Eight years later…
On Earth, in a continent that it's inhabitants call North America; there is a very special mountain called Cheyenne and next to it is the quaint town of Colorado Springs. This mountain is unique; for it is used by the American Air Force to house and operate what they call NORAD. Located in an underground complex and needing perhaps eleven floors of space, it is the nexus by which the space and air defense of the United States of America is coordinated. During the era of the Cold War, this was where the Americans would duel Soviet Russia if it ever came down to a nuclear weapon slugging contest. Of course, with the end of the Cold War, NORAD had to shift its focus somewhat, due to the fact that it was ever unlikely to have a nuclear war with Russia, the money used for the site had to be shifted to other things.
If an accountant were to look at the where the money was going, he would say that for some reason NORAD had become extremely cost-effective and was only using a quarter of its budget, from its equivalent running costs during the height of the Cold War. But what the accountant didn't know was that money was being expertly funneled through numerous other loops in the bureaucratic chain all the way back to another branch of the military, which was ironically, housed right underneath NORAD.
This branch of the military was highly secret. So secret were it's comings and goings that only the base commander, his second in command, and the President of the United States knew the whole picture of what was happening here. This place was known as the SGC, or Stargate Command.
A squadron of forty-eight highly trained and specialized men and women made up the majority of the SGC. It was their job to, in teams of four, go through the Stargate, scout and recon any reachable planet, search and retrieve technology wherever possible (with the permission of the owners of the technology only, if they were still around) and defend Earth in any way they can from the Goa'uld. They were backed up with a company of the best soldiers in the United States, who all came from either Army Rangers or the Marine Core.
But the SGC was not just a military outfit, numerous civilian specialists, such as physicists, archeologists, psychologists, and medical research professionals walked in its top-secret halls doing research on new technologies brought back through the Stargate.
The Stargate itself was housed at the base of a former nuclear missile silo, giant superconductors where clamped and coiled onto the circular frame of the obsidian colored Stargate to provide it power as it was suspended somewhat off the floor. A grid ramp was constructed to allow easy access to the gate for maintenance crews working on the conductors and military personnel going through the gate itself to other worlds.
Directly facing the embarkation ramp was a large thick armored windowpane, and beyond it was a scene almost directly out of a Star Wars movie. Banks of computers and panels and keyboards dotted the room and the whirring of the machinery produced a constant hum.
However, those in the control room, as it was called, was not involved in any crisis or departing or arriving SG team, they were watching the ceremony in the embarkation room. A portion of the base personnel had donned their formal blue Air Force uniforms for the occasion and they were present in the embarkation room in rank and file, facing the Stargate.
On the embarkation ramp a formal dais had been placed, and standing behind it, was a portly bald Air Force Major General, judging by the two stars on his rank shoulder boards. He was named George Hammond, and he was the commander of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Standing next to him was a shorter man in civilian clothes; a formal suit and tie, neatly done black hair, whom looked in his fifties.
And standing along the embarkation ramp, parallel to the edge of the ramp was the flagship team of the SGC, aptly designated SG-1, and by their prominent position it was obvious they were the subject of today's ceremony. The four members of SG-1 were actually rather unorthodox in appearance, not purely the spit and shine of military sleekness at least. The first two closest to the dais were clearly part of the Air Force. First, was Colonel Jack O'Neill, a former Special Forces veteran, and fighter pilot. He was the eldest in appearance, in his early fourties, his hair going slightly gray around his temples. He had the haggard look of a tried and true soldier.
Second, was Captain Samantha Carter, a short haired dark blonde woman with an overall beauty that belied her experience as a fighter pilot in the Gulf War, and if anyone was to doubt her intelligence, well her astrophysics degree would shut them up pretty quickly. The two civilians were another matter entirely though.
The taller of the two men had dark skin, and cut a supremely imposing figure and face, and was strongly muscled. He wore unmarked blue fatigues and regulation boots, as he really didn't have a military rank, on this planet at least. His name was Teal'C, the former First Prime Jaffa warrior of the defeated Goa'uld Apophis. His golden encrusted tattoo on his forehead bearing the mark of Apophis would forever mark him a former slave to the Goa'uld. He was forced from puberty to be an incubator for the larval form of the Goa'uld, and his and other Jaffa immune systems degraded by genetic engineering, they were totally reliant on the Goa'uld parasite for protection from infection. It was this slavery that Teal'C had vowed to somehow break.
