Harry Potter and the Next Great Adventure
Author: shwilly
Classification: Adventure/Sci-Fi
Rating: R

A/N and Disclaimers: This is my first fic so constructive criticism only
    please... and please offer it because I know I need it!  I own nothing,
    except what develops from the idea since the original concept I got from
    AlexMcpherson (who gave me permission to use it).  I would also like to
    thank Bobmin for the inspiration behind the first scene and for giving her
    permission for use of the first couple of paragraphs.  I do not own Harry
    Potter or Stargate, HP belongs to JKR and Stargate belongs to MGM and
    whoever else... not really sure to be honest.  Direct excerpts from the
    show will occur in some cases especially in the beginning since Harry
    hasn't had a chance to effect anything yet...
    Many thanks to AlexMcpherson for the use of the general idea and to all of
the other authors that have inspired some of my ideas and concepts, if you spot
something and I forgot to mention it let me know, since I want to give credit
where its due.
    HP is canon until the end of book five and Stargate is cannon until the
middle beginning of season 3, just before the episode Seth ...

    If anyone is interested in being my beta or in bouncing ideas, message me,
since I know I'll need one.  This is primarily a Harry Potter/Stargate Cross,
but I reserve the right to have other crosses in the future if it fits... don't
worry though, I'll make sure they fit.  Just a warning you will learn more
about what happened in the war in the future, so don't fret if you are a little
confused with what happened to some of the main characters... so on with the
show!
    Just edited and reposted this chapter trying to fix some verb tense issues.
The new chapter should be up tonight or tomorrow once I've given it another
good look through.  Cheers!

===============================================================================

*Prologue*

-*Number 12 Grimmauld Place...*-

    Harry looked out the window of the library of Number 12 Grimmauld Place,
sipped a rather large glass of aged fire whiskey, and felt the weight of the
world on his shoulders.  He was used to the feeling.  What he wasn't used to
was the gaping hole where his heart had once been.  It was the day before
Christmas Eve of his seventh year and Voldemort has been dead almost two
months.
    If it was only Voldemort who'd died, then Harry might still be celebrating.
But his hadn't been the only death.  Dumbledore, Hermione, Bill, Ron and Ginny
Weasley, Tonks, Remus, Flitwick, a third of the student body of Hogwarts, 43
American Aurors from the contingent the Americans sent as aid, several ministry
aurors he had been able to recruit, all of Tom's Death Eaters and many of their
families.  The list went on and on.
    The final battle had lasted all day and it had pitted every Ministry Auror
he could convince to support Hogwarts, a 200 American auror contingent and
every member of the Order of the Phoenix against the Death Eaters.  Harry
sighed and fought to keep the tears from flowing again.  He had cried once,
only briefly, when he had found Hermione's body after the battle.  She had been
one of the only people who loved him for who and what he was, rather than the
legend he had become.  He had knelt next to her broken body and shed the only
tears in public since he was a child.  He was used to crying alone, although he
fought that as well.  He loved her, so much so he had intended to court her
after the war.
    -Well, that's not going to happen now,- he thought bitterly.
    Harry lifted a silver chain from the side table and placed it around his
neck.  Reaching for another sip from his glass of whiskey his mind turned to
the contents of that chain.  Attached to the chain was his shrunken warlock's
trunk.  It had multiple compartments, all his possessions and all of his money,
what the ministry and the Prophet had recently called the Blood Fortune.
    After coming of age, Harry had to spend a few days with the Goblins of
Gringotts going over his finances.  He knew about the Potter and Black Fortunes
from some discussions with Sirius and Remus.  What he was unprepared for were
the other fortunes that he had inherited at the time.  Some accounts, both
small and large, were from crazy old codgers or crones whom lost their families
in the first war.  After reading their wills it was obvious they thought the
bequeath was the best way to say "thank you" for avenging their loved ones.
Other accounts were inherited due to the most tenuous of blood ties.
    While the first war had been bloody, the second had been more so.  Entire
families were wiped out, leaving their belongings to the closest head of
family.  Since many of the older families and their less well known cadet
branches intermarried, a few families both from the light and the dark ended up
inheriting massive fortunes in what the goblins believed to be the largest
consolidation of wealth since the formation of the original families whom
founded the Ministry.
    The Goblins, they had been a bit of a surprise to Harry.  From what Binns
and the Ministry preached, any behavior other than greed and violence would be
a surprise.  -But since when has he ever been able to have faith in what the
ministry says,- he thought bitterly.
    The Goblins had proven themselves to be invaluable financial advisors.
Unable to break their neutrality in the war, but knowing what would happen
should Harry lose, they deftly managed his finances and offered advice they
would not give to any but the most select humans they believe would help
protect their rights.
    Consequently, after the final battle, Harry's fortune grew to encompass
about 76% of Gringott's entire deposit base, and that's not counting the kegs
of both cut and uncut precious jewels found in the vaults or the Muggle stocks
and currency he had liquidated into just over 80,000 tons of gold and another
20,000 of platinum.  It really surprised him at the time, how many of the hard
line pureblood families had significant investments in the muggle world.
Before the slow liquidation of his muggle shares he owned significant voting
blocks in many of the top fortune 500 companies.  He always found it highly
ironic how the Death Eaters and other pure bloods could have such loathing for
the very source of the income that provided for their lavish life styles and a
majority of their wealth.
    Wealth, he pondered as he took another sip, something he never yearned for
or wanted.  He had read once in some magazine his account manager subscribed
him to to educate him in finance that you could never have too much money.  He
had enough to start his own country, yet he would trade it all for five minutes
with his parents or Sirius, or Hermione.  He never understood greed and how
those who had so much in his mind were never satisfied with what they had.
Ron... he quickly redirected his thoughts away from that sore subject like he
had been doing constantly over the last 2 months and brought to mind the
Goblin's utter shock when he started to exercise his plan one month before.

    -The day had been bright, crisp and brisk.  One of the first such days of
the burgeoning winter season.  Despite the chill in the air, the atmosphere in
the ally was still celebratory.  Yet as he stepped away from the apparation
point near the Leaky Caldron and continued on in the direction of Gringotts the
wizards and witches around him all gave the man in the black cloak with his
hood up a wide berth.  He always had to hide himself in public these days.
First it was to avoid the stares of awe, envy or fear he received directly
after the defeat of Voldemort, but now it was to avoid either the direct
hostility of the public or their outright fear of him.  Ever since the Ministry
under Scrimgour's ineptitude began to once again smear his name in an effort to
boost the Ministry's, and more importantly the Minister's, reputation the
fickle public had once again started to turn against Harry.  It began slowly,
about a week and a half after the end of Voldemort with the release of the
prophecy to the public.  After the initial relief brought about by the end of
Voldemort, people who lost loved ones to the Dark Lord began to criticize him
for not ending the war more quickly.-
    -Both the Ministry, and those that were left who still supported the
pureblood agenda, saw their opportunity to pounce.  Quickly, more and more
articles were printed in the Prophet, first asking questions about his delay in
defeating Voldemort, then pointing out the wealth he gained during the war, and
most recently, they have been emphasizing how many people he killed both
leading up to and in the final battle, conveniently omitting the people killed
were Death Eaters and not "noble and powerful people" who opposed his views.
He knew it was only a matter of time before the grumblings of him being an
aspiring dark lord would begin, if they hadn't already.  He knew it was only a
matter of time before those like Scrimgeour and his ilk will succeed in
convincing the public that he is not only a murderer but a threat that cannot
be left with such vast resources.  There were very few in the Ministry, the
Minister unfortunately not one of them, that did not covet and desire even a
small percentage of his fortune and consequently, he knew the time for his next
great adventure was fast approaching.-
    -He gave his head a slight shake to stop himself from woolgathering and to
bring his mind to focus as he passed the massive outer doors to Gringotts.  If
he is to gain the Goblin's aid in his preparations, he needs to stay sharp.
Giving the standing Goblin guards a slight head nod he continues past the
middle and inner doors and quickly makes his way through the center of the
massive hall to the current shifts Head Goblin.-
    -After waiting over a minute and being rewarded for his patience when the
Goblin finished his writing and raised his head to reveal a raised eyebrow and
a closed mouth, friendly for a goblin, smile.  "Greetings honorable Goblin, I
have urgent business to discuss with King Ragnok, if you could please review
this letter and relay the contents to him post haste, I would be most
thankful," Harry began in flawless gobblygook.-
    -Maintaining eye contact as was dictated by Goblin decorum, Harry was once
again glad for all of the training he received over the last year and a half.
After the death of his godfather, he made a deal with Dumbledore regarding
preparations for the war.  There began the most intense physical and magical
training of his life by not only Dumbledore, but other leaders of their fields,
like Professor Flitwick, the Flemels and even Mad Eye Moody.  Transfiguration,
Charms, dueling, Defensive and Offensive Magic, Potions, Runes, Arithmancy,
ward making and breaking, Alchemy, Occlumency and Legilimency, you name it, he
studied it.  The biggest breakthrough in his training however, was Nicholas
Flemel's discovery of the Horcrux in Harry's scar.  They discovered that the
foul fraction of the dark lord's soul stuck in his forehead not only blocked a
large part of his core, but also drastically inhibited his mind due to the
constant battle his mind and magic had been waging against the Horcrux over the
course of his life.  After Nicholas' wife Perenelle devised a method of safe
removal, Harry immediately noticed the change in both his power and his clarity
of thought.  He began to soak up anything that he read or was taught at an
unheard of speed due to an eidetic memory and his ability to quickly master his
own mind through Occlumency.  Nicholas hypothesized that Harry's body and mind
both adapted during its battle against the Horcrux by expanding both his
magical core and brain utilization.  Perenelle commented that this could be the
power mentioned in the prophesy.  Consequently, when Nicholas taught Harry
about the Goblin's customs and language, Harry had been able to pick it up
quite quickly which was fortunate, because without it he knew he would likely
not accomplish anything he set out to do today.  He was once again pulled from
his thoughts, this time by the Goblin's curt reply in the same languege.-
    -"That is a highly unusual request, a request that even with your use of
our tongue, you are unlikely to be granted wizard."-
    -Quickly spotting and reading the Goblin's name plate, Harry began his
prepared pitch should he encounter these roadblocks.  "Honorable clutch leader
Roughfang, I beg you read the letter and if necessary consult with my Account
Manager, the honorable Bonebraker, before you deny my request outright.  Our
business today will have far reaching consequences for both of our races which
necessitates the inclusion of his highness in addition to my account manager in
these proceedings.  Should after hearing my request, his highness believe his
presence unnecessary or undesirable, I will of course pay the traditional
penalties."-
    -The Goblin abruptly straightened with surprise almost losing his balance
in his chair.  Few wizards can speak the goblin language even close to
fluently, and those that can are most likely considered friends by the goblins.
While this status does not bring with it any form of diplomatic protection, or
even better than standard interest rates which is the most common belief, it
does usually ensure the wizard gets the best advice the goblins can offer at
the time, forewarning when businesses that the Goblins themselves cannot own a
majority of comes up for sale at a favorable price, and finally, what Harry
considers the most beneficial to himself at this time and in the near future,
more patience than would normally be given to a wizard who makes such strange
requests.  Knowing the language is the only reason the Goblin is still willing
to talk to him, but his last comment about paying the traditional penalties
should hopefully get the letter and my account manager in the presence of the
king.  Should this occur, there is a good chance the King will be willing to
hear my case personally, which would be best for all parties involved, himself,
the Goblins, and the few members of the wizarding world still alive who he
trusts that share his views.  Very few "friends" of the Goblin nation have been
in the presence of, let alone conducted business directly with, the king in the
last 600 years or so.  And only those who are given such an audience are
informed about the traditional one million galleon penalty for being granted an
audience and in the King's view, wasting the king's time.  While many would
view such a penalty as obscene, his last bank statement informed him he had
over 12.4 billion Galleons in the bank, so in the unlikely event the King does
believe Harry's wasting his time, the one million galleon fine would be a drop
in the bucket.-
    -Harry was beginning to grow frustrated at the Goblin's lack of response.
He was sitting on his chair, behind his desk staring at Harry, either with
calculating eyes at the mention of Bonebreaker, or in shock.  It's hard to read
such nuances in a goblin's facial expressions.  Harry knew all Goblins were
well aware Bonebreaker oversaw the expanded Potter Fortune and that as a result
he had just identified himself to the goblin; he was also well aware all
Goblins had an idea of how large the expanded Potter Fortune was so that
Roughfang now knew without a doubt he could pay the penalty should the need
arise.  He was also beginning to wish the strict rules and oaths the account
managers of the large accounts operate under didn't prevent his account manager
from setting up this meeting himself which Harry had no doubt would have been
much less difficult.-
    -After asking his account manager about that very rule his manager managed
to tell him more Goblin history in ten minutes than he learned from Binns in
six and a half years.  Apparently about 600 years ago, the king of that time,
tired of all of the pompous Wizards demanding his presence and wasting his time
passed a law that brought to life not only the one million galleon penalty, but
also prevented any account manager from petitioning for the king's time
directly, relieving the account managers of the outside pressure provided by
their clients and ensuring a Goblin with no financial connection to the wizard
in question makes the decision regarding the audience.-
    -Finally, after no less that 3 minutes of staring, the Goblin sighs, picks
up the letter, and responds with a quick "very well" before signaling Harry to
follow him down a side hall to what he recognizes as his account manager's
office.-
    -After knocking and opening the door, Harry follows Roughfang into
Bonebraker's office, and after reading the letter, having a hushed conversation
with Bonebraker and beckoning Bonebraker to accompany him, leaves Harry to his
thoughts alone in his account manager's office.-
    -"There is so much that needs to be done," Harry tells himself.  Returning
to a habit he picked up early in his training due to Hermione's influence, he
reviews the list in his head.-
    -He needs to make copies of all the books in his large collection.  "There
is no reason why those I trust should be denied the knowledge I'm taking with
me," he comments to himself.-
    -He needs to complete the sale of all of his muggle properties and
investments.  "I need to make sure I do this slowly otherwise I could crash the
market."-
    -He needs to sell all of the various magical residences, businesses,
investments and properties let alone all of the unnecessary duplicate magical
items he inherited.  Who needs 264 magical trunks or 347 Wizarding Wireless
sets, 220 gobstone sets, 47 invisibility cloaks, or 12 pensives and other such
items, sure, he wanted to have one, a backup and maybe even a backup for the
backup, but that many is just unnecessary...  "Well maybe with the exception of
the invisibility cloaks and the pensives, those it might make sense to hold
onto..." he continues mumbling to himself.-
    -This will all be much easier if the Goblin's agree to aid him... the door
suddenly opens causing him to quickly rise from his chair at the site of a
Goblin wearing the uniform of the Royal Guard...-

    The negotiations had gone better than he had expected.  Setting up a shell
company that contained all he wanted sold, then selling what percentage he
could to the Goblins under the guidelines provided by the current treaty
between the Ministry and the Goblins and the rest to a group of friends that
were in some cases, either financed by him or the Goblins, proved to be far
easier than he thought it would.  After giving his oath never to do so in this
universe, the Goblins even removed the charms and wards on all of his Galleons
that prevents them from being melted down, just in case he finds himself in a
place without Gringotts or Goblins they said.  Sure, the Goblins took their
fair share in their various transactions, but despite what the Ministry or
Binns preach to the wizarding world, they took no more than what was fair.  The
irony of his situation wasn't lost on him as he gazed at the headline of the
afternoon special edition of the Daily Prophet while taking another sip of his
whiskey.  How funny the Ministry turned out to be the very greedy beasts that
they claimed the goblins to be.

*The Wizengamot Votes for*
*Arrest of Dark Lord Potter!*
By Rita Skeeter

    -This morning in a move that many including this reporter believe is long-
-overdue, the Wizengamot has finally ordered the arrest of Harry Potter, the-
-recent defeater of He-must-not-be-named and the murderer of many upstanding-
-families and citizens.  Along with this arrest order, an order of seizure of-
-all Potter assets for the payment of restitution and damages to aggrieved-
-parties will be carried out.  When asked for comment, Delores Umbridge,-
-senior undersecretary for Minister Scrimgeour had this to say: "It's about-
-time the Wizengamot acted against this latest threat to our world.  While-
-there is little doubt Potter helped the ministry's forces defeat-
-you-know-who, multiple ministry witnesses, including the Minister himself-
-witnessed Potter taking the lives of many respected wizards during the final-
-battle...-

    It was fortunate his preparations were concluded the week before.  The
holding company was already in place and no longer in his name.  All of his
vaults were empty except for two sickles and a note addressed to the Minister
himself.  And finally, the Goblins themselves, along with all of his trusted
allies were ready to rebel if need be since in it's greed the Ministry failed
to realize the final consequences of this gambit.  The forced seizure of his
vaults not only violated the most recent goblin treaty, but his removal of said
funds also depleted the bank's deposit base by over 76%, and this combined with
the holding company's hold on almost all of the wizarding world's major
businesses, will no doubt crash the wizarding economy and cause significant
hardship for all those except the most prepared, which were his previously
mentioned allies and of course the Goblins.  As he finished the article, and
was alerted by the wards to his expected guest, he couldn't help but show a
grim smile.  Padfoot would definitely agree that his revenge against the
Ministry, against the sheep was truly masterful.
    As he walked into the library of his new London townhouse Neville
Longbottom couldn't help but shiver at the grim smile on his friend Harry
Potter's face as he placed an empty whiskey glass on the end table and put down
the very newspaper article they had both been waiting for.  Calling out a
greeting which was quickly returned, Harry quickly got down to business.
    "Everything is set Neville.  All that is left is transferring the wards of
this place over to you."
    As he heard this Neville once again realized he had no chance of talking
Harry out of making what he had begun to call "the jump."  It was discovered in
an extremely old and well warn book in the Flamel's library.  Nicholas had told
them he believed the book once belonged to Merlin himself.  It discussed a
theory involving alternate universes.  The book postulated that these universes
existed due to different choices made by people over the course of his or her
life.  Consequently, the book indicated that there were not only infinite
realities, but that there was a way for a magical being to travel between them.
The book does not indicate whether it had been done before, but did give a
grave warning about both the nature and the finality of the journey.  Because
of the infinite number of realities, there was no magical way to pick a single
reality to travel to, nor was there a way to return to your own reality.
Finally the book stated that the reader must be aware that again because of the
infinite number of realities, there would no doubt be a few realities in which
magic as practiced in this reality, would not exist.  It was this warning that
concerned Neville the most.
    Yet whenever he or anyone else brought it up with Harry, he would just
respond with "I know how to live in the muggle world better than I know how to
live in the magical world.  Regardless of that, would you seriously want to
continue living in a world where you are either viewed in awe like some kind of
god figure or messiah, or as some deranged and dangerous freak of a dark lord?
Besides so long as the wizarding world has me as a safety net and to polarize
around, nothing will change."
    After reading the long awaited article, and thinking about it again,
Neville could see his point of view.  Knowing Harry better than anyone still
living, Neville knew Harry wanted nothing more than to find a decent career,
find a nice girl, get married, have a family and live a life away from the spot
light the wizarding world seemed obsessed with focusing on him.  The prospect
of either being hounded and praised or hunted for the rest of his life would
probably make "the jump" very appealing to him as well.
    As the last of the wards were transferred over to Neville and the last of
his letters were handed over to Neville to pass on, Harry called to Hedwig who
glided to his shoulder from a nearby bookshelf, and with Neville trailing him
made his way out of the Library to a room he knew was the only nonmagically
enhanced or displaced room in this magical household, the drawing room.  While
the use of such a room was not specified in the book, he was taking the warning
about magic in alternate universes very seriously.  -No need to arrive in some
wall or something if I land in this house and it's not magical,- he thought to
himself.
    After a final manly hug and back slap with his good friend, Harry, with
Hedwig on his shoulder stepped into the ritual circle and began the chant he
had memorized and practiced.
    Watching from behind a shield, Neville could feel the magic building up
before a bright blue light quickly engulfed the entire circle.  And then as the
chant reached its crescendo, the light quickly rose up consuming Harry before
just as quickly retreating back leaving nothing but a burnt circle on the
drawing room floor.
    After staring at the circle for a minute, Neville turned slowly after
feeling a soft tug on his trousers.  Looking down at Harry's elf friend that he
had so recently promised to take care of, he asked, "Yes Dobby?"
    "Does Master Neville thinks the Great Harry Potter Sir mades its to his
news home?"
    "I think so Dobby, I really do think so," he reassured both himself and the
elf.  Seeing this does not appear to be enough for the elf continued.  "Harry's
crazy plans seem to have a way of always working themselves out, so I think
he'll be just fine.  Let's grab some dinner Dobby, and then we'll get started
on making sure these last letters get delivered."  As Neville turnd to leave
with Dobby close on his heels to carry out his part in Harry's crazy plan he
paused just by the door to take one more glance at the burnt floor whispering
quietly, "Viva la Revolution, Harry, Viva la Revolution."
    Little did he know that Harry's journey was just beginning.


Chapter 1: The Jump

-*P3X-459 about 2.5 miles from the stargate*-

    "Carter, how long?" barked Colonel Jack O'Neill to Captain Samantha Carter,
the second in command of his unit, SG-1, as she and Daniel Jackson made their
way through the ancient ruins.  The ruins on this surprisingly mild planet had
been picked up by a UAV not more than 3 miles from the stargate.  Since the
recon drone had identified the writing on the ruins as that matching the
Ancients from Earnest's planet, SG-1 had been assigned the mission.
    "Jack we just got here," responded Daniel to the question.
    "Three hours ago Danny, besides, I don't like the looks of that storm front
coming in," Jack responded feeling a small gust of cool air hit his face.
    "Indeed," responded Teal'c, the former First Prime of Apophis and now vital
member and close friend of SG-1.  He turned his stoic gaze toward the oncoming
front just as a flash of lighting several miles away, in the general direction
of the stargate, reached down to impact the earth.
    "What's the big deal with these ruins anyway, they look just like all the
other rocks you play with," O'Neill continued knowing full well that's not the
case.  Sometimes he just couldn't help winding Daniel up.  It was just to
entertaining on boring missions like this.
    Turning toward her commanding officer the person the original question was
intended for finally answered: "Sir, this is the first address from the list
you entered into the DHD under the influence of the Ancient Repository that
gave us a lock.  Which means that..."
    "the Goa'uld don't know about this rock," O'Neill cut her off.
    Not deterred, Carter responded, "Yes sir, so there is a chance naquadah
might be present in minable quantities in addition to this planet being a good
candidate for an off-world base."
    Nodding his head at the expected reply while keeping his eye on the fast
moving storm he finally made a decision.  "Danny, Carter, pack it up, we'll
come back once the weather's cleared."
    "But Jack..."
    "No," O'Neill cut him off.  "I'm not sitting through that storm with no
cover just to give you more time with your rocks.  They've been here for a
while, they'll be here tomorrow."
    Resigned, Daniel started to pack up, Carter doing the same.  Both picked up
the pace as they started to feel the first raindrops of what, from the look of
the oncoming storm, will be a downpour.  Just as they started out of the
clearing the first of the hail begam as several flashes of lighting appeared
across the sky, igniting some kind of auras in the atmosphere.
    "Sir, that's not natural..."  Sam started and then paused in shock, adding
in almost a whisper, "that's not possible."
    Jack looked where she had been looking, and in the distance, what appeared
to be a black hole hung just below the lowest clouds without appearing to cause
any kind of effect.
    -Just great,- Jack thought to himself while glancing over his shoulder at
his team.
    Stopping briefly to relieve Daniel of the heavier of his two packs to pass
over to Teal'c he issued a quick "pick it up" to his team, realizing just after
he said it that he needn't of bothered.  They'd been together for over two
years now, survived a lot of things they probably shouldn't have.  It didn't
take long for him to fully trust them.  Something he believed he would never do
again before the first Abydos mission.  And now they were progressing at a fast
jog in what he judged to be a damn good well spaced tactical diamond formation
with him at the front and Teal'c bringing up the rear.  By the time they were
200 meters from the Stargate the small pebble sized hail turned into marble
size hail and the earlier squishing of their feet on soggy ground was replaced
with the crunching of crushed hail.  That combined with the rain, wind and
lighting accompanying the hale pushed them from their fast jog to an outright
run when it happened.
    They felt a very brief change in the air around them, it felt like the air
was charging itself with electricity for the briefest of moments before faster
than any of them could react, lighting from three different directions, that
from the corner of his eye appeared to originate from the black hole, struck
the center of the diamond.  Immediately they all fell to the ground away from
the heat and charge produced by the lighting striking so close to them, Jack,
Sam and Teal'c more gracefully than Daniel.  It was as Jack was turning to make
sure everyone was ok did he first catch a glimpse of the mound that suddenly
appeared in the middle of his team.
    "Everyone ok?" he asked, and after glancing up seeing that the black hole
in the clouds was no longer there quickly returned his eyes to what was, as the
smoke cleared, quickly beginning to look a lot like a body on the ground.
    After getting nods all around, and identifying the body to be a fully
clothed dark haired male he took aim with his P-90.  "Check him Carter."
    "Yes sir."  She sprung into action by raising her own P-90 and carefully
approaching the body while both Daniel and Teal'c raised their weapons and
shifted back and to the side slightly to be able to cover her.
    As she approached Carter immediately noticed the 2 scorch marks on what
appeared to be some type of leather duster.  Surprisingly the jacket appeared
to have survived its scorching, indicating that whatever the jacket this
mystery man was wearing was far more durable than any leather jacket she had
seen.  When she got close enough she used her boot to flip him onto his back.
She barely suppressed a gasp of surprise at the young face that was revealed.
He couldn't be over 18 years old.  He was wearing glasses that were
surprisingly intact.  The only marks she could find on his face as she bent
over to check his pulse was a faded scar in the shape of a lighting bolt just
over his right eyebrow and what appeared to be the beginning of a long thin
scar on the upper part of his right collar bone that was just peaking out of
his vest covered collared shirt.  Looking more carefully, the vest itself
appeared to be some kind of body armor.  She was not surprised that his skin
was warm considering his method of arrival but was surprised to feel a steady,
even if somewhat weak, pulse.  "He's got a pulse sir, but its weak."
    "Teal'c, give me a hand with him, Daniel, go dial the gate, Carter cover
us," O'Neill ordered after hearing the lucky bastard was still alive.  He had
no desire to sit out here in this weather waiting for him to wake up despite
both the black hole's disappearance and the common belief about lighting never
striking the same spot twice.  He was also curious not only how the boy was
still alive after the lighting strike but also how the kid came to be here
since there are no signs anyone has been to this planet in several thousand
years, or so Daniel had indicated in the briefing.  As he and Teal'c
straightened up with the unconscious man between them, a white shape quickly
dove out of the sky and lightly landed on the unconscious man's shoulder,
startling both men.  It only took Jack a second to identify the bird as a snowy
owl.
    "Crap, you, get out of here," Jack yelled at the owl while swinging his
free arm toward it.  Both he and Teal'c were astonished when the owl avoided
his arm by lifting off of the man's shoulder while simultaneously cuffing him
on the head with her wing.  He quickly looked behind him at the sound of
Carter's snort and caught Teal'c's single raised eyebrow as he returned his
gaze back to the owl, which was glaring at him with both eyes, as if daring him
to try that again.
    "I believe this man is known to this avian O'Neill," Teal'c stated calmly
after watching the standoff for over 5 seconds.  As if in acknowledgement to
Teal'c's comment, the owl produced a firm single hoot.  Teal'c noticed both
O'Neill and Captain Carter's eyes widen and jaws open at the apparent response
the owl gave as he felt his other eyebrow join his previously raised brow.
    As a particularly cold gust of wind washed over them O'Neill finally broke.
"Whatever, we'll figure out the bird's connection to him when he wakes up."
    After supporting the inert body along with the bird between himself and
Teal'c, they quickly made their way the last 200 meters to the already dialing
stargate.  Daniel wasted no time and his GDO code was entered before the
remainder of his team reaches the gate.  After the green light was given,
indicating that the protective iris covering Earth's stargate was retracted,
all four members of SG-1, their unconscious guest supported between himself and
Teal'c, quickly made their way home through the open wormhole.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Control Room*-

    General George Hammond watched as the medical team came into the room from
the left side entrance, pulling in the gurney while the iris swung open.
Seconds later, Daniel steped through, followed quickly by Jack and Teal'c who
appeared to be supporting an unconscious man between them that had, of all
things, a white owl perched on his limp shoulder.  He idly sighed in both in
relief when Sam followed them through not a second later and in exasperation,
knowing whatever SG-1 had gotten into will no doubt cause him lots of grief.
    The Stargate was just shutting down automatically when he stepped into the
gate room.
    "Colonel?" he asked.
    "Some real freaky weather sir... Carter?" Jack said turning to Sam.
    "Sir, I don't know exactly what happened, but we got caught in a severe
electrical and hail storm.  We were about 200 meters from the gate when this
kid just appeared on the ground... after a lightning strike."
    "He just appeared?" Hammond asked with a frown.
    "Yes sir," Carter answered, watching intently as the med team took the boy
on the gurney out of the gate room.

===============================================================================

-*Isolation room 2*-

    Returning from being unconscious was not an unusual occurrence for Harry
Potter.  Over the years, he had developed what he considered to be a tried and
true method of assessing not only his current health, but his current
situation.  First, the only pain he could feel at the moment, other than a
small prick on his arm, was a throbbing headache.  Second, he noticed he was no
longer wearing his dragonhide battle duster, vest, boots and pants he
remembered having on before falling unconscious.  He couldn't quite remember
why he was wearing such an outfit.  Other than the more pliable yet less spell
resistant undervest he tried to always wear under whatever shirt he had on, he
only ever wore one of his full getups if he expected a fight.  As this thought
caused a slight niggling in his still groggy brain, he decided to come back to
that point once his mind was further awake.  Third, he felt a mattress
underneath him, a sheet over him and he was definitely wearing some type of
gown that was split down the back if the crease he felt under his back and butt
were any indication, and finally his hands were not bound by anything.  So he's
not a prisoner wherever he was, either of the Ministry, or of any Death Eater
family member or pro-Death Eater pureblood.
    One, odds were he wouldn't be waking up at all if either of the latter two
were the case, since it was pretty well known his previous escape from the
Death Eaters, and Voldemort, was due to the Wandless magic he had mastered
after the release of his core.  He by no means could do everything without a
wand, but most simple things, up to say 5th or 6th year he didn't have much of
a problem with, which would pretty much prevent anyone from wanting to keep him
conscious since it would be somewhat easy for him to escape.  He's pretty sure
the Death Eater responsible for waking him for a torture session ended up
taking his place, but that was never confirmed.
    Two, considering he wasn't waking up on a cold slab feeling the effects of
a massive swarm of Dementors pretty much confirmed he was not in Ministry
hands, since the last word from his contacts was that a special cell that was
going to be literally surrounded by dementors in the heart of Azkaban awaited
him should the Ministry's plans for him succeed.
    As his ears begin to register a soft repeating electronic beeping noise, a
distant memory came forward of his cousin Dudley complaining about the gown
with the open back the hospital made him wear when he had his appendix out a
few years back.  So he was in a muggle facility... then it quickly hit him.
    The plan, and the jump.  Was he successful?  The book never mentioned
passing out after the trip.  Who found him, where was he moved to, what
happened to Hedwig?  Was she ok?  As these thoughts quickly rushed into his
mind he began to hear the beeping from the machine begin to increase in speed.
Noticing the change and wanting to remain undisturbed at least for another few
minutes, Harry calmed himself and began to extend his senses into his
surroundings just as the Flamels had shown him.  Knowing that using too much
magic to sense his surroundings would likely damage the muggle machinery around
him, and remembering the warning in the book about magic reacting differently
in different universes, he carefully reached out lightly with his magic and his
mind to see if any magical people or items were nearby and to figure out the
general attitude of those around him.  Feeling nothing magical but the
warlock's truck secured in its necklace form around his neck, his twin wands
still holstered in the wrist holsters and his two enchanted daggers sitting on
top of his clothes in the next room, he quickly reigned in his magic and
focused only on trying to identify the mood and attitude of those around him.
    It didn't take him long to notice the two attentive minds of armed guards,
vigilant eyes on him, while the occasional random thoughts fleeted across their
active conscience.  He also immediately identified what must be a nurse keeping
an eye on his vital signs, her active conscience marveling on how some group or
team called SG-1 had once again encountered something unbelievable.  Having
always been a curious person he kept his focus on the nurse for only a minute
before realizing he was the mystery this SG-1 had encountered.  Both worried
and intrigued at being a mystery to these people and worryingly having begun to
feel a slight strain on his magic he pulled in his conscious mind and decided
to open his eyes.
    It only took 30 seconds before both one of the guards and the nurse used
the phone to contact someone.  If he had to guess it was probably some
interrogator and a doctor respectively.  He had no doubt that the method of his
arrival would raise some questions should anyone see it, and considering the
mystery the nurse was pondering on not moments ago, he had no doubt someone did
witness his arrival and that someone was probably this SG-1.  He was quickly
proven correct when not 2 minutes later, a short, yet authoritative woman
wearing some kind of uniform under a doctor's coat walked into the room.  She
quickly spoke to the nurse, checked his chart and vitals and at his squint and
gesture, handed him his glasses from a nearby table.  Not moments after his
glasses were settled onto his nose the second party, a group of five people,
appeared in some kind of observation booth to the room his hospital bed was in.
    This booth was sealed behind what appeared to be some rather thick glass
windows making him feel like he was in a zoo exhibit.  There was a fair skinned
man of average height with glasses and floppy brown hair who gave off the
distinct impression of being an academic especially when standing next to a
very tall, bald and muscular black man with some kind of strange gold tattoo
and another fair skinned man, this one taller and more muscular than the first
man he decided to nickname floppy, both which appeared to be soldiers.  All
three of these men were wearing black T-shirts and what looked like some kind
of green cargo pants.  After shifting his gaze away from the third man who gave
him a very scrutinizing stare he caught site of a portly shaped bald man who
Harry felt was surrounded by an aura of command even without what appeared to
be two stars on each shoulder.  The Major General, for which Harry now
remembered two stars on each shoulder represented, had the look of a man who
until he ended up behind a desk was very fit and had experienced a lot over his
long career.  Looking briefly into his eyes, Harry had the feeling this General
took to command like a duck took to water.
    Moving on from the penetrating stare of the General, Harry finally rested
his eyes on a beautiful blond haired woman.  She was dressed in the same attire
as the first three men, was tall for a woman standing at around 5'10", and had
a short military bob type haircut.  But what was most surprising to Harry was
the light in her blue eyes, the light of curiosity, the light of excitement,
the light of a yearning to learn all there was to learn in the universe was
present in her gaze.  A light he only remembered seeing in Hermione's eyes
every time she set foot in the Hogwarts library.  As he made this connection he
became slightly uncomfortable being stared at like Hermione had once stared at
the various puzzles, books or problems she planned to solve, learn from or
conquer.
    Shifting his gaze back to the short doctor, he braced himself for the
questions he knew were coming, attempting to prepare answers that would
hopefully satisfy what appeared to be members of the mundane military.
    Hoping to head off some of the more troublesome questions Harry decided to
use a technique he had observed Dumbledore use many times in the past.  Steer
the conversation by asking your own questions.
    Opening his mouth to start, he felt his throat croak slightly.  After
giving his head a quick shake and accepting the glass of water from the nurse,
Harry turned his head towards the doctor and asked "Where am I?" and once again
feeling his head throbbing couldn't stop himself from adding "What the bloody
hell bludgeoned me in the head!"
    The doctors concerned look turned more pointed after his little addition
and she simply replied, "You're on Earth, and I don't know what happened to
you..."
    Becoming fixated on the first part of her answer Harry interrupted, "On
Earth?  Of course I'm on Earth.  Where else would I be?  Hell?  Cuz it sure
feels like it..." he paused, closing his eyes briefly and pinching the bridge
of his nose in an attempt to stave off the crushing headache.  After a breath
he asked, "Where the hell on Earth am I anyhow?"
    Surprised by his interruption and response, Dr. Frasier gave him an odd
look, then said, "Colorado."
    "Colora- That's America..." Harry paused, and finding what humor he could
in this situation with a slight grin, joked, "Well Dorothy, I'm sure as hell
not in Kansas anymore."  Her incredulous look made him ask, "How the hell did I
get here anyway?  By the looks of things this is some Yank military base."
    The doctor simply asked, "Perhaps you could tell me what you last
remember?"
    At this response Harry's grin slowly turned into a thoughtful frown.  He
really did not wish to get into a discussion about the jump, but he couldn't
just avoid the question.  After thinking hard for a few seconds, he decided to
stick as close to the truth as he could while avoiding mention of a few details
for the time being.  No need to go and alienate the first people he met in this
new universe if he could avoid it.  Grin slowly sliding back into place he
responded, "I was in my townhouse in London, I had just finished a glass of
good whisky after reading the afternoon newspaper's special addition, and now
I'm here."
    The doctor, who he now noticed was wearing a nametag that said Dr. Frasier
on it, responded with narrowed eyes, "Aren't you a little young to be
drinking?"
    Harry nodded, not noticing her potential ire.  "Yeah, well, it's not every
day that your own government plans to imprison you for taking down a murdering
terrorist that was not only chasing you but also rampaging across the country.
Since I did the taking down bit, and was apparently becoming too popular for
their tastes... well, long story short, I really -really- needed a good drink."
    That information shocked both the doctor and the people in the observation
booth.  But then, Dr. Fraiser realized something and asked, "So that's where
all those scars are from?"
    Harry frowned, then remembering what he was currently wearing asked,
"Where'd my stuff go, and another thing... who are you?"
    "I should ask -you- that."
    Harry nodded slightly.  "You tell me, I tell you."
    "Doctor Janet Frasier, Captain in the United States Air force."
    Harry smiled, and gave his title.  "Sir Harry James Potter, Commander of
The Order."
    "Sir?" the doctor, Janet, asked.
    Harry shruged.  "That terrorist/murderer I mentioned?  He kinda was
killing... people all over Britain.  Took me a few years to take him down.
Anyway... where's my stuff?"
    Janet didn't answer, instead she said, "I'll be right back."
    Harry nodded, and leant back on the pillow.  His headache, once forgotten
during the conversation came back again twice fold.  Despite the headache, and
the fact he appeared to be in the custody of the US Air Force at the moment, he
considered himself lucky to have made it to his new home.  Maybe he shouldn't
have had those two glasses of whiskey before the jump?


