside from several resource rich worlds, they had no great discoveries. And today would be no different.

“General, sir. SG-1 is ready.”

Marcus sighed and pressed the button on the intercom next to the window. “Understood, Lieutenant, I will be right down.” He took one last gaze at the window; through which he could see the gate, the chevrons turning red and activating one by one as the team filed into the room. He grabbed his jacket, buttoning it up and grabbing his cap before heading out the door to the gate room. He moved down the hall and headed into the main chamber where the team was situated, doing last minute checks of their inventory and armor, and making sure they were all set to go. When he walked in, one of them shouted “Officer on deck!”, causing them all to halt and salute. He returned it and spoke.

“At ease. I trust everything is in order, Colonel?” The one who had spoken nodded and stepped forward.

“Yes, sir. We're ready to go as soon as you give the order.”

Marcus gazed at him. Colonel Zack Westman, leader of SG-1. A man of few words and great abilities, he was an asset to this program Marcus had come to rely upon many times. Despite going into his forties, Zack was still as tough as they come and a great squad leader. Granted, his team and him had been the first and had set down the precedent the other teams followed. He let his eyes wander over to the other two members of the team. Captain Haley Short, she was the second in command of the team and the residential robotic and mechanical genius. If something was broken, she could fix it or even upgrade it. A bright and sunny person, she had been a hard addition to the team, especially to Zack who did not react well to such energetic people under his command, but they had grown to like her. Together with them was Abraham Fawkes, the scientist assigned to their team from the Federal Solar Exploration and Science Institute based in Geneva that did the computer work, dialed in the Gate and specialized in the language of the Builders, as well as many others and knowing the theories behind the Gate system. They normally had a fourth member but the last man had received extensive injuries on their last operation, due to a malfunction in the Stargate and was currently hospitalized.

With the finances of the program as they were, getting another member would take some time and so they had to make do. He nodded at Zack. “You are cleared to go, Colonel. Hurry to GLV-334 and hurry back. The probes report nothing of significance there, but I don't trust the damned things. But I don't want you to take any chances-”

“-that could compromise my team.” He smirked as Marcus paused to gather himself after being interrupted. “I know, General. We'll be careful.” He then turned to his team. “Alright, let's move.” The other two nodded and turned towards the gate just as the last chevron activated. The iconic burst of what looked to be water shot out from the gate and back into it, leaving a shimmering circle of almost ocean-like energy as the gateway. Zack moved up, with the other two, hoisting their guns and moving into the portal one by one with the strange gooey sounds as they stepped through. When the last of them had vanished into the Stargate, the gate collapsed, and the metal sheet known as the Iris closed, protecting the gate from anything coming through. He sighed; it was sad that it had taken the accident that had harmed the fourth member of Zack's team to get them to install something to prevent something like the kinetic force of an earthquake, or an explosion from coming through the gate. Turning around, he began to head back to his office. He had paperwork to catch up on and there was nothing he could do until Zack came back concerning what they found.


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On a heavily forested world, a solitary Stargate stood, with steps descending down a hill to a rough path leading into the forest. The chevrons suddenly activated and the gate opened, spewing out three soldiers. Two of them quickly moved into firing positions, gazing around the area. They didn't expect anything, as the probes reconnaissance had revealed this was a bare, if sustainable, world, but Zach's team had learned that the wild life could still have surprises for you. Abraham had learned that the hard way when he went “exploring.” The internal sensors in their helmets scanned the area and aside from the animal life similar to on Earth, there was nothing out there. Zack whistled and issued hand signals indicating that they would move forward, quietly, down the path. Abraham and Haley nodded as they began to head down the hill.

Zack's mission was to scout up to a large clearing which had been found in the scans to be large enough for a base or facility of some kind. And the probes had found a lot of natural gas and metal deposits on this world. Which meant that if they could get the UFN to stop bitching at each other and work together, they could find a new source of resources to boost the economies of Earth and perhaps calm down the folks back home. ”That and maybe the President will give us a raise.” Zack smirked and hefted his rifle before following his teammates down the path.

Little did they know that they had missed a very important something on this planet. For they were not the first visitors to this world.....

[Stargate Centurion]

Chambers of the Tok'ra Anise, Tok'ra tunnels underneath Kal'desh

Why don't they take us seriously?

