Stargate Beta: A New Friend

Mastuk watched with shock and amazement as the stone ring in the square started spinning in front of his eyes. Others that had been mingling in the square had disappeared dragging their children and shopping with them, but Mastuk did not move he just stood meters away from the object amazed at what he was seeing. It stopped spinning and a gush of what looked like water flew out of the rings center making Mastuk run and take shelter behind the nearest market stall that had minutes ago been bustling with customers. When he looked up again the water like substance had settled inside the ring shimmering in the sunlight.

*****

Colonel Laverick was sat at her new desk tapping her fingers upon it, pondering. There had been no action since they first arrived at the beta site, no planets had been found that were explorable. All she had had to do was wonder the corridors and sit in her office waiting, waiting for some action. She hated it, every minute of the day part of her wished she was back home and another part of her wished for some action. She was a typical soldier wanting to be where the action was, not billions of miles away from it. There wasn't even anything to keep the scientist in her ocupied.

“Colonel Laverick.” came a voice in her ear. “I think we may have found ourselves ours first planet to explore.” She couldn’t get out of her seat quick enough and was out of the door before the voice in her ear have finished.

“I’ll Be right there,” she replied. When she arrived at the Control room she found Daniel Jackson already surveying the footage that the M.A.L.P was sending back through the still open wormhole in front of them. “What have we got then Daniel?”

“It looks interesting, worth a visit of me. The Stargate is in the middle of what seems at the moment to be an abandoned village. It looks recently abandoned.” Came Daniels reply as he moved over to let the Colonel look at the screen.

“There’s no sign of any fighting and the village looks in good shape so maybe the wormhole opening scared them and they are hiding.” Just as the colonel finished talking the cloth covering the front of one of the market stalls that were set near the Stargate. “Did you see that?” She asked Daniel.

“Could have just been some wind or an animal.”

“Could you zoom in on that stall for me?” The colonel asked the M.A.L.P operator. The picture zoomed in on the spot she wanted and she examined it in detail. “There it moved again. There is someone behind that cloth.” The colonel gestured to the M.A.L.P operator to move in closer and the M.A.L.P trundled slowly forward towards the stall. As it got closer a small boy, looking around 9 or 10 jumped out and started to run.

“Daniel” said the colonel gesturing for him to speak

“I’m on it”

“Don’t be afraid it will not hurt you, we are a race of explorers who wish to meet with your people, we wish to be your friends.”

The boy stopped. “Why would you want to be my friend, no one wants to be my friend, everyone thinks of me as bad, they shoo me away when I come near them.” He said as he turned the face the M.A.L.P tears rolling down his face.

“We will be your friends and we will try to help you make friends in your own community.”

“They ran to their hiding place when the ‘ring’ started spinning.”

“Do you know where they are? Would you be able to take or show us?”

“I could show you where I sleep. I think that the hiding place is nearby.”

“That would be great. I must go now as the connection between our worlds is close to closing and we will have to reopen it before we come through. If you stay where you are you will be O.K, don’t get to close to the ring.” There was a flash in the centre of the Stargate as the wormhole closed. “Daniel this ones yours. I just wish I could come with you.”

“Why don’t you, it’ll do you some good to get off base.”

The colonel smiled ‘I think your right and this place seems to run itself anyway.’ They both turned and headed for the door ‘SG-20 please report to the briefing room ASAP.’ She said into her head set as she left the control room.

*****

The Colonel and Daniel arrived at the briefing room just before SG-20 and they all sat down together. Pressing a few buttons on her control pad the Colonel brought up the M.A.L.P footage from the planet they had just been surveying. Looking over to Daniel she nodded.

Daniel stood up and started speaking, ‘We have our first mission. This is footage from the last planet surveyed. We have made contact with a young boy who we found hiding behind one of the market stalls.’ Daniel pointed to the screen as the camera zoomed in before the M.A.L.P moved forward and the boy jumped out.

The image paused and the colonel looked up. ‘The boy said he would help us to meet with the inhabitants of the planet. Let’s hope we can make friends not enemies of these people. But judging by what the boy told us we may have our work cut out. Any questions?’ The Colonel looked around the room as she finished talking.

‘Where are the people? Replied the sergeant sitting a few seats away from the Colonel

‘They went into hiding when the wormhole opened, they must have had bed experiences in the past.’

‘Maybe a Goa’uld?’ came the reply from another member of the team.

‘Don’t think they got to this Galaxy but something like that maybe.’ Replied Daniel

‘Do you think this boy can be trusted, what if he’s just there to lure us in? It could be a trap.’

‘It could be, but we won’t know if we don’t go, and this is the best planet we’ve found so far. Hell it’s the only one that has been suitable to explore, I can’t let it go just because of that risk. We are soldiers; we take risks all the time, that’s our job.’ The Colonel gauged the room’s reaction, no one said anything. ‘OK Let’s get kitted up. Be ready to leave in 30 minutes. Thanks.’ She said standing up as she finished. There was a rustle of movement as everyone followed suit and left the room.

