Continuing Stargate

[AVFan]

Dang, that stinks... But it's about that time of year. Feel better s09.

[SG-18]

Get lots of sleep and OJ!

[s09119]

16x15 "Armistice" (Part 1 of 2)
Synopsis: The Aschen are brought to the negotiating table to bring peace to the Milky Way while the Alliance of Great Races prepares unprecedented reforms on Heliopolis. Unseen forces, however, threaten to destroy any hope of a permanent solution.

Spoiler:

((45 second recap of "Convictions," "In Purgatory's Shadow," and "Shadow Dancing"))

On the wasteland that is all that remains of P4X-933, a stargate slowly begins to activate one chevron at a time. The surroundings are a mix of ruins and slowly-dying foliage, nothing that indicates any reason why one would wish to visit. Nevertheless, the seventh symbol locks into place and a stable wormhole forms, bathing the nearby concrete skeletons in pale blue light. After a long moment, a plain-faced woman in a gray business suit steps through, quickly followed by four other men and women in similar attire, all carrying small briefcase analogs. They walk down the gate's ramp to greet Col. Cameron Mitchell, Maj. Rebbecca Eaton, and several other representatives of the Alliance of Great Races. The lead arrival shakes Mitchell's hand coldly and introduces herself as Tarrin, an Aschen bureaucrat with authorization to open peace negotiations here on the neutral world of 933. Cameron, for his part, introduces himself and his companions, pointing out the Venii as Venel, who took over as his people's ambassador on Heliopolis following the former's assassination ("Convictions"). He furthermore states that they're all eager to get down to ending this war, and motions towards one of the few still-standing structures a ways in the distance. Brushing past him, Tarrin and her cadre move off.

Watching the Aschen delegation make cold stares at the surrounding Alliance personnel, Eaton cradles her P90 and asks if this is really such a good idea. While she's all for neutral ground to make this process easier, they're literally in the middle of nowhere, far away from any major allied strongholds. Chuckling, Venel points out that this planet has been abandoned for centuries, and its position on the galactic rim equidistant from Aschae and the closest major Alliance world make it ideal to calm both sides' nerves of potential attack. It was really their only option to bring the Confederation to the table,but he understands her concern nonetheless. Mitchell just sighs and wishes that they'd brought a fleet with them just outside of sensor range anyway, but what's done is done. Clucking sharply, Venel just looks at him for a long moment before turning to the meeting area and gesturing for his human counterparts to join him. The three of them head out, ready to get down to the business of finally bringing peace to the galaxy.

Across the Milky Way, another conference of monumental proportions is about to take place, this time on Heliopolis. The Alliance capital is buzzing with activity, the starports clogged with incoming travelers from member governments eager to cram as many representatives onto the planet as possible. Hovercraft dart in and out of the area, and the ever-growing city has never seemed more a true symbol of galactic life. Looking out from a balcony on the Citadel, Col. Samantha Carter can't help but smile, asking her old friend Daniel Jackson if they ever thought they'd see this place so alive. After all, when they first re-discovered the historic world, it was nothing but collapsing ruins. But now it's the seat of the most powerful union ever seen, and today may well mark the day that prestige magnified tenfold. Clapping her on the shoulder, Daniel agrees that it's certainly one for the record books if all goes well. After sixteen years of effort, they've finally reached the end of the road.

Downstairs, Teal'c is introducing Vala Mal Doran and Dr. Danielle Talbot to various Free Jaffa dignitaries who have just arrived via stargate from Chulak. The group is split almost evenly between Progressives and Traditionalists, as the latter party made a comeback in the recent Free Jaffa senatorial elections, but they all seem delighted to be present. A ways away, Tok'ra operatives are chatting with their Alliance Intelligence counterparts, and Venii are mingling amongst some Serrakin notables on the staircase. What's most striking about all the incoming political figures, however, is the number of non-aligned worlds and races that have turned out for the summit. Jaffa still loyal to surviving Goa'uld or independent of the Nation, human worlds that stay out of the major power blocs, and lesser species making their first appearance on the galactic stage. All have come for one key reason, to bear witness to this conclave and consider whether or not they wish their planets to join in something truly unlike anything that has come before. After years of failed starts, the time looks right; barring any setbacks or last-minute squabbles, the Interstellar Alliance, the first true pan-galactic government, will come to life by day's end.