Freya closed her eyes, feeling the sensation of control over her body. Every muscle was hers and hers alone. For Tok'ra, both the host and the symbiote ordinarily had control over the body at various times, yet around others, it was most often the calmer of the two who retained the majority of control, in a temporal sense. In Freya's case, Anise was a scientist, intelligent, hard-working, and devoted to her cause. Anise was also far more rational than Freya would have regarded herself and, thus, it was Anise who bore most of the burden of control in the presence of others. As such, when they were most often alone, Freya took control over the body that she rightfully regarded as her own. That sensation of control was both fleeting and alluring, a combination that worked to anger Freya whenever possible.

"Because they see us as just our body, Anise, not what we have inside." She opened her mouth to speak out loud - it wasn't necessary, as Anise could hear her regardless, yet moving her mouth was a sensation that Freya rarely felt and when she did, it was scarcely enough to sate her need. "It's your fault, in a way. I'm an inordinately attractive host." Water pooled in her mouth, dripping down from the vents above in a cascading shower, meeting other droplets in her now-open mouth. The taste of water on her tongue was sporadic, a quickly-moving sled that reached from the very tip of her taste buds to the floor in one, smooth motion. There were faint metallic undertones to the water, strange given the fact that Kal'desh was not a planet known for its repository of heavy metals - unlike several others that they had used for bases in recent memory.

It's the tunnels, Freya. Our water transport systems taste like that because of the tunnels. Freya lowered her head, letting the full force of the shower of droplets reach on her hair and neck. They quickly moisturized, metamorphosing from single strands into a collected clump of wet fibers. Naturally Anise could respond to her thoughts - they had the same thoughts, shared the same mind. To answer your comment, darling, I'm not sure that you're correct. We flirt only to get our own way, is that not the case? It was a lie, and both knew it well enough to the point that Freya had no need to speak her mind. Their joint consciousnesses, their assimilated memories, all reached to point wherein both knew about their shared love of attraction, their strange need to be bound to another. It was only one of the many characteristics that they shared.

Freya raised her clasped hands to her face, letting what water had pooled there splash onto her cheeks. Slowly, she opened her eyes, watching as individual droplets of water, small streams, rivulets even, snaked their way down her body, sinuously coiling their way along her bare skin. Two streams moved faster between her unclad breasts, moving towards her thighs like twin serpents. Anise was wrong, there was no doubt about that; they rarely were called from their lab (indeed, some referred to their predicament as a "quarantine") for the very reason that both craved attraction. Yet, and she thought the alternative before her symbiote could point it out, the High Council had summoned her, and her sister scientist, the Tok'ra Letiana, to meet them in their chambers. It was, without a doubt, an important summons. Ren'al herself had requested their presence.

Stepping to the side. Freya let the waterfall subside before clothing herself. It was her customary garb, revealing of what she had, but not nearly as revealing as could have been. Resentfully, she let her consciousness be pushed to the side as Anise took over her body. There were subtle changes to her gait, to her demeanor, that only her closest friends would have been able to recognize, when Anise took control. The High Council would see that not; they were familiar only with the Tok'ra symbiote.

Moving forward, she felt herself join together with Letiana and stride in tandem down the labyrinthine hallways of the Tok'ra underground fortress. As if from a distance, she could hear voices, the voices of the High Council who were here at present; Paramatheus, Garshaw, Per'sus, Ren'al, Mishana, Thoran, Malek, and Taliria. Four with male hosts, four with female hosts. It was a fractured group, with the more aggressive Paramatheus and Garshaw arguing for an all-out strategy of attack in the news of the Jaffa Rebellion's spread, and the more conservative Mishana, Per'sus, and Thoran calling for a return to secrecy. There were undertones of race as well (Paramatheus and Garshaw were Goa'uld who had abandoned their cause, not Tok'ra as the rest), but none in the resistance spoke of such things. As she reminisced, Freya could feel Anise's disapproval.

Calm down, Anise, you know it's the case. The symbiote's inner laughter was expected. They had been together long enough to predict moods. Surprisingly, it was Garshaw who greeted them at the door of the chamber, her face stern and cold as one would expect. Garshaw had been at war for her entire life, an underling who had disobeyed the commands of the now-dead Heru'ur (Paramatheus had taken great pleasuring in torturing Heru'ur until he cried in pain) only to flee for her life. Garshaw was a cold woman, harsh in temperament and even harsher in how she treated others. In many ways, she contrasted with those on the council, such as Mishana, who fostered others to survive.