And the final member of SG-1, the most unassuming as well, was Dr Daniel Jackson. He wore a jacket and tie casually, and had parted brown hair and hazel eyes framed by glasses. His doctorate was in Archeology and it had been his breakthrough in researching the Stargate that had deciphered the gate system. He spoke dozens of languages and had a passion for the past. His integrity and values were as set in stone and he had the gift of looking at the larger picture of any decision. But at the moment his attention was wavering, as General Hammond was halfway through the rather boring ceremony that would promote Samantha to the rank of Major and also for the SGC to receive a unit commendation from the President.
Of course, the President was not there, he had sent the Secretary of Defense in his stead, who was currently looking like a kid in candy store.
"…you have fought valiantly, you have sacrificed for each other, for this country, for this planet," continued General Hammond. "To honor the men and women of the SGC, I present to you Arthur Simms, Secretary of Defense of the United States of America." The General nodded to the Secretary on his right and Arthur Simms took the dais, looking solemnly at the assembled ranks.
"Since the re-inception of this program, I have eagerly awaited every word of every mission report stemming from this base, like a wide-eyed child waiting for his next bed time story," he said with a smile. "But actually being here, and seeing your faces and this Stargate here behind me," he couldn't help giving it a quick backward glance, "it is sometimes really easy to forget that it all really is happening."
"The President regrets not being able to be here, but I'm glad because it give me the opportunity to congratulate you on recently defeating a formidable enemy, and rescuing SG-1, captured in the line of duty. You risk your lives every day, in a way more dangerous and fantastic than any of us could ever dream. Understand that I represent every person of this great nation, when I salute your ongoing heroic struggle. You should be proud." Simms nodded at the assembled SGC and vacated the dais. General Hammond took his place.
"Before we finish today, I have one other small bit of business, please come to attention," ordered Hammond.
The assembled SGC snapped their posture ramrod straight. Daniel and Teal'C only straightened their heads in response. Hammond pulled a page from the dais and began reading it.
"From the vice-Chief of Staff of the Air Force, in recognition of Captain Samantha Carter's outstanding work…" the said Captain Carter snapped her head to the General at that in surprise and her eyes widened. Daniel had to suppress a grin, they wanted to make it a surprise for Sam and it had worked… "I hereby authorize her immediate promotion to the rank of Major…" Jack on the other hand couldn't keep the grin off his face… "Captain, step forward."
Samantha looked for a moment if she checking to make sure reality was reality and they hadn't been sucked into a blackhole through the Stargate. When she was sure she walked up the ramp and stood next to General Hammond with wide eyes, he launched into a speech about responsibility as he removed her Captain's bars from her shoulders and an enlisted Sergeant came forward bearing her Major Oak Leaves to replace them with. The General did one shoulder while Jack came forward and did the other. There was polite clapping and Samantha was practically beaming as she returned to her position.
Hammond returned to the dais and said, "In closing, Major Carter's supervisor, Colonel O'Neill would like to say a few words." There was clapping again and Jack took the dais as Hammond made room for him. Jack smirked to the ranks knowingly and said, "Normally, I'm a man of very few words…"
White light enveloped Jack's form in that instant and there was a whoosh and flash…and he was gone. Leaving a very confused SGC in his wake…
888888888888888888888888
"Thor, are you sure this is wise," said Harry Potter, as he stood next to the control throne in which the diminutive Asgard was sitting. They were both waiting on the bridge of Thor's ship; it was a high cavernous room, with multiple transparent platforms and numerous curved control pedestals, but what was most spectacular about the bridge and Harry spent most of his time here, was the fact that it almost seemed as if the bridge was open to space, of course it was merely a real time display of the surrounding space, but the view was spectacular. Harry looked exactly the same as he done when he started to learn under Heimdoll at Seaworld. This was due to the Asgard retarding of his natural ageing process, since Loki had artificially aged him, Thor wanted to make sure that Harry had a full lifespan. He still wore the chromesuit, but the one he was wearing was the fifteenth he had gone through.
Bloody Staff weapons, he thought to himself.
"It will be telling to see his response, and it will be the standard by which I judge whether they have matured enough to have contact with the Asgard and with you, Harry," said Thor.
"I have observed them enough to my own satisfaction, Thor," said Harry archly.
