《Stargate: Veil of Redemption》


 Unscheduled Offworld Activation

    In the depths of Cheynne Mountain in the wee hours of the morning, Staff Sergeant Thomas Crow sat in the control room of Stargate Command, monitoring the Stargate. A relative newcomer to Stargate Command, having been stationed at Elmendorf Air Base ever since boot camp until three months ago, he was still getting used to all the new procedures that one needed to operate the Stargate; sure, he had studied all the manuals, attended training sessions, and ran drills in the simulator. This was the real thing. He had a bit of uneasiness. All the worst-case scenarios ran through his mind. ¡°Deep breaths,¡± General Carter and Sergeant Harriman both told him. ¡°You¡¯ll do fine.¡±


    Even though he wasn¡¯t supposed to start for another two days, Thomas had eagerly agreed to fill in for Sergeant Peterson who had been down with the flu. It would be a quiet night, Sergeant Peterson told Sergeant Crow over the phone. No SG teams returning, no scheduled check-ins planned. Just quiet. And so, Sergeant Thomas Crow sat at his post in the control room, anxious at what was to come that night.


    Hours drifted by and with nothing to do, Sergeant Crow got up from his chair to stretch. He ran his hands through his blonde hair. As he paced the room with a tinge of nervousness, he turned his gaze away from the gate momentarily. It was at this moment a familiar klaxon sounded from the quiet halls of Stargate Command.


    The Gate was being activated from offworld.


    Anxiously, Crow scrambled to the controls. ¡°No SG teams are scheduled to come back tonight and there are no scheduled check-ins either,¡± he thought. Pushing a button he sounded a second klaxon. The red alarm lights began to flash. With a tone of uneasiness, Sergeant Crow pressed the talk button on his microphone at the console.


    ¡°Unscheduled offworld activation!¡± he exclaimed as he pressed his palm on a scanner, closing the iris. The metallic device whirled and shut, preventing any unauthorized entry to Stargate Command and to the planet Earth.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    A young woman with brown hair and hazel eyes calmly entered the control room. Her name was Captain Lucy Roncalli and she was the officer on duty. She calmly took up position next to Sergeant Crow and looked at the Stargate.


    ¡°Report, Sergeant,¡± she said. She noticed the anxious expression on Sergeant Crow¡¯s face; she knew that this was his first day as a Gate Technician. ¡°Take a deep breath, Sergeant, before you strain something.¡± Crow took a deep breath and regained his composure.


    ¡°Unscheduled offworld activation ma''am,¡± replied Crow. ¡°No SG teams are either scheduled to return or check in.¡± He looked at a monitor that displayed the presence of an Iris Deactivation Code being sent. There was none. ¡°No IDC being received either, ma''am.¡± Captain Roncalli knew what she knew what she had to do: order the defense teams to the Gate Room. She stepped up to the microphone at the control panel and said,


    ¡°Defense teams to the Gate Room on the double.¡± But as she spoke the Stargate suddenly shut itself off as did activation klaxon. All that remained active was the alert klaxon as were the alert lights.


    Both Captain Roncalli and Sergeant Crow were stunned. There been no thuds, the telltale sound that something or someone had gone through the gate on the other end and met an untimely demise with the iris.


    ¡°Defense team stand down,¡± ordered Captain Roncalli. She stood there with Sergeant Crow still aghast at just what happened.


    ¡°Sergeant, what just happened?¡± Captain Roncalli asked.


    ¡°I¡­, I don''t know, ma''am. That was very odd.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Run a level two diagnostic on the Gate immediately, Sergeant.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± After a pause, his mind running through the training manual, he spoke again. ¡°Should we alert the General?¡± Sergeant Crow asked. Captain Roncalli thought about it for a moment.


    ¡°No, I don''t believe so,¡± she replied. ¡°But note it in the logs that we had an activation but nothing happened. It''ll be in my report as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma''am,¡± said Crow.


    ¡°And bring me the results of the diagnostic when it''s finished. I will want to include that as well.¡±


    ¡°Will do, ma''am,¡± Sergeant Crow said. Captain Roncalli returned to her desk and Sergeant Thomas Crow returned to his post with a hint of uneasiness. ¡°Will this be how all my shifts are like?¡± He thought. ¡°Deep breaths, deep breaths¡± he told himself as he began to run the diagnostic.

 One Dark Night

    At the same time as the events at Stargate Command unfolded, another unfolded at a Carmelite monastery in Chahinkapa, North Dakota, some 200 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It was a plain and simple monastery that sat near the banks of the Wild Rice River containing a handful of sisters. It was a small community, but one full of love, work, and prayer. The monastery was a place of serenity and solitude, a refuge from the turbulence of the world.


    As the nuns slept peacefully in their cells, one nun was restless in her bed. Her name was Sister Helena of the Cross. She was a stoic and stout woman of forty-two years of age. She had a trim and athletic figure with blonde hair and hazel eyes. She had been a nun for ten years now and had been in the Air Force prior to coming into Carmel, after spending time in prison. She did her duties with an almost military precision; a precision that the nuns had never seen aside from one other sister: Sister Marie Evangeline.


    As Sister Helena slept, she had a vivid dream as if she was actually a part of it. She found herself in a medieval village made of dark gray stones. The villagers gathered in the center of the village next to a stone pillar that looked like a lectern. Behind the village was a large building with a cross on top. The villagers looked downcast and like they hadn''t eaten in quite some time. Though she didn''t recognize the villagers, Sister Helena felt drawn to them as if she knew them. The villagers were calling out to her; their voices of course of desperation and hope. They were chanting a hymn of some sort, the words she didn''t recognize. From among the villagers a young girl stood in front of them. She reached out to Sister Helena, tears streamed down her cheeks, her eyes pleading.


    ¡°Help us,¡± the girl whispered. ¡°We need you to nourish us.¡± Then Sister Helena¡¯s gaze turned toward the pedestal. The front of the pedestal was intricately carved. In the upper part was a cross in the center with a serpent or a man (she couldn''t really tell). Flanking the cross were two palm branches, then two columns with palm branches on the tops (like those described in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem), and then four flowers, two on each side. On the lower part in the center was a hideous figure, like a devil, sitting on a throne. To its left were humans cowering in fear and demons subjugating them, and to its right were humans being devoured by the demons. Around and through the carving was inscribed in pre-Chaucer Middle English: ¡°MYN JESUS BE YE SERVES THOU SUFFERED/IN THY PASSION IN YE GARDYN  IN THY SCORGEING/ AND THY CORUNING WITH THORNS/IN THY LANGYRYIN ON YE CROSS AND THY DEETHE/SHAW MERCY TO THOSE WHO ARN ABOUTE TO BE DELIVERED UNTO YE DEVEIL.¡±


    The vision ended and Sister Helena awoke with a start. Sweat poured down her face, her heart pounded, and she was breathing heavily as if she was on the battlefield once again. She reached for a small stone that she had placed on the night on her nightstand. It was a black obsidian-like stone with intricate carving on one side. She found it in the garden several weeks ago and she used it as a prayer aid.


    ¡°Breathe, Helena. Breathe,¡± she told herself. She took a few deep breaths. Her heart rate subsided to normal, but the memories of her dream continued to haunt her. Who were these people and why did she know who they were? Most importantly, what did they want with her? The vision continued to haunt her. Sister Helena found the need to pray about the visions.


    Sister Helena got dressed in her habit. First, she put on her brown tunic, next her belt and her rosary, she then attached her profession crucifix to its spot on her tunic on the left right side of her chest. She then put on her white wimple over her head, tying and buttoning it up in the back. After kissing her brown scapular, she put it over her tunic. Finally, she put on her black veil over her head and her sandals on her feet. She placed a note on the door of her cell to inform the summoning sister that she was awake and praying in the chapel, grabbed her bravery and the stone. Careful not to wake her fellow sisters, she treaded lightly to the chapel.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Entering the Chapel, Sister Helena dipped her fingers into the holy water font and made the sign of the cross with the water. After setting her prayer materials in her choir stall, Sister Helena brought up some of the lights to dimly light the chapel, grabbed a lighter to light some candles on the altar, genuflecting as she passed the tabernacle. Once the candles were lit, Sister Helena returned to her stall and knelt. After making an act of adoration, she opened her bravery to Psalm 91 and prayed. She often found comfort and solace in that psalm. However, her mind kept returning to her dream and that and the things that she saw. She felt a need to help the people, yet she did not know who they were or where they were from. Why were they dressed like they had come from a Renaissance fair? Sister Helena raised her hands and prayed.


    ¡°Lord, what are you trying to tell me by showing me these people? Who are they and why do they seek my help?¡± She reached down and took the stone and clutched it in their hand she closed her eyes and folded her hands, the stone resting in between them.


    As Sister Helena was deep in prayer, the door to the Chapel creaked open and a middle-aged woman entered the Chapel. After dipping in the holy water font and genuflecting, she took her to her stall, which was right next to Sister Helena''s. She noticed the uneasiness on Sister Helena''s face. She placed a comforting hand on Sister Helena''s shoulder.


    ¡°Helena, are you all right?¡± The elderly nun asked, her soft voice filled with concern. Sister Helena, with a startle, turned around to see who it was. It was Sister Marie Evangeline of the Eucharist. A former officer in the Air Force before entering the Order, she had been Sister Helena''s ¡°Angel¡±, her guide through formation and the monastery in the in her early days there. They had become very close, due to their shared past in the Air Force. Sister Helena looked up at her dearest friend, their eyes meeting.


    ¡°Oh! Sister Marie Evangeline, you startled me. I was deep in prayer,¡± Sister Helena said.


    ¡°That''s all right. I noticed you had a worried look on your face. What''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Evangeline,¡± Sister Helena confessed. ¡°I... I had a weird and disturbing dream. People were calling out to me, asking me for help. I didn''t know who they were, yet I felt instinctively drawn to them. It was so vivid, like I was there with them. I don''t understand it.¡±


    ¡°My child, dreams are a mysterious thing period perhaps God is calling to you, to tell you something. Maybe it is to pray for them or perhaps there is a higher calling for you; your true purpose.¡±


    Helena nodded reflecting on her past, which was very sullen. While she had been a skilled pilot and a valued leader in the Air Force, she had also been an agent of the Rogue NID, a shadowy and clandestine organization that stole technology from other civilizations from around the galaxy, no matter what the cost or consequences. Her life had been one of cloak and dagger and blurred lines of morality¡ªuntil the day she was captured by SG-1. After serving time in prison she found, she found refuge in the monastery, offering her life in reparation for her past sins.


    ¡°I wish I could tell you everything Evangeline,¡± Sister Helena said, her voice barely above a whisper. ¡°But there are things I cannot speak of; things that are classified.¡±


    Sister Mary Evangeline took Sister Helena¡¯s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Being formerly in the military, she knew what Helena was going through. ¡°I totally understand, child. There are things you cannot tell me. But Our Lord has the highest security clearance, higher than the highest levels of the chain of command. Speak to Him in your heart. If it is a call to action, He will guide you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your words of encouragement and comfort, my dear friend,¡± said Sister Helena ¡°I will certainly prey on it some more and give it some time.¡±


    ¡°Always in any time,¡± Sister Marie Evangeline replied. ¡°I will always be your angel.¡± with a sisterly hug, the two opened their braveries and chanted in psalms in the darkness of the chapel; the monastery being all now still.

 Reflecting on the Past

    Several days passed and Sister Helena did not have another vision since that night. Yet the vision of the villagers lingered in her mind. Sister Helena made sure to pray for them during the Divine Office, mass and the rosary.


    On a Wednesday morning after Terce, Sister Helena overturned to her cell to drop off her breviary. With the stone secure in the pocket of her tunic, she made her way to the monastery¡¯s brewing kitchen and into her workshop. The nuns roasted coffee and blended tea to sell in order that the monastery could make an income. Holy Grounds Coffee and Tea was the name of their coffee and tea brand. It was a very known well known and respected brand, purchased by many people across the country and several into several countries outside the United States.


    Sister Helena was the monastery¡¯s tea blender, having been interested in the tea making process after visiting an herbal tea factory in Boulder, Colorado while on while on leave from the Air Force Academy while she was there. She made numerous visits to the factory when she could, and she even befriended some of the blend masters there. With some tips and several ingredients that she found at a health food store Helena had concocted a special blend of chamomile tea that she liked. She found it good for de-stressing, especially after a difficult mission. When she entered Carmel, she found that the nuns did not have a line of tea. After petitioning the Mother Superior, Sister Helena was allowed to start a line of tea for the monastery.


    Sister Helena turned on the lights and put on an apron. After saying a quick prayer, she looked at the order sheets to see what order she needed to fill. After taking an inventory of what had already been blended, she filled a bag of loose-leaf earl grey. Then she packaged into tea bags chocolate chai tea. With several orders filled, she shifted to experimenting on a new tea blend.


    All the while she worked, Sister Helena tried to sing hymns to take her mind off the vision. However, she couldn''t get her mind off things. But work was work and Sister Helena was known for her military precision, doing things by the numbers all the while putting her heart and soul in her love into each batch of tea she made.


    As if time passed quickly that morning, the monastery¡¯s bell rang at 11:50am, and Sister Helena returned to herself to retrieve her breviary and report to the Chapel for midday prayers. She took her place at her stall in the Chapel, glancing to make sure her ribbons were set properly. The other nuns came in and took their places in their stalls. As the clock struck noon a smaller bell sounded from within the Chapel. The sisters stood as Mother Superior and her councilors entered the Chapel and took their places. Once they were set, Mother Superior gave a nod, the organist sister began to play the starting note.


    ¡°God, come to my assistance,¡± intoned the presiding sister.


    ¡°Lord, make haste to help me,¡± the entire chapel responded.


    ¡°Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.¡±


    ¡°as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia.¡± The sisters then sang the prescribed midday hymn, Dicamus laudes Domino. After the hymn, the chapel prayed part of Psalm 119, alternating between the two sides of the chapel. Then they prayed the first part of Psalm 55. When they got to the second part of the psalm that''s when Sister Helena¡¯s mood began to change.


    The nuns prayed:


    ¡°If this had been done by an enemy


    I could bear his taunts.


    If a rival had risen against me,


    I could hide from him.


    But it is you, my own companion,


    my intimate friend!


    How closely was the friendship between us


    we walked together in harmony in the House of God.¡±


    Still further they prayed:


    ¡°The traitor has turned against my friends;


    He has broken his word.


    His speech is softer than butter,


    but war is in his heart.


    His words are smoother than oil,


    but they are naked swords.¡±


    These words of the Psalm struck Sister Helena to her core; it began to remind her of her past with the Rogue NID.


    Sister Helena struggled to remain focused through the rest of the prayer and even during lunch, the words of the Psalm haunting her. The clinking of dishes in the words of Sister Teresa of Saint Mary Magdalene as she read from the writings of Phillip Ribot around her felt distant and unreal.


    Sister Helena returned to her workshop to continue her work period she did the best that she could but she couldn''t shake the words from her mind. She tried all that she could to distract herself: singing hymns, thinking about her childhood growing up in Katy, Texas (though that had its sorrows, since Helena¡¯s mother died when she was young), seeing her grandparents, Christmas, canoeing in Montana; but whatever she thought the negative emotions of our past actions continued to haunt her. She attended midafternoon prayer, trying just to get by. When the sisters were allowed to have time for private prayer, Sister Helena, taking a spiritual reading book, went to the furthest part of the vast grounds of the monastery to a secluded place where she could not be seen by the other sisters. Once she was there, she sat down, took out her stone and placed it in her hand. As she fingered the strange writings she began to recollect about her past.


    She had been born Victoria Burney. As a young girl, an only child and the daughter of a well-known sportswriter, she developed a tomboyish life as a child. In high school, she found herself awkward but found her niche in the Air Force JROTC. She excelled in the program and was selected to join the Air Force Academy. When tragedy struck the country on September 11, Victoria¡¯s sense of patriotism motivated her to excel further. After graduation and further training, she became a skilled pilot and a valid valiant leader in missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Her skills caught the attention of one Colonel Sven Galli. He met her afterward at award at an awards banquet in Washington where she was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, after leading a daring mission in Iraq.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Sometime afterwards, Colonel Galli invited Victoria to coffee at a caf¨¦ in Washington. He was a tall thin man with a bald head and brown eyes and a voice that sounded all too eerily like the late Colonel Frank Simmons. After pleasantries, Colonel Galli got down to business.


    ¡°Lieutenant Burney, I have a proposition for you. How would you like to serve your country?¡±


    ¡°But I am already serving my country, Sir,¡± Victoria replied. ¡°I''m a First Lieutenant, a¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know all that, Lieutenant, I¡¯ve read your files. There is much more that stake than al Qaeda, or the Taliban. Forces not of this world¡±, Colonel Galli said. ¡°I need your skills for a special mission. Something...¡± He looked around to make sure no one was listening then he brought his voice to a whisper. ¡°... Something off the books.¡±


    Victoria raised an eyebrow. ¡°Off the books? That sounds... questionable.¡±


    ¡°I can understand your hesitation. This is about protecting our country in ways official channels can''t. My organization operates with a level of autonomy that allows us to address threats swiftly and effectively.¡±


    Victoria frowned. Something didn''t seem right with Colonel Galli to her. ¡°And what are the moral implications? I have a code of honor, Colonel Galli. I can''t just give up my I can''t just abandon my principles.¡±


    ¡°I don''t expect you to, Lieutenant but think about what''s at stake here. We are at war with forces that want to destroy our country. At our last meeting you told me that you joined the Air Force after 9/11, right?¡± Victoria nodded. ¡°You said you wanted to be a good patriot and fight the terrorists?¡± Another nod. ¡°Well, we need patriots like you to make tough calls. This isn''t about breaking the rules; It''s about bending them a little.¡± Victoria stared at her coffee and gave it a stir. She had always been driven by a sense of duty and honor. What Colonel Galli was proposing didn''t seem right. This went against everything she had been taught at basic training, at the Academy, even as a child. She was taught right from wrong. This disturbed her and she told him so.


    ¡°Burney, sometimes the best patriots have stepped into gray areas.¡± He gave several examples from history. ¡°We need leaders like you who can navigate those complexities.¡± Victoria looked up at Colonel Galli, their eyes meeting each other¡¯s. His words seemed sincere, but she felt the weight of them pressed against her conscience. Colonel Galli could sense her uneasiness. ¡°Tell you what,¡± he said as she pulled as he pulled a folder from his briefcase. ¡°I''ll leave a copy of the mission profile with you along with my card. We can put you out through a trial run. Come on one mission with us and if you don''t like what you see you can walk away. How does that sound?¡± Victoria thought about it for a moment, she was still troubled.


    ¡°I''ll think about it, Colonel. But I need time.¡±


    ¡°I totally understand. Take all the time you need. Remember our country is counting on patriots like you.¡± He got up, wished her a good day said good day and left.


    Victoria took the envelope and went back home. For time she did not open it. She often took long walks and found secluded places to think about Colonel Galli¡¯s proposal. She weighed out his words and wrote out the pros and cons many times over. Something didn''t sit right with him, yet he seemed sincere. After what seemed like an eternity, she opened the file. It was a simple mission; they would they needed to ¡°borrow¡± a piece of technology from one of their allies. Curious she called the number on the card that Colonel Galli gave her.


    ¡°Colonel Galli? It''s Lieutenant Burney. I''ll do it. But this is a one-time thing. I don''t like what I see, I''m out.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Lieutenant,¡± replied Colonel Galli with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. ¡°Welcome aboard.¡± Her first directive was to arrive at an abandoned warehouse in an undisclosed location. Victoria, dressed all in a black battle dress uniform with her tactical gear, was ringed up to a cloaked Tel¡¯tak in orbit. Once Victoria was on board Colonel Galli and his team went into hyperspace. Their destination was Langara, a planet home to a former member of SG-1, Jonas Quinn. Once in orbit, Victoria and another agent, Rebecca Neumann would ring down together close to the target. Neumann would stand guard, but Victoria had to acquire the target.


    The room was only 500 meters away. Sneakily, Victoria made her way through a corridor. Straight ahead was the target. Careful not to set off any booby traps the Langarans had set up, she entered the room and began to look around.


    Back in the present, Sister Helena shuddered to recall the rest of her past. The theft of that object she had taken set the Langarans back a decade of hard work and strained the relationships between Langara and Earth, despite Jonas Quinn''s best attempts to maintain the peaceful relationship between the two worlds. Moreover, the mission had eroded Victoria¡¯s sense of right and wrong. Her personality changed and she became a shadow of her former self.


    Tears streamed down Sister Helena''s face as she recalled her past sins and actions. Though she had been forgiven of her sins when she was baptized in prison, the memories continued to haunt her.


    ¡°Lord,¡± she called out in prayer, why are you doing this to me? I''ve been forgiven of my past sentence, why continue to show me this? Is this a cross I must bear?¡± She sat there crying for a while; she rubbed the stone, feeling its inscription as she had done many times. ¡°Is this because of my vision? What are you showing me, Lord?¡± She sat there crying for a long while. Then, as with a start, the monastery bells rang out: time for Vespers! With a run as if she was still in the military, even chanting Carmelite inspired cadences that would have made St. Nuno of Saint Mary proud, she made her way back to her cell to drop off her book, grab her breviary and report to the Chapel with seconds to spare.


    Sister Marie Evangeline noticed the uneasiness on Sister Helena''s face and worried about her dear friend. ¡°Lord, help my dear friend,¡± she prayed in the silence of her heart as she prayed the ancient psalms and canticles. Take away her pain. I know she loves you and that she is sorry for what she did. But she is still struggling. Help her.¡±


    As the evening wore on and it came time for recreation, Sister Marie Evangeline pressed a note into Sister Helena¡¯s hands. ¡°Come to my cell after Compline. I will help you. ¡ªMaria Evangeline.¡±


    With Compline ended, Sister Helena, still uneasy, made her way to Sister Maria Evangeline¡¯s cell in the dim light of the monastery. She knocked on the elm door to Sr. Marie Evangeline¡¯s cell.


    ¡°Come in,¡± said Sister Marie Evangeline. Sister Helena opened the door and found Sister Marie Evangeline seated on her bed. She motioned for Sister Helena to come sit next to her period.


    ¡°Helena, what''s troubling you?¡± Sister Marie Evangeline asked softly, her eyes filled with concern.


    ¡°It''s... my past,¡± Sister Helena whispered in a sorrowful tone, her voice trembling. ¡°I can''t seem to escape it.¡± She began to cry and sob, and finally let it all out, careful not to divulge any classified information.


