Continuing Stargate

[Steelbox]

My point is there's precedent for naming a space craft in the manner of navy ships, and they're called "fleets" rather than "forces" the closest to "Space Force" there is is the Air Force Space Command.

I think Steelbox's point is along the lines of the craft that the Air Force use are meant as "relatively" short range weapons compared to space craft. They can get callsigns sure, but the craft itself won't have a military designation like a Navy, and up until now most if not ALL space vehicles. It stands to reason that they'd continue that Navyesque tradition even though it's the Air Force.

Believe whatever you wat, i'm done arguing.

More of the lines of do you name a small insertion rubber boat or the gigantic and more "importante" ship where the battle is beign coordenated? Today the airforce does not have crafts of that role, simple because it's impractical to make on and if they could they would also name it for its importantness. Say "Lets all protect the x-304" And the other says "Whitch one?" see there are only two so why not name it? Would you protect the bismark or the lower role, say patrol boat?

[s09119]

16x08 "Convictions"
Synopsis: When a series of assassinations across the galaxy leave major opponents of her reforms to the Alliance dead, Dr. Talbot enlists SG-1 in clearing her name before her remaining political adversaries meet the same fate.

Spoiler:

It's midday on Heliopolis, and life on the Alliance capital world is just as busy and frantic as ever. Transports from all across the galaxy are touching down to load up on passengers or offload goods, and various building projects can be spied off in the distance. The metropolis just keeps expanding, and settlements are cropping up all over the planet's surface as those displaced by the war with the Der'kal arrive looking to start anew. Across the city from the starports and the gleaming Citadel, a prominent Venii politician, Venel, is speaking with his people's representative on Heliopolis, a former admiral named Riina.

While they stroll along the seawall, looking out at the waves, Riina says that the Venii need to stand apart from the other powers on their own, and that these reforms being suggested to the Alliance will hurt them in the long run. She points out the infighting amongst the Tau'ri ("The Parting of Ways, Part 2"), the ever-shifting divisions of the Jaffa, and the unknown variable that is the Tok'ra as proof that the others cannot be trusted, and declares that she will spearhead opposition to any changes to the current system. Venel, however, pleads with her to reconsider, pointing out that the exchange between their people and the other races has already benefited them so much. Despite their isolationist past, they have a chance to be a part of something wonderful, and suggests that it may be time for the galaxy to come together as one.

That said, Riina refuses to budge. She vows to do everything in her power to preserve the Alliance as it is, as she believes was intended when she was appointed to her position, and reminds Venel that he is of the minority in their government. The majority of Venii side with her, and she is determined to wield their apprehension like a scalpel. Their people have only just emerged from a millennia-long isolation, and these new races that now rule the galaxy are strange and as of yet untrusted. The military may have developed a fondness for humans after the Hyperion incident ("Hyperion"), but it is a trait she does not share. So long as she draws breath, she'll see to it that none of these reforms ever see the light of day. And rather conveniently, it is at that moment that a staff weapon blast leaps out from a nearby building and slams into Riina's back, sending the shocked Venii diplomat into the safety railing that lines the seawall. Gasping for breath, she clutches at her wound and stares back at her companion, only able to open her mouth to speak before a second burst of plasma knocks her over the rail and onto the jagged rocks below.

Stunned but refusing to be gunned down so helplessly himself, Venel extends the hidden claws generally kept retracted in his hands, scanning the nearby structures for signs of movement. His keen eyesight picks up the assailant almost at once, standing up and breaking down his staff weapon, though the distance is too great for even a Venii to make out anything more than blurred shapes. Unable to do anything, he watches as Riina's assassin slips out of view, no doubt very pleased with his kill. But Venel isn't prepared to let this be the end, and he pulls out a communications device at once, asking to be connected to the Citadel at once and stressing that he is calling on a matter of dire importance.

Meanwhile, SG-1 is preparing to leave for a mission at the ISGC, having just received new intelligence on collaboration between the Aschen and a number of the Der'kal splinter groups they've been trying to eliminate ("Mind Games"). Handing Mitchell a file folder containing a list of the rogue alien warlords they need to take out or bring in for trial, Dr. Talbot reminds the team that they'll need to coordinate with the local human government on the planet they're headed to. Daniel promises to do their best to keep the locals in the loop, but Eaton points out that there may come a point when they just can't afford to run everything they do by a bunch of farmers. Their mission has farther-reaching implications than just this one human world, and if push comes to shove, they need to do what's best for the galaxy. Talbot agrees, but nevertheless orders them to exhaust all other alternatives before simply ignoring the natives and moving in alone.