Pulling the ISGC commander aside, Vala says that they've blown way past the projected attendance they had in mind for this event. Talbot laughs, admitting that she was afraid no one would come, but suggests apologizing to the full-time residents for the inconvenience of the summit. Smiling, Vala insists that they're used to it, especially as the planet's settlement has ballooned out in recent years. Walking up the staircase to the main causeway, she tells Danielle to try and relax and just enjoy her dream's moment of triumph. While she leaves to go join Carter and Daniel upstairs, Talbot turns around and looks over the assembled crowd with a small smile, shaking her head in disbelief that things are finally looking up.

Outside, however, on an adjacent skyscraper looking down on the Citadel entry level, a stone-faced woman crouches on a balcony edge. She reaches down and fingers the rifle at her side and the twin pistols holstered on her waist. A belt of stun and frag grenades snakes its way around her torso, and three combat knives are tucked into various pockets. She's clearly prepared for battle, and given her perch overlooking the Alliance conference, there can be little doubt of her target. Grabbing her gun, she steps off the ledge and makes for a lift nearby, stepping over the bodies of Heliopolis police that she must have killed on the way up. Whoever this woman is, she's not planning on playing games.

Back on P4X-933, Mitchell is watching as a Tok'ra finishes setting up a hologram projector at the center of a long table within their meeting place. There are two ports, one for each party, facing out at the groups clustered at each end. When the operative's finished, he steps back and nods to everyone else, signalling that the talks may now begin. Tarrin inserts a crystal-mechanical contraption into their end of the projector, presumably their version of a data crystal or USB drive. It takes a moment to boot up, and then a hologram of the region surrounding Aschae flickers to life. Speaking in the traditional Aschen monotone, she explains how, at its greatest extent at the height of the Der'kal war, the Confederation encompassed nearly a hundred conquered worlds. Interjecting, Eaton points out that all that growth came with a damning deal with the invaders and at the expense of millions of innocent lives.

Shooting her a poisonous look before continuing, Tarrin outlines how their subsequent conflict with Allied forces slowly cut back on their gains. And with the recent "incident" above their homeworld ("Shadow Dancing"), skirmishes with furious alien warlords has further reduced their empire to a fragment of its former self. Mitchell snorts, pointing out first of all that without that "incident" the Aschen never would have consented to negotiation peace, and furthermore that their "fragment" is still almost three times the size of the Confederation prior to the arrival of the Der'kal. Annoyed, Tarrin says that they have the right to expand as necessary to sustain their population, but Cameron isn't interested in her logic. They all know that the Aschen did what they did simply to better their people without regard for anyone else in the universe, but that's not what they're here to discuss. He asks that they please get to the point, and another representative explains that they will not accept terms that aim to humiliate their civilization.

Velen replies by asking what should stop them from demanding nothing short of complete and unconditional surrender. After all, it's not as if the Aschen could fend off both the Der'kal rogues and a renewed Alliance offensive. And he warns the group across the table that that's exactly what will happen if they're unable to reach a compromise here. If nothing else, that seems to strike a chord with Tarrin, and she quickly unplugs her crystal and yields to give the Allied side a time to speak. Standing, Mitchell connects his laptop to the projector, setting up a statistics overview and smirking at a satisfied Venel.

On the Alliance capital, Carter, Daniel, and Vala have taken their seats in the Citadel's main assembly hall. Hundreds of dignitaries have packed into every open space, and the Tok'ra are promising to transmit a broadcast via subspace to major Allied population centers. At a circular table down below, the figures appointed to speak for each member race are taking their seats to discuss the outline for the Interstellar Alliance. For the Tau'ri, Danielle Talbot takes her place at the head as the architect of the meeting of minds. Teal'c sits directly to her left to speak on behalf of the Free Jaffa Nation, nodding to the audience and giving a brief nod to the Jaffa sitting there. To Talbot's right is Delek of the Tok'ra, and rounding out the Big Four is the V'en'ali, the leader of the Venii Conclave. Much like the Roman Catholic Pope, the figurehead gives up his birth name upon ascending to the office, but the reserved avian looks to have personality all the same.