    ¡°You don''t have to carry this burden alone,¡± Sister Marie Evangeline said, wrapping an arm around Sister Helen''s shoulders. ¡°We all have our paths, but we are here now together. What triggered this? You were fine until... Midday Prayer. It was the second half of Psalm 55, wasn''t it?


    ¡°Yes. It never bothered me until today. We prayed it thousands of times since I entered Carmel.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it could be related to your vision?¡±


    ¡°It''s possible,¡± Sister Helena said sobbing again. ¡°I just feel so guilty. Even though I''ve been forgiven the memories still haunt me.


    ¡°I understand,¡± let me sing you some hymns to help calm you. My mother often did this to me when I was a child and felling down. Then I will pray with you.¡± In a beautiful operatic soprano voice, she sang:


    ¡°All that we have and all that we offer


    Comes from a heart both frightened and free.


    Take what we bring now and give what we need.


    All done in His name.


    ¡°Some would rely on their power,


    Others put trust in their gold.


    Some have only their Savior,


    Whose faithfulness never grows old.


    ¡°All that we have and all that we offer


    Comes from a heart both frightened and free.


    Take what we bring now and give what we need.


    All done in his name.


    ¡°Sometimes the road may be lonesome,


    Often we may lose our way;


    Take courage and always remember


    Love isn''t just for a day.


    ¡°All that we have and all that we offer


    Comes from a heart both frightened and free.


    Take what we bring now and give what we need.


    All done in His name.


    ¡°Sometimes when troubles are many,


    Life can seem empty, it''s true,


    But look at the life of the Master,


    Who lovingly suffered for you.


    ¡°All that we have and all that we offer


    Comes from a heart both frightened and free.


    Take what we bring now and give what we need.


    All done in his name.¡±*


    As Sister Marie Evangeline sang, she comforted Sister Helena as if she were her own child. The gentle melodies and the warmth of Sister Marie Evangeline''s voice helped to ease Sister Helena¡¯s pain, reminding her she was not alone. Sr. Marie Evangline then prayed over her dear friend, asking God to relieve Sr. Helena¡¯s pain.


    ¡°Thank you, Evangeline,¡± whispered said Sr. Helena.


    ¡°Anytime, my child. Now, have some of your famous chamomile tea and get some sleep. I will check on you before the Office of Readings.¡±


    * ¡°All That Have¡±, words and music by Gary Alt

 Echoes Among the Tombstones

    As Sister Helena was reflecting on her sordid past, another remembrance took place in the nation''s capital. Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Larkin of the Space Force was seated in a chair in a lecture hall at Joint Base Andrews. Pen and paper at the ready he took detailed notes. He was attending a leadership conference, as he was about to take command of SG-24, (though he was told by General Carter to say that he was working on a project involving deep space radar technology out of NORAD). For several days he had been attending lectures given by distinguished lecturers who came from all ranks of the Air Force and the Space Force. He had many lively discussions with other officers and learned a lot from the conference about strategy, innovation, leadership and the future of the armed forces.


    At 50 years of age, Colonel Larkin was a seasoned officer, having a distinguished career both in the Air Force and most recently the Space Force. He was of average height and medium build. He had graying hair that he kept in a very short cut, a strong jawline, and dark expressive eyes. He was an imposing figure to his subordinates, yet fiercely loyal to them, earning him the nickname ¡°Bear¡±.


    With a conference concluded, Colonel Larkin looked at his watch. He had a few hours left before he was due back for his flight to Colorado Springs. ¡°Since I''m in DC,¡± he thought, ¡°I should probably visit him. I haven''t in a while.¡± His mind was made up: he was going to visit his brother''s grave at Arlington National Cemetery. He had been long overdue since he had last paid his respects.


    Colonel Larkin made his way to the motor pool. He flashed his credentials to a young Airman who stood at attention when Colonel Larkin approached him. ¡°I need a vehicle,¡± Colonel Larkin said, his voice steady but caring an undertone of urgency. ¡°I''m going out to Arlington National Cemetery.¡± The Airman nodded silently and quickly processed Colonel Larkin''s request and handed him the keys to a black government-issued SUV. Colonel Larkin thanked him, found the vehicle in the parking lot and drove off.


    As he drove through the streets of Washington, which became a blur to him as he drove, he recollected about the past and about his brother, Patrick, who he was going to see.


    He and both Patrick joined the Air Force as an enlisted men and worked their ways to the rank of Senior Airman. Due to their leadership skills, Marcus and Patrick were selected to Officer Candidate School. Upon graduation, each brother was given his respective assignments. Due to his specialties, Patrick was selected to join a top-secret program. Marcus was selected to join the peacekeeping force in Bosnia. When the War of Terror broke out, Marcus was reassigned to Afghanistan.


    It was during his tour in Afghanistan that Marcus learned that his brother was killed in the line of duty in the process of capturing fugitives that have broken out of Leavenworth Military Prison. This tragedy hurt him as he and Patrick were very close. Yet it fueled his desire to excel as he and his brother often challenged each other. Marcus excelled at missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was there during the Second Battle of Fallujah that Marcus caught the attention of a recruiter with the SGC.


    Upon his arrival at Stargate Command, Marcus was told about the true nature of his brother''s work: Patrick had been selected to join the SGC and join SG-24. He had served in many missions as the team¡¯s executive officer. Marcus also learned that Patrick and his team were killed at the hands of a Rogue NID team during their attempted capture by SG-24. This shocked Marcus to the core. He was given some time after training to grieve once again. Learning the truth of his brother''s death motivated him to excel, but it left him scarred. The people who killed his brother were not the Goa¡¯uld, the Ori, the Wraith, the Lucien Alliance or other enemies, but it was his own people that killed his brother. He made a promise that he would help bring his brother''s killers to justice.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Marcus was selected to join SG-11 as executive officer, and he excelled at that position. He went on many missions, the most notable being the Battle of P2Y-378 against the Lucien Alliance. His gallant actions on the battlefield earned him a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and a choice of command. He requested to take command of SG-24, his brother''s old unit.


    He was in the process of selecting his teammates. He had selected two of them: Squadron Leader Isolde Fairbairn of the British Royal Air Force and Oversersjant Gunner Bjornsson of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. All he needed was a fourth team member. He had been studying personnel files on the flight, but he could not find someone who was a good fit.


    Colonel Larkin arrived at the cemetery. Pulling out a map, he consulted it he consulted where he needed to go. In a matter of minutes, he found the section where his brother''s grave was located. He parked the vehicle and taking a bouquet of flowers and a wood carving and consulting his map once again, he made his way where he needed to go. After some walking Marcus found his way to his brother''s grave. The crunch of gravel under his boots was the only sound in the stillness. He took his cover off, knelt and fingered the engraving of the tombstone ¡°PATRICK GARRETT LARKIN, MAJOR, USAF, MARCH 17, 1976- JULY 16, 2002.¡± He took his He spent some time in silence his brother''s absence pressing down on him. Marcus talked to the tombstone as if his brother were there with him.


    ¡°Hey, bro,¡± he began his voice breaking. ¡°I brought you some flowers. I thought you''d like that.¡± He placed them at the base of the tombstone.


    He spent some time in silence recollecting all the good times he had spent with his brother. He remembered all the friendly challenges they had undertaken both as children growing up in the South Side of Chicago, and later in the Air Force. They would always celebrate when either got a promotion when they got together at the earliest convenience, often over good food and several bottles of whiskey. They would show each other what wood carving projects they¡¯d been working on (a skill they had both learned from their grandfather), giving their masterpieces to each other as gifts.


    ¡°Mom and Dad say hello. They really miss you. I do too!¡± He paused for a short while. ¡°I finished new wood carving. It''s of a Spitfire. I know you wanted me to make one ever since we saw one at the Air and Space Museum.¡± He pulled it out and held it before the tombstone as if to show him. ¡°I hope you like it.¡± Marcus began to break down and cry. ¡°Oh, why did you have to die like that at the hands of those traitors? You had so much of life left ahead of you! You could have been a general!¡± He cried again. When he regained his composure, he spoke again.


    ¡°Patrick, I wanted to tell you that I''ve been given a command of my own. It''s your old unit: SG-24. I bet you''d be proud of me, your little brother. I will make you proud. I''ll make SG-24 the best units in the SGC, except for SG-1 of course. I''ve selected all but one of my team members. I''ve got a bonnie lass from Scotland who can fix anything and a stoic Norwegian who specializes in weapons. I just need a cultural advisor. I don''t know who to pick. So, if you could send a message to the Man Upstairs to guide me, I would appreciate that.¡± He knelt in silence for some time; every now and again he would cry.


    As his time ended, Marcus fingered the tombstone. He stood. ¡°I must go now. Got to catch a flight back to the SGC. Patrick, I will make you proud.¡± He stood at attention and gave a salute, put his cover back on and walked back to the vehicle, his eyes still fixed on his brother''s grave. Marcus imagined Patrick standing there smiling and waving.


    Colonel Larkin got into the vehicle and drove back to Joint Base Andrews. He felt a sense of relief come over him. It had been a painful and difficult thing to do but it needed to be done. He thought about the responsibilities awaiting him as the new commanding officer of SG-24. Colonel Larkin was ready to take on this new challenge, carrying his brother''s memory as a source of strength and inspiration.

 The Feast and the Door to Heaven

    Sister Helena went to bed that night in peace. Yet Sister Marie Evangeline, deeply concerned for her dear friend, felt that something was still unsettling her. She decided to help Sister Helena and keep an eye on her. She went to the Mother Superior to ask for a change of assignment to help Sister Helena in her tea blending. Mother Superior agreed and with Sister Helen''s approval, Sister Marie Evangeline would be Sister Helena¡¯s assistant. When Sister Helena heard this news, she was overjoyed. She had been running the tea blending by herself for several years now. With Humble Grounds'' tea line expanding with more people ordering their tea, Sister Helena was glad to have some help.


    Sister Maria Evangeline arrived at Sister Helena''s workshop after Tierce the following morning. Sister Helena greeted her friend with a hug. Then with a hint of playfulness, knowing that Sister Marie Evangeline had been in the Air Force she shouted as if she were a Military Training Instructor:


    ¡°New recruits, fall in!¡± Sister Marie Evangeline ran up to Sister Helena and came to attention, a grin filled her face. Sister Helena saw the grin.


    ¡°Is that a grin I see, recruit?¡± Sister Marie Evangeline stopped grinning and responded,


    ¡°Ma''am, no Ma''am! She responded in the same tone and cadence that her friend had.


    ¡°I can''t hear you!¡±


    ¡°Ma''am no Ma''am!¡± responded Sister Marie Evangeline.


    ¡°Alright, recruit, you will be under my supervision! You will learn the ins and outs of tea blending. You will learn about every plant, every herb from back to front and front to back. You will learn how to blend these herbs into the best and finest teas that we have produced been producing in this monastery. And you will do it with love, for that is how Humble Grounds operates. And you will do these things by the numbers! Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, yes ma''am!¡±


    ¡°I can''t hear you!¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am yes ma''am!¡±


    ¡°At ease, recruit!¡± Sister Marie Evangeline stood at ease. Sister Helena smiled, and she and Sister Marie Evangeline laughed. ¡°I''m sorry, my friend. I just had to do that!¡±


    ¡°I know you had to,¡± Sister Marie Evangeline replied. ¡°It took me back to when I was in boot camp. Thank you, my friend.¡±


    ¡°You''re welcome. Now let''s get started. Grab an apron and the order clipboard. Let''s get to work.¡±


    The two spent the morning filling orders, which were many. Sister Helen and was pleased with the influx of orders. For her this was a good sign. They worked on orders until midday prayers. After prayers and lunch, they continued to work on the orders. While they worked Sister Marie Evangeline sang a hymn while Sister Helena was chanting something totally different. Sister Marie Evangeline was curious about what her friend was chanting.


    ¡°What are you chanting, Helena?¡± Sister Marie Evangeline asked. It sounded like a Jody Call.¡±


    ¡°It was! I''ve been composing some Carmelite Jody Calls since entering Caramel. I use them when I go running. I think St. Nuno would be proud of me.¡±


    ¡°Really? Let me hear one!¡±


    ¡°Alright. Will you do the responses?¡±


    ¡°I would be honored!¡±


    ¡°Here goes.¡± With a military shout she intoned:


    Up on Mount Carmel in days of old


    hermits gathered so brave and bold


    to follow Elijah was their plan


    with zeal for God they made their stand.


    They all went up to Jerusalem


    for a rule of life as they had none


    Saint Albert he gave the hermits their rule


    prayer and work that was their fuel.


    The Crusades went down in the Holy Land


    some of the soldiers joined our band


    but war came to Mount CarmelThe story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    they had to build did the mount farewell.


    In merry old England the hermits came


    but their mission remained the same


    prayer, community, service their call


    the love of Christ they shared with all.


    Saint Simon Stock one night he prayed


    ¡°come loving Mary to our aid¡±


    the scapular she gave to him


    her children now to protect from sin.


    John and Teresa down in Spain


    noticed that from our path we had strayed


    through mystic sight they taught and wrote


    to reform the Order their lives devote.


    Therese of Lisieux, the little flower


    with charity and love her superpower


    wrote of her life by night and day


    and shared with us her Little Way.


    The blood of the Church we have become


    God''s presence in our souls flows from


    in recent days the popes who say


    ¡°Carmel teaches the church how to pray.¡±


    ¡°That was fun!¡± Said Sister Marie Evangeline. How about another?¡±


    ¡°Certainly. Here¡¯s one about St. Titus Brandsma.¡± As Sister Helena said these words, her eyes widened and she straightened up as if she had frozen. She was having another vision.


    There was a flash of white and Sister Helena found herself in the middle of the medieval village she had seen in her previous vision. She saw the pillar with its Middle English inscription. She saw villagers happy this time. This was a change. When she last saw these people, they looked sullen and downcast. It was a festive time; there was some sort of festival going on. People were feasting on some hearty foods, there were games for the children and those young at heart. There was even a band playing music. Couples young and old were dancing to the lively tune.


    She then saw some sort of procession going on through the town. It almost seemed Catholic to her. There were young girls in beautiful dresses carrying baskets of flower petals and dropping on the ground as they walked. Then came she saw boys and young men dressed in what looked like white albs, then a bunch of what looked like monks in grey tunics, then two teenage boys in albs swinging what looked like thuribles, some type of smoke emanated from holes in the gold type metal. Then more young boys carrying candles, then four men carrying a canopy and four men under the canopy carrying a decorated platform that had some sort of statue (she couldn''t see what it was), then a man dressed in fine clothes with his hands folded. He looked like a priest of sorts. Behind the priest was the rest of the town. They all were singing a hymn or song of some sort.


    They entered the building with a cross on top. It almost looked like a church. There were some sort of benches or pews that the people sat on. They began to fill the building. At the back of the building was some sort of altar. The procession ended and she could hear an organ playing. The man with fine clothes went up to the altar he chanted:


    ¡°In n¨®mine Patris, et F¨ªlii, et Sp¨ªritus Sancti.¡± The people responded:


    ¡°Amen.¡± Sister Helena was surprised. Where these people Catholic? If they were, they had a strange liturgy. It wasn''t the Roman Rite, neither the Ordinary form nor the Tridentine Form; it did remind her a bit of the Anglican usage. She saw highlights of the service including what looked like the consecration. It all seemed beautiful.


    She then saw a young girl, the same one she had seen in her previous vision. She was dressed in the same grey tunic and looked downcast. She was standing in a field; the village was far in the distance.


    ¡°We need your help here. We have lost our way and need you to restore us. Come to us.¡± She turned around to reveal¡­the Stargate! Sister Helena was shocked. The Stargate was part of her sordid past. She had used it for evil things. Why was she being shown to it shown it by these people? How could she help them? She did not know what their address was. The girl held out her hand. ¡°Come to us...come to us¡­help us¡­!¡± No sooner than a myriad of questions flooded her brain, Sister Helena felt a tug at her and a woman''s voice called out to her.


    ¡°Helena.... Helena... Helena!¡± Sister Helena awoke from her trance-like state to find Sister Marie Evangeline tugging at her arm and calling out to her.


    ¡°Helena, are you alright?¡± Sister Marie Evangeline asked her voice full of concern.


    ¡°I''m alright... I think,¡± Sister Helena responded. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°We were chanting one of your Jody calls and filling orders when you just... froze. Helena, what happened? Did you have another vision?¡±


    ¡°I... I did,¡± Sister Helena replied. ¡°The same people who were calling out to me for help showed me their customs and traditions. I believe they may be Christian, maybe even Catholic, but it was a strange liturgy they had. I think they were celebrating a saint¡¯s feast day or something; they had a procession with a statue of an angel, I think. But as you tugged at my arm, I saw something from my past. Something... classified. It''s now left me confused and asking more questions. I¡¯m not sure what to do. I will pray about it though.¡±


    ¡°Have you thought about writing your visions down?¡± Sister Marie Evangeline asked.


    ¡°Yes, but with this new development, I¡¯m not sure how to proceed. I¡¯m dealing with classified material, here.¡±


    ¡°You could write in a code, Helena. Do you remember what I told you about St. Teresa of Avila? How she wrote her books as ignorant nun to avoid the scrutiny of the inquisition? You could do something similar.¡± That gave Sister Helena an idea. When she was with the Rogue NID, she remembered that Colonel Galli mentioned that the Stargate was originally called the Door to Heaven until the translation was corrected by Dr. Daniel Jackson. What if she used that in her notes? If she ever got needed to get in contact with Colonel Davis, her probation officer, she could have a written record and be able to translate for him.


    ¡°Thanks for the advice, Evangeline. I will take it to heart.¡± There was a short pause ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°Four¡­maybe five seconds.¡± Sister Marie Evangeline replied. ¡°Do you need a break?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Sister Helena replied. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to work. Let me show you how to blend a simple tea.¡± The two worked together for the remainder of the day, enjoying each other¡¯s company. They would sing as they worked, Sister Helena performed her Jody call on St. Titus, which delighted Sister Marie Evangline. At recreation time, Sister Helena asked Mother Superior for a notebook, and one was given to her. After Compline, Sister Helena took a cup of her chamomile tea and the notebook to her cell. She sat down at her desk and wrote on the Front-Page TOP SECRET USAF BUSINESS. On the second page she wrote RECOLLECTIONS OF A DOORWAY TO HEAVEN/BY A SISTER OF CARMEL, 2024. As the evening progressed, she wrote what she saw in her visions. She hoped that one day she would make sense of them and could find a way to help the people of that village, wherever they may be.

 New Assignments

    Aboard the UNS Aurora, which was in hyperspace en route to the Gamma site, Colonel Irving Kelter sat in his office, looking over personnel reports and drinking a cup of coffee. At 0930 hours, this was his third cup. As soon as he got on duty that morning, he had been greeted by a communique from General Carter. ¡°FAIRBAIRN, ISOLDE, SQN. LDR., RAF, TO BE RECALLED TO EARTH FOR REASSIGNMENT TO SG-24. BY ORDER OF LT. GEN. S. N. CARTER, MESSAGE ENDS 0900 ZULU.¡± Colonel Kelter upon acknowledgment of the message had spent the last thirty minutes reviewing her profile, gleaning some useful information to give a speech to Squadron Leader Fairbairn. At last he was ready. He pushed the intercom on his desk. ¡°Squadron Leader Fairbairn, report to Captain¡¯s office. Squadron Leader Fairbairn report to the Captain¡¯s office,¡± he said in a New York Jewish accent. At 52 years of age Colonel Kelter was a short man with balding black to greyish hair and brown eyes. He had been command of the Aurora for the past five years having served aboard the Sun Tsu as executive officer prior to his current posting.


    Several minutes later, there was a buzz at the cabin door¡¯s chime. ¡°Come,¡± said Colonel Kelter. The door opened and a fit and average young woman of thirty-four, with googles on her dark brown hair entered. After shutting the door she approached the desk, stood at attention and saluted. Colonel Kelter stood and returned the salute.


    ¡°Squadron Leader Isolde Fairbairn reporting as ordered, sir!¡± she said in a Scottish accent. A native of Tweedale, south of Edinburgh, she had left home at eighteen to see the world. After receiving a degree in Computer Science from Cambridge, Isolde, or Izzy as her friends called her, enrolled in Officer Candidate School after one of her instructors at the University Air Squadron, of which she was a member, recommended her. After Officer Candidate School she was stationed at RAF Brize Norton. While there, she developed an innovative program to significantly improve response times and efficiency at the base. Her initiative and problem solving skills caught the attention of a recruiter for the SGC.


    ¡°At ease,¡± said Colonel Kelter as Squadron Leader Fairbairn did so. ¡°Have a seat.¡± Once Fairbairn was seated, Colonel Kelter spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve been reviewing your service record. And time and time again I remind myself why I asked for you in the first place. It¡¯s because of your exemplary work on the Apollo.¡± Squadron Leader remembered her time on the Apollo and the event that Colonel Kelter was referring to. She was a Flying Officer at the time and junior assistant working on the Asgard Computer and Weapon Systems. During a crucial battle with the Lucian Alliance, the Lucians with several Ha¡¯tak vessels managed to cripple the Apollo¡¯s Systems. It also took the life of her superior officer. With her extensive knowledge of the Asgard systems, Fairbairn was able to restore the computer in short order so that Colonel Ellis could strike back with the Asgard Beam Weapon and send the Lucians packing.


    Colonel Ellis had been impressed with Fairbairn¡¯s work and gallant action that he gave her a field promotion to Flight Lieutenant and Senior computer technician. When the Aurora was christened in 2019, Colonel Kelter handpicked her to be his officer in charge of the Asgard Systems, a position that Fairbairn went above and beyond the call of duty to perform. She also was promoted to Squadron Leader.


    ¡°Squadron Leader Fairbairn, I want to let you know that your work and service abord the Aurora these past five years has been exemplary. I would like to thank you for your service.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°The reason I called you is to inform you that you will be given a new assignment. Effective immediately you will be joining SG-24 as executive officer. Congratulations,¡± Colonel Kelter said as he extended his hand. With a large Scottish smile, Fairbairn took his hand and shook it. Ever joining the SGC, she had dreamed of joining an SG team. Now she had her chance.


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Fairbairn exclaimed. Colonel Kelter pressed a button on his desk.