Chapter 2: Briefings and Stories

*Stargate Command, The Briefing Room*

    Harry frowned at his itchy clothes.  Green `BDUs' according to that old
soldier, Jim, John, O'Really or something.  He would normally easily remember
the guys name if his mind hadn't been so preoccupied with the subject he was
currently starring at through a window twenty seven stories underground.  As he
stood looking into the `gate room', he contemplated what had occurred over the
previous four days.
    After being cleared by Dr. Frasier, the General, floppy and O'Really began
once again to ask questions about how he ended up on some other planet.  In
response, Harry had asked how he, and them, had gotten from that planet back to
Earth.  It was shortly after being informed of the device they called a
Stargate that Harry's mind took off.  At first they were frustrated he was no
longer paying attention to them until Dr. Frasier's sharp comment about the
gate being quite the shock at first turned their annoyance to amusement,
especially when they noticed his flummoxed look.
    Deciding to give him time to come to terms with this reality, and seeking
to look more into whom this "Harry Potter" was, Hammond decided that the rest
of Harry's debriefing would take place once more facts about Harry's background
were confirmed.
    Consequently, he had spent 4 days in this `SGC' place to find out what he
had already begun to suspect.  He didn't exist here.  Nor did any of the names
he gave them.  While he did not give away the names of his close friends, he
did give the names of several politically well connected witches and wizards
thinking that if they didn't exist, his friends probably didn't either.
    What continued to surprise Harry was the fact he apparently traveled
forward in time.  He departed his world on December 23rd, 1997 and here it was
the first of July, 1999.  So, it was 1999, and he was standing in a base full
of people that travel to other worlds as if it's an everyday occurrence.
    While under guard at the moment, he was allowed to eat in the commissary,
and consequently had the opportunity to over hear quite a few conversations
about the adventures these people had.  Harry had trouble suppressing the grin
as he stared at the gate as an SG team prepared to depart.
    After all of his agonizing on what he should do for the rest of his life,
despite the fact he had no need to work, he believed he had finally found his
calling.  The only question now was how to sign up.  He knew these people were
good people.  Using the barest hints of legilimency to scan surface thoughts
and gain an idea of the general character of those on base, Harry learned much.
He knew these guys were the good guys, but also knew that there were members of
both the military and the civilian government that were not so kosher.  Members
that distinctly remind Harry of people like Scrimgour and Umbridge.  He was
going to have to be careful to stay off their radar if he was able to join up
with the SGC down the line.
    Turning at the sound of people entering the room, Harry pulled himself out
of his thoughts and made his way to join the group that was beginning to seat
themselves at the conference table.  The portly man, Harry remembered is named
Hammond, took his seat first at the head of the table.  He was quickly followed
by the O'Really guy and Floppy both dressed in green colored BDUs and the
woman, he remembered now was named Sam, adorned in blue BDU's.  The last seated
was the tall dark-skinned bloke with a bald head and a gold emblem on his
forehead.  Teal'c, Harry recalled, was what Floppy called a Jaffa and was also
dressed in green BDU's however he forwent the upper jacket in favor of a black
shirt.
    The three men took seats on the opposite side of the table from him, while
Sam gave him a brief smile before settling down next to him.  After a brief set
of introductions to refresh Harry's memory, during which Dr. Frasier arrived
taking a seat quietly next to Sam, the meeting started.
    "Mr. Potter, thank you for joining us," Hammond began.
    "No problem, it's not like I had anything else to do..." Harry replied
somewhat sarcastically.  At Hammond's raised eyebrow, and realizing he probably
should hold back his wit for the time being, he added, "even if I did, I'd be
here anyway... er... sir..."
    "Relax, Mr. Potter --"
    "Harry, please," Harry asked.
    "...Harry," Hammond tried out, and Harry smiled and to the others, he
seemed to relax.  Hammond continued, "As far as we can tell..."  Hammond
paused.
    Harry guessed that the general was trying to come up with a way to say it
more gently than it sounded, so deciding to help the general out he said
simply, "I don't exist... nor do anyone I know personally."
    Hammond nodded at his assessment, letting Harry's observation settle over
the rest of the people at the table.
    Daniel coughed slightly to get their attention, and gave a questioning look
to Hammond, who noticed what it meant and gave his nod.  Daniel began with
"Now, from what we've told you, we generally explore the galaxy..."
    Harry nodded to show he was following.
    Sam continued from there.  "We have come across some amazing technology on
our missions, but one device we found allowed people to... travel between
realities."
    Harry frowned and thought over what they had just told him.  So someone or
something in this reality built a portal between realities, which they found.
"So, you all believe I come from another reality somewhere out there..."
    At their nods, Harry sighed.
    Before Hammond could continue Harry jumped in again surprising them all.
"Are there any recording devices operating in this room sir?"  At there looks
of confusion Harry continued, "Over the last four days everyone I've met here
has shown themselves to be people of principle, however, I know that can't
always be the case with those outside this base.  I guess what I'm trying to
say is that while I've come to trust you, and know you will have to tell your
superiors something, what I have to say now is a bit sensitive, and the last
thing I want to become is some sick scientists' lab rat which I believe you
will do your best to prevent."
    At Sam and Daniel's immediate claim they would never allow that to happen,
and Jack and Hammond's grim expressions when Harry mentioned the possibility of
less than respectable people having some influence, Harry knew he made the
right decision trusting this group.
    "Harry," Hammond began, "while I'm somewhat surprised of your understanding
of the possible political situations occurring outside of the mountain, I can
assure you that there are no bugs in this room other than my own data
recorder."
    Harry, understanding the reasons why a man in the General's position would
want a record of every meeting he held, and reading the truth in his eyes,
decided to drop the first bomb that he knew would surprise them.  "Well, now
that I'm sure no extra ears are listening, I'm afraid I may have omitted some
important parts of my last memories."  At their penetrating look Harry pressed
on.  "Just after finishing my newspaper and drink I kind of..."  As their looks
became more impatient Harry finally continued, "precipitated a jump between
universes."
    At their incredulous stares Harry decided to wait out their response and
give them time to digest this piece of news.  It was Daniel that finally broke
the silence with a single word.  "Why?"
    As their looks turn from incredulous, and in Jack's case, rather angry at
being deceived, to more thoughtful as they processed Daniel's question, Harry
pondered how to respond.  It was now very clear on their thoughtful faces that
they would never consider jumping realities unless the world itself was ending.
After considering various ways to start, not wanting to delve too deeply into
his own personal history, and wondering not only whether he should reveal the
wizarding world but if so how he should go about it.  "Fuck it," Harry mumbled
before startling them by beginning.
    "First, you have to understand that the book I obtained the process from
had some very strong warnings regarding the possible differences between
various universes."  At their confused look Harry elaborated, "The book
indicated that there is a chance, however small that certain things would be
possible in one and not in another, that the very rules governing one might be
different in another."
    "That's possible," stated Sam as she pondered his statement, at Hammond's
nod she continued, "depending on how divergent the realities are, it's very
possible that the conditions necessary for some things won't exist due to a
change in events that took place thousands if not millions of years ago.  That
could account for the non-existence of Harry, his family, and his acquaintances
if Harry's reality did in fact diverge at a point that far into the past."
    As the rest of the group nodded and accepted Sam's confirmation of his
statement Harry hoped they might be more inclined to believe the rest of his
reasoning.  "It's important that you keep that fact in mind, since this next
part is going to be a bit of a stretch for you."  At Daniel's encouraging nod,
Harry pressed on shifting his gaze toward the center of the table.  "You see,
there were some born on my world, whether due to genetics or by random chance,
that possessed the ability to, with the right tools, directly manipulate the
world around them."  As they all stared back at him Harry pressed on.  "Some
might call it magic."
    At Jack's exclamation of "For cryin out loud, are you going to wave your
wand around now," Harry shifted his eyes from the center of the table to the
rest of the group.  Looking at Jack, Janet and Sam's disbelieving expression,
Daniel and Hammond's thoughtful expression, and Teal'c's raised eyebrow, Harry
decided that a more practical demonstration was necessary before he continued.
Concentrating briefly Harry held out his hand in a fist before opening it to
reveal a baseball sized ball of light hovering just above his palm.  It didn't
take long for all of there expressions to change.  Disbelief turned to
astonishment, thoughtful turned surprised and Teal'c's second eyebrow quickly
joined the first.

    It was Hammond that quickly quieted the rest of his group with a single
raised hand.  This combined with his thoughtful question confirmed to Harry one
of the reasons he had attained such a high rank.  "What else is possible with
this... ability."
    The way Hammond phrased the question indicated to Harry that how he
answered this was of almost equal importance to what his answer was.  "Well, in
all honesty, almost anything with the right tools..."
    "Tools?" Daniel interrupted.
    At Hammonds nod to continue, Harry proceeded.  "Every person with the
ability is different, just like every person has different strengths and
weaknesses.  Most people need what they call a wand to do anything," despite
Jack's snort at the use of the word wand, Harry pressed on, "I have the ability
and power to do many of the more simple things without a wand which is one of
the reasons I made the jump.  There are some things that are impossible
regardless of how skilled or powerful the user is.  Bringing back the dead,
creating true love between two people, creating some of the more precious
medals and jewels and so forth are just a few examples.  More importantly for
us now is that I have no idea how or even if my abilities will function
normally in this universe."
    At their slow nod indicating the beginning of understanding and perhaps
just a bit of acceptance of what had been explained so far, Harry continued,
"What's important to understand about people with this ability is that they are
just as diverse as people without it.  Most are average in terms of
intelligence and power with a few powerful or extremely intelligent people or
conversely, few weakly powered or stupid people at the extremes of the
spectrum.  Furthermore, about 400 years ago or so, these people made the
decision to hide their society from those without the ability, who they called
either muggles or mundane.  Whether it was fear of their abilities or outright
jealousy, those without the ability began to persecute those who had it.  That
combined with what I believe to be a general fear of the technology being
developed by mundane people pushed the `wizarding' society underground."
Getting snorts out of both Sam and Jack from his air quoted wizarding comment,
Harry decided to move onto the more important aspect of his answer.
    Remembering the gentle giant that first explained the basics of this point
to him when he was 11 almost brought a gentle smile to his face, before he
remembered smiling at this part of the discussion probably wasn't such a good
idea.  "Just like people without the ability, not everyone can be considered
good or moral.  And about 10 years before I was born, a man went about as bad
as you could go."  His grim expression was shared by those around the table.
They had all been confronted with all manner of evil men.
    Whether these people were violent, or manipulative, they all understood
that people are capable of doing some truly horrific things.  Not everyone had
a strong enough character to be trusted to wield such abilities wisely, and it
was with this thought that all six members of the SGC began to understand
Harry's deep concern about dubious people outside of the mountain hearing this
briefing.  They had no doubts that many of the more notorious people who
disagree with the modus operandi of the stargate program would likely kill to
be able to control someone with such abilities.  That thought brought chills to
all of them.
    Unaware of the understanding developing between himself and the others in
the room Harry continued.  "This man, Tom Riddle, fashioned himself a new name
and gathered a bunch of like minded followers, forming them into what you would
consider a cult.  They believed that only certain people deserved the gift, and
that those that intermixed with the mundane, either in daily living or in
families, didn't deserve to live.  They further believed that the mundane
should either be eliminated or enslaved to serve them."  Seeing Sam, Daniel and
Janet's horrified looks, Harry believed they were beginning to understand the
significance of the conflict he just left.  To be sure though he decided to
confirm something.  Focusing on Daniel since he's the cultural expert at the
table he asked, "Did you guys have a large war against a man named Hitler?"  At
Daniel's grim nod Harry sealed his point by indicating, "Tom Riddle spouted
similar beliefs except the mundane took the place of the Jewish people.  Tom
and his followers went around recruiting members, and those who disagreed with
them, or refused membership were either killed outright or blackmailed to
cooperate.  Because many of his followers were wealthy and held influential
places in society, the Ministry that governed our society was not effective in
protecting it's citizens.  It was only chance, that just after I was born, an
accident caused this madman to disappear."  Harry, truly wanted to avoid
bringing up the whole boy-who-lived rubbish if he could and decided to really
gloss over this part of the story if possible.  Taking a second to look at the
group at the table, Harry could see that Hammond, Jack and Teal'c all notice
the lack of details, but appeared to be willing to let it go for the time
being.
    Feeling a little edgy all of a sudden, Harry decided to get up from the
table as he continued the story.  "After Tom disappeared, many believed he had
died.  Or at least that is what the Ministry wanted people to believe," Harry
mumbled bitterly, though all heard it.  "Those who many knew were loyal
supporters were never prosecuted for their crimes."  At the group's incredulous
looks Harry added, "All it took were a few well placed bribes, and almost
anyone willing to admit they were being forced to do something got away with
it.  Come to think of it..." Harry pondered out loud.  "That's probably another
reason I made the jump."  At their confused looks, Harry pressed forward with a
quick, "You'll get it at the end."
    "Fast forward about ten years, and that is where I enter this story," Harry
continued.  Pondering exactly what to include of his life before coming to the
final battle, Harry decided to avoid much of the details if he could and to
just point out a situation close to his where the man wasn't able to escape.
"Here I was, almost 11 years old living with some rather unpleasant mundane
relatives when I'm told I had this ability."  Their surprise that I was raised
outside of that world and not by my parents is apparent on all of their faces
with the exception of Teal'c.  He was beginning to think achieving any kind of
expression from the large warrior would be a task worthy of the Marauders.
    "I was informed at the time that my parents had died in the previous
conflict, and because the rest of my family in that world had already passed
on, I was left with my closest blood relatives in the mundane world.  I was
further surprised that despite my 10 year absence from their world, I had
attained some positive fame due to my families actions defending the innocent
in the previous war."  Deciding he had painted enough of a picture, Harry
decided it was time to move to the crux of the matter.
    "Over the course of my schooling, it became apparent I was rather powerful.
However, it wasn't until I was 13 in my 3rd year of schooling did I first begin
to see the `magical' world for what it was."  Despite my grim tone and topic, I
was glad that my air quoted magical once again received an amused lip twitch by
many in the room.  "In the beginning of that year, a mass murder, who was
reported to be an inner circle member of Tom Riddle's, escaped from our prison.
Many of the creatures that maintained the prison..."  Despite many raised
eyebrows at the use of the word creature Harry continued, wanting to get this
part of the story over with.  "Were dispatched to guard our main school, which
I attended, because one of the human prison guards had reported hearing the
prisoner mentioning my name.  The thing to understand about these creatures is
that very few people could defend themselves against them let alone control
them on their own.
    "It wasn't until much later that I began to question the Ministry's real
reasoning behind stationing the creatures how they did.  You see it quickly
became apparent that these creatures had an unhealthy interest in me, and after
2 attacks, which I barely survived; I was able to convince a professor at my
school to teach me how to defend myself against them.  It wasn't until the end
of that year that the most relevant aspect of this foray becomes apparent, you
see after coming face to face with this `mass murderer' I discover he is not
only my godfather, but he was never tried for the crimes he was accused of, and
the man who did commit those crimes was still free."  Pushing on, Harry
concluded his point with a bang.  "Right after I discovered this, we were all
attacked by over a hundred of the guards, which, through sheer dumb luck and
more power than I thought I had, I'm able to not only push back, but forcefully
remove from the areas surrounding the school."
    Despite the signs of interest the others were showing in his tale, Harry
himself was quickly tiring of the subject.  It was tiring trying to phrase
everything in a manner they would be able to both understand and relate to.  He
had spent the previous two months planning to escape that life, to move on and
to start a new one.  Realizing he only had a little bit more to go before he
could finally be able to move on, he continued.  "My godfather escaped from the
guards and would spend the last two years of his life a fugitive despite
eyewitness evidence of his innocence being presented to the Ministry; he still
never was tried for any crime despite the Ministry's order to execute on site."
It was the light of understanding beginning to manifest itself in most of their
eyes that made him realize that despite the pain involved in discussing even
the most basic aspects of his previous life, they were beginning to understand
so it was worth it.
    "From then on, the ministry, while they couldn't outright try and imprison
me due to my age and reputation, began to slowly begin turning that world
against me.  It began the next year, with a few well placed words or phrases in
a newspaper article here, or there, hinting that I was some kind of an
attention seeking brat or some such.  Not many believed it at first but there
were some.  It was at the end of the following year when I witnessed a fellow
classmate of mine murdered by the very man the Ministry stated was dead so long
ago, that their efforts were stepped up.  When I tried to inform them and the
world what had happened, they took the opportunity to really turn the world at
large against both me and the headmaster of my school, claiming I must be
insane, or seeking attention, for clearly spouting gibberish, and that the old
headmaster must be around the twist for believing me, since there is no way Tom
Riddle could come back from the dead."  Harry finished the sentence in a
mocking voice, and all present could picture some Kinsey like government
official doing everything they could to discredit him despite the truth.
    "It was then the Second War started."  All could hear the capital letters
present in the word War.  "It didn't start quickly, since Tom wanted to take
advantage of the Ministry's denial of his return.  But after a year, Tom was
exposed in such a way that even the Ministry could no longer deny.  Despite the
hostility of not only the Ministry but much of the populace, people began to
look towards me, a young, powerful person, whose family had a history of
protecting them and who had spent the last year doing all he could to warn
them.  Even the Ministry, despite their various campaigns to make me out as
some insane teenager began to hound me for some kind of endorsement of their
actions."  As Harry pulled his eyes away from the gate, quickly wondering how
he made it all the way over here without noticing during his tale, he turned to
look back at the slightly unbelieving expressions of those at the table.  It
was Janet that first voiced what they were all wondering.
    "Why would one boy be that important?"
    Pondering how to make them see his point Harry answered with a question of
his own directed at the one he knows would be able to put it together.
"Daniel, you are the expert on various civilizations right?"  At Daniel's nod,
he continued, "Then let's imagine a community within a larger civilization.
It's small, about 50,000 people in the British Isles, and three main concerns
affect everyone in this society.  One is political power.  This society relied
on a system of government that kept this political power strictly controlled by
a small number of families, keeping this control from the greater number of
citizens that weren't considered as `pure' as themselves and their cadet
branches.  Two is wealth.  Regardless of what society it is, wealth can afford
it's own power."  Here they all nodded, its easy to understand that wealth
opens doors for people who would otherwise be locked out.  "Finally, what
really differentiates this society from any you have probably studied is the
individual's and family's strength in `magic.'
    "Now dark times fall on this society, an extremely powerful individual,
along with his followers start killing off entire families who would like
nothing more than to just live their life.  Their government does very little
to protect them because the government is controlled by, in some cases, direct
family members of those doing the killing.  And more and more people, some who
see no other choice, others who secretly revel in the chance to prove their own
superiority and some who actually revel in the opportunity to cause others
pain, flock to his banner.  How would others view a powerful individual willing
to stand up for them?"
    As he gets towards the end of his description, understanding began to dawn
in Daniel's eyes.  Looking at Harry, Daniel's only response was a comment that
quickly brings understanding to his friends.  "A rallying point, a figurehead."
    "Exactly," Harry responded.  "Just like the darker oriented families and
individuals rallied around Tom, more light oriented people began to rally
around their own powerful figurehead."
    "So you were their rallying point?" Sam asked, with doubt in her voice.
    With a small smile Harry quickly responded with an answer that surprised
them all.  "No, but the old man, who just happened to be the headmaster of my
school -was- the rallying point, and many people, including the man himself due
to the training he aided me in considered me his "heir".  The man himself was
toward the end of his life, and consequently past his prime.  He was the man
that had not only defeated the Dark Lord before Riddle, but also held back Tom.
He was reportedly the only man that Riddle ever truly feared.
    "About two months ago, after a lot of careful planning on our part, we were
able to orchestrate the final battle of the war.  We were able to entice Riddle
to gather the majority of his followers, and attack a target that we knew of in
advance, thanks to a spy we had in his ranks."  True understanding began to
blossom in Teal'c, Hammond, Jack and Sam's eyes.  All four had significant
military training and like all officers understood the strategic importance of
planning a battle.  Knowing both about the attack ahead of time, and the
location of the attack provides a significant strategic opportunity for the
defenders.
    "Over the course of the battle, many died, including the light's previous
figurehead, and at the end, I was able to overpower Riddle and defeat him.
Thus came the end of the war for the `wizarding' world for the majority of its
population, but not for everyone."
    This time, it was Hammond that was the first to understand the qualifier at
the end of Harry's last sentence.  While the politics that take place during a
war can be rather messy, the politics after a war, especially when so many want
credit for their success, can be downright brutal.  It didn't take him long to
leap to the probable conclusion of such wrangling.  Especially after hearing
about the Ministry's actions prior to this final battle.
    "The Ministry turned on you once again," Hammond stated.  His simple phrase
is enough to bring everyone to the point he arrived at seconds before.
    Sighing, Harry replied, "I really wasn't all that surprised to be honest."
At their incredulous looks at his comment he continued, "You have to
understand, it was no secret that I didn't like how corrupt the Ministry was,
and that, if I had half the chance, I would do all I could to clean it out."
That comment got their attention, Harry thought, after seeing their reactions.
    "So, because those in the Ministry that didn't support Riddle no longer
needed me to protect them from him, and fearing losing their job if my
popularity continued to rise with my opinions gaining momentum, they did what
they always do, cover their own asses."  Harry's proud that that particular
comment got a snort out of everyone at the table except for Teal'c, who
surprised Harry by nodding his head in agreement and offering his first word in
Harry's presence, "Indeed."
    "It was only a week or so after victory that they started the grumblings,"
Harry began.  "Because both my Godfather, and Father were from old and very
wealthy families, I found myself wealthy from not only their fortunes, but from
the fortunes I had inherited because of all the death during the war due to in
some cases, the most tenuous of blood ties.  This of course didn't help since
the Ministry that wanted to get rid of me, was now also trying to come up with
a plan to confiscate all of my assets, probably to be split between many of the
people at the top."  At their disbelieving stares, Harry only gave a grim not
and commented, "I told you they were greedy."
    "The first grumblings were about why I had waiting so long to defeat
Riddle, how if I had done it more quickly less people would have died.  I can
see from your reactions that you understand the significance of this move.
Over the course of 3 weeks, people, because then no longer needed me to stand
behind, moved from thanking me, to being angry because some loved one or
another didn't survive because I didn't finish the war fast enough," Harry
said, adding bitterly, "as if it's a 17 year old's job to win a war for an
entire society."
    Seeing everyone at the table's sad nod, Harry felt that they were beginning
to fully understand his reasons for making the jump.  "Seeing how things were
developing, and that it wouldn't be long before the newspapers were claiming I
was a rising dark lord, and knowing that those I trusted would not be enough to
protect me from those who either sought money, revenge for the death of their
family or to keep or gain political power, I had a choice to make.  Fight a
revolution with people who were tired of war, against a country that was tired
of war, for a populous that could care less how corrupt their leaders were so
long as they were left alone, or leave that world using the information I
discovered in a book during my training, and hopefully finding a more peaceful
life."
    Harry could see that despite their understanding his position, Hammond,
Jack and Teal'c both believed deep down that he should have stayed to fight.
He sure hoped that his next comment improved their opinion of him.  "Well,
never one to be backed into a corner, wanting to both help my friends and not
wanting to live the public life I was destined to live in that world, whether
it be as savior or dark lord, I decided to do both."  Harry can't help adding
on after a moment's pause, "I just couldn't resist sticking it to the
Ministry, even if I couldn't be there to watch the fallout."  Seeing them all
perk up at his statement he clarified, "I departed in such a way that it will
hopefully shock the world into action, and hopefully spur a bloodless
revolution securing a better world for them."
    At their inquiring looks he continued with a bit of a grim smile.
"Everyone is more than happy to tear at their protector so long as he's always
there to protect them," and seeing the beginnings of understanding persisted,
"Rhat, combined with the Ministry finding nothing but two silver pieces and a
note at the bank, and the land I once owned belonging to other people will not
only find itself out of luck, but also exposed.  The bankers, kind fellows that
they were, agreed to bring the Ministry's manipulations to light after it was
attempted, which if doesn't spur some kind of public outcry I don't know what
will."  They were all grinning now, except for Daniel who had a thoughtful
frown on his face.
    "If that's the case, why did you have to jump, couldn't you have just
exposed the scandal?" Daniel asked.  As the others looked thoughtful at his
point Harry responded, "Not really, even if the Ministry imprisoned me without
trial or even on some trumped up charge or another like they were planning,
should the world ever be threatened again in any way, I would still be there in
reserve in the general populace's opinion.  Since the general populace wasn't
under the threat of being imprisoned, and they thought I would always be there,
they didn't really care unfortunately."
    Surprisingly it was Jack who responded with a grim expression, "All that
is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
    Teal'c and Hammond both nod gravely, while Sam and Daniel are both
surprised at O'Neill's thoughtful comment.
    "Edmund Burke," Harry cited, pulling the attention back onto himself, an
action which Jack rewards with a small grin and nod.  "Despite some little
things, it appears the only huge difference between our worlds is the lack of
people with my abilities," stated Harry in an effort to move on.
    Understanding Harry's reasons for not wanting to dwell on this subject,
General Hammond allowed the shift in subject by responding, "True, though, if
your... community is as well hidden as you indicated, they could still be
here."
    Thinking about Hammond's thought, Harry responded with a head shake.  "I
don't think so sir.  Thinking that may be the case, a good chuck of the names I
gave you would either be known in the mundane world for political reasons, or
had up to date mundane paperwork for one reason or another."  Harry really
didn't want to get into the details of his past world, and thought it best to
not add a subject that would no doubt cause much speculation and thought from
some of those present, muggleborns.
    "In any event Harry," Hammond paused, and after looking at the remaining
people at the table received quick if small nods indicating their agreement in
what Hammond was about to convey.  "After hearing about the reasons behind
your... journey, I see no reason why we can't arrange for US residency,
provided you will agree to some stipulations in the beginning of course."
    Harry nodded his head both in relief at the outcome of the meeting and in
excitement of finally being able to settle down and build himself a life here.
    "It will take some time for things to become organized, but I don't think
too many hurtles are going to be raised," Hammond concluded.
    It was Daniel that brought up what Harry was most concerned about now.
"What are you going to tell your superiors?"
    It was easy to tell by everyone's attentiveness that they were all
interested in what Harry's official story would be.  As everyone watched,
General Hammond turned very thoughtful.  After a minute he gave the slightest
nod as if coming to some decision.
    "I'll update them with mostly what they already know.  SG-1 found an
unconscious man after a lighting strike while off world, and after bringing him
back to the SGC to offer medical attention to a possible ally discovered the
man in question was from England in an alternate reality."
    It is obvious that this was already reported to everyone up the chain of
command, and therefore could not be altered.  What came next however was new.
    "After regaining his health, and the discovery that no one he knows appears
to be in this reality, we discovered he originally fled his original reality
through a device he discovered because he was the last of his family and had no
hope of surviving the religious oppression and persecution by others of his
entire family."
    "Religious?" inquired Jack with a bit of a smirk.
    Returning Jacks grin with a small one of his own, Hammond replied, "Well it
is the truth."  At their looks of confusion he clarified, "Harry was forced to
flee from his world because of others that wished to persecute him because of
his values and beliefs in freedom."  At their understanding nod Hammond had one
last question for Harry.
    "You mentioned you were planning the trip, yet you appear to be traveling
pretty lightly..." Hammond trailed off, the question apparent on his face.
    Responding with a small grin and a little twinkle in his eye Harry pulled
out the chain of a necklace and patted it affectionately against his chest.  At
their looks of confusion he clarified, "This necklace has a special kind of
trunk attached to it keyed specifically to me for security that contains all of
my possessions, family heirlooms, a bundle or two of British pounds, though
they may be considered counterfeit here, and some precious metals and jewels.
I wanted to be sure that I had something of value with me that I could sell to
help start my new life once I had arrived."
    At everyone's nod Hammond commented, "We might just have to indicate that
your necklace houses some type of alien mass storage device that you used to
pack for your trip.  I might also add that as a thanks for helping set up your
papers, you have agreed to allow Captain Carter to study the device in
controlled and supervised conditions."  At Harry's thankful smile Hammond
finally brought up the last point he had on the agenda.  "Dr. Frasier, you
indicated you had something to report about Harry's recovery?"
    After a quick look towards Harry that half asked permission and half
apologized for having to report her findings anyway, and seeing nothing but
curiosity in his eyes, she proceeded with her portion of the briefing.
    "General, when Harry was initially brought in I supervised his basic test
battery."
    Harry was still confused, wondering what the "basic test battery" consisted
of.
    At Harry's continued look of confusion Janet took a second to explain.
"Harry, everyone that leaves or comes through the stargate is put through a
rather extensive battery of tests for a large number of reasons.  Nothing out
of the ordinary showed up in your tests, other than a slight electrolyte
imbalance, which we believe is due to the lightning strike," Janet informed
him.  It was her next statement which brought a frown to his face.  "I assume
from your time here you have heard about the Goa'uld?"
    At his nod and comment of "nasty little blighters" Janet continued,
"Because of the Goa'uld one of the tests everyone received when they return is
a cat scan of their neck and skull to ensure no symbiotes are present.  While
we don't normally spend any time examining a patient's brain functions during
the cat scan, a few things did bring several readings to my attention."  It was
this statement that got everyone's attention.
    Harry, applying what little he could recall from muggle medicine was
beginning to understand where she might be going.
    "A much larger percentage of Harry's brain was active during the cat scan
than is normal," Dr. Frasier stateed.
    Gaining back her composure after that bombshell, Sam's the first to ask,
"How much larger?"
    After a moment of consideration and another nod from Harry indicating he
both didn't mind them knowing and was also curious of the results, Frasier
elaborated.  "Normal humans utilize around 10 percent of their brain capacity
on average.  Einstein was rumored to be between 12 and 13 percent.  During
Harry's Cat Scan the amount of neural activity was upwards of 42%, and that was
when he was unconscious."
    If Dr. Frasier's first comment didn't keep everyone's attention for long,
the last comment did.  With a quiet "Holy Crap," Harry quickly realized his
mutterings brought everyone's focus away from the doctor and onto whom the
doctor was talking about.
    At Sam's impressed and fascinated look, and the other's incredulous stares,
Harry responded, "Bloody hell, I always suspected I was smart from how quickly
I've been picking things up these past couple of years, but I never suspected
such a disparity."  Seeing that their stares were not abating quickly enough
for his comfort, Harry added, "Can this be one of those things we keep to
ourselves?  I don't fancy spending the rest of my life as some lab rat doing
long division."
    His comment had immediate effect.  Snapped out of his astonishment, Hammond
quickly made a decision.  "Dr. Frasier, please destroy all copies of the test,
your analysis as well as any blood and tissue samples you have gathered,"
Hammond ordered.  Thinking further on the situation he added, "Anything you
need to keep for the establishment of a baseline, make sure its properly
secured so that only you have access."
    Seeing the danger potential should people like the NID get a hold of even
Harry's tissue samples, she immediately complied, "Yes sir."
    Harry gave Dr. Frasier a thankful nod as she stood up and made her way out
of the conference room.  As she exited the door, Hammond brought the meeting to
a close indicating its best he get Harry's papers started.
    It was as Hammond was making his way towards his office door that Harry's
comment to SG-1 made him pause as it reaches his ears.  "Well, hopefully when
my paperwork's sorted out, you lot can tell me how a bloke such as myself might
get hired to work at this circus."  Chuckling and shaking his head at Harry's
comment, Hammond closed his door so he can organize his thoughts before getting
the ball rolling.


Chapter 3: Living and Learning

*Stargate Command, Harry's Temporary Quarters*

    It had been a week since the fateful briefing and Harry was ready to tear
his hair out, that was if Hedwig didn't scalp him first.
    "Shhh, don't worry Hedwig, we'll be in our new home soon."  As Hedwig
maintained her hard stare, making it known to Harry how unhappy she was being
cooped up underground, Harry offered a bit of a peace offering.  "I promise
girl, you will soon have your own window to come and go as you please, just
please, be patient for a little longer."
    A gentle nip to his ear before Hedwig launched off of his arm to settle on
the top of his desk chair was the only response Harry received.  A knock at the
door prevented Harry from getting back to the math textbook Sam picked up for
him.  "Come in!"
    "Harry," greeted Daniel.
    "Hey Daniel, how did that trip up to Washington go?  Did Jack get his
chance to pick off another snakehead?"
    Daniel shook his head at Harry using Jack's description of the Goa'uld.
"Yeah, turned out the Cult leader ended up being the Goa'uld Seth that the
Tok'ra were looking for.  Listen, I came down to see if you've had dinner yet,
Sam, Janet and I are all headed down to the commissary."
    "It's already dinner time?" Harry asked in surprise.
    Laughing at Harry's surprised look.  "Yeah, you must be just as bad as Sam
and I are when you get involved in your work," Daniel responded, giving a
significant head nod toward the large stack of textbooks and notebooks sitting
both on Harry's desk and bedside tables.
    Jack's response to Harry's question the prior week about joining the SGC
was to be "wicked smart."  Taking Jack's joking comment at heart, Harry then
asked Sam for help in gathering the text books he would need to pass any high
school tests so he could hopefully get started at some form of university soon.
    Surprising Harry with her eagerness, he soon found a large pile of books in
his temporary quarters along with a note indicating that she, with Hammond's
help would be setting up a group of tutors to bring him up to speed in all the
subjects necessary so that hopefully, within the next year or two, he might be
able to join his peers in college.
    They thought it would take him around 18 months of intensive tuition to
make up the 6 years of missed mundane education, but Harry planed to take no
more than 3 to 6 months.  If he wanted to join the SGC at anytime in the near
future, he needed at least a College degree in some useful subject, better yet
a graduate degree.  Harry did not want to waste anytime in achieving his goal,
now that he once again had a goal to strive for.
    Putting his books away, Harry joined Daniel on the walk towards the
commissary.
    "Any funny stories to share from your trip Daniel?  Please, give me
something; I've been dying of boredom sitting on this base."
    Seeing Harry's pleading look, and understanding how not being able to leave
the mountain and having to have an escort if he left his room, would probably
cause even him to become a bit stir crazy he relented.
    "Well, nothing too amusing happened on the trip..." Daniel started before
trailing off.  Thinking of something Daniel continued, "But before we left
Teal'c told us a joke that apparently Jaffa find hilarious."
    "Your kidding!" exclaimed Harry.  "I've been trying to get him to crack a
smile all week and achieved nothing.  So, what happened?  Was the joke funny."
    "I think it might have lost something in translation.  Teal'c was actually
roaring with laughter, and the rest of us just really didn't get it," Daniel
concluded.
    By the time Daniel finished, they were entering the commissary.  Quickly
grabbing some food, they both made their way over to Sam and Janet who were at
a table chatting quietly in the far corner.
    "Sam, Janet," Harry greeted them as he approached the table.  As he sat
beside Sam, Daniel took the seat across from Harry.
    "So Harry, are you excited for the big move?" Sam asked.  "Last I heard,
all of your paperwork should be in order within the next 2 days or so."
    Despite how obviously excited Harry was to start his new life his response
surprised the table.  "Yes and no."
    At their raised eyebrows, Harry continued, "While the Air Force has been
graciously setting things up for me, I haven't yet been told where I'm going to
live.  Apparently, they're having a bit of trouble finding someplace for me to
stay where they can keep a decent eye on me for the next bit.  You know, make
sure I don't run amok or try and take over the world or some such."
    After hearing that, Janet had an idea.  "Why don't you live with me and
Cassandra?"
    "Cassandra?" Harry asked.
    "My daughter," Janet replied.
    Daniel, in a bit of a jovial mood from their earlier discussion about
Teal'c joked, "Yeah, she's from another planet too."
    Janet shot Daniel a sharp look which prevented the man from continuing
before turning back to Harry to explain.  "Her people were killed a couple of
years ago by the Goa'uld and she had nowhere else to go, so when we brought her
back here..."
    Harry nodded in understanding.  "I understand... but what about rent?"
    They all looked at him incredulously.  Janet answered, "No rent... besides,
how would you pay?"
    Smiling at Janet, Harry cheekily responded, "Someone needs to pay better
attention in their briefings."  At Frasier's dark look that promised extra long
needles at his next doctors visit Harry relented.  Pulling out a chain from
under his shirt Harry pointed out, "I brought a decent amount of gold and other
valuables with me to help give me an easy start."
    As Janet began to shake her head and refuse any type of payment Harry had
an idea.  "How's Cassandra --"
    "Just call her Cassie, she hates being called Cassandra," Janet
interrupted.
    Harry nodded and continued, "Cassie's cooking?"
    Sam smiled and said, "Lots... and I mean, Lots of cakes."
    "Can she do a mean souffle?"
    Janet shook her head.
    "Well I can..." Harry told them with a smile.
    "A guy who can cook?  Would wonders ever cease?" Janet commented.
    Harry shrugged and added, "I shall fear no oven."
    Sam snorted, "Well that sounds like an invitation?"
    "To what?" Harry asked, realizing the trap he fell into immediately.
    "Dinner, you're cooking," Janet and Sam chimed in unison.
    Harry winked at them both and with a million-pound smile, "You're on."
    The two women got up to leave, leaving Daniel, who had been observing the
entire conversation frowning.
    Harry, turning to Daniel after swallowing a bit of potatoes asked, "So
what's your schedule for the next couple of days.  I'd really like to get
started on learning what I can of the Goa'uld, Ancient and Asgard languages."
    Daniel's face lit up at the mention of one of his favorite topics of
conversation.  "Well, as for Ancient and Asgard, I'm still in the process of
working with what samples we have.  While I have made some progress and would
be more than happy to teach what I can, I'm afraid it might not be as much as
your expecting.  Goa'uld on the other hand I can help you with if you want."
    At Harry's nod of agreement, Daniel continued, "However, from what Teal'c
mentioned this morning, you asked him for lessons in hand to hand combat and
Jaffa customs, right?"
    When Harry grunted his agreement through a mouthful of chocolate cake
Daniel concluded, "While I'll be more than happy to work with you on the
written forms of Goa'uld, you might want to ask Teal'c for help as well since
he has spoken it his entire life."
    Pondering Daniel's point, Harry conceded, "You're right."  Thinking about
the short term, and his upcoming move Harry asked, "Do you know what the
schedule looks like for SG-1 over the next few days?"
    Daniel thought for a few seconds before responding, "Well, other than the
awards ceremony tomorrow morning, and an exploration mission planned on
Wednesday, things are pretty open."
    Harry sighed as Daniel added that last comment.  "You just had to say it,
didn't you?"  At Daniel's confused expression, Harry elaborated, "You just
pretty much guaranteed that things are going to be crazy for the next few
days!"
    Shaking his head at Harry's superstitious nature, Daniel got up to drop off
his tray.  "I can't believe you are that superstitious."
    "I can't believe you so callously tempt fate," Harry retorted.
    Laughing at Harry's comment, Daniel just couldn't help but take this
opportunity to wind Harry up.  "What's the worst that could happen?"
    The sound of Harry's head banging against the table followed Daniel out of
the commissary door.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Control Room*-

    As Harry overlooked the awards ceremony being held below, he couldn't help
but wish such a ceremony was held for the hero's that served in his universe.
So many fought and died, only to be forgotten by an uncaring populace.
    Listing to Hammond commend and thank those under his command, Harry felt
moved, and if possible, an even stronger desire to join this brotherhood of
warriors and scientists, all dedicated to the survival and the betterment of
their planet.  Sensing that Hammond's remarks were coming to a close, Harry
returned his focus onto what was happening in the gate room.
    "...You have fought with valor and courage.  Sacrificed for each other, for
this country, for this planet.  To honor the men and women of the SGC, I
present, Author Simms, the Secretary of Defense for the United States of
America."
    When a middle aged man in a suit stepped up to replace Hammond at the
podium, Harry doubted the man would ever be able to outdo General Hammond's
remarks.  The posture and expressions on every man and woman's face in both the
control room and in the room below just exuded satisfaction in being praised by
a man they all highly respected.
    Author Simms settled his notes onto the podium before looking out over
everyone in the room.  "Since the re-inception of this program, I have eagerly
awaited every word of every mission report stemming from this base like a wide
eyed child waiting for his next bedtime story.  But actually being here, seeing
your faces, or this stargate there behind me, it is sometimes easy to forget
that it's all really happening.  The President regrets not being able to be
here, but I'm glad because it gives me the opportunity to congratulate you on
your recent effort in defeating a formidable enemy and rescuing SG-1, captured
in the line of duty.  You risk your lives every day in a way more dangerous and
fantastic than any of us could have ever dreamed.  Understand that I represent
every person of this great nation when I salute your ongoing heroic spirit.
You should be proud."
    As Simms stepped back from the podium, Harry found himself slightly
impressed.  Granted, he thought the man had probably gone a little far with the
whole nation salute comment, but overall, Harry thought he did a good job.
Judging by the expressions on many of the soldiers' faces, he was not alone in
his opinion.
    As Hammond stepped forward to close out the ceremony, Harry couldn't
suppress the grin that appeared on his face.  Daniel filled him in on Sam's
upcoming surprise promotion, and Harry just couldn't wait to see the look on
her face.
    "Before we finish today, I have one other small bit of business.  Please
come to attention," Hammond began with a very serious expression.  "From the
Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force in recognition of Captain Samantha
Carter's outstanding work I herby authorize her immediate promotion to the rank
of Major.  Captain, step forward."
    Harry enjoyed Sam's subtle start of surprise at the announcement and
watched as General Hammond and Jack went through the small formal ceremony of
replacing her Captain's bars with a Major's gold oak leafs.
    "In closing, Major Carter's supervisor, Colonel Jack O'Neill would like to
say a few words."
    Hammond's announcement surprised Harry since in the short time Harry knew
Jack, he had the distinct impression that he didn't really like being the focus
of everyone's attention.
    "Normally, I am a man of very few words..."  Harry's soft snort of laughter
at Jack's classic opening was halfway out of his mouth when Jack was suddenly
engulfed in a bright white light that rang at an unusual pitch.  When the light
receded, Jack was nowhere to be seen.
    Everyone was frozen for about 2 seconds until Hammond barked "Code Nine" at
which point the base alarms start to ring.  As everyone was rushing around to
dismantle the awards ceremony and get to their stations Harry locked eyes with
Daniel as he saw the man making his way out of the gate room.
    "You just couldn't let it rest could you Daniel," Harry commented from the
corner of the control room as Daniel made his way over to him.  "You just had
to tempt fate."  As Daniel opened his mouth to respond, Harry cut him off.
"Well, hopefully you'll learn this time, that fate can be a real bitch,
especially when you go out of your way to tease her."  Harry prevented Daniel
from responding by turning to make his way to the briefing room hoping that by
staying out of the way he might be able to keep updated on what's happening.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Dr. Jackson's Office*-