Passing out dossiers, Talbot begins by personally thanking everyone for coming to this auspicious gathering, noting as many factions as she can see from her vantage point. Once all the notables have been recognized, the real talks open in full. Carious topics are discussed over the course of the next hour, ranging from economic policy to military coordination. On Earth, ISGC personnel watch the live subspace broadcast on commissary monitors, listening intently. A few of them whoop and clap when the camera pans to SG-1 in the audience, and at that moment, Carter suddenly straightens in her seat. Delek is looking over a clause dealing with the proposed structure of government and has asked for clarification, something Sam herself is particularly interested in. And Talbot is happy to explain, flipping to the appropriate article:

(Beginning of "Armistice," see next two posts for more.)

[s09119]

(More of "Armistice," see previous post for beginning and next post for end.)

Spoiler:

Firstly, the Interstellar Alliance would be based out of Heliopolis, as it would be the "major capital" of the new government. However, each member world has designated one of their planets to act as a "minor capital" at which Alliance citizens may lodge requests either for reasons to locality or familiarity. The four proposed minor capitals are, unsurprisingly, the respective current capitals of each: Earth, Chulak, V'en, and Arrakis. As already glimpsed and as will be expanded on at length, the structure of the new Alliance aims to preserve the power of the "Big Four" while incorporating independents and lesser powers as necessarily. So as not to represent a stagnated power balance like what plagued the pre-reform United Nations, however, the privileges of the "Big" group will transfer to whichever four member governments of the time meet certain criteria as codified in an algorithm dealing with population, economics, military strength, and cultural factors. At present, that benefits the Tau'ri, Free Jaffa, Venii, and Tok'ra, though time will almost certainly see that change.

The legislative arm of the new body would be the popularly-elected Starways Congress, made of up hundreds of senators from around the galaxy. Sectors of equal size would be carved out of Allied territory and seats apportioned between them based on Allied population. Obviously, those independent planets within the sector would not have a vote, though they could petition their region's senators for assistance or advice if they chose. At first glance, this arrangement may seem to benefit the Free Jaffa Nation, which controls a vast plurality of inhabited worlds in Alliance space, and the Venii Conclave, given their complete dominance of a few but densely-populated sectors on the edge of the galaxy. But Talbot is certain that the natural demographics of the galaxy will correct for that; after all, given the fractured nature of governments created by the ease-of-access stargate network, no one group has utter control of enough sectors to gain outright control of Congress. Compromise and coalition building will be the name of the game, just the way it has been envisioned. The legislature's duties will include debating and passing legislation, ratifying treaties with foreign powers, issuing an Alliance-wide currency, and other federal tasks coordinated from a to-be-constructed headquarters on Heliopolis.

The judicial branch of the Interstellar Alliance will be, aptly-named enough, the Judiciary, and will be divided into a series of regional and High Courts on each lesser capital and an Apex Court situated on Heliopolis. It will be their duty to arbitrate disputes between member worlds/races and the central government, as well as interpreting the constitution in regards to Congressional laws. Furthermore, high officials accused of high crimes will be arraigned and tried in front of the Apex. Its 9 members will be nominated by one member of the executive council and then confirmed by his/her peers. The candidate must then be confirmed by a majority of the legislature before taking office. Candidates for lower Judiciary courts must only be nominated by the executive and confirmed by a majority of Congress. Like most supreme courts, the decisions of the Apex overrule all lower bodies and standing laws to become law of the land.

The third and final leg of the organization is the executive Avidan, and is largely a retooling of the existing framework of the Alliance High Council. The name is taken from the Goa'uld word meaning that "the gods are just." But since the fall of the System Lords, it has been re-purposed as "our destiny is our own," a name Talbot found fitting. The Avidan is to be made up of five representatives; four will be reserved, one each, for the primary member races, meaning that at its inception, the Big Four will each have their own member popularly by from their own people. The fifth and final member, though, will be popularly elected from all Alliance citizens and will have some measure of authority over the other four. It will be the duty of the Avidan to sign and execute legislation passed by Congress, though a majority vote of the council can veto bills unless overruled by a supermajority of Congress. They will also have the power to conduct warfare and negotiate treaties, among other tasks. Starways Congress shall always remain the dominant organ, however, to check the placing of galactic stewardship in the hands of only five individuals.