"Such a targeted symbiote poison would be a great boon, Thoran; we would be able to strike at Baal, Yu, and Amaterasu with little fear of other results." Paramatheus was the most forceful of the Tok'ra, another former Goa'uld (although a prominent one, known even on Earth as Prometheus) who had abandoned them. He was the commander of the militaristic wing of the Tok'ra. "And before you say anything, Mishana, it is possible. Every symbiote is different - I have no doubt that one can engineer a poison to interact with a specific symbiote."

"Nonsense!" Per'sus turned his head, staring Paramatheus in the eyes, the full force of his opinion reigning down on the Tok'ra military commander. "To openly challenge a Goa'uld like Baal in such a way would only entrench the support of his lieutenants. All the Goa'uld you mention have strong armies precisely because they have strong alliances with other Goa'uld. Strong supporters." Per'sus was angry, it was clear. "And such a poison would be impossible to specifically engineer - the death of many, we agreed, would be a problem for the Tok'ra overall."

"Enough." She of Belote (that was, Garshaw)'s voice cut through the air. "Ren'al so kindly called for two scientists to come from our chambers to discuss these ideas. Anise, child, would such an undertaking be possible?" Freya allowed herself some shock at being addressed, but Anise, used to Tok'ra custom, was quick to respond.

"No. I have tried it; there is no way to differentiate symbiotes at that level. Think of it like a bomb - small bombs are possible, but not bombs that are geared towards specific people. That's just not how the symbiote poison works." Anise had entered the fray and in the back of her mind, Freya wondered if this was necessarily the best option. Are you sure we should do that? she asked, yet there was no answer from the Tok'ra. She knew well enough that Anise was correct and entering the discussion would at least avoid problems in the future - or so was Anise's logic in this circumstance.

"And you, Letiana? Do you agree with Anise's assessment?" Mishana was interested in the facts, now, now that they supported her position. Letiana's voice was strong as she supported Anise's words, assenting to her claim that such a poison would be impossible. "So it is settled. It was a nice plan, Paramatheus, yet naturally unsuccessful. Perhaps we ought to recess?" It was an idea that Freya approved of. Stepping into the middle of a fight between the members of the Tok'ra High Council was a perilous undertaking by any stretch of the imagination.

Three Hours Later, the dining chambers of the Tok'ra, below Kal'desh

Taliria leaned back in her chair, letting down her cutlery and silverware. The meal, despite the fact that it had been cooked very recently, bore no interest for her at present. Nominally Supreme High Commander of the Tok'ra, due to the Tok'ra command structure, Taliria bore little to no potential for tyranny or abuse of power. Nonetheless, her primary duties were the coordination of the High Council, which was stronger now than it had ever been before in her recent memory. The presence of the frenetic, yet powerful, Paramatheus was one comfort that she was glad she had back; Paramatheus had spent years away from the central Tok'ra authority. It was strangely comforting to have him back.

A secondary duty of hers was that of immediate action, and it was this duty which she bore now with alacrity. Two messengers, in positions around the Stargate (though cloaked. They always used their phase-shifting devices having been gained from the Sodan) had come, telling of visitors. Visitors with technology unlike that of the Goa'uld, or unlike any that the Tok'ra had encountered in some time, save on few primitive worlds. Sensors had indicated no presence of symbiotes or poison or any ailments of any kind, and thus it was up to Taliria to decide what to do with the visitors. Camped outside the primary ring portal as they were, just outside of the Stargate, they were disrupting the first flow of traffic out from the Tok'ra tunnels - and, of course, there was the threat that the Tok'ra had been compromised.

"Send Castor," came Malek's word from down the table. He was correct, of course - Castor, another former Goa'uld, would be able to ascertain their intentions far better than many others in the Tok'ra. It would be a mistake to listen to Malek too much, however; he was far too proud for his own good. It would not have surprised her if he had some relationship with Castor in this regard, a relationship to somehow further Castor's position among the Tok'ra in exchange for support. Yet Castor was a good choice. A very good choice.

"Get Kleia." Before Malek could object, she continued, "and Castor. Tell them both to gain cloaking devices and zat'nik'tels. Have Castor hidden among the trees, cloaked, while Kleia engages them." Malek again seemed to be objecting to her words. "Castor's too aggressive for his own good and Kleia's a diplomat. She'll be able to make contact with them. He can follow her, cover her tracks, protect her. He's good at that." She smiled at Malek. Castor and Kleia were from entirely different backgrounds, as well. There would be no attempt at co-opting this investigation.