    Sitting on a raised stool at the island table located in the center of
Daniel's office Harry wondered if office was the correct description for the
room.  It looked more like a museum blended with a library that was turned into
a storeroom from his point of view.  The walls were covered in shelves of books
and strange looking statues or chunks of rock.  On top of the shelves were
large storage boxes that probably held whatever Daniel couldn't fit on the
shelves.  The large center table in front of Harry was covered with old books,
manuscripts, some computer printouts and a large blue covered freshly bound
book with the ominous title of "Protected Planets Treaty."
    "So these Asgard that borrowed Jack want to negotiate with the Goa'uld to
include Earth in this treaty?"
    "That's what Jack said," responded Daniel without looking up from his
large, dusty book about some Chinese mythology.
    "And what if negotiations fail?  From what you and the others have told me,
its not like the Goa'uld always play with a full deck."
    Finally tearing his eyes away from his book to look at Harry, Daniel
replied with a thoughtful frown, "From what the Asgard have indicated, this is
the only option for our survival, so we'll just have to tread carefully and
hope that the negotiations are successful."
    "And Jack is the one that's going to be sitting at the table?" Harry asked
incredulously.  "I know Jack is smarter than he lets on, and I have no doubt
he's a great guy, but even I know, despite my short time getting to know him,
he has all the subtlety of a middle aged streaker at the queen's high tea."
Continuing on despite Daniel's funny face at his phrase, Harry concluded, "He
does not have the personality, nor the temperament to effectively negotiate
with those he loathes, you and I both know that.  He wears his emotions on his
sleeve if he feels passionately about something which I have no doubt these
Goa'uld will take advantage of if the buggers are half as crafty as Teal'c
maintains."
    Seeing Harry's point but not finding any solution to the problem at hand
Daniel retorted, "Well, what can we do?  The Asgard have chosen him to sit at
the table, despite his expressed desire to have someone else do it.  We can't
change representatives."
    As Harry tried to puzzle a solution to this conundrum, he opened the big
blue treaty book and slowly started to flip through it.  After taking in the
first few pages due to his eidetic memory, Harry's eyes turned slightly
mischievous as he thought he might have found a solution.
    "While he has to be the one sitting at the table I doubt there are any
rules about him receiving advice," commented Harry as he continued to take in
the book that contained not only the actual treaty as it stood now, but also
the summit negotiation protocols and rules.
    When Daniel looked up at him in surprise, Harry completed his thought.
"I'm sure the military has some type of small covert audio receiver Jack can
use, and nothing I've seen so far in these protocols states he can't receive
real time advice from someone like you or me."
    "The room would have to be wired for video and sound..." Daniel mumbled,
starting to warm up to the idea.
    Snorting, Harry commented, "You don't think the military isn't going to do
that anyway?"
    Receiving a small smile from Daniel as the man placed a bookmark in his
book and stood up to make his way out of his office, he stopped by the door.
"Harry."
    When Harry looked up from the treaty book he had begun to read again,
Daniel continued, "Don't you think we should both take this to General Hammond
since it was your idea?"
    Receiving a smile and nod in return they both made their way down to the
General's office.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    The only light in the packed room was the light of the projector as Daniel
continued to brief everyone on the backgrounds he had been able to piece
together of the three Goa'uld representatives.  Hammond's pleased surprise at
the simplicity of Harry's idea earlier that day earned Harry the opportunity to
be present for this briefing.
    "Cronus was amongst the earliest Greek Gods, one of 12 Titans who
eventually ascended to supreme domination.  He was god of Fate and eventually
became father to Zeus, Hera, Poseidon and Hades.  Now this last relationship
may indicate a connection to the Goa'uld Sokar," Daniel lectures.
    "Cronus is the most influential of the System Lords.  It was he who
originally banished Sokar.  Cronus was also a mortal enemy of Apophis," Teal'c
grimly filled in.
    "Which may indicate why the System Lords didn't join in Apophis's attack on
Earth," Daniel concluded.
    Teal'c stated, "The System Lords reluctantly band together to defend
Goa'uld territory against outside threats such as the Asgard and Reetou.
However they still battle amongst themselves for control of their own
individual domains."
    Attempting to move on, Daniel began, "The second Goa'uld representative
we're expecting is... Yu."
    It was unfortunate that Daniel was staring in Jack's direction when he said
this since Jack's immediate and very predictable response of "Me?" caused a few
soft snorts to emit from around the room, one of which came from Harry.
    Daniel sighed, "Yu is the name of the Goa'uld."
    Jack's somewhat contrite "Ah.  Sorry." didn't seem to satisfy Daniel who
turned his head away from Jack and continued.
    "Also known as Yu the Great.  He did not assume the role of a God per se
but may have been one of China's earliest emperors.  Legend says he possessed
great mythical powers and sprang into the world from a dragon's body.  Ancient
scrolls say he founded the first recorded dynasty whose advances came about
under harsh rule.  However it should be noted that Yu did account for a number
of positive influences."
    Jack's quiet "Thank you" brought about a few more snorts and a dirty look
from Daniel.
    "Sorry."
    Ignoring Jack, Daniel persisted, "According to Thor's message, Yu is the
most likely to favor this treaty, as his interests no longer reside in this
area of the galaxy."
    "And the third Goa'uld Dr. Jackson?" questioned Hammond.
    It was the combination of sadness and anger in Daniel's expression that
made Harry think this next Goa'uld's identity would not please anyone in this
room.  "Another one we haven't met but have a certain familiarity with.  For
those in the room that don't know, Nirrti is the Goa'uld who wiped out all but
one survivor of P8X-987 along with four members of the SGC in an attempt to
destroy Earth's Stargate."
    Carter's flat comment of, "Cassandra's planet." Brought understanding to
Harry.  He had met the perky almost teenager before the awards ceremony and
knew both SG-1 and General Hammond, in addition to her adoptive mother Janet,
now viewed Cassie as family.
    Acknowledging Sam's comment with a nod, Daniel continued, "Little is known
about Nirrti from Earth's perspective.  In early Hindu reference she was a
destructive goddess of Darkness."
    "So we're gonna let these Goa'uld just walk in here?"  The anger in Sam's
voice and on her face was apparent for everyone to see.
    Attempting to placate her somewhat and to move the briefing along Hammond
stated calmly, "There are a number of aspects of this situation I'm not
comfortable with Major.  Thank you Dr. Jackson.  Teal'c, I would like you to
act as liason to the Goa'uld."
    Harry perked up at hearing that, sensing a possible opportunity.  After
only knowing the quiet and stoic Jaffa for just shy of two weeks, even Harry
knew Teal'c wouldn't touch such an assignment with a ten foot poll.
    At Teal'c's solomn yet firm "General Hammond."  Harry almost smiled at
knowing his thinking was spot on.
    "Is there a problem?" Hammond asked.
    "I mean no disrespect, but I have given my allegiance to you, to the SGC
and to the people of this world freely.  I will not, however, see to the petty
needs of these Goa'uld."
    As Teal'c finished, Harry quickly raised his hand to get the general's
attention.  "I'll see to the petty needs of the Goa'uld," Harry said eagerly.
    As everyone turned to stare at him at his eager tone, and seeing Hammond's
contemplative gaze, Harry knew this was his chance to prove to them he wanted
to help so continued, "It's no secret that I want to work here sometime in the
future and considering I have had no prior contact with the Goa'uld, I'll be
less..."  Harry paused, trying to find the right words to convey his thoughts
without stepping on any toes, "easily rattled."  As Hammond began to nod, Harry
closed with, "Besides, this will give you the chance to see how I might fit in
here should I be hired in the future."
    "Okay," Hammond agreed.  "Mr. Potter will look after the Goa'uld, while Dr.
Jackson aids Colonel O'Neill in his preparations.  Teal'c, you will assist
Major Castleman with base security.  According to Thor, treaty law will not
permit weapons of any kind in this facility during negotiations."
    Taken a bit by surprise, Jack spoke up, "Whoa!  Sir, that doesn't sound
wise."
    Turning towards Jack with a grim frown on his face Hammond responded,
"We're largely trusting the Asgard based on your word Colonel.  This is their
rule.  As a result the base is completely sealed off from the surface.  The
Secretary of Defense will be staying to represent the President.  Storage room
12A on Level 17 will be converted to a meeting room for security reasons.
You've all received folders that include your individual assignments as
preparation instructions are laid out by the Asgard.  There's a lot of work to
do people, and not much time."

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Gate Room*-

    Harry, outfitted in a new dark grey suit with an open collar blue dress
shirt was standing next to General Hammond as Jack, Daniel and Sam walked into
the room, Jack making a few final adjustments to his dress uniform.  As the
stargate began its connecting process everyone began to turn their attention to
it.  As the wormhole formed everyone waited with baited breath for the arrival
of the Goa'uld delegation.
    The first man that appeared through the stargate Harry easily recognized as
Cronus, due to his classical Greek style of dress.  Harry quickly noticed the
small expression of disgust on Cronus's face as he surveyed the gate room.  -He
will no doubt do all he can to find fault in everything,- Harry thought to
himself.
    The second to appear was even easier to identify due to Nirrti being the
only female member for the delegation.  After stepping through, she did nothing
except for stare straight forward.  -Curious... why would she have such an
expression?- Harry asked himself.
    The final member of the delegation, Yu, stepped clear of the event horizon
of the stargate and looked around with what Harry can only classify as stoic
curiosity.
    -Well, this should be fun...- Harry thought internally but then remembered,
-I did volunteer for this, so I should probably keep my mouth shut and senses
open.-

===============================================================================

-*Cronus' Quarters*-

    The walk up from the Gate room had been silent as the three Goa'uld
followed Harry through the SGC.  He first delivered Yu and Nirrti to their
prepared quarters, thinking that Cronus would be the most likely to complain.
    Opening the door for Cronus, Harry signaled the man to enter.  "Here we
are, the VIP room."  Seeing Cronus take a few steps looking around the room, a
clear look of disgust fixed on his face Harry added, "It's an acronym you see,
it means very important person."  At this point Harry didn't need his passive
legilimency to know the reaction his next comment would get.  "I hope it is
satisfactory."
    Cronus turned towards Harry, his mouth fixed into a deep frown, "Your idea
of accommodation is pitiful."
    "Well, it's the best..." Harry started before being interrupted by Nirrti
shouting in the corridor.  Cronus quickly exited the room and made his way down
the corridor with Harry right behind him.
    "What is this about?" Cronus demanded, coming face to face with Teal'c.
    Cronus's face distorted into a combination of pure hate and disgust at the
site of Teal'c.  "Shol'va!"
    Teal'c returned the look of hatred with one of his own and retorted, "Onak
holka shaka!"
    Cronus's face turned considering at Teal'c's reply as he tilted his head
back and looked to be assessing Teal'c before replying, "Treena arik croonaka
shol'va!"
    Having seen Teal'c shift his weight as if to take a step forward with his
look of hate turning quickly to a look of rage Harry decided it was time to put
a stop to things before they got out of hand.
    Stepping in between Cronus and Teal'c, facing Teal'c, Harry gently put a
hand on his chest to prevent him from taking a step forward before calmly
asking "What's going on?"
    It was surprisingly Nirrti and not Teal'c that answered.  "Your crude
surveillance devices were poorly hidden in our quarters."
    "That's because they weren't hidden, they're security cameras and they're
for your own safety," Harry responded to Nirrti.
    Looking into her eyes he felt a brief flash of nervousness at such a
security precaution.  Afraid whether or not a symbiote could detect even a
passive probe, Harry was careful not to push for more information as he heard
Teal'c respond in a carefully measured voice to his statement.  "As I was
trying to explain."
    Cronus's response was immediate, "I will not be spied upon!"
    Harry, still focusing slightly on Nirrti due to what he had detected
earlier sensed triumph as she stated, "Nor will I!"
    "Well, no offence was meant by it, it's merely a security precaution.  I'll
ask if we can remove the cameras from the rooms but we'd definitely like to
leave them in the halls," Harry compromised, knowing that pushing for the
cameras at this time would likely be unwise.  Receiving a firm nod from Cronus,
a hesitant, as if forced, nod from Nirrti, and another firm nod from Yu Harry
breathed a silent sigh of relief before Cronus made one last comment towards
Teal'c.
    "Do not show your face to me again, shol'va."
    Teal'c stared Cronus down for a second before replying "Kelmar tokeem."
    Thinking to himself that he really needed to get cracking at learning
Goa'uld, Harry quickly informed the delegates that he will come to retrieve
them before the meetings start before he left them to their plotting.  Hastily
making his way down the hall, Harry hoped to catch up with Teal'c because
something was definitely going on between him and Cronus and Harry thought it
might be a good idea to find out just what that something was.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    Harry caught up to Teal'c as he began to descend a spiral staircase down
into the briefing room.
    "Hey Teal'c!" Harry called out to the man.  "Wait up a second."
    Teal'c paused long enough for Harry to catch up with him then began down
the stairs with Harry following.
    "What was that about back there with Cronus?  I didn't think you got worked
up by anything," Harry asked.
    "As First Prime of Apophis, I often did battle with the Jaffa of Cronus,"
Teal'c answered.
    Sensing that was part of the issue, but not all of it, Harry decided to try
to get more out of the stoic man.  "You must have battled lots of rival
Goa'ulds during your time there.  I'm sorry Teal'c if you'd rather not discuss
this, but that looked a little more personal to me."
    Teal'c moved up to the window of the briefing room, staring out at the
stargate deep in thought for a moment before coming to some kind of conclusion.
Looking a bit sad Teal'c started, "I tell you this now since you will no doubt
understand from your own history the difficulty of my position."  As Harry was
still digesting that comment, Teal'c continued, "My father was once First Prime
of Cronus.  When I was but a child, Cronus commanded my father to attack a
Goa'uld who was more powerful at the time.  It was an impossible battle to win.
When all was inevitably lost, Cronus killed my father as punishment and exiled
my mother and I.  We fled to Chulak.  I vowed I would become the strongest
Jaffa I could so one day I would be named First Prime of Apophis, sworn enemy
of Cronus."
    With a grim frown on his face Harry noded, expressing his understanding.
Hammond walked out of his briefing room preventing Harry from speaking further.
    "I trust our guests are settled?" Hammond asked, looking at them both.
    Teal'c answered immediately, "The Goa'uld demanded the security cameras be
removed from their quarters."
    "I assume you told them no," focusing his stare on Harry.
    Feeling a bit like he had been caught out of bed after hours by McGonagall,
Harry sheepishly replied, "Actually sir, I kinda told them it would be ok."
Seeing the generals displeasure at that Harry continued, "I told them we'd have
to leave them in the halls as a compromise."
    Hammond nodded.  "If you think it's absolutely necessary."
    Harry gave the General an affirmative answer before the man turned and
walked back into his office.  After the General's departure, Harry turned to
Teal'c trying to find the right words to convey his thoughts.  "While you
cannot avenge your father at this time, I have little doubt that due to
Cronus's position you shall get the opportunity."  Harry paused, looking
carefully at Teal'c as the words seem to give him strength.  Having some idea
of Teal'c's dilemma from his own experiences with Bellatrix, Harry concluded,
"Know that when the time comes, it would be my honor to accompany you onto the
battlefield to help ensure your success."
    Teal'c's head turned toward Harry rather quickly after that statement, and
he intently peered into Harry's eyes as if measuring his mettle as a warrior.
Coming to a conclusion, Teal'c nodded slowly before responding, "I would be
honored Harry Potter."  Then the man abruptly turned and made his way out of
the briefing room leaving Harry alone by the window.
    Harry couldn't help but feel a small bit of contentment at the moment.
Teal'c's simple statement was the equivalent to a giant stamp of approval from
the quiet Jaffa.  As Harry turned to make his way towards General Hammond's
office, Harry hoped, but doubted, that the others he had come to respect in
this universe would be won over so easily.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, General Hammond's Office*-

    General Hammond looked up at Harry's soft tap on the door frame and was
surprised at the site that greeted him.
    "What can I do for you Harry?"
    Taking a seat in front of General Hammond's desk after closing the door
Harry could tell the General was beginning to wonder what has brought the
dimensional traveler to his office.
    "Sir, is your office secured from listing devices?"  At Hammond's intrigued
nod, Harry continued, "I thought it would be prudent to bring some rather
sensitive information to your attention."  At the General's raised eyebrow,
Harry pressed forward, "Some members of my former community, myself included,
are able to learn and practice a rather obscure technique that allows the user
to..."  Here Harry paused, trying to find the right way to describe
legilimency.  "Gauge and evaluate other peoples truthfulness, intentions and
emotions."
    "Mindreading?" the General asked looking somewhat alarmed.
    "No," Harry answered definitively, "the mind is far too complex for
anything like that.  What this skill allows the practitioner is a brief glimpse
of memories that are connected to whatever thoughts and emotions the target is
feeling at that particular moment."  At Hammond's rather confused look, Harry
admited, "I'm not really explaining this well am I..."  Not waiting for
Hammond's response Harry tried again.
    "The way the human mind tends to file memories is usually strongly
correlated with whatever you both sensed and felt at the time of that
particular memory.  For example, a strong feeling of love will no doubt be
associated with the sight of your wife, daughters, and grandchildren, while
hate will no doubt be associated with the site or thought of a Goa'uld.  Now,
if you feel love or hate at any particular time, a skilled practitioner could
probably see glimpses of memories or experiences associated with that feeling."
    Seeing Hammond's thoughtful nod as a sign to keep going, Harry went on.
"Now there are two ways to use this skill, actively and passively.  Actively
usually involves the use of a wand, and while giving the practitioner a
stronger ability to search through the memories of a target, the target is
aware of what's going on, and if trained properly can block that attempt.
Passive does not give the user much of a chance with regards to looking for
specific information, but can be very useful in identifying lies, gauging the
mood or intentions of a target, sensing a person's surface thoughts or
assessing the general character of those that you can make eye contact with."
    Hammond looked deep in thought by the time Harry finished.  After several
moments of silence, the General asked, "And you are a practitioner of this
skill?"
    Harry's answer confused the General, "Yes and no, you see, I learned the
skill because I was in the middle of a war.  And I won't lie and say that it
was not a useful skill to have during the war, however personally, I find the
morality of using such a skill too often rather suspect."
    Pressing on at Hammond's raised eyebrows Harry explained, "Everyone is
entitled to their own private thoughts and feelings.  Consequently, I rigidly
limit any use of the full extent of the skill to situations where there is
truly no other option.  However, I do use a limited amount of the skill when in
potentially dangerous situations.  Usually it's only to confirm an individual
or groups intentions, character or truthfulness..."
    Hammond snorted slightly as Harry trailed off sheepishly.  -"You have to
give the boy credit for coming clean like he did,"- Hammond thought, -"I guess
now I understand why he came to trust us so quickly,"- he concluded.  The
General gave Harry a gentle smile to show that he harbored no grudge at the
moment before mentioning, "I take it the timing of this revelation is rather
important?"
    Turning rather serious, Harry responded, "Yes sir.  You see, one of the
reasons I so quickly volunteered to be the one catering to the Goa'uld, other
than wanting to be useful to you all, is to make sure things went smoothly with
them considering how important this treaty is.  While I did not, and would not,
invade their minds, and I can't tell you exactly what they have planned since
quite frankly, I don't know, what I can give you are some rather interesting
insights into not only their intentions, but their honesty.  Most importantly
for the moment, is that Nirrti is up to something sir."
    At the General's nod and frown, Harry filled him in on his observations of
all three of their guests until concluding, "While Yu and Cronus seem to be
very straight forward with regards to their intensions and desires, Nirrti is
not.  She clearly wanted the camera out of the other System Lords' rooms as
well as her own, which is unusual since from what I understand, Goa'uld tend to
only look out for themselves.  And finally, she seemed to hope the others would
contest the corridor cameras, and was both nervous, and upset that they
didn't."
    "That is very troubling, but at this point, there's nothing we can do but
be cautious," responded Hammond.
    "I know sir, but I thought it would be a good idea to keep you informed.
If she does try something against one of the system lords, it will provide us
with a rather unique opportunity."  At Hammond's questioning look, Harry
explained.  "To prevent any active infighting between the Goa'uld ambassadors,
there is a clause the Asgard put into the treaty that ensures the passing of
the measure up for consideration as a penalty for such a severe break of summit
rules."
    Hammond nodded at that and then stood extending his hand to Harry.  "Thank
you for the information Harry.  I think it best we keep this to ourselves for
the time being.  Should something happen, it could be a very valuable ace in
the hole."
    "I agree, and anytime General," Harry concluded with a smile.  Exiting the
office, Harry made his way to the small storage room down the hall from the
room that was set up for the treaty talks.  He wanted to double check that
everything was ready on their end before dropping Jack into the fire.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Storage room 7, level 17*-

    Harry walked into the storage room after dropping the ambassadors at the
meeting room for the first round of talks.  The room was no bigger than 4
meters by 5 meters, and now consisted of nothing but a temporary table against
the long wall with 5 chairs in front of it.  7 security monitors were mounted
on the table with 5 headsets, and one microphone for talking to Jack hooked in.
The second he put his headphones on, all he heard was Cronus saying "Gonach!"
before seeing all of the Goa'uld ambassadors on the monitor stand up and begin
to file out of the room.
    After listening to the conversation taking place between Daniel, Thor and
Jack, Harry sighed, getting up from his table to go check on the Goa'uld.  -So
much for things running smoothly.-
    It happened.  After another round of talks, at which point the Goa'uld
accepted the Asgard proposal, Cronus and Teal'c were attacked in Cronus's
quarters.  While Harry wasn't very surprised by the attack, he was surprised by
the concessions the Goa'uld demanded from Earth.  As he made his way down the
hall toward the General's office, Harry realized that the Goa'uld's demand
really shouldn't be that surprising.  By taking the stargates, they would have
drastically delayed Earth's technological development.
    Knocking on Hammond's open door Harry stated without preamble, "It's
happened."
    Hammond nodded replying, "Yes, but we have no conclusive proof that it's
her.  Major Carter reviewed the security tape with us.  Only Teal'c was seen
entering his quarters."
    "The key word then is seen.  Have you encountered anyone with the
technology to become invisible?"
    After several moments of thought, Hammond responded, "Hathor had the
technology, but she's dead."
    "But the Goa'uld by their very nature are scavengers so she could have
easily found the technology and taken it for her own use."
    Hammond responded with a frown.  "We still have no hard evidence that it's
her."
    After contemplating the issue for several seconds, Harry developed a
possible solution.  "I remember Sam mentioning you guys have a Goa'uld healing
device on base right?
    "Yes," Hammond responded, "but it wasn't enough, they said that Cronus will
need a Sarcophagus."
    "What if she was lying?  Any chance Sam can make it work?  I know she
mentioned both studying them and trying to figure out how to properly use
them."
    Hammond responded, "I'll ask her to try, but that still doesn't get the
proof we need."
    "No," replied Harry, "But if we play this right, and give Nirrti enough
rope, she might do us a favor by hanging herself for us.  This is what we're
going to do..."

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Treaty Conference Room*-

    "I command that you release us!" demanded Yu to Hammond, Daniel and Jack.
    "We must leave now and take Cronus before his death is on your heads,"
stated Nirrti.
    "I'm sorry," Hammond replied, "I can't let you go until we get to the
bottom of this."
    "If we do not report back, your planet will suffer the full force of the
System Lord's wrath," threatened Nirrti.
    "The thing is, you lied about not being able to use the healing device on
Cronus," Jack glibly stated to Nirrti.
    At this Yu gave her a very thoughtful look.
    "I tried honestly and failed.  I was willing to save Cronus by taking him
to a sarcophagus," Nirrti stated.
    "Maybe you were, maybe you weren't.  But the fact is, you are the only
Goa'uld here who has the technology to become invisible," Jack bluffed.
    "That's a lie!" cried Nirrti.
    "Who's lying?  We called the Tok'ra," Jack confirmed.  Yu now took a few
steps away from Nirrti and started staring at her very critically.
    Daniel stepped in confirming Jack's statement.  "They say you've been
experimenting with phase shifting in order to battle the Reetou."  This was a
highly calculated bluff.  Often, the best spy in an enemy's camp was one that
didn't exist.  Hopefully they would spend inordinate amounts of time and
resources trying to root out a nonexistent operative, and in some cases, may
end up accusing loyal supporters in the process.  Yu obviously believed our
statement.
    "You did not share this technology with the system lords?" stated Yu
angrily.
    Nirrti did her best to emphatically deny the charge.  "It is not true."
    "You are the one who opposed this treaty!  You have long coveted Cronus's
territory," Yu accused.
    "Gonach!" Nirrti curses.
    Yu moved to throttle Nirrti who pushed him away and disappeared confirming
all of their allegations for them.  She easily flung the 2 security personal
out of the way before throwing one of the chairs strongly across the room
toward Yu.  Jack saw the chair begin to lift off the ground and swing towards
Yu and yelled "Look out!" while tackling Yu, putting them both behind the table
as the chair sailed overhead impacting the far wall with enough force to
shatter the chair.
    As the doors burst open Nirrti suddenly became visible and she was faced
with Harry down one corridor, and Teal'c down the other, both backed up by over
15 security personnel, all armed with clubs.  It was as she notices her visible
state that she spots the strange looking pendants around their necks.
    "Asgard made," Harry commented.  "Thor was quite displeased when we
informed him of our suspicions regarding your actions.  Consequently, he was
more than happy to provide us with a couple of pendants to negate your
invisibility should you try and use it to violate the summit again," Harry
stated.  Continuing in a stone cold tone that surprised everyone within hearing
distance, "Put your hands behind your head, and kneel facing the wall, or I
will take great pleasure in ending you."
    Nirrti took 2 seconds to ponder her options and seemed to realize that even
if she got past the arrogant fool in front of her, along with the rest of the
men behind him, the blast door behind the group was closed, meaning she had
nowhere to go.  Slowly turning to the wall she fell to her knees and placed her
hands behind her head.
    Both Teal'c and Harry approached her and once they reached her, Harry
pressed a button he saw on her wrist which caused her to flicker for a second.
Assuming the bracelet was the invisibility device, Harry unclipped it and
slipped it into his pocket, and Teal'c took her arms and secured them behind
her back with a reinforced zip tie.
    After frog marching Nirrti back into the conference room, Daniel's
retrieval of Cronus from the room monitoring the negotiations and Jack asking
Thor to return through the Asgard communicator brought everyone back together
again.  Hammond began, "Earth requests that addendum 10815, Earth's inclusion
in the protected planets treaty be granted without concessions by either the
Asgard or Earth in accordance with Treaty laws section two, subsection 5, that
states, and I quote, `Any acts of aggression between Goa'uld ambassadors that
occurs during any official treaty summit shall result in penalties sufficient
to deter such actions in the future.'  To prevent any possible argument the
General concludes, "Per precedence set forth with addendum 438, Earth requests
similar punishment for such actions."
    Harry looked at Thor carefully trying to get an idea of what the Asgard
might be thinking.  The only indication Harry noticed that might indicate the
Asgards surprise and pleasure at the outcome is the being's blinking eyes.
    "The Asgard approves of Earth's request and puts the motion forward."
    At Cronus's and Yu's reluctant nods, Thor concluded the talks and had the
representatives sign the amended treaty.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Gateroom*-

    As the stargate engaged, and Yu and Cronus walked a restrained Nirrti up
the ramp, Cronus couldn't help but pause to issue a warning to the watching
group.
    "We will not attack your world, but if you continue to use your Stargate be
warned.  Anyone who is caught by one of the System Lords will be shown no
Mercy.  They will suffer greatly," he threatened.
    Cronus was not amused by O'Neill's flippant reply of, "Well that certainly
makes life more interesting."
    As Harry accompanied the group out of the gate room, for one of the first
times in his life, he felt a sense of true contentment.  Hearing Daniel state,
"Boy, is she gonna get it."  Harry couldn't help but laugh at Jack's sarcastic
reply, "My heart bleeds."


Chapter 4: Of Teachers and Students

-*Dr. Janet Frasier's House, Harry's room*-

    "Hedwig, I need you to make up your mind, do you want your perch by the
side window or the back window?"
    At Hedwig's head bob toward the back window, Harry sighed, and moved the
perch for the 5th time that hour.  Harry had the distinct feeling she is doing
this just to punish him for keeping her underground for so long, but had no way
to prove it.  After settling the perch by the open window, and making sure
Hedwig had plenty of food and water in her trays, Harry continued to unpack the
textbooks and notebooks he had accumulated while staying at the SGC.
    Looking around the room Harry couldn't believe how filled it already felt.
He hadn't even opened the trunk yet, and doesn't see himself doing so anytime
soon.  At the soft knock on his door, Harry turned and saw Janet standing there
with an amused smile on her face.  Something in that smile told Harry that she
had probably overheard a good part of his conversation with Hedwig.
    "Harry, I've been called back to the SGC, can you keep an eye on Cassie for
me?"
    "No problem Janet, anything serious?" Harry responded with a frown.  The
one disadvantage to his freedom from the base was that he no longer had easy
access to information about what was going on.
    "You know I can't talk about that Harry," Janet reprimanded with a frown.
    "Hey, who am I gonna tell, it's not like I know anyone outside of the
program, or haven't signed the nondisclosure agreements.  The only friends I
have are on that base so it's only logical I want keep informed," Harry
explained.
    Janet looked at him carefully for a second before sighing.  "SG-1
encountered something rather strange in an abandoned Goa'uld complex and after
their return, Dr. Jackson has begun to hallucinate."
    Harry frowned at the mention of SG-1, and that frown deepened at hearing
Daniel's name.  While Harry hadn't known the man long, Daniel had been very
good to him during his time in this universe, and hearing the man might be in
danger troubled Harry.  "If you could give them all my best and let me know if
Daniel gets worse, I'd really appreciate it."
    Janet gave Harry a nod after seeing his troubled look.  It's easy for her
to see how attached Harry had become to SG-1 since they found him 3 weeks ago.
    After Janet left, Harry made his way down to the kitchen to see the
ingredients available for dinner.  Since Cassie should be home from her friends
place in the next 30 minutes, he didn't have a lot of time.
    It was five hours later that Janet walked into the house looking worn out.
"There is a plate made up for you in the fridge.  Just stick it in the
microwave for 2 minutes."
    Janet started in surprise, having not seen Harry sitting in the living room
reading a book.  It was clear he had been waiting up for news, so after he
joined her at the dining table, she relented.
    "It looks like Daniel might be manifesting full blown hebephrenic
schizophrenia."
    Harry stared at her intently for over 5 seconds digesting this statement
while trying to remember any possible precursors over the last three weeks.
Finally, a second after Janet broke eye contact with Harry, he spoke up, "Well,
I'm not exactly a head shrinker or anything, but doesn't something like that
have developing symptoms?"
    "One of the more mild initial symptoms are migraines, and over half of all
members of SG field teams also have a history of being treated for severe
headaches," Janet stated softly.
    Harry wondered why she threw in that last qualifier for a few seconds
before it finally hit him.  "You mean to tell me some self important
headshrinker is theorizing that the stargate is the cause of his
schizophrenia?"
    "If it isn't genetic, its environmental, and the stargate is the only
plausible environmental cause at the moment.  Dr. MacKenzie has Daniel
medicated for the moment and is keeping him at the SGC, but if things get
worse, he might have Daniel moved to a mental health facility."
    Harry grimaced, not liking the sound of that.  The whole thing was way out
of left field to him.  As Harry puzzled for any suggestion that might help the
kind doctor aid his friend he finally remembered something Justin
Fletch-Finchly mentioned in passing about his Easter vacation in the muggle
world.
    "Janet, quick question.  Do the teams usually go to planets during that
planet's daytime cycle?"
    "Yes Harry, but what's that got to do with anything?"
    "A friend of mine from my old world once mentioned something about getting
headaches the first time he went to a night club.  Something about the bright
flashing lights."  As Janet gave Harry a look that clearly stated `what's your
point' Harry finished, "Our gate room is underground, and let's face it, those
fluorescent lights don't exactly compensate for real daylight.  I'd lay good
odds that the majority of the field members you treat for bad headaches don't
wear anything on their eyes that will help ease the instantaneous adjustment
from darkness to light.  Like those polarized sunglasses Jack wants to buy from
his fishing magazine."
    "That's a plausible theory, but it can't be proven without a lot more
data."
    "Yeah," Harry thought out loud, "it is a plausible theory that needs more
data, but the longer only Daniel is with schizophrenic symptoms, the more
likely it isn't the gate, but is something that Daniel specifically encountered
recently."  Getting up from the table with a yawn Harry finished, "Well, I'm
for bed.  Please let me know when I can visit Daniel.  Something tells me he's
going to need a friend soon."
    Harry carried Janet's empty dish into the kitchen before he made his way
upstairs to his bedroom, leaving a thoughtful and determined doctor in his
wake.

===============================================================================

-*Downtown Colorado Springs, First National Bank*-

    As Harry walked into Colorado Springs' First National Bank, he sighed as
Cassie asked him another seemingly random question.  He couldn't remember if he
was like that at the age of 13 or not, but the only thing that was holding
Harry back from being frustrated with the girl was the fact he was sure
Hermione was.  Janet asked him to look after the girl this morning, since she
wanted to go into the SGC to keep up to date on Daniel's situation.
Consequently, Harry decided he'll just take her along on his planned errands,
the first of which was the bank.
    This was the first time that he'd ever been into a muggle bank before, and
after looking around the lobby area, something told him the experience was
going to be drastically different than its magical counterpart.  The only real
contact he had with his muggle related accounts in his old world was from the
squib solicitor that his family hired to watch over things and to take care of
the day to day maintenance and trading strategies of the accounts.
    After standing in line for about 15 minutes, with Cassie the chatterbox
talking a mile a minute about something or another, he finally made his way up
to one of the tellers.
    "Are you actually listening to me Harry?"
    Harry's response of "Yes Cassie, I think that topic is a great idea for a
science project" earned Harry a firm slap upside the head, much to the
amusement of the young teller now watching them.
    "Harry!  I stopped talking about the science fair 20 minutes ago!  Aren't
you interested in what I have to say?"
    As Cassie's voice transitioned from indignation to sadness in less than a
second, Harry realized he'll soon be faced with the dreaded soulful look.
Shooting a quick glace towards Cassie, proved Harry right.  Harry tried to
ignore the look, avoid looking at her sad eyes, but as her lower lip began to
shake slightly, Harry realized he'd already been beaten.  -Damn.-  With a
resigned sigh Harry's response of "Of course I'm interested in what you have
to say, your an interesting girl.  I've just got a lot on my mind." brought
about a very abrupt change of her features.  The flash of triumph that appeared
just prior to her large grin was not missed by Harry, nor was it missed by the
now chuckling bank teller.
    Shifting his attention to the young man in his twenties, Harry's comment of
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, laugh it up." caused the young female teller in the booth
next to them to join her male colleague in laughter.
    After taking a second to compose himself the teller in front of him asked,
"What can I do for you?"
    "Right," Harry began, "I'm not sure who the right person to talk with is,
but I'd like to open a new account and if possible convert some gold I have
into US dollars.  Also, I have some British pounds I'd like converted, if they
are real."  At the bank teller's confused look at the real comment Harry
elaborated with the story he created for this situation.  "You see, I had a
rather wealthy crazy great uncle, loved his practical jokes, but as he got
older, and more round the twist, his jokes, while he believed hilarious, the
authorities believed otherwise.  Suffice it to say, he left me in his will two
suitcases of British pound notes, and in all honesty, since it wasn't already
in a bank, there's a good chance that this particular part of his bequeath to
me is a prank."
    The teller's face became increasingly skeptical as Harry told his carefully
planned excuse.  The last thing he wanted was to get in trouble because someone
thought he was trying to pass off fake counterfeit money.  And while the one
million pounds he brought over to this universe with him was not a lot of money
when compared to what else he brought, growing up in a cupboard, only receiving
the barest necessities for survival, instilled a rather strong motivation to
not be wasteful with one's resources.  The last thing he wanted was for his
wealth to turn him into a Malfoy wannabe and he certainly didn't have any need
for the cash if the bank says its counterfeit, but it would be better to find
out sooner rather than later whether or not the paper was worthless.
    "I believe it would be best if you talk with the bank manager, hold on,
I'll go see if he's available now."
    Harry was not surprised at the tellers response, and hoped things work out
ok.
    Cassie looked rather disappointed at Harry's story.  "Crazy great uncle?"
    "You try coming up with an excuse for having and trying to deposit a
million British pounds that may in fact not be real without ending up in prison
if it turns out they don't pass muster here."
    After about thirty seconds of hard thinking on Cassie's part her only reply
was nodding "Crazy great uncle." at this point the teller returned, along with
a middle aged man who walked up to Harry at the customer's side of the teller's
window.
    "Hi, I'm Frank Johnson, the branch manager.  Why don't we step back into my
office," the man stated, looking carefully at the two metal suitcases at
Harry's feet.
    Following the man down a hall and into a medium sized office with a large
desk and a computer, Harry got his introductions out of the way.
    "I'm Harry Potter, and this is my adopted sister, Cassie Fraiser," Harry
began.
    At the man's nod at their names, Harry began his first order of business.
"I'd like to open an account here and if possible sell some gold I have through
the bank to fund it."
    "While the bank doesn't normally deal directly with commodities, we can
make arrangements for the sale of the gold.  The bank's rate will not be as
good as you could get selling directly on the commodity exchanges of course,
but if you had the ability to do that you probably wouldn't be here," the man
stated with a smile.  After half a second though, a small frown started to
form.  "However, the suspect hard currency that John mentioned," at their
confused looks he clarified, "the teller you first talked with, well, that hard
currency will present a few challenges."
    "I understand that sir, and I in no way want to infringe on any laws.  What
I hope to do was leave a sample with your bank so that the right authorities
can investigate to see if it's real or not."
    Nodding, the bank manager responded, "that makes sense, so let's get
started on the paperwork."

===============================================================================

-*Downtown Colorado Springs*-

    "425,000 dollars!" exclaimed Cassie for the 12th time in the last 15
minutes.  Harry could barely restrain himself from adding an "and change" to
her comment, but she was beginning to attract a few looks from other people on
the sidewalk and that's not something he wanted to deal with at the moment.  "I
can't believe you were just walking around with 425,000 dollars in gold in
those briefcases.  Where did you get it and what are you going to do with it!"
Harry could practically see the new clothing Cassie was envisioning at the
moment.
    "I told you Cassie, I brought it with me to start a new life.  I'm planning
on buying a decent car and then looking for some property."  The property was
the real reason Harry was starting to try and raise some money by selling the 6
heavy gold bars he brought in the briefcases.  He wanted to buy a secluded
piece of land that he could hopefully use to figure out his magic without
either too many watchful eyes, or too much collateral damage.  Plus, once
that's done, he could always use the land to build a new home to live in.  God
knows, both Janet and Cassie were starting to get to him a little.  He liked
them a lot, he really did, but the fact that most of the time they just didn't
get his jokes made them rather hard to live with.  That, and Cassie's
burgeoning crush, and the Doc's hawk like gaze, almost superhuman hearing and
lets not forget, a nose that would put a bloodhound to shame.
    Harry by no means drank alcohol in excess, but a nice glass of aged single
malt scotch or fire whisky to relax after a long day of studying was not too
much to ask for in his opinion.  The Doc however, thought otherwise.  She one
time sniffed out the glass he was sneaking from the other side of the house.
    "Come on Cassie, I want to see what chunks of land are up for sale at the
real estate office the bank recommended, then I want to check out the car
dealerships."
    "But you don't even have a license yet."
    "I know, but I plan on getting one next week, then I can finally stop
having to use buses and cabs."
    "And you can drive me to my friends houses and the mall," Cassie responded
before skipping ahead of him with a smile on her face.
    "I really need to think of a new place to live," Harry muttered to himself.
    "What was that Harry?"
    "I really need to pick up some spinach... you know, from the store... for
dinner.  Come on."  With that, they continued on their way.

