Fic help.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Anybody want to read a brief description of a physical location for me and tell me whether I've written it in such a way that it makes sense and can be visualized?

[Nikki Alexander]

So her parents never assumed US Citizenship? Is there a reason why in your story?

Normally parents would emigrate and apply for citizenship, and then apply for their minor children.

Maybe it was the way I worded it, but I wasn't meaning that her parents didn't have citizenship. They did apply for citizenship, and then applied for their children, all except the youngest. I'm doing more research on it, but It was more to do with whether there would be restrictions on any of the children joining the military/government agency, that weren't born in the US.

[fems]

I have a question which is in regards to the Rogue NID operation from Shades of Grey and the two members (Grieves&Kershaw) in The Sentinel.

I have a somewhat similar situation in a fic I'm working on; someone on an SG team is accused of taking/stealing alien technology from one of their allies.

Now, in Jack's case he was faced with the choice between a court-martial or early retirement but I'm not sure if that would actually be the case since it was all a ruse to let him infiltrate the Rogue NID operation led by Maybourne.

At the end of SoG all the personnel of the Rogue NID base (and Makepeace) are arrested for "high crimes against the United States and its allies" and we later learn that at least two (previously unseen) members were convicted for high treason, according to Hammond in The Sentinel:

"Colonel Sean Grieves, formerly of the NID. He led an offworld team for Colonel Maybourne and was one of the members of that organisation convicted of high treason for his actions."

However, when I looked into the whole treason thing I learned that it is defined as the following in the constitution:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

So, I'm a bit confused as to whether the Rogue NID members would qualify as traitors and be charged with treason, since they did steal from allies of the US but only to aid the US - or at least not to aid/comfort any enemies of the US - and they didn't really levy war against them (either the US or the allies) either. Or is it that their actions [the stealing] could start a war between the US and their allies [from whom tech was stolen] and that's why it's considered treason?

Anyway, my actual question is whether I should use the words "treason" and "traitor" in my fic for the person accused of stealing alien tech from allies or if that is wrong as it doesn't fit the definition? I guess I could always say it fits the Stargate SG-1 universe of the definition considering the convictions of treason for those Rogue NID members but I would appreciate any clarification people could give me, just in case the subject comes up if I do use the words.

[Sparky She-Demon]

Treason is a tricky charge, at least according my father who is a lawyer.

[fems]

Treason is a tricky charge, at least according my father who is a lawyer.

It is only a minor plot point and it won't go to court because it happened off-world, there was only one 'witness' and with it taking place during mid season one only those at the SGC, a few select folks at the Pentagon (considering Kennedy, Samuels and Maybourne's respective appearances and assignments), the JCS and the Prez have clearance so the OSI won't receive clearance to be read in and therefore can't visit the crime scene and only have conflicting (redacted) mission reports available.

Basically, the OSI can't prove anything one way or another and with the accused being 'dead' they let it go and the accused will still get a proper military funeral etc. and won't be named a traitor. But regardless of the outcome I need to know whether the words treason and traitor would be used by Hammond and other SGC members in the know.

[Sparky She-Demon]

They'd use those terms, I think.

[Starship Trooper]

So, I'm a bit confused as to whether the Rogue NID members would qualify as traitors and be charged with treason, since they did steal from allies of the US but only to aid the US - or at least not to aid/comfort any enemies of the US - and they didn't really levy war against them (either the US or the allies) either. Or is it that their actions [the stealing] could start a war between the US and their allies [from whom tech was stolen] and that's why it's considered treason?

Definitely this (as far as I would understand it), because the only reason the undercover operation was organised in the first place was because the Asgard and the Tollan's had already been forced to accuse Earth of theft, and they seemed pretty upset about it. The situation had already escalated.

I think if they hadn't organised the operation with Jack and had just flat out denied that there wasn't any theft going on, it could potentially have incited war.

That would be my take anyway. They were definitely meddling in the diplomatic ties between Earth and it's new allies.

[fems]

Definitely this (as far as I would understand it), because the only reason the undercover operation was organised in the first place was because the Asgard and the Tollan's had already been forced to accuse Earth of theft, and they seemed pretty upset about it. The situation had already escalated.

I think if they hadn't organised the operation with Jack and had just flat out denied that there wasn't any theft going on, it could potentially have incited war.

That would be my take anyway. They were definitely meddling in the diplomatic ties between Earth and it's new allies.

Yeah, that thought occurred to me after I'd posted it (hence my editing) but I still can't really see it in the definition of treason.

Also, would this mean I should or shouldn't use it for someone who stole tech from another ally that isn't as technologically advanced as the Asgard/Tollan and the only repercussion was a Jaffa attack and the subsequent death of said person*?


*At least, that's how it went according to the witness

[Starship Trooper]

Yeah, that thought occurred to me after I'd posted it (hence my editing) but I still can't really see it in the definition of treason.

Also, would this mean I should or shouldn't use it for someone who stole tech from another ally that isn't as technologically advanced as the Asgard/Tollan and the only repercussion was a Jaffa attack and the subsequent death of said person*?


*At least, that's how it went according to the witness

LOL!

Hmmm... that is a tough one. I don't know if the relationship would be based on technological advancement alone. Sheer numbers can overwhelm more advanced weaponry.

But having thought about it some more I think you could reasonably argue either way for the purpose of your story.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

Honestly? They called it treason because the writers didn't know how narrow a definition treason has in the U.S. You just have to fudge your way around it.

Seaboe

[fems]

Thanks guys. I'll just see what works best for my story then.

[BruTak]

Is it at all feasible for Artie Neilson and the gang from Warehouse 13 to have a high enough security clearance to know about the SGC?

[Starship Trooper]

Is it at all feasible for Artie Neilson and the gang from Warehouse 13 to have a high enough security clearance to know about the SGC?

I'd never watched Warehouse 13, but I've been home sick today so I watched a few episodes.

I don't think they'd ever get direct clearance to know about the SGC, but the search for artifacts made me thing of the crystal skulls from SG-1. Even the device which Daniel went to retrieve which re-animates dead tissue or the weather device that was stolen and brought back to earth. You could have some kind of artifact which the goa'uld or the SGC have brought back to earth from a different planet which starts causing mayhem and the guys from Warehouse 13 also go in search of, thereby running into SG-1.

[fems]

This may sound stupid but I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether it would be SOP for folks on SG teams to submit their reports via emails or some other kind of base network in season 1 (1997)? Wikipedia tells me emails have been around since 1993 but I have no idea how widely spread they were used in those early years and if it would be used (and considered secure enough) on a top secret military base. Or perhaps they have standard networks for that sort of thing? Or would simple hard copies be the way to go here for me?

[SF_and_Coffee]

Well, for one thing, I'd expect a secure military base like the SGC to have its own secure, self-contained e-mail server. So I'd think they certainly could submit these reports in electronic form, and probably would. On the other hand, given the military's reputation for wanting everything in duplicate, triplicate and infiniticate (is that a word? it is now) they probably are also required to submit at least one paper hardcopy as well.

The war on trees will probably not end in our lifetimes.