"You have only observed their best in action," argued Thor. "The SGC is only a small part of your world's political structure. We will see how the negotiations fare and move from there."
"Very well, but I think it's a bad idea to just pluck O'Neill out of the SGC, they'll rightly view it at first as a hostile act," opinioned Harry.
"I expect them too," said Thor. "But I wish to see how fast they can restrain themselves." Thor looked forward and Harry felt him mentally reach out to the ships computer. A few moments later, a holographic screen appeared to show the view of small isolation room, with a nice big window into space, and through it Earth could be seen. The isolation room is what the Asgard uses when they wanted to positively influence a member of a primitive society. The room could change its appearance into any of the Norse God's locations, such as Valhalla and the like and Thor had in the past appeared to many civilizations in a holographic form of a burly Viking God. But for this occasion it was left as it truly was and there was a flash of light and a distant whooshing sound and Colonel Jack O'Neill appeared in the room.
Harry was amused to note that he was in his formal Air Force uniform and when O'Neill said, "…and in conclusion I'd like to say…" and it was clear that Thor had beamed the Colonel out at a rather in-opportune time. O'Neill was facing away from the visual sensor and he lowered his arms and looked out the window at the view he was seeing in astonishment, then after a few moments of looking at the Earth, he turned around with an expression on his face that was curious, astonished and guarded at the same time.
"Most intriguing," said Thor, "if I was to do that to any human a mere generation ago, they would be frightened out of their wits."
"His reaction was better than mine, though I think the fact that he is not restrained helps somewhat," observed Harry dryly.
"Indeed," said Thor, his alien mouth twitching. O'Neill walked slowly forward towards the sensor, staring at the strange architecture around him. He experimentally jumped up and down, as if testing the artificial gravity and examined the lights on the floor and the ceiling, apparently looking for a conceivable way out. As O'Neill approached closer to the throne in the room itself, Thor said, "I must go, come yourself when I call." There was a flash and Thor disappeared from the throne on the bridge and reappeared on the throne in the isolation room.
Harry saw O'Neill spinning to face the throne as the white light coalesced and dimmed to show Thor sitting calmly in front of the Air Force Colonel.
"Greetings, Jack O'Neill," said Thor.
O'Neill frowned warily at the Asgard. "Greetings," he said quickly, unsure of himself. "Have we met?"
"I am Thor," said the Asgard simply in reply. O'Neill looked surprised for a moment and then turned around to look through the window. "I apologize for taking you by surprise but I have come on a most urgent matter."
O'Neill's wonder was apparently too much for him though and he kept staring out the window, and said, "We're in orbit around Earth, right?"
"Yes," answered Thor patiently, though Harry could hear the slight inflection of irritation in the Asgard's voice.
"You know, we have satellites and telescopes and stuff, that can see things like spaceships," said O'Neill dryly.
"Our ships have never been detected in orbit around Earth before," pointed out Thor. That brought O'Neill up short and he hummed in thought. He turned around and regarded Thor for a moment, "Ah, sorry, you were going to say something. A matter of great importance."
"We received word of what transpired between your people and Goa'uld named Hathor," said Thor immediately, getting straight into it.
"She had it coming," said O'Neill stridently.
"As a result, the Goa'uld System Lords have turned their attention towards you," said Thor sounding neither accusatory nor supportive in his tone.
"What? For killing Hathor?" said O'Neill, astonished. "They should be thanking us. She was planning to overthrow them, you know."
"Her intentions are irrelevant," said Thor dismissively. "Earth has once again proven that it can be a formidable threat to the Goa'uld."
"Oh, now, we're a threat to them," said O'Neill sarcastically.
"They have decided that it is a concern to be dealt with," said Thor, ignoring it. "The System Lords are capable of launching an assault one hundred times more powerful than what you have previously withstood at the hands of Apophis."
"OK," said O'Neill, obviously stymied at the thought of it. "That could be a problem."
"The Asgard agree," said Thor. "I have come to offer our assistance."
As Harry expected, O'Neill was all smiles again and impressed, "That would be appreciated, I've seen your work, it's great!"
"The vast majority of Asgard fleet is unavailable," said Thor, shooting down O'Neill apparent hope.
"Oh," he said, and ummed in thought. "So what did you have in mind?"