===============================================================================

-*Daniel Jackson's House*-

    Harry leant back, and let out a sigh of relief.  "Aaaaaah... that's
better."
    Daniel had to ask, "So, how was living with Janet and Cassie?"
    Harry thought for a second before replying, "If you tell them, so help me
I'll turn your hair pink for a week..."
    Daniel smiled faintly at Harry's dark look.  It had been 2 weeks since
Harry opened his bank account, and Daniel went with him last week to sign the
papers on a 500+ acre plot of land Harry just bought that was located about 10
minutes away from both downtown Colorado Springs and Cheyenne mountain.  The
land contained nothing but a small farmhouse, an old large barn, and to Jack's
immense pleasure, bordered a small mountain lake.  When Daniel asked Harry
about the reasoning behind purchasing such a large amount of land, all Harry
said was, "I need to figure out my gifts without blowing anything important
up," which if anything, didn't make Daniel feel any better about the purchase.
    What it did do however, was give Daniel and opportunity to witness Harry
attempt a large number of what Harry called spells.  Some he thought were
funny, others rather scary and dangerous.  So when faced with the threat of
pink hair, Daniel took Harry seriously.
    "It was hell, Daniel," Harry sobbed dramatically.  "They wanted me to show
off my cooking skills... but I mean, they didn't let me cook any meat... not
even on the barbecue... that's just not right... It's man's right to cook meat
over fire..."
    Daniel had trouble holding back the snorts which caused Harry's fake sobs
to turn into chuckles.
    "Seriously though, it was nice, but it was like living with a Hawk... here
all, see all, smell all and what not... And let's not mention the
over-emotional female who likes to attract guys just so she can embarrass
them..."
    "Cassie...?" Daniel asked with very wide eyes.
    Looking at Daniel, the internal marauder in him just couldn't help himself
so he deadpanned, "I swear she knew whenever I sneezed."
    Harry let a chuckle escape his lips at the looks rolling across Daniel's
face at the implications involved with that last statement.
    As Daniel's mind started to work again a minute later he asked, "Is it
going to be difficult living here after that?"
    Harry shrugged, and said, "They don't even understand my sense of humor.
At least Jack has you trained up to sarcasm.  I swear, the littlest joke about
`That Time of the month' and I'm in the dog house.  And get this... they don't
even have a dog!"
    Daniel laughed hard at the mental image as Harry pouted at him.  "That
wasn't meant to be funny."
    "Well it was," Daniel replied.
    "But I wasn't even referring to the female monthly visitor," Harry
complained.  "I just said that it was like living with 2 werewolves!"
    Daniel raised an eyebrow, at which Harry just grinned.
    "So how is everything at the Academy working out for you?"
    Harry lost his grin and summarizes, "Toilets, Head, Upper Classman..."
    Daniel raised both eyebrows at that trying to picture Harry, with his
rather skinny 5'10" frame being able to upend an Upper Classman academy cadet
into a toilet.
    At Daniel's look of astonishment, Harry sheepishly admitted, "So I used a
little internal energy to give my strength a bit of a temporary boost, I just
don't think people planning to be officers should find it amusing to stuff a
younger and smaller kid's head into a toilet for the crime of not wearing a
cadet uniform."
    After a moment of silence, Daniel decided to move on.  "So how are classes
then?"
    "Those are going surprisingly well.  Granted, before Sam got me those text
books, I probably would have had trouble understanding nine tenths of what some
of those professors were talking about.  But, all things considered, things are
off to a good start.  The professors Sam and Hammond were able to convince to
help me are really top notch."
    "Well, they should be since I'm pretty sure they are all professors at the
academy," Daniel concluded.
    "How are things going at the SGC now that you are back to one hundred
percent?"
    Daniel gave him a look and responded, "You know I can't talk about that."
    "I've signed the non-disclosure agreements, Daniel, and let's not forget I
not only arrived here through that ring, I plan to work for you guys down the
line as well."
    Relenting, Daniel responded, "We made contact through a MALP with a new
society this afternoon.  SG-1 is scheduled to go and make first contact in
person tomorrow morning."
    Harry's eyes lit up at the mention of first contact.  "Wow, that must be
very exciting, do you know anything else about them?"
    "Well, other than their planet's name, which is Orban, not really.  But
from the Camera images of the temple the stargate is in, they might be
descendents of the Aztecs."
    "Well, have fun and pay attention because I'm going to want some good
stories when you get back."  Daniel's questioning look caused Harry to point
out, "I'm having a great time learning and everything, but am starting to miss
the adventures I used to have with my friends.  You'd be surprised what kind of
trouble and adventure a bunch of kids can cook up in a 1000 year old castle."
    Chuckling at Harry's wistful look, Daniel made his way to his room to go to
bed since he had an early mission the next morning.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Major Samantha Carter's Lab, Level 19*-

    It had been a busy week for Harry.  Buying a new car proved to be a lot
more involved than he thought it would be.  There were so many things the
Goblins did for him in his old universe.  He never really understood the
mountains of paperwork and the mazes of red tape they went through as part of
their services.  One piece of good news was that the Bank, after consulting
with the Bank of England, had agreed that the cash he brought over was real,
which, while only a small amount to him, solved a whole heap of problems.
    When Daniel found out that he took the cash in, the man was worried that
too many red flags would be raised both in England, and here in the states.  He
was about to call Hammond and raise a big stink about it when Harry asked him
to take a wait and see approach.  Waiting turned out to be the right call since
the famous Potter luck seemed to have pulled through again for Harry.  The bank
accepted the cash, along with the dozen more bars of gold Harry needed to sell
to pay for the land he bought.
    As Harry made his way down the corridor towards Sam's lab, he couldn't help
but be thankful that Hammond was able to use some clever bureaucratic loopholes
to allow Harry to maintain his access to the mountain.  Walking into the lab to
return the book Sam lent him, he was surprised to see her there with a
strangely dressed young girl.
    "Sam, I thought you and the rest of SG-1 were going to be away this week."
    Both Sam and the girl looked up at Harry's question.
    "Harry, this is Merrin, she is a Naquadah reactor specialist from the
Planet Orban.  We were able to negotiate an information exchange with them,"
replied Sam.
    "Well met Merrin," Harry greeted the girl with a kind smile.
    The girl continued to stare at Harry for a minute before Harry looked at
his watch and then glanced towards Sam.  "Are you two interested in grabbing
some lunch?"

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Commissary*-

    "So, your entire population learns through the nanites gathered from the
Urrone?" Harry asked.
    "Yes," Merrin responded with poise and articulation that just looked and
sounded strange coming from an 11 year old.  "The knowledge and experiences
gathered by the Urrone are then able to be utilized by the people of Orban to
better our society."
    "Facinating," Carter whispered.  "An entire population that learns not from
being taught, but by downloading the information."
    Harry too could see the possible advantages to such methods of learning,
but also a few big problems as well.  "Merrin, does this mean that those that
are not Urrone are not capable of learning skills other than what is given by
the Urrone?  Is that why SG-1 had been interacting more with the Urrone than
with the elders of Orban?"
    Merrin looked a little confused at first by Harry's question, then seemed
to begin to comprehend what he was asking.  "The elders of Orban have no need
to... learn using your methods, since any skill they deem important is
delegated to a number of Urrone to learn.  Then they gain the knowledge after
the Urrone's Averium.  It is a much more efficient means of transferring
knowledge than the method of instruction you have explained."
    Harry and Sam both took a few moments to process Merrin's answer as they
took several more bites of their desserts.  Harry's stomach began to sink when
he realized that Merrin never mentioned what happens to the Urrone after the
Averium.
    Harry decided to ask the question, dreading the answer.  "Merrin, what
happens to the Urrone during and after their Averium?"
    Sam was surprised at Harry's question, but eager to hear the answer.  "The
Averium is a ceremony in which an Urrone's nanites are removed and then
distributed.  Each adult and each non-Urrone child then receives an injection
containing one nanite, which becomes part of his or her synaptic network,
adding to those nanites received from previous Averiums.  After the ceremony,
the Urrone are well cared for in a facitlity we have dedicated for them."
    Not liking the phrase well cared for in Merrin's explanation Sam asked for
clarification.  "What condition are the past Urrone in after the Averium?"
    "After the removal of the nanites, they revert back to an infant like
state," Merrin replied in confusion, clearly not understanding Harry and Sam's
look of concern.
    "What about interaction," Sam continued, "do people interact with them?
Play with them?  Try to teach them?"
    The word teach brought a look of understanding to Merrin.  "Past Urrone
cannot be taught."
    Despite her certain tone Harry asked, "Have your people ever tried?"
    Looking carefully at Harry, trying to understand the direction this series
of questions was heading she replied, "Of course, but past Urrone children
cannot receive new nanites.  The brain rejects them."
    It was then that both Sam and Harry understood the underlying
miscommunication occurring between them.  The Orbanians have become so
dependent on teaching through nanite download that they have forgotten that
other methods of teaching were possible.
    "Sam, I think it would be prudent for all of us to go talk with General
Hammond.  I have no doubt that Daniel's inquisitive nature will lead him down
this road as well, and you have to admit, when Daniel's adamant about
something, he does have a habit of putting his foot in his mouth."
    Sam nodded gravely at Harry's suggestion, snorting at Harry's nailing one
of Daniel's biggest pitfalls.  Sure, she loved Daniel like a brother, and
thought he was a brilliant man, but sometimes his childlike innocence and
preconceived notions really could get him into trouble.  "Let's go."
    "Has something I said offended you?" asked Merrin with a childlike
innocence, clearly not understanding what the big deal was.
    Both Harry and Sam looked at her before glancing back at each other.  "No
Merrin, you haven't offended us, but I'm afraid if we don't call back Dr.
Jackson and Teal'c, they might offend your people" It was clear by the look on
the girls face, as she walked with them out of the commissary, that she didn't
quite understand what Harry meant.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    In the end Harry had a bit of trouble convincing General Hammond to not
only recall Colonel O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c, but to invite Kalan, the adult
Orbanian SG-1 has had contact with, for a meeting to discuss another possible
exchange.  It had taken quite a bit of quick talking on both Harry and Sam's
part, since the General, like Jack O'Neill, could be very protective when it
comes to children.
    But in the end Harry was able to sway the General towards their way of
thinking by making a very strong point in their debate.  Harry told the man
that should the SGC begin to dictate how other cultures should behave, the SGC
would be no better than the Goa'uld.  He emphasized that the SGC should learn
about other cultures, respect that they're different, then offer them
information on Earth's culture.
    Harry underlined that whether the foreign culture chooses to utilize that
information should be up to the people of that culture.  "Free will General, is
paramount," was Harry's passionate closing argument.  Hammond, despite not
liking the effect the Orbanian's learning methods have on past Urrone children,
couldn't help but agree with that particular point.
    Now all Harry and Sam had to do was figure out a way to make their case to
Kalan without inadvertently offending his entire culture.
    Sitting at the briefing room table were Daniel and Teal'c, who were
surprised to see that Harry was the one that asked for the meeting to be
called, Jack, who by the dark look on his face, found out what he and Sam
discovered, Merrin, Kalan, and surprisingly, Kalan's son Tomin, who was also a
Urrone, and finally, Sam, Janet and General Hammond.  Seeing that everyone was
ready Harry kicked off the meeting with an apology.
    "Kalan, Merrin, Tomin," Harry started.  "First I would like to apologize in
advance, if what I have to say causes any offence.  While having a mid-day meal
with Sam and Merrin, Sam and I discovered a difference between our two cultures
that has the potential to cause much... misunderstanding between our two
peoples."
    Seeing that all three of the Orbanians were following so far, Harry
continued, "This difference is in our methods of information transfer between
individuals in our society.  Now, please correct me if I'm wrong, but from what
I understand from Merrin, a small part of your population has the ability to be
Urrone when they are born.  Those that are, are implanted with millions of
nanites, that greatly increase the Urrone's ability to absorb knowledge.  Once
the Urrone reach a certain age, nanites have to be extracted, at which point
the nanites are then given to the rest of the population to absorb that
information.  Correct?" Harry asked, wanting to be sure.
    Kalan looked around the table, at the surprised looks of Daniel, Teal'c and
Janet, the angry look of O'Neill, and the neutral looks of the General, Harry
and Sam and clarified, "The nanites must be extracted prior to puberty or the
Urrone's nanites will be rejected by the Urrone's body and lost."
    Harry nodded at that clarifying point and continued, "Now, from what Merrin
says, the Urrone post Averium are left in a state similar to that of an infant,
in that all of their knowledge leaves them with the nanites, and that your
people can do nothing but care for them since their bodies will no longer
accept nanites?"
    The sad look all three of the Orbanians gave at the mention of the final
fate of the Urrone did ease Harry's mind, however O'Neill looked fit to burst.
Harry was very thankful that Hammond ordered SG-1 with the exception of Sam not
to talk during the meeting, at least until after Harry made his point to the
Orbanians.  Not wanting to test Jack's restraint more than necessary Harry
pressed on.
    "Kalan, to our culture, children are considered by most, almost sacred.  We
do everything we can to protect them and foster their growth which is why both
Sam and I were concerned with SG-1's possible reaction should they have found
that out in the field."
    Kalan immediately protested, "But the Urrone are revered on Orban!"
    "Being an Urrone is a great honor, so is the Averium.  I know that what I
learn will aid my people, there is no greater purpose to our people."
    Putting a stop to their protests and what they believe was Harry's
accusation about the treatment of the Urrone Harry made a comment that
surprised them.
    "I have no doubt that you both honor and take great care of the Urrone,
both past and present.  I did not mean to insinuate otherwise.  I am however
hoping that a possible future exchange could improve the lives of all Urrone
after their Averium."
    That comment immediately surprised everyone in the room with the exception
of Hammond and Sam.
    "Kalan," Harry continued.  "Is there any damage done by the nanites to the
brain of the Urrone before or during the Averium?"
    This was the most important question in Harry's mind, if the answer was
what Harry thought, then things just might work out very well between Earth and
the Orban.  "No, there is no brain damage, why?"
    "If there is no brain damage, than the past Urrone still have the
capability to be taught," Harry stated.
    Kalan immediately refuted this, "These children cannot be taught.  You have
said so yourself, past Urrone children cannot receive new nanites.  The brain
rejects them."
    "See this is where the exchange comes in," Harry stated, his face lighting
up.  "Your people have become so used to the use of learning through nanites,
that you no longer consider learning by any other method.  Here on Earth, we do
not use nanites to learn, while our method of knowledge transfer, which
requires the older and more experienced teachers, to teach the younger and less
experienced, is much less efficient than your method, and much more time
consuming, it may be possible to use our teaching methods, to teach Urrone
after their Averium, ultimately allowing them to become productive members of
the Orbanian society again."
    Everyone at the table, including the three Orbanians, were clearly
surprised with Harry's idea.  Knowing he had them interested, Harry made his
proposal.
    "I propose that some Urrone, in the company of an older Orbanian and a
member of the SGC attend a couple of the local schools at varius grade levels,
to give a basic understanding of our system of knowledge transfer to them.
Should those who participated see the value in learning more about techniques
used to teach others, the exchange can be extended and or expanded upon..."  As
Harry trailed off, his meaning obvious, everyone knew that should this work
out, there was the potential for the building of a strong alliance between the
two planets.
    "Harry, General Hammond, I will take your proposal back to the elders,
should it be approved, I will make contact to make the arrangements at the end
of our current exchange."  From the look in Kalan's eyes, and the look he shot
at Tomin, it's obvious to everyone in the room he was going to try his best to
ensure that his son has a future beyond his time as an Urrone.  "Tomin and I
will return to Orban while Merrin concludes her exchange with Major Carter,
will Teal'c and Dr. Jackson be joining us?"
    The General gave both men a look, indicating it's up to them.  After
getting a slight nod from Teal'c, Daniel indicated they will accompany them.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, General Hammond's Office*-

    "Harry, come in and close the door please," Hammond called after seeing
Harry arrive at his office.  Kalan, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c had left 4 hours
ago, and they had just received word from the Orbanian elders that they would
like to give the trial exchange a try.
    "General," Harry greeted the man before sitting down in front of General
Hammonds desk.
    "I just thought you should know that the Orbanians have agreed to the trial
you mentioned."
    Harry couldn't conceal his smile, "That's good news.  Considering their
pace of development, strong ties with them, and potentially in the future, a
strong and close alliance, could provide significant benefits to both our
worlds."
    "After their briefing, the President and the Joint Chiefs agree," Hammond
began before sighing slightly.  "The logistical issues regarding this though
are going to be a nightmare to handle, especially maintaining the base's
operational security."
    "Can I make a suggestion sir?" Harry asked, having already thought of the
potential issues.
    "Please," Hammond stated, knowing that Harry's track record of somewhat
unorthodox, but beneficial ideas had been solid.
    "How many base personnel are married and how many have children?"
    Harry's out of left field question made a small frown appear on the
General's face.
    "I'd estimate somewhere around 60%, give or take a bit, are married with
about half of those married having children, why?"
    "I'd imagine that at least a few of the significant others of base
personnel are married to teachers.  If that's the case, and the marriage is a
stable and solid one, and any background checks you need to run are clean, you
could probably have them briefed.  God knows that will probably make the
marriages of those specific personnel easier with regards to having less
secrets, but it will also provide whoever escorts the Orbanian's some back up
in case of any word slips."
    Seeing the General nod and wanting to plant a possible future idea, Harry
finished, "Plus, considering all of the security concerns, especially with
those `rouge' government agents Daniel mentioned," Hammond snorted at Harry's
sarcastic air quoting of rouge, "should the Orbanians want to expand the
exchange, to either train teachers, have Urrone in classrooms, or even employ
us to directly teach past Urrone, it may make sense to set up a secure school
near the base that all base personnel can send their children to."  Seeing
Hammond frown at the idea, Harry quickly threw in, "I'm not saying disclose the
Stargate to the students, just say that the strange kids are from Canada, or
Denmark or something.  Besides, considering the boldness of some of these shady
characters, knowing your kids, or grandkids," Harry threw in for the General's
sake, "are safe will probably make them breathe a lot easier."
    "It's an interesting idea Mr. Potter, and I'll think about it and maybe
bring it up with the Joint Chiefs should we get that far, however, at this
moment, I believe finding safe classrooms for the exchange is going to be the
higher priority."
    "I understand General, just looking ahead a bit," Harry states as he stood
at the General's unspoken dismissal.  As he opened the door to walk out Harry
threw out one last thought.  "The good thing though should the exchange go
well, is that we should be able to power ourselves soon.  We may even be able
to become a power provider which, I would imagine, would free up quite a bit of
funding for other endeavors."
    Hammond shook his head at the audacity of that thought, regardless of how
true it was.  The bean counters at the Pentagon would no doubt be pleased, even
if the SGC just reallocates that money to other projects related to their
operations.
    Hammond wondered why he didn't feel any need to correct Harry when he said
`we' instead of the SGC, then realized it's because he was starting to see the
mysterious young man as a member of his command.  -Interesting,- he thought,
before turning back to the paperwork on his desk.


Chapter 5: A New Open Road

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    Harry was initially surprised General Hammond called him into the SGC.
While he felt that they were beginning to respect him and think him a friend,
he was not a base employee, which means that him being specifically called in
seemed very unusual to Harry considering he's not even fully educated yet.
    Things on the education front have been moving swiftly for Harry.  Next
week he planned on taking his high school equivalency tests, after which, Harry
planned to really launch into both physics, and all forms of engineering Harry
could find instructors for.  Having watched Carter and Merrin build the
prototype reactor, Harry felt he might enjoy building things in the future.
His academy lessons combined with Daniel and Teal'c's instruction on languages,
culture, and combat, just might be able to get him hired within a year or so,
at least for an internship.
    It had been three weeks since the initial exchange with Planet Orban, and
already pairs of Orbanians, adults each paired with an Urrone, have begun to
spend time in classes ranging from pre-kindergarten all the way through
Graduate University.  Merrin's Averium had pushed their entire populous to try
and teach the past Urrones the "old fashioned way."  Last Harry had heard from
Daniel, negotiations would soon be opening to not only trade teaching
techniques but other cultural experiences from art to music, in exchange for
Naquadah and a technological research exchange pact, allowing scientists and
engineers from the SGC to exchange knowledge and technologies as well as engage
in joint research projects with the Orbanians to develop defenses against the
Goa'uld.  From what Harry could tell, it's one small step away from a mutual
defense pact and firm alliance.
    It was after Harry sat at the far end of the conference room that the
reason for his presence became apparent.  After SG-1 arrived, Hammond turned on
a monitor that displayed the interrogation of a long haired version of Samantha
Carter.  While listening and watching the interrogation on the monitor, Harry
couldn't help but shift his gaze from Major Carter, to the apparent Dr. Carter
on the screen.
    It was just after Hammond paused the tape that Sam commented, "Oh my God.
This is too weird."
    "Yeah, how about that hair?" Jack tried to joke but the joke fell flat.
    "She claims to have travelled from an alternate universe in the same manner
Dr. Jackson experienced a year ago," Hammond stated to the quiet room.
    "Well this can't be the Dr. Carter I met in the alternate reality.
She's... dead," Daniel said quietly.
    "All right, Uh, just to clarify.  This Carter is from an alternate
alternate reality?" Jake observed.
    Daniel's response of "Apparently" is almost drowned out by Jack's follow up
"Anybody else have a problem with that?"
    "Which reality is actually real," Teal'c quietly spoke up, causing everyone
in the room to pause and consider the question for a minute.
    "Thank you Teal'c," Jack stated emphatically for voicing the question he
was having trouble with.
    It was Hammonds turn to weigh in, "She explains it."  Pressing play, Dr.
Samantha Carter began to speak.
    "Look, I know this is hard for you to understand.  But, according to
quantum theory, for every possible universe, there are an infinite number of
variations, diverging at every choice we make like forks in a road."
    The man that was interrogating her did a great job of sounding like he's an
idiot, in Harry's opinion, when his only comment to her statement was,
"Uh-huh."
    After Hammond paused the tape again, Carter confirmed her counterpart's
explanation.  "She's right."
    "You just agreed with yourself," Jack quipped.
    "No, actually, Major Carter agreed with Dr. Carter.  She never joined the
military in her reality," Daniel said correcting Jack.
    "Fork in the road stuff?" Jack questioned.
    "Apparently," Daniel validated.
    "All right.  So it's possible there's an alternate version of myself out
there that actually understands what the hell you're talking about?" Jack
offered.
    Hammond appeared to grow tired of Jack's sarcastic behavior and announced,
"They've asked to be debriefed.  I'd like you all to participate."  At the
group's nod, Hammond signaled the SF by the door, and Major Charles Kawalsky
and a civilian version of Sam Carter were escorted into the room by two
security personnel.
    One of the big differences between the two realities became immediately
apparent when Kawalsky angrily stated, "What the hell is he doing here?" as he
rushed toward an unmoving Teal'c.
    As Harry quietly observed the debriefing, Harry contemplated how he might
possibly react should he ever meet an alternate version of himself.  Judging
from the looks the Carters gave each other, probably not too well.  Harry's
only inclusion into the briefing was the General mentioning that he also was a
dimensional traveler, but beyond that, Harry was pretty much ignored.
    It was after the briefing that Hammond asked Harry to join him in his
office.
    "What do you think, Harry?"
    After looking at the General carefully, he realized the General was
interested in both sides of that question, both how Harry felt about the
situation, and what he was able to read off of the two travelers.  "It's
interesting to see that two people from different realities can coexist, even
if temporarily, at the same time.  In all honesty, I didn't really think that
was possible.  If it was my double, I can guarantee I'd probably be twice as
uncomfortable as Major Carter is right now."
    After pausing for a moment, Harry approached the unspoken aspect of the
General's question.  "They are being honest with their situation and
intensions, and they are both afraid of what will become of them here.  But Dr.
Carter is much more subdued than Major Kawalsky for some reason, like she knows
things aren't going to work out for them."
    Hammond nodded before he stood up and shook Harry's hand.  "Thanks for
coming in for this.  To be honest, seeing dead comrades alive, or two versions
of the same people really just doesn't sit right.  With you, it's easy since I
really only associate you with yourself, and not a different version of someone
I once knew.  I guess this is making me believe some lines just shouldn't be
crossed."
    Harry nodded, understanding where the man was coming from.  Had he ended up
in a reality where his parents were still alive, he probably would have had no
problems getting to know them.  But if people he knew on a personal level were
alive and acting differently than he remembered, well, he just might have gone
insane from the nightmares.
    "Have a good night sir."
    "You too, and good luck on your tests next week," responded Hammond in
farewell.

===============================================================================

-*United States Airforce Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado*-

    The past 6 months have flown by for Harry.  After passing the high school
equivalency exam with ease, he launched himself into his university studies,
surprising all of his tutors by focusing mainly on the hard sciences, computers
and engineering.
    When one of his more friendly professors asked about his choice, Harry
responded by informing the man of his desire to not only design things, but
build what he designed.  The professor, who happened to be an engineer himself,
could understand that goal, but Harry's last comment about rounding out his
education informally from a friend of his still confused the man.
    Due to his busy schedule, other than his lessons with Teal'c and Daniel,
and borrowing the occasional book from Sam, Harry didn't spend much time in the
SGC.  He still kept up to date with the goings on.  He heard all about the
retaking of the alternate reality by Dr. Carter and Major Kawalski with the
help of SG-1 and the Asgard, and also about the interesting little training
camp Apophis set up to train Jaffa in infiltrating Earth, as well as the team's
little trip into Hell.  The hardest situation Harry heard about was the final
death of Daniel's wife.
    Harry himself couldn't imagine if he'd ever be able to forgive a man that
saved his life at the expense of his wife, should he ever marry.  Despite
knowing he would do the same as Teal'c if ever in that unique position, he
still would never quite forgive the person who fired the killing blow.  Daniel,
however, showed the size of his heart and had forgiven his stoic and loyal
Jaffa friend.  Maybe it was the hope of finding his son, but Harry really just
didn't know.
    What he did know was the true pain Teal'c felt when having to make such a
decision.  The quiet Jaffa told Harry after one of their lessons about how he
has now taken the mission of finding the child as his own as a matter of honor.
Honor, kind of like those Klingon characters he saw on those Tele scifi shows
he and Teal'c have begun to watch, is of supreme importance to any Jaffa.
    Now, here he sat on a small stage in a lecture hall as one of his
professors congratulated him on completing all of his undergraduate work in
Physics and Mechanical engineering.  He still had a long way to go in
completing the requirements to actually obtain a full degree, but his
professors in those two subjects, wanting to show some recognition for his
accomplishment, and wanting to move onto the more interesting aspects of both
of the subjects' higher levels, thought a little presentation was in order.
    Though both professors were initially surprised at the makeup of Harry's
small group of friends, they took things in stride knowing they probably didn't
have the clearance necessary to receive an explanation.  Such was one of the
pitfalls of working for the military.
    There were no more than 20 people present for the little presentation and
reception the two professors organized.  Included in the group are SG-1 and
Sam's father, retired General Jacob Carter, host to the Tok'ra Selmak, all
freshly returned and still recovering from their time in Hell, or Netu as it
was formally called.  Harry had a great time ribbing Jack about Hell not being
able to handle his sense of humor after hearing about the moon's destruction.
    Along with SG-1 was General Hammond, Doc Frasier, Cassie and a small number
of security personnel, technicians and scientists from the SGC that Harry had
become friends with since his arrival 8 months ago.  It was just after the
professors finished their little speech that Dr. Bill Lee and Sergeant Siler
came up to congratulate him on his quick progress.  Both men had been
invaluable explaining various concepts he had had trouble understanding.  And
despite the mad scientist vibe Lee put out, and Siler's penchant for getting
hurt, usually because he volunteered to be Lee's test dummy, both men had
become good friends with Harry.
    "Congratulations Harry, you certainly have made good progress.  When do you
think you will actually get the formal degree?" asked Bill Lee.
    "Not sure Bill, still have a bunch of little requirements to finish that
can't really be rushed through.  I'm excited to get into the higher level
physics and engineering though..."  Here Harry lowered his voice, "Especially
after studying Nirrti's device among others with you in the labs."
    Both Bill and Siler nodded in understanding.  It was easy to want to learn
new things especially when studying such advanced devices usually blew what you
knew out of the water on a daily basis.  Both men were studying their asses off
in their off time to expand their areas of expertise, since many of the devices
involve so many different kinds of science.
    "Just remember to set aside time for the rebuild Harry, if we set a decent
schedule, we should have her up and running by sometime in July," Siler
mentioned.  5 months ago, at Siler's urging, Harry bought a wreck of an old
1957 Aston Martin DB 4 Mark III convertible so that they could rebuild the
thing as a way for Siler to teach Harry various mechanical skills.
    While Harry would never give up the Toyota Land Cruiser he bought several
months back to get around town, especially in the winter months, having a
little roadster for the summer months definitely appealed to him, especially
the idea of rebuilding that roadster from the frame up.  Not to mention it just
wasn't right for an Englishman such as himself not to own an English car.
"Don't worry, I'm looking forward to taking it out next summer just as much as
you are Siler," responded Harry.
    At this moment General's Hammond and Carter, along with SG-1 walked up.
After Hammond waved Siler from attention to at ease, they all begin to chat
about what he planned to do next.  It was Janet that asked the question Harry
had the most trouble answering.
    "So do you think you are going to join the Air force when you get your full
degree?"
    That's a question Harry had been struggling with for several months.  He
knew that being in the Air Force would probably open more doors for him in the
stargate program than signing on as a civilian, however, being part of a chain
of command had it's own drawbacks.  Especially when he considered the shadier
elements wanting more control of the SGC.
    "I'm thinking about it Janet.  I can definitely see the benefits, the only
thing really holding me back is the possibility I might be given an assignment
away from the SGC, or that someone... with less character... is maneuvered in
to replace Hammond by some of those `rouge' elements the NID can't seem to, or
want to quite frankly, catch."
    Everyone nodded solemnly at that statement.  It's no secret that on some
level they worried about that possibility too.  And they saw his point of view
as well.  It's always smart to have a way out if possible.
    "Considering your past contributions, and your high intelligence, I might
be able to work something out with my superiors.  I'll inquire quietly for you
if you want," Hammond asked Harry.
    "That would be great General."
    As Jack's exclamation of "Cake, I didn't know there would be cake here!"
signaled the arrival of Harry's two professors, talk regarding the program was
dropped and more mundane topics and plenty of cake, to Jack's delight, took
place for the rest of the reception.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Level 19, Major Carter's lab*-

    It was a week after the reception, and Harry was returning a couple of
books on Astrophysics and Wormhole physics and picking up a volume on high
energy physics Major Carter had indicated she set aside on her desk for him
when it happened.
    General Hammond had just walked into the lab, yet, this was not General
Hammond.  While Harry rarely used his skills in Legilimency to their full
extent, it was almost impossible to turn such skills off once you learn them
with regards to spotting lies.  Furthermore, spending enough time around a
single person or group of people will establish a kind of baseline of those
people's consciousnesses.  A baseline which General Hammond is currently
straying far from, considering his once bright and defined mind is now a dark
shadow.  Fortunately, the presence is different than that of a Goa'uld, so at
least he didn't have to worry about snakes.
    Being cautious, and hiding his suspicions, Harry connected the look of
surprise that was on his face to something other than Hammond being not
Hammond.  "General, I'm surprised to see you down here since SG-1 is scheduled
to be off world for another," here Harry checked his watch to be sure of the
time, "12 hours."
    The not Hammond looked at Harry carefully, as if trying to decide what
Harry might know before he replied, "Unfortunately there has been a sever
chemical spill on level 23.  You have likely been exposed due to some fumes we
just discovered in the elevator shaft.  We need to get you to Dr. Frasier so
you can be treated.  The hallucinations can be quite bad."
    Having sensed the multiple lies in that statement and having spotted the
shadows of two security personnel outside the lab's open blast door, Harry
tried to quickly think of a way to handle this situation.  The likeness between
the Fake Hammond and the real was too perfect.  Like Polyjuice, but considering
this universe, probably some form of holographic costume.  The question now was
whether or not the security personnel were themselves, taking orders like they
usually do from Hammond, or not themselves.
    Mindful of the security cameras present, and feeling a bit cheeky, Harry
decided to pull a Spock.  As he nodded in agreement to the General's statement,
and walked towards the door, he paused next to Hammond with a look of concern
on his face as he reached over and placed his split fingers on the crook
between the General's neck and shoulder.  "Are you ok General, you look tired."
Then, having channeled a silent Stupefy into the hand that was currently doing
a rather good imitation of the Vulcan neck pinch, the General collapsed.
    Now that the fake general was down, Harry called out with a fake tone of
concern.  "General, General, are you ok?"
    The two security personnel came in at Harry's concerned tone.  Looking at
them both briefly, he realized only one had an alien mind, the other was all
human.  As Harry stood up from leaning over the General's body, the alien
hiding as the security airman strode forward and checked his comrade.  "He just
collapsed, I'm not sure what's wrong with him," Harry stated as he pretended to
look over the fake man's shoulder.  Once he was in the right position again,
Harry made his move, pinching the fake man's neck as a show due to the
observing man's presence, the alien fell over unconscious next to the general.
It was at that moment that the unaffected man trained his weapon on Harry
having recognized the threat.
    "Hold," Harry stated firmly, channeling the slightest bit of his energy
into his voice in order to force the man to listen.  "They are not what they
appear to be."  Thinking quickly for a reason why he would know that, Harry
came up with a rather soft, yet plausible reason.  "For some reason the
General's image flickered for a minute between his normal look and something
completely Alien, the same with your comrade here, it must be something of
Major Carter's that did it."
    Seeing the man had some doubts, but had not yet turned his weapon away,
Harry had an idea.  "Why don't you watch me search them, see if I can't find
what's altering their images, if I find nothing, then, well, you can do your
thing."
    It was almost a minute, as the man thought through the possibilities of
this, and the fact that he had learned almost anything was possible at the SGC,
that the man gave his nod of assent.
    So under the man's intent gaze, and raised weapon, Harry carefully felt
down the body of the fake security man first thinking the other man's patience
might be stretched a little too thinly if he patted down his commanding officer
in front of him.
    It was on the chest of the fake security airman that Harry found something.
Uncovering a small alien looking blue and silver device, Harry carefully pulled
it off of the man, to have the image of the man immediately ripple and change
into some form of bipedal alien.  Both Harry and the airman with him jumped at
the sudden change, and the airman finally diverted his gun away from Harry.
    Having found and removed the same device on General Hammond, obtaining the
same results, Harry and the security airman, who introduced himself as Airman
first class Jameson, began to discuss where to go from here.
    "Have you been with the General all day Airman?  If so, what has he done?"
    "Not all day, but most of it.  He called in Major Davis from the Pentagon,
and he and Dr. Frasier had some kind of closed door meeting.  Other than
escorting Major Davis to the infirmary, and being asked to help him if
necessary, escort you there as well, I've been at my post outside his office
all day."
    "Hmmm... where did they say the chemical spill was?"
    "Level 23 Harry.  They have someone in the elevator, and there are frequent
freezes in all movement on base when they say they are moving contaminated
materials."
    "I'm guessing by the fact that the impersonators have access to our
personnel's memories that they are still alive, and probably being held on
level 23.  The question is how we are going to not only get to level 23, but
hide these fellas."
    Jameson nodded at Harry's assessment of the situation as they knew it, and
tried to think of a plan.  "Maybe whatever procedure they used to create the
duplicate devices take place on level 23 as well," Jameson pointed out.
    Nodding Harry continued, "Which means they are expecting the fake partner
of yours to take me there at some point... I think we might be able to use
that.  Any chance you can get a hold of a gurney or something that has a large
shelf under the bed?"
    Jameson nodded at Harry's question, eyes widening as he watched Harry type
in a 12 digit security code on a safe in Major Carter's lab.  At the airman's
wide eyed look, Harry commented, "Considering the number of times I've seen her
open this thing, it's not surprising I picked up the code, which at the moment
suits us very well."  Pulling out a bracelet like device, Harry pressed a
button on it and suddenly disappeared, showing the airman why getting into that
safe was such a big help right now.
    Jameson returned with a gurney after five minutes, and Harry, with
Jameson's help moved the two aliens onto the lower open shelf of the gurney,
then placed and engaged the invisibility device, causing the bottom shelf to
once again appear empty.  Harry handed the Airman his former partner's image
device to put on, then got on the top of the gurney for the trip down to level
23.
    The trip was surprisingly uneventful.  After boarding the elevator, the
guard on it just stated "Another for 23", at which Jameson just nodded.  After
arriving on the floor, they quickly searched for the reason why the level was
off limits to everyone.  It was in a large storage room that they found the
answer.  Hanging from the ceiling by some organic mass were about 26 people,
including General Hammond and Major Davis.  Half of those hanging were control
room or gate room personnel, the other half appeared to be a split of security
forces, or SFs, and medical personnel, including Doc Frasier.  The good thing
was that they all appeared to be alive, the bad, they were all unconscious.
    "Well, we found them," comments Jameson.
    "Now we just have to figure out how to wake them up," stated Harry.
Looking speculatively between the unconscious security airman and General
Hammond, and the aliens that were playing them, Harry had a thought.  Pulling
out the enchanted dagger he usually kept up his left sleeve Harry quickly drove
it into the brain of one of the unconscious aliens.
    Jameson's shout of "What the hell are you doing" was quickly answered.
    "By the looks of who they are slowing replacing, they are planning on not
only taking over this base but possibly the Pentagon as well," Harry started,
pointing at Major Davis.  "We need to see if it's possible to wake our people
up, but I have no doubt that just removing them from the devices would alert
all of their subordinates to trouble.  Consequently we only have these two with
us to experiment with and not much time to do it in.  One of the most basic
ways to break a link between minds is through death, hence, the dead one.  If
we're lucky, the person on the other end of the link will wake up, in the
unlikelihood that they don't..."  Harry trailed off in a sad tone and left the
thought unvoiced.  "Let's wait a minute and see if anything changes with either
of the originals."
    After a hanging airman started to moan and ask where he was, Jameson
immediately went to pull over a metal rolling staircase, while Harry quickly
stabbed the other alien in the brain.
    Once both the General and the other airman were briefed they quickly laid
out a plan that should covertly allow them to retake the base.  Jameson was
asked to stay and assist those waking up, while the General, and Sergeant Wick
were to play alien, making their way around the base to pull aside those who
have been duplicated so that an invisible Harry, can dispatch them in a private
location, leading to the wakening of those personnel.
    6 hours later, the base was Alien free, the mimic devices, a name a gate
tech used and became popular, were all secured in Major Carter's safe, and
Hammond was on the phone requesting the use of a rather large fuel air bomb to
be used on the gate address the Alien's came from.  After reconnecting to the
address, the MALP already there transmitted images of hundreds of the aliens
preparing their equipment for transfer.  Due to the connection, and not to
arouse suspicion, Hammond, acting as an alien disguised as Hammond gave the ok
for the next wave to come through, while actually ensuring the Iris remained
closed.
    Hammond was not looking forward to filing the reports for this incident, he
was just glad that Major Davis's duplicate never left the mountain.  Major
Carter and Bill Lee were going to have a hell of a time trying to figure out a
proper way of screening for imposters using this technology, both knowing
Harry's discovery of them couldn't be replicated.  Most important, was Hammond
taking Harry's advice and keeping the mimic devices under lock and key here at
the SGC instead of Area 51.  Surprisingly, all it took was pointing out Area 51
and the NID's previous lapses in security, i.e. allowing for an entire stargate
to be stolen.  That in addition to emphasizing the possible misuse and exposure
the program might face if the mimic devices, chiefly those already keyed to
important base personnel, were to fall into the wrong hands won over the joint
chiefs, despite strong protesting by the NID.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Major Carter's Lab, Level 19*-