Murmuring breaks out in the audience, with Daniel commenting that this sounds incredibly promising. It's clearly modeled on Earth-based federal systems, though Vala points out that some of the finer details of Congress more mimic the Free Jaffa Senate. Either way, it's a proposal that should sit well with most groups, though the monarchic Venii and oligarchic Tok'ra may find the shift to republicanism a difficult adjustment. Things look promising all around, and the attendees nod positively while talk turns to other matters.

Some ways from the proceedings, the rough-looking woman seen earlier is hiding behind a building, eying a small covered entranceway built into a low wall. Beyond there is the ocean, though construction down below (where parts of the Citadel collapsed into during SG-1's visit over a decade before) is reclaiming land for further settlement. Two Heliopolis police officers are standing guard at the portal, though the woman doesn't seem too bothered by that given the lack of passerby. She slips a zat gun out of her vest and spins out of cover, stunning the first guard before he can react. The second raises his rifle and goes for his radio, but his attack zats the comm. out of his hand, then karate chops the gun away and roundhouse kicks him into the wall, knocking him over. Not wasting a second, she goes over to the other man, zats him a second time, and flips him over another section of wall before heading to the entrance itself. Pulling the access panel off, she fiddles with the control crystals until the door slides open, then descends down the revealed flight of stairs as the doorway shuts behind her.

Meanwhile, Cameron is growing frustrated with the Aschen delegation's unwillingness to make concessions in the peace treaty, insisting that they should only have to declare a cease fire and leave it at that. Shouting that the millions of people the Confederation killed would say otherwise, he demands that they start giving a little or this entire peace process is off the table. Pulling back on her fiery CO's shoulder, Rebbecca suggests they take a brief recess to confer with their respective cohorts, then yanks Mitchell over to a corner. Speaking frankly, she suggests taking a slightly less combative stance with Tarrin, as the Alliance still lacks the recovery necessary to re-engage with the Aschen. They can't afford to have open warfare between the two powers right now, not with the summit on Heliopolis hinging on a feeling of a "new era" for the galaxy.

Swallowing hard, Cam admits he's letting his anger at the war in general get the better of him, and promises to make an effort to tone it down. Eaton's right in that leaving here with renewed fighting would be disastrous, especially when their enemy knows full well they can't easily follow through on their threat. But coming home with a treaty in hand would be just what's needed to seal the unity of the new Allied government. He has no intention of letting the Confederation off easy, but he'll do his best not to threaten the bombing of their homeworld or anything quite so drastic. Snickering, Eaton points out that the Der'kal already did that for them, but it's a good point. The last thing they need is for Tarrin to call their bluff, after all.

Across the room, though, Tarrin sounds uncharacteristically nervous for an Aschen. She confides in one of her fellows that the Alliance doesn't sound as if it's willing to back down without some drastic concessions on their behalf. With the rogue Der'kal striking across vital supply lines in the Confederation, the government on Aschae's rapidly losing grasp over sectors they risked everything to secure. They need to secure a peace treaty so they can pull ships off the border with the Free Jaffa and Earth and move them to the interior. Nodding, the fellow suggests agreeing to limited disarmament like that which Col. Mitchell is pushing, but on a progressive timeline that will allow them to rout the alien warlords. They need to retire several aging battlecruisers from the Goa'uld era anyway, and it will be a good show of cooperation between powers that should appease the Alliance.

While they're speaking, another fellow enters hastily from outside, pulling Tarrin aside and whispering quickly. His superior's eyes widen, and she asks if they've received word from higher ups about what to do. The fellow just shakes his head and says that for now it's at their discretion, but he suggests they stay and attempt to work out a treaty in their favor. If "this" spills over into Allied channels, there's little doubt they'll have footing to push back against demands, so they need to move now. Nodding, Tarrin returns to the table and sits down to work, trying hard not to let the new air of urgency show through.