"For the time being, use of the gate and the primary ring portal is suspended. If you need a gate, use a Tel'tak or Al'kesh to get to Kal'desh's second moon - there's a Stargate there." It was the best choice of decision. Those others in the council, even though their opposed her positions on a regular basis, would approve. This was how Taliria had managed to gain her position of authority; not strength, but manipulation. She knew how to deal with other Tok'ra. Very few others could follow this.

The surface of Kal'desh

Kleia idly brushed back her hair, making sure that the light wind failed to blow loose strands into her eyes. It was brown and cut long, in such a way that allowed many to feel at ease. Kleia had always had that strange skill; others simply felt more comfortable around her. Some theorized it was her height (there were few who were shorter than she was). Others theorized that it was the fact that she was always smiling. Her own theory revolved more in the location of her constant attempts at innocence - others trusted you if they believed they could outsmart you. Very few could do that for Kleia, but almost all believed that they could.

Stepping lightly out of the cover of the trees, Kleia made sure that her sandy dress covered both her hidden zat'nik'tel and her Sodan cloaking device, up on her right forearm. Castor had long since disappeared, most likely somewhere where his footprints would be impossible to pick out from among those of the few animals on Kal'desh. The travelers had made sure to camp at the primary ring system (although, being Tok'ra, there were five such systems on the planet), as well as directly in front of the gate. Even if these strangers were not Goa'uld, they did a very good impression of an enemy preventing an enemy's escape.

"Greetings, travelers!" she breezily called from the edge of the treeline. She intended to startle them - very few would react badly to being startled by what they would consider 'an innocent little girl'. "What brings you to Kal'desh? From where do you venture?" Her voice was adult, both deep enough and seemingly containing pools of maturity that allowed her to speak in such a way. They would be surprised, but let so, at that.

[Novacom]

“We have maintained this policy for millennia, we must not be so remiss as to abandon those which our ancestors brought forth,” returned the other, his arms sheathed in a wool woven of a pale off-white hue, his right upper arm bore a thick band of mostly unadorned cloth of a subtle shade of brilliant jade, while his left shoulder, wrapped over upon a pad of almost leather brown in colour.

“and I agree with that, however at this time I think the manpower could be better utilised as to finding out what happened to our brothers, we haven’t heard from the Pegasus Galaxy in Millennia, surely Councillor Teliel you feel the same as I do, in this matter,” returned the one stood aloft, he was a fairly large figure standing in the middle of the split level hexagonal hollowed table, the council surrounded him on five sides with nothing directly behind him. He wore a worked leather over coat that extended past his knees with cross hatch designs worked well over the left part of the chest, underneath he favoured a woollen shirt with bindings from left shoulder to armpit worked in faintly shining buttons, while a hood hung past his head revealing a vaguely controlled curled brown mop with a face underneath.

“Such were the risks when we set out on this course, however we dwell here in the Nemesis Galaxy now, I understand your point, and yes we already do utilise other methods, however short of reviving a project started in the Milky Way, Karamaztians on the ground offers us the best source of information, do remember Acastus,” here he paused to take a sip of water from the glass before him, casting his gaze around at the assembled council members, before eying one of the displays off to his left, hanging from the ceiling and flanked by shaped crystal, barely a centimetre thick the display shimmered showing an image of the city with Karamaztian flying across it, “that individuals such as yourself did volunteer for such tasks, something for which we are greatly appreciative”

“I won’t deny that I volunteered for this, however I would suppose that the supply of volunteers to relieve those here isn’t endless. Certainly perhaps some of the observers won’t need replacing, for example I could be inserted into one of these Subjugator’s worlds when one of their terms expires and lave an observance suite here.” Returned Acastus his brow furrowed slightly his attention shifting subtly as if to focus on something not quite there.

“But by your own admission that which we once called home has recently undergone great upheaval, if ever one of the younger races there should stumble upon and solve our tests it would do well to know of them,” returned Toliel, his gaze steady under that thick ashen brow, his wizened features set in a neutral expression, tinged perhaps with impatience, then again this wasn’t, he reflected the first time this discussion had been had with Acastus, shaking his head slightly he made to continue, “After all you know as well as I do that we..” he trailed off here for a second noticing Acastus’ pre-occupation realising abruptly that chances were this meeting was about to end.