    Harry and Jack strolled into Major Carter's lab just before their planned
departure.  Things had changed a lot for Harry since the foothold situation 5
months ago.  He had become better friends with many of the personnel that he
had helped rescue and had also gained some respect from many on the base who
knew of his role in the whole affair.  It reminded him of the troll incident in
his first year at Hogwarts... -Nothing like a good life threatening situation
to begin a solid friendship,- Harry thought to himself.  Harry just needed a
quick look at Daniel and Jack's strange friendship to cement his opinion of the
matter.  Too less likely friends would have been hard to track down.
    In the last 5 months, a lot had occurred to both SG-1 and Harry.  Skarra,
O'Neill's friend from Abydos and Daniel's brother in law ended up in the hands
of the Tollan, who after some kind of trial, aided in the removal of the
Goa'uld Klorel from his body.  Jack also ended up being stranded on the planet
Eudora due to a meteor shower burying the stargate.  Luckily for Earth, due
mainly to Sam, a couple of Orbanian scientists and Teal'c, Jack was rescued,
and Earth increased its Naquadah production by more than 10000%, making Earth
no longer reliant on what little Naquadah the Orbanians could spare.  Hopefully
with the new source of Naquadah and the Orbanian's help, the SGC would become
self-sufficient, at least where power was concerned.
    Ironically, at least in Harry's opinion, once rescued, Jack agreed to an
undercover operation intended to ferret out the at large rouge NID elements
that appeared to be stealing technology from earth's allies.  This requires him
to put on quite the show, leading to his fake retiring off planet to the world
Sam had just went to all the trouble to rescue him from.  Suffice it to say,
neither Sam nor Daniel were happy not being told of the ruse.
    Now that things were finally settled down, especially after the discovery
and Daniel's subsequent releasing of Shifu, his late wife Sha're's son, into
the custody of the Ascended Being Oma Desala, SG-1 had been granted some down
time due both to their need, and to Daniel's recent appendectomy.  This
ultimately culminated in Jack inviting Harry to go fishing at his Minnesota
cabin.  The invitation came after Jack spent some time getting to know Harry
more after the foothold situation.
    Jack, as a combination of thank you for the save and the thought that Harry
should take a break from his studies, extended an invitation for some good old
fashion relaxation and fishing.  Never having been fishing before, and unsure
how much he'd enjoy it, Harry packed about a week's worth of school work and
research into his necklace trunk as a backup.  Nevertheless, Hedwig seemed
excited about the vacation spot when Harry mentioned it to the bird.
    Upon entering the lab, it became immediately clear to Harry why Jack wanted
to stop in here before he left.  Sam was standing in front of what appeared to
be a Naquadah reactor, cutting it open with a welding torch.  Having noticed
their arrival, largely due to Jack's yell of "Carter!", Sam quickly turned off
the torch and turned towards them, removing a welding mask from her head.
    "Sir, Harry, Hi.  How's Daniel?"
    "He's gonna be fine, What are you doing?" Jack asked while glancing behind
her at the reactor.
    "Uh... I'm getting ready to do a detailed analysis of the decay rate of
naquadah within the reactor.  It's really quite amazing, I mean unlike
plutonium, it actually has..."  Despite Harry's interest in Sam's commentary,
Jack interrupted her with a finger pointed toward the ceiling.
    "Ah!  I'm on vacation!"
    Sam smiled at his exclamation.  "Yes, Sir."
    Jack turned thoughtful for a second.  "So are you."
    Sam responded to his accusing tone with, "I know.  It's not that I'm happy
that Daniel's in excruciating pain or anything like that, but I've been looking
forward to an opportunity like this for quite some time..."
    Jack interrupted Sam again having turned towards Harry, "You know, maybe
it's just me, but I always thought when one GOT a chance to have leave, one
actually LEFT!"
    Both Harry and Sam smiled at his point as the man continued, "Daniel's
recuperating, Teal'c's off visiting his kid somewhere, Harry and I have a date
with a lake in Minnesota where the bass grow that big."
    As Jack held his arms out wide, both Harry and Sam couldn't help but be a
little skeptical regarding that particular claim.  "Really?" Sam asked
sarcastically.
    "Oh Yes!" Jack explained.  Then changing his tone to sound like he was
sharing the meaning of life, he continued, "What I'm describing here, Carter,
involves a very special element."
    Both Carter's response of "This IS fun to me, Sir." and Harry's comment
that it did sound quite interesting was waved aside by O'Neill.  "Well, if...
playing with your little reactor sounds better than exploring the lakes and
natural beauty of Northern Minnesota with us, there's not much I can do."
    To Harry, Sam looked really surprised for a second before she commented,
"Was that an invitation... sir?"
    It was then that Harry understood her surprise.  It was no secret on base
that there was some kind of sexual or attraction based tension between the CO
and his subordinate, but everyone also knew that both were way too professional
to ever break the fraternization rules.  That, on top of both being too
stubborn to make the first move pretty much guaranteed, at least in Harry's
opinion, that the next step between the two will never be reached unless some
extraordinary measures were taken.
    Jack's casual response once again proved Harry's thoughts, "Nothing wrong
with that is there?  A group of co-workers, friends if you will, fishing.  It'd
be fun."
    Harry was surprised by Jack considering him a coworker, so much so, he
almost missed Sam's smiling reply.  "Wow!" -wait, is she blushing a bit-, "I
appreciate the offer, sir.  Really!  Sounds great!"  Here she gave a shy look
toward her reactor.  "But I should..."
    Jack, understanding her direction continued his habit of interrupting her,
"No sweat!  See you in a week, and by all means, have fun!"
    After Harry gave her a quick wave, he followed Jack out of the lab.  It was
as Harry and Jack were walking down the corridor, that Sam stopped them.
"Colonel!  Harry!" after they both turned around, she appeared to have lost her
thought, "uh, Have a good time!"
    Jack stared at Sam for a second before he put his hands in his front
pockets and started to sing some kind of ditty, "Land of sky-blue waters,
loofas, ya shure ya betcha', snookums, mosquitoes..."
    Harry, seeing Jack disappear in what looked to be an Asgard beam,
commented, "Well, so much for fishing."
    Harry's comment seemed to spur Sam into motion as she rushed to a side
panel and sounded an alarm.

===============================================================================

-*Colorado Springs, Sergeant Siler's House*-

    "Did I get the timing right on the valves?" asked Harry.
    Siler was currently closely examining the smoothly running engine of
Harry's '57 Aston Martin.  The engine sounded like it was running perfectly to
Harry, But Harry knew Siler was the true expert, especially when it came to car
and motorcycle engines.  The man had about 30 framed photographs on his
garage's wall, and they all contained pictures of cars or motorbikes he's
restored over the course of his life, the oldest being a picture of him at 7
years of age, with his father, standing next to an old Ford model A.
    Harry had a lot of trouble believing he had spent over a year in this
reality already.  It was the 3rd week of July, 2000.  The last tweaks to the
Aston's engine were being performed, and other than a coat of wax, she was
ready for the road.  Fortunately for Harry, the car wasn't the only thing
ready.
    Harry, having discovered he only had about 5 more months before he could
get his initial bachelor's degree, was just hired on as an apprentice/assistant
of sorts to Siler, Dr. Lee and Major Carter.  If it wasn't for the college's
pesky minimal time attended requirements, he would already have not only his
BS, but also a couple of Master's degrees as well.  As it stood, by the time he
got his Undergraduate Diploma in the College's December graduation ceremony, he
will likely receive 3 other masters' diplomas, and this spring, maybe even a
PhD if one of his Fusion theories pans out how he thinks it might in the labs.
    That combined with the increasing manpower needs of the SGC allowed the
General to bend some rules and hire Harry on with the provision he finishes his
University work.  Suffice it to say, Harry jumped at the chance when the
General told him about it.
    Harry found out about the opportunity not long after Jack, Teal'c and Sam
successfully destroyed Thor's replicator infested ship.  The ship had crashed
into the Pacific as a fiery wreck.  Given that a single replicator survived the
wreck, Harry never believed the Stargate didn't.  Those things, from what
Daniel had told him, have been around for a few million years.  Anything that
can withstand the rigors of that much time, and still operate as designed,
would probably easily be able to survive reentry into Earth's atmosphere,
especially if it was protected by the hull of a ship.
    Consequently, after convincing Sam of the possibility, and after her return
from aiding the Asgard Homeworld, Thor, as a favor, beamed the Giza gate from
the bottom of the Pacific, to one of the SGC's larger storage rooms.  After
shaking his head at the recovery of the Giza plateau gate, Hammond offered
Harry the internship/apprenticeship.  Hammond's comment of, "I hope this way we
see more unconventional ideas from you in the future," was not lost on Harry.
    Harry knew his experience's in his former world helped him develop the
ability to see situations from many different angles and perspectives.  It was
only natural he would see things differently from others as a result.
Consequently, he saw no problem in asking the Asgard for help recovering the
gate.  Earth did lose it to aid their supreme commander after all, so why
shouldn't they help us find it.  Jack's face after Harry's commenting such was
truly memorable.
    Harry was brought out of his thoughts by Siler revving the convertible's
engine briefly.  "The engine sounds perfect Harry.  Did you put on the last
coat of wax this morning?"  At Harry's nod, Siler continued, "Then she's ready
for the test drive.  Do you want to do the honors?" Siler asked, as he made to
get out of the car.
    It only took Harry a second to decline the offer of the Aston's maiden
voyage.  "Siler, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to fix her up
right, let alone tried in the first place.  I'll be first driver on the next
one, you should do the honors for this one."
    Siler nodded his head at Harry's statement, looking a little touched at
being trusted to be the first to take her out.  Siler gave Harry a look that
indicated he was definitely up for another project if Harry was.
    What Siler didn't know was that Harry recently found and bought a wrecked
1957 Ferrari 250 TR that some rich guy's son totaled.  Harry knew Siler had
always dreamed of restoring a 50's era Ferrari, and as a way to say thanks to
Siler, Harry bought the car, and after restoring it, planned to give it to the
man if he could get him to accept it.
    As Harry got in the front seat of the car, he couldn't stop the grin of
excitement from appearing on his face.  He was about to start out down a very
interesting road in life, working at a place and doing a job he couldn't have
dreamed up if he tried.
    Letting out a loud whoop as Siler gunned the engine after pulling out of
his driveway, Harry's thought of -this is only the beginning- was almost
drowned out by the hum of the engine and the sound of the wind ripping through
his hair.


Chapter 6: New Beginnings

-*Stargate Command, Control Room*-

    Harry couldn't keep the smile off his face as he walked up the steps and
into the control room.  It was his fourth day working at the SGC, and he didn't
believe he would ever get tired of it.  So much was new, so much to learn.  He
couldn't wait for the day that he would get to go off world.
    He knew that unless some extraordinary circumstances came to be, it would
be some time before his first adventure through the gate.  Hammond, SG1, Dr.
Lee and Siler all knew about Harry's abilities, and that, despite Harry's best
efforts, his magic just wasn't responding like it did in Harry's old universe.
Sure, he could still pull or push things using telekinesis, he could also cause
a lot of destruction through the use of fire.  Furthermore, the possessions he
brought with him still functioned.
    The basic rune engraved ward stones he brought and used to ward the large
property he used as a practice ground against trespassers and surveillance
worked well.  His trunk also stayed in perfect working order.  But should he
try to transfigure or conjure something, he would run into problems.  Either
nothing would happen, something would happen that wasn't what he wanted, or he
would succeed, only to have whatever he transfigured or conjured disappear
after ten seconds or so.  Despite his performing such actions many times in his
old universe, any form of success in this universe, whether it was an
unexpected result, or a short lived, expected result, caused Harry to be
exhausted for at least a couple of hours.
    When Harry wondered out loud why some things seemed to work well and not
others, Dr. Lee who had accompanied Harry that day to try and get some readings
on Harry's energy gave a surprising reply.
    "It sounds like control of the more extreme uses of this energy might be
much easier in your old universe Harry.  Like there, it would be easy for you
to use it to create.  However here, it seems that while you are able to control
the energy somewhat, and still disrupt it or excite it, like your stunning
shots, or the shield you are able to form around yourself for protection or
invisibility, you have a lot of trouble truly creating or destroying something.
It's like your home universe wasn't hindered by the rules that state that
energy cannot be created or destroyed."
    By the end of his little epiphany, Harry could tell that Bill was very
excited.  Harry himself could understand the reasons behind his excitement.
Bill Lee was a man who had dedicated himself to science, and he had just been
able to reaffirm his beliefs in the conservation of energy, one of the most
basic rules in physics.  Harry himself was excited because it made him one step
closer toward figuring out his magic.  He can't create things, he can't vanish
things, but he can still affect things, like disrupting someone's nervous
system by stunning them, or by affecting the locks on a door.
    However, despite his skills, or maybe because of them, Harry still had to
work hard to create reasons why he would be an asset to any team off world if
he truly wanted to see the other side of the gate.  No need to raise anyone's
suspicions.  So Harry had been doing what he could to make sure his records
showed his potential usefulness in ways that wouldn't end with him being a lab
rat.
    He made sure that his records indicated he had been signed off on all of
the weapons in the Armory, thanks to Teal'c's expert tutelage, and that the
languages he was proficient at, and the areas of science he had experience in
were all up to date.  While there was no chance at him being assigned to an SG
team at the moment, that didn't mean that he couldn't be chosen to provide
support to a team already in the field should they discover something of
interest.
    It was just after he climbed the last step and entered into the control
room that the alarms started to ring, signaling someone was trying to dial in.
Despite the early hour, Harry was surprised to see Sam and Master Sergeant
Walter Harriman, instead of the graveyard shift gate tech, seated in front of
the main gate controls.  Just after the establishment of the wormhole, Jack
entered the control room as well.
    "Carter," Jack stated, also surprised to see the Major at the controls.
    "Colonel, Harry," Carter replied after turning her head and seeing them.
Focusing on Jack, Carter continued, "Sir, this is the 5th incoming wormhole in
the last hour and a half."
    "All right," Jack responded before glancing quickly at both her and Harry.
"I'm here 2 hours early, when did both of you get here?"
    Harry quickly dispelled his insinuation, "I got here about a minute before
you did Jack."  Having glanced at Carter during his response, Harry caught her
sheepish expression and knew what her answer would be before she gave it.
    "I... haven't left yet."
    "Didn't I ORDER you to get a life," Jack chastised Sam.
    "Yes Sir, you did... but, you see..."  Sam's complete response was
interrupted by Daniel's arrival into the control room.
    "I just heard they sent a radio signal this time?" Daniel asked, despite
noticing Jack giving him a rather strange look.
    "Yeah, but the frequency they're using is just outside the range of our
equipment.  We're trying to make the adjustment," responded Sam, clinging to
the distraction Daniel just unwittingly provided.
    Jack slowly turned to fully face Daniel.  "What are YOU doing here?"
    Daniel looked at Jack like he was a bit slow before responding, "Well,
someone's trying to contact US... how often does THAT happen?"
    Harry's amusement at Jack's reluctant nod of understanding was interrupted
by Sergeant Harriman.  "We can receive now Major."
    "OK, pipe it through the speakers, and try to match it so we can transmit
back," ordered Sam.
    Immediately everyone in the control room heard a garbled transmission of a
male voice.  "This is the Euronda base... have you reached the other side?"
    Sam's whispered exclamation of "Oh, my God!" is almost drowned out by the
transmission continuing.
    "Tralan, if you can hear me please respond..." the transmission continued.
    "This is Major Carter of the United States Air Force.  It is IMPERATIVE
that you send NO ONE else through the gate!" responded Sam, however, the man
began speaking over her transmission, a clear sign that he didn't hear it.
    "He can't hear you, Major.  We still haven't matched the frequency,"
Harriman reported.
    "We believe this STARGATE is a portal to the home of our ancestors..." the
transmission became distorted before clearing up again.  "Our supplies are all
but gone... our defenses are on the verge of collapse... help us... please!"
    It was a few seconds after the gate shut down that Sam sprang into action
after a whispered damn.  She quickly turned to Harriman, "All right!  There
were 4 off world activations prior to this one, and the iris was closed the
whole time... How many impact events did the computer record?"
    Sergeant Harriman spent a few seconds typing on the computer, pulling up
the correct screen before he somberly replied, "3."
    Jack decided to state what no one else wanted to bring up.  "So... 3 dead."
    It was a quiet Sam that replied, "Yes sir."
    "I'm... gonna go look up Euronda," stated Daniel quietly before quickly
exiting the control room.
    Having noticed his second in command's mood, Jack reached out to pat her
shoulder, offering a quiet reassurance.  "Not your fault, Carter.  Move on."
    Harry almost missed Sam's soft response of "Yes, Sir."
    After seeing Jack make his way out of the control room, Harry tried to
quietly reassure Sam, "We can't change what has happened, but we can prepare
for the future."  Harry decided he should continue as he saw a small positive
spark return to her eyes.  "Why don't we clean up this transmission as much as
we can, and figure out a way to transmit back, since the number of times they
have dialed indicates they will no doubt try again."
    Sam's soft smiled response of "good idea" brought a similar smile to
Harry's face.  -So long as he kept her looking forward...- Harry thought to
himself, -She'll be just fine.-

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, the Hallway outside the Gate room, Level 28*-

    "Jack!" Harry called out, jogging to catch up to the suited up Colonel.
    "Harry, what's up?" Jack asked, with a raised brow as he stopped and turned
toward the young man.
    "I heard you guys are going to Euronda, and that your bringing some food
and medical supplies with you," Harry half asked, half stated.
    Jack's response of "So..." clearly indicated he wanted Harry to get to the
point.
    "I have no doubt, that considering their method of transmission, they are
likely to be more advanced than we are, and I have no doubt, that Sam, you,
Hammond, even the joint chiefs when he briefed them, share that belief."
    Jack cautiously nodded at Harry, indicating he guessed right and that he
wanted Harry to finish his thought.  "From what the guy said, they aren't at
war with the Goa'uld, but with another faction native to their planet.  So,
despite the fact this might sound a bit Star Trekish..."  Here Jack snorted at
Harry's Star Trek comment, having been dragged to watch the first 4 films and
several episodes with Harry and Teal'c, "Please try to gain an understanding
of what the war is about and who started it before you offer any significant
military aid, and remember that despite what they tell you, every story has
three sides, what they think, what their opponents think, and..."
    "The truth," Jack finished Harry's sentence with his hands raised to chest
height in a warding jester.  "Ok, I get it, you don't want the possible
technology gained to blind me to reasons behind their civil war.  I'll do my
best."
    Harry nodded at Jack's words and threw in something that surprised the
older man.  "Just keep your eyes open, and if you need help determining the
truth of the situation, I'd be more than happy to help.  And while you should
be wary of any tech given too freely... I'm not saying you shouldn't receive
the gifts with a smile... just keep in mind Greeks and gifts..."
    Jack smirked at Harry's advice.  The man definitely understood Harry's
point.  Nothing is every truly free, especially gifts between nations.  And
like the Trojans, he would never take any gift received at face value, however,
like Harry pointed out, if things do fall through, there is no reason they
can't keep what's freely given to them.  It wouldn't be stealing like the NID
despite the grayish moral tint in using gifts received from dubious people.
And anything received that could save lives, should be used.
    It was the same dilemma both Jack and Harry knew many medical professionals
dealt with.  Josef Mengele created the basis for many medicines and medical
procedures used to save lives to this day.  However, considering the
experiments that monster carried out to create those treatments, many feel some
guilt at their use.
    After receiving a final nod from Jack, Harry made his way down to Bill
Lee's lab.  Lee had recently been able to procure the basic plans for the first
three prototypes of Earth's starship program and Harry couldn't wait to dive
into them.  The idea of designing and building something like a Starship truly
excited the young man.  And that excitement only increased after he and Siler
had made their way through the Aston rebuild.  Surprisingly, after hearing
about the Aston, Bill asked if they had any other projects in the pipeline and
almost jumped at the chance at working on the Ferrari.  Who knew the war craft
fanatic was into cars, though he might be more into just building things in
general like Harry seemed to be than what they were building.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, The Control Room*-

    Harry quickly made his way into the control room having responded to the
page he had heard over the base's PA system.  He began to hear the heated
discussion before he even made it into the room.
    "I am not defending him, Daniel!  I just happen to agree with him!" stated
Sam a little harshly for Harry's tastes.  Harry saw Siler standing behind the
General, and quickly made his way over.
    "Well, don't you realize what we would be doing?" Daniel questioned in
irritation.
    "Major?  Doctor?" Hammond asked.
    Sam gave Daniel a quick look, who appeared to be trying to look busy with
something, before responding to the General.  "Sir, Colonel O'Neill has
negotiated access and availability to almost every Eurondan technology in
exchange for an unspecified quantity of Heavy Water."
    Harry immediately made the connection in that request.  Many of his own
theories about Fusion involve the possibility of using the deuterium in heavy
water as a fuel.  Hammond's response to Sam's statement didn't surprise Harry
at all.  Producing heavy water wasn't that big of a deal.
    "That's all they want?"
    "That's all," Sam replied to the General.  Finally, the question Harry had
been dying to ask the last few minutes was asked by the General himself.  "What
do they want it for?"
    At this point, Daniel gave up his act of looking busy, looking as if he'd
been about to burst at the seams.  "Thank you!  Thank you for asking the
question."
    Sam sighed slightly at Daniels outburst, but continued to explain
nonetheless.  "As you know, Sir, Heavy water contains Deuterium."
    Hammond, indicating he understood the significance, added, "Which can be
used to make nuclear power."
    "Yes," Sam confirmed, "but they use it to fuel nuclear fusion generators."
    "Fusion?" Hammond asked, wanting to be clear.
    "According to Alar, the additional power would be enough to stave off
defeat," Sam finished.
    "They're willing to share that technology as well?" Hammond asked, thinking
such an offer must be too good to be true.
    "Of course they're willing," Daniel jumped in, "they're desperate!"
    Hammond looked at Daniel for a second before turning back to Sam who
answered his question in more detail.
    "Yes, Sir... everything!  and it is incredible!  They're at least 100 years
ahead of us... maybe more!  But, if we don't act soon, they are going to be
overrun."  It's easy for Harry to see how excited Sam was at the prospect of
studying such technology.  Harry was just as excited.  At this point Hammond
turned toward Harry and Siler.
    "Sergeant Siler?" Hammond asked, the unspoken question clear in his voice.
    "I'll get right on it, Sir," Siler responded, before quickly making his way
from the control room.  Not sure if he should follow Siler or stay, Harry
looked briefly at Hammond, only to receive a small stay put signal from the
General.  Turning from Harry towards Daniel, Hammond chose to state what's
obvious to everyone within hearing distance.
    "Doctor, you don't approve?"
    "You said yourself, we could not and would not devote the resources
necessary to win a war... wha..."
    Hammond interrupted the man to clarify his prior statement.  "Obviously, I
was speaking in terms of military assets... human lives."
    "But, there was a moral issue?" Daniel pleaded.
    Hammond shooting Harry a quick look made Harry believe Jack might have
spoken to the General about Harry's points prior to leaving.  This made it
clear who had called him to the control room.  "Yes," Hammond responded.
    "But if we could provide the power of all that and more in the form of
water, then the moral issue just... evaporates?" Daniel argued.  Harry would
have had to hold in a snort at the pun if the situation hadn't been so serious.
    Hammond's face turned stony as he formulated his response.  "I shouldn't
have to remind you that Apophis is alive, and at present, capable of wiping us
from the face of this earth without contest.  It is the mandate of this
organization to make sure that doesn't happen!"
    Daniel backed down slightly after seeing the Generals demeanor but his
morality forced the young archaeologist to continue, "I understand that, I do.
But we've only ever seen one side of this, we don't even know why they're
fighting."
    "For their lives," Sam piped in.  Sam's response to Daniel's statement both
surprised and disappointed Harry slightly since she failed see Daniel's rather
obvious point.
    "Yes!" Daniel exclaimed.  "And I was all for saving those lives, but we're
about to go way, way, WAY beyond that.  We're about to turn the tide of a world
war we know nothing about against an enemy that we know nothing about.  Is that
the right way to get their technology?  Yes!  But is it the right thing to do?"
    By the end of Daniel's tirade, Harry was pleased to see that Sam had
finally seen Daniel's point when she turned to the General and stated, "It's a
fair question, Sir."
    "Yes it is!" Daniel added triumphantly.
    After some thought, Hammond seemed to come to a decision.  "Yes, and
despite your impression, Colonel O'Neill believes it's a fair question as
well."  At Sam and Daniel's surprised looks Hammond continued by turning toward
Harry slightly.  "Harry, O'Neill mentioned your concerns about us becoming
involved in a civil war and asked, that should such concerns arise, and you
willing, you meet them at the planet to aid Major Cater in not only gaining an
understanding in their technology, but also helping the rest of his team
decipher their true intentions."
    Harry nodded at the General's words, understanding the man didn't want to
come out and say the real reason for Harry's trip through the gate in the
middle of a crowded control room.  Harry quickly noticed that both Daniel and
Sam both also understood the General's true motives.
    While they both knew that Harry's so called `magic' was not as versatile
nor as resilient as it was in his home universe, some abilities not only
remained, but became easier to control and utilize, especially his body shield
and what Harry termed his `mind magics.'  His shield was something he and
Hermione came up with when he first began to use wandless magic.  Using what
Harry had termed `internal magic' since it required a mastering of one's self,
Harry was able to emit a shield a few centimeters from his body.  While the
shield was strong, and remained transparent so long as no energy or fast moving
objects made contact with it, it could not fully protect him from the higher
level curses.  Regardless, the shield's discovery certainly prevented no less
than 5 assassination attempts before his jump to this universe and gave him the
ability to reach true invisibility, like Dumbledore, without the use of his
father's cloak.
    He had recently commented to the General, that his control of his mind
abilities were becoming much easier in the last 6 months or so.  Despite being
slightly uncomfortable with anyone having such abilities, the General was happy
to hear that Harry now had the capacity to fully reign in the ability when
desired.  Hammond knew Harry didn't like not being able to fully turn the
ability off when desired, and trusted Harry to now keep it off when around
people he fully trusted.
    "I understand General," Harry acknowledged.  "I'll either assist Major
Carter when necessary, or aid Daniel in deciphering their written language."
    "Good.  As soon as Siler has the Heavy water, return to the planet.  And
Major, Daniel, let O'Neill stay on their good side for the time being, that
way, if things aren't what they seem, he might be able to give you a heads up
before the other shoe drops."
    Both Daniel and Sam responded in the affirmative to the General's order,
before leaving the briefing room with Harry.  They had to get the Water
organized, and Harry needed to suit up.
    While making their way down the corridor, Daniel noticed the large grin
that began to spread across Harry's face.  Knowing Harry's wish of traveling
through the gate was about to become reality, Daniel couldn't keep from
commenting, "Looking forward to the trip?"
    Sam, spotting Harry's face after Daniel's question was somewhat surprised
by the young man's reply.  "You bet your ass Daniel.  I'm also looking forward
to a steak dinner.  Is this Friday good for the dinner you now owe me?"
    Daniel stopped at Harry's reply, thinking about the bet Harry made with him
on his first day at the SGC.  A bet about making it through the gate within 4
months of joining the program.  Sam, seeing Daniel stop, paused and asked,
"Steak dinner?"
    Daniel shook his head before he replied, "He bet me he would take a trip
through the gate within 4 months of starting here which you know is practically
unheard of.  Should have known it was a fool's bet considering his smirk after
we shook on it."  Continuing down the hallway after a retreating Harry, Sam
couldn't help but think to herself `-fool's bet indeed.-'

===============================================================================

-*Planet Euronda, Gate Room*-

    Harry's first sight of another planet that he was conscious for contained
nothing but a concrete looking bunker.  Looking around, Harry saw a lot of
debris that appeared to have fallen from the ceiling.  -Probably due to
bombardment,- Harry commented to himself.  Almost immediately after making sure
the FRED that had transported the Heavy Water container was ok, the three SGC
members were greeted by a middle aged man with light colored hair and several
days growth of beard.
    Harry was surprised when the man just gave Daniel, Sam and himself a brief
glance before focusing on the container on the FRED.  "This is all you were
able to bring?" he asked without greeting or introduction.
    It was immediately apparent to Harry that this man was desperate.  Judging
from the look shared between Daniel and Sam, Harry was willing to bet they
would have agreed with his assessment.  What truly concerned Harry however, was
that because of this desperation, it was likely this man would do or say
anything so long as the Heavy Water kept being supplied.  Thus, the chances of
any relationship between their peoples outlasting the current conflict were not
very likely should their beliefs end up being fundamentally different.
    "On short notice, yes," Sam responded to the distressed man.
    This answer seemed to further agitate the man.  "This short amount will not
last a day!"
    "There's more coming... we thought it would be best to bring what little we
could as soon as possible," Sam said, attempting to placate the man.
    It appeared that statement brought some relief to the man, Harry guessed
was Alar.  "More is on the way?!  You are certain?!"
    "Much more... Yes!" Sam assured, sharing another concerned look with
Daniel.
    Alar turned to one of the men that he had arrived with.  "Add the fuel to
the rectors, and set the defense field to full power.  A demonstration to the
enemy... we must show them we are strong once more!"  The emotions the man was
emitting as he made that statement definitely started to concern Harry.  The
man felt complete joy and satisfaction at being able to thwart his enemy, none
of the concern or displeasure many would feel about being a part of any war.
This thought rang several alarm bells in Harry's mind.
    Harry knew from Daniel's brief report that these people refused relocation
to another world.  That unwillingness to peacefully retreat, combined with the
joy at thwarting his enemy, put together with what appeared to be a pretty well
established, and self contained base, and the conclusions Harry was reaching
were rather disturbing.
    "In the meantime, we have... questions," Daniel began as room shook
slightly from surface bombardment.
    "Yes, yes... as soon as the attack is over, we will provide all that we
have promised," Alar distractedly responded.  "Come!  It isn't safe."
    As they made their way down a dark concrete hallway, the ground shook again
slightly and the sound of an explosion was clearly heard by everyone in the
group.
    "That one sounded close," Sam commented.
    "Directly above us is the old city," responded Alar.  Then in a clear
attempt, at least to Harry, to steer their conversation away from questions,
Alar continued, "Let me show you another of the wonders we intend to share with
you for all you've done."  Here the man appeared to touch a wall, that suddenly
ripples slightly before it vanished revealing a huge piece of machinery.  "The
field generator is capable of repelling the force of many bombs like a great
shield.  It saved our people from destruction my entire life.  You see?  The
fuel you brought has strengthened it again."
    All three SGC personnel were definitely impressed by the generator.  "How
long will that last?" Sam asked, wondering how much their small amount of Heavy
Water helped.
    "For several hours," Alar responded as he stared at the generator with a
look of pride in his eyes.
    "I'm certain we'll be able to send more heavy water by then," Sam
commented.  Alar appeared to straighten up at that comment before he gave them
a nod.
    "Come, we need to celebrate our new strength," Alar said, signaling for the
three to follow him further into the complex.

===============================================================================

-*Euronda Meeting Room*-

    Harry and SG-1 were sitting at a table with several Eurondans.  Strangely
shaped glasses were passed out, and filled with a clear alcoholic liquid.  Alar
stood at the head of the table and raised his glass.  The Eurondans, with Harry
and SG-1, minus Teal'c who doesn't drink, following suit to not insult their
traditions.  "He is remembered," all of the Eurondans intoned with reverence
before they all took a small sip.  The drink strongly reminded Harry of
something between Vodka and Gin.
    After everyone had placed their glasses back onto the table, Teal'c asked,
"For whom do you pledge this remembrance?"  The stoic comment obtained strange
looks from the Eurondans at the table.  For some strange reason, every Eurondan
appeared to feel the same thing when they looked at Teal'c.  Harry thought that
feeling might be fear considering his size, and the reputation Jaffa have
obtained as servants of the Goa'uld.  However, Harry identified their emotion
as disgust.  Before answering the question, Alar discretely looked away from
the Jaffa.
    "My father... through his vision, our nation has survived."
    Teal'c's customarily stoic reply of "I see" did not appear to have
satisfied Alar, or his people.  Again Harry noticed the flash of disgust Alar
felt as he stared down Teal'c.
    Having averted his eyes from Teal'c's stoic gaze Alar turned to O'Neill and
stated, "It is customary among our people to formalize such agreements as ours.
In exchange for all our knowledge, technology, medicines, Earth will provide us
with however much heavy water we require to end this war once and for all.  Do
not be alarmed, Colonel.  Just 3 or 4 times that which you have provided on a
daily basis."
    "That adds up to several metric tons a year, Sir."  Sam's quite comment to
Jack was heard clearly by everyone in the room due to the silence present.
    Seeing the Colonel's thoughtful look Alar continued, "Which is a small
price to pay for what we have to offer in return."
    The female sitting next to Alar stared up at the ceiling for a minute
before she grabbed everyone's attention.  "Alar, Listen."
    At her statement, everyone became eerily silent, all trying to figure out
the significance of the woman's comment.  Jack once again showed his impatience
when he broke first.  "What?" the stubborn Colonel asked, after about 10
seconds of waiting.
    "Silence," Alar chuckled.  "I hardly recognize it.  When at full strength,
our defense field makes us as invulnerable as when I was a boy.  I propose we
write down on paper what we all ready share in our hearts," Alar finished,
clearly wanting to get things signed and guaranteed.
    It was Daniel that spoke before Jack could respond.  "Um, before we do
that, I have a question."
    Seeing Jack shooting a look at Daniel, and having thought Jack playing the
good cop to Daniel's bad in this situation was a good idea, Sam stated,
"General Hammond also would like to know, Sir."
    Clearly seeing the dissention within the team, and appearing to be
conciliatory to his detractors, Alar spoke before Jack could respond to his
team's statements.  "It's all right, Colonel.  I don't mind."
    "How did this war start?" Asked Daniel.
    Looking off into the distance, Alar began, "The first enemy bombs fell
along Euronda in a surprise attack."  Here he paused, shooting SG-1 a look of
sadness.  "I was a boy of 9.  I remember that night.  I remember the floor of
the room in which my father sequestered me shook with each explosion, I
remember... knowing that each bomber that got through, meant that another
building, another home, another street in the city above me... is gone.  That
is how this war began, Doctor."
    Harry had to hand it to Alar.  His statement definitely rang true, however,
he also failed to answer the question Daniel asked, without really appearing to
do so.  This deflection raised Harry's hackles and made his initial conclusion
that these people started this war become more firm within his mind.  Harry was
surprised somewhat by the crassness of Daniel's response.
    "And for that... we only have your word."  After Daniel's statement, Harry
could tell that Jack was not pleased in the slightest.  It's one thing to probe
for information lightly, it's another completely to directly question their
truthfulness without direct proof to the contrary.
    Alar used the opening Daniel gave him, which did not surprise Harry.
"Three of our best men died attempting to reach Earth through your stargate,"
stated Alar superiorly.
    Here Daniel looked a bit sheepish, clearly seeing the trap he had just
stepped into.  "Well, that was an accident."
    Alar pounced at this statement.  "And we have only your word."
    Jack, appearing to be fed up with Daniel's questions, asked in an irritated
voice, "Any more questions, Daniel?"
    "Yes, uh..." responded Daniel, hesitantly at first, before he continued in
a more assured voice, "I'd like to know a little more about your enemy."
    Harry immediately sensed Alar's alarm at Daniel's question.  Looking into
the man's eyes, Harry clearly saw the disgust in what Alar terms the breeders.
Harry saw Alar as a young boy in some kind of control room as a man who looked
like he could be Alar's father gave an order to release the toxin.  Harry was
snapped out of the other man's thoughts when he heard Alar's nervous response
to Daniel's question.  "Is this... part of your bargaining process, Colonel?"
    "Not normally," Jack stated, shooting Daniel a look.
    "What more can we offer you than everything we have?" Alar pleaded.
    "Then why don't you just answer the question?"
    Alar chose to ignore Daniel and asked, "Colonel O'Neill?  Do we have an
agreement?"
    Jack looked around them.  It was immediately clear to Harry that Jack was
assessing what would probably happen if he said no.  They were in the
Eurondan's command bunker, surrounded by armed guards.  If SG-1 didn't agree,
they were probably desperate enough to use them as hostages.  "We do."
    Harry and Sam were both not surprised by Jack's agreement, having clearly
seen the situation in the same way Jack just did.  They would agree, or become
less than willing guests.  Daniel, however, had clearly misread the situation.
    "Jack..." Daniel began before he was cut off curtly by Jack.
    "Daniel," started Jack, before quieting his voice.  "Shut up.  Is that
clear enough?"
    Having seen the potential for an argument, Sam broke in, "Sir, if you're
gonna go back and tell General Hammond, I would like to stay here with Harry
and take a look at their fusion technology."
    "Fine," Jack responded, taking a sip of his drink.
    Alar seemed to be quite pleased that the agreement had been made.  "It
would be my pleasure to show you both personally," the man finished, getting up
and motioning them from the room.  Harry gave Jack a significant look and a
slight head shake when they made eye contact as they both left the room.
    As Daniel, Sam and Teal'c walked ahead, Harry stayed back with Jack and
Alar as they walk in the direction of the stargate.
    "I understand you shot down one of our enemy bombers, Colonel.
Congratulations... perhaps you'll try it again," Alar asked, as they made their
way down the corridor.
    Jack looked thoughtful before he replied, "I don't... think so."
    Having seen Jack's concern and correctly assuming it was due to the loss of
life, Alar commented, "Well, if you're concerned about lives lost, remember,
they're your enemy now."  Alar turned thoughtful after his last statement,
before he shot a brief look at both Harry and Jack and continued, "I look
forward to your return.  Which reminds me... perhaps it would be best if... if
the Jaffa did not return."
    "Teal'C?" Jack asked, surprised.  "Why?  He hasn't said a word."
    Harry was not surprised by Alar's response.  "It's not what he said... it's
what he is."
    Jack appeared to have immediately understood the significance of Alar's
request after hearing that last statement.  "Well, he's different.  I'll grant
you that," Jack stated, trying to confirm his suspicion.
    "NOT like us," Alar stated firmly with a significant look.
    "Right," Jack confirmed as they arrived at the DHD.
    "Major Carter," Alar started, before turning to Harry with a puzzled look
as he tried to remember Harry's name.  Finally recalling what Major Carter had
called him, Alar continued, "Harry, after you."
    After Jack watched the group of three make their way down the corridor away
from the gate room, Jack grabbed Daniel's hand, interrupting the dialing
process.  At Daniel's confused look, Jack spoke up.  "We're not going."
    "Why?" asked Daniel, confused.
    "Harry gave me a headshake as we were leaving the meeting room.  Teal'C and
I are gonna have a look around first.  You... ask questions, and for once, be
careful.  Don't let your concern show too much," Jack ordered.
    Finally, Daniel realized how precarious their situation could become should
these people turn hostile.
    Seeing that Daniel had not yet moved, Jack gave further encouragement.
    "Go ask questions... LOTS of questions!"