On the Alliance capital, Carter is listening with interest to the V'en'ali speak about his people's contributions to the new regime when she feels a tap on her shoulder. She looks up to see Jonas Quinn standing there, looking somewhat grim. Sam looks surprised but happy to see her former teammate again, asking if he'd like to take a seat to view the talks with them. Looking over and grinning, Vala jokes that he was probably just checking to see if Rebbecca's with them, given how much time they've spent together after their mission to Aschae ("In Purgatory's Shadow"). Frowning, Jonas insists that this is serious and that he's here on Alliance Intelligence duty. He motions for the three of them to join him in the hallway outside the chamber and, now slightly concerned, the three follow him out.

Once out of earshot of all the dignitaries, Jonas says that Intel's discovered some rather alarming happenings here at the capital. The planetary police found two of their officers dead in an office building overlooking the Citadel, and per protocol, alerted his department that they may have a situation on their hands. Things really became an issue, though, when another policeman arrived at Intelligence HQ with quite a story. He said he and his partner had been attacked by a woman and beaten. His partner was killed, but he was simply pushed over one of the cliff walls, managing to grab onto the rock face a few meters off the edge. He pulled himself up after hearing his attacker depart, then made his way to the closest station and reported the security breach. Alarmed, Carter asks what kind of breach they're talking about here, and Jonas shifts uncomfortably. Whoever this woman is, she's made her way into the tunnel system that runs under the capital, but that in itself wouldn't be so worrisome. It's that she's breached even further since and was last detected entering the highly-restricted area that leads directly under the Citadel. If they can't stop her, they could have a disaster on their hands.

[s09119]

(End of "Armistice," see previous two posts for beginning.)

Spoiler:

Deep below where they stand, the nameless infiltrator has made her way into the duct system, moving stealthily while guards scour the hallways for her, stepping over the corpses of their fellows as they do so. Only the sound of weaponsfire echoes through the corridors. Not seeing any other option, the Heliopolis police begin sealing off the entire section, lowering blast doors and shuttering ducts. But somehow, unbelievably, the infiltration continues with hardly any pause, and it's slowly becoming clear that drastic measures may need to be taken.

At the ISGC, the technician on duty is fielding a dial-in from P4X-933, where Eaton has left the peace talks to check in with home. Things in the meeting hall have stabilized a bit, with discussion turning to concessions that can be made on both sides in order to finally come to consensus. Nodding, the technician pulls up some recently-received intelligence on a monitor and reads it off to Rebbecca, citing confirmed Der'kal attacks within and around Aschen space. The situation there is rapidly deteriorating, and if the Confederation can't withdraw its border forces soon, there won't be enough of an interior fleet left to fend off the warlord raids. They could theoretically just call off the negotiations now and let chaos force an unconditional surrender, but Eaton says that they need to come back with something. One of the private conditions made by the Jaffa and Venii for signing the Alliance treaty is the imminent end of hostilities with the Aschen, after all. And either way, they know all too well that their enemies remain capable of spreading biological weapons of mass destruction across the galaxy if they feel at all manipulated. In the end, it's better this way.

Turning away from the active portal, Eaton pushes down on the nearby DHD's activation dome, cutting the connection. Two nearby ISGC soldiers approach, curious as to how much longer they'll probably be hear. None of the UN guard contingent likes this planet much, with its apocalyptic landscape and its isolated location, and they'll be much happier once they're back on Earth. Rebbecca's quick to agree, but she has to admit that she's pleasantly surprised at how uneventful the meeting has been. Usually, SG-1 attracts trouble in droves, but this has been a fairly simple meet-and-greet affair.

Or at least, it was seeming the way. A low rumble suddenly shakes the ground, softly at first but growing stronger with every passing second. Grabbing her sidearm, Eaton looks around in confusion before tapping her radio and telling Mitchell that they may have a situation here. She and the soldiers fall back to the meeting hall, where the rest of the two delegations are on their feet and shouting at one another. Cameron comes running to the entrance just as they approach, wincing at the loud noise and asking what in the world is going on. The question is answered a moment later when the clouds overhead are blown away by a rapidly-descending Aschen battlecruiser, its sides riddled with gashes and flickering with flames. Eyes widening, Mitchell realizes that it's in a barely controlled fall and will smash down near their location, and pulls the others inside the hall. Shouting for everyone to get down, he can only hope for the best as the massive warship slams into the surface and begins plowing toward them, smashing apart ruined buildings and leveling everything in its path.