Acastus paused his cerulean blue eyes shifting to observe something, something not there, “I’m sorry but there’s something I must attend to, I shall submit a follow-up report as soon as possible,” with this he inclined his head before he seemingly dissolved

The Astria Porta belched forth it’s horizontal pillar of water and in turn brought forth an unlikely trio, ‘curious, I haven’t seen the like of these before, normally the co-operators, I wonder’ narrowing his eyes slightly shuffling forward to get a better look. The gate was placed upon a pedestal which in itself was in a large depression, with a large hummock complete with a crown of tall trees that were almost akin to pine yet not quite, it was at the rim of the rise that Acastus did observe with his crude seeing eye’s, a well hollowed shell of some local animal, and imprinted with subtle glyphs replete with carefully blown lenses, one of the co-operators had once commented on them being particularly well made, of course lacking the gene, he hadn’t been able to see through them nearly as well as Acastus.

He had made much of his act of a hermit, and as much as it behoved him to act in such a manner he had spent many a day simply studying the gate, surreptitiously leaving transponders here and there and of course from his observations he had recognised where the co-operators had placed the rings, though how they had come in possession of such things was beyond him, then again it wasn’t, he had reflected, a terrible stretch to imagine that they had found an old Alteran outpost as places of their legacy they hadn’t been sealed or destroyed.

A crack of twigs rent the air, causing Acastus to stiffen and whirl upon the spot his knuckles whitening upon the worked metal stave he used to pick his way through the forest and it’s many pitfalls, still intently staring into his ‘crude’ binoculars and using the mental interface to cycle through the devices he had placed throughout the forest, ‘there they are, I was wondering whether they would emerge near the Astria Porta or one of their backup sites, curious, it’s that girl, yes’ he had seen many of these co-operators before, they called themselves tok’ra, but before they had met and were known to one another or rather so the Tok’ra thought, he had called them the co-operators, two organisms one body. They weren’t unique what updates he got affirmed that, although Karamaztian transmissions, mayhap indeed most of their technology couldn’t be detected by these people, he had had no desire to risk revealing his true nature, fortunately for him at least these Tok’ra seemed content to let him play the crazy old hermit until he died of old age, a time little did they know would probably come centuries after their own.

‘even more so, yes, they don’t know these visitors, if they are even so, they’ve camped on the ring platform, though they don’t appear to be doing much else, except looking, curious, most indeed so’ Acastus pulled the hood of his cloak closer, as to obscure his seemingly weather-worn face, the hand that grasped his stave stretched out as he leaned forth to get a better look as he tugged again at his garb, a cloak so homespun from various materials that he appeared supremely shabby, the only adornment he appeared to have about his personage was that staff, many times more durable and lighter than a metal they called trinium, yes they had been most curious but had been content to accept that it was a gift from a friend long since lost track of. ‘I do wonder they look vaguely familiar, the uniforms at least, but where have I seen them, I shall have to check before my next report...

[Azaranthia]

Zack continued his sweep of the forest as Haley and Abraham continued to walk down the path, commenting to each other on the plant life and signs of any form of civilizations. Haley was currently using a device to track radio and EM interference and/or transmissions in the area. If any civilization was here, they would have to use some form of communication along those lines and the device would detect it. So far, it seemed that there were some kind of signals, but they were nothing she had ever seen. Abraham was helping her to see if it was possibly an ancient language of some kind. The Colonel, however, was not focused on that. His gut instinct was telling him that something was here, and that they were not alone. He continued his sweep with the sensors in his visor, still detecting the same animals and plants in the same area, but he still knew something was here.

"Never forget, machines are never a proper substitute for what your eyes see."

His commanding officer back in 2045 had told him that during a mission when their sensors had failed and they had no way of knowing if there was an ambush up ahead. Suffice to say they found it and neutralized it, thanks to their own senses. He sensed the presence was near and was coming nearer. He clicked the safety off his rifle and relaxed into a combat posture, as he kept the gun in its same relaxed position.

Stepping lightly out of the cover of the trees, Kleia made sure that her sandy dress covered both her hidden zat'nik'tel and her Sodan cloaking device, up on her right forearm. Castor had long since disappeared, most likely somewhere where his footprints would be impossible to pick out from among those of the few animals on Kal'desh. The travelers had made sure to camp at the primary ring system (although, being Tok'ra, there were five such systems on the planet), as well as directly in front of the gate. Even if these strangers were not Goa'uld, they did a very good impression of an enemy preventing an enemy's escape.