The base commander turns to the control room and motions to begin the dialing sequence, but the stargate only starts to spin when the chevrons begin locking in one after another. Confused, Vala asks if they installed a new speed upgrade to the dialing program, but the announcement of an unscheduled offworld activation a moment later proves that theory wrong. Watching as the final symbol clicks into place, Talbot asks who they have coming through and why the iris isn't already sealed tight. The gate technician on-duty replies that they received an Alliance IDC the instant the wormhole connected, and from the red flag attached to the signal, whatever's going on sounds urgent. Talbot turns to SG-1 and shrugs, telling them that their mission will have to wait another few minutes while they greet their guests, then waves for them to form up behind her in front of the event horizon.

Daniel is just starting to comment that something always seems to happen just as they're getting ready to go when a pair of men in dark uniforms step through the puddle, pulling zat guns out of their jackets and pointing them directly at Dr. Talbot. More than a little confused, she steps back and raises her arms, asking what the meaning of this is. Lifting his own weapon, Mitchell steps forward and demands to know what's going on, but he's quickly forced to back off when another three armed men arrive through the stargate. After a tense moment of waiting, a female Tok'ra follows, introducing herself as Kyra, the Director of Alliance Intelligence, and telling SG-1 to stand aside unless they want a zat blast to the face.

Not willing to just sit down and shut up, Mitchell tells her to start explaining what's happening before he tells the defense team to do something about this, to which Kyra responds that she's here to place Danielle Talbot under arrest for multiple counts of premeditated murder across the galaxy. Everyone in the room is taken aback, glancing at their commander as if trying to picture her killing someone in cold blood. Jackson steps between the AI agents and the ISGC troops, hoping to defuse the situation, and calmly asks for Kyra to just hold off on the arresting thing and explain what the charges are, exactly. Though she points out she has jurisdiction and therefore doesn't need to humor him, she does so anyway out of respect for SG-1's work and reputation; over the past two days, seven opponents of Dr. Talbot's proposed reforms to the Alliance have been found dead, most on Heliopolis itself. They were all killed by assassins striking from the shadows, and all of them had been meeting with one of their respective government's representatives when the killings took place. With seven bodies thus far, most of the other politicians who had made up the opposition have gone into protective custody, clearing the way the reforms to go through. That can't just be a coincidence.

Shocked, Vala mutters that the evidence, circumstantial though it may be, would probably be enough to convince an Alliance tribunal that Talbot was connected in some way. And even if they couldn't prove anything, the doubt could force the United Nations' hand into removing her from her position here at the ISGC. In any event, Kyra is done with the niceties, and she tells SG-1 that they can either step aside and let her do her job, or they can have a firefight here inside the terminal. Either way, she has a work to do, and she's wasted enough time talking as it is. Sighing, Talbot tells the team to radio Sam on the Jupiter and figure something out, holding out her arms and letting Kyra slap a pair of Goa'uld stun cuffs on her. The Intelligence agent shouts to the control room to dial up Heliopolis, and thanks Danielle for coming peacefully when the wormhole connects. With one last look back at the others, Talbot asks SG-1 to get to the bottom of this, promising them that she had nothing to do with such a terrible turn of events. Nevertheless, no one feels entirely sure who's telling the truth as the AI agents disappear through the event horizon and the stargate shuts down.

Shortly afterwards, SG-1 has gathered in the briefing room with Col. Carter, all trying to figure out what, exactly, just happened. Standing from her chair, Sam says that she's contacted their representative on Heliopolis to get some answers, but it could take some time to get through all the bureaucratic red tape that has developed around the Alliance of late. In the meantime, Eaton suggests they go over the options they have available, and admits that she doesn't know much about how the organization tries those convicted of such crimes. According to Daniel, an interspecies tribunal will review the evidence collected by Alliance Intelligence, and they will then decide on an innocent or guilty verdict. And while the death penalty was thankfully removed as an option at the urging of the Nox, Talbot could still face life imprisonment if she's found to be guilty. That would mean a long, long stay in Anubis's old haunt on Taratarus ("Evolution, Part 2"), now renovated by the Tok'ra to serve as a maximum security prison complex.