"With your permission," said Thor. "The Asgard will attempt to negotiate with the Goa'uld System Lords to include Earth in the Protected Planets Treaty."
"That's a good thing, right?"
"It would prevent this attack," said Thor, obviously.
"I'll be honest with you," said O'Neill bluntly after a moment, "I'd rather have a few of your ships here…a few of these babies and we could…" He trailed off at seeing the penetrating stare of Thor and visibly wilted, "We could try the negotiating thing."
"I will contact the System Lords," said Thor. "But before you can return to Earth I am sending along with you someone who will act as the representative of the Asgard to Earth. And if the negotiations with the Goa'uld conclude successfully he will continue to do so on a permanent basis."
"Good," said O'Neill, bouncing on the balls of his feet and clapping his hands. "Where is he?"
Harry took that as his cue and there was flash of light as he was teleported to stand next to Thor in the isolation room. It clearly took O'Neill by surprise that Harry was human.
"Hello, Colonel," said Harry holding out his hand. "My name is Tyr, or if you prefer to use my Earth name, Harry, would do." O'Neill shook my hand and he surveyed the skintight chromesuit I was wearing.
"Nice getup," he said bluntly.
"I've grown used to it," Harry shrugged. "The Asgard are a wonderful people but they don't have much use for clothes."
"So you're from Earth?" asked O'Neill curiously.
"I was born here," confirmed Harry. "But explanations and life stories can wait, we both have a home planet to save." He turned to Thor, "see you around Thor?" The Asgard nodded and disappeared in a flash. Harry turned to O'Neill. "Going down!" There was a flash and both men disappeared as well.
888888888888888888888888888
Harry and O'Neill reappeared right at the base of the Stargate, the same spot from where the Colonel had been taken. Jack noticed that the dais had been removed and red lights were flashing everywhere, no doubt his disappearance had caused an emergency. Those members of the Security Force, or SFs, that were in the gate room flinched at the bright light and not a moment later pistols and assault rifles were aimed and brought to bear. Jack jumped in front of Harry raising his arms in warning shouting, "Stand down! Stand down!"
The SF's heeded the order after a few moments and lowered their weapons but kept them poised.
"Colonel O'Neill!" came another shout, this time from General Hammond, who strode into the gate room with the rest of SG-1 in tow. Harry moved out from behind O'Neill and surveyed the initial reactions of the odd group of people to him. Teal'C merely raised an eyebrow at Harry's appearance and surveyed him as a potential enemy, Harry expected no less. Dr Jackson looked in curiosity and the now Major Samantha Carter narrowed her eyes cautiously.
"General," said O'Neill, addressing Hammond. "I'd like you to meet, Harry, he's a…" O'Neill trailed off.
"…representative of the Asgard," said Harry with a sigh.
"Oh yeah, he and Thor came in an Asgard ship that's in orbit around Earth," explained O'Neill. "That's where I've been for the past few minutes. I think we need to hold an emergency briefing."
Hammond stared at Harry in thought for a few moments.
"Two SFs will keep him company for the moment," said Hammond and Harry saw two burly looking men in camouflage fatigues walk up to flank him. "Briefing Room," ordered Hammond and turned to walk.
Thirty minutes later, Hammond, SG-1, and Harry were seated at the conference table of the briefing room overlooking the gate room from high above. O'Neill repeated everything Thor told him and then the questions for Harry began.
"Now," said General Hammond. "Thor stated that you, Harry, are to be the Asgard representative. Yet, you claim Earth as your homeworld…" He trailed off, obviously awaiting elaboration from Harry.
"I will give a brief explanation, to satisfy all questions, especially Major Carter's," said Harry, he could see she was absolutely bursting with questions from all the emotions she was projecting and that Harry could sense. "I'm sure you've heard all about alien abduction stories?"
Aren't all those hoaxes or something, you know, stuff that tabloids print?" asked O'Neill.
"From my point of view, Colonel O'Neill," said Harry dryly. "It's no hoax, I was abducted right out of my home in England, by an alien…criminal, I suppose is the closest word for it. He had detected that my genome was…unusual for a normal human, and wanted to experiment on me for his own ends."
"How was you genome unusual?" asked Carter with a frown.