At the first moment she came close to the edge of the trees, Zack was turned towards her with his gun aimed right at her. Abraham and Haley turned to see what had caused the swift turn they heard Zack take and saw what was going on. They were filled with shock as they saw a...human walking out of the trees towards them. Haley spoke up. "Sir...did Stargate Command authorize any teams to be here before us?"

Zack replied, his eyes hard and suspicious as he gazed at the woman who was still walking towards them. "No, Captain. The General said we would be the first after the probe seeing as we have the best track record of all the teams. My bigger question is we know she isn't in the SGC, so who the hell is she and why is she on this planet?"

Abraham coughed as he walked up, attracting Zack's attention. "Sir, do you mind putting the gun down? If you think about it, we are having the first contact that the President wanted...granted it was with a human, but think about it? She's not from Earth, at least to our knowledge, so another group of humans must have evolved on this world or perhaps on a world then came here with the Stargate! We should at least be accommodating, sir."

Zack narrowed his eyes, but lowered his weapon as the woman finally arrived at the edge of the tree-line and welcomed them as 'travelers'. Abraham and Zack exchanged glances and the Colonel waved Abraham to do his thing. Clearing his throat, he replied. "Uh...thank you for your welcome. I am Abraham Fawkes. This is Colonel Zack Westman, and the woman behind me is Captain Haley Short." The other two waved, with Zack giving a mock smile before returning to his watchful gaze. Abraham then continued. "We are from Earth to...Kal'desh, was it, to investigate other worlds. Ever since we found the Stargate, we knew we couldn't be alone in the universe and began exploring. We then came here, as one of our missions, to investigate the planet. But, seeing as you are here, it must be inhabited." Zack then cut in before Fawkes could say anymore.

"Look, I'm afraid I have to cut you short, Fawkes, because there is an important question here. Humanity has only been on Earth, and we've just recently been going to new worlds exploring and expanding back at home. So how in the hell is there another human here, who seems to be able to take in the fact that there is a giant stone ring in the ground that opens up portals where people come through?"

Fawkes sighed. "Sir, as I just said, it is possible that another group of humans-"

"Yes, I heard your hypothesis, Abe, but it doesn't add up. It took us a long time to get to where we are, and that was sped up by the Stargate." He turned to the woman. "So I suppose what I am asking here is...how can you be standing here before us if you are not from Earth. Because, to be frank, I may not be a scientist, but I know the chances of an identical human race evolving elsewhere being pretty damn slim. And also your name would be nice."

Abe stepped forward. "Colonel-"

"Zip it, brain boy. My job is to keep us safe and to protect against suspicious situations. This is as damn suspicious as it gets."

Haley walked up, setting down her kit by the probe that remained with all their stuff by the Gate and walked up, standing next to the Colonel and Fawkes. She gazed with interest at the woman who arrived and noticed she was far more mature than her form would indicate. She seemed....wise far beyond her years, if the look in her eyes was any indication. And her voice fit one that had experienced a lot, not one who was quiet and young, simply asking a question. She turned to the Colonel, who returned her glance and nodded. He had caught it too, something that Fawkes had missed. She was already misleading them and this was not a good sign. She shifted into a more open stance, in case she needed to move, and glanced about, expecting an ambush.

Zack spoke again, looking at the woman. "So, who are you and why is it that you can be here when this is the first time any people from Earth have come here?"

[Stargate Centurion]

The surface of Kal'desh

The man was the first to respond. Kleia could tell immediately that he was the commander - the strange reactions that the others had to him indicated that it was he who led their expedition. It was a matter of social convention; there were certain concessions, at least linguistically, that members of a team gave to their leaders and this 'Zach Westman', as he called himself, exuded those vibes of leadership. As a diplomat, Kleia had come across teams of the sort before and she knew that her position was tenable only so long as she could be tolerated by the one in command. The minute that this Westman decided that she was lying to them was the minute that Castor's presence would become a factor.