*****

As she headed back towards her office Colonel Laverick thought about what she had said in the briefing room. ‘Should I have said what I said? Should I have got them to survey the planet more before I send in a team? Should I really be going and leaving my post on base?’ She was still questioning herself as she opened her office door. Sitting down at her desk she placed her hands on her head interlinking her fingers, tipped her head back and stretched.

There was a knock on the door. Straightening up in her seat the Colonel said ‘Come in,’ the door opened and the Sergeant from the meeting entered the room. ‘You don’t need to do that.’ The colonel said as the Sergeant went to salute.

‘I want to apologise for undermining you in the meeting.’

‘You don’t need to as you did no such thing. What you did was give me something to think about and I believe I’m rushing in to a mission because I’m sick of there being nothing much to do. I like your attitude as if you think the way you did in the meeting we should have no problem as you will b looking for the dangers.’ Replied the Colonel as she pressed some buttons on her computer bringing up the Sergeants service record. ‘I can see from your service record that you have done the same in the past and because of this have saved your colleagues. You are the sort of person I want watching my back.’

‘You’re coming on the mission?’

‘Yes.’

‘Well I like that in a senior officer. It makes a difference when you are willing to put yourself in the line of fire.’

Fiddling under her desk the colonel replied, ‘I may not go that far, but I hate sitting at a desk all day. I don’t know what made me take this job.’ She finished speaking then looked at her watch. ‘I think we better go and get ready or they’ll be waiting for us or even going without us.’ Placing the gun she had removed from the draw under her desk in its holster the Colonel stood up and moved to the other side of her desk where the Sergeant was standing. They left the room and walked down to the kit room together.

*****

When the Colonel and Sergeant entered the kit room the rest of SG-20 were already there and finishing kitting up. ‘OK as Sergeant Dean said in the briefing we don’t know what we are going to encounter at the other end of the wormhole, it could be a trap and the boy the bait. We need to be on our guard at all times.’ The Colonel said to the five people in the room that included Daniel and Sergeant Dean. ‘Let’s go and make friends!’ There was a cheer as the Colonel finished speaking. ‘Well that went better than I expected she said turning to Daniel who was stood a few feet away from her before opening her locker and collecting her flak jacket and other parts of her kit. Putting on her jacket she followed the rest of the team as they headed to the weapons locker to collect their weapons.

Issued with weapons the team headed for the gate and waited for the dialling sequence to be completed and the wormhole to open.

*****

The team emerged from the wormhole into the middle of the deserted market. The only sign of life was the still fresh fruit and other items laid out on the stalls. There was no sign of the young boy from the M.A.L.P’s video footage anywhere. ‘There’s defiantly been some activity here in the past day Colonel.’ Came Daniels voice breaking the silence.

’We should split into two groups of three to explore the village and try to find the young boy. Sergeant Dean, Captain Smyth you’re with me. Major Jones you have Daniel and Lieutenant Hall. See what you can find out from the buildings, we’ll search the surrounding area; see if we can find the boy or the other inhabitants he mentioned.’ As the Colonel finished speaking and the team split in to their two mini teams she checked her P-90, saying ‘and let’s hope we don’t need these,’ as she did.

‘Looking at the ground it’s rained since we sent the M.A.L.P through, the boy could be sheltering somewhere nearby.’ Stated Daniel as he and the rest of the team finished checking their own P-90’s.

*****

Major Jones acknowledged the Colonel then turned to Daniel and Lieutenant Hall to issue instructions of his own. When he’d finished the three of them turned and headed towards what looked like the village hall, as Colonel Laverick and the others headed for the market stall the boy had been hiding behind earlier.

Stopping at the door Major Jones readied his P-90 before pushing it open slowly, Lt. Hall and Daniel stood either side of the door their P-90’s ready in case they were needed. The door opened to reveal a large empty entrance; its walls were covered in tapestries and accented with gold, its ceiling covered in the same gold accents. Daniels eyes were drawn to the gold images making mental notes of what he saw as the 3 of them walked along the corridor scanning for signs of life as they did so.
'This place is s deserted as the market square, there's been no one here for hours.'
'Let just keep looking we've only covered a small area, we may find something or someone as we go further in.'
Movement in the shadows at the end of the corridor Major Jones' eye. Rasing his P-90 he spoke and jestured in the direction or the movement. 'Daniel, Lt. Hall I think there is someone up ahead.'
'Mastuk its Daniel we spoke alittle earlier.'
There was a disturbance in the shadows again, before the head of a young boy appeared around the corner.
Daniel jestured to the others to lower their weapons as he did his own. 'Don't be afraid we will not harm you.'
The boy slowly emerged and made his way tentatively towards the three armed men.
When the boy got close Daniel knelt down next to him. 'You said you could show us where the others might be'
'Yes I think I can, Will you help me?'
'Of course we will.' Daniel replied before placing his hand on his radio and saying, 'Colonel'

*****
Colonel Lavericks Radio crackled in to life.
'Yes Daniel, have you found the boy.'
'Yes' came the reply.
'We'll meet you back in the market square.' She replied back, before gesturing to Sergeant Dean and Captain Smyth to head back the way they came.