"That is not relevant for the moment," said Harry with finality. "I was held captive and experimented on for over a week in Earth orbit, until Thor came along, as he was hunting the criminal for crimes against the Asgard. Thor and my abductor played cat and mouse for six months throughout the galaxy, all the while I was being subjected to scans and experiments I won't go into. When I was finally rescued by Thor, he gave me a choice; as I had been away from Earth for too long to reintegrate into a normal way of life, and not to mention what my abductor had done to me, I decided to remain amongst the Asgard and learn from them. I also wanted to do something about the Goa'uld of course."
"You've fought the Goa'uld?" asked a surprised O'Neill.
"Oh yes," said Harry with a grin, turning to look at Teal'C. "Despite the Asgard's policy of non-aggression against the Goa'uld, I am somewhat of a free agent. And it's me you should thank for the two years of silence from the Stargate since the death of Ra, after you foolishly left it with enough dormant charge in it for Apophis to eventually walk through."
"So you're saying that the gate retains enough energy from the last outgoing wormhole, enough for another wormhole to connect, even after its removed from a power source?" asked Carter.
Harry only nodded, and turned to address Teal'C, "It's good to see you again, Teal'C."
"Have we met?" asked Teal'C in a monotone, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh yes, but you know me, differently," said Harry with a grin, and he blinked, and they blinked and they saw not Harry sitting there any more. In his place sat a man with the same body build, as Harry, but his face was now narrow and angular, with long blonde hair, and intense blue eyes. He wore elaborately styled black-segmented armor that was made of some sort of obsidian material that seemed to suck in all light into a void; only his lower abdomen and arms were left unprotected.
Teal'C, Harry knew, was never a person to get phased by anything, but in this occasion he was sure that the former First Prime would make an exception. Teal'C gasped and his eyes widened and he said, "Tyr?" Harry nodded, they blinked again, and Harry was back to his relatively normal appearance.
"Teal'C?" asked General Hammond, trying not to look amazed by what he just saw.
"Tyr is a formidable warrior, General Hammond," said Teal'C, bowing his head in respect to Harry. "He has fought many System Lords, and most especially was a thorn in Apophis's side. He in fact, had an opportunity to kill me some years ago, but did not take it."
"I could see your reticence in your support of the Goa'uld," said Harry with a grin. "I do not take life unless it is absolutely necessary. And I attacked Apophis most because his domain was the closest to Earth."
"Tyr…" murmured Dr Jackson in thought, everyone turned to look at him. "Well…if what you're saying is true it's an appropriate name…Tyr, in Norse mythology was the god of honorable battle, kingship and justice."
"Thor said I had to have an Asgard name," shrugged Harry nonchalantly.
"What did you do to change your appearance?" asked Major Carter next, looking eager.
"What the eyes see, the ears hear, the mind believes," said Harry with a vague grin.
"It's an illusion?"
"You are clever, yes, it's an illusion," conceded Harry with a sigh. "But now that I have established my bona fides. Let's get back to the matter at hand, the treaty negotiations. You have questions General?"
"Yes," said the General, looking at a notepad in front of him. "Why would the Goa'uld agree to any treaty in first place?"
"The Goa'uld, while powerful, are not meanest bully on the playground, the Asgard are centuries ahead of them, they fear the Asgard, as simple as that," explained Harry.
"Plus, I think the Asgard will offer them something in return," opinioned Daniel Jackson. "That's generally the way negotiations work."
"What if this summit fails?" asked General Hammond.
"As much as I hate to say it, this is the only option the Asgard can offer you General Hammond," said Harry with a sigh. "If this summit fails then Earth will be attacked and there will be no way we can resist such an assault."
"Well, the President is wondering how confident we are in trusting the Asgard," said the General in turn. "Can we trust them?"
"The Asgard are a people of their word, General," said Harry with conviction. "If they say they will do something, then they do it."
"The Tok'Ra trust them," said Major Carter. The Tok'Ra were, of course, a group of Goa'uld fanatically opposed to the way of life of the System Lords. They are symbiotes that live in harmony with their human hosts, and both share consciousness, knowledge and experience equally. Unlike the normal Goa'uld who ruthlessly suppress the human host and keep them in a prison within their own minds. Major Carter herself, was for a time, host to a Tok'Ra symbiote known as Jolinar and she still possessed a great deal of memories and knowledge from that symbiote.
"They helped Jack when he had the Ancient's language downloaded into his brain," said Dr Jackson bluntly.
"Got to love 'em for that," said O'Neill with a wry grin.