"Uh...thank you for your welcome. I am Abraham Fawkes. This is Colonel Zack Westman, and the woman behind me is Captain Haley Short. We are from Earth to...Kal'desh, was it, to investigate other worlds. Ever since we found the Stargate, we knew we couldn't be alone in the universe and began exploring. We then came here, as one of our missions, to investigate the planet. But, seeing as you are here, it must be inhabited." Ah. An anthropologist, perhaps even a historian, with a background in interacting with foreign cultures. It would be this Abraham Fawkes who she would have to cultivate as her ally - no doubt, he wished to know of her already. It would not be a problem to gain his trust, or, in the very least, his temporary support for her actions. Such was, in her mind, the very least that she could do in the context of this interaction.

The word "Earth" came as a shock, however, and temporarily relinquishing control of her body to her host, Kalla, she let the memories of her childhood flood through her consciousness. It was easier to think without the distraction of control. Sifting through her thoughts, splicing various lessons from the schooling of her youth together slowly revealed the obscure familiarity she had with the name. Earth. The Tau'ri. The first ones. Those of the first world. They were from where she had come, the first hosts of mankind, having no doubt unearthed Ra's forgotten Stargate. Valuable allies, if they could be. But was it even possible?

Her reverie was the reason for his quick departure from the scene at hand and thus her distraction from the specific words of the Tau'ri team. "Kalla!" she whispered inside of their head, silently, "What do they argue about?" Kalla's answer was short and to the point. "To them, Kleia, we are impossible." Kalla hated control, hated her own body as much as Kleia loved the sensation of control over it, their differences uniting them as a stronger pair. Kalla was as taciturn as Kleia was communicative, as shy as Kleia was outgoing, as introverted as Kleia was bright and happy, a contrast that had always made their conversations shorter and their silences more meaningful. There was scarcely a better way to know another being than to share a body.

As she closed her eyes for the second time (the first to relinquish control, the second to regain it), Kleia managed to catch the tail end of the interaction between the woman ('Haley Short') and the Colonel, Westman. They were suspicious, their furtive glaces to one-another not particularly well-hidden, but remarkably meaningful, at least for one as perceptive as Kleia purported herself to be. They distrusted her (as well they should), but it nonetheless meant that she had underestimated them. Idly, she wondered what the Tau'ri planet was like; their technology seemed moderately advanced, but the ease with which they carried such weaponry and held themselves in their uniforms indicated that they had comfort in such clothing. Warriors, then. Experienced warriors.

Westman spoke once more. "So, who are you and why is it that you can be here when this is the first time any people from Earth have come here?" The question brought a smile to her face, one which she let out. It was best to at least keep the illusion of innocence that she had worked so hard to attain, so hard to pretend. Westman's question presupposed so much and indicated so much about their world - presuming that he was not attempting to mislead her (and from their reactions, interactions, and strange disagreement, there seemed to be no reason as to why they would be), then the first interaction in five thousand years between the Tau'ri and the rest of the galaxy would have been with the Tok'ra. The Tok'ra, finally communicating with those who had overthrown the oppressive yoke of Ra's armies five millenia before.

"Do you not think that your question has a fairly large supposition inherent to its core, Colonel Westman?" The language was purposeful; it would cause them to listen to her. Not necessarily trust her, yes, but to listen to what she had to say. "Are you truly the only humans in the universe? After all, my presence indicates that this cannot be the case." She smiled even more broadly. "In fact, for you, you are no longer the only humans in the known universe as well." There was a twinkle in her eye, a trait that she had perfected while on a diplomatic mission to the Tollan.

"And even if all humans are from Earth, are you supremely confident that you are the first to step through the gate system? After all, someone must have left it where you found it." It was an educated guess. Very little caused such a reaction as to go through a gate, particularly when gate technology was so far beyond the technology of those of the Tau'ri, as to be only the advent of a new scientific modicum of thought or the unearthing of Ancient technology concealed, buried, in the chasms of the earth. She would have placed money on it being the latter, as the presence of the one that Westman referred to as 'brain boy' indicated. The way that Abraham Fawkes help his gun, at the very least, was testament to her intuition.

"The galaxy and, indeed, the universe, is far greater than you can ever have imagined, Colonel Westman. Far, far greater. Far older, as well." They would have unearthed it in Ra's ancient tombs, his catacombs of imperial majesty. It was time to test them, to see if their story was indeed the truth. "Surely your gate bore the mark of Ra? Surely you followed the path of the rebellion? You are of Earth, after all?" If she was wrong, well then there was always the Sodan device, the zat'nik'tel and Castor, wherever he was hiding.

[OOC: Terribly sorry for the wait and the awful quality of the post.]