After a long moment of thinking, Mitchell points out that knowing the facts is nice, but they need to address the real issue here. It's not an easy possibility to consider, but they have to decide whether or not Talbot could actually have done what she's accused of. Much as they all doubt she'd ever go to such extremes, it's not like she's ever killed along ideological lines before ("The First Amendment"/"The Parting of Ways, Part 2"), and she's showing a willingness to do whatever it takes when it comes to the greater good. He's not saying he think she arranged the deaths of seven political opponents, but he wants the others to at least remember that it's possible. Much as they all feel a desire to defend their commander and friend no matter what, their allegiance is to the rule of law as much as anything else.

Nodding in agreement, Carter tells her former teammates that the President and UN both want them to look into this as impartially as possible, and they're allowing the ISGC to treat it as an internal affairs matter unless compelling evidence against Talbot comes to light. But in any event, they should start checking for evidence at the locations of the murders, and hopefully they'll be able to find something Alliance Intelligence or the Tok'ra have missed. Pulling open a file folder, she outlines the six planets where they have confirmed kills; Heliopolis boasts two, the aforementioned Venii diplomat Riina and an isolationist Tok'ra by the name of F'zel, Dar Eshkalon saw the assassination of Jaffa nationalist Gen'tak, a former human resistance member named Lauren Taft was killed on Pangar ("Cure"), the head of an anti-human Jaffa group was slain trying to leave Dakara, and two Earthborn opponents of Alliance reform were assassinated on K'tau ("Red Sky") and Sartorus, respectively. Sam recommends they split up and investigate the sites, suggesting they check the first three themselves and let other SG teams handle the rest.

(Beginning of "Convictions," see next three posts for more)

[s09119]

(More of "Convictions," see previous post for beginning and next two posts for end)

Spoiler:

All else decided, the group breaks off and departs through the stargate for their respective murder sites; Carter heads to Heliopolis to check in with her contact, Mitchell and Eaton leave for Dar Eshkalon, and Daniel and Vala prepare for transit to Pangar. Watching the Ancient portal dial up the address, Vala says that she really hopes this is just someone trying to frame an innocent woman, but she sees that Mitchell had a point. If Talbot really is involved, they have an obligation to assist the Alliance in seeing that justice is served. But Daniel remains optimistic, assured that someone who has been through so much at their side would never compromise her morals like she's accused of. As Vala is quick to remind him, though, they've all been changed by the events of the past few years, and who's to say Talbot's convictions survived unscathed? As the wormhole stabilizes and the two step through, Jackson admits that he doesn't have an easy answer.

A wormhole transition later, the duo arrives on Pangar, greeting the locals and striking out for the murder scene in the Goa'uld ruins beneath the human settlement. As they near the tunnel down into the catacombs, however, they notice an Alliance Intelligence outpost has been set up at the entrance, with agents guarding the area and not looking at all pleased to see Daniel and Vala coming toward them. One of the operatives holds up a hand and tells them that the ruins are off-limits until their investigation is finished, but Jackson isn't buying it. The ISGC was informed that Heliopolis had cleared them to conduct their own investigation and, furthermore, that Intel was done with its own.

The agent simply repeats that they can't enter the catacombs, warning the two SG-1 members that he has authorization from Director Kyra to use force to keep intruders out if need be. Incredulous, Daniel asks what they could possibly be doing that takes this much time, but he finally backs off from a confrontation when two more operatives round a corner and start heading their way, signaling that he and Vala really should be going. He grabs his teammate's arm before she can say something idiotic and pulls her away, whispering for her to just play along and keep on looking defeated. He has an idea.

Light-years away, Mitchell and Eaton aren't have all that better of a time on Dar Eshkalon, as Alliance Intelligence has likewise sealed the murder scene of Gen'tak, the slain Jaffa national they were sent to look into. Standing at the base of the tower where the killing took place, Cameron is asking the agent blocking his path if it's really necessary to seal off all one-hundred floors when they know the deceased only visited two. The field manager in his way just shrugs, saying that while he personally has a great deal of admiration for SG-1 and would be happy to let them look around, the order to keep the tower contained came straight from the top. Watching the two go back and forth, Eaton takes a seat on a nearby bench and chuckles, then notes that while the Intel agents have managed to seal off the ground entrance, the tower's upper levels look unguarded. And, most interesting, the air traffic buzzing about goes right past a few of the balconies, coming just close enough to give her an idea of how to get inside. Taking one look at Mitchell, still preoccupied with the guards at the main entry, she jumps up and sprints toward the next closest building.