===============================================================================

-*Euronda Command and Control Room*-

    Harry listened intently as he, Sam and Alar stared at the center console
which now displayed the technical map for the entire facility.
    "One single fusion reactor is capable of generating power for the entire
facility.  I assume you extract deuterium from sea water?" Alar asked the pair.
    "Yes," Sam answered.  "70% of the Earth's surface is ocean, so Heavy Water
production shouldn't be a problem."
    Alar looked a little wistful at the mention of the ocean.  "The sea in
which we used to extract heavy water as you call it, is now in enemy hands
hundreds of miles away.  You can see that the storage tanks are nearly empty,"
the man commented sadly.
    It was then Sam began to notice what had first worried Harry.  "You must
have been building this place long before the war started," questioned the
smart Major.
    Alar's voice took on a slightly wistful tone, "The war was inevitable."
    "Well, how long did you expect to stay down here?" Sam asked, curious about
their intentions for the facility when it was built.
    Looking up, the man responded in a slightly distracted tone, "Until the air
is free from poison.  Excuse me."  Both Sam and Harry watched as the man moved
over to discuss something with his comrades.
    "You see it to, don't you?" Harry asked Sam, leaning in closely to ensure
they weren't overheard.
    "Yeah, this place is too planned, and these storage tanks, with the pipe to
the surface..." Sam begun before trailing off, realizing how the air became
poisoned.
    "Best keep quiet about this for the moment," Harry started, before
continuing.  "Try to learn as much as you can for the time being, since I have
little doubt we will be leaving shortly."
    Sam gave Harry a small nod before they both returned their full attention
to the schematics on the table.
    About 30 minutes later, Alar returned to the command room holding a strange
looking device.  "This storage cylinder contains plans, specifications and
formulas upon which our technology is based.  Together, I'm sure we can find a
way to transfer the information to your computers," Alar stated with a small
smile.
    As Sam began to point towards the pipes on the schematics, Harry touched
her hand and gave her a slight headshake.  Suddenly, an alarm rang and they
heard a man from one of the stations in the room report to Alar.  "Enemy
bombers approach the perimeter."
    Alar's response was immediate.  "Engage them!"
    As the table changed from the schematic to a map of the surface, Alar
approached the table, looking at the readouts carefully.  Harry, after a glance
at Sam, was looking carefully at the storage cylinder that Alar was holding.
As Alar set the cylinder down on the table, Harry quickly picked it up.
    "Judging by the last few bombardments, the shaking would likely have caused
the cylinder to fall," Harry commented, noticing that his explanation almost
completely erased Alar's expression of alarm.  However, Harry clearly saw a
small amount of suspicion in the other man's gaze.
    The gaze was broken by Jack, Daniel and Teal'c's entering the command room.
    Seeing them, Alar immediately became distracted.  "Where is the fuel?" he
demanded.
    "There's been a delay," Jack calmly replied.
    "What sort of delay?!  The enemy is attacking in force, we NEED that fuel!"
Alar frantically shouted.  Seeing what was happening, and reading the
intentions of all three of the recently arrived men, Harry quickly and quietly
sliped the cylinder into the main compartment of his pack.
    Harry was surprised by Jack's next statement.  "We just have to buy a
little time... Teal'C and I could help fight em off until it gets here."
    "Do it!" Alar commands.
    Making their way toward the flight control stations, Jack gave Teal'c a
quiet order.  "Stay on my wing, Teal'C."
    After the room shook from nearby bombs, Alar's female second in command
announced, "The defense field is at minimum sustainable strength."
    "Transfer energy from the stasis room," was Alar's swift response.
    Sam saw Daniel next to her.  Wanting to make sure Daniel knew what had
happened, Sam informed him quietly.  "The Eurondans built this place long
before the war started.  They planned it from the beginning!"
    "I know they started it," Daniel confirmed, "but how did they expect to win
a war from underground?" the archeologist asked.
    "There are enormous gas pipes that run from holding facilities all the way
up to the surface," Sam informed him.
    "And the surface is poisoned!" Daniel stated, having made the immediate
connection.
    "They didn't just start a war, they were trying to exterminate them!" Sam
stated, despite Harry nudging her to be quiet.  However, it immediately became
apparent that Sam was overheard.
    "It was HIS vision!" Alar broke in with a fanatic tone.  "My father saw
that breeders were spreading across the face like a plague.  MILLIONS of them!
We don't know how so many of them managed to survive.  But they do in spite of
our best efforts.  Contact your General Hammond!  Tell him we need that fuel
IMMEDIATELY!" Alar ordered.
    "We're not gonna do that," Daniel stated flatly.  Harry really wanted to
smack the man upside the head for saying that.  Now it looked like things were
going to get messy.
    "ARMS!" Alar shouts, and several gaurds charge into the room, all raising
their weapons in SG-1's direction.  By the look on Daniel's face, he had
immediately realized the mistake of his announcement.
    "CONTACT... YOUR... GENERAL... HAMMOND!" Alar ground out, both sounding and
looking very upset at their refusal of aid.  Harry saw the man quickly glance
around looking for something.  He quickly realized the man is looking for the
storage cylinder, but his search was interrupted, first by the compound shaking
from a bombing strike, and then by his second in command's announcement.
    "They're escorting the enemy bombers!"
    Alar looked outraged.  "WHAT?!?!"
    "He's attacking our own fighters!" the woman confirmed.
    "STOP HIM!" Alar commanded.  Sam, Daniel and Harry realized this was their
chance.  When all of the guards that were watching them turned their focus
toward Jack and Teal'c, they all struck.  Sam easily disarmed the man that was
next to her as he tried to aim a shot towards the Colonel, while Harry quickly
clotheslined a man that was rushing to his comrade's aid.  Harry quickly turned
around after hearing something metal impact bone, to see Daniel holding the
metal rod that was used to move pieces around the map standing over a third
security man that would have blindsided Harry.  All three SGC personnel quickly
raised their weapons to the ready, to the surprise, shock and fear of the
Eurondans.
    Alar pulled a gun from a hidden shelf in the console and pointed it at Jack
only to have Teal'c step in front of him and crush his hand.
    "AH!" Alar screamed out as Harry heard a bone in his hand snap.  On his
knees, and seeing all 5 Earth people looking at him he yelled out, "IT COULD
HAVE ALL BEEN YOURS!!!!"
    "I wouldn't follow us if I were you," Jack responded, before they all ran
from the room heading toward the gate.  They made it to the gate and had it
dialed before men started shooting at them.
    "GO!" Jack ordered to Daniel and Teal'c, as Harry, Sam and Jack started to
return fire.  After hitting a few of their pursuers, Sam, then Harry, and
finally Jack broke for the gate at a run.
    They were stopped by a desperate shout from Alar.
    "Wait!  WAIT!!!!"  Seeing that he had their attention, Alar pleaded with
them.  "I could teach you everything I know!  Just let me come with you!"
Seeing Jack's emotionless face, the man pleaded again.  "PLEASE!"
    Harry, then Sam and finally Jack made it through the gate.  On the other
side, Harry stopped at the bottom of the ramp after seeing Sam had stopped and
was now facing the open wormhole.
    Jack walked through the gate slowly, and calmly gave the order to close the
iris.  Harry saw Jack lock eyes with Carter, and even without seeing her face,
could tell that Sam was surprised and slightly upset by Jack's order.
    "Do it," Hammond commanded.  About 15 seconds after the Iris closed, the
gate shut down.  Looking calmly at the Colonel, Hammond, though expecting the
answer, asked, "I take it, Colonel, you were unable to procure any of the
Eurondan technology?"
    It took Jack a minute to break eye contact with Sam to respond.  "That's
correct, Sir."
    "I'm sorry to hear that," Hammond stated, but was surprised as Harry broke
in.  "Despite what Jack thinks, his distraction did enable us to walk away with
something at least."
    As everyone turned to look at Harry, he slowly opened his pack and pulled
out the storage cylinder.  "How long do you think it will take us and the
Orbanians to figure out how to download what's on this thing?" Harry asked the
room innocently.
    Sam gasped after seeing the cylinder that Harry appeared to have swiped and
the rest of the room looked at it in confusion.  Seeing their confusion, Sam
commented, "That is an information storage device Alar presented to us.  He
said it contained information on everything we needed to create their
technology."  As she finished speaking, everyone stared at Harry in shock,
unable to believe he had made it away with the device.
    Smiling slightly, despite the grim situation, Hammond commanded, "We'll
debrief in one hour."
    They all nodded, and Harry smiled slightly.  His first great adventure into
the Galaxy, and despite their difficulties, they came out ahead.  Now he just
had to make sure the information they retrieved was put to good use.


Chapter 7: Baby Steps and Opportunities

-*Stargate Command, General Hammond's Office*-

    Harry walked into the General's office and was not surprised to see Jack
sitting in one of the chairs facing the General's desk.  Harry had no doubt
that the General had been working every connection he had in order to bring to
life the proposal Harry had written.  Harry had submitted the proposal 12 hours
after returning from Euronda.  The proposal outlined how, in Harry's opinion,
earth could best access and reverse engineer the advanced technology stored in
the information storage cylinder, along with a 5 year plan for Earth's
developing defenses.
    Harry had no doubt that many, especially those seeking to personally gain
from off-world technologies, would be strongly opposed to the proposal.  For
one, the proposal completely barred the NID from accessing the information,
cutting off their ability to freely access technology that their financial
backers could make a fortune on by sighting the blatant and still rampant
corruption and security breaches.  Two, the security precautions suggested
would make it virtually impossible to smuggle information out of the Earth side
facility, and completely impossible from smuggling information out of the
off-world facility proposed.  Third, the setting up of a research and
development front company, with which to file patents from and license out
technologies from, would not only guarantee the SGC and all space defense
operations a healthy future budget and cash flow, it would basically be
stealing the unofficial NID backers idea from them.
    When both Hammond and O'Neill read that part of the proposal two weeks ago,
their eyebrows hit the stratosphere.  Harry's comment about the equipment and
logistical support needed to save the world being costly triggered a snort from
Jack and a chuckle from Hammond.  Harry pointing out that the costs will do
nothing but increase, especially when Earth started to not only build ships,
but also build the mining outposts to obtain materials to build the ships
caused both men to turn thoughtful.
    Both manpower and materials were costly, and both the Colonel and the
General knew those costs would keep rising.  It was only a matter of time
before people would start wondering where the money was going.  "Plus," Harry
commented to them, "at some point in the future, other major nations will have
to be brought in.  If the US government is funding it, and the US military
running it, how many different nations will go ballistic?"  Harry's question
brought shudders to both military men.  Everyone at the SGC feared that one of
the consequences of disclosure might be Armageddon.  "This way, we can
restructure the chain of command a bit to make it more palatable in the future.
The Secretaries of Defense, State and the Attorney General, president and vice
president, the joint chiefs and the commanders of the major facilities would
make up the `command council' of the program at first and would control the
assets made from the patents to fund the defense of Earth.  When foreign
governments become involved, a chair can be added for each when necessary while
the excess administrative chairs from the US side would be removed."
    While both men thought this was a good way to go, considering it would
severely limit the NID's fingers in the SGC and completely take away all access
to off world technology, they both had their doubts whether or not the powers
that be, especially those that the NID held the strings of, would go for it.
Having been summoned to Hammond's office, and seeing Jack seated, Harry thought
this meeting was about the proposal.  And his thoughts were immediately proven
to be correct.
    "Harry," Hammond began, as he motioned Harry into the other seat facing his
desk, "your proposal definitely ruffled a lot of feathers both at the Pentagon
and the White House."
    "Ironically, I bet a lot of those feathers were the NID stooges losing what
control they have of off-world technology, and not concerns for defending the
planet," Harry stated.  Jack nodded confirming Harry's comment while Hammond
frowned slightly.
    "Regardless," Hammond started, preventing Jack from making his own comment,
"it looks like at least the first part of your plan will be executed."
    Both Jack and Harry sat up straight in surprise.  Harry didn't think it
would be this easy.  He half expected he would have to dig up dirt on everyone
involved in the decision making process to get anything done.  While that
probably wouldn't be too hard, especially considering the 1200 doses of
veritaserum he had in his trunk, it was something he would rather avoid doing
if possible.
    "Considering the reports regarding the Orbanian's research prowess, in
addition to all of the technological aid they have provided, approval has been
given to set up a permanent embassy on their planet, and also to have a large
facility attached to the embassy for the development of the Eurondan's
technology.  It is hoped by many, that with the Orbanian's aid, the timetable
for seeing results would be greatly reduced," Hammond stated to the stunned
duo.
    "Second," Hammond continued, "NORAD will be moved to Peterson Air Force
Base and the SGC, will soon be able to expand into that facility and the ground
facilities surrounding the mountain, and should the need arise, remodel, should
the budget allow it.  Finally, the SGC will, as of the end of the week, be
taking over responsibility for all operations at Area 51.  Due to the lapses in
security that have taken place, and the unreliability of the NID, no one could
reasonably support their staying in charge of Area 51 without raising many
questions as to why they supported the NID.  That last bit is to remain
classified until after the takeover, no need to give the NID a reason to try
and clean the place out."
    Harry snorted for a minute thinking about the paper pusher's penchant for
watching their own ass.  "That's great news General," Harry congratulated the
man.  Harry had no doubt that the main reason the first part of his proposal
was executed was because Hammond had done everything he could to ensure it
happened.  Rumor had it he even asked the Asgard, Tollan, Tok'ra and Orbanians
to support the proposal, hoping that a united front presented by Earth's
strongest allies and protectors, would knock some sense into the higher ups.
    "Don't start celebrating yet," began the General.  "The funds needed for
all of this still needs to be allocated, and a reason for NORAD being moved,
let alone the funds to move it need to be allocated."
    After hearing that, Harry had a thought.  He had enough gold to physically
build a battleship out of, and while the bank gave him a decent rate, why not
try to work something out so that a cause he believed in benefited, and the
bank manager stopped giving him strange looks for bringing in bars of gold to
sell.
    "About that General," Harry began.  Both Jack and Hammond turned their
focus towards him, wondering what he was going to try to pull now.  Considering
the audacity of the proposal he submitted to the General, President and the
Joint Chiefs, this could be anything.  While the proposal made a lot of sense,
many people of influence would not want it to happen.  Now here Harry was, idly
commenting that he might have a solution to their immediate budgeting problem.
    "As you both know, I planned on my little trip here, and as such brought
with me some resources to get my life started," Harry started.  Jack snorted at
this earning a glare from the General.  Jack had seen the 500 acre property
about 10 minutes away from the mountain that Harry had bought since after
hearing about the lake front wanted to scope out a place for a fishing dock.
And he also knew about both the recently finished Aston, and the now in
progress Ferrari rebuild.  Fixing those up weren't cheap, and considering
Harry's penchant for understatement, some resources were probably quite
considerable.
    "My family was an old one, consequently they were rather wealthy.  Due to
the war, I inherited more wealth, and besides leaving some things to some
friends of mine before I left, I converted that wealth from property and
investments into easily traded commodities," Harry stated.  Hammond was
beginning to understand but Jack was still waiting for Harry to get to the
point.  Deciding to not beat around the bush, Harry stated, "I brought with me
a lot of gold, both in bars and in coins, and some platinum, in bars, so I
could set up a good life without having to worry about money.  If we could work
out a way for the government to help me convert some of these commodities into
currency, the SGC could take a percentage as a transaction fee."
    "How much are we talking about here Harry?" Hammond asked, since Jack still
looked like he was trying to catch flies with his mouth.
    "Several thousand tons of each metal, plus a few billion gold coins that
have an ounce of gold per coin," Harry responded casually.
    Hammond's mouth immediately went dry.  The young man in front of him had
enough gold and platinum in that trunk around his neck to buy a country with,
and he wanted to work at the SGC.  He not only wanted to work here, he wanted
to use that wealth as a means of aiding in the protection of this planet.
    "I was thinking if we could get the President's ok, or maybe the secretary
of the Treasury, instead of selling the gold through a bank a few bars at a
time like I have been, I can sell directly to the government in bulker
transactions, with the SGC taking 20% as a transaction fee or something.  In
theory, you could use this money to hold you over until money from selling your
excess power production or patent money starts coming in," Harry finished with
a smirk.
    Jack shared Harry's smirk by the time the young man finished speaking, and
General Hammond looked thoughtful.  "I will take the idea to the president,"
Hammond said thoughtfully, before he continued, "Regardless, I thought I would
give you a heads up, until Area 51 is fully in our control, and it's security
revaluated, the study of the Eurondan database will take place primarily on
Orban, and in some labs that are being set up in some of our spare storage
rooms.  While space might be a little tight for the time being here, we'll just
have to get by until things are fully set up."
    "Thank you for the heads up General," Harry stated.  "I'm looking forward
to studying the database.  I wouldn't be too worried about space for the
moment, since I'm sure it is going to be a bit of time before we actually start
trying to build anything big from the database.  I'm really hoping we will find
some interesting technologies that will aid us in ship design or construction."
    General Hammond nodded at Harry's statement, and smiled slightly at the
young man's enthusiasm while Jack looked like he wanted to put an end to
Harry's babble.
    "Well then, we'll let you get back to it Harry.  Keep up the good work, and
I'll let you know about the questions you posed regarding military service
soon.  Considering your service since you have arrived, it shouldn't be too
hard in setting up a few out clauses in your contract.  Anyway, keep up the
good work," the General concluded.
    "And don't forget to have a life," Jack threw in.
    "Thanks General, and don't worry Jack, I'll have a life.  How could I not
when I still have those few university requirements to finish?"
    Seeing the Colonel's sudden smirk Harry realized his mistake too late.
"Yeah, so how are those PE classes going so far?" Jack asked with a smirk.  The
General looked curious about the question since he clearly saw there was some
kind of joke that he was missing.
    "They are going fine," Harry bit out.  He couldn't believe the College had
a PE requirement, and in an effort to minimize the time commitment to the
requirement he had signed up for a weekly dance class.  Telling Daniel about
having to go to the class was Harry's first mistake, since Jack immediately
pounced on him when he found out.
    "Sprained ankle no longer bothering you?  How did that happen again?  Was
it Ali, Abby, Amanda..." Jack trailed off with a smirk.
    Pulling himself together, standing up straight and proud Harry responded,
"No Jack, the ankle's fine now thanks, and Ashley is doing well, despite her
issues with Salsa, now if you will excuse me gentlemen, I have research to get
back to."  Turning and leaving, Harry was almost out of earshot when he heard
the General's laugh.  No doubt, Jack just shared the story of his most recent
dance class, and Ashley, the girl in the class that seemed to be very
interested in Harry.
    While Harry thought she was a beautiful girl, he didn't really see himself
ever dating her since they had practically nothing in common except for their
common dance class.  Daniel and Jack however, thought dating the girl was a
great idea.  Shaking his head as he made his way toward the elevator, Harry
thought, -I need both the brains and the beauty.-

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Major Carter's Lab, Level 19*-

    Walking in to Major Carter's lab, Harry was surprised to hear the sound of
typing since the lab was dark.  After turning on the lights Harry immediately
spotted Sam from her outraged yell.
    "Hey!  What did you do that for?"
    Harry was surprised by her outburst, and by the fact she was working in the
dark.  "Why were you working in the dark Sam?  Something light sensitive?"
Harry asked.
    "Oh, hi Harry.  No, nothing like that.  I just don't need the lights
anymore because of the armband," Sam responded, before she went back to
furiously typing on her computer.
    Harry couldn't believe that SG-1, minus Teal'c, would agree to be guinea
pigs like they did.  Yeah, it's easy to be tempted by power, but the risks
associated with any kind of human experimentation were never small, especially
when you are directly influencing the human body.  The fact that they all just
jumped onto the band wagon slightly disappointed Harry.  Especially considering
the inscriptions Daniel had translated from the back of the arm bands.  `With
great power comes great responsibility and greater consequences.'  If that
inscription didn't sound ominous, and unhealthy for the wielder, Harry didn't
know what did.
    "Just be careful with that thing Sam, and remember to keep your mind
focused on your morals," Harry stated.  At Sam's curious look, Harry
elaborated.  "If you have power, whether physical, political or financial, it's
too easy to abuse if you aren't careful.  Anyway, here are your books back, do
you have the next three you mentioned?"
    Receiving a thoughtful nod toward the bookcase, Harry made his way over,
replaced the books he borrowed before picking up the ones Sam had indicated.
"Thanks, and please, for my sake at least, be careful with that thing.
Remember the human body is only able to handle so much..."  Harry left on that
note, worried what might happen to his friends.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Commissary*-

    Harry made his way through the crowded commissary after getting his meal trying to find an open space.  The place sure was getting busier.  Several scientists and Orbanians, including Harry, were working on transferring the information on the Eurondan storage cylinder onto a computer the group developed that while utilizing the more efficient crystal technology for storage and processing, still could interface with earth based equipment.
    That combined with the upcoming base expansion, definitely made things more interesting on base recently.  Several weeks had passed since the armband incident.  Sam had definitely been a little sheepish after things returned back to normal.  It probably disturbed her how Harry's comments about addictive power proved true in the end.  Fortunately, no permanent damage was done that anyone could detect.  Well, except for Apophis' new prototype battleship that was destroyed, and for the three being banned from O'Malley's.  Harry definitely took some pleasure in rubbing that fact into Jack's face as a form of revenge for his dancing comments.  Maybe after the owner had some time to cool down, Harry would try to reason with the man since they didn't technically start the fight, but Harry wanted Jack to sweat it out a bit.
    Spotting a seat across from Major Graham of SG-12, Harry sat down with the man and his team.
    "Major, heard you guys are accompanying SG-1 to Vorash for the Tok'ra Earth treaty talks, you looking forward to it?" Harry asked, after seating himself and greeting the rest of the man's team.
    Harry knew many of the active team members, and got on well with most of them as well.  Harry had no doubt that it was because of his aid in preventing the foothold situation a while back, and for obtaining that Eurondan storage cylinder.  That combined with SG-1's friendship garnered a lot of respect.  Harry hoped it would also ensure no big protests were raised by a team leader if Harry was sent to support a team in the field due to some scientific or archeological discovery.
    "Harry, yeah, it should be interesting.  From what I hear we'll be meeting with many significant members of the High Council." Major Graham stated.  Harry paused as he was raising his fork toward his mouth.  He had been staring at the Major when he was talking since he always thought it was polite to look at a person when they were addressing him.  But this also lead to Harry picking up a very strange ping in his passive legilimency.  Wondering why he was picking up such strange readings, Harry decided to press the subject a bit.
    "You looking forward to it?  I know many personnel are not the biggest fans of the Tok'ra, which isn't surprising considering their don't call us, we'll call you philosophy." Harry commented, paying careful attention to the man's answer this time.
    Barely listening as the man prattled on about the honor of being a part of such proceedings, Harry immediately began to pick up a lot of very strange signals.  It was like the man was lying, but he wasn't.  For some reason his conscious and subconscious were completely contradicting themselves.  Worried about what this might mean, Harry decided he needed to think about it.  Harry looked down at his watch and made what he hoped was a very surprised face before he said a quick "Crap, I'm late" and quickly excused himself from the table.
    After leaving the commissary, Harry decided there was only one person he could really talk to about this.  So, wondering how in the world he was going to start that conversation, he made his way down toward the general's office.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Gate room*-

    Harry was proud to be standing here during this memorable occasion.  Earth
was about to formalize it's treaty with the Tok'ra.  Despite the rough patches
in making it to this point, it was going to happen.  It turned out that Major
Graham and his teammates had all been captured and programmed by a Goa'uld to
assassinate several high ranking Tok'ra and several Tok'ra had been programmed
to assassinate the President of the United States.
    Luckily, the plot was uncovered.  After noticing the conflicts in Major
Graham's mind, Harry and General Hammond decided it was best that they contact
the Tok'ra to see if they knew of such mind altering technology.  At Harry's
suggestion, they also contacted the Asgard, since sending assassins to Earth
was technically against the treaty.  It ended up being Anise of all the Tok'ra
who had a theory regarding the technology involved, and it was Hemidoll, an
Asgard researcher that Thor sent, who was able to develop a method of
programming detection and removal of the Goa'uld programming.  Luckily for both
Earth and the Tok'ra, the Asgard gifted two detection and deprogramming devices
to both peoples, to prevent such infiltration in the future.
    Now here he was, standing in a room about to witness what he hoped to be
the first of many fruitful alliances between Earth and its allies.  Harry
missed out on witnessing the Orbanian treaty signing, but believed he would
make it when the treaty was expanded on in the coming months, should they all
keep getting along as well as they have been.
    Because of his aid in uncovering the plot, Hammond was able to get Harry a
prime standing position for witnessing the treaty, something Harry was happy
for.  While he would never be a fan of participating in a dog and pony show, he
agreed with Daniel that witnessing ground breaking events was always
interesting.  Standing in between Colonel O'Neill and Martouf of the Tok'ra,
Harry would have a great view.
    As an aid came in and announced the arrival of the President, Harry, like
everyone else turned towards the door.  As a man surrounded by four secret
service agents entered the room, Harry noticed a quick movement on his left
side.  Seeing what looked like a weapon appear in Martouf's hand Harry acted
quickly by jumping on the man and trying to get into a position to stun him
without it being too obvious.
    As an energy bolt from the weapon seared through his right side and hit the
ceiling, everyone broke into motion around the struggling pair as Harry began
to squeeze the man's neck hoping that appearing to suffocate him would prevent
anyone from being suspicious when Martouf was knocked unconscious.  Feeling a
body fly over his back toward his right side, Harry quickly saw that Jack and
Teal'c were both holding down the hand with the weapon, making sure it stayed
pointed toward an empty wall.
    After concentrating for a few seconds and channeling a stunning energy into
his hand, Martouf finally went slack.  Rolling off the now limp man, Harry
immediately noticed the sharp burning feeling in his right side.  Harry looked
at Janet, who had just arrived at his side and was now barking out orders
before he turned back to look at Jack who had just past off Martouf's
unconscious body to security before he said, "Well, I hope I won't be stuck in
the infirmary too long.  Is she really that much of a Napoleonic power monger
or were you just trying to scare me?"  Harry briefly saw Jack's face whiten as
Janet shot Jack a look that promised extra dull needles during his next
physical before feeling a pinch in his arm and seeing the world darken around
him.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Infirmary*-

    -Jello,- Harry thought to himself.  He had not 5 days ago, prevented the
assassination of the President of the United States, and he was stuck with
Jello.  As Janet walked by his bed, Harry quickly changed his thoughts.  Harry
swore that Napoleonic power monger could read minds or something, that or she
had the hearing of a bat and nose of a bloodhound because every time he even
contemplated escape, received real food from the outside or even tried to leave
his bed, she would be there with those strict eyes and that straight lipped
smile.  Voldemort had nothing on her in the stare department.
    Despite being bored out of his skull, Harry was looking forward to finally
being released this afternoon.  The wound ended up being fairly serious
considering it punched a clean hole in his right side.  He was lucky that no
organs were seriously damaged and that his magic accelerated the healing.  It
would be nice getting back to work, especially after this prison stay, -medical
stay-, Harry quickly corrected himself as he saw the Doc walk by again giving
him a look that said she knew exactly what he was thinking.  Harry fought the
urge to shiver under that gaze.
    Having heard someone walk into the room, Harry smiled when he turned and
saw it was Sam.  "Please tell me you have come here to spring me?" Harry
begged.
    "You're out of luck.  Daniel said he would be by in a couple of hours to
drive you home, I just wanted to see how you were doing and drop off some of
the latest research," Sam said as she held up a laptop bag.
    Harry's eyes lit up at the sight of the bag.  They had finally cracked the
coding on the Eurondan information storage device and were starting to retrieve
data.  While a system had been set up that prevented any of the data from being
taken from the lab, other than the copy shipped to the research team on Orban,
Sam had worked out a secure way for Harry to be able to read through some of it
on a special laptop she had rigged up until he could make it back to the labs.
The laptop couldn't do anything but read data, and if it was ever started out
of range of a terminal in Sam's office, or the wrong password was entered into
the thing twice in a row, the hard drive in the thing would melt.
    While many at the SGC thought such precautions were a little overboard,
considering the sticky fingers of many in the NID, and the lengths they would
go to obtain what they want, both Harry and Sam thought advertising the fact
that smuggling the information out was impossible could prevent them trying to
force any of their fellows in the SGC from trying.
    "Thank goodness, I've been dying of boredom in here," Harry responded.  "So
how is Martouf, I understand he was pretty distraught after he was
deprogrammed?"
    "He's doing fine.  He like everyone else was more upset that someone was
able to violate their mind in such a way.  He was further disturbed that he was
able to slip by without detection by staying close to Anise since such behavior
indicates some real sophistication in the programming.  I don't think anyone
likes the idea of not being able to control their actions," Sam stated.
    "Tell me about it," Harry said.  At Sam's look Harry continued, "In my old
world, methods existed to take over another's free will.  It was one of the
reasons the war was so messy in my world.  It made information security very
difficult.  While some could resist or throw off the control naturally, that
was unfortunately the exception and not the rule.  One person could be an ally
one day, and the next be an unwilling enemy."
    "I can imagine," Sam responded, understanding Harry was talking about magic
without voicing the word.  "So, I hear you received a call from the President,"
Sam started with a teasing smile.
    Harry smiled back.  "Yeah, President Bartlett is a pretty nice bloke, and
sharp as a tack, that one is.  Invited me over for dinner as a thank you when I
get better.  Mentioned something about a family chili recipe and that he had a
daughter about my age that he thought I might get along with," Harry finished
with a rather sheepish expression.
    Sam chuckled having expected that answer.  Janet had told her about the
call during lunch the day before.  Apparently Harry was a little red cheeked
about the whole thing, and grumbled something about fathers pushing him toward
their daughters after saving their life.  Hearing about that under breath
comment made Sam wonder just how many lives Harry had saved in his old
universe.
    Yeah, he mentioned being in a war, even mentioned being a leader and
figurehead to an entire side of the war.  But it was hard to imagine the happy
go lucky kid, who enjoyed getting a rise out of Janet and Cassie, giving Daniel
a hard time and allowed an owl to mother hen him as anything but Harry the
smart and witty kid.  Other than that first briefing, he never talked about
what happened in his old world.  While his silence made her slightly curious,
she also was beginning to understand.  There were just some things that you
rarely talked about if you were a soldier, since the chances of anyone really
understanding were slim.  She had that with her Jolinar experience, Harry
apparently had that with his time in his previous world.
    As she shook off the thought, she gave Harry a sly wink before she joked,
"Just make sure you don't break any hearts, if you end up picking the Air Force
in a few months, he could always have you assigned to Antarctica if you break
her heart."  As Harry chuckled at her comment, she gave him a quick hug.  "Get
better, both Dr. Lee and Siler have been moaning about being behind because
they no longer have you around to assist with everything."
    "What can I say?" Harry joked.  "I'm a helpful guy..." Harry began before a
mock frown appeared on his face, "that or they just want to start up on the car
again," he finished.
    Sam laughed before giving a final wave and leaving the infirmary.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, The Briefing Room*-

    Harry walked into the briefing room as requested, and was asked by the
General to take a seat next to Daniel.  Harry was very happy being back at
work, and by the look of things, he would soon be making another trip through
the gate.  Hammond nodded to Carter to start the briefing.
    "Two weeks ago, SG-15 took these images of solar activities on P4X-639.
Analysis of the data indicates a steady increase in intensity.  Now, if I'm
right, the explosions are just a precursor of an even greater violent ejection.
This ejection could be a massive coronal mass emission.  The data gathered from
such an event could prove useful should our own sun experience such an event in
the future.  I would like to set up a series of observation equipment to gather
the data since radiation levels caused by the event could become too dangerous
for a manned observation point.
    "In addition to setting up the equipment, Daniel wants to take a closer
look at the ancient writing surrounding the site of the stargate.  From initial
analysis, it appears to be the written language of the race that built the
stargate."
    Hammond looked briefly at SG-1, then gave his ok.  "You have a go SG-1, and
I'd like to send Harry along with you to help with setting up the observation
equipment.  Due to the radiological concerns you noted in the briefing notes, I
want you in and out as quickly as possible.  You leave in 2 hours," Hammond
stated while getting up from the table dismissing them as the base alarm
signaling an off world gate activation sounded.
    "Yes sir," Jack responded, before turning to the team.  "Ok, boys and
girls, let's go saddle up."

===============================================================================

-*P4X-639*-

    While Daniel spent his time around the ancient alter, and Jack sat around, Teal'c, Sam and Harry set up numerous weather, astronomical and radiological monitoring devices around the area of the stargate.  "Is it supposed to be doing that?" Jack asked as he looked at the sun through a set of special glasses.
    "It's a coronal mass emission.  Like a giant solar flare." Sam replied slightly annoyed at Jack asking that question for the 4th time.
    "But it's safe, right?" Jack questioned wearily.
    "That's what this equipment is designed to find out.  Apart from disrupting the planet's magnetic field, it might cause a significant increase in surface radiation" Sam replied.
    Harry almost snorted at Sam's reply and Jack's wide eyed look.  Harry knew that Sam was keeping a sharp eye on the radiation monitors to ensure they left before things got too hot, she even asked him to keep an eye on a separate set of monitors as a backup.  Consequently, Sam's reply to Jack was nothing more than a dig to get him to help with the work instead of sitting around.
    "But it's safe right?" Jack again asked.
    Harry quietly chuckled at Sam's reply of "As long as we don't stay here too long, yes sir."
    "Anyone want to explain that to Daniel?" Jack said, as he waved in the general direction of the Ancient alter fifty meters away from the stargate.
    "He knows Jack, which is why I'm here helping Sam set up instead of their helping Daniel obtain more sketchings.  This is more time sensitive." Harry stated.
    "Sass" Jack started, "That was sass I detected in your voice there.  Well, then, you better watch out about that sass after you join the Air Force, it can get you into a lot of trouble"
    Harry just gave Jack a long and penetrating look, then slowly intoned, "Really?  You know by experience, right?" Harry questioned, just as Sam stood up from the last sensor that needed to be set up.
    "All set up, Sir."
    "Good, lets hit it." Jack replied, as he called Daniel over the radio.  "Daniel!  Let's go home." After waiting for a response, the team started to hear the hum of building electricity so they made their way across the platform towards the alter.  "Daniel!" Jack tried again, just as all of a sudden the Stargate opened behind them, causing all four of them to duck to avoid the vortex.  Having seen that something was obviously wrong they all began running toward the alter.
    Jack, having seen the alien archeologist that Daniel was chatting with doing something at the alter started to shout at him.  "Are you doing this!"
    It was as they made their way into the alter clearing that Sam saw Daniel lying on the ground unconscious.  Sam went to check on him while Teal'c, Jack and Harry rushed towards the alter to secure the possible threat when the archeologist yelled "Stay back!"
    It was at that moment that four beams of energy were emitted from stone columns around the alter clearing.  They came together at the center of the Alter, seeming to connect with all 4 men who were struggling there.  The last thing Harry heard before seeing a flash of white light was Sam yelling "Colonel!"
    He was in the shower, and he had soap in his eyes, again.  Harry paused in his eye scrubbing, as he tried to figure out how he just got here.  He had been on another planet one second ago, now he was in the shower, and considering the stinging coming from his eyes, he was back in the shower he took this morning after his morning workout.  "Time travel" Harry moaned out loud quietly as he banged his head on the tile wall a couple of times softly.  "I hate time travel."
    "Alright in there Harry?" Bill Lee shouted from outside, having heard him say something.  Harry had convinced Bill Lee to get in better shape and learn some basic weapon handling and self defense since the man would no doubt end up off world at some point in the future, and Harry had no desire to see the man die because he couldn't make it back to the stargate at a run.  Bill, having read many of the mission reports that came along with the devices he studied, reluctantly agreed with his young friend and bowed to Harry and Siler's pressure, and now came into work an hour early for a morning workout.
    "Yeah Bill, just got soap in my eye.  I'll meet you in the commissary." Harry replied to the scientist.
    "Right o, Harry.  See you down there." Lee said, before Harry heard the door to the shower room open and close, indicating the man left the room.
    -Now it's time to figure out what the hell is going on, and if I'm the only one affected.  I'd lay odds that Jack, Teal'c and that Mali what's his name guy are affected as well.- Harry thought to himself, as he rinsed the last of the soap from his eyes and body, turned off the shower and dried himself off.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing room*-

    Harry walked into the briefing room and immediately sensed the deja vu.  Everything appeared the same, even the picture Sam had on the presentation screen.  The only difference Harry could see was something he expected.  Both Jack and Teal'c wore expressions that could be described as confusion.  Well, Jack's could be described as confused, while Teal'c's slightly raised eyebrow and focused gaze as he evaluated the details around him indicated he thought something strange might be going on.  As Harry sat down in the chair next to Daniel, Sam once again began her presentation.
    "Two weeks ago, SG-15 took these images of solar activities on P4X-639.  Analysis of the data indicates a steady increase in intensity.  Now, if I'm right, the explosions are just a precursor from an even greater violent ejection."
    At this point Jack looked around at everyone carefully, going so far as to fully turn around and look at Teal'c to make sure he wasn't the only one confused here.
    "Major Carter.  Have we not previously been briefed concerning this matter?" Teal'c asked.
    "I was just gonna say that!" Jack piped in.
    Responding to Sam's questioning "Sir," Jack continued, "You wanna go to the planet to set up some kind of remote observatory."
    "Yes" Sam replied looking slightly confused.
    "We just did that." Jack said, as if the matter was settled.
    "No we didn't." Daniel responded.
    "I believe we did, Daniel Jackson" Teal'c concluded.
    "No Teal'c." General Hammond started, "That's what this briefing is about."
    Jack looked at everyone seated at the table carefully before he continued, "I distinctly remember sitting here listening to Carter prattle on about solar activity and a....corona something..." Jack trailed off.
    Sam, understanding what the Colonel was trying to say finished his sentence.  "Coronal Mass Emission.  I was just about to bring it up."
    "There you go." Jack stated in triumph.  "How would I know that?"
    "Maybe you read my report?" Sam questioned.
    Harry barely held in his snort at that statement, but Daniel's sarcastic response, of "Maybe he read your report?" along with raised eyebrows, and said report held up, caused Harry to let loose a rather loud snort.
    Seeing that everyone was focused on him, Harry spoke up.  "It appears that the alter on 639 was a control interface for some kind of temporal device that involved the use of a stargate.  The alien archaeologist that was present at the sight started up the device after incapacitating Daniel, and when Jack, Teal'c and I went to restrain the man, we were all caught in this bright energy beam.  I'm not sure about Jack or Teal'c but the next thing I remember is being back here on base." Harry finished, not really wanting to talk about finding himself in the shower in a briefing.
    Jack and Teal'c nodded at Harry's statement, having experienced something similar, but Daniel, Sam and General Hammond just looked at the three with confusion.  At that moment the alarms sound for an unscheduled off world activation.
    "That will be SG-12" Jack stated.
    "But there not due back for days?" Hammond stated, while getting up to make his way down to the control room.
    After Harry and SG-1 followed the man downstairs, and the technician indicated that it was SG-12's identification code, Teal'c commented, "One of them will be injured."
    Sure enough, the four men came through the gate, with one being supported by his team mate, clearly injured.  Hammond, Sam and Daniel just turned to look at the three in shock.
    "I told you, temporal device." Harry stated.  "Not sure what the point is going back around 10 hours, and it's not like there are two of us around, we all ended up in our bodies in the past with those 10 hours worth of memories, but here we are." Harry concluded.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Eurondan Technology Research Core room*-

    Harry was finally starting to become board.  He had lost count of the number of times the time loop had occurred.  Everyone had hoped that despite the jump back in time, things would go back to normal, however, that was not to be.  At the precise time the machine was engaged, a wormhole, followed by a strange electric discharged occurred before they were back at the beginning again.  Nothing seemed to stop it.  They tried to dial out before the reset occurred, and it didn't work.  They also realized that the loop had cut them off from the majority of the galaxy.
    After a while, Jack, Harry and Teal'c set to work at translating the writings on and around the device in the hopes that once they understood it, they would be able to shut it down.  Despite everyone else's insistence that they work on nothing else but fixing the loop, Harry had firmly stated that such single minded focus would likely lead to insanity fairly quickly for the trio, so they had instituted a three to one system.  After every three work loops they would take one loop off.
    Harry had already finished his part of the translation.  And while he was planning on helping out Jack and Teal'c with theirs, he really wanted to spend more time with the Eurondan data.  He now understood the basics of their technology.  He could probably even build one of their cold fusion reactors, energy field generators, or anti-gravity devices.  But as he was making his way through their energy weapons technology, Harry was starting to hit some road blocks and felt a little stir crazy.
    Sure, he had easily grasped the concepts of the smaller hand held devices, now he was trying to figure out how to convert it into a suitable capital ship born version.  Their technology was surprisingly refined.  Yes it was very similar to what little he had learned about Goa'uld plasma weaponry, however, the Eurondan tech was more efficient, more focused.  Instead of the muddled Yellow plasma bolts that even Goa'uld mother ships discharge, the Eurondan version would appear to be pure white light, visually indicating that it packed a much greater punch due to its more highly concentrated and more pure nature.  This was a result of the efficiency and slight phase variance used in the Eurondan technology.  However, because they had never built any ships for interstellar travel, they had never had the desire to scale up their energy weapons to such a degree.  This made the design of ship and ground mounted anti-capital ship weaponry based on these principles rather difficult, especially considering the higher energy yields both the buffers and emitters would have to support.  The Eurondans didn't have the need to invent emitters and buffers that would be able to handle that much power.  Consequently, Harry had run into a slight road block in what he called his 'personal loop project.'
    Harry wanted to start designing the major systems needed for an earth made starship.  It was a project he, Bill Lee and Siler had begun after seeing the utter rubbish the people at Area 51 were putting together.  Whoever allowed that wing commander nut to design the x 303 needed to be sacked, and while the x302 plans were ambitious and more interesting, the fighter still looked like it was camel, i.e.  horse designed by a committee, a plane designed for too many purposes.  Which meant it would probably not do anything too well.
    With some Orbanian friends they had made, Dr. Lee, Siler and Harry were planning on putting forth their own designs, and Harry hoped that his head start on learning so much Eurondan tech would provide his design team with an advantage in what some of the engineers SGC and Area 51 engineers had called the next great space race.
    Harry knew that Jack and Teal'c both had projects of their own.  He had no idea what Teal'c's was but knew Jack had begun to throw pottery.  Not actually throw pieces of pottery, but make them with a throwing wheel.  From some of the samples Harry had seen a few loops ago, the man was becoming quite good.
    Getting fed up, and wanting a break, Harry made his way toward Daniel's lab, knowing Jack and Teal'c were still there trying to finish and memorize their parts of the translation.  -That's one upside to this mess- Harry thought, -All three of us have become rather good at reading and understanding Ancient-.
    As he walked into the lab, Harry almost snorted when he saw Jack banging his head against a book on Daniel's table while Teal'c was writing on a chalk board.
    Harry took a seat on a stool next to Jack and exchanged a quick nod with Daniel, before he asked, "So how are you guys making out?  Almost finished?"
    Daniel's response of "We are making tremendous progress" was overshadowed by Jack's statement that "I have just entered the third level of hell."
    Teal'c only paused his writing for a second to raise an eyebrow at the three men before he turned back to the board to continue.  As Daniel furiously wrote in his notes about the parts that Teal'c was translating.
    Daniel, seeing Jack's expression as he leant back and rubbed his eyes just had to ask, "Exactly how many of these loops have you...we...been through?"
    Harry stayed quiet actually trying to remember how many while Jack groaned out, "I've lost track."
    "That must be frustrating." Daniel stated, drawing irritated looks from both Harry and Jack as Teal'c kept on writing on the board.
    "Uh... YEAH!" Jack stated sarcastically.
    "On the other hand, it's kind of an opportunity." Daniel responded, looking back to his notes.
    "How's that?" Jack asked, fed up.  It was clear to Harry that Jack was almost at his ropes end, even with the loops off, he might just start to lose it soon if they can't end the loop soon.
    Daniel continued to write in his notes as he absentmindedly replied.  "Well, think about it.  If you know in advance that everything will be going back to the way it was, then...you could do anything...for as long as you want without having to worry about consequences."
    This caused everyone to freeze in the room.  While Harry had viewed it as a way to get ahead in the unofficial ship design competition, he never quite thought about some of the more amusing things he could do without consequences.  By the look on Jack's face, he was beginning to realize that as well.
    All three loop trapped men looked at each other for a minute, before Jack and Harry stood up.
    "Excuse us." Jack and Harry said at the same time, wondering what kind of mischief they could get into without consequences to relieve some of the stress they both felt.
    By the sound of the heavy footfalls, Teal'c was not far behind them.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Hallway on level 26*-

    The sound of a bicycle bell ringing is the only warning several airman had to clear the way as a sweatpants and sweat shirt clad Colonel on a bicycle was chased down a corridor by a jean clad, blue jell-o covered and rollerblading Harry.
    "How's the wife Bert?" Jack asked, a startled Master Sergeant as he flew by on his bike.  The man Jack greeted went from confused to completely flummoxed when Harry whizzed by him in hot pursuit, covered in blue jell-o and carrying a whole cream pie shouting, "I'll get you back for that Jack, you can run but I'll always be able to find you!"