    ¡°Captain to bridge.¡±


    ¡°Keon here.¡±


    ¡°Does our current course take us near a habitable friendly planet with a Stargate?¡±


    ¡°It does, sir. P6X-271 is three hours off our current heading.¡±


    ¡°Have the helmsman drop out of hyperspace and have the navigator plot a new course. Engage the hyperdrive when you¡¯re ready.


    ¡°Aye aye, Captain. Keon out.¡± Colonel looked up at Squadron Leader Fairbairn and back at the intercom.


    ¡°Keon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir?¡±


    ¡°Have an honor guard assembled by then. Squadron Leader Fairbairn will be leaving the Aurora to return Earth for reassignment.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Good. Kelter out.¡± To Squadron Leader Fairbairn he said, ¡°Go pack your things. We¡¯re going to drop you at the nearest friendly planet that contains a Stargate. I know that we¡¯ll not get to have proper farewell party for you, but maybe when you are not busy with your missions, and we are in port, we can properly celebrate.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir! I¡¯d like that!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll plan for that! Dismissed!¡± The two saluted and Squadron Leader Fairbairn left the cabin. Colonel Kelter announced over the one main circuit of Squadron Leader Fairbairn¡¯s Departure. Izzy went to her department to tell them the news. She was greeted with cheers and applause.


    ¡°Congratulations, Ma¡¯am,¡± Peltier.


    ¡°Good luck on your new assignment,¡± said Hosko.


    ¡°Hey everyone! Three cheers for Squadron Leader Fairbairn!¡± Exclaimed Nguyen. ¡°Hip Hip¡­¡±


    ¡°Hoorah!¡±


    ¡°Hip hip¡­


    ¡°Hoorah!¡±


    ¡°Hip hip¡­¡±


    ¡°Hoorah!¡± They all sang her For She¡¯s a Jolly Good Fellow. Izzy was touched by her subordinates well wishes and told them so.


    ¡°Thank you. I don¡¯t know who the Colonel will choose as my replacement, but for now Captain Nguyen will temporarily in charge until Colonel Kelter makes his decision.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ma¡¯am,¡± said Captain Nguyen.


    ¡°It¡¯s been an honor serving with you all. You¡¯ve become my family these past few years. I will miss you all,¡± said Fairbairn. Her team gave her a salute, which she returned. Then after handshakes and hugs, Izzy departed for her quarters to pack.


    When the Aurora dropped out of hyperspace, and scans were made for bandits (there were none) Colonel Kelter announced on the 1MC:The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Squadron Leader Fairbairn, report to the bridge.¡± She grabbed her duffle bag and her gear and exited her cabin. As she rounded the corner she saw the honor guard.


    ¡°Honors! Hup!¡± announced the boatswain. The honor guard snapped to attention as Izzy made her way to the bridge. When she arrived on the bridge, Colonel Kelter and Lieutenant Colonel Keon were present.


    ¡°Permission to disembark, Sir?¡± asked Fairbairn.


    ¡°Permission granted, Squadron Leader,¡± Responded Colonel Kelter. He gave her a small smartphone-shaped device. ¡°Your GDO for your trip to Earth.¡± He and Lieutenant Colonel Keon gave her a salute, which Izzy returned. ¡°Good luck.¡± With a final handshake to both Kelter and Keon, Izzy stepped back from the two.


    ¡°Beam her down,¡± Colonel Kelter said to the Helmsman. With a flash of white, Squadron Leader Isolde Fairbairn beamed down to the planet¡¯s surface, ready to begin her new chapter of her career as Executive Officer of SG-24.


    ********************************************


    At the Alpha Site¡¯s weapons range, a burly Norwegian man of thirty-three years of age with blonde hair in a buzz cut and brown eyes stood before a table filled with various alien weapons; Goa¡¯uld staff weapons and Zat¡¯nik¡¯tels to be exact. A group of twenty men and women who were new recruits to the SGC were gathered around the Norwegian and the table.


    The instructor in question was Oversersjant Gunnar Bjornsson. He was a fourteen-year veteran in the Royal Norwegian Air Force and a seven-year veteran of the SGC, specializing in munitions. His interest in that field had been sparked as a youngster when his grandfather, a veteran of World War II, told his war stories, told of the equipment they had used in their battles with the Nazis, including the munitions. A young Gunnar, or Thorin as his family called him, would listen intently to his grandfather¡¯s stories and would ask a myriad of questions. In addition, a trip to the National Museum when he was in middle school, where he discovered and learned about Nordic and Viking weapons, fueled his passion for the miliary even further. This made him want to study engineering in high school.


    As soon as he was able to enlist in the military, Thorin did so, enlisting in the Air Force. After basic training, Thorin took further training at munitions school. His work, expertise and excellence at various air bases around Norway awarded him a promotion and an instructorship at munitions school. Despite his foreboding and menacing appearance, Thorin was a gentle giant. He would spend extra time helping his students who were struggling to understand the concepts he was teaching. He made sure that every one of his students passed with flying colors.


    His instructing style caught the attention of a recruiter with the SGC. After training, he was assigned to the Alpha Site, training various teams and recruits there. By now, he has become a key figure at the Alpha Site, focusing on munitions and explosives as well.


    ¡°Alright recruits, listen up!¡± Thorin exclaimed in a Norwegian accent. ¡°Today we¡¯re focusing on advanced alien weaponry. These aren¡¯t your standard-issue firearms, so pay close attention.¡± He picked up a staff weapon and held it up for all to see. He demonstrated to his recruits all its features. ¡°This is a Goa¡¯uld staff weapon. It¡¯s powerful but has significant recoil. Keep your stance firm and your grip steady.¡± Thorin took a firing stance, aiming at a target some 200 meters down range. He pressed a button and the staff weapon opened, small sparks of energy and a sound emanated from the muzzle. After taking one last aiming sight, Thorin fired the weapon; a bright energy blast emanated from the staff weapon hitting the target, a large hay bale. Thorin turned back to the class, careful to keep the weapon pointed downrange.


    ¡°Notice the delay between pulling the trigger and the energy discharge. You need to account for that in combat. Questions?¡± Hearing none and after a moment of silence, Thorin motioned to the group to come up to the firing line, which they did so single file. Thorin gave the staff weapon to a athletic young man. The range technicians had already set up another hay bale.


    ¡°Perfect stance, Nold. Fire when ready.¡± He did so and hit his target with accurate precision.


    ¡°Excellent, shot, Nold! Good Job,¡± said Thorin. ¡°Next shooter!¡± The recruits took their turns firing. Thorin guided each recruit through the process; he would make corrections to their stances, helping them with their aiming and offering tips.


    ¡°Good, Morkovsky. Keep your elbows in,¡± he said to a nervous young recruit. ¡°Steady your breathing. Remember, accuracy over speed.¡± This continued for some time. As they neared the end of a group one of the recruits, a woman named Rose Ernestes, took the staff weapon. After taking her stance and aiming, she pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, except that the staff weapon began to emit a high-pitched whine and became hot in Rose¡¯s hands that she instinctively handed to Thorin, and quickly backed away, wringing her hands as she reacted to the burning weapon.


    Thorin, keeping his cool, sprang into action. He quickly placed the weapon on the ground. ¡°Everyone back! He exclaimed. The weapon¡¯s overheating!¡± He ushered the recruits to a safe distance. The weapon continued to whine and glow ominously. Thorin continued to keep his cool.


    ¡°Stay calm period this can happen with alien tech. We need to let it cool down. In the meantime, let''s switch to the Zat¡¯nick¡¯tel.¡± Going back to the weapons table he picked up the Zat gun and went to a different part of the weapons range, his group following behind him. Once they arrived, thorn held up the Zat gun.


    ¡°Next we have the Goa¡¯uld Zat¡¯nik¡¯tel or Zat gun. One shot stuns, two shots kill, and three shots disintegrates. It''s a versatile weapon, but you need to be precise. Let''s go through the firing sequence.¡± He pressed a button and the zat was activated in the firing position. Assuming a firing stance and aiming at a target 100 meters away, Thorn squeezed on the trigger. He fired a single shot at the target which was sparked and fell over. As he went through the motions of firing, he explained everything to the recruits. He turned to the recruits keeping the weapon pulling the downrange.


    ¡°Alright. Let''s practice. Remember to aim for the center of mass.¡± The recruits practiced firing the Zat gun, with Thorin providing guidance and support; all the while he kept steady eye on the malfunctioning staff weapon.


    When the recruits had finished firing the Zat gun and Thorin was satisfied with their work, he called the team to gather around him. ¡°Excellent work, everyone. Keep practicing and these weapons will become separate nature to you. Dismissed!¡± As the recruits went their separate ways, Thorin pulled out his radio. ¡°Weapons each team to the firing range,¡± he said. Within a few minutes, a young corporal and private came up to him and saluted.


    ¡°Corporal, we had a weapons malfunction during training.¡± Thorin said as he pointed to the Staff weapon. ¡°I need this weapon checked and repaired before the next session.¡±


    ¡°Will do, sir,¡± the corporal replied. Thorin watched as the two placed the weapon in a containment locker. Once they were away Throrin picked up his clipboard, file folders, the Zat Gun, and after a friendly chat with the range staff, went to his office.


    After placing the Zat in the weapons locker and logging it back in, Thorin went into his office. He poured himself a cup of coffee, put on some Nordic folk music and worked on his reports.


    Hours passed. After a break for chow, and several hours more, Thorin was ready to call it an evening. As he was shutting down and tidying up his office, the Alpha Site¡¯s commanding officer, Group Captain Davida Noble knocked on the open door.


    ¡°Come in, ma''am,¡± Thorin said as he stood, coming to attention and saluted. Group Captain Noble returned to the salute. She was in her late 40s, she had an average build and height, blonde hair and brown eyes.


    ¡°I heard we had a weapons malfunction this afternoon, Sergeant¡± said Group Captain Noble in Australian accent. A native of Sydney, she had served at various air bases in Australia with the RAAF and several SG teams before assigned to be the Alpha Site¡¯s base commander.


    ¡°We did, ma¡¯am, Bjornson replied. Group captain noble mentioned for him to take a seat in one of the chairs that were in front of Bjornson¡¯s desk. After sitting down Thorin spoke. ¡°The Staff Weapon that I was using overloaded as Lieutenant Ernestes was ready to fire it. I had the weapons techs take it to be repaired and checked.


    ¡°Any speculations on why it malfunctioned, Sergeant?¡±


    ¡°My guess is that it was bought properly calibrated during the last calibration cycle. I was not happy with the last tech that we had. His work was very poor. I had to personally go over his work. I will personally calibrate the weapon tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That''s not going to be possible. I''ve just received word from General Carter that you are being reassigned and recalled back to Earth. You are going to be joining SG-24 as the team¡¯s tactical specialist.¡± She smiled and he extended her hand. ¡°Congratulations, Sergeant!¡± Thorin, beaming with pride, shook her hand.


    ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am!¡± Thorin exclaimed.


    ¡°You¡¯ve thoroughly earned it, Bjornson,¡± Group Captain Noble replied. ¡°You¡¯ve been a hardworking and dedicated member of my staff for seven years now. It¡¯s time for you to put your skills out in the field. Go and pack your things. We¡¯ll have a little farewell party for you at breakfast. You¡¯ll leave at 0930 tomorrow.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. Thank you!¡± And so Oversersjant Gunnar ¡°Thorin¡± Bjornson, the pride of Norway, went forth from the Alpha Site back to Earth to take his place as Tactical Specialist of SG-24, looking forward to the challenges of working in the field for the first time.

 Visions of the Past

    The little Carmelite monastery was abuzz with excitement. The sisters were preparing for a vocations weekend. They were going to house fifteen young women from various parts of the United States in the monastery (which they had the space to do so, since they were a small congregation whose membership had been in decline since the 1970s). So empty cells needed to be cleaned, beds needed to be made-up, Bibles, complementary missalettes and other prayer materials to be put out.


    Sister Helena helped with her share of the work. She looked forward to the young ladies coming to the monastery as she could teach them about Carmel and the saints and holy people of the Order, especially St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, a French Mystic who died at a young age, and St. Nuno of Saint Mary who, like her, was a soldier before entering Carmel. She helped with cleaning the monastery in the morning and fulfilled tea orders in the afternoon. It was a long but productive day.


    Sister Helena had just departed from the chapel from Compline. She stopped by Sister Marie Evangeline''s cell before heading to her own. She knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± said Sister Marie Evangeline. Sister Helena entered and went in. Sister Marie Evangeline gave her a hug and the two sat down on her bed. ¡°How are you doing, my child?¡± Sister Marie Evangeline asked in a gentle voice. Every night the two with, Mother Superior¡¯s permission¡ªas their Rule prescribed silence from Compline until Lauds¡ªwould allow them to visit allowing the two to catch up on the day and for Sister Marie Evangeline could offer Sister Helena a prayer and a blessing before bed.


    ¡°I''m doing all right, Evangeline,¡± said Sister Helena. It was a tiring day but worth it. I''m looking forward to our guests coming to visit us.¡±


    ¡°Have you had any more visions?¡±


    ¡°Not recently,¡± Sister Helena replied. It had been a few weeks since she had seen the vision of the festival and the little girl in front of the Stargate. ¡°But I''m still trying to make sense of the visions. I feel I need more information about these people before making a call to my probation officer. I feel I would be written off as a joke at this stage. Oh! I wish I had more information on them!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps God will reveal it to you in his good time, child.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you''re right.¡±


    ¡°Who are the two Saints you are at going present on?¡± Sister Marie Evangeline asked.


    ¡°Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity and St. Nuno of St. Mary. They were influential in my conversion. Plus, nobody picked them. How about you?¡±


    ¡°I picked Saint Mary Magdalene de¡¯Pazzi and Saint Angeles of Sicily. They were influential in my life. I also went to Saint Mary Magdalene de¡¯Pazzi High School, so there''s that connection.¡±


    ¡°That is very interesting,¡± said Sister Helena. ¡°Tell me more.¡± They talked for a little while. Sister Marie Evangeline showed Sister Helena her needlepoint project, which was of the Prophet Elijah. She had gotten the materials and the painted canvas from a wealthy benefactor who lived in Houston, Texas. The plan was to auction the work at the monastery¡¯s upcoming gala. When the two had run out of things to say, Sr. Helena asked for her nightly blessing.


    ¡°Alright, my child. Let me pray over you,¡± said Sister Marie Evangeline. She took some holy water and, dipping her thumb into it, she traced the Sign of the Cross on Sister Helena''s forehead. ¡°Heavenly Father, I ask your blessing on my dear friend Helena this night and may she be blessed with peaceful rest. May Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and all the Saints and Blesseds of our Order keep and watch over you. We ask this through Christ our Lord.¡±


    ¡°Amen,¡± Sister Helena replied. Sister Marie Evangeline gave Sister Helena a hug and a kiss on the forehead.


    ¡°Goodnight my child. May you have pleasant dreams.¡±


    ¡°I hope I will,¡± said Sister Helena. ¡°Goodnight, Evangeline.¡± With one final hug Sister Helena left Sister Marie Evangeline cell and went to her own. Once inside she made some tea and began to look over her presentations making corrections and changes with a red pen. As soon as their eyelids begin droopy, she changed out of her habit. As she was about to do so, she felt a flash of white light come over her.


    She found herself in a medieval house looking at a young woman, who was ill and being tended to by... Samantha Carter?! She looked so young. Was this from the planet¡¯s past? The point of view changed to one of standing and moving to another part of the room to produce a package of sorts. Whoever it was began to open it as a male voice was speaking.


    ¡°Simon! Listen to me!¡± The voice exclaimed. Sister Helena recognized the voice; it sounded awfully familiar. The point of view turned suddenly and she saw... General Jack O''Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Teal¡¯c¡ªSG-1?! What were they doing here? O¡¯Neill spoke:


    ¡°Look, we''ve run into this kind of thing before. Now, it''s not a demon. It''s demonesque, I''ll grant you, but it''s a big ugly creature.¡± Dr. Jackson turned to O''Neill.


    ¡°Who''s inhabited by a Goa¡¯uld that gives it strength, intelligence, and the ability to regenerate,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, it''s all very smart, resilient creature,¡± said O''Neill.


    ¡°In the service of Sokar who, for all intense purposes, is Satan to these people,¡± Dr. Jackson reminded O''Neill.


    ¡°But it''s not a demon,¡± said O''Neill.


    ¡°No, it''s not a demon,¡± Dr. Jackson affirmed.


    ¡°My friends speak the truth, Simon,¡± said Teal¡¯c his stoic voice. ¡°This demon is nothing more than a parasite that inhabits another creature. Your fear is its greatest power over you.¡±


    ¡°You do not fear it?¡± The voice asked. Sister Helena assumed this was the person sending her the visions. But where was the little girl she had seen and our last two visions?


    ¡°We do not.¡± Teal¡¯c replied. The view looked up and down at Jack with his strange black metallic device and Tea¡¯lc and his staff weapon.


    ¡°You say you have killed an Unas once before?¡± The voice asked.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Teal¡¯c said stoically.


    ¡°Then perhaps God has sent you. Perhaps you are the answer to our prayers. All my life I''ve asked God to deliver us from this evil,¡± The voice said.


    ¡°So, what did the lizard say? That he''ll be back at sunrise?¡± O''Neill asked.


    ¡°Are you contemplating attack, O''Neill?¡± Teal¡¯c asked.


    ¡°Yeah, sure why not?¡± O''Neill responded.


    ¡°The Unas is difficult to destroy,¡± Teal¡¯c reminded O¡¯Neill.


    ¡°A couple of shots with the staff weapon, we owe him,¡± O''Neill said.


    ¡°We hope,¡± Carter said. ¡°It took Thor¡¯s Hammer to kill the last one.¡±


    ¡°All right, a whole lot of shots for the staff.¡± O¡¯Neill turned to Dr. Jackson. ¡°Daniel, how long have these people been living like this?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can''t be for sure without proper reference.¡±


    ¡°A thousand years,¡± O¡¯Neill asked impatiently.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°At least,¡± Dr. Jackson replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s long enough,¡± said O¡¯Neill. ¡°These people are being terrorized. We have the power to stop it.¡±


    ¡°Sokar will seek revenge, Teal''c reminded O''Neill.


    ¡°All right, so we have been very the gate after we''re gone,¡± said O''Neill.


    ¡°They could come in ships,¡± said Dr. Jackson.


    ¡°Ships?¡± asked O¡¯Neill.


    ¡°I can''t be sure,¡± said Carter, ¡°but the coordinates of this planet are yet are years away from any known Goa¡¯uld homeworld, even with their fastest ships." O¡¯Neill turned towards Simon.


    ¡°Simon, do you want us to do this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Are we not in God''s hands?¡± the voice asked rhetorically. This whole vision began to confuse Sister Helena. SG-1 was helping people? This was not how she remembered them. She then saw SG-1 struck down by some sort of blast from the sky by the village religious leader, known as Canon, who was convinced SG-1 was evil as they had come from ¡°the Circle of Darkness¡± she saw Teal¡¯c, who had been tortured by Canon and his minions, being drowned in the lake, as a test for witchcraft despite vocal protests from O''Neill, Carter, and Dr. Jackson.


    With Teal¡¯c seemingly dead and about to be buried, the three tried to reason with Simon as he was about to drill a hole in the young woman''s head, whom he called Mary, in a trepanning ritual to release a hypothetical demon from her (in reality, Mary had chickenpox and the fever had broken on its own). When Teal¡¯c awoke (having put himself in his deep state of Kelno¡¯reem and his symbiote sustaining him on the oxygen in the water), Canon deemed them all evil and ordered SG-1 and Mary to be chained to the stocks in the center of the village to be taken as hosts for Sokar by the Unas.


    SG-1 tried to reason with Simon about helping them, but he refused, deeming them evil. When the Unas took SG-1 and Mary and Cannon threatened Simon as being acceptable for sacrifice for the Unas (as punishment for questioning his authority), that''s when Simon decided to act. Sister Helena saw another flash of light and she saw Simon pointing Teal¡¯c¡¯s Staff Weapon at the Unas, who had found SG-1 and Mary when they had tried to escape. They were chained together.


    ¡°Leave them!¡± Simon shouted at the Unas.


    ¡°You dare to challenge me?¡± asked the Unas in a menacing and flanged voice.


    ¡°Shoot it!¡± O''Neill exclaimed.


    ¡°You shall join them in Hell,¡± said the Unas as he picked up the chain and jammed one end of it into a tree.


    ¡°SIMON!¡± Mary cried as the Unas walked toward Simon.


    ¡°Shoot it!¡± O''Neill ordered.


    ¡°SIMON!¡± Mary cried again.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± O''Neill ordered for a second time. Simon fired the Staff Weapon, hitting the Unas in it¡¯s chest. Green blood appeared from the wound. The Unas appeared unaffected.


    ¡°Again!¡± O''Neill ordered. Simon fired the Staff Weapon a second time, but the Unas remained unaffected. It just kept walking towards Simon.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± O''Neill cried. Simon fired the staff weapon at the Unas at point blank range; this just made the Unas angrier.


    ¡°For this, you will pay for your life!¡± the Unas said as it knocked the staff weapon out of Simon''s hands. It backhanded Simon, sending him flying across the clearing.


    ¡°SIMON!¡± Mary cried. Simon stumbled to his feel and ran off; the Unas trailing him. After running with a limp through the forest for what seemed like an eternity, he stopped to rest behind a rock. The Canon, having heard the commotion and the Unas¡¯ roar came from behind the rock to find Simon. He angrily pushed him to the rock.


    ¡°Simon! What have you done?¡± The Canon asked angrily.


    ¡°The demon comes. Release me,¡± said Simon in fear. They both looked up as they saw and heard the Unas coming toward them. Simon put himself before the Canon as the Unas spoke:


    ¡°Your God has abandoned you.¡± Simon stepped toward the beast and firm but defiant said:


    ¡°My God is with me always.¡± The Unas hit Simon, knocking him out. Some time passed before he was revived by O¡¯Neill. O¡¯Neil and Teal¡¯c helped Simon to his feet, the Unas dead as it''s wounds were too severe for the Goa¡¯uld in it to survive. The three and Canon returned to the Stargate where Carter, Dr. Jackson and Mary were waiting for him. Mary hugged him and just as SG-1 was about to leave Carter sensed the Goa¡¯uld that was in the Unas jumped into Canon, O¡¯Neill and Teal¡¯c took defensive positions with their pistol and staff weapon and Simon protecting Mary. When he showed his true colors (his eyes flashing white and his voice changing), O¡¯Neill shot him several times and the Canon collapsed to the ground, dead. Simon rushed over to him tracing the Sign of the Cross on his forehead:


    ¡°By the sorrows He suffered, in Your agony in the garden, they scourged and crowned him with thorns. In Your crucifixion and death, have mercy on their souls. Deliver them from dire torments they endure and admit them to your most sweet embrace in paradise.¡± After signing himself, he stood up and faced O¡¯Neill and said, ¡°Now, the demon is truly gone.¡± As Carter dialed the gate, O¡¯Neill turned back to Simon. Mary stood beside him.