Brushing past security, she darts into the other tower's lobby and makes for the stairwell, shouting that she's on official ISGC business to dissuade anyone from getting in her way. After a tireless few minutes of ascending the neverending stairs, she finally reaches the roof access door and runs through, coming out just above the steady stream of gliding cargo ships over the Jaffa city. She sucks in a breath when she sees just how far down the drop is, gulping noticeably, then jumps when her radio crackles. Picking it up, she tells Mitchell that she's just getting some fresh air, switches it off, and runs as fast as her legs can carry her up to the edge of the roof. Praying that her timing is good, she launches herself off into the air, and for a horrifying moment, it seems as though the oncoming al'kesh isn't going fast enough to get under her. But the moment passes, and Eaton comes down heavily into a roll, losing her P90 in the process.

Scrambling to stay steady on the sloping sides of the ship, Rebbecca manages to get to a small flat area at the top, spying the sealed-off tower coming up more quickly than she had thought it would. Muttering that this job is going to kill her one of these days, she rushes to the edge of the craft and hurls herself at the closest balcony, barely grabbing onto the stone outcropping and hanging on for dear life. Grunting at the effort, she pulls herself up and over, slipping inside as quickly as possible and hoping that her stunt went unnoticed. She pulls her pistol out of its holster and heads into the hallway, knowing it won't be long before the agents at the entrance wonder where she could have gone to.

On Heliopolis, Carter has made her way to the temporary cell in the Alliance Intelligence HQ where Talbot is being held. Standing and straightening her jacket, the ISGC commander asks if SG-1 has found anything, but Sam glumly informs her that so far they're being stonewalled. While the nearby Tok'ra guard opens the cell door so the two women can speak privately, Carter explains that Mitchell recently dialed in and told her that while he "lost track" of Maj. Eaton, he's been barred from even coming close to the crime scene he was trying to investigate. Likewise, Daniel and Vala sent a brief message through from Pangar requesting more time to try and get past the guards at their own objective. For whatever reason, it would appear that Intelligence is prepared to do whatever is necessary to stall the ISGC investigation, and with Talbot herself scheduled to go before the tribunal in a day's time, they don't have very long to find the evidence they need.

Nonetheless, Talbot is staying positive, and she's sure that SG-1 will get the job done just like they always do. Sam smiles in agreement, but while she's here, she has to ask for her own peace of mind if they're going to dig up anything that would incriminate her in these murders. Danielle sighs and insists that she would never do anything to jeopardize her political position in the galaxy, least of all when she's finally starting to gather support for her ideas. She doesn't know who's behind these vicious killings, but it's certainly not her, and once she's been found innocent she plans on getting to the bottom of it. That is, if the ISGC hasn't by then. Giving a laugh, Carter promises to do her absolute best, then gives Talbot a spur-of-the-moment hug, sternly advising her to watch her back, and waves to the guard to let her out. Of course, it's only when the cell has been sealed again that Danielle chances a subtle patting around the bottom of her blouse, feeling the miniature radio Sam had dropped down her collar during the embrace. Should she need it, she at least has the means to call for help, and that's better than nothing.

On Pangar, Jackson is leading Vala into one of the museums in the city closest to the ruins, telling her to just be quiet so he can try and remember where he's going. Despite his pleading, though, Vala demands to know where they're going. That said, it only takes her a moment to figure it out after she realizes they're in a section of the building dominated by System Lord-era artifacts, including an ancient ring platform. Glancing through the glass around it, Vala says that SG-1 has this odd habit of breaking into public places and rather illegally using their alien technology, but Daniel just rolls his eyes. He promises to apologize to the curator when they're done, then smashes through the glass with his P90 and shoves Vala onto the platform. Hitting the activation key on the nearby control panel, he jumps in after her and watches as security guards arrive too late to do anything but see them vanish into thin air.