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Gate Room*-

    Harry, Teal'c and Jack were all clad in some rather outrageous classic
golfing gear.  Teal'c was just lining up his shot through the open stargate on
the artificial turf tee that they had placed down.  The three golf bags were
standing around them, along with several stunned security force airmen.
    "You know Colonel, this was a great idea.  Stargate Golf, who would have
thought," Harry commented as Teal'c prepared to take his swing.
    Nodding his head toward the artificial putting green they picked up with
the golf clubs and everything else, O'Neill responded, "The putting greens for
when we play back through was a great idea."
    Harry nodded at that, accepting the compliment for his contribution to
their version of Stargate Golf rules.  At that point Teal'c took his swing and
easily drove the golf ball through the open wormhole.  Whistling in
appreciation as he stepped forward to tee up his own ball, Jack commented,
"Nice shot, that ought to be playable.  How far is Aloris anyway?"
    Teal'c's stoic response of "Several trillion miles, O'Neill" brought about
another soft whistle, this time from Harry.
    "That has got to be some kind of record," stated Harry.

===============================================================================

-*Planet Aloris, in front of the gate*-

    "That was a great approach shot, Harry, if you're lucky you'll be able to
two putt," commented Jack as he looked at Harry's ball admiringly as it sat
right at the base of the Stargate.  Jack's ball was in some rough grass about
25 meters and slightly left of the gate.  Teal'c was sitting pretty about 15
meters behind Harry's ball, with a straight shot through the gate.
    "Shall we dial it up?" asked Harry as he approached the DHD.
    "Sounds good," Jack responded, as he tried to decide which club to use.
    Once the wormhole back to earth was established, O'Neill entered his GDO
code, before he talked into the radio.  "This is O'Neill, Teal'c and Harry,
clear the gate room, we'll be coming in a little hot," stated Jack, not wanting
to hit any of the men on the gate room floor with a golf ball.  After receiving
a strange sounding all clear message from the other side, Jack took his swing
and was able to make it through the gate, albeit it, bouncing the ball off of
the inside side of the gate.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Gate room*-

    Hammond, Major Carter and Daniel all arrived at the sound of the off world activation alarm.  When they saw SG-1s GDO code and heard O'Neill's voice over the radio, all three were astonished that they were off world in the first place, and Hammond was somewhat pissed.  Hearing that they were going to come in a little hot sounded a bit strange, but Hammond gave the ok to clear the gate room, idly wondering what those two pieces of green artificial turf were doing laid out, one in front of the ramp, the other just to the right of the end of the ramp.
    After the all clear was given to O'Neill, everyone was surprised to see a small white ball come through the Stargate.  It was just after the ball had bounced off of the ramp and settled not far from a small white whole on the right sided green turf did Hammond realize what that ball was.  The first golf ball was soon followed by a second, and then a third, before not 5 minutes after the wormhole was initiated, first Jack, then Teal'c and finally Harry walked through the stargate dressed in the stereotypical Scottish golfer's outfit, socks, pants, hats and all, carrying bags of golf clubs.
    Everyone in the control room was stunned speechless.  While the second two balls had settled on the green turf directly in front of the ramp, O'Neill immediately saw his ball about 5 feet from the cup.
    Putting down his bag and taking out his putter, O'Neill gave a nod of thanks at Harry's "Nice chip" before he stepped up to the ball to putt for what he considered birdie.  It was as he was taking his back swing for the putt that General Hammond finally came out of his stunned stupor.  "COLNEL O'NEILL!!!!  What in the hell are you doing!" the General shouted.
    If everyone was not already stunned by the pervious display of stargate golf, they were further stunned by O'Neill's response.  "IN THE MIDDLE OF MY BACKSWING!!!!  Come On, I'm putting for birdie here!"
    Standing by his ball, Harry couldn't help but snort at this situation.  He felt glad that in a little over an hour, things would start all over again.  Staring briefly at the stargate, and thinking about a movie he and Bill had seen a few weeks back, an idea suddenly came to mind that might just solve the ship reactor problem while helping with the main weapon problem... matrix's.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Control Room*-

    Another loop was coming to an end, and by the looks of things, considering Jack and Teal'c had finally finished their parts of the translation, this would be the last reset.  As he made his way into the control room, Harry was just in time to see Jack hand in a letter of resignation to Hammond as the off world activation signaled.  As Sam stepped up to them to ask why Jack was resigning, Jack took her into a passionate and deep kiss, dipping her over as he held her in an embrace.
    As the telltale flash of light, followed by being back in the shower took place again, Harry was surprised he felt a slight pang in his heart at the site of Sam and Jack.  Yes, Harry admired a lot of things about Sam, and thought she was beautiful, but she was also about 12 years older than he was.  He was 19 and she was 31.  Nothing would ever happen between them because of that, especially since Harry had finally made the decision to sign on to the Air Force in 6 months time when he received his degrees.  Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Harry quickly finished his shower and got ready for what he hoped would be the last loop.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    Harry walked into the briefing room and took a seat next to Sam as Daniel was getting his little briefing organized.  From the way O'Neill was staring at Sam, Harry didn't need legilimency to figure out what the Colonel was thinking.  Apparently, Sam noticed Jack's look.
    "What are you smiling at?" Sam asked, curious what was on the Colonel's mind.
    "Nothing" replied the still dazed Colonel.  Harry can't help but think that must have been one hell of a kiss if Jack was still moon eyed from it.
    Daniel, having finished getting his notes organized, began his briefing.  "With the help of Harry, Teal'c and..."here Daniel had a hard time believing what he was about to say, "Jack, I've managed to complete the translation.  As I originally suspected, P4X-639 was once a colony of the Ancients.  They thrived there for thousands of years until they were struck by some sort of unspecified cataclysm, perhaps a disease, but we'll never really know for sure.  In any case, facing certain destruction they built a time machine."
    "They were going to go back and change their history, to avoid their fate." stated Jack, surprising Daniel, Sam and General Hammond.
    "Right." Daniel continued, "but it didn't work.  Instead of sending a team of scientists back to the key moment in their history the device caused a short term continuous loop.  Just like the one we've been experiencing.  They experienced the same day dozens, perhaps hundreds of times trying to get the machine to work, but in the end they gave up.  They shut it down and let the end come." Daniel finished.
    "So the loop can be broken?" General Hammond asked, wanting to confirm what Daniel had insinuated.
    "There's a section of text on the alter that deals specifically with the geomagnetic storms that power the device.  Apparently they recur every fifty years which is why incidentally..."
    Jack, impatient with Daniel's lengthy explanation interrupted him at that point and stated, "Yes sir!  The loop can be broken."
    Daniel sighed, "I was getting to that.  When we activate the symbols on the altar in the right sequence I think we can shut it down."
    "Colonel have your team and Harry geared up and ready to embark in thirty minutes" Hammond ordered.
    Jack, excited to be finally ending the loop, jumped up at the order with an enthusiastic "Yes sir!"

===============================================================================

-*P4X-639*-

    As the group exited the stargate, Jack stated "the geomagnetic storms are building up.  We shouldn't stay long."
    At Sam's shocked look Jack shrugged his shoulders and said, "Lucky guess." Before walking toward the alter and yelling out for the alien archeologist.  "MALAKI!"
    "I don't see anyone sir." Carter said after she glanced around.
    "He's around." Harry stated, "If I were him, I would have guessed we'd be back, so odds are he's prepared."
    Jack gave a few hand signals, and the team paned out with their weapons raised.  As Teal'c approached the final archway before the altar he appeared to hit some form of a shield that flung him head over heels and onto his back, unconscious.
    "Teal'c!" Jack yelled, as they all converged on Teal'c, taking position around him facing outward while Sam knelt and checked him over.
    They all saw Malaki as he walked into the clearing from another side.  He took off his sunglasses, and spoke to them rather calmly, all things considered.
    "I'm sorry, but you've come to break the time loop and I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Malaki stated calmly.
    "Get away from that thing." Jack ordered firmly.  As Jack bent down to pick up a stone to throw at the barrier, Harry grabbed his arm to stop him.
    "Don't Jack, if you do that we'll just have to dodge a fast moving stone when its shot back at us." Harry stated.
    After getting a confirming nod from Carter, Jack put the stone down.
    "It looks like a variation of a Goa'uld force shield Colonel." commented Sam.
    "In fact it is Major." Malaki stated.  "I had to trade several rare artifacts for the field generator but it was well worth it." he finished before he seemed to go back to work on the altar.
    Daniel decided to try and talk some sense into the man and approached the force field.  "Malaki, we have to reset those controls or the loop is going to restart itself again."
    "I'm counting on it." Malaki said.  "I need more time.  Once I've correctly deciphered the symbols on the altar I will be able to master the time device."
    "Why?" Jack asked sarcastically, "So you can be the king of Groundhog Day?"
    Malaki looked insulted by the insinuation.  "You think I would do this for personal power?  She...You wouldn't understand."
    Jack, picking up on something pushed him to talk, "What happened?"
    "She died.  12 years ago.  When I found this place, and discovered it's true purpose, I dedicated myself to unlocking it's mysteries." Malaki concluded sadly.
    "So you can go back and save her?" asked a curious Sam.
    "No, that would be quite impossible." concluded Malaki, "she died from a congenital heart weakness.  Not even the ability to travel time could change that."
    "Then why are you doing this?" Jack asked, curious, but guessing the answer.
    "To be with her once more." stated the desperate man.
    Daniel took off his glasses and stared at the man sadly.  "Malaki, the device doesn't work.  It never did."
    "Never did?" the man responded, seeming to be insulted.  "You're living proof."
    "We finished translating the text on the ruins." Daniel stated to the surprised man.  "the ancients who built this place never got it to work.  They tried.  Over and over again, just like you, but in the end, they gave up.  Why do you think this place has been deserted so long?  They couldn't save themselves."
    "You're wrong!  There must be some other explanation.  I know I can make this work." argued the desperate man.
    "You can't." concluded Daniel sadly, "They proved it can't be done.  You're just going to go on like this forever, you'll be trapped.
    "Along with billions of innocent others." Teal'c stated, surprising the archeologist.
    Seeing that the man might start to see reason if he understood the consequences of what he has done, Harry explained, "this device activates 14 other stargates simultaneously, causing 14 other worlds to be stuck in this loop, living the same day over and over."
    Malaki faltered for a minute before once again he turned resolute.  "I uh...I didn't realize.  But it doesn't matter.  Once I'm able to input the correct time coordinates, the cycle will be broken."
    Jack, fed up now and knowing they were running out of time decided to be blunt, "The people who made that machine, are the same people who made the stargates, and they couldn't get the damn thing to work, and even if you could, just for the sake of arguing, you can't change what happened!"
    "I can touch her face again." Malaki stated firmly, "Talk with her.  Hear her laugh..."
    "Like you remember?" Jack asked?
    "Yes"
    "Then what" Jack asked.  "Listen to me, I know what it's like!" the Colonel firmly pleaded.
    Malaki seemed to be at the end of his rope.  "YOU CAN'T!" the man yelled
over the wind.
    "I LOST MY SON!!!" Jack yelled back, "I know!"
    Everyone in the group but Jack and Malaki looked down for a second, knowing
what a hard subject for Jack that will always be.  "And as much as I..."  Jack
paused, trying to gather himself, "I could never live that over again.  Could
you?"
    Jack's question seemed to finally reach Malaki, because the man was openly
shedding tears, and Harry barely heard his soft response.  "No."  Then the man
stepped up to the now moving buttons on the altar, and after adjusting a few,
and pressing a button on the side, the machine stopped working.
    Jack walked up to the man after he disengaged the force shield, and handed
Malaki the open picture of the man's wife, and said quietly, "It's time to let
her go." to which the man only nodded sadly.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, the Gate Room*-

    Walking back through the wormhole, with the loop broken brought a feeling of freedom to Harry that he would have had a hard time explaining.  Things would finally start moving forward again.
    Upon reaching the bottom of the ramp the team saw Hammond enter the room from the left side door.  "Well, if we're still here Colonel, I guess you were successful?" the General asked.
    Jack, glad to be free, but looking like he couldn't wait for the next day sarcastically responded, "Well, General, you know what they say, if at first you don't succeed, Try, try...try, try, try...ah try again!" the man finished as he rounded the door out of the room.
    Looking at the General that was staring at Jack's back, Harry threw in, "Well, considering the number of times we've lived this day over, I think Jack's really looking forward to a different day.  There are only so many things you can do to change things up when everything else remains the same..." Harry trailed off as he too left the room with Teal'c trailing behind him, leaving a thoughtful Daniel, Sam and General in his wake.


Chapter 8: Flights of Fancy

-*Stargate Command, General Hammond's Office*-

    -It had been a busy two months,- Harry thought as he walked across the
briefing room towards the General's office.  After the closing of the loop,
Harry had put what he'd worked on down on paper with the help of Dr. Lee, Siler
and 4 Orbanians, two Urrone, Melnik and Aven, and their minders Talon and
Sobias.  What they had come up with were three types of spacecraft.  A fighter
craft, a shuttle, and a mother ship class craft they were classing as a
destroyer/carrier hybrid.  It had been so much work getting just the basic
designs and possible capabilities down, that Harry was having trouble imagining
how long it would take to flesh out the plans even with a few dedicated design
teams and engineers.
    After presenting the basic designs, and minimum capabilities of the designs
at this point in time, the Joint Chiefs had jumped on the project like a
starving dog would pounce on a steak.  What really raised eyebrows, especially
on General Hammond's face, were the dimensions of the fighter, and the small
version of the shuttle.  Both were designed to have a flight configuration that
would allow them to fit through the stargate with about a foot of room on each
side.
    In the presentation of the plans for these two ships, Harry suggested that
a method of expanding the SGC's force projection potential, as well as the
SGC's capabilities to rapidly move resources, both human and material, a large
garage and a large hanger should have easy and fast access to the gate room.
The Army General that Harry knew had strong ties to the NID snorted at this
suggestion and asked derisively where he expected to get the space for that.
    Harry's reply had stunned the room.  "It would be rather easy especially
with the remodel and expansion planning in the works at the moment.  The
installation of a better door on the roof of the gate room and we can put the
hanger on any floor so long as its next to the silo that holds the stargate.
We could even build a large building over the silo to house aircraft.  The
Garage would be trickier, but doable.  We could build under level 28 with a
blast door/garage door situated below the control room as well as the necessary
retractable ramping system so that in theory vehicles can just roll up the ramp
from under the control room and through the gate quickly.  The engineering and
design of the ramping system needed would be tricky since you would want to
make sure when not in use it wouldn't impede normal stargate operations, but
the ability to quickly deploy vehicles, whether they be a modified tank for
ground support, ATVs for fast responses, trucks to move supplies or even an
armed medical evac, would be of incalculable worth to the SGC for a number of
reasons.  Other than the garage, all you would need to do really, is build a
couple of really heavy duty and large cargo elevators, which could also be used
for supplying the hanger and other areas of the SGC.  Additionally, should we
expand the gate room slightly we could even install some fixed mounts for some
of the longer ranged weapons in the military's inventory like cruise missiles
and whatnot.  While all of this might sound like some trouble, raising the
possibility of moving the SGC to another base, I think having the gate under a
mountain that can be easily sealed up provides some rather convenient failsafes
should the worst happen.  Also, the Orbanians, and maybe even the Tok'ra and
Tollan might be convinced to aid in some of the construction since we are after
all dedicated to the defense of all peaceful sentients in the galaxy."
    All of the members of the joint chiefs and the president's chief of staff
were all nodding as Harry finished, even the previously grumbling Army General.
General Hammond was clearly picturing the possibilities such a set up would
grant him.  Having suitably upgraded armored vehicles and air support could
have saved a lot of lives in the first 4 years of the program.  Furthermore,
just having the ability to fully scan a planet with a shuttle would greatly
enhance the recon and resource hunting aspect of the SGC, never mind the
stealth possibilities if they were able to crack Nirtti's cloaking technology
like they thought they could.
    Of course things would take quite a bit of time to build.  Even with the
Orbanian's help, and the limited assistance they were able to get from the
Tok'ra and Tollan, the garage alone and the gate room expansion were likely to
take around 9 months to get done.  They were even going to have to set up a
temporary control room and gate room during 4 months of the process.  But no
one was complaining, especially after everyone found out what they would have
access to after the remodel of the gate room level.  While going on missions
would still be dangerous, every field personnel would soon have the comfort of
being able to call in significant backup should the proverbial shit hit the
fan.
    The ships were another thing all together.  While the designs for the
majority of the systems was ongoing, and construction on the space frames for
the small shuttle and fighter prototype and prototype matrix reactors would
begin soon, significant modifications were needed to the drydock they were
already in the middle of constructing for the original X-303 prototype.  Using
some of the income from the SGC's electricity earnings from sales to the state
power grid, plans for the dry dock were expanded from the single ship dock to a
massive 5 ship construction facility.  Since the new designs called for a much
larger ship, the new dimensions of the underground facility would end up being
over a staggering 600 meters by 1600 meters with a depth of about 400 meters.
    The last version of the plans for the construction facilities Harry had
seen earlier in the week consisted of 5 500 meter long, 280 meter wide and 380
meter deep ship berths, each surrounded by over 100 underground stories of
labs, machine shops, foundries, fabrication facilities, living quarters and
barracks.  The facility, located in the southern Utah desert, would also house
the second Stargate, set up in its own gate room, still buried but ready to go
should something happen with the SGC gate and for use to facilitate the easy
transfer of Naquadah and Trinium from off world.  From what Harry had seen, the
above ground facilities, other than the large camouflaged doors to the ship
berths would consist of several massive warehouses, a couple of very large
hangers, a runway, and an average sized office and lab park along with a normal
2 story parking structure, that actually descended about 50 stories.  Other
than the car park, the rest of the buildings already existed on the disused NID
base that had been turned over for the project.
    Harry thought that it was kind of ironic that they were using the location
the NID used for their illegal gate operations for the construction of Earth's
first starships, but Jack thought it was more along the lines of poetic justice
instead of irony especially since the ships were being built and would be under
the command of the SGC instead of the NID.
    Having just knocked on the General's door, Harry entered when he heard the
brisk order to enter.  General Hammond was sitting behind his desk when Harry
entered, and upon looking closer, Harry could see that the General looked both
tired and stressed.
    "Harry, thank you for coming down so quickly, I know you are kept pretty
busy right now considering all of the details that are being fleshed out with
regards to both the X project, the SGC remodel and project Prometheus," started
the General.
    Project Prometheus was the codename that had been assigned to the
construction of the shipyard facilities.  It was also the likely name of
Earth's first ship.  While he thought it was rather a fitting name considering
the mythological references, Harry agreed with Jack that Earth really needed a
ship baring the name Enterprise.  Considering Harry's understanding of the
advanced technologies earth had acquired, both due to his extremely high
intelligence and eidetic memory, and his extra time studying during the time
loop, Harry had been spending all of his time drawing up designs and schematics
he had come up with, and teaching others what he knew so they could understand,
and maybe improve on what he had already thought up.  Ironically, other than
Siler, Sam and Dr. Lee, the people Harry worked with best and enjoyed teaching
the most were the Orbanians, or more specifically his four closest Orbanian
friends, Melnik, Aven, Talon and Sobias.
    "It was no problem General.  Things have been busy, but they are going
well.  Other than some naming issues, everything is going almost too smoothly
for my liking," Harry replied.
    The General, having read the daily reports on their progress knew things
were getting done much faster than the higher ups expected.  While they were
still at least two years away from their first completed destroyer, and that
was with starting construction of many of the smaller internal systems while
the construction facilities were still being finished, it was now beginning to
look like prototypes for the fighter and small gate shuttle would be completed
in between 8 and 10 months.  The larger cargo ship that was being planned was
targeted for completion in about 20 months since while rather large at 300
meters in length, with a width and height of 150 meters, it was not nearly as
complicated to build considering the interior only consisted of several large
cargo bays, control room, engineering compartment and a small crew area.
    The General knew that many of the higher ups originally didn't understand
the need for and therefore didn't want to build the larger cargo ship, but
Harry had been pretty convincing when he argued for it.  Logistics was the
secret to the success of any war.  Hammond had always known that, as any
general should.  It was slightly disconcerting for all of the senior Generals
to have a 19 year old kid point that out to you, and then list all of the
logistical needs such a cargo ship could be used for, instead of having to
dedicate one of, what for a while at least, the few precious warships Earth
had.  "Plus," Harry had added to the group, "the cargo ship will be much
simpler to build than the destroyer, and will likely prove to be good
practice."
    "Well Harry, things are going smoothly mainly due to your hard work,"
Hammond stated.  Seeing Harry about to argue that it was the teams work, not
his alone, Hammond jumped in, "I know your team has worked hard, but you have
done a great job steering them in the right direction.  It's not always easy
keeping scientists and engineers on task, but you have done the job well.  I
also thought I should tell you that we are planning on promoting Tech Sergeant
Siler to Master Sergeant as a reward for all of his hard work.  I think that
you, Dr. Lee and Siler could probably give Major Carter a run for her money in
overtime hours recently."
    "Thank you General, I know he'll be pleased with the promotion," Harry
responded, surprised, but glad his friend was getting a well deserved and hard
earned promotion.
    "Now as to why I called you down here," General Hammond started with a
weary sigh.  "As you have probably heard from the grape vine, SG-1 has gone
missing on their diplomatic mission to planet P3R-118."  Harry nodded to the
General to indicate he had heard.
    "That planet is in the middle of a rather severe ice age, and the people
live in a large and rather advanced dome.  Consequently, while they are about
equal to Earth in terms of general development, they are highly advanced in the
areas of metallurgy and chemical technology.  Due to their situation they are
willing to trade that technology for some working stargate addresses."
    "That's understandable," responded Harry.  "They must have to operate with
very tight population and food controls to remain self sustaining in a dome."
    "The problem with SG-1's disappearance however, is that what we were
informed to have happened just doesn't sit right," the General stated.  "Major
Griff and his team did a preliminary search of the ice fields around the dome
and have found no trace of SG-1.  Furthermore, Griff commented that he could
not find or think of any reason why SG-1 would have gone outside of the dome in
the first place.  This has lead us to believe that Administrator Caulder is
being less than forthcoming with regards to SG-1's disappearance."
    Having heard the situation, Harry understood the General's dilemma.  He
believed they were being lied to, which meant these people likely did something
to SG-1.  But he had no proof and couldn't necessarily go accusing them of such
actions given the metallurgy and chemical technologies offered could be of
incalculable benefit with regards to not only the X-projects, but also project
Prometheus and the SGC remodel.  The strength of the materials needed to build
the dome Harry had seen a picture of, would have been extraordinary.
    "You want me to take a trip and meet with this Administrator to see if he's
lying, and if so, find the location of SG-1 so a rescue could be organized if
needed," Harry concluded.
    "Yes," Hammond said.  "That would be ideal.  I would like to send you with
Major Griff's team as an escort under the guise of continuing the negotiations
for the trade.  I know that you would rather not overtly violate someone's
mind, but I'm hoping that you will use at least your methods of truth detection
to see if Caulder is lying and if so, how might be the best way to obtain
proof.  Here are notes on the negotiations so far, and what would be our ideal
outcome.  The three planets we are considering giving them addresses to all are
unpopulated, have mild temperatures, no significant quantities of naquadah or
tritium that we have found and are either unknown or abandoned by the Goa'uld,"
finished Hammond.  After handing Harry the folder, Hammond dismissed him with a
"You'll leave in 2 hours."
    With a "Yes, Sir," Harry collected the folder and made his way back to his
lab space so he could read over the material and shut things down for the day.

===============================================================================

-*P3R-118, Administrator Caulder's Office*-

    Knowing the situation had the potential to go downhill very quickly, Harry and Major Griff had come up with a large number of plans for any possible situation they could find themselves in.  These plans ranged from Griff and his team recording Harry's conversation with Caulder should he admit guilt, to the apologies they would make if SG-1 showed up while they were there.  Upon entering Caulder's office and meeting the man himself, Harry threw out most of the plans they had and decided to go with a slightly modified admittance of guilt plan.
    This was due mainly to Caulder strongly reminding Harry of both Ministers Fudge and Scrimgour.  The man appeared to care for nothing but his own position and comfort.  It always bothered Harry that people would elect people like that as their leader.  Especially when the person appeared to be such a self serving bastard.
    The only reason this man was even negotiating with them was because should the people find out he refused the chance for his people to move to or access a planet with a stable and warm climate, his career would be immediately finished.  He had no desire to better his people's situation.  His only desire was to remain right where he was, which was why he was treating the negotiations like he had a lot more to offer Earth, than Earth had to offer him.
    It only took about 5 minutes of negotiations for Harry to not only figure out what happened to SG-1, but what he was planning to do to them since he had discovered the 'memory stamp' wasn't holding.  Having decided that surprise might throw the man more off balance than the accusations alone, Harry interrupted the man as he was in the middle of demanding full access to Earth's technological database along with all known gate addresses for access to their metal and chemical technologies.
    "You know Caulder," Harry began, surprising the man both by interrupting him, and with his cold tone, "if you really thought Earth would part with all of that for what you are offering, I would think you were a bit off in the head.  But we both know you don't want this trade agreement to be established.  Hell, you probably kidnapped SG-1 because they either saw something you didn't want them to, or thought that Earth losing one of its teams would deter us from further contact." Harry stated.  Major Griff and his team who were listening in with their ear pieces and recording the conversation were surprised at Harry interrupting the administrator with such a bold accusation.
    Caulder's fury at such an accusation was building, Harry cut the man off before he could respond by continuing, "We both know that you enjoy the position you hold way too much to risk losing it through change.  And that is what would happen if your people knew how to use the stargate.  Things would change." Harry paused for a second, stood up from his chair, and made his way over to the large window that held an impressive view of the dome.
    "I think you should know that if SG-1 is not returned to us, we will come find them and take them by force.  Furthermore, if they were killed, or are injured in any way, we will take you into custody and charge you for the crimes.  However, what might be of the most immediate concern to you at this moment is that we will broadcast not only your deception of us, but your plan to keep your people hear isolated to the entire population of this dome.  I'm sure that some of your political rivals would love the opportunity to remove you from this office." Harry coldly stated.
    "We did no such thing, and you have no proof of any wrong doing" Caulder finally stated in an angry tone.
    "Ah but we do.  You see, every member of Earth that goes through the stargate is implanted with a very small tracking device that can be activated should they ever be lost off world.  We held off on activating the trackers within the dome since we took you at your word about SG-1 having left the dome, however, when it became clear they would never have left the dome, we activated the receiver and received a rather strong signal coming from under the city.  Would you care to explain Caulder, or would you rather I seek out someone else in your populous for an explanation?" Harry was bluffing about the tracking devices, but knew from the man's mind that SG-1 was under the city.  The tracking bluff was for Caulder and the listening Griff's benefit.
    Administrator Caulder finally gave up the game by pressing a button under his desk.  Two armed security men came in from a side door with their gun's already pointed at Harry.
    "You do know Administator, that if I or the team escorting me is harmed in anyway, or disappears for that matter, Earth will take it as a sign of aggression and will act accordingly.  Furthermore, this conversation is being recorded and transmitted to the members of my escort that are currently at the stargate.  So, calling in those men with guns really won't help the situation.  Return SG-1 to us, give us the technology that we have asked for, and we will give you a gate address to a planet with a decent climate.  We won't even share this little transgression with your people and we can all move on, happy and still in our comfortable positions." finished Harry with a frigid tone.
    Caulder seemed to be mulling over his options.  It was clear to Harry the man didn't want to give up his position, but he also didn't want to be black mailed if he could avoid it.  Too many people knew about the stargate and the arrival of visitors for it to be covered up, and considering the device would enable people to leave this planet, he would never be able to get the support to bury the thing.  The man was looking shrewdly at Harry, trying to assess whether or not things would play out as Harry stated, or if Harry might be bluffing in some way.
    Seeing nothing but the promise of pain and death in the young man's eyes, Caulder told the two security men to stand down and pressed a button on his desk.  "Brenna, please bring SG-1 up to my office as soon as possible, and prepare the technical database and translation key for the trade." Caulder finished.
    "See that wasn't so hard administrator.  You just might make it out of this thing with your position intact." Harry said.  Knowing about the egos people like Caulder had, Harry continued, "and think, you might become known as the Administrator that gave them a new home if you are lucky.  You would go down in your peoples history books as their savior." Harry finished.  It was hard not to laugh at the look on the greedy man's face when he was thinking about the eternal fame and wealth that would come from such recognition.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    "...Harry's bluff worked.  Caulder called to have SG-1 brought up and the data bases created for the trade.  We gave Caulder gate address 2 from the list, received a computer storage device that contained what we asked, and then SG-1 arrived, along with a few hundred people SG-1 called workers.  I'll let them report on what happened to them when they get all of their memories back, but suffice it to say, they were using a device that implants memories to create a willing slave labor force of workers and due to some differences in brain chemistry, SG-1 had figured out what was going on and was staging a slave revolt.  We took the people we rescued through the gate to the address we gave Caulder, before dropping them at the 3rd address from the list with a promise to give them some aid to get settled." concluded Major Griff.
    General Hammond was pleased that not only was everyone returned safely but also the trade for their knowledge of advanced metallurgy and chemistry was completed.  He was curious about one point however.  "Harry, how did you know Caulder would go along with the proposal in the first place, let alone not cheat you with the trade?"
    "Well, I didn't." Harry surprised them all.  "But I knew he was a self serving bastard from your comments General, and it was obvious he wished that we had never stumbled onto their planet since our arrival upset his little order.  So long as he believed his position would be maintained or increased in importance, he would go along with the proposal.  So I convinced him that if he gave us our team back and the information we were interested in, we would go away.  I also used a lap top with a jury rigged adapter to check to make sure everything was there.  While I couldn't be sure it was all there, and I think it should be kept in quarantine to ensure no computer viruses and what not were slipped in, I think it's all there.  At the very least, I didn't leave his side from the time he gave the order to receiving the storage device, since frankly I didn't trust him.
    Regardless though, I don't think he was too pleased when all of the workers followed SG-1through the gate.  Nor was he going to be too pleased when he realizes that I had the lieutenant broadcast a letter I prepared before the trip, telling them that so long as he remained in power, we were not likely to become close trading partners due to his kidnapping our trading envoys." Harry stated, then looked thoughtful for a minute, "We should dial them up in a few months, see if things have changed for them.  We should also consider offering jobs to the workers that were rescued since I know we need the labor.  We could always compensate them in goods and building materials or set up a credit system where they could order things from earth using their earnings."
    Everyone at the table, except for the Lieutenant who transmitted the message before they left, were very surprised at Harry's comments and suggestions.  Yes, they needed labor for many of the big construction projects in the works since the security clearances needed for the projects were so high finding the people needed was becoming difficult.
    "I'll talk with the President and the Joint Chiefs about that proposition.  I see no problem in giving them the basic aid they need to get started, but maybe I can work something out that would be better for all concerned.  Good work people.  Dismissed." finished Hammond.