    ¡°You know what to do?¡± O¡¯Neill asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll burry the gate. Immediately. And there will be no more sacrifices,¡± said Simon.


    ¡°Thank God,¡± said O¡¯Neill. The Stargate activated to Simon¡¯s amazement and SG-1 walked up the steps and through the Gate. Then the Gate deactivated leaving Simon and Mary alone. Then the was a flash of white.


    The vision ended and Sister Helena sat on her bed bewildered. She remembered meeting O''Neill at the awards banquet where she was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He seemed like a nice man; they had talked for an hour and a half afterwards. He was very inquisitive about her career in the Air Force and her exploits in the Middle East. It almost seemed like he was conducting a job interview of sorts. But that was not how she knew and viewed O''Neill. She knew him as the man who captured her.


    Her mind recalled the moments that led to her capture. She and her Rogue NID team had been on the run for days after their assault on SG-24. With no other option, Victoria¡¯s team killed all the members of SG-24. The event, while claimed in self-defense, weighed heavily on Victoria''s conscience. Stealing things was one thing but taking an innocent life was another. Colonel Galli via a Goa¡¯uld Long Range Communication device contacted Victoria''s team and told them to make their way to a certain warehouse in Montana that contained a shielded bunker. He could not ring them out onto their Tel¡¯tak at the moment because of several Earth ships in orbit. So, they would stay put.


    Once they got to the warehouse, Colonel Galli had a small shield generator powered by a Naquadah generator waiting for them at the perimeter. They were instructed to activate it, make their way to the bunker and send their fastest runner to grab both generators and bring make it back to the bunker quickly¡ªall without getting caught. The team had gotten intel that SG-1 was hot on their trail. Time was now their enemy.


    Victoria, sitting shotgun in the team''s black SUV guided Neumann to the location Colonel Galli had specified. They were nearly there when Victoria noticed another black SUV following them in the rearview mirror. After five minutes and a few normal turns later, the SUV was still following them.


    ¡°Neuman, we need to lose that SUV.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Burney.¡± With Victoria''s guidance through the rough Montana terrain and Neuman¡¯s savvy driving they managed to get to the warehouse and activate the generators without being followed. The team made it to the bunker. After what seemed like an eternity, the team checked their security cameras.


    ¡°Alright there¡¯s nothing there,¡± said Victoria. ¡°I''m going out to get the generators. Maintain radio silence unless in emergency. Wish me luck.¡± After the team wished her luck, Victoria made her way out of the warehouse. Some time passed before she got to the perimeter and the generators. Victoria shut them off and put them in her backpack, she started back for the warehouse, making sure she wasn''t being followed. And she got halfway there, Victoria stopped hiding in the underbrush to assess the situation. Some time passed before Victoria felt it was safe to continue. As she was about to take off, there was a crackle on the radio.


    ¡°Burney, SG-1 is here,¡± said Neuman. Victoria acknowledged the message with a couple of clicks on the talk button and pulling out her binoculars surveyed the scene. Her blood ran cold. SG-1 was legendary and known their relentless pursuit of justice and their unparalleled skills. If they were here, her chances of making it to the bunker were slim. After what seemed like an eternity she made it to the warehouse. She glanced around, searching for a way to get to the bunker unnoticed though the maze of crates and machinery. She rounded a corner and there standing in her path was Brigadier General Jack O''Neill, his weapon trained on her.


    ¡°Going somewhere?¡± he asked, his tone deceptively casual. Victoria''s mind raced. O¡¯Neill was a seasoned warrior; she was a mere young officer. Anything sudden moves would be futile. There was no way out and that surrender was her only option. She put her hands up in surrender.


    ¡°Smart move, O¡¯Neill said lowering his weapon slightly. ¡°Let''s take a walk. They walked through the warehouse and through the exit. He asked who she was, and all Victoria could do was give her name rank and serial number He escorted her out to the out to their SUV. Victoria saw glimpses of the team: Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, her eyes with sharpened focus, Teal¡¯c, the imposing Jaffa warrior and Dr. Daniel Jackson, whose calm demeanor belied his fierce determination. As Victoria climbed inside, she climbed inside she couldn''t help but feel a sense of relief. The chase was over; she was captured but at least she was alive. Her sense of morality had been shaken up. For her, her life was about to change in a radical way.


    Sister Helena came to and prayed, fingering her stone in her hands. ¡°Lord, forgive me for my past actions. I ask your blessing on the members of SG-1 and my team. I pray for the repose of the souls of those who I murdered. Amen.¡± She then went to her desk and pulled out her notebook and began to write all she had seen of the newest vision and her recollections of her past with the Rogue NID. She knew at some point she needed to come forward to Colonel Davis and tell her what she had been seeing, especially since it involved the Stargate. But she still needed to know a little more information. Why were they contacting her? How were they contacting her?


    And so, a solitary light was seen from a monastery in North Dakota as a nun wrote about a vivid and hurtful and the hope for greater things to come.


    Author''s Note: Excerpts from the chapter from the Stargate SG-1 episode "Demons", written by Carl Binder.

 Meetings With the General

    ¡°Incoming wormhole,¡± announced Staff Sergeant Thomas Crow as the klaxon pierced the silence of the morning at Stargate Command. The Stargate kawooshed behind the iris as defense teams scrambled to their posts in the gate room. Captain Lucy Roncalli came into the control room and stood next to the sergeant.


    ¡°Report, Sergeant,¡± she said.


    ¡°Receiving SG-16''s IDC, for their scheduled return, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Open the iris.¡± While Sergeant Crow worked the palm scanner to open the iris, Captain Roncalli went down to the Gate Room. She welcomed the team back home and let them know that their debriefing with General Carter would be in an hour. Once SG-16 was on their way, Captain Roncalli went back to the control room as Sergeant Crow was packing up to finish his shift.


    ¡°Sergeant, I want to review our report to General Carter. I would like to present her today after SG-16¡¯s debriefing. Meet me at the commissary in fifteen minutes. We''ll discuss this over breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan, ma''am,¡± said Sergeant Crow. Ever since Sergeant Crow¡¯s first night at the SGC when the Stargate activated and deactivated for a few seconds with nothing coming in, the same event occurred two separate times on different days and at different times. Both Captain Roncalli and Sergeant Crow had been on duty all three times, though they believed their presence was a mere coincidence. They had both requested a day shift to make sure whatever was causing the gate to activate wasn''t solely happening on the night shift. Though the two made detailed reports of what had happened, they felt that it was time to inform General Carter of the situation.


    The two sat and had breakfast while they worked to hash out what they were going to say. Captain Roncalli had a bowl of oatmeal in some sausage while Sergeant Crow had a stack of pancakes and bacon. They both had a new blend of chamomile tea that Captain Roncalli had shared with all the personnel on the night shift. It was a gift from her sister from a monastery in North Dakota. When Captain Roncalli first tasted it, she was blown away as she had felt it had been made for someone in the military by someone who had been in the military.


    ¡°Did you include the capacitor logs?¡± Sergeant Crow nodded.


    ¡°Yes, thank you for reminding me. I forgot about the Anubis incident.¡±


    ¡°I thought you had read everything, Sergeant.¡±


    ¡°Well, not everything,¡± Sergeant Crowd admitted.


    ¡°Shame on you,¡± Captain Roncalli teased. The two worked until they were ready. Once they finished breakfast they went down to General Carter¡¯s office. They sat in an adjoining conference room until General Carter had concluded her debriefing with SG-16. A few minutes after the debriefing, Sergeant Abel, General Carter¡¯s secretary, came to them.


    ¡°Captain Roncalli, Sergeant Crow, the General will see you now,¡± she said.


    ¡°Thank you, Sergeant,¡± said Captain Roncalli. The two stood and made their way to General Carter''s office door. Captain Roncalli noticed some uneasiness from just Sargeant Crow.


    ¡°Nervous Sergeant,¡± she asked.


    ¡°A little,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°Deep breaths, Sergeant. Deep breaths. I''ll do most of the talking. You can chime in where you think it''s necessary.¡± Sergeant Crow nodded. ¡°Ready? Let''s go in.¡± Captain Roncalli knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± said Lieutenant General Samantha Carter. She stood as Captain Roncalli and Sergeant Crow came in. They stood at attention and saluted.


    ¡°Captain Lucy Roncalli and Sergeant Thomas Crow reporting ma¡¯am,¡± said Captain Roncalli. General Carter returned the salute.


    ¡°At ease. Be seated.¡± The three sat down. ¡°My secretary says you had some concerns involving the Stargate?¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Yes ma''am. We had several instances where there would be an unscheduled offworld activation. No IDC is transmitted but after a short period of time, the Gate shuts off. It happened on Sergeant Crow¡¯s first night here, then it happened a couple of days after during the afternoon, then the third one happened several weeks later. Each time the gate would activate for less than thirty seconds. It¡¯s long enough for defense teams to scramble, but by the time they get to the gate room the gate shuts off. But Sergeant Crow and I have made extensive reports each time it happened.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve read your notes in the logs. May I see your findings?¡± Asked General Carter.


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am,¡± replied Captain Roncalli as she gave a file folder to General Carter. She opened it and read it as Captain Roncalli continued. ¡°We run high level diagnostics on the gate and they came back negative.¡± General Carter nodded.


    ¡°Did you check the capacitors and make sure they had discharged after the stargate shut off?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma''am. We''re aware of the incident with Anubis and we checked that the capacitors had cleared each time the gated deactivated,¡± Sergeant Crow said plucking up a bit of courage. General Carter nodded and Captain Roncalli gave him a nod and quick smile.


    ¡°I see. Were there any transmissions being sent?¡±


    ¡°We didn''t check the first instance, but we did on subsequent ones. We found a signal on an Ancient frequency being sent. It was a very short transmission,¡± Captain Roncalli said.


    ¡°Did you get its destination or source?¡± General Carter asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately, no. The Stargate was only active for a few seconds.¡± General Carter nodded.


    ¡°Make sure you do if it happens again.¡±


    ¡°We will, ma''am,¡± said Captain Roncalli.


    ¡°Well,¡± said General Carter, ¡°there isn''t much we can do. We don''t even know who or where these transmissions are coming from since there has not been an IDC or the signature for from a Sagan Box.¡±


    ¡°General wouldn¡¯t it be a good thing if we knew where incoming wormholes came from?¡± Asked Sergeant Crow


    ¡°It would be,¡± replied General Carter. ¡°If we knew who was dialing us, we would have been better prepared; like when Apophis first attacked us and abducted Airman Weterings, or when Anubus used the ancient weapon that caused the Stargate to explode.¡± General Carter paused for a moment and said, ¡°Keep me apprised of the situation. Dismissed.¡± The three stood, saluted and Captain Roncalli and Sergeant Crow left. As General Carter sat down in her chair to read their report, Sergeant Abel buzzed on the intercom.


    ¡°General Carter, Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Larkin to see you,¡± said Sergeant Abel.


    ¡°Send him in,¡± said General Carter. Colonel Larkin entered General Carter''s office, stood at attention and saluted,


    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Larkin reporting as order, General.¡± General Carter returned the salute. ¡°At ease, Colonel Larkin. Please be seated.¡± Colonel Larkin sat down. ¡°How goes your search for your fourth member of SG-24?¡±


    ¡°Not well, ma''am. I''m still trying to find the right person. The candidates you gave me all good people with good backgrounds. I''ve narrowed my search to four people: Oberlutant Johann Bernhofner the Austrian Bundesheer, Doctor Maria Fernandez, Doctor Fiona McCarthy, and Flying Officer Stephen Hughes of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.¡± General Carter scrutinized the personnel reports on her tablet.


    ¡°Colonel, you have three days to finalize your team.¡± She said without looking up from her tablet. ¡°We need SG-24 ready for missions.¡±


    ¡°I understand that General.¡± Colonel Larkin paused. He took a deep breath and chose his words carefully. ¡°I can narrow it down to two candidates: Bernhofner and Hughes. Both of them have the Ancient Technology Gene at suitable levels.¡±


    General Carter met his gaze, her eyes steely. ¡°And your decision?¡±


    ¡°Both have a medium level of the gene. Bernhofner has extensive collateral knowledge while Hughes has medical training. Both would be an invaluable asset to my team, but I need more time.¡± Colonel Larkin replied.


    Carter sighed, putting down her tablet. ¡°You know as well as I do that time is a luxury we don''t have. Both Fairbairn and Bjornson are capable, but the fourth member of the team is crucial.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Colonel Larkin. ¡°But given the unique challenges we may face I want to be certain. I would really like for the fourth member of my team to have a high level of the ATA gene like that of General O''Neill, General Sheppard, or Doctor Beckett.


    ¡°I''ll give you three days,¡± said General Carter, her tone leaving no room for negotiations. ¡°After that, I shall make the decision for you. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Fully, ma''am,¡± say Colonel Larkin.


    ¡°Good. Dismissed.¡± Colonel Larkin and general Carter stood, saluted and Colonel Larkin left General Carter''s office.


    He went back to his office as he entered his office and sat down. Colonel Larkin felt the weight of the deadline settle on his shoulders. He had three days to choose the right member or risk the general''s intervention. He selected Bernhofner¡¯s and Hughe¡¯s personnel files on two tablets, and set them on his desk. Putting on a selection of Mozart he began to read. He looked at his notes in his notebook; the profiles were staring back at him, both offering potential and peril and equal measure. Who would he choose? Or was there a third option he hadn''t considered? ¡°Three days,¡± he said to himself. ¡°I must find the answer.¡±

 A Plea for Help

    As Colonel Larkin partnered his decision on who to pick as his fourth teammate, sister Helena made her way through the monastery from the refectory to the recreation room. She entered the room and took her place in a chair next to Sister Marie Evangeline. Mother Superior entered the room, and everyone stood.


    ¡°Praised be Jesus Christ,¡± said mother superior.


    ¡°Now and forever. Amen,¡± responded the nuns. Mother Superior gave a smile and that signaled that the nuns could talk freely for one hour.


    ¡°Would you like to see what my mother''s iconography classes is doing?¡± Sister Rebecca Agnes of the Most Precious Blood asked Sister Helena and Sister Marie Evangeline. They nodded and Sister Rebecca Agnes produced a set of photographs of the icons. The two nuns oohed and awed the photos.


    ¡°Your mother is very talented and inspiring,¡± said Sister Helena.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Sister Rebecca Agnes. ¡°Sister Helena, have you ever told us about your mother?¡±


    ¡°My mother died when I was small and I don''t remember her much,¡± Sister Helena said.


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    ¡°That''s alright. My grandmother was the mother figure in my life. She...¡± It was then that she froze, and a flash of light enveloped her. ¡°Another vision?¡± She thought. ¡°In front of the entire community?¡± There was not much she could do but hope that Sister Marie Evangeline would cover for her.


    She found herself once again in the medieval village. The village this time seemed different. She found the villagers gathered near the pedestal around a beautiful woman. She was very petite with dark brown shoulder length hair with bangs and dark brown eyes. She reminded Sister Helena of Karen Carpenter. The woman wore a gorgeous blue dress with gold embroidery. Her arms were outstretched, and she was teaching the people about something.


    ¡°My children, I''m here to guide you and protect you,¡± the woman said in a gentle and reassuring voice that was melodious.


    ¡°Will you teach us how to become close to God? Will you teach us the secrets and mysteries of the heavens?¡± asked a teenage girl who wore a simple dress. The beautiful woman''s eyes flashed white and gold briefly as she nodded. Though this action was oblivious to the abilities, Sister Helena had a keen eye and spotted it.


    From what she had seen in an NID briefing about the enemies of Earth, there were two groups whose eyes flashed like that: The Goa¡¯uld and the Tok¡¯ra. But didn''t the Tok¡¯ra shut their eyes when they made the transition from house to symbiote and vice versa? She had to know further.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the woman said. ¡°I will teach you all you need to know. Together we will uncover the secrets of the universe.¡± The crowd, a group of young people, oohed and awed at the prospect of being shown the secrets of the universe.


    The teenage girl smiled. ¡°Thank you, most beautiful Lady. We need your help to guide our people as we''ve been lost without guidance for so long. We want to learn more, to grow. We want to better ourselves.¡±


    The woman''s serene expression changed as if she was possessed, her voice switched to a flanged one. ¡°You will... bow before me in reverence.¡± But the woman caught herself and quickly changed to her serene and divine voice that she had had, a benign smile was on her face. ¡°I mean you will all find peace and enlightenment. I shall visit you all soon. Farewell my children.¡± Then she disappeared. The crowd dispersed, but the young girl that she had seen in her dreams remained. She looked frightened. ¡°Had she seen who the woman really was too?¡± Sister Helena thought. The girl with a timid voice said:This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Help us, please!¡± There was a flash of light and Sister Helena found herself back in the recreation room with the sisters.


    ¡°Sister Helena, you were saying something?¡± asked Sister Rebecca Agnes. ¡°You were talking about your grandmother when you just... froze.¡±


    ¡°She was just thinking,¡± said Sister Marie Evangeline. Weren''t you, dear?¡±


    ¡°I was,¡± Sister Helena replied as she said a silent prayer for Sister Marie Evangeline. ¡°I was merely lost in thought. Let me tell you about my grandmother.¡± Sister Helena managed to get through recreation without any further incident as well as through Compline. All the while Sister Helen''s mind raced with questions as things fell into place. She knew something needed to happen. After Compline, Sister Helena remained in the Chapel to pray alone. After the sisters had left, Sister Helena took out the stone and prayed. ¡°Dear Lord, show me what to do now. I know I need to act on what I''ve seen in my visions. But I feel with my past I will be dismissed as a fraud. Guide me, Lord. Amen.¡±


    Sister Helena went to her room and pulled out her notebook, writing down everything she had seen in her latest vision. Questions filled her head: was this woman a Goa¡¯uld? She must be. From what she had read about the Tok¡¯ra they were not a race that had people worship them. In fact, they were allies of Earth. So, this woman had to be a Goa¡¯uld! What was she doing on the planet? Was this Sokar or some harbinger? How did she get to the planet? Did she come through the Stargate, or did she come on a ship? How was this all connected to her? Why was she having these visions? A knock was heard at the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± said Sister Helena. It was Sister Marie Evangeline. She had a concerned look on her face. Sister Helena stood and gave her friend a hug. Her face showed much anxiety and uneasiness.


    ¡°Child, is everything alright?¡± Sister Marie Evangeline asked.


    ¡°I... I do not know,¡± Sister Helena replied. ¡°I had another vision again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I noticed. I was able to cover for you while you were having your vision.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Evangeline I''m very grateful that you did. I saw a beautiful woman she was teaching the people but then her eyes¡­her whole demeanor changed. I believe she''s one of the enemies I''ve seen in a previous vision. But I don''t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Child,¡± said Sister Marie Evangeline, ¡°perhaps this is a call to action. Maybe you''ve seen enough to help to guide you and now it is time to act.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you''re right,¡± said Sister Helena. ¡°I will have to call my probation officer in the morning. I may have to leave here to answer questions, and I may not be back for a while. I can see if they''ll let me bring you along since you were in the Air Force in the past.¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary,¡± said Sister Marie Evangeline. ¡°I think you will do fine. I will pray for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Sister Helena. Sister Marie Evangeline prayed over her friend and gave her a motherly hug.


    Sister Helena went to bed though she couldn''t help but think of the people on the planet and worry about them. As soon as Lauds and Mass were over, Sister Helena went to Mother Superior''s office. She knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± said Mother Superior. She was a kindly woman of seventy who had guided the community for most of the time Sister Helena had been there. After prompting Sister Helena to sit, she asked:


    ¡°Sister Helena, what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Reverend Mother, I need to contact my probation officer. It''s urgent,¡± Sister Helena said with a tone of urgency in her voice.


    ¡°I see, Sister. You may.¡±


    ¡°This conversation between him and I is classified.¡± Mother Superior understood. She had been briefed on Sister Helen''s past after signing a non-disclosure agreement with the IOA and the SGC.


    ¡°I understand. Use the phone on my desk. I will be outside if you require my assistance.¡± ¡°That won''t be necessary but thank you.¡± Mother Superior got up from her chair and left the room. Sister Helena sat down in Mother Superior''s chair, picked up the phone and dialed the number.


    ¡°Hello, Paul?¡± This is Victoria Burney. I need to speak to the SGC. It''s urgent. There''s something they need to know.¡±

 The General and the Visonary

    Colonel Davis arrived in a black government SUV to pick up Sister Helena from the monastery a day later, with permission of the Bishop of Fargo, to take her to Stargate Command. Except for Sister Marie Evangeline, the sisters were concerned, but Mother Superior remained calm and reassured them that Sister Helena was not in any trouble but was just attending a conference. The sisters gathered at the door of the enclosure and wished her good luck and gave her hugs and kisses. They watched from a window as Sister Helena entered the SUV. She gave them one final wave and they were off.


    On their way to Stargate Command, Colonel Davis asked Sister Helena about her visions. She described them to him in vivid detail of what she saw. She handed Colonel Davis her notebook and told him of the special code she used to keep her visions a secret from the other nuns. He was skeptical and suspicious. He gave her a cold stare, his eyes steely.


    ¡°Sister Helena, your days as a Rogue NID agent make this hard to swallow. But if there¡¯s truth to your visions, we can¡¯t ignore it,¡± he said. ¡°When we get to Stargate command, I will speak to General Carter. She¡¯ll want to hear what you have to say.¡±


    They arrived at Stargate Command. Sister Helena had to sign a non-disclosure form and was given a visitor badge. She was shown to guest quarters while Colonel Davis spoke to General Carter. While she waited, Sister Helena spent the time in prayer and rehearsed what she would say to the general. ¡°Please, Lord, give me the grace and wisdom to say what I need to say and that my words would not fall on deaf ears. Amen.¡± As she finished, there was a knock at the door. It was Colonel Davis.