At the dig site, an Intelligence operative is on patrol checking a cavern deep in the ruins when he hears an odd whirring noise from a room off the main chamber. Drawing his zat, he calls out that this area is off-limits due to an ongoing Alliance-sanctioned investigation. He further warns that he has authorization to use deadly force if need be, preparing to step into the ring room and take down whoever's there. He turns to take a look, then his eyes widen as Daniel throws a punch toward his temple. The agent catches the arm mid-strike and yanks Jackson forward, slamming him in the chest and kicking him into the nearby wall. Grabbing his communicator, he promises that even a member of SG-1 won't get away with sneaking into a sensitive site like this, then looks toward the ring platform to see Vala raising her zat. She just shrugs, says that this is just what they do, and then stuns the man before he can call for assistance. Picking himself up, Daniel mutters that she could have let loose with the zat blasts before he got a good beating, prompting an amused snort from Vala as the two of them sneak off into the ruins.

Simultaneously, Eaton is sneaking past a patrol of Intel agents in the closed tower on Dar Eshkalon, quietly dropping down a garbage chute to reach the next lowest level. Taking a chance that no one's sitting at the next entrance to hear, she hangs on to the ledge and pulls out her radio, asking Mitchell what's going on outside. Many stories down, Cameron replies that there are scattered reports of someone leaping onto ships as they pass by, but luckily no one's taking the news very seriously. He reminds Rebbecca that she's getting by on luck alone right now, and although he wishes she'd told him what she was going to go do, he's glad she figured a way to get inside. Granted, she'll be shot on sight if she's spotted, but Mitchell has faith that she won't let them down. Eaton swear she'll try to avoid dying, then tucks the radio away and keeps moving, knowing that the crime scene is too close to give up or stall now.

She shimmies down two more levels and swings out onto the target floor, being careful not to make any noise that would alert the Intelligence operatives in the area to her presence. Tiptoeing down the hall, she slides open the door to the room where the assassination took place and looks around, no doubt confused at how easy this was once she got past the first level of security. Slipping inside, she then turns to see something very, very odd; Gen'tak, the Jaffa who's death she was sent to look into, is standing right before her, looking just as surprised as Rebbecca. Neither of them have a chance to say anything before Eaton is stunned from behind, though, and Intel agents rush through the door to take her into custody at once.

Back at the Citadel on Heliopolis, Carter is growing very frustrated. After visiting with Talbot, she's made her way here to meet with the human representative on the Alliance High Council, but suddenly he's been called into a meeting and will not be available until tomorrow. Nearing the end of her patience, Sam tells the Serrakin female she's arguing with to let her in immediately or she'll come back with the Jupiter and beam herself in. But the attendant merely apologizes for not being able to do anything, reminding Carter that the Citadel is equipped with beaming technology jammers, as she should already be aware. Throwing her hands up, the Colonel shouts that this is absolutely ridiculous, displaying a rare bout of uncontrolled anger.

[s09119]

(More of "Convictions," see previous two posts for beginning and next post for end)

Spoiler:

Unfazed, the attendant asks that she keep her voice down so as not to disturb the officials at work, and Sam remarks that right now she's just wishing she didn't help set this organization up to be so annoyingly impenetrable. Calming down, she pleads with the Serrakin to at least put her through to talk to the councilor, even if she can't see him in a private meeting. But the receptionist can only shake her head, insisting that her hands are tied by the system even if she wanted to let Samantha slip past security. That said, the customs database has just been updated with information on the other individual she was asking for, AI operative Jonas Quinn. Unfortunately, he was just dispatched on a classified mission and will not be returning before next week at the earliest.

Carter just sighs, asking when said mission was assigned, and the Serrakin opens up a new query to check. After a moment she replies that Agent Quinn was scheduled for two weeks of personal leave to attend to matters on his homeworld of Langara, but he was tapped for an urgent assignment this morning. Sam guesses that his recall happened around 8AM local time, to which the receptionist responds with a surprised confirmation, wondering how she knew. Shaking her head, Carter explains that that's when she sent a communiqué asking to speak with him, then pulls away from the desk and heads back out onto the streets, shoving her hands in her jacket's pockets and trying to wrap her brain around what's going on.

Across the galaxy, Daniel and Vala are crawling on top of a balcony overlooking the large central chamber of the Goa'uld ruins where human resistance dissident Lauren Taft was killed. Thinking it over, Vala whispers that she doesn't understand why they're bothering to look into the death of someone who was slandering their name on dozens of worlds, but Jackson reminds her that they're more here to clear Talbot's name than to bring Lauren justice. In any case, he shushes her when a group of Intelligence agents enter, checking on the unmoving female figure on the floor that must be the deceased Taft. When one of them reaches down to touch her, though, the woman rolls over and sits up, quite alive. Stunned, Vala isn't able to suppress a gasp in time, and the operatives look up and spot them immediately despite the cover of darkness.