===============================================================================

-*Classified Landing Strip*-

    It was a soggy and foggy morning in mid September and Harry and Dr. Lee were standing on the side of a highly secured and classified landing strip that was about 10 minutes by car from Cheyenne Mountain.  As he glanced around at the wilderness around him, Harry idly commented, "You know, we've been spending way too much time cooped up the last 3 months.  We need to spend more time outside Bill.  You know, get back in touch with nature."
    Bill Lee, who had been trying to spot something through the fog, gave him a shrug in response.  "Well, I'm going to be getting back in touch with nature with that stint on M4C-862 I got roped into.  At least I'll be able to take some of my x project research with me to work on.  I have no doubt that self important ass Hamilton had me assigned just to spite our success." Bill replied, rather bitterly in Harry's opinion.
    While Hamilton was a smart man, and a great scientist, he was not too pleased to learn that Bill Lee had spring boarded past him in the pecking order over the last few months.  Dr. Lee was an easy man to get along with, considering how genial and open the man was, and Harry knew that the fact his success upset his colleague so much really puzzled and frustrated Bill.  It seemed that frustration was turning more bitter since Hamilton had recently figured out a way to have Bill assigned to a 2 month stint on a research outpost they were putting together.  Bill really wouldn't have minded the posting if he wasn't in the middle of so many interesting projects on earth at the moment.
    Looking past Dr. Lee, Harry could see Colonel O'Neill looking through some binoculars, and past Jack were Sam, Daniel and Major Davis.  Everyone there at the moment was wearing simple green BDUs with the exception of Major Davis, who wore his standard blue air force uniform.
    Harry felt a bit bad for Major Davis.  He was a nice man, and he was smart, but he currently bore the nickname Disaster Davis due to his current position.  He was the SGC's main point of contact in the Pentagon, and consequently when he came to the SGC, it was usually not because good things were happening or to bring good news.  It was usually during a crisis.  Considering his appearance during disasters, some random officer once jokingly referred to him as Disaster Davis and the name stuck.
    Despite his desk posting and the tough positions he was put in due to that posting, the man really had been working his butt off to not only become gate qualified, but to also develop additional skill sets that could be needed off world.  His hard work in that area, and the number of times he's come to bat for the SGC had certainly raised the level of respect many base personnel had for the man.  If he hadn't been do good at his current job, Hammond would have requested his transfer to the SGC.
    As Jack continued to look through his binoculars, Harry wondered why he even brought them considering the fog that was encompassing the area.
    "Teal'c was ordered to push the envelope, sir," stated Sam.  "I'm sure he'll be back soon."
    "Well, that'd be nice," said Jack sarcastically, as he looked into his binoculars again for any sign of his friend.
    "Where else would he go?" asked Daniel after a couple of seconds of silence once again being Jack's voice of reason.
    "Good point," conceded Jack eventually.
    Everyone's attention was drawn to an approaching military HUMVEE painted in black.  The military vehicle was approaching at a leisurely pace and the current reason behind Jack's impatience became apparent to Harry when he spotted the blue license plate on the Humvee that contained three white stars.  The few soldiers that were on the airstrip saluted the vehicle when it passed.  Obviously someone other than General Hammond, who only merited 2 stars, was here to see Area 51's newest creation.
    "Well, here we go," muttered Jack.
    When the Humvee stopped next to the sedans Harry, Dr. Lee and SG1 had
arrived in, they all saw General Hammond in the window.  Sam and Jack
immediately snapped to attention, while Daniel, Dr. Lee and Harry merely stood
slightly more respectfully.
    Major Davis walked over to the Humvee and opened the door, allowing General
Hammond to climb out.  Jack smiled at his boss.  Following Hammond out of the
truck was the reason for the three stars on the vehicle.  Standing in the
slightly more informal blue Air Force uniform was a severe looking dark skinned
man, his shoulder boards of three stars indicated he was a Lieutenant General.
Jack and Sam saluted him, and promptly the three star saluted back.
    "Is there a problem, Colonel?" opened Hammond.
    "No, Sir.  I'm sure Teal'c just felt like taking her for a spin... around
the world," grinned Jack.
    "Well, while we're waiting, I have someone who would like to meet your
team, Dr. Lee and Harry," said Hammond.
    Major Davis took that as his cue, "Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha
Carter, Doctor Daniel Jackson, Harry Potter and Dr. Bill Lee, allow me to
introduce Lieutenant General Vidrine."  Introductions went quite smoothly until
it was Harry's turn.
    "Mr. Potter," said Vidrine.
    "General," Harry nodded his head.
    "I understand that you are the mind behind some of our most recent
advancements?" enquired Vidrine.
    "I did nothing but bring forth ideas that anyone could have come up with on
their own," said Harry with a smile.  "Most of what I've done came from what we
acquired from our allies through trade.  With Dr. Lee's and Master Sergeant
Siler's help, along with the aid of some of our Orbanians friends, we have been
able to accomplish a great deal."
    "You're too modest, Mr. Potter," commented Vidrine, who now turned to Jack.
"General Hammond has been telling me nothing but good things about you and your
team."
    "Has he, Sir?" said Jack, his tone humorous.  "Well, then I'm sure he's
left something out."
    "Such as?" said Vidrine in a very serious tone of voice.  The slight spark
of mischief in the General's eye was the only sign Harry could spot for the
reason behind the General's sudden jump to seriousness.  It almost made Harry
snort when he saw Jack lose his grin in an instant.  As an excuse for not
answering Jack spoke into the hand-held radio he was carrying.
    "Teal'c, ya there, buddy?"
    "Look immediately to the south-west," crackled the voice of Teal'c over the
handset.  Everyone turned to look in the direction.  Descending out of the
clouds was something that looked like a Death Glider.  When it swooped over
them at extremely high speed, differences between it and the death glider
became immediately apparent.  At newly fixed hard points to the sides of either
energy cannons were large missiles, something very different from the Goa'uld
model.
    "What in God's name is that?" shouted Vidrine over the rush of air caused by the small ship's wake.
    "That, Sir, is the X-301 Interceptor," said Davis.
    "Looking good, Teal'c," said Jack into his radio.  "Give us another flyby, going low and slow."
    "As you wish, O'Neill," said Teal'c's voice.
    "It's a hybrid craft, Sir," continued Davis, "made with a combination of good old American know-how and two Death Gliders SG1 salvaged a couple of years ago."
    "It's easily the most impressive craft I've ever seen," admitted General Vidrine, as the hybrid made a slow turn in full view that exposed the underbelly of the craft.  "How does it fly?"
    "I believe I can answer your question, General," piped in Harry, in an effort to prevent Sam from going on one of what Jack termed her 'technobabble rants.' Not many people could keep up with her when she got going.  "In layman's terms, the craft uses gravity itself for thrust, and due to an inertial dampening field, the pilot is almost immune to G-forces that would normally be fatal.  It's capable of both atmospheric and space flight, Sir."
    "Fascinating," said Vidrine.
    The craft made one final pass before it came to an easy stop not twenty meters away from the group.  When the cockpit panels split open, the large figure of Teal'c climbed out and slid along the curve of the Glider almost like a playground slide.  As the Jaffa walked away from the aircraft, taking off his flight helmet, ground crews scrambled past him to secure the X301 from flight.
    Teal'c arrived at the group with his helmet secured under his arm.
    "I always like to get a view of the man in the cockpit," stated Vidrine seriously.  "How does she fly, son?"
    "The vehicle performed within the expected parameters," said Teal'c stoically to the General.
    "Woo-Hoo!" shouted Jack, bringing everyone's attention to him.  "Sorry, Sir," he said to Vidrine, while everyone but Teal'c was trying to hold in their snorts of laughter.  "I couldn't help but get caught up in Teal'c's enthusiasm."
    "Upon completion of the flight test program, we intend to deploy the X301 in an orbital defense role, under your command, Sir," said Major Davis, grinning.
    "In all seriousness," said Vidrine, and turned to Jack sarcastically, "if that's all right with you Colonel?  How effective can a single craft be against a potential fleet of Goa'uld attack vessels?"
    "That's what these tests will determine, General," said Harry rather seriously.  "But the X301 is only a stopgap measure until construction on the first squadrons of X302-A's are completed.  We hope the first prototypes will be rolling off the line in about 6 months."
    "Yes," said Vidrine thoughtfully.  "Something for which we have you to thank for again, I'm told that without your direction it would have taken us at least another two years to field the X302."
    "While that may be, General," conceded Harry.  "Earth does not have the luxury of time at the moment.  The recent improvement in the faster-than-light (FTL) capabilities of the Goa'uld makes it ever more economically viable for them to attack earth in force.  They might call the Asgard bluff should they see any hints it might be a bluff."
    "I for one hope the Goa'uld don't play poker then," commented Vidrine glibly.  "So what's next?"
    "I take second seat for an air-to-air live fire test," said Jack with an excited grin.
    "Light the candle, boys," said Vidrine with a firm nod.
    "Yes, Sir," nodded Jack.  Teal'c however, was clearly puzzled by the Earth euphemism and raised an enquiring eyebrow to Jack.
    "Does General Vidrine intend to engage in some form of candle burning ritual?"
    "Yes, that's it exactly," grinned Jack while walking off with Teal'c.  The rest of the group piled back into their cars for the 10 minute trip back to the SGC where the test would be run from.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Control Room*-

    Harry was standing pensively next to General Vidrine in the back of the control room overlooking the Stargate.  Sam, Major Davis and Daniel were seated at the positions normally occupied by the Stargate technicians with General Hammond and Dr. Lee standing directly behind them.  The computers were all displaying status screens and radar images from various sources, both ground based and from military satellites.  It currently showed the X301 sitting still on the runway.
    "You look like you have a lot on your mind, Mr. Potter" Stated the strict General.  Harry turned to meet the fierce General's narrowed eyes.
    "It's just that I advised Area 51 to not build the X301," said Harry with a sigh.  General Vitrine raised an eyebrow to invite elaboration.  "Simply put, the hybrid nature of the X301, could cause some serious system conflicts.  The complexity of the technology alone and the way earth systems were tacked on could create several serious issues."
    "So you aren't confident that the X301 will perform up to spec?"
    "Frankly I'm amazed Area 51 even managed to get it off the ground," Harry stated with clear honest surprise in his voice.
    Their side conversation was interrupted when the dot representing the X 301 began to move at great speed toward the target area.
    "Well, for better or worse, we're committed to seeing this through now," said Vidrine.
    Jack's voice sounded over the speakers in the control room, "Request permission to proceed with weapons test."
    "You're a go, Digger 1," responded Davis into the radio.
    "Proceeding to target area," indicated Teal'c.
    "Roger that," said Sam.  "You're a go for phase 2."
    "That's them?" asked Daniel, as he pointed to the screen, showing a fast moving blimp.
    "The X301 is equipped with stealth technology, so we've installed a signal beacon that allows only us to track it," explained Davis.
    "These blips," said Sam pointing to two blips that the X301 was rapidly closing in on, "represent the target drones.  The X301 is carrying two AIM-120A air to air missiles."
    "Major, are you suggesting a slammer missile is capable of taking out a Goa'uld mothership?" asked Vidrine skeptically.
    "The missile, instead of carrying the standard tri-ox high explosive, is carrying pure weapon's grade naquadah -- which we recently learned to enrich thanks help provided by the Orbanians," explained Sam, "Which means the energy being released is increased by several orders of magnitude, enough to weaken any shield.  Additionally we've also affixed a shield modulator to the tip of the missile, that should, in theory, allow it to bypass the shield and hit the hull of a Goa'uld mothership directly."
    "Beginning attack run now," Teal'c's spoke over the speakers.
    As he stared at the vectors of the 301, Harry began to frown.  Teal'c was way too high, and would likely overshoot if didn't correct his course soon.
    "Digger 1, you're going to overshoot," advised Sam into the radio.
    Suddenly the blip that represented the X301 disappeared and was replaced with the words TRACKING FAILURE...CAUSE UNKNOWN.
    "Oh boy," said Harry.
    "Digger 1?  Digger 1?  This is flight..." said Sam into the radio.  Static was the response.  "They're not responding."
    "We're experiencing atmospheric interference," Davis declared, listening to the sound with earphones.
    "Their last vector did put them on a course out of the atmosphere," commented Harry.
    "Major Carter?" asked General Vidrine expectantly.
    "They were approaching the targets, sir, when they went into a steep vertical climb, they've left the atmosphere, we're attempting to reaquire now..."
    "Are you saying they've gone into orbit?" asked Daniel, a worried frown on his face.
    "No, she's saying they're headed straight into space," clarified Harry with sigh.
    "You said the 301 was capable of space flight," commented General Vidrine.
    "It wasn't part of the test, Sir," said Sam grimly.
    "Teal'c wouldn't do this intentionally, there has to be something wrong," said Daniel firmly.
    "A malfunction?" asked General Hammond.
    "Must be, Sir," said Sam.
    "Get me the shuttle action officer at space command," ordered Hammond.
    "The shuttle would only help them General if they'd remained in orbit," Harry stopped him with a frown, "Judging from their last vectors, they will soon be well into interplanetary space."
    "We're attempting to reacquire using NASA deep-space radar, with the DSP and NORAD data we should be able to get a reading on their position and focus a tight beam satellite radio transmission," said Sam.
    After ten minutes of looking, they finally got a good reading on the X301.  After directing a tight beam radio beam they tried to make contact.
    "Digger 1?  This is flight, do you read?" said Daniel into the radio.  "Digger 1, come in?" They received nothing but silence and a slight crackle of distortion over the radio link.  "They're still not responding," he said in frustration.
    "NASA is boosting the signal now," said Davis, having been informed so through his headset.
    "It's not a problem of power," said Harry, as he realized the problem after staring at the blimp that represented the 301for a few seconds.  "You're using standard radio communications here and the numbers indicate the X301 is doing over four hundred and fifty kilometers a second."
    "So?" asked Daniel.
    "Radio signals only travel at the speed of light," responded Harry.  "They're already a light minute away from Earth."
    "Time delay," stated Sam in frustration.  The point was proven when not 10 seconds later Jack's voice was heard.
    "Flight, we have a problem."
    "Digger 1, this is Flight, we are reading you five by five.  We have reacquired your position.  Be advised, there is a time delay with communications due to distances involved.  Please give sitrep.  Transmission sent at 1425 Zulu," said Sam into the radio.
    "Good thinking, Major," said Davis.
    "General Hammond," said Daniel, "perhaps I should contact our allies capable of interstellar flight and ask for assistance."
    "Very well," nodded Hammond, "I'll assign SG2 to assist you."
    "George," said Vidrine, "perhaps it'll be best if I return to the Pentagon, see what our people can contribute from there.  I'm just getting in the way here."
    "Yes, Sir," replied Hammond.  He then traded salutes with his fellow General before the man left the control room.
    "Dr Jackson," called Harry, stopping Daniel before he could leave the control room.  "I would ask the Tok'ra first since we know the Tollan homeworld is too far away and their FTL capability isn't that great.  Also, I wouldn't even try the Asgard since the treaty won't allow their interference." Daniel nodded and rushed out of the control room.
    "I have an idea, Sir," declared Sam to General Hammond, as she was staring at a diagram of the solar system.  "But a whole lot of things have to go right for it to work.  We need to wait for the Colonel's sitrep before I can explain."
    Harry didn't know what miracle she was thinking of pulling to get her team out of trouble again.
    "Yeah...Flight, Digger 1, we read you---we have lost control of the craft due to some sort of recall device.  Apparently, the scum-sucking, slimy, snake-assed Apophis installed it in his Death Gliders.  Controls are NOT responding, negative thrusters and reaction control system...we are purely ballistic."
    Sam closed her eyes and bowed her head, clearly her idea wasn't going to come together.  Harry just sat in Daniel's vacated seat and looked carefully at the telemetry the computer was spitting out.
    -Why do I have to be right this time?- Harry thought to himself.  -Why are so many of those engineers at A-51 such idiots!-.
    "Dammit!" exclaimed Sam as she slammed her hand on the console.  "I was counting on them having some reaction control."
    "What was your plan, Major?" asked Hammond.
    "Their trajectory puts them on a relatively close flyby of Jupiter," she explained, as she tapped a few commands into the computer to produce a curving course line that passed by the gas giant.  "If they had at least some maneuvering capability we could have done a sling-shot maneuver and send them on a course straight back to Earth."
    "Send your idea to them anyway," said Hammond, "perhaps they can think of something." Sam nodded.
    After Ten minutes a reply came through.
    "Flight, this is Digger 1," said Jack's voice.  "We have negative nudging capabilities on our trajectory...stand by, Flight...(half a minute passed)...Flight, this is Digger 1, we may, I say again MAY, have two AIM120 Alpha rocket motors at our disposal.  Can we override the release mechanism and ride them through burnout?  If so, we need to calculate when, where, and duration of burn.  Digger 1 at 1458 Zulu."
    Harry, Sam and Major Davis all began to calculate whether or not missile engines would be enough.
    "No," concluded Harry after several minutes, "Their velocity is too great, the rocket motors on those missiles are strong enough, but it's a problem of duration of burn."
    "But what if we delay the firing of the port side missile by a few moments, that should help," said Sam.
    "No, still not enough," replied Harry with a weary sigh.
    "Damn, are you sure?" she asked suddenly angry.
    "Check my calculations for yourself," invited Harry as he rolled his chair away from the computer to give her access.  After she typed for several minutes, her bowed head told Harry she had reached the same conclusion.
    "Digger 1, this is Flight," said Sam into the radio.  "We calculate there is not enough Delta V for a sufficient duration burn."
    "Flight, Digger 1, we'd rather try something, anything...than be stuck out here for the next seven hundred years as this thing heads back to the snakehead's homeworld." Jack replied 10 minutes later.
    "General?" asked Sam.
    After a long moment's thought Hammond said, "Let them try.  Even if it doesn't work, it'll at least keep their spirits up until we can get the Tok'ra's help."
    "I don't think that's such a good idea" stated Harry.  When everyone looked at him he pointed out, "we have no guarantee that when the missiles disengage themselves from the glider they won't cause their own damage.  Last thing we need to happen at this point is to have a critical system damaged."
    As everyone thought through that possibility, it was Davis that spoke up, "We should be able to program the missiles to remain locked to the hull."
    "Do it." ordered Hammond.
    Major Davis soon had an override procedure ready and broadcasted it to the stranded craft followed by the ignition timing.  And then they could do nothing but wait.
    Finally, after a half an hour Sam announced that the burn was complete and that it wasn't enough.  .
    "Digger 1, this is Flight, there is no joy on the burn.  I'm sorry, Colonel.  It's as we calculated, the missiles just did not have sufficient thrust to achieve the desired course change.  Your current trajectory takes you out of the Solar System and into the Oort cloud, which you should reach in...a few months.  We're still thinking down here, so don't give up.  Transmission ends 1813 Zulu." Sam looked like she wanted to bang her head into the computer screen and Major Davis had a look of grim sadness on his face.
    It was at that point that a fully geared up Daniel and SG2 entered the gate room for their journey to Vorash to try and borrow a ship from the Tok'ra.  Sam noticed it and moved to the dialing computer and began startup procedures to establish a wormhole.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    Harry sat at the briefing table listening to Major Davis and Daniel trying to puzzle out a solution to the problem.  Dr. Lee had retreated to the labs 10 minutes ago and Harry was half tempted to follow since sitting here listening to everything that was going wrong was becoming downright depressing.
    "The Tollan don't have a space craft fast enough, or close enough to get here within a year." reported Daniel.
    "And the Tok'ra?" asked General Hammond.
    "Uh, yeah," Daniel stated in a less than enthusiastic tone.  "I spoke with Anise personally.  She said they had a scout ship within a day or so of earth, barely, but it's on a covert mission to a Goa'uld occupied world, and the High Council doesn't want to expose the operative by making contact."
    General Hammond did not look thrilled by Daniel's statement.
    "Then why would they bother to tell you that much?" asked Major Davis, confused.
    "They hope that the operative will complete the mission and report back in time to help Jack and Teal'c." replied Daniel.
    "I assume Anise refused to say where and what this covert mission was?" asked Hammond in a frustrated voice.
    "And to understand not wanting to jeopardize the life of a Tok'Ra important to both of us.  I mean, I sort of lost my temper, but she said she was doing us a favor by telling us as much as she did." stated Daniel.
    Sam's face lit up after a second.  "Maybe she was!  I mean, we know a scout ship's maximuum speed from our mission to Netu.  We also know it's a Goa'uld occupied world relatively close to Earth, so...
    "So that narrows it down." finished Major Davis.
    "Yes it does.  Sir, with your permission..." asked Carter as she stood from the table.
    "Granted." said Hammond.
    "Well, if we are going to go with a scout ship, I'll get some scientists together to try and develop a way to move them from the 301 to the scout ship without exposing them to space." stated Harry as he too began to rise.  Receiving a nod to proceed, Harry left the room.

===============================================================================

-*Planet P2C-257*-

    Dressed in black, Sam, Daniel and Harry stepped through the stargate.  Harry was lucky he was able to convince Hammond to let him come on this jaunt.  With Dr. Lee's help, they had figured out a way to use a flexible sleeve secured between the glider's cockpit and the shuttle's airlock.  The only problem would be securing the sleeve to both ships in space.  Consequently, the three had split between them the pieces of a prototype space suit they had been working on.  It was a lot less bulky and cumbersome than the space suits currently in use, and the materials should provide all of the necessary protection, however, other than underwater tests, the suit had never been tested.
    As they quietly made their way through the forest to a ridge overlooking the mines, they stopped to use scopes to take a quick look around.  After several minutes, they heard the snapping of twigs, before all of a sudden a ring transporter activated from above them.
    As soon as they arrived in the ring room of the Goa'uld ship, both Harry and Sam raised their weapons, scanned the room and then trained their sites onto the closed cargo bay doors.  The doors soon opened to reveal a highly pissed off Jacob Carter.
    "Are you out of your minds, what the hell are you three doing here!"
    "We were looking for you." replied Sam.
    "Well," yelled a still irate Jacob, "You better have a damn good reason!  I was twenty minutes away from detonating a weapons grade shipment of Naquadah that would have vaporized a sizable chunk of this planet!  Now if I hadn't of spotted you three coming through the stargate...."
    "You saw us?" asked a surprised Sam.
    "Yes, the ship was cloaked, cloaked being the operative word, now they know we're here." stated the irate man.
    "Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c need your help." said Sam.
    "What happened?" asked a calmer Jacob.
    "They're stranded in a disabled glider headed into space." stated Daniel.
    "This was the only ship within range." Sam finished.
    "Good enough.  Well, let's go." Jacob said before turning and heading back into the cockpit of the shuttle.
    "Shouldn't we detonate that shipment?" asked Harry seeing the value in taking away such a lucrative mine from the enemy.
    "We'll do it after we leave the atmosphere" responded the Tok'ra symbiote within Jacob Carter, Selmak.
    After several hours in hyperspace, they all felt several vibrations in the ship.
    "Vibration" Sam commented.
    "No kidding," replied Jacob, "We're traveling at 132% of maximum speed.  If we don't shake apart first, we might just get there."
    "Is that wise" Daniel wearily asked.
    "No" Jacob stated, before he bowed his head to signal Selmak's taking control.
    "You did not know about the recall mechanism?" asked the symbiote.
    "Well, apparently, Apophis didn't need a recall device until Teal'c planted the seeds of rebellion on Chulak.  We didn't have a clue." stated Sam.
    "The devices are new, even to the Tok'Ra." Selmak commented.
    "You could have told us." Sam stated in shock, surprised that they knew.
    "We could have told them we were screwing around with the glider Sam." Harry said from off to the side.  Selmak looked at Harry when he made that statement before commenting that we could have.
    "Uh, yes," started Daniel, "Why didn't we?"
    "Same reason we didn't." responded Jacob, "Politics.  So, how do you intend to get them out of the glider once we get there?  I mean, there's no chance it'll fit in the cargo bay."
    "Actually, that's why I'm here." began Harry.  "We've been working on a new, thinner, more maneuverable and agile space suit.  While it hasn't been tested in space, it has done well in water tests.  We also brought an extending soft sleeve that once fixed to both the cockpit area of the glider and the side door of the cargo ship, should be able to hold atmosphere.  After that, it's just a matter of getting through the canopy windows." Jacob nodded after hearing the plan.
    About 10 hours later Jacob started to fuss with the controls a bit.
    "What's wrong?" asked Sam.
    "Nothing's wrong.  Not yet." replied Jacob.
    Daniel, ever the observant one asked, "But there will be something wrong?"
    "Well, let's just say I'd like to stop for a second and make some repairs, but this is not a particularly safe part of town to pull over." responded the Tok'ra.
    "Oh?" asked Daniel, sensing something else was bugging him.
    "And what were you thinking anyway?  Retrofitting a death glider?  You should have known better.  The technology you're screwing around with is way over your head!" Jacob stated.
    This statement seemed to piss Sam off.  "That is the most arrogant...I can't believe that just came out of your mouth."
    "Well it's the truth." Jacob responded.
    "I agree with him." Everyone turned to look at Harry after he made that comment.  "Hey, you all know I thought it was a horrible idea and that it was a waste of time.  I'm a big fan of taking it apart to see how it works, but to just tack on some touches and call it a prototype?  The incompetent asses that were responsible for that are the ones that completely missed the recall device.  We should dedicate all of our time and resources on our own ship construction, not on tacking stuff onto a goa'uld hull." Harry ranted.
    Jacob seemed to be trying not to laugh at his daughter's expense considering the strange face she made at Harry's comment.  The strange face turned more thoughtful when the rant ended however.
    "I can see your point Harry.  Well, at least now the 302 and 303 will be the main focus." conceded Sam.
    A boom was heard throughout the ship.  "What's that?" questioned Sam.
    "What I was afraid of." Jacob sighed.  "We've over taxed the drives."
    "Are we still in a bad part of town?" Harry asked, knowing the answer.
    "The worst." commented Jacob as he stood from the pilots chair.  "We can probably get the drives back online, but its gonna take a few minutes."
    As Jacob Sam and Harry start making their way towards the back of the ship, Daniel got there attention.  "Excuse me.  Is that what I think it is?" asked Daniel as he pointed at 2 Goa'uld motherships.
    "Can we cloak the ship?" Sam asked.
    "No, All main power systems are off line." replied Jacob before he turned to Daniel.  "Can you speak the Goa'uld dialect?"
    Daniel nodded in reply.
    "That's all you need.  When they try to make contact with you, place your hand here, and use your imagination.  Take your hand away and it'll broadcast." finished Jacob before turning to his daughter, "Sam, can you give me a hand?"
    As Daniel and Harry watch both Carters retreat to the back room of the ship, both Motherships close the distance between themselves and the cargo vessel
    Daniel sat down to try and figure out what he was going to say, while Harry took the seat Sam had just vacated.
    It was then that they received a transmission from the lead Hatak.  "Krae
tal Shal Mak!  Heru'ur."
    Daniel took a second to compose his reply before he pressed the button
down.  "Mak tal Shree!  Lo Tak meka satak OZ!"
    Harry had trouble holding in his snort when he used Teal'c's Goa'uld
language lessons to decipher what was just said.
    "Oz Daniel?" Harry asked, amusement in his voice, to which Daniel just
shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.
    "It was all I could come up with," responded the archeologist.
    Another voice appeared to be speaking, instead of human sounding, this one
sounded Goa'uld.  "Mak Tal Hree!  Lok Tak Mega Satak Oz.  Mok Tal Oz?"
    "Mak Tal Oz Kree!" responded Daniel forcefully, with a small smile.
    "Mak Tal OZ, Kree!" responded one voice before another said, "Kal Tek
Shree, Tak Monak?"
    "Alright," Jacob announced from the back, "we're almost finished."
    "That's good," Harry responded for Daniel.  "Since I don't think the great
and powerful Oz here will be able to hold them off much longer."  By the end of
his statement, Harry was chuckling out loud.
    "Why?  Oz?  Who did you say you were?" Jacob asked Daniel, not quite
understanding Harry's reply.
    "The great and powerful Oz," Daniel said with a sheepish expression.
    Jacob sighed and turned his head away from the two men.  Harry couldn't be
sure, but he would lay down money that Jacob was trying to hide his amusement.
    "Sam!" Jacob yelled towards the back.
    "Almost there," responded Sam.
    Jacob, seeing that the mothership in front of him launched two death
gliders called out, "We've gotta go!"
    "Punch it!" Sam yelled as the death gliders approached.  The ship quickly
rotated to face away from the mothership before it jumped into hyperspace,
energy fire from the death gliders having past through their previous position.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, the infirmary*-

    "So here we are, with main power offline, staring down the barrels of two
motherships," Harry stated to his audience.  The audience consisted of Teal'c,
Jack, Sam, Daniel, Dr. Fraiser, Jacob Carter and General Hammond.  "We were
hailed in the name of Her'ur, and asked who we were, and the space monkey here
replies in Goa'uld, `Greetings, this is the great and powerful Oz!'" Harry
stated cracking up.  Daniel ducked his head a little in embarrassment while
everyone else chuckled a bit.  "Next thing we know some Goa'uld is on the line
asking who this great and powerful Oz is, and to yield and prepare to be
boarded, then Daniel goes and says the great and powerful Oz orders you to
yield," Harry laughed.  "Surprisingly, their confusion, and the arguing we
could hear between the jaffa about who this Oz could be gave us just enough
time to fix the engines and escape," Harry finished.
    "Well, were just glad you were able to make it back in time to get them
out," Hammond stated.  "Anyway, General Vidrin was impressed with everyone's
work despite the mishaps with the 301 and is looking forward to the testing of
the 302 when the first prototypes are completed.  Take a few days down time
since things are going to get very busy soon with the construction starting up
on the lower levels next week.  Have a good weekend everyone," finished Hammond
who left the infirmary with Jacob Carter.
    "I can't wait for the 302 to be finished as well," stated Harry.  "I know I
wasn't flying, but there is just something about being up there in space that
just..." Harry trailed off unsure how best to describe the feeling.
    "The first journey into space is always a memorable experience, Harry
Potter," Teal'c stated.  "I will always remember my first death glider flight
above Chulak."
    "So, who's up for O'Mally's?" asked Harry with a large grin.
    "Damn you and your temptations Harry, you know we were banned for life, why
do you mock me so?" asked Jack with mock hurt in his voice.
    "What if I told you I was able to convince management to give you a
chance?" Harry asked.
    "How?" asked a surprised Sam.
    "I just pointed out that 6 people picked a fight with you three because
they were beaten at pool, and that considering you are all upstanding citizens
and good customers, and that you, unlike your opponents, paid for the damage,
he should give you a chance."
    "Harry," Jack began, as he stood from the hospital bed having just been
cleared by Frasier and draped an arm around Harry's shoulder, steering the
younger man toward the door.  "This might be the beginning of a beautiful
friendship... can I drive?"
    Harry, used to Jack's antics was quick on the reply, "Jack, you have a long
way to go before I let you handle the Aston," Harry commented as they left the
infirmary.  "By the way, you owe me a case of my favorite Hefenweizen since you
bet it would be years before the ban was lifted."
    The last thing heard from inside the infirmary was Jack's exclamation of
"D'OH!"


Chapter 9: Friends, Family and Gloves

-*Stargate Command, Daniel Jackson's Office*-

    Ten days had passed since Jack and Teal'c's successful rescue, and Harry had spent most of that time tearing into the Area 51 scientists responsible for that disaster.  From what Major Davis had told him, several people lost a lot of credibility in the pentagon due to that whole fiasco, and over a drink at O'Malley's Davis had thanked Harry for coming through so often.
    Apparently Davis had been a big supporter of SG-1, and after meeting Harry, Harry himself.  Because of his public support of recruiting Harry for both the SGC and the Air Force, Davis had received a lot of kudos from the big brass since in the short time Harry had been at the SGC, he had already made such a huge impact.  And in Washington, it wasn't what's been done, it's what's going on now, and what they can do for you tomorrow.  Consequently, because of Harry's deep involvement in the X project, Prometheus project, and with the SGC remodel, Harry had gone from an unknown long shot horse, to a serious contender in many circles in the Pentagon.
    All three projects were going well.  Construction had already started for the large garage and hangers at the SGC, and excavation was beginning for the new massive cargo elevators that were planned to move the vehicles and aircraft from the surface.  In Utah, they were about 2 weeks away from laying the foundations in and around the first ship birth.  The plan for Utah was to construct the complex in 5 phases, that way, while the excavation for the entire complex would be continuous, as soon as the area around one ship berth was completed and secure, construction of the first hulls could commence.  Consequently the complex itself would probably be finished around the same time as earth's first destroyer.  Already Area 51 was beginning to construct many of the systems for the 302 and the cargo ships.  Harry had no doubt many of those systems would have to be rebuilt or redesigned over the course of the next two years, but practice makes perfect.
    The big breakthrough last week came after studying Malaki's Goa'uld force field generator.  After closing the loop Harry had asked if they could study the generator for a month or so, and feeling slightly guilty for the trouble he had caused, he agreed.  After studying the device intensively, and comparing the principles it was based on with what was obtained from Euronda, Harry, Dr. Lee, Siler and their four Orbanian friends, Melnic, Aven, Talon and Sobias, were able to construct a terran version of the field generator.  After their success, they immediately altered all the schematics and designs for the x project, Prometheus project and the SGC remodel to include the force field generators at all junctions as an additional security precaution and protection to regular blast doors.
    Sam had been green with envy when she got back from visiting her brother with her Father.  She had spent a lot of time studying the generator as well and was looking forward to being there and contributing more to the breakthrough.  As he made his way into Daniel's office, Harry brought his thoughts from the past to the here and now.  His friend needed him right now, so Harry planned to be there for someone he had begun to see as an older brother type figure in his life.
    "Daniel," said Harry as he knocked on the wood bookshelf next to Daniel's office door to get the man's attention.  After the man looked up from some quick packing, Harry continued, "I just wanted to give my condolences.  It's hard to lose a mentor, especially when you see them like family.  When's our flight out?"
    Daniel was about to say thanks when Harry's last question caught up with him.  "Our flight?"
    "You didn't think I'd let my big brother go to the funeral alone, did you?  Times of mourning are times for family.  I'm coming whether you want me to or not." Harry stated firmly.
    Daniel's face showed a mixture of emotions at Harry's statement.  First he was ready to argue against Harry accompanying him to the funeral, then he turned thoughtful as he processed Harry's reasoning, finally, after hearing the tone in the young man's voice, Daniel conceded defeat and looked thankful.  Harry was a very easy going person, but sometimes when he talked, he would use a certain tone of voice that Daniel had come to associate with an immovable mountain.  Once you heard that tone, you knew he would never give in.  And after hearing that tone now, Daniel was both thankful and relieved he wouldn't have to go face his past alone, especially a past without the man he viewed as family there to support him.  Besides, orphans needed to stick together.

===============================================================================

-*Chicago Illinois, Cemetery in the Suburbs*-

    Due to the late notice, the earliest flight the duo could obtain got them to the cemetery in the middle of the service.  Both Harry and Daniel slowly approached the service, not wanting to interrupt or be overtly noticed.  This was a time of mourning and therefore a place to solemnly reflect, and both men didn't want to interrupt that reflection.
    As they approached, a man about Daniels age was speaking.  From the weary look Daniel gave the man, Harry knew the guy was probably another student of Daniel's late mentor.  A student that wasn't ostracized for his theories.  A student that didn't have to distance himself to protect the reputation of someone he loved like a grandfather.
    "...Doctor David Jordan was a teacher, a celebrated author, a much revered expert in the field of Archaeology, and yet, to the end, he remained first and foremost, a student, guided by the simple desire to discover, and understand.  It's fitting, then, that a man, who dedicated his life..." As the man talking spotted Harry and Daniel he paused for some reason.  Harry saw the light of recognition in the man's eyes when he saw Daniel.  What surprised Harry most was the feeling of hostility the man felt for Daniel.  Daniel Jackson, in Harry's opinion at least, could be a lot of things to a lot of people.  Friendly, inquisitive, annoying, naive, overly intellectual, maybe even a little snobbish when it came to certain subjects, but hostile...other than provoking a negative reaction due to some misunderstanding between cultures, Harry had never heard of anyone actively disliking Daniel in such a way.  It was definitely a surprise.
    A second after seeing Daniel, the man recovered and continued, "Who dedicated his life to reviving the wonders and majesty of long-dead civilizations, should himself gain a measure of immortality thru that very accomplishment.  I worked with Doctor Jordan for close to 15 years.  He was like a father to me.  Thru his many successes , and," the look the man shot at Daniel was definitely hostile, "Some of his...bitter disappointments... I'll remember him always as a dedicated Archaeologist, a kind, and generous man, and a true friend."
    While the words were kind and definitely heartfelt, Harry thought the guy should have left his personal feelings at home.  Daniel was here to mourn, not participate in some rivalry, but this guy just topped the cake in Harry's opinion.  As everyone around the casket began to make their way back to their cars, Daniel approached to pay his respects.  Understanding the man's need for a minute of time, Harry stepped back to allow Daniel the space needed to wish his loved mentor goodbye.
    Not a minute after Daniel approached the casket, the man who gave the last eulogy returned.  "The prodigal son returns!"
    Daniel turned to face the man at that announcement, but his reply had no hostility, or even resentment.  "Steven, Sarah." Daniel greeted his old colleagues.  It was at that moment that Sarah, a beautiful red haired woman turned to face Daniel.
    "Daniel," the woman greeted warmly, "It's good to see you."
    "Yeah," said Daniel, returning the hug the woman was giving him.  "Despite the circumstances."
    Something was bugging Harry about the woman, but Harry couldn't quite put his finger on it.
    "I know.  I can't believe he's gone." replied Sarah.  As her hand lingered on Daniel's waste, she turned and spotted Harry standing about five feet away.  "Who's your friend Daniel?"
    The curiosity in her voice was readily apparent to Harry, but the evaluation he saw in her eyes disturbed Harry slightly.  She was not evaluating him as a potential date, but as something else, and that didn't sit right.
    "Sarah, Steven, this is a colleague and close friend of mine, Harry Potter.  Harry, this is Steven Rayner and Sarah Gardner, two people I worked with closely during my time here in Chicago." Daniel introduced.
    "It's a pleasure to meet you both, despite the circumstances.  I am sorry for your loss.  It's never easy losing a mentor.  But it helped me to remember their legacy lives on in their students and their accomplishments." Harry responded with a solemn voice.  As he was talking, he picked up sadness and understanding from Steven, but Sarah was emitting an indifference that really disturbed him.  Meeting her eye, Harry pushed a little deeper than immediately retreated, surprised and disturbed by what he had discovered.
    "So what exactly happened?" Daniel asked, curious.  "I mean, the paper I read attributed his death to the curse of Osiris."
    Harry picked up a strong sense of pride coming from the woman at the mention of the curse of Osiris, which provided a strong indication of just who had taken control of Sarah.
    "According to the police, there was a slow gas leak in the lab, and something must have caused a spark, the whole place went up, he was killed instantly." said Steven, as he stared at the casket.
    "We would have called you, but, nobody knew where to find you." Sarah told Daniel.
    Daniel looked uncomfortable for a second before he responded, "That's...uh...that's OK."
    "I'm glad you're here.  So, how long has it been?  4 years?" asked Sarah.
    "5." responded Daniel.
    "What have you been up to?" Sarah asked, genuinely curious.  While her questions could be seen as one friend catching up with another, Harry saw she was really trying to fish for information about Daniel's whereabouts.
    "Uh, I've been busy." Daniel replied.
    "Really?  I've looked for signs of you out on the fringes.  There's been no papers, no research projects.  It's like you fell of the face of the earth." Sarah commented.
    To Harry, Daniel almost seemed amused by that particular comment.  "Yeah, it is a little like that, isn't it?"
    "As I recall, the last time I saw you, you were giving a lecture to an empty room." Steven stepped in.
    Daniel's sheepish response almost caused Harry to snort.  "Uh...Well, it was full when I started."
    "Well, maybe the world wasn't ready to hear that the pyramids were built by Aliens --- or was it men from Atlantis?" Steven acidly responded.
    "Steven, please!" Sarah demanded.
    "Yes, Steven.  Please." asked Daniel.
    "Why did you come?  You manage to stay away all this time.  If you're looking for closure, Daniel, I'd say you're a little late." Steven demanded.
    "He came to mourn a mentor, same as you Dr. Reyner." Harry stated coldly.  "Your hostility does nothing but demean his memory.  While I understand you must be upset at his passing, taking it out on others does nothing but prevent those who wish to remember him from doing so."
    Steven stared at Harry briefly before turning and walking towards his car.  "All ways a pleasure, Steven!" Daniel commented to his old colleagues retreating back.  "So, are you doing anything, or ---" Daniel asked Sarah.
    "No, I'm all yours.  I'm sorry.  He's not usually like this.  Last couple of days have been really hard on him." said Sarah.
    "Steven?  No, he's right.  I should have come back sooner.  I guess I was afraid I wouldn't be welcome." commented Daniel.
    "Are you joking?  Even after everything that happened, Dr. Jordan never thought any less of you.  You were his best student." Sarah stated confidently.
    "Yes, that became the laughing stock of the Archeological community." responded Daniel sarcastically.  The sarcasm in the response made Harry wonder how much influence Jack had on the good natured archeologist.
    "He kept hoping that you'd find proof.  Something to shut everyone up." Sarah commented.
    Daniel shook his head at that statement.  "No, he thought I was nuts."
    Laughing, Sarah contradicted her old boyfriend, "That's not true.  Look, why do you think it's so hard for Steven to see you here?  He's always been in your shadow.  Even after you left."
    "I hear his book's on the best sellers list." commented Daniel.
    Laughing again, Sarah threw in, "I know.  He's getting a Porsche."
    Daniel feigned pain at the mention of that sign of success.  "OWW!
    "I know," Sarah laughed with him.  "Look, I have to admit.  I thought you didn't come back because of me." she stated turning serious.
    Sighing, having expected the conversation to turn in this direction, "No.  No, that's not it."
    "We could have ended it better than we did." Sarah coyly stated.
    "Maybe.  The truth is, I got caught up in something...incredible." Daniel responded with a far off look.
    Harry had trouble keeping a curse from coming to his lips.  Leave it to innocent Daniel to say something like that, despite the fact he was not fully aware of their company.
    "You found something, didn't you?  Something that supports your theory?  Tell me.  Come on." said Sarah.  The way she jumped onto that subject, and what any discovery in that area could lead to further confirmed Harry's suspicious.
    "I can't." denied Daniel.
    "Daniel!" pleaded Sarah.
    Before Daniel could dig himself further into a hole, Harry decided it was time for him to weigh in.  "You two up for a cup of coffee or some lunch?  I'm not sure about you Daniel, but breakfast for me was quite some time ago."
    "Ok, sure Harry." replied the distracted archeologist.  Turning to Sarah, Daniel continued, "You up for joining us?  It would be great to catch up with you again."
    Sarah looked disappointed when Harry jumped in, but after being invited to lunch she seemed to develop another plan since she became both pleased and determined.
    "Come on, I know just the place, and afterwards... I want to show you something." replied Sarah.

===============================================================================

-*Chicago Illinois, First and Last Tavern*-

    Lunch was pleasant and Harry spent the time listening to Sarah recount tail's from Daniel's time as Dr. Jordan's student.  It was nice to see Daniel enjoying reconnecting with his old colleague.  Too bad that enjoyment wasn't going to last.  Toward the end of the meal, Harry excused himself to the little boys room not to use the rest room, but to make a quick phone call.
    "Carter," Sam answered.
    "Sam, its Harry.  Can't really talk right now, or explain, but I believe we have a Goa'uld on the loose.  The thing is in a friend of Daniel's and I'd lay odds it came from the artifacts they recently recovered and have been studying.  Daniel doesn't know yet, since I've been hesitant to tell him considering his poker face, but I need you to get out here quickly with some zats, organize transport back to base for us plus a prisoner and see if there is an SG team that can quietly back us up from a distance when we do the take down." Harry briefed Sam quickly.
    "Are you sure Harry, how do you know it's a Goa'uld?" Sam asked, doubt clear in her voice.
    "I saw the reflection of an eye flash and have been suspicious ever since.  You know how paranoid I am.  If you get here, and can't sense her, then I'll buy you and the team that comes with you a steak dinner.  Just please, take this seriously." Harry pleaded before he realized he better get back to the two.  "We're going to be heading back toward the museum in a few minutes, so I have to go.  Call me when you land, and remember to not provide any details over the phone.  Don't want to risk it overhearing us." Harry finished before he hung up.
    Harry steeled himself and placed a pleasant and laid back mask on his face before he left the restroom and made his way back to the chatting pair at the table.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Major Carter's Office*-

    Sam slowly returned the phone back to the receiver thinking carefully about
what Harry just told her.  The line wasn't secured at both ends so she couldn't
fault him for not going into too much detail, but he didn't give her much.  It
took her a second to realize he would be able to pick up the Goa'uld through
his type of telepathy.  Picking the phone back up, she quickly dialed General
Hammond.  "Sir, I think we have a