"Ah yes," said Harry with a frown of remembrance. "I recall reading the Asgard report of that incident. Really, O'Neill, as a rule I do not stick my head in strange alien devices, try not to do the same next time."
"There won't be a next time for me," said O'Neill with a grin. "I don't want to turn into Mr Ancient zombie again."
"But we don't know anything of the politics out there," said Hammond next, ignoring his 2IC's banter. "Do the Asgard really have our best interests at heart?"
"They do General," said Harry with a nod. "They see us eventually taking a place in the Great Alliance as the Fifth Race, hence it's in their own interest to help us survive. Though you must remember that the Asgard are an intergalactic power, they have other concerns far more problematic and bigger than the Goa'uld. It's the reason why the only recourse available to deal with the situation is through negotiation."
It was at this moment that a bright light appeared in the room, there was a whoosh of an Asgard transporter and it deposited Thor into the room. General Hammond was of course, startled by event and Major Carter looked fascinated seeing it in action. O'Neill took it upon himself to make introductions, Harry knew that Thor knew who was who already by the look of slight boredom on the face of the Asgard, but O'Neill was oblivious to it. After introductions were done Thor spoke directly to O'Neill.
"The System Lords have agreed to negotiate," stated Thor succinctly.
"That's good news," said O'Neill.
"They will arrive in four days."
"Here?" said O'Neill astonished, pointing a finger down.
"It is customary for the negotiations to take place on the planet in question," explained Thor. "Three representatives of the System Lords will arrive via Stargate. You must be prepared to speak on behalf of all the inhabitants of Earth."
"Ummm, maybe not me, personally…" stammered O'Neill, but Thor continued.
"We have chosen you O'Neill, to represent your planet at the proceedings."
"Ah, you see, that could be a mistake," said O'Neill dubiously, he turned to stare at Dr Jackson. "Daniel is a very educated and articulate man, well versed in all the languages…" Thor interrupted him.
"You have led your people into the Galaxy through the Stargate, you are our choice O'Neill. Further preparations and instructions will be given through Harry from now on."
Thor transported himself back to his ship immediately afterward.
"Well," said O'Neill dryly, "there you go. Is Thor always like that?" he directed towards Harry.
"What? Oh, you mean, straight to the point, direct, no small talk, no hello, no goodbye," said Harry sarcastically with a grin. "Yeah, that's him. I think at some point the Asgard decided to dispense with the small niceties of social interaction, wastes too much time according to them. But we now have work to do, shall we begin."
The next day a general briefing was given to all key members of the SGC, and the briefing room was near filled to the brim. The lights were dimmed and doors and windows closed. Over the main window facing the gate room a projector screen had been pulled and it was displaying various slides that had been prepared by Dr Jackson. Harry had informed him of the identity of the three System Lords that were coming for the treaty negotiations and he had in less than an hour gathered all a manner of ancient references to these specific Goa'uld's.
"Chronos was one of the earliest Greek gods," stated Daniel to the darkened void of the briefing room. "One of twelve titans that rose to domination. He was god of fate and eventually became father to Zeus, Hera, Poseidon and Hades. Now this last relationship may indicate a connection to the Goa'uld named Sokar."
"Chronos is the most influential of the System Lords," said Teal'C, looking in Harry's opinion quite distracted. "It was he, who originally banished Sokar. Chronos was also a mortal enemy of Apophis."
"Which may indicate why the System Lords did not join in Apophis's attack on Earth," concluded Daniel.
"The System Lords reluctantly band together to defend Goa'uld territory against outside threats such as the Asgard and the Ritu," said Teal'C with a frown on his face. "However, they still battle amongst themselves for control over their individual domains." Daniel nodded.
"The second System Lord representative is…Yu," said Daniel, unfortunately he was staring at O'Neill when he said it. O'Neill was rather bored and had sat up abruptly. Harry snickered under his hand.
"Me?" said O'Neill.
"Yu is the name of the Goa'uld," said Daniel patiently.
"Ah, sorry," said O'Neill looking sheepish.
"Also known as Yu the Great," continued Daniel turning to walk towards the projection screen. "He did not assume the role of a god per se, but may have been one of China's earliest emperors." The slide changed. "Legend says he possessed great mythic powers and sprang into the world from a dragons body. Ancient scrolls suggest he founded the first dynasty and was responsible for a number of advances that came about under harsh rule. However, it should be noted that Yu did account for a number of notable positive influences."