Jackson points his P90 in their direction and fires, forcing the agents to pull behind the nearby door, and he and Vala race out of the chamber back the way they came. Rounding a corner, Vala tries to rationalize what they saw, wondering if perhaps Alliance Intel revived Taft with a sarcophagus for questioning. But whatever the case, something is very, very wrong here, and Daniel just wants to get back into broad daylight and contact the ISGC before they do anything else. They make it back to the ring room just ahead of a squad of operatives, and Vala lays down covering fire while Daniel punches in the code for the set of rings in the museum. With not a second to lose, they step inside and pray for the best.

Unfortunately, they materialize in front of not only Pangaran security guards, but a group of Intelligence agents already waiting for them surface-side. Throwing up his hands in surrender, Jackson asks their pursuers if they could at least refrain from stunning them, but the group doesn't seem all that interested in playing nice anymore. Two of them step forward, zats raised, and incapacitate the two SG-1 members without a second's hesitation.

Several hours afterwards, Mitchell is growing worried. He hasn't heard from Eaton in some time, and even with the longer Dar Eshkalon days, it's getting dark very quickly. Checking his watch, he paces back and forth a short way across the square from the sealed tower, looking up from time to time for a sign of his teammate. He moves to make way for a caravan of traders making their way home from the marketplace, then notices that the area's suddenly gotten quite a bit brighter. Frowning, he glances up at the tower and swears; a transport beam is shooting straight up from the skyscraper off into space. It's no doubt connecting to an orbiting ship so the operatives inside can conduct offworld business without the need to go through the crowded stargate plaza, and Mitchell has a sinking feeling about what might be being transported. Picking up his radio, he tries to raise Rebbecca but gets nothing but silence. With a sinking feeling, he grabs his gear and rushes off in the direction of the gate, knowing that this just got a lot bigger than he's capable of handling alone.

Later, Eaton awakens in a small room with her arms tied behind her back and all her weaponry removed. Struggling to free herself, she shouts for whoever did this to show themselves, then jumps when two familiar voices assure her that their captors probably won't come out until they're ready. Rebbecca twists her neck around to see Daniel and Vala similarly bound a few feet away, looking characteristically optimistic even in the face of such a dire situation. Looking sympathetic, Jackson asks if Intel agents got her, too, to which Eaton replies she can only assume so. She didn't see who stunned her, but considering her crime scene was crawling with them, it seems likely.

The three of them exchange what they managed to uncover on their respective assignments, but none of them have any idea how what they saw could be real. Despite undeniable proof that the individuals they ran into were killed, they appeared to be very much alive and in the care of the Alliance. Vala wonders if the other SG teams dispatched to look into the other deaths also found similar surprises waiting for them, but if they did, they're probably in the same unfortunate situations as they are.

And right on cue, the door to the room slides open so a group of Intelligence operatives and drag in the unconscious and bound bodies of SG-19 and SG-23. Watching with interest, Eaton asks the agents if they're at all proud of what they're doing right now, but none of them respond. Annoyed, the New Zealander manages to teeter to her feet, then lunges at the closest one with her chest, grunting as she slams into him and tackles him to the ground. Of course, she's unable to do anything else with her hands and feet still tied, but as the agent silently picks himself up and follows his fellows out of the room, she can't help but notice something odd. A small vertical scar on the back of his neck...

On Heliopolis, Sam is waiting at the stargate when Mitchell walks through, very tired and frustrated with her inability to cut through the red tape that seems to have suddenly wrapped itself around Alliance Intelligence. Shrugging helplessly, Cameron explains that he lost Eaton when she decided to sneak into their crime scene, kicking himself for not being able to go after her. Carter tells him that at least he himself hasn't gone missing, and points out that the two SG teams they dispatched to investigate the other assassinations have disappeared, as have Daniel and Vala. The ISGC is sending out a new batch of teams to track them down, but this doesn't bode well at all. At least there's something of a silver lining in all this, though, in that Sam's not convinced that Talbot had nothing to do with the assassinations. Something about all this hints at something far greater than the debate over the future of the Alliance, and even without any evidence, she knows there has to be more to it.