    ¡°General Carter will see you now in the briefing room.¡± Sister Helena went with him they were shown to the briefing room by Sergeant Abell. When General Carter entered the room, the two stood. Instinctively, Sister Helena saluted when Colonel Davis did so.


    ¡°Sister, you don¡¯t have to salute. You¡¯re not in the military anymore,¡± said General Carter.


    ¡°My apologies, General. Old habit,¡± replied Sister Helena.


    General Carter smiled. ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± She extended her hand. ¡°I¡¯m Lieutenant General Samantha Carter.¡±


    ¡°Sister Helena of the Cross,¡± said Sister Helena as she shook General Carter¡¯s hand.


    ¡°You look familiar. Have we met before?¡±


    ¡°We have, ma¡¯am. We met in battle. My name in secular life is Victoria Burney. I was formerly an agent with the Rogue NID. I was captured by General O¡¯Neill and the rest of SG-1 in the raid on the NID warehouse in Montana. And I saw you in one of my visions.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± General Carter was taken back a bit by this news; she recalled that day when she undertook that mission with General O¡¯Neill. ¡°Colonel Davis tells me you¡¯ve been having visions involving the stargate.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. It started several weeks ago, one night when I was sleeping.¡± Sister Helena described at length what she had seen: the medieval village and the little girl, the festival and the stargate, SG-1¡¯s visit to the planet years ago, and the mysterious woman who Sister Helena believed to be a Goa¡¯uld. General Carter nodded the entire time as she took notes; she was surprised when Sister Helena described SG-1¡¯s mission to the planet.


    ¡°I remember that mission,¡± said General Carter. ¡°We went to P4X-937. We told Simon and Mary to bury the gate.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Sister Helena, ¡°But they seemed to have unburied it. For what reasons I do not know why.¡±


    ¡°At what times did you have your visions?¡± General Carter asked.


    ¡°At various times, ma¡¯am,¡± Sister Helena replied. ¡°I¡¯ve listed them here.¡± She handed General Carter a paper of all the times she had her visions. General Carter was surprised.


    ¡°These are the exact times we were having strange occurrences with the stargate. How¡­¡± But before she could complete her sentence, a klaxon rang out through the base and red lights began to flash.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Unscheduled offworld activation!¡± Announced Sergeant Crow over the intercom.


    ¡°Stay here,¡± said General Carter. She went downstairs to the control room. ¡°Report, Sergeant.¡±


    "Unscheduled offworld activation, ma¡¯am. No SG teams are scheduled to return currently or check in. Defense teams are responding.¡± As the Stargate kawooshed behind the iris, it for some reason began to open.


    ¡°Sergeant Crow?¡± General Carter asked.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, I haven¡¯t touched anything,¡± he replied, referring to the palm scanner that opened the iris.


    ¡°Get down to manual iris control.¡± As Sergeant Crow dashed to the Gate Room, General Carter shut the blast doors to the window that looked out into the Gate Room. She then went to the panel to the left of the control panel. She flipped several switches, which activated a pulsing klaxon and the words ¡°BASE ALERT CODE 9¡± appeared in red letters on all monitors. She grabbed the phone on the panel and spoke:


    ¡°This is General Carter. Code 9! Code 9! This is not a drill! I repeat not a drill!¡± All personnel scrambled to defensive stations and extra security took up position in the gate room, their weapons drawn.


    Up in the briefing room, Colonel Davis and Sister Helena heard General Carter¡¯s words on the intercom. Colonel Davis motioned for Sister Helena to follow him.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sister Helena asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s an emergency on the base,¡± Colonel Davis explained. ¡°I need to take you back to your quarters for the time being.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Lead the way.¡± He took her back to her quarters and ordered several SF¡¯s to guard her. Sister Helena fell to her knees and prayed.


    Back in the Gate Room Sergeant Crow worked on the manual controls for the iris with defense teams covering him. Just as Sergeant Crow got the iris closed an arrow was shot through the gate, impaling itself on the gate room wall. Then the gate deactivated. Not taking any chances, the defense teams evacuated the Gate Room.


    ¡°Send in a bomb squad in hazmat on the double,¡± said General Carter. She and the rest of the control room staff watched from a monitor as the bomb squad safely dislodged the arrow, which contained a piece of parchment, and placed it into a containment vessel and took it to a quarantine lab. With the threat secured, General Carter canceled the Code 9 alert. After several hours, she then called for Colonel Davis to retrieve Sister Helena. He went and got her, and they returned to the Briefing Room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the interruption, Sister Helena,¡± said General Carter. ¡°But we had an emergency to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Totally understandable, General,¡± Sister Helena said.


    ¡°Before we were interrupted, I was about to ask you this: how exactly were having these visions?¡±


    ¡°That I do not know,¡± Sister Helena replied as she pulled out the stone to help her say a prayer.


    General Carter noticed the stone in Sister Helena¡¯s hands and was intrigued, especially by the engraving on it.


    ¡°That''s a pretty stone you have,¡± said General Carter. ¡°May I see it?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am. You may look at it. It''s just a prayer aid of mine.¡± Sister Helena handed the stone to General Carter. She looked at the engraving and was surprised, though she became suspicious.


    ¡°Where did you get this?¡± General Carter asked, her eyes steely.


    ¡°I found it in the garden at the monastery. Is it important?¡± Sister Helena asked.


    ¡°Indeed!¡± General Carter exclaimed. ¡°Sister, this is an Ancient long range communication device. Where did you actually get this?¡±


    ¡°I told you, ma''am. I found it in the garden in our monastery earlier this year.¡±


    ¡°I want to believe you,¡± said General Carter. ¡°But the fact is that you were a member of the Rogue NID, an organization that steals technology from our allies. You helped to murder four members of an SG team that were trying to bring you in. And to this day the rest of your team has not been caught. Why should we trust you?¡±


    ¡°General, if I may,¡± put in Colonel Davis. ¡°Sister Helena''s track record after her arrest and imprisonment has been commendable. She has been spending the past several years in seclusion in the monastery in prayer. She''s even taken some initiatives in the monastery to help with things there. What is most at stake here is that Sister Helena has vital information about a possible Goa¡¯uld invasion of a planet that we, yourself included, helped liberate from the Goa¡¯uld twenty-five years ago. I believe it''s our duty to help these people, even if their methods of contacting us are a bit unorthodox.¡±


    ¡°General Carter,¡± said Sister Helena, ¡°I heartly regret my actions of my past life to the greatest degree possible, including the murder of those more people. I was swayed by a corrupt man who wanted power for himself.¡± She paused for a second to recollect her thoughts. ¡°If it would help things I would consent to taking a lie detector test.¡± Just then Sergeant Abel came up to General Carter. She was carrying the piece of parchment.


    ¡°Beg pardon, General, but lab results have come back on the parchment. There were no detectable pathogens on it.¡± She handed the parchment to General Carter and went back to her desk. General Carter looked at the parchment and was shocked at what she saw.

 Ancient Resonance

    ¡°What is it, General Carter?¡± asked Sister Helena. General Carter gave the parchment to Sister Helena. It was a rubbing of the pedestal that stood in the center of the village of P4X-987. Sister Helena was shocked. ¡°General, I''ve seen this image in my vision!¡±


    ¡°Sister Helena, this image is on a pedestal on P4X-987!¡± Exclaimed General Carter. ¡°Since we left them no way of contacting us when SG-1 departed, they have found a way to do so. Though I''m not sure how they got the iris open.¡± She chuckled to herself. The way the people of P4X-987 were contacting Earth reminded her of when General O¡¯Neill used a tissue box to see if Dr. Jackson was alive on Abydos after their first mission through the Stargate thirty years ago. Then General Carter got an idea. ¡°Sister, come with me and bring the stone. I want to try something.¡± They went downstairs to the control room. ¡°Sergeant Crow, dial P4X-987.


    ¡°Yes, General,¡± replied Sergeant Crow. He pulled up the address but got an error message. ¡°General, this address is blocked by order of General Hammond.¡±


    ¡°Understandable, Sergeant. That Gate was buried twenty-five years ago. Let me give you my access code.¡± She went to the computer and inputted her access code, unlocking the address. Then Sergeant Crow dialed the Stargate. The inner ring began to spin. As the Stargate¡¯s chevrons were illuminated, Sergeant Crow called out when each of the chevrons encoded. As the Stargate finished its dialing sequence Sergeant Crow announced:


    ¡°Chevron Seven locked.¡± The Stargate kawooshed and Carter looked at Sister Helena. She had the stone in her hand.


    ¡°Close your eyes and concentrate on the people you''ve been seeing in your visions,¡± said General Carter.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Sister Helena replied. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Instantly, she saw the village and the young girl. She looked downcast as before. ¡°I see her,¡± said Sister Helena. ¡°The little girl in my visions.¡±


    ¡°Can you go to her and tell her that help is coming?¡± asked General Carter.


    ¡°I''ll try.¡± replied Sister Helena. She saw the little girl knelt to her level. She wished she could comfort her in person, but she couldn''t. Sister Helena noticed the little girl wore an apron, so Sister Helena took her scapular to her face with a motherly smile. She mimicked blowing her nose and drying her eyes with her scapular. She did this several times until the little girl dried her eyes and blew her nose with her apron.


    ¡°That''s a good girl. I''m Sister Helena of the Cross. Don''t you fret. Help is coming. Do you understand? We are coming to help you.¡± The girl smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± Sister Helena said. ¡°We are coming.¡± She broke her connection and General Carter ordered the Stargate to be shut down. ¡°I sent a message that we were coming. They understand.¡±


    ¡°Sister Helena, how hard was that for you?¡± General Carter asked.


    ¡°Not hard at all. It almost came naturally.¡± This gave General Carter another idea.


    ¡°Sister Helena, would you be willing to submit to a physical including a blood test?¡±


    ¡°I guess. Why?¡±


    ¡°Sister, Ancient technology requires a special gene to activate it. It was passed on to humans by the Ancients through interbreeding. I think you may have the gene and at a high level.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said sister Helena. ¡°Then let''s find out if I do have this gene.


    ¡°All right,¡± said General Carter. She motioned to Sergeant Crow. ¡°Take Sister Helena to the Infirmary and have Dr. Lam run a physical and a blood test on her. Find out if she has the ATA gene and at what level. I suspect it will be high.¡±


    ¡°Yes, General,¡± said Sergeant Crow. ¡°Sister, right this way please.¡±


    While Sister Helena underwent her physical and blood test, General Carter summoned Colonel Larkin to her office.


    ¡°You wanted to see me, General?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, Colonel Larkin, have a seat.¡± Colonel Larkin sat. ¡°It''s been 3 days. What''s what is your selection?¡±


    Colonel Larkin sighed. ¡°I wish I could give you some good news, ma''am. But the fact is neither Barnhofner nor Hughes appealed to me as a good fit for my team.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I''m assigning Sister Helen of the Cross to join your team, pending your her physical and blood test.¡±


    ¡°Sister Helena of the Cross. I''ve never heard of her,¡± said Colonel Larkin.


    ¡°She''s a former Air Force captain who has retired from the military to become a Carmelite nun. Several weeks ago, she received communications from P4X-937, via an Ancient Long Range Communication Device. The have requested our aid to defend them from a possible Goa¡¯uld invasion of their planet.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Are you assigning a nun to my team? She''d be a non-combatant.¡±


    ¡°That''s correct,¡± General Carter replied, ¡°but she has the ATA gene. I suspect she has it at a high efficiency. She will be your team''s cultural advisor.¡± There was not much Colonel Larkin could do. General Carter''s mind was made-up.


    ¡°And our mission will be?¡± Colonel Larkin asked.


    ¡°You''ll be going to P4X-987 for a long-term mission. More details will be at the briefing.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He could sense that there was something more. ¡°Is there anything else you''d want to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Colonel, there''s something we need to discuss regarding Sister Helena.¡±


    Colonel Larkin nodded the sensing the gravity of the situation. ¡°Go ahead, ma''am.¡±


    ¡°Sister Helena...¡± Carter began, choosing her words very carefully. She knew the news would be devastating to Colonel Larkin, but she had to tell him. ¡°¡­was formerly known as Victoria Burney. As I mentioned she was an Air Force Captain and... a member of the Rogue NID.¡±


    Colonel Larkin¡¯s eyes widened, and his jaw tightened. ¡°Rogue NID? Those people killed my brother!¡±


    General Carter nodded; her expression sympathetic. ¡°I know this is hard to hear. Helena was involved in some operations that led to tragic outcomes, including the loss of Patrick. After her capture she served her time in prison and since dedicated her life to seeking redemption.¡± Colonel Larkin clenched his fists struggling to contain his anger. This news was a shock to him. He had harbored a grudge to the Rogue NID for going against the ethics they had sworn to uphold as officer of the Air Force and now with Space Force. But to work with a woman who was responsible for his brother''s death, he could not take it in.


    ¡°And you want me to work with her? To trust her?¡± General Carter sensed the anger on Colonel Larkin¡¯s face and in his posture.


    ¡°Colonel Larkin,¡± said General Carter gently, ¡°I wouldn''t be assigning her to your team if I didn''t believe in her abilities and commitment to change. I believe she has a unique proficiency with the ATA gene and she has valuable knowledge that is crucial to the mission.¡± He knew she was right. So, he sighed and looked down at the floor before meeting General Carter''s gaze again.


    ¡°I''ll try ma''am. For the sake of the mission.¡±


    General Carter nodded, grateful for his professionalism. ¡°That''s all I ask. Give Sister Helena a fair chance. You¡¯re all working towards the same goal here.¡±


    ¡°I understand, General.¡± Though deep down he was not so sure.


    ¡°Good. Gather your team in the briefing room. I''d like you and your team to meet her. Dismissed.¡± As Colonel Larkin left, there was a buzz on the intercom.


    ¡°General Carter, it''s Doctor Lam. Can you come to the infirmary. It''s about Sister Helena. Her test results are ready.


    ¡°I''m on my way, Doctor,¡± said General Carter.


    General Carter went up to the infirmary. She found Doctor Lam and Sister Helena there.


    ¡°You wanted to see me, Doctor?¡± General Carter asked. Something about Sister Helena.


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Doctor Lam. ¡°Sister Helena¡¯s test results came back. She has the ATA gene and high proficiency. I can¡¯t say for sure, but she may be up there with General O¡¯Neill, General Shepphard, and Doctor Beckett.¡± She showed General Carter the test results on the monitor and gave her a physical copy as well.


    ¡°I see,¡± said General Carter. ¡°Thank you, Doctor.


    ¡°If I may, what does thar mean for me?¡± Sister Helena asked.


    ¡°It means that you can use Ancient Technology with a high rate of proficiency at the same rate as some of our personnel at the SGC can. I¡¯d like to have some tests run on you to test your abilities with the ATA gene before the mission. For now, I would like for you to meet the SG-Team you will be working with on your mission. Come with me.¡± As they made their way to Level 27, Sister Helena asked General Carter:


    ¡°General Carter, it has been some time since I was involved with the Rogue NID and I don¡¯t remember if Colonel Galli ever mentioned to me but who are the Ancients?¡±


    ¡°The Ancients were an advanced race of humanoids who created the Stargates and other advanced technology, including ships and city ships.


    ¡°City ships?¡± Sister Helena asked. ¡°Were they ever on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have been¡± General Carter. ¡°For a time, they lived on Earth. Have you ever heard of Atlantis?¡±


    ¡°I heard of the myth of an ancient city that sank into the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s partially true. Atlantis was one of the city ships the Ancients built. It is currently in another galaxy. We found it about twenty years ago. It¡¯s been to Earth a couple of times since then.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s interesting.¡±


    ¡°Doctor Daniel Jackson created a series of videos designed for newcomers to the Stargate Program. I¡¯d like for you to watch them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. I will,¡± said Sister Helena.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll have a tablet sent to your quarters.¡± The two had entered the conference room where Colonel Larkin, Squadron Leader Fairbairn and Oversersjant Bjornson were waiting. They were wearing green battle dress uniforms. As soon as General Carter entered the room, they all stood at attention.


    ¡°At ease, everyone,¡± said General Carter. ¡°I¡¯d like for you to meet Sister Helena of the Cross. Sister Helena, I¡¯d like for you to meet the members of SG-24, who you will be serving with. This is your commanding officer, Colonel Marcus Larkin.


    Both Sister Helena and Colonel Larkin froze.


    Sister Helena felt a pain in her chest as she heard his name. ¡°Larkin,¡± she thought. ¡°Is he related to the man that I killed while I was with the Rogue NID?¡±


    Colonel Larkin stiffened, his jaw tightened, and he couldn¡¯t help clenching his fists a bit. He couldn¡¯t believe that he was meeting the woman who was responsible for his brother¡¯s death in person. He could have unleashed his anger out on her, but he remembered what General Carter had told him. ¡°Give her a chance. You¡¯re working towards the same goal.¡± So maintained a level head and extended his hand.


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Sister. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°This is Squadron Leader Isolde Fairbairn, the team¡¯s executive officer and science officer,¡± said General Carter.


    ¡°Welcome, Sister Helena,¡± said Fairbairn as she smiled.


    ¡°Likewise,¡± replied Sister Helena as she shook her hand.


    ¡°This is Oversersjant Gunnar Bjornson, the team¡¯s tactical specialist,¡± said General Carter.


    ¡°Welcome, Sister Helena,¡± Said Bjornson. A large grin was on his face as he extended his hand.


    ¡°A pleasure,¡± said Sister Helena. ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡±


    ¡°Sister Helena has a lot of work to prepare for the mission,¡± said General Carter. ¡°I expect each of you to help her. Squadron Leader Fairbairn, will you take Sister Helena up to level 3 for processing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± replied Fairbairn, ¡°Sister Helena if you will come with me.¡±


    ¡°I would like for the four of you to have dinner in the commissary this evening together to get to know each other better. The briefing for the mission will be tomorrow morning at 0900 hours. Dismissed,¡± said General Carter.

 Breaking Bread

    As the four began to disperse, Colonel Larkin spoke:


    ¡°Alight, team, let''s meet in the commissary at 1900 hours. That should give our newest team member time to get done with her processing. Everyone good with it?¡± All four nodded. ¡°Alright see you then. Dismissed.¡±


    Squadron Leader Fairbairn led Sister Helena up to Level 3 to be processed. General Carter instructed the staff to reactivate Sister Helena''s old files, and as soon as she could clear it with the Air Force JAGs, her record would be clean. She was to have the same serial number as before. The only thing different was her name and rank. She would be known as Sister Helena of the Cross Burney and she would be a civilian, rather than a Captain in the Air Force.


    After processing, the next stop was the armory. Since Sister Helena was to be a non-combatant, she was to receive a Zat¡¯nik¡¯tel and a Beretta M9 pistol for defense. She read off the serial numbers on both weapons with military precision, just as if she had been in basic training once again. This intrigued Fairbairn.


    After the Armory, the two went to the quartermaster for Sister Helena''s uniforms and equipment. She would wear the battle dress uniform on missions. A kind seamstress took Sister Helena to a fitting room where she could take her measurements. She found the right uniforms for Sister Helena to wear. General Carter made an exception to the uniform dress code; Sister Helena could wear a short veil as part of her uniform. So, the seamstress took measurements of Sister Helena''s head. Helen would let the seamstress borrow her veil to get an idea how to craft one for her uniform. The final thing the seamstress wanted to know what emblem she would wear on her uniform.


    ¡°Emblem? What do you mean?¡± Sister Helena asked.


    ¡°It''s quite simple really,¡± replied the seamstress. ¡°On your uniform there''s a place to display what organization you''re with. Take, for example, Squadron Leader Fairbairn here. Being from the RAF, she wears the RAF roundel below her unit number.¡±


    ¡°I see. Since I am a Carmelite, could we make an emblem that bears the coat of arms of my Order?¡±


    ¡°That would work.¡± Sister Helena helped the seamstress search online for the Carmelite coat of arms, making sure, it was the proper one.


    Once everything was completed for her transition, Sister Helena returned to her quarters to stow her gear, and change into her uniform. She attached a scapular medal she got from the base chaplain to her dog tags. There was  sometime before dinner, so Sister Helena prayed Vespers and meditated.


    The alarm on Sister Helena¡¯s watch beeped at 1845 hours, so she got up, and holding a piece of paper she went up to the commissary. She saw Fairbairn and Bjornson waiting outside.


    ¡°Wow! You look good in green, Sister Helena!¡± exclaimed Fairbairn.


    ¡°Thank you, ma''am,¡± replied Sister Helena. ¡°I call it my extraordinary habit.


    ¡°What happened to your veil?¡± Fairbairn asked.


    ¡°The seamstress is borrowing it for a bit. She''s working on making a new one for me to wear on my on our missions.¡±


    ¡°Nice!¡± said Bjornson.


    ¡°The Colonel is waiting for us inside. Let us go in.¡± The three went in and got in line to be served. They found Colonel Larkin seated at a secluded table in a corner, already having gotten his food. They sat down, with Sister Helena and Squadron Leader Fairbairn sat on one side of the table and Colonel Larkin and Oversersjant Bjornson sat on the other.


    ¡°Evening, Colonel,¡± said Fairbairn. Colonel Larkin gave his team a nod while poking his food. As the team began to eat, Sister Helena bowed her head and made the Sign of the Cross. Fairbairn saw this and cleared her throat as if to say, ¡°Stop eating and let Sister Helena pray.¡± The team stopped eating and sat quietly as Sister Helena said grace. After she made the Sign of the Cross and lifted her head, the team began to eat.


    ¡°So, our first dinner as a team!¡± exclaimed Fairbairn. ¡°A very momentous occasion.¡± They had beef and chicken fajitas, beans, Spanish rice, chips and salsa.


    ¡°This has got to be the best fajitas I''ve ever had,¡± said Bjornson.


    ¡°I''ve tasted better,¡± said Sister Helena.


    ¡°Really? From where?¡± the Oversersjant asked.


    ¡°From a little place in my hometown called Casa Garcia. My dad and I would go there for dinner most Wednesday nights. They served the best fajitas and enchiladas anywhere. We were such regulars that the owner knew us by name. He even knew what we wanted that when he saw us pull up, he had his chefs begin cooking our meal.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°That must have been a very special place for you,¡± said Fairbairn.


    ¡°It was and still is. My dad tells me that the owner¡¯s son took over when the owner retired and never and the son has never tinkered with his father''s menu or his recipes.¡±


    ¡°That''s so cool! Where is Casa Garcia located?¡±


    ¡°In Katy, Texas, some 30 miles West of Houston.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Fairbairn. ¡°So, how about we share where we''re from. I''m from Tweedale in Scotland about a half-hour drive southeast of Edinburgh. It''s a small town but it''s got a lot of charm.