Deep underneath the Citadel on Heliopolis, Carter, Daniel, and Vala have joined Jonas in gearing up for a potentially deadly confrontation with their female infiltrator. They're making their way down into the tunnels alongside other Alliance Intelligence agents, cautious for any sign of trouble. Five more guards have been reported dead, and there are a number of high-profile potential targets down here. Not to mention the accesses up into the Citadel itself, where they could see anything from hostage-taking to attempted assassinations. Jonas has ordered an orbiting ha'tak to scan the underground superstructure for any sign of their target, but it's unlikely they'll find anything. If she came prepared for every obstacle so far, it's not a stretch to think she brought along a personal jamming device. If so, they'll need to search every room by themselves. It's going to be a long day.

A short while later, Tarrin slowly wakes up, clutching at her head and squeezing her eyes shut in pain. She looks up a moment later and jumps, surprised to be staring down the barrel of a P90 held by Cameron Mitchell. A true bureaucrat, she asks what's the meaning of this, reminding the Colonel that showing violence or hostility to diplomats of a foreign government only de-legitimation these proceedings. But Mitchell's not interested in playing games, and he pulls the Aschen to her feet and pushes her outside, motioning to the wrecked battlecruiser a little less than half a kilometer away. He demands to know what, exactly, the vessel is doing here when this meeting was supposed to be perfectly neutral. Tarrin looks as if she might consider being uncooperative, but, noting that all her fellows have been rounded up by the human soldiers, she decides against it.

She admits that their leaders back on Aschae suspected the possibility of an Alliance double-cross, so a battle group was deployed to park just out of sensor range and await a signal from the surface if they needed evacuation or protection. A few hours ago, however, they received word that Der'kal ships had been detected probing the region, probably having caught wind of the meeting. And since the warlords are now on a crusade to slaughter against the Aschen, it's hardly surprising they'd be intent on finding and destroying their waiting ships. Obviously, they found the battle group and attacked, and the final surviving vessel attempted to make it back here. Annoyed, Mitchell says he takes back all the attempts he made at a fairer, more equal treaty between them. They should have expected such underhandedness from the Aschen, and in light of this, the Confederation's going to have to make hard and serious concessions or face the consequences.

But Venel, eyes glued to the sky, mutters that now may not be the best time to discuss this in lught of Tarrin's information. If the Der'kal were able to find and attack the enemy ships before, it's almost certain they'll track the damaged cruiser back to 933. They should all evacuate to a safe place immediately, something Cameron's happy to agree with. He waves for the soldiers to round up the Aschen and get them through the stargate to the Beta Site, then turns to Rebbecca and tells her she did good sounding the alarm when she did. For now, though, they need to move out, and Cameron heads to the DHD and begins dialing while his second-in-command joins Venel in scanning the skies for signs of attack. Unfortunately, they don't need to look long.

Interspersed with this, Carter and Jonas are working at a security terminal in the Citadel tunnels, trying to re-initialize a number of protocols that have been hacked offline. The later's just about done when the ha'tak he had scanning earlier radios him, saying they have an update for him. Looking hopeful, he asks if they've managed to pin down the target individual, but it looks like, just as he feared, she has a jammer. Suddenly the conversation fizzles out, though, and Sam asks what's going on. Checking his radio, Jonas can only guess that the signal's being jammed... which seems to be the reason when a zat blast arcs out and stuns him, leaving Carter alone as their mystery woman steps out of the shadows with a vicious grin on her face.

Cameron only has five glyphs locked before Der'kal interceptors scream through the clouds and open fire at once, blasting the ground around the stargate with impunity. Two of the Aschen and one of the ISGC soldiers are killed outright, and Mitchell's forced to dash away from the DHD or face the same fate. He tries to go back and finish, but more fighters are coming down every few seconds and it's clear he'd never have enough to complete the sequence and survive. As bombers and gunships begin appearing on the horizon, he runs back and grabs Rebbecca, shouting that they need to take cover in the meeting hall and hope--or at this point, pray--that a solution presents itself. They join Venel and start running, but Cameron's conscience gets the better of him when he sees Tarrin and two surviving aides standing helplessly in the open. He runs back, tells her that he expects one Hell of a treaty when this is all done, and pulls them along as the group hides in the besieged ruin. There's nothing else they can do, and plasma blasts rip apart the ruined city as alien troops begin to land...