Following her out of the plaza, Mitchell asks what their next move should be, given that three full teams are now missing. Carter honestly isn't sure, but she thinks that they've been going about this all the wrong way. She's sick of playing games with low-level Intel agents who seem determined to get in her way, so they're going to go all the way to the top. Pulling out a crystal, she reveals that a UN diplomat was able to get in contact with their representative on the High Council, using his credentials to get past the bureaucracy that Sam couldn't. It wasn't easy, but he managed to get Director Kyra's highly-classified schedule, and she's heading to a meeting in the city's starport right now. According to the dossier, a tel'tak touched down in one of the larger hangers an hour ago, and that's where they need to get to as quickly as possible. With possible Tau'ri lives on the line, Carter isn't letting one more second go to waste, and she and Mitchell make a beeline for the nearby speeder rental station.

Across the city from the stargate, in the rear compartment of a scout ship parked in one of the starport's spacious hanger bays, the other three members of SG-1 are rousing their fellow ISGC personnel while their captors are away. They just get everyone awake when the door again opens, letting in over a dozen Intelligence operatives and none-other than Kyra herself. Her eyes flashing to indicate her symbiote is speaking, she informs the humans that they made the mistake of getting involved in something far larger than themselves, and they now must pay for that. She and her people only wanted to ensure that the Alliance never grew beyond a mere coalition, and discrediting the leader of the reformation movement was a simple and effective method of doing just that. No one had to get hurt, and Dr. Talbot would eventually get used to solitary confinement on Tartatus. But instead, Earth had to go poking its nose in everywhere, and now they have a problem.

Confused, Daniel asks Kyra why she and these agents are doing what they are, saying that their job is to defend the Alliance and process vital information, not to start assassinating innocent people for political gain. Vala, always needing to have her say, adds that they apparently can't even do that right, since they saw the "victims" alive and well with their own eyes. Kyra just laughs, asking if that's really what they thought they saw, and promises to at least give them a proper explanation before she silences them forever. She begins by stating the obvious; in case they haven't figured it out by now, she is now Director Kyra of Alliance Intelligence. Yes, her host is the same, but the symbiote that bore that name is long dead. She, in fact, is Athena, the Goa'uld who once attempted to use Vala's memories to find an Ancient treasure trove on behalf of the Trust ("Memento Mori"). It was fairly easy to trap and remove Kyra when the Director was called back to her poorly-defended homeworld on family matters, and Athena simply implanted herself in the host afterwards, returning to Heliopolis with no one the wiser.

As she goes on to explain, when Earth finally took down the Trust once and for all ("The First Amendment"), she realized that she had backed the wrong party. The Alliance was far too powerful to defeat from outside, and she found a cadre of surviving Goa'uld who felt very much the same. Together, they took on the mantle of the new System Lords, and they are determined to break this organization before it has a chance to grow into an entity that can never be truly destroyed. One by one, they managed to implant agents of Alliance Intelligence, hoping to turn the galaxy against itself by blaming the Tau'ri for so many high-profile deaths and simultaneously killing any chance of the Alliance turning into an actual government. They even managed to implant several individuals from all the major races, such as Gen'tak or Lauren Taft, and using them to spout anti-Earth and anti-reformation rhetoric wherever possible. When they were "assassinated," AI operatives simply moved the bodies out of sight and let the symbiotes inside regenerate, resulting in SG-1 stumbling across people who should be "dead."

[s09119]

(End of "Convictions," see previous three posts for beginning)

Spoiler:

While such a well-planned operation is certainly impressive, however, Eaton doesn't think it has a snowball's chance in Hell of succeeding. Eventually, she reasons, the Goa'uld would make a mistake, and all their secrecy only made them more suspicious. Athena admits that they only have a handful of implanted agents, and that the unaffected ones were beginning to suspect something was wrong within their organization, but it matters little. When this is all over, they won't need to infest the rest of Alliance Intelligence, as they now have a dozen ISGC personnel right here to switch to. That will delay any investigation into what happened here by at least a year, giving the System Lords the time to rebuild their power base and prepare for the day when they can strike down the Alliance and return to glory. And no one will ever know.