    ¡°I''m from Cicero, Illinois on the South Side of Chicago. It¡¯s a rough and noisy place but it''s home,¡± said Colonel Larkin gruffly.


    ¡°I''m from Namsos, Norway,¡± said Bjornson. ¡°It''s beautiful, cold, and quiet. Perfect for strolling by the fiord or doing some fishing.


    ¡°It must be peaceful and contemplative Oversersjant,¡± said Sister Helena. ¡°Sort of like the grounds of a monastery.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Where is your monastery located, Sister?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in Chahinkapa, North Dakota,¡± Sister Helena replied. It¡¯s a beautiful place to reflect and atone.¡± The word atone hung heavy for Colonel Larkin. He tightened his jaw.


    Fairbairn sensed tension brewing and introduced another light topic to ease things. ¡°So, what do you like to do for fun? Any favorite books or shows?¡±


    Bjornson started first. ¡°I''m a sucker for Tolkien. And Viking Sagas.¡±


    ¡°I really love poetry, especially Robert Burns. And Doctor Who, I never miss an episode!¡± said Fairbairn beaming.


    ¡°Doctor Who, you say?¡± replied Sister Helena. I remember that show! It used to come on when I was a little girl. I loved to watch it.¡±


    ¡°Who''s your favorite Doctor?¡± Fairbairn asked.


    ¡°Tom Baker! They showed a lot of him over here, though I loved Tennant too.


    ¡°Aye! Baker was the greatest Doctor. I loved him too, though David Tennant will always be my Doctor! I had a crush on him in high school!¡± Fairbairn said as she blushed.


    ¡°Aww!¡± said the Oversersjant.


    ¡°Though I have a soft spot for Peter Capaldi, Nucti Gatwa, and Sylvester McCoy.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, they''re all Scots?¡± asked Colonel Larkin.


    ¡°Aye!¡± replied Fairbairn, beaming with national pride.


    ¡°Well,¡± said Sister Helen thoughtfully. ¡°I love The Ballad of the White Horse by G. K. Chesterton and I love to read the Psalms. Though I must admit I still have a soft spot for old sci-fi novels.¡±


    Colonel Larkin scoffed. ¡°Sci-fi huh? Quite a jump coming from a nun and from... everything else.¡±


    Sister Helen has suspected General Carter had told Colonel Larkin about her association with the Rogue NID, so she replied in a calm but regrettable tone:


    ¡°We all have our pasts, Colonel.¡± Fairbairn sensed tensions again, and having not heard from the Colonel quickly asked:


    ¡°What about you, Colonel? Any books or shows that you''re into?¡±


    ¡°I like The Saga of King Olaf by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and crime dramas and thrillers. Tom Clancy is my favorite author.¡±


    ¡°Very interesting,¡± said Sister Helena. The tension between Sister Helena and Colonel Larkin remained palpable, but as the team began to share more about their interests, the tension eased.


    ¡°So, Squadron Leader Fairbairn, are there any special traditions in Tweedale that you miss?¡± Bjornson asked.


    ¡°Oh, lots! One of my favorites is the Highland Games that we have. There¡¯s lots of competitions of feats of strength for the laddies, highland dancing for the lassies and lots of carnival rides and games for everyone. I would bring my penny whistle and play songs for the fair goers. How about you, Oversersjant, any traditions you missed back in Namsos?


    Bjornson stroked his chin. ¡°Oh, we have our share of festivals. Lots of eating and drinking and telling stories around the fire. It''s a good way to connect with the past.


    ¡°I see. Colonel, what about Cicero? Any Chicago traditions you hold dear?¡±


    Colonel Larkin, feeling slightly relaxed from the conversation, said: ¡°What I miss about home is the deep-dish pizza and the jazz clubs. There¡¯s something special about them.¡±


    ¡°That sounds wonderful, Colonel, I imagine the scene is vibrant,¡± Sister Helena said sincerely. Colonel Larkin gave her a curt nod.


    ¡°And what about you, Sister, what do you miss about Texas or North Dakota?¡± Fairbairn asked.


    ¡°What I miss about Texas is the Barbecue and Country Music and warm evenings! And what I miss about North Dakota is the serenity of the monastery. The grounds are peaceful, and I come to cherish it.¡± replied Sister Helena,


    ¡°How did you wind up in Chahinkapa? Bjornson asked. Sister Helena paused to choose her words carefully. After a moment she spoke:


    ¡°After... certain events in my life, I sought a place for peace and a purpose. The monastery offered me that.¡± Colonel Larkin shifted in his chair, uneasy at what Sister Helena said. He clenched his jaw.


    ¡°It certainly sounds like a place of healing,¡± replied Fairbairn.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said Sister Helena. ¡°It is a special place for me to make amends for my past.¡± Larkin couldn''t take it any longer. ¡°Atonement isn''t that simple, Sister Helena,¡± he said coldly and bitterly. The whole table fell silent. Sister Helen timidly met Colonel Larkin¡¯s gaze with a sorrowful look.


    ¡°I know that, Colonel. But I''m trying one day at a time.¡± Fairbairn sensed tension brewing. She cleared her throat.


    ¡°So, would anyone like to play chess or cards after dinner?¡±


    ¡°I would, ma''am,¡± said Bjornson. ¡°I could use some practice at chess.¡±


    ¡°Well, you''re on,¡± Fairbairn replied. ¡°Just don''t expect me to go easy on you!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t have it any other way.¡±  Colonel Larkin remained silent. His thoughts were elsewhere. Sister Helena continued to eat but with a pensive look on her face.


    As dinner wound down, Fairbairn and Bjornson grabbed a chest set from a nearby rack with games to play. As Colonel Larkin stood, Sister Helena asked:


    ¡°Colonel Larkin, would you like to play a game of chess with me?¡±


    ¡°No thank you, Sister,¡± he replied. ¡°I have some paperwork and requisition forms to fill out for our mission.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Sister Helena said. ¡°Well then have a good evening.¡± Colonel Larkin nodded and took Sister Helena¡¯s and his empty plates to be washed and left the commissary. Sister Helena stayed in the commissary and watched Fairbairn Bjornson play for a short time. All the while she felt sad. She had done nothing wrong to Colonel Larkin, yet he was so cold to her.


    Sister Helena discreetly left her seat and left the commissary for her quarters.

 Prayers and Pawns

    Sister Helena opened the door to her quarters. It was a spacious room, compared to the small cell she was used to living in in the monastery. Sister Helena had added some temporary things to remind her of the monastery. She had moved a small end table in the center of the room on which she hit placed some linens, a crucifix and a couple of candles. This was their prayer space. Sister Helena took off her jacket, revealing a black T-shirt underneath, and sat on her bed. Her calm facade melted away as tears began to well up as the evening¡¯s events weighed upon her. She clasped her hands and after making the Sign of the Cross, she bowed her head and prayed.


    ¡°Oh, Lord, I come before you, my heart burdened with pain. I''m sorry for the pain I''ve caused, especially upon Colonel Larkin, whom I''ve just met. Grant me the strength to atone for my sins, and to seek the forgiveness of those I have wronged. Lord, is Colonel Larkin remain related to the Major Larkin I killed when I was with the Rogue NID? Tell me Lord, that I might make amends.¡±


    Sister Helena choked back a sob, gripping her hands tightly. She wished she had the stone with her, but she had surrendered it to General Carter. ¡°I know I can''t erase my past, but I pray for the opportunity to make amends. Guide me on the right path and to be a beacon of Your love despite my shortcomings.¡±


    Tears fell down her face; her body shook with silent sobs. She buried her hands in her face trying to stifle her crying. ¡°I beg of you, Lord, to heal the wounds I have inflicted. Give me wisdom to navigate this path and the courage to forgive those I have hurt. What have I done to deserve Colonel Larkin''s anger and coldness?¡±


    She laid down on her bed in the fetal position, her body shook as she cried. ¡°Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me, Lord.¡± She repeated the words like a mantra. She tried to find solace in the lines of Chesterton''s epic poem but all she found in her memory was:


    The men of the East may spell the stars,


    And times and triumphs mark,


    But the men signed of the cross of Christ


    Go gaily in the dark¡­


    I tell you naught for your comfort,


    Yea, naught for your desire,


    Save that the sky grows darker yet


    And the sea rises higher.


    Night shall be thrice night over you,


    And heaven an iron cope.


    Do you have joy without a cause,


    Yea, faith without a hope?Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Sister Helena wished that Sister Marie Evangeline could be with her here, but she knew she had a mission to undertake. And Sister Marie Evangeline reminded Sister Helena that they would always be together. She reminded her dear friend of the words of Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity who had told her close friend Francoise de Sourden: to keep a spiritual rendezvous in their heart and they would be together in spirit. But it was not the same seeing without seeing Sister Marie Evangeline in person. She loved her like a mother.


    ¡°Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me, Lord,¡± Sr. Helena sobbed.


    Just then the knock was heard at Sister Helen''s door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Sister Helena said. It was Squadron Leader Fairbairn. She peeped her head through the door.


    ¡°Hey, Sister Helena. May I come in?¡± Sister Helena sat up on her bed. She tried to smile though it was hard for her to do.


    ¡°Of course, Squadron Leader Fairbairn. Please come in.¡± Closing the door, Fairbairn sat on the edge of the bed. She noticed Sister Helena''s tear-stained face.


    ¡°I just wanted to check on you,¡± Fairbairn said sincerely. ¡°Dinner was...a bit intense.


    Sister Helena signed. ¡°Thank you. It was indeed. It was challenging but necessary, I suppose.¡±


    Fairbairn pulled out a chess set. ¡°How about we play some chess? It always helps me relax.¡±


    ¡°I''d like that,¡± Sister Helena said. Fairbairn, after taking off her jacket, set up the chess board on a table that was in the room. The two sat down and began to play. The room was quiet as Sister Helena and Fairbairn made their opening moves. Fairbairn was intrigued by Sister Helena''s opening move.


    ¡°The Latvian Gambit! I''ve read about it, but I''ve never seen it performed live!¡± exclaimed Fairbairn where did you learn about it?¡±


    ¡°From my dad,¡± Sister Helena replied. ¡°He played at a near professional level while in college. He was a sportswriter for The Houston Post and later The Houston Chronicle. He wrote a chess column for both papers  and covered a lot of the Houston sports scene. Since I was his only child, he instilled in me a love of chess. Plus, it does also help me relax and think.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± said Fairbairn. They continued to play on. Each move eased Sister Helena''s tension and worries.


    ¡°From what I''ve heard Colonel Larkin is a tough officer, but he''s fair. He just needs time,¡± Fairbairn said,


    ¡°Really?¡± Sister Helena asked.


    ¡°That''s what a friend of mine who is part of SG-11 told me.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Sister Helena said. She sighed. ¡°I just hope he can find it in his heart to forgive me someday from whatever I''ve done to offend him.¡±


    Fairbairn reached across the table and gave Sister Helena¡¯s hand a squeeze. ¡°We all have our demons and our pasts, Sister, but we have the chance to overcome them. One day at a time, like you said at dinner.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Sister Helena said. The two women continued to play on making their moves in contemplation, occasional chatter, and even a few giggles. Sister Helena felt more relaxed.


    As the evening came to an end, Sister Helena said, ¡°Thank you, Squadron Leader. I feel better now. And thank you for making me feel part of the group at dinner, too.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure, Sister,¡± Fairbairn replied. ¡°We¡¯re a team now. We¡¯ll get through this together. We all will. Now, get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.¡±

 Mission Unveiled

    Sister Helena prayed Compline and got a good night''s sleep. She set the alarm on her watch to wake her at 0430. The alarm sounded and Sister Helena woke, and after completing her morning hygiene routine, she grabbed her breviary and a spiritual reading book and went up to the base¡¯s chapel to pray. After kneeling in silent prayer, she began:


    ¡°Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will proclaim your praise.¡± She prayed the Office of Readings and Lauds and then she meditated. It felt strange praying the Liturgy of the Hours by herself and without the other sisters, but she would need to get used to it as she would be on missions and would need to adapt her Rule to accommodate her new situation. After prayers, Sister Helena went to the commissary for breakfast. She found her team seated at a table together she got her breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs, a waffle, an orange, and coffee. She sat down next to Bjornson.


    ¡°God morgen, Sister,¡± the Norwegian said.


    ¡°Good morning, Oversersjant.¡±


    ¡°Sister, how did you sleep?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I slept well, thank you,¡± Sister Helena replied.


    ¡°Sister Helena, are you ready for the briefing?¡± Colonel Larkin asked gruffly.


    ¡°I think so, Colonel,¡± Sister Helena replied.


    ¡°You''ll have to give up your report of your visions to us and the general.¡±


    ¡°I''m aware of that, Colonel. And I am ready.¡± He gave her a curt but respectful nod. At 0900 hours they convened in the conference room on Level 27. Sister Helena and Fairbairn sat on one side of the table while Colonel Larkin and Bjornson sat on the other. As soon as General Carter entered the room the four stood.


    ¡°At ease. Be seated,¡± said General Carter. The four sat and General Carter passed out file folders to the four. Then she stood at the head of the table. ¡°Good morning. Twenty-five years ago, SG-1¡ªof which I was a member at the time¡ªwent on a routine exploration of P4X-987. We found that the planet was made-up of medieval Christians from England. We found the people of P4X-987 were being terrorized by Sokar via one of his minions who was in the body of an Unas. He also had the help of the village¡¯s religious leader named Cannon who terrorized his people, and SG-1 by using a Goa¡¯uld orbital weapons satellite, which he controlled by a remote control ring. He even proclaimed us demons due to Teal¡¯c Jaffa tattoo of Apophis and nearly killed him, but with the help of two very brave villagers, Simon and Mary, we defeated the Goa¡¯uld investing the Unas and for a short time Cannon.¡±


    ¡°General, most of the civilizations the SGC has encountered have come from peoples that were taken from Earth by the Goa¡¯uld millennia ago. Why and how was the group taken so late?¡± Fairbairn asked.


    ¡°Dr. Jackson theorized that Sokar took the ancestors of 987 through the stargate that was in Antarctica. The why is Sokar used them as potential hosts for himself or his underlings.¡± Fairbairn nodded.


    ¡°Before we departed, we took the control ring, and we told Simon and Mary to bury the gate to prevent another Goa¡¯uld incursion. Things stayed that way until five days ago when Sister Helena contacted us with information regarding P4X-987. According to her the people of 987 have unburied their gate and they have asked for our assistance. They''ve contacted her with an ancient long range communication device that Sister Helena unknowingly had in her possession. At the same time Sister Helena was being was being contacted by 987, the Stargate would be activated from offworld for a short period.


    ¡°Could an open wormhole amplify the Long-Range Communication device''s range?¡± Bjornson asked.


    ¡°It''s possible. While we have gained significant knowledge on this piece of technology, there is still a lot we don''t know.¡± General Carter turned to Sister Helena. ¡°Sister Helena, can you give your team a summary of your communications with 987?¡±


    ¡°Yes, General,¡± Sister Helena replied. She stood and surveyed the room. General Carter, Fairbairn and Bjornson giving her looks of encouragement while Colonel Larkin gave her a straight face. Several weeks ago one night I received my first communication with P4X-987. A little girl called out to me asking for me to help them. She and the people of 987 looked downcast. I had other communications with the planet in which I learned about their culture. As General Carter mentioned, they practice an ancient form of Christianity that is not experienced the Reformation, the Councils of Trent, Vatican I or II, or the last thousand years of theological thought. I suspect that their form of Christianity has been tainted by Sokar. Perhaps they want me to help them restore their faith.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°My second to last communication with 987 revealed an awful truth: the Goa¡¯uld have returned to 987. I was shown a group of villagers who were being visited by a beautiful woman. But I noticed along with my young friend that her eyes glowed and for a brief time she had a flanged voice. However, the people were oblivious to who she really was.¡±


    ¡°Whoever this Goa¡¯uld is might be using a form of Nish¡¯ta to control her audience,¡± said Colonel Larkin.


    ¡°It''s possible,¡± said General Carter.


    Sister Helen was confused. ¡°What''s Nish¡¯ta?¡±


    ¡°It''s a biological agent employed by the Goa¡¯uld is a form of mind control. The effects can be stopped by a Zat discharge,¡± said the general.


    ¡°I see,¡± Sister Helena replied. ¡°In any case P4X-987 is under attack from a Goa¡¯uld, be it Sokar or some harbinger for him.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me sister,¡± interrupted Colonel Larkin. ¡°But Sokar is dead. SG-1 killed him time years ago.¡±


    ¡°Sister Helena blushed. ¡°I beg your pardon, Colonel. I didn''t know.¡±


    ¡°That''s all right,¡± said Colonel Larkin. ¡°So, what you''re saying is we have a new Goa¡¯uld threat to the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Sister Helena said.


    ¡°Ever since the downfall of the System Lords we seen several Goa¡¯uld who were former underlings to the System Lords attempt to fill the power vacuum and create a new Goa¡¯uld empire,¡± General Carter said. ¡°P4X-987 is an ideal location to establish a power base. Sokar chose 987 as it was far away from any Goa¡¯uld world at the time.¡± Sister Helena nodded.


    ¡°Thank you, Sister. SG-24, your mission will be two-fold. Firstly, I want you to establish a long-term presence and build trust with the villagers. Secondly, to assess the situation with this new Goa¡¯uld threat from the planet and to eliminate it. You will also need to protect the planet from current and other further Goa¡¯uld exploitation. Sister Helena, your unique background and faith expression will be vital to this mission.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do my best, General,¡± said Sister Helena.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been given a special mission by the Bishop of Fargo. After consultation with the Holy See and the Prior General of your Order, you¡¯re to assess the spiritual needs of P4X-987, determine the state of their liturgy, do any catechesis if necessary, and report your findings to the Holy See.¡±


    ¡°Understood, General. I look forward to the challenge of helping the people of 987 to heal and redeem themselves, just as I have tried to heal and rebuild my own life,¡± Sister Helena said. Her words sat uncomfortably with Colonel Larkin. He cast a weary glance at Sister Helena and clenched his jaw.


    ¡°Any Questions,¡± General Carter asked.


    ¡°Yes ma''am,¡± Colonel Larkin replied. ¡°What about the local leadership, and how are we to protect the people of 987 from any Goa¡¯uld incursions?¡±


    ¡°That''s part of your mission¡ª to assess and ensure that no Goa¡¯uld technology remains in use and to assess what Ancient technology remains on the planet and prevent it from being falling into enemy hands. I will give you the control ring for the Goa¡¯uld weapons platform and Sister Helena the Ancient Long Range Communications device. As for protecting the Stargate, our study of Ancient technologies on Atlantis allowed us to develop our own Gate Shield. It can be applied to the DHD and be controlled by remote control. When SG-1 visited the planet, the Stargate was 11 klicks from the village. You might consider, once gaining the trust of the villagers, to have it moved to a secure location.¡±


    ¡°Understood, General. This will be a challenge, but we''re ready for it!¡± said Colonel Larkin.


    ¡°Good. Before you go, Sister Helena, will you please come here,¡± said General Carter. Sister Helena stood and went to her. General Carter handed Sister Helena a manila envelope. ¡°These are your directives from the Holy See as well as your dispensations from your Order¡¯s constitutions.¡± Then she pulled a small box from her coat pocket and motioned for Colonel Larkin to come forward. General Carter instructed Sister Helena to open the box. Inside contained three patches. The first was the emblem of the SGC, the second was the crest of her Order, and the third was the patch of her unit: SG-24. Colonel Larkin took them as she handed each one to them. He placed each patch in the appropriate place on her uniform.


    ¡°Sister Helena of the Cross, due to extraordinary circumstances I would like to formally welcome you to Stargate Command and SG 24. Congratulations!¡± Out of habit Sister Helena saluted both General Carter and Colonel Larkin. Both gave her handshakes. Colonel Larkins was brief but respectable. After handshakes from Fairbairn and Bjornson they turned to General Carter after she cleared her throat.


    ¡°SG-24, you have your mission. You''ll depart in one hour. Dismissed.¡±

 Plans Change

    With the briefing concluded, SG-24 went to the locker rooms to grab their gear. The base¡¯s quartermasters had spent the morning preparing the team with all their gear. The team made final checks on all their gear.


    Sister Helena kissed her scapular medal and silently prayed, ¡°Use me.¡± She placed a rosary that had been blessed by the Prior General and touched to the relics of the saints and blesseds of the Order into a pocket of her uniform. Sister Helena then placed her new veil on her head. The seamstress had attached a piece of black fabric to an Alice band. She made sure that her habit was packed into her duffel bag along with the other volumes of her breviary. They were there, which reassured her.


    Sister Helena attached her rucksack to her tactical vest, which contained her current breviary, notebooks and writing implements. She also carried the team¡¯s first aid kit and medical scanner. While Sister Helena waited for Fairbairn to finish her preparations, she began to pray:


    ¡°Lord, guide me in the way I should go. How am I to balance my duties as a member of this SG Team and as a daughter of Carmel? Guide me, Lord, in the way I should minister to the people of P4X-987. Bless the members of my team and guard them: Oversersjant Bjornson, Squadron Leader Fairbairn, and Colonel Larkin. Especially Colonel Larkin. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done to offend him, especially since we¡¯ve just met. Give me the grace to help overcome the division between us. All these things I offer to the glory of your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.¡± As Sister Helena made the Sign of the Cross, Fairbairn gave her a light tap on the shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, are you ready?¡± Fairbairn asked.


    ¡°I guess so. I¡¯m still worried about many things. About Colonel Larkin, my role as a member of SG-24 and my past. Why am I being called back to the Stargate again. It¡¯s a part of my past life that I deeply regret ever having been a part of.


    ¡°I¡¯m no psychologist and I¡¯m not deeply religious either, but maybe you¡¯re being allowed to use the Stargate for good this time. Perhaps this is a part of your healing process. Some to think about, Sister.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Fairbairn.¡± Sister Helena sighed. ¡°How I wish Sister Marie Evangeline was here!¡±


    ¡°You miss her?¡± Fairbairn asked.


    ¡°Yes! She was my ¡®angel¡¯¡ªmy guide in my early days at the monastery. She used to be in the Air Force as well, which is why we bonded so well. She was like a mother to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d imagine she understands. But keep her in your thoughts as happy thoughts. That¡¯s what gets me through missions.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m ready! Let¡¯s do this!¡± exclaimed Fairbairn. The two women came out of the locker room and went to the Armory to retrieve their weapons and ammunition. Then they made their way to the control room where General Carter, Colonel Larkin and Oversersjant Bjornson were waiting for them.