((To Be Continued))

[SG-18]

Neat. I'm a little surprised that SG-1 ( a portion of it) is tasked with peace negotiations. You'd think Earth and the alliance would send other people, not soldiers, but whatever... it's sg-1, ahah

you put a lot of thought into taht governmental structure. I can only assume that this means that it will come up again later (atlantis, maybe SGU, and the rest of this season).

good episode. I want to find out more about this infiltrator and what shes doing there. although you'd think they'd have better security on the capital city, taking cues from the US Secret Service and groups like that on personnel protection. Radio checks every ten min or so, and redundancies like that. of course, if this chick is as good as she appears to be, she'd account for that....

[s09119]

Well I figured the precedent is that SG-1 is sent to do everything important, so why not this, as well? And, of course, there are other Alliance representatives with them.

The new government probably won't come up at all in Atlantis (seeing as its being created around the time SGA will probably end anyway) or Universe (seeing as there'd be no real tie-in). That said, it will certainly play into any future projects I may make. I wanted to lay the groundwork just in case. And, you know, make Talbot jump up and down like a kid in a candy store.

As for our infiltrator friend... I thought about that while I was writing, how we really should be able to have redundancies to stop this. But the same should be said of the SGC. Or the Jedi Temple or Galactic Senate in Star Wars. Or any secure building, well, anywhere. I'm accounting for it by how prepared she is with countermeasures, but trust me, the thought occurred to me as well. Some suspension of disbelief may be required, I suppose.

[thekillman]

there are various technologies that would make infiltration easy. like mimic devices, jammers, tok'ra radiactive isotope which hides you from sensors, various cloaks and phase devices.

but it's more about frequency. penetrating a layer is hard. penetrating multiple layers even harder. infiltrations like this would be once in a decade if not longer

[Lt. Col. Mcoy]

When the audience must suspend disbelief, the artist has failed in his craft.

That said, I think that within the secondary world established in SG-1 et al., this is a perfectly reasonable scenario. We needn't suspend disbelief; simply stop thinking about it from the primary world. Believe it, within the secondary world.


Oh, and it's a good story, too.

[thekillman]

When the audience must suspend disbelief, the artist has failed in his craft.

true

As for our infiltrator friend... I thought about that while I was writing, how we really should be able to have redundancies to stop this. But the same should be said of the SGC. Or the Jedi Temple or Galactic Senate in Star Wars. Or any secure building, well, anywhere. I'm accounting for it by how prepared she is with countermeasures, but trust me, the thought occurred to me as well. Some suspension of disbelief may be required, I suppose.

TBH things happen in the real world which are baffling. people still manage to Streak. walk naked right onto a stage. downright stupid accidents still happen. failsafes failing to fail safe. guards failing to guard. observation cameras failing to observate. you catch my drift. and besides, bank robberies still happen and politicians get shot. you can't secure someone perfectly, you can however do a risk assessment and minimize risk plus minimize damage.

[Rudy Pena]

This one was very good.

I cant wait to see the next one.

[Crazy Tom]

s09, the first time you mention Starways Congress, you spelled it Starwars Congress. Nice reference BTW.

[s09119]

s09, the first time you mention Starways Congress, you spelled it Starwars Congress. Nice reference BTW.

Whoops, I should go fix that then, huh?

And what reference? I totally made that up on my own

[Choo1701]

"Please one and all i welcome you to the "Galactic Senate" - Sorry, I mean "United Federation"- Wait, my bad, I mean 'Justice League' - Oh... *sigh* Can't we just all be "Friends" !!!!"

Yep, naming those galactic goverments is a fine art! And most of the 'good' names are usually taken

EDIT: Just realised s09119, you've been continuing Stargate for over four years now! Nice going. (And in a sad twist of fate, thats technically two more than Stargate Universe!)

[s09119]

Wow, it really has, hasn't it? That's amazing to think about, it hasn't felt that long at all.