No one, that is, except Samantha Carter and Cameron Mitchell. The two of them are already charging into the tel'tak with a group of Intelligence agents of their own, the investigative bureau finally seeing reason when presented with evidenced of their Director skulking off to secret meetings without reason. Hearing the zat blasts and gunshots, Athena roars for her people to go hold off the humans while she transfers symbiotes into the SG teams. Daniel, Vala, and Eaton, though, don't plan on letting her get that far. The three of them use their legs to sweep hers out from under her, bringing her crashing down to the floor and dropping a delicate carrying case of infant Goa'uld. Struggling to stand upright, she shouts that the System Lords will rise again, then the symbiote abandons its host and crawls out of her mouth, darting across the floor for Vala, the closest available other. And with her hands and feet still bound, Vala can do nothing but watch as the parasite draws closer, ready to burrow itself into her brain.

Just before it can leap toward her neck, though, Carter appears in the doorway, P90 held high, and fires a single bullet into Athena, knocking it back against the far wall. She and a newly-arrived Mitchell kill the rest of the Goa'uld writhing on the floor, then take out their combat knives and begin cutting the captives free. It's over.

The next day, Talbot arrives through the stargate at the ISGC looking more confident than ever. Her name has been officially cleared of all charges, and Alliance Intelligence has confirmed that their ranks are free of unwelcome symbiotes, largely thanks to a data crystal Athena had stored in her office. All the implanted operatives were successfully freed of alien control, and the bureau is launching a new wave of operations against this resurgent System Lord threat. They made the mistake of underestimating the surviving Goa'uld, but it's a mistake that they won't be making again.

In any event, SG-1 and Carter are there to welcome their friend back to Earth and congratulate her on a measure being put before the Alliance High Council to begin reformation in line with her ideas. This whole fiasco has given the numerous races a chance to see just how vulnerable they are divided, and it seems that Talbot's vision of a unified galaxy may yet come to pass, ironically thanks to the efforts of the Goa'uld. All the "assassination" victims have likewise refuted their earlier statements against Earth and Danielle, and Director Kyra has publicly endorsed the movement as a whole. Though her Tok'ra companion is dead, she vows to carry on its dedicated mission to protecting the all the galaxy's citizens, and she thinks that a more powerful Alliance is just what they need to reach that noble goal.

Clasping Talbot's shoulder, Jackson says that he's just glad she wasn't behind any of the attacks, after all. Not that any of them seriously entertained the idea that she was, but it's still nice to know for sure. Thanking him for the sentiment, Danielle reminds them that they have a mission to depart for in an hour or two, and the group breaks up to go prepare for it. Just before heading out herself, though, Talbot takes one look past the stargate and out the window, smiling as the sun creeps up over the horizon.

[bradly08]

Interesting episode. When I first heard the spoilers for this ep, i thought it was going to be a bit boring, but you have proved me wrong once again

[Rudy Pena]

WOW, that was great

[s09119]

Interesting episode. When I first heard the spoilers for this ep, i thought it was going to be a bit boring, but you have proved me wrong once again

Well the politics episodes tend to be a bit on the dull side, so I thought up something that had a bit more action and set up some larger plotlines to play off of. I'd already decided I wanted a new batch of System Lords (since, come on, the surviving Goa'uld wouldn't just give up), but I hadn't brought it into the story yet. This was a great opportunity to fit it in.

[AVFan]

Fantastic story s09. I think that would be a very likely storyline to have- almost like the Trust v 2.0. Easy way to eradicate them quickly with the info from the memory crystal too.

Kind of a crazy part when Eaton jumped on the Al'kesh though. To jump on any moving ship way up in the air is probably not the smartest decision in the world lol. Still a fun scene though.

[thekillman]

To jump on any moving ship way up in the air is probably not the smartest decision in the world lol.

well blowing up stars, strapping active gates to F-302's, etc are crazy ideas as well.

sometimes it's better not to think

[JamesPeterson]

Well that was a surprise... I had noticed the new System Lords entry on the wiki but never suspected you'd have them active again in a big way. Very interesting turn of events.

[s09119]

well blowing up stars, strapping active gates to F-302's, etc are crazy ideas as well.

sometimes it's better not to think

Very true But no, I just realized SG-1 hadn't done anything mind-boggling stupid lately, and Eaton needs to make up for lost time, not having been on the team when they did all their really cool crazy things

[puddlejumperOZ]

For the talented writers here, we have round two of the Gateworld FanFiction Competition, be nice to see some new faces (writers) down there

http://forum.gateworld.net/threads/7...8#post11427738

[Laertes]

finally on Season 15... almost caught up haha

[JamesPeterson]

finally on Season 15... almost caught up haha

It starts off a little slow, but the Season 15 finale is probably the best installment of the continuation yet.