    ¡°You¡¯ve made it. Good,¡± said General Carter. To the Gate Technician, she said, ¡°Sergeant, dial P4X-987.¡±


    ¡°Dialing, aye, General,¡± said the technician. The gate dialing klaxon was heard as the inner ring began to spin.


    ¡°Chevron One encoded!¡± announced the technician.


    ¡°We¡¯ll send the MALP through first to check for viability and bandits. If all is well, you can go through,¡± said General Carter.


    ¡°Chevron Two encoded!¡± General Carter passed out four GDO¡¯s to each of the team members. They strapped them to their wrists including Sister Helena who mimicked the rest of her teammates.


    ¡°Here are your GDO¡¯s. Since you will be on a long-term mission, we will send you a new set of codes each month.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Understood, General,¡± said Colonel Larkin. She then gave Colonel Larkin the Control Ring and the Ancient Communication Stone to Sister Helena


    ¡°Chevron Three encoded!¡± announced the technician. Just then the dialing sequence was interrupted, and the general alert klaxon was heard. Red lights began to flash.


    Someone was dialing in.


    ¡°Unscheduled offworld activation,¡± said the technician.


    ¡°Close the iris! Defense teams to the Gate Room on the double!¡± exclaimed General Carter. The iris whirled shut and defense teams scrambled to their posts, their weapons drawn. The Stargate kawooshed behind the iris.


    ¡°I¡¯m receiving an IDC, ma¡¯am¡­It¡¯s SG-4!¡±


    ¡°SG-4? They¡¯re supposed to be escorting Hallam to trial on Zulu Station! Open the iris!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m receiving an audio message.


    ¡°Put it through,¡± said Carter.


    ¡°General Carter, This is Wing Commander Cate MacGregor.¡± Colonel Larkin¡¯s ears perked up when he heard that familiar Australian accent. She was the CO of SG-4. Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Zulu Station is under attack from without and from within. Hallam has moles inside the station, and we¡¯ve got a Ba¡¯al class Ha¡¯tak and a cloaked Al¡¯kesh attacking us from space. We¡¯re evacuating all civilians now.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Cate,¡± General Carter. To the technician she said, ¡°Open the iris.¡± She spoke into the PA: ¡°Medical Teams to the Gate Room on the Double!¡± Medical teams scrambled to the Gate Room and arrived as soon as the first group of evacuees stepped through the Stargate.


    ¡°Sam, the Invincible is barely holding Hallam¡¯s forces off. Captain McFearson has all her fighter squadrons engaging the enemy. She also wants to know where the Chekov is and her status,¡± said MacGregor.


    ¡°Cate, I sent the Chekov to the Alpha Site along with the Auora to protect it. Evidently, they¡¯ve come under fire from Hallam¡¯s forces as well. I¡¯ll try to re-route the Apollo to Zulu station. But it will take time. The Invincible will have to hold off Hallam¡¯s forces until she arrives¡±


    ¡°Can you give me an estimate of when she¡¯ll arrive?¡±


    ¡°If I can reach them, it will take an hour for them to arrive.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We could use some reinforcements here.¡±


    ¡°General, what¡¯s going on?¡± Sr. Helena asked.


    ¡°SG-4 and several other SG teams have been on a mission for the last three days to capture a Rogue Lucien Alliance member named Hallam. We suspect him of being a Goa¡¯uld. He escaped our grasp before. SG-4 captured him and took him to Zulu station to stand trial,¡± General Carter replied. Sister Helena nodded.


    ¡°General, I''d like to volunteer SG-24 to help SG-4. Cate and I served together on SG-11. We both saved each other''s asses on many occasions. I feel I should return the favor,¡± said Colonel Larkin.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to go too,¡± said Fairbairn. ¡°For my fellow crewmates on the Auroa.¡±


    ¡°Include me as well,¡± said Bjornson. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see the Alpha Site turned to ash by Goa¡¯uld scum.¡±


    ¡°But what about your mission to P4X-987?¡± General Carter asked.


    ¡°After we finished with assisting SG-4 we could continue to P4X-987 after the Invincible¡¯s CMO checks us out. We could also do a debrief by video conference,¡± said Colonel Larkin.


    ¡°It would also be a good test for Sister Helena ATA abilities,¡± General Carter said. ¡°Zulu station has an Ancient Control chair and if I''m not mistaken a full complement of drones.¡± General Carter paused for a moment. ¡°All right, Colonel, you have a go on your altered mission as soon as the last of the evacuees arrive. Contact us when you get to P4X-987 and we''ll send the rest of your gear and fresh ammo. Godspeed.¡± General Carter spoke on the radio. ¡°Cate, SG-24 and SG-8 will be joining you.¡±


    ¡°SG-24? Is that Marcus Larkin¡¯s new team?¡± Cate asked.


    ¡°The same. He''s also got a team member with a high ATA gene rating. We can use her in the chair. Keep in mind she''s just learned about her abilities, so you¡¯ll need to help her.¡±


    ¡°Got it. What''s her name?¡± Cate asked.


    ¡°Sister Helena of the Cross. She''s a nun who used to be in the Air Force. I''ll explain her whole story later.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Sam. MacGregor out.¡± By this time all the evacuees had safely made their way through the Stargate, and it deactivated.


    After grabbing extra magazines and ammo from the Armory, SG-24 and SG-8, made their way to the Gate Room. The technician dialed Zulu Station. As he called out the Chevrons, Colonel Larkin exclaimed:


    ¡°Bjornson and Fairbairn take point. Sister Helena, you¡¯ll go next, and I''ll bring up the rear for our team. Major Braden, your team will go in after us. Understood?¡± All nods. The final chevron locked in the Stargate kawooshed. ¡°Weapons in the high ready position!¡± cried Colonel Larkin. He turned to Sister Helena. ¡°That includes you too, Sister.¡± Sister Helena pulled out her Zat, opened it, and assumed a high ready position.


    ¡°Let''s roll, team!¡± exclaimed Colonel Larkin. Bjornson and Fairbairn went through first. Then it was Sister Helena¡¯s turn. She had some nervousness as she approached the Stargate, which was a part of her past. But she reminded herself of what Fairbairn said to her: ¡°You¡¯re using the Stargate for good this time.¡± She closed her eyes and said to herself as she stepped through the puddle:


    ¡°The men of the East may spell the stars,


    And times and triumphs mark,


    But the men signed of the cross of Christ


    Go gaily in the dark.¡±

 Saving Zulu Station

    Cate''s heart pounded as the gate shut down. She immediately began dialing again, grateful for the new dial system installed by Professor Rodney McKay and her own science officer, Doctor Flynn Hart. The system was as quick as the one on Atlantis, a small comfort in the chaos.


    She expected Sister Helena and Squadron Leader Fairbairn to come through first. When they didn¡¯t, she held her breath until Marcus Larkin emerged from the wormhole. Cate yelled over the cacophony of gunfire to a technician, ¡°As soon as SG-8 and SG-24 are through, shut the gate and initiate the iris!¡±


    Marcus reached her side, and they exchanged quick greetings amidst the chaos. ¡°Good to see you, Cate,¡± he said, firing at the advancing enemy.


    ¡°Likewise, Marcus,¡± Cate replied, her voice strained. ¡°We need to hold them off until everyone¡¯s through."


    More of SG-24 appeared, and Cate spotted Sister Helena. ¡°William!¡± she called to her XO. ¡°Guard her and get her to the chair room!¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    William nodded, leading Helena away. ¡°Major William Troy, you can call me Will,¡± he introduced himself as they moved.


    ¡°Sister Helena of the Cross,¡± she replied, her voice calm despite the chaos.


    A burst of gunfire quickened their pace. ¡°Stay close,¡± Will urged, his tone urgent.


    Back at the gate, Cate and Marcus were in the thick of it. ¡°Introductions will have to wait,¡± Cate shouted over the noise. She leaned around some transport cases to return fire, her mind racing. Hallam¡¯s people were pressing them hard, and she thanked God all the civilians and non-combatants had gotten through the gate in time.


    Marcus crouched beside her, making a quip. ¡°Feels like old times, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Cate


    managed a grim smile. ¡°Yeah, except now we¡¯re older and wiser.¡±


    ¡°How did this all happen?¡± Marcus asked, firing off a few rounds.


    ¡°We captured Hallam,¡± Cate explained quickly. ¡°But it was too easy. He planned this. He wanted Zulu Station, or to destroy it.¡±


    Markus nodded, understanding dawning on his face. ¡°We¡¯ll stop him, Cate. We always do.¡±


    Cate¡¯s resolve hardened. ¡°Damn right we will.¡±

 Critical Passage

    Teamed up with SG-4''s XO, Sister Helena followed closely behind Will. They practically sprinted through the first passageway, and in the rush, Helena lost her veil and the Alice band that held it in place. ¡°Horse hockey!¡± she exclaimed, quickly tying her long hair up as best she could while trying to keep up. Will glanced at her, hiding a grin; he knew exactly what she might have said.


    They weren''t exactly avoiding the battle; almost every passage and corridor had some engagement, small or large. Helena commented on the size of the station and asked twice how far they had to go. After ducking two fights and then another, they paused to catch their breath. ¡°We need to get to the next elevator, hopefully,¡± Will said, his voice strained. ¡°The first two, as you saw, were barred to us. Hopefully¡­¡±


    As they moved cautiously through the station, they suddenly encountered three of Hallam''s people; a mix of male and female, clearly rogue Lucian Alliance members. The confrontation was swift. Will and Helena took them down with precision, using their Zats to stun them into unconsciousness.


    ¡°Quick, tie them up,¡± Will instructed, pulling cable ties from his pack. Helena secured their hands and feet while Will used bandages from his medic kit to gag them. ¡°We can''t have them alerting the others,¡± he explained.


    Helena nodded, her hands trembling slightly from the adrenaline. ¡°Do you think there are more of them?¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Will replied, his voice steady. ¡°But we can''t worry about that now. We need to keep moving.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    They continued towards the elevator, the tension palpable. ¡°You handled yourself well back there,¡± Will said, glancing at Helena.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she replied, her voice a mix of nerves and determination. ¡°I just hope we can get to the chair room in time.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Will assured her. ¡°We have to.¡± They continued towards their goal. He paused as they reached a third elevator. Instinctively, he grabbed her hand, not having time to apologize.


    ¡°We''re currently on level six,¡± he told her as they stepped into the confined elevator box. Helena moved closer to him.


    ¡°Down to twelve, a short passage dead ahead, then we turn left, and it''s thirty meters in front of us.¡± Anxiously, they watched the red numbers of the floors count down. ¡°You can''t see the door. There are few of us in Stargate Command who can find it and open it. SG-4 and SG-3 are essentially the chair guardians. The others are the commander of this station, General O''Neill¡ªyes, I know he''s retired,¡± he added quickly, seeing her questioning look. ¡°General Sheppard and Doctor Beckett.¡± The reasons would seem obvious if Helena knew who all those people were. The elevator stopped, and Will held the door close button for a moment. ¡°Ready?¡± he asked, his voice tense.


    Helena nodded, her heart pounding. The doors opened, and Will quickly closed them again.


    Helena gulped. She saw what Will saw: ten to twelve hostiles in the very passageway they had to pass through. Will was already on the radio. ¡°Sierra Golf Delta, Sierra Golf Delta, this is Troy. We have ten, maybe a dozen hostiles in corridor kilo. Can''t risk a firefight without backup, do you copy?¡±


    ¡°Won''t Hallam''s people hear the call, Major?¡± Helena asked, her time with Stargate Command and the NID teaching her that often the enemy could tune into their broadcasts.


    ¡°No. This is a scrambled frequency. They might think they can hack it, but all they''ll get is static.¡±

 From the Halls of Zulu Station

    ¡°Sierra Golf Delta, this is Sierra Golf Theta,¡± Major Patrick Braden''s voice crackled over the radio. ¡°We copy. Standby.¡± He and his team, which consisted of himself, First Lieutenant Robert Lamb as his XO, Gunnery Sergeant Brandon ¡°Gunny¡± Smith (the team¡¯s weapons specialist) and Corporal Vincent ¡°Sharps¡± Guinan (the team¡¯s sharpshooter) took a position next to Colonel Larkin, who was engaged with the enemy in a back-and-forth volley of weapons fire.


    ¡°Colonel, Major Troy and Sister Helena are in trouble. They''re trapped in Elevator Charlie on Level 12. Ten to twelve hostiles are blocking their way, and they need backup. I''m volunteering my team to go in.¡±


    ¡°How the hell are you gonna do that?¡± Colonel Larkin asked. ¡°Elevators Alpha and Beta are blocked.¡±


    ¡°Beg pardon, sir,¡± said Sharps, ¡°but I was stationed on Zulu Station with SG-3 about a year ago. There''s a service elevator twenty meters to the right of Major Troy and Sister Helena''s position. Once on Level 12 there''s a passage that runs parallel to the blocked one.¡±


    ¡°Which would bring you behind the enemy lines and give you tactical advantage,¡± said Colonel Larkin.


    ¡°Good thinking, Sharps,¡± said Major Braden. Sharps nodded.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± said Colonel Larkin. ¡°You have a go.¡± Major Braden got back on the radio. ¡°Sierra Golf Delta this is Sierra Golf Theta. We''re on our way,¡± he said. ¡°Quallah Battoo.¡±


    ¡°Copy, Sierra Golf Theta,¡± Will replied. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Alright, team, let''s move out! Sharps, lead the way,¡± said Major Braden.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Sharps. ¡°This way.¡± Crouching, the team began to make their way to the service elevator.


    As they rounded a bend, they encountered four Lucian Alliance members standing in their way. They had not spotted SG-8. Taking cover, with Major Braden and Gunny on one side of the corridor and Lieutenant Lamb and Sharps took the other. On Major Braden¡¯s signal, they opened fire. The four Lucians fell and SG-8 gave a fist pump and an quiet oohrah.


    They arrived at the elevator and got in. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached Level 12. With Sharps taking point, Lieutenant Lamb and Major Braden in the center, with Gunny taking up the rear they sneakily moved into position behind enemy lines. Hiding behind crates Major Braden dictated his team quietly with rehearsed precision.


    ¡°Lamb takes the right flank! Gunny, suppressive fire! Sharps find a vantage point!¡± The team moved into their positions as if they were actors on stage. Once everyone was in position, Major Braden shouted:


    ¡°Engage and destroy! Gunny fired at the opening shot. The volley of shots took the Lucians off guard. One of them, a young man. The Lucians retaliated with a barrage of gunfire and energy weapons. Despite being a formidable force to be reckoned with, SG-8 held their ground.


    ¡°Quallah Battoo!¡± Major Braden bellowed. That was the signal for Will and Sister Helena to come out of the elevator. Will went first, firing his rifle, then Sister Helena came out firing her Zat. Together they advanced through the passageway.


    The battle was fierce. Major Braden and Gunny lobbed bullets, while Lamb fired a Zat. Sharps, from his vantage point silently took out the hostiles.


    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the passageway fell silent save for the labored breathing of the victors.


    Major Braden signaled the all-clear: ¡°Area secured!¡± Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they got up from their positions.


    Will slapped Major Braden on the shoulder. ¡°Well done, SG-8,¡± he said.


    ¡°Any time!¡± said Major Braden.


    ¡°Can you guard this corridor?¡± Will asked.


    ¡°Will do, sir,¡± replied Major Braden. To his team he said, ¡°Take defensive positions!¡± As SG-8 took up new positions (with Sharps finding a new vantage point), Will found the found the secret door and opened it.


    ¡°In we go,¡± he said as he motioned Sister Helena to go inside.

 The Circle

    Marcus knew in his heart the Alliance rebels were a fierce opposition. They were tenacious and wouldn¡¯t stop until they had freed Hallam, or everyone of them was dead. ¡°Cate, we need an out and now. What are our options?¡±


    SG-4s CO called up a quick sound off. She needed to know where her team was. Will she had accounted for. In just a few seconds she found TJ and Flynn were still in the main control centre, they had six of Zulu Station¡¯s Marine security with them. Master Sergeant McGuire and Sergeant Murphy were just west of the gate room, taking a team of marines. ¡°We surround them.¡±


    Larkin laughed mercifully. ¡°They outnumber us three to one.¡± He told her. ¡°How the hell...¡± Then it dawned on him. Back all those years ago when they were both on SG-11, there was a very similar situation on PL9-6U4, what craphole that was. ¡°The main hallways are circular¡­of course!¡± Another few rounds nearly took his ear off. Marcus fired back spitefully, sending an Alliance soldier flying.


    Cate merely nodded. ¡°The secondary passageway are like the spokes on a wheel. This is an outer ring corridor and two inner. We hold the outer.¡± She grunted as a chip of hard plastic from a packing back nicked her cheek. She dismissed it, even as the warm blood trickled down her face. She knew exactly where her sergeants were. For now, she¡¯d have to leave TJ and Flynn where they were. ¡°Marcus can you have your XO, and the big man there scoot out east; they only need to find the passage that is 90 degrees to this one. When we give a coordinated signal, we will make them think the gate of hell have opened on them.¡±


    ¡°Squadron Leader Fairbairn, Bjornson.¡± The mountain of muscle was ranked as Overserjant and there was no way Marcus was about to wrap his tongue around that, not now. ¡°You heard the Commander?¡±


    ¡°Aye sir.¡± Isolde grinned almost what could be said something a little evil. She took just one glance at the Viking (that was how she saw him), tilting her head sharply in the direction they had to go.


    The battle continued to rage around the gate room. The defenders with Cate and Marcus leading them, were holding their own, but they were being worn down. Every other round of a firefight brought one of their own down. Either wounded or dead.


    Along the east passageway, Isolde and Gunnar moved silently. Somewhere, they were sure where it was, they heard another firefight that didn¡¯t come directly from the Gate Room. It felt as if it was below them. ¡°You know Squadron Leader I should be taking point.¡± She could barely hear him.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The Scot turned. ¡°Of course you should be. But you¡¯ll not deny me the pleasure of seeing my first Lucian Alliance scumbag go down would you.¡± Her first at least. Isolde always felt everyone else was ¡®looking¡¯ out for her. She simply wanted to even a few old scores.


    He shrugged. Squinting in the semi darkened passage they found themselves in. After another few moments, a few more cautious steps, Isolde held up her hand. They were behind an electric forklift. One of those smaller types found in warehouses. If front of them, down another straight passage she found they were on the left flank of their enemy. She nodded to Gunnar, indicating the radio with her finger to her ear. He got the message.


    ¡°Bjornson to Colonel Larkin, we are in position.¡± He had hoped the boss had heard him. Gunnar had kept his voice to barely a whisper.


    ¡°Copied.¡± He heard the reply.


    *************************************


    By nature, Master Sergeant Alison McGuire and Sergeant Erin Murphy were resourceful. Wing Commander Cate MacGregor had quickly recognized this quality in them during their first week on her team. Cate wasn''t one of those hard-nosed officers who demanded everything be done her way. She believed in empowering her team to think for themselves, and SG-4 was a testament to that philosophy.


    As they moved through the circular passage of the space station, Murphy and McGuire kept their footfalls as soft as possible. The two members from SG-24, performing a similar maneuver on the east side of the station, had it slightly easier. The Lucian Alliance boarding party was spread thin, but still posed a significant threat.


    Their first engagement came quickly. Spotting two Lucian guards ahead, McGuire whispered, ¡°Zats?¡±


    Murphy nodded, ¡°Zats.¡±


    They drew their Zat''nik''tels, aiming carefully. Two quick shots, and the guards crumpled silently to the floor. McGuire and Murphy exchanged a brief nod of satisfaction before moving on.


    Several meters further, they encountered another pair of guards. This time, they were too close to the main force to risk using the Zats again. McGuire whispered, ¡°We can''t shoot. Too close.¡±


    Murphy glanced around, spotting a soda vending machine. ¡°Cover there. We need to take them out quietly.¡±


    With a silent agreement, they approached the guards from behind. In a synchronized move, they struck with the butts of their weapons, knocking the guards unconscious. The path was clear.


    Murphy quickly sent a message to Cate. ¡°Commander, McGuire. We¡¯re in position.¡±


    Cate''s voice crackled softly in their earpieces. ¡°Good work. Hold your position and wait for my signal. SG-24 is almost ready.¡±


    The only cover they had was the soda vending machine, but it would have to do. They crouched behind it, weapons ready, hearts pounding with the anticipation of the coming battle.

 The Turning Tide, Parts 1-4

    The battle raged on for what felt like hours. Yet, since the first engagement, only 14 minutes had passed. The Invincible¡¯s 302s and 402s were being hard pressed. Of the 40 ships committed, they had already lost 12 KIA and 4 MIA. While some 15 had to return to the ship for urgent repairs and re-arming. Elle sat in her Captain¡¯s chair, fretting with fear for each loss. It was heart-wrenching for her to watch the entire event, feeling useless. She ached to be out there with them.


    In the torrent of action, Lt. Commander Cheryl Maclean, the Invincible''s CAG, found herself in a predicament. She had accounted for at least six of the Alliance Death Gliders, but that fevered action had taken her far from the defence screen. She was now alone, her radio shot and her 302 leaking Naquada fuel like a torrent sweeping down the River Clyde. Panic swelled in her throat. Sweat started soaking her flight suit.


    ¡°Well, Cheryl, ye''ve really done it this time,¡± she muttered to herself, trying to keep her hands steady on the controls. ¡°If ye get out of this, ye owe yerself a pint. Or maybe a whole keg.¡±


    She glanced at the fuel gauge, which was dropping alarmingly fast. ¡°Aye, just what I needed. A wee bit more excitement in my life,¡± she said with a wry smile. ¡°Next time, let''s try knitting. Much safer.¡±


    Back on the bridge, Elle watched every single blip on the screen. Each fighter and bomber from her ship carried a small ID on its icon. She watched in horror as her friend Cheryl¡¯s ship moved further and further away. Urgently, she called for action; she had her Comms officer call up one of the 402s, that belonging to Ensign Nicolle ¡°Nicky¡± Davis. Cheryl needed a lifeline, and the 402 was her only chance. Hers was the closest, as far as the plot screen was concerned.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Ensign Davis, this is Captain Elle. Cheryl¡¯s in trouble. I need you to get to her position and provide cover. Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Roger that, Captain. I¡¯m on my way,¡± Nicky responded, her voice steady despite the chaos around her.


    Cheryl¡¯s hands trembled as she fought to keep her 302 steady. The fuel leak was getting worse, and she knew she didn¡¯t have much time. Her thoughts drifted to Nathan, and she felt a surge of determination. She wouldn¡¯t let his sacrifice be in vain.


    Finally, they reached the safety of the Invincible¡¯s hangar bay. The dropship touched down with a jolt, and she let out a shaky breath. They had made it.


    Elle rushed to the hangar bay, her heart racing. As Cheryl walked down the rear cargo ramp, Elle enveloped her in a tight hug.


    ¡°Thank God you¡¯re okay,¡± Elle said, her voice choked with emotion.


    ¡°Thanks to you and Nicky,¡± Cheryl replied, her voice equally emotional. ¡°We¡¯re not done yet, though. We¡¯ve still got a battle to win.¡±


    Elle nodded, determination shining in her eyes. ¡°Then let¡¯s get back out there and finish this.¡±


    As Cheryl turned to leave and order the last two squadrons into the fight, Elle grabbed her by the arm. ¡°Cheryl, I¡¯m so sorry about Nathan. He was a great officer and a good friend. We all feel his loss deeply.¡±


    Cheryl¡¯s eyes softened, and she gave a small nod. ¡°Thank you, Elle. Nathan was the best of us. We¡¯ll honor his memory by winning this fight.¡±


    With that, Cheryl headed out to rally the 76th Squadron RCAF "Mudrakers" and the 102nd Fighter Squadron USAF "Thunderheads," ready to lead them into the fray.

 In Many a Strife...

    Sister Helena and Major Will Troy entered the Chair Room. Will flipped a switch; the lights came on power monitors came to life showing display status on the chair and tactical displays on the station. The Chair Room was a small room about the size of a bank vault. In the center was the Ancient Controlled Chair, a metallic chair with a high back on a raised platform.


    ¡°That''s it?¡± Sister Helena asked.


    ¡°That''s it!¡± Will replied. ¡°Not exactly the Iron Throne, but it''ll do.¡± He wondered if he should have said that. ¡°A nun watching Game of Thrones? Probably not.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± Sister Helena asked.


    ¡°We wait.¡± Will replied. He spoke into his radio. ¡°Cate, this is Will. Come in.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Will,¡± was Cate¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Sister Helena and I have made it to the chair room.


    ¡°Copy that, Will,¡± I''m a little busy at the moment.¡± He could hear weapons fire in the background. ¡°As soon as I can break away I will join you. Tell SG-8 to hold the line until I get there.¡±


    ¡°Copy that. Troy out.¡± To Major Braden he said, ¡°SG-8 this is Major Troy. Orders from Commander MacGregor: hold the line until she arrives.¡±


    ¡°Copy that, Major Troy,¡± Came the response.


    SG-8 took up new positions in defense of the secret door. They had to be nonchalant about the way they guarded as they didn''t want to give away the secret. Major Braden positioned himself behind a large crate with his M4A1 Carbine, Lieutenant Lamb had behind him a pillar with his M27 rifle. Gunny took a position near the front with an M249 SAW and finally Sharps with his Barrett Sniper Rifle found cover in this shadowy alcove.


    From his alcove, Sharps could see another group of Lucian Alliance Rebels heading toward them. He looked through his scope and could see who they were.


    ¡°Sharps to Major Braden.


    ¡°Go ahead, Sharps.¡±


    ¡°We''ve got company. Six bandits headed our way. And you won''t believe who''s the leader is,¡± said Sharps.


    ¡°Who? Major Braden asked.


    ¡°Loric,¡± said Sharps. SG-8 had encountered Loric and his cell many times before, that it seemed like that it seemed like they knew each other intimately.


    Loric stopped midway down the corridor. He was of average height, a slim build, dark brown dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a beard. He surveyed the scene and caught Major Braden from the corner of his eye.


    ¡°My dear Major Braden,¡± said Loric. ¡°We meet again.¡±


    ¡°My dear Loric, replied Major Braden. He noticed some new faces among the cell members. ¡°I see we have some new members with you!¡±


    ¡°Oh yes! How rude of me not to introduce them to you! This is Tyra and this is Sorin. Tyra, female with blonde hair wielding a Zat¡¯nik¡¯tel did a mock curtsy to Major Braden. Soren, a Middle Eastern looking man, wielding an alien projectile weapon, gave a curt nod. ¡°My dear Major Braden, we find you guarding a seemingly random corridor. Is there something special about this random corridor? Is this where you keep your secret Cookie stash?¡±


    ¡°Boys, are we guarding something? Or are we just loitering around?¡±


    ¡°I thought we were sent to guard the Colonel¡¯s prized coffee stash. You know how grouchy the Colonel can get if he doesn¡¯t have his coffee,¡± said Sharps.


    ¡°Hey, weren¡¯t we guarding the last donut?¡± teased Gunny. You know its got chocolate with those little sprinkles on top!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Mmm¡­sprinkles!¡± said Lt. Lamb in his best Homer Simpson voice.


    Major Braden rolled his eyes. ¡°Guarding something? I thought we were waiting for the boss,¡± he said feigning confusion. Unbeknownst to Loric he had deliberately left his comline open. ¡°But now that you mention cookies, my dear Loric¡­¡±


    Up on level 6 Commander MacGregor heard the message. After firing on a Lucian she leaned over to Colonel Larkin.


    ¡°Marcus, Sister Helena and Will have made it to the chair room but SG- 8 is engaged with another Lucian cell. I''m going down there.


    ¡°Alright. Take the service corridor that SG-8 took,¡± said the Colonel.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Cate,¡± said Marcus.


    ¡°Same to you, Marcus,¡± replied Cate. As she left Colonel Larkin motioned for a Sergeant from SG-15, Colquitt, to take Cate''s place. With all haste, Cate ran to the service elevator. ¡°If I hurry I might be able to raid that cookie stash,¡± she thought.


    Back on level 12, Loric could not wait any longer. Silently he began to direct his cell to their positions. Nyssa, a brunette female, took cover behind a metal pillar, her P90 in high ready. Tyra positioned herself opposite Nyssa, her Zat ready to take out members of SG-8. Soren took position behind a reinforced barrier near the rear of the corridor. He wielded a Lucian Assault Rifle. Revak, his twin brother moved to the position to a large crate in the middle of the corridor. He wielded a particle magnum, similar like to the one wielded by Ronan Dex. Finally, Kavos, a tall and slender man with long black hair stood next to Loric wielding a particle blaster.


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re just lost,¡± Tyra taunted.


    ¡°Have you run out of tricks, Major?¡± put in Nyssa.


    ¡°Better lost than were working for a Goa¡¯uld lackey,¡± Lieutenant Lamb chuckled, his gaze trained on the Luciens. ¡°By the way, how¡¯s that working out for you?¡±


    Loric, was enraged. ¡°Bah! Watch your tongue, Human! We''re here to end this once and for all!


    ¡°Well then take your best shot, Loric,¡± said Major Braden. He ducked as Loric fired his staff weapon. Major Braden fired a burst of his rifle, injuring Loric. Lamb targeted Revan, dealing significant damage to him. Gunny laid down suppressive, fire injuring Nyssa. Sharps aimed at Soran hitting him hard.


    The Lucians responded. Loric fired his Staff Weapon at Major Braden, hitting him in the shoulder. Nyssa fired her P90 at Gunny but missed. Tyra fired her Zat and missed as well. Both Revek and Soran fired at Gunny with Revek managing to score a hit.


    In the Chair Room Major Troy and Sister Helena heard the weapons fire from outside.


    ¡°I sure hope SG-8''s doing well,¡± Will speculated.


    ¡°Let''s give them all the help we can give them,¡± said Sister Helena. She pulled out her rosary and knelt on down on the metallic deck. She made the Sign of the Cross and after praying the introductory prayers, she began to meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries. The rosary beads slipped through her fingers with military precision. Her eyes were closed, her lips moving silently as she prayed. Her faith was a beacon of serenity amidst the chaos from the battle that raged outside.


    Outside, Lieutenant Lamb, Gunny and Sharps fired but missed their targets. Loric fired his staff weapon at Major Braden, grazing his leg. The rest of Lorics¡¯s cell missed.


    ¡°Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now at the hour now and at the hour of our death. Amen,¡± Sister Helena whispered as her fingers moved to the next bead. Each word was spoken with an unwavering devotion, a silent plea for protection and strength.


    Out in the corridor of the battle waged on. But things began to turn when the sound of an Aussie accent could be heard coming along the corridor.


    ¡°Loric, the boss has arrived,¡± she said in a mocking tone.


    ¡°Wing Commander MacGregor, said Loric in a sneer. He pointed to Cate. ¡°Is this your savior?


    ¡°Oorah! We''re saved!¡± exclaimed Lieutenant Lamb.


    ¡°SG-8, hold the line!¡± cried MacGregor. Using signals in the form of flashes from the laser light of her weapon, Major Braden and Lieutenant Lamb fired on Loric and Reevek, respectively, hitting them. Gunny missed his shot, But Commander MacGregor with her rifle  landed a solid hit at Tyra.


    Loric¡¯s cell responded. Loric fired at Major Braden but missed. Nyssa fired at Gunny and hit him, grazing his shoulder. Tyra turned and fired at Cate and missed. Kavos charged and fired at Gunny, but was taken down by Sharps.


    SG-8 and Commander McGregor continued their attacks, coordinating with each other. They focused on key targets. They were able to incapacitate Nyssa and Tyra. The remaining Luciens continued their assault on SG-8 and Commander McGregor but faced overwhelming resistance. Eventually, with some well-placed shots they managed to incapacitate the rest of Loric¡¯s cell.


    ¡°We did it!¡± Shouted Sharps.


    ¡°Well done, people¡± exclaimed MacGregor. ¡°You were in fine flying formation!¡±


    ¡°Oorah!¡± they cheered.


    ¡°Semper fi, Commander.¡± said Major Braden. ¡°Major Troy and Sister Helena are inside.¡±


    ¡°Right. Tend to your injuries and hold the line boys!¡± Cate said with a grin. "And make sure no one gets into my cookie stash!"


    Gunny raised an eyebrow, ¡°Wait, we have cookies?¡±


    Cate smirked, ¡°Well, we did. I have a feeling they won¡¯t last long now.¡±


    The team chuckled, even amidst the tension of the battle.


    And with that, Commander MacGregor entered the Chair Room, ready to teach Sister Helena how to use Ancient technology.

 The Turning Tide, Parts 5 and 6

    SG-8 had eliminated Loric¡¯s Lucian Alliance squad on Level 12, just outside the control chair room. The air hung heavy with the acrid scent of gunpowder, and the echoes of gunfire reverberated through the metal corridors. Cate seized the moment, darting from her position in the west passageway.


    "Major Braden, secure this area!" Cate ordered, her tone clipped and commanding.


    "Yes, ma''am." Braden gave a quick signal, directing his team to defensive positions.


    Cate sprinted across the second passageway just as four more Alliance fighters appeared. Bullets shrieked past her, ricocheting violently off the walls. She dove into the control room, her chest heaving.


    "Will, get out there and reinforce Braden''s line!" Cate barked at her XO, Major William Troy.


    "On it!" Will grabbed his rifle and bolted into the fray without hesitation.


    Inside the control room, Sister Helena hovered near the Ancient control chair, flinching at every burst of gunfire. Her anxiety was palpable, her hands trembling. Cate approached, her expression softening but her voice steady.


    "Alright, Sister," Cate said gently but firmly, "take a seat in the chair."


    Sister Helena hesitated, her wide eyes darting to the alien device. "I¡ªI don¡¯t know if I can..."


    "You can," Cate assured her, a small, encouraging smile breaking through her otherwise stern demeanour. "Trust me, it won¡¯t bite."


    Helena exhaled shakily, muttering a prayer under her breath. "St. Nuno, protect me." She lowered herself into the Chair. As soon as her fingers touched the armrests, the device sprang to life. A soft blue glow enveloped her, and the chair reclined, catching her off guard.


    "Whoa!" Helena yelped, clutching the armrests.


    "Good," Cate said, her tone measured. "Close your eyes and focus. Think about the weapons. This will give you access to Zulu Station¡¯s drone storage."


    The sound of the firefight outside escalated. Corporal Guinan¡ªdubbed "Sharps" for his precision¡ªtook a hit to the shoulder. Will dragged him behind a stack of packing crates, swiftly stabilizing the wound before diving back into the battle.


    Meanwhile, on Level Six, Lt. Colonel Markus Larkin and his SG-24 team fought desperately to hold the Stargate. His XO, Squadron Leader Isolde Fairbairn, and Sergeant Gunnar Bjornson anchored the line alongside Zulu Station¡¯s security force. Master Sergeant Alison McGuire and Sergeant Erin Murphy, both from SG-4, flanked them, firing relentlessly.


    Markus¡¯s voice crackled through Cate¡¯s radio. "Cate, whatever you''re planning, do it now!"


    "Understood," Cate replied, her voice unwavering.


    Beyond the station, Invincible¡¯s fleet of F-302s clashed with Hallam¡¯s Death Gliders and Al¡¯kesh bombers. In the chaos, an Al¡¯kesh latched onto Zulu Station. The Invincible¡¯s gunners opened fire, their 155mm rounds obliterating the enemy craft, but the explosion ripped through the station¡¯s science sector. Alarms blared as damage control teams raced to seal the breach.


    Cate glanced at the displays. The situation was deteriorating, but she maintained her composure.


    "Alright, Sister Helena," Cate said. "Focus. Ancient technology responds to your thoughts. Let¡¯s start small. Picture the Death Gliders¡ªthe enemy ships. Can you see them?"


    "I think so," Helena murmured, her brow furrowed in concentration. "But it¡¯s been years. Could you show me an image?"


    Cate pulled up two visuals on the monitor: a sleek, menacing Death Glider on one side and a compact, angular F-302 on the other. "Destroy the ships on the left. Focus on them in your mind. Nod when you¡¯ve got the picture."


    Helena nodded after a moment, her breathing steadying.


    "Good. Now imagine taking one out. Visualize it."


    A glowing, squid-like Ancient drone launched from the station. It streaked through space, zigzagging past the F-302s, before slamming into a Death Glider, reducing it to shrapnel.


    Cate¡¯s lips curved into a faint smile. "Direct hit. Well done, Sister!"


    "Really?" Helena¡¯s voice was tinged with disbelief.


    "Really," Cate confirmed. "Let¡¯s keep going."


    The Sister closed her eyes again, her confidence growing. Two more drones launched, cutting down two Death Gliders in a fiery display.


    "Fire at will," Cate instructed, her tone filled with conviction.


    Helena began targeting multiple ships, the drones spiralling through the void. But as her ambition grew, so did the risks. One drone veered off course, heading straight for the Invincible. The crew braced for impact, but the drone fizzled out¡ªa dud.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Hey! Who''s aiming at friendlies?" barked Captain McFearson from the Invincible¡¯s bridge.


    Cate winced but kept her voice calm. "Apologies, Captain. Rookie in the Chair. She¡¯ll adjust."


    Helena¡¯s cheeks burned with embarrassment. Cate placed a steadying hand on her shoulder.


    "You¡¯re doing fine," Cate reassured her. "Now, let¡¯s tighten your focus. Aim for two Gliders at a time."


    Helena nodded, her resolve hardening. Two drones launched in perfect unison, striking their targets. She exhaled deeply, the tension beginning to drain from her shoulders.


    Cate watched the monitors, her confidence in the Carmelite nun growing. "Keep it up, Sister. The tide¡¯s turning."


    *** **** ***


    Outside the Chair Room, SG-8 and Major Troy came under fire from another Lucian Alliance squadron. ¡°Troy, take the left flank, see if you can catch them in the crossfire!¡± cried Major Braden.


    ¡°On it, Pat,¡± replied Will. He moved to a large barrel and ducked behind it. He had a good line of sight to the enemy. Major Braden then directed Lt. Lamb to move up where Nyssa had positioned herself earlier. This created a choke point to trap the enemy.


    ¡°Engage and destroy!¡± ordered Major Braden. Rifles began to fire. The corridor became engulfed in smoke and the air was filled with the rancid smell of gunpowder. The rat-a-tat-tat of rifles filled the corridor, punctuated by the blasts of Staff Weapons and Zat¡¯nik¡¯tels.


    In the Ancient Chair Room, Sister Helena continued her work in obliterating the Lucian Alliance¡¯s Death Gliders and fighters. After her blunder of firing on the Invincible, Sister Helena contently fired two drones at a time, obliterating a handful of gliders.


    ¡°You can fire on multiple targets, Sister,¡± said Cate.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit worried, Commander,¡± replied Sister Helena. ¡°There was a lot of angst when I shot at the Invincible. What if that was a live round?¡±


    Cate stood next to Sister Helena and placed a reassuring hand on the Carmelite¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. Take a few deep breaths.¡± Sister Helena did so and also silently prayed a few Hail Mary¡¯s. ¡°Let¡¯s try this: start with first taking out two Gliders, next three, then five, then three and finally two. Take a breath and then repeat the process. Got it?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Sister Helena replied as she closed her eyes to concentrate on the next phase of the battle ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s try it.¡± she said with a tone of nervous confidence in her voice.


    ¡°Good girl.¡± replied Cate. ¡°I¡¯ll call everything out.¡± Once Sister Helena was ready, she nodded. ¡°Go for two!¡± the Cate cried. She watched from the monitor as two drones streaked through the vastness of space. They found their targets, sending a shower of flotsam throughout the battlefield.


    Now go for three!¡± Upon seeing satisfying progress, Cate said, ¡°Now go for five!¡± Marks found their targets. ¡°Now three! Now two!¡± After firing the last two drones, Sister Helena breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Good job, Helena. Direct hit on all targets. Let¡¯s do it again!¡± Once Helena was ready, Commander MacGregor called: ¡°Fire two¡­Now three¡­now five¡­now three¡­now two. Catch your breath! You¡¯re doing well! Now, once again¡­two¡­three¡­five¡­three¡­two. Almost there¡­¡±


    Back up on Level 6, Lt. Colonel Marcus Larkin and the remainder of SG-24 along with Sergeants Murphy and McGuire of SG-4 were getting desperate. Two of Zulu Station¡¯s security personnel had been hit, and now his line began to wear thin.


    ¡°Murphy! McGuire! Tighten the flanks! Bjornson, watch that crossfire!¡± He barked. Marcus leaned into his radio. ¡°Cate, how¡¯s it coming?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re making progress, Marcus,¡± Cate replied. ¡°Helena¡¯s taken out most of the Death Gliders. We only have a few drones left. We¡¯re going to try to take out one of the Ha¡¯taks.¡±


    ¡°Make it quick! Our line¡¯s wearing thin, we¡¯ve got two wounded down here and could use medics ASAP!¡± Colonel Larkin said.


    ¡°Copy, Marcus!¡± Cate replied. Cate surveyed the monitor. Sister Helena had mopped up most of the Death Gliders and the Invincible¡¯s 302¡¯s and 402s were winning their fights. ¡°You¡¯re going great, Helena. Let¡¯s try to take out the Ha¡¯tak closest to the station.¡± She pulled an image of a Goa¡¯uld Ha¡¯tak vessel on the screen. ¡°Concentrate on destroying the vessel. It will take four drones to take it out.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± replied Sister Helena. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. Four drones took off from the station¡¯s drone storage room. They flew as little golden streaks finding their targets in a massive Egyptian themed spaceship. A few seconds later the mighty an imposing Ha¡¯tak was destroyed in a massive fireball.


    On the bridge of the Invincible, the crew cheered at the sight of the exploding Ha¡¯tak. Captain McFearson smiled briefly but knew that the battle was far from over. ¡°Look alive, people! Our rookie may have taken out a Ha¡¯tak but we''ve got another Ha¡¯tak and a mothership out there!¡± Elle barked. She pressed the button on her chair for the radio. ¡°Confirmed, Cate. One Ha¡¯tak down. Congrats to our rookie working the chair!¡±


    ¡°Copy, Elle. I''ll pass the word along. We''re out of drones. Invincible¡¯s rail guns and the station''s main guns will have to hold off their remaining Ha¡¯tak and the mothership.¡±


    ¡°Have you heard anything from the Apollo, Cate?¡±


    ¡°She''d be here in 30 minutes, if General Carter can get a hold of her. Other than that, I have not heard from her.


    ¡°Understood. Who do we have to thank for working the chair?¡± Elle asked.


    ¡°Sister Helena of the Cross,¡± replied Cate. I''ll explain later.


    ¡°Copy. Let''s hope the Apollo gets here soon,¡± said Elle. ¡°Invincible out.¡±


    Cate smiled and extended her hand. ¡°Congratulations, Sister. You did it! You destroyed the Ha¡¯tak vessel!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for teaching me, Commander,¡± said Sister Helena. ¡°My pleasure. Now let''s get now let''s rejoin our friends on level 6. They need our help.¡±


    Sister Helena got out of the chair and activated her Zat. Cate spoke on her radio.


    ¡°Braden is the coast clear?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative ma''am,¡± Major Braden replied. ¡°Come on out.¡± Cate picked up her weapon, shut the off the lights, and the two women exited the Chair Room. ¡°Alright, back to Level 6! We need to help Colonel Larkin with his fight!¡± ordered Cate. SG-8 and Will nodded. The six made a mad dash to the elevators.


    Things were not looking good for the Invincible. Elle nervously paced the bridge. ¡°Where was the Apollo?¡± She thought. This was turning into Deja Vu. Two days ago, she had faced a similar situation at PXY-697; the Chekov was late coming into that battle.


    The mother ship fired several blasts at the Invincible.


    ¡°Shields down to 47%!¡± cried First Lieutenant Danny Tyler, Invincible''s tactical officer as the ship was rocketed and sparks eliminated from consoles.


    ¡°Hard to starboard! Return fire, all batteries!¡± Barked Elle. Gun crews sprung into action firing relentlessly at the Mothership.


    ¡°Direct hit!¡± said Lieutenant Tyler.


    ¡°Damage?¡± Elle asked.


    ¡°Superficial,¡± responded the tactical officer.


    ¡°Continue firing! We''ve got to make some sort of dent in those ships!¡± cried Elle.


    "Captain, another ship is dropping out of hyperspace!¡± said the helmsman ¡°It''s... the Daedalus!¡±