"Thank you," mumbled O'Neill, who couldn't resist the pun. Daniel paused in his lecture and gave Jack a sharp look. "Sorry."
"According to Harry and Thor, Yu is the most likely to favor this treaty as his interests no longer reside in this area of the galaxy."
"And the third Goa'uld, Dr Jackson?" asked Hammond. Daniel sighed and the slide changed from an ancient color drawing of Yu, to a photo of an ancient relief sculpture of a woman wearing an elaborate shawl over her head.
"Another one we haven't met but have a certain familiarity with," said Daniel, his mouth thinning. "For the those in the room who don't know, Nirtii is the Goa'uld who wiped out all but one survivor of P8X-987, along with four members of the SGC in attempt to destroy the Earth Stargate. Harry saw Major Carter and the SGC Chief Medical Officer Dr Janet Frasier exchange dark looks. "Little is known about Nirtii from Earth's persective, in early Hindu references she was the destructive goddess of darkness."
Major Carter closed the briefing folder on her lap, and Harry saw how displeased she was. "So we're just gonna let these Goa'uld walk in here?" she asked staring at the General.
"There are a number of aspects of this situation I am not comfortable with, Major Carter," said Hammond and turned to Daniel. "Thank you Dr Jackson." The lights came on and the projector shut down and the screen retracted up into the ceiling, revealing the gate room again. Hammond stood and turned to the face the assembled personnel.
"Teal'C, I originally had in mind for you to be liaison to the Goa'uld, but Harry suggested you would more productive assisting Major Castleman in base security," stated General Hammond, giving a glance at Harry; who was standing to one side of the room, his chromesuit glistening in the light and looking as if it was almost alive.
"Thank you for reconsidering, General Hammond," said Teal'C giving Harry a respectful look of thanks. Harry slightly inclined his head in acknowledgement. He knew that Teal'C would rather take a staff blast than cater to the petty needs of the Goa'uld.
"Dr Jackson, therefore it falls to you," said Hammond.
"Very well," said Daniel, looking resigned.
"According to Harry, treaty laws will not allow any weapons in this facility for the duration of the summit…"
"Whoah…sir," said O'Neill, interrupting the General. "That doesn't sound wise."
"General," said Harry, speaking up for the first time. "If I may address this concern?" Hammond nodded.
"The purpose of no weapons at the summit is quite obvious and I don't need to explain it," said Harry solemnly. "But I'm sure you think that the Goa'uld can not be trusted to honor that law as well. I will personally ensure that there are no weapons on their person the instant they step through the Stargate."
"I don't understand," said Daniel with a confused frown, "they won't let you do a physical search."
"I just need a line of sight, that's all," said Harry in finality and looked away towards the Stargate.
"In addition," continued the General, "the base will be completely sealed off from the surface, and the Secretary of Defense will be staying to represent the President. Storage room 12A on level thirteen will be converted into a meeting room for security reasons. You've all received folders that include your individual assignments and preparation instructions as layed out by the Asgard. There's a lot of work to do people, and not much time. Dismissed."
The briefing room emptied steadily except for Daniel, who approached Harry a bit nervously. Harry had kept his gaze out towards the Stargate, seemingly in deep thought.
"Harry?"
"Yes, Dr Jackson?" he turned his penetrating emerald eyes towards the archeologist.
"I was wondering if you would like the SGC to contact your family?" said Daniel. "I'm sure there must be missing persons reports on you in England that we can find and we can trace their whereabouts." Harry sighed, wondering how he could tactfully reply to this.
"I'm sure that would be possible," said Harry with a rueful grin. "But my parents were murdered when I was one, and I was sent to live with…abusive relatives. So, in a way," Harry chuckled mirthlessly, "my alien kidnapper actually rescued me. You will also find that no missing person reports were filed, due to the fact that my relatives never thought me missing."
"I don't understand, how's that possible?"
"Because my abductor cloned me, Dr Jackson, and left my clone in place of me, so…thank you for your concern and offer, but it is not needed. I am a happy citizen of the galaxy and while I consider Earth with fondness and would defend her with my life, the saying goes, home is where the heart is." Harry's eyes twinkled and he patted Daniel on the shoulder and walked out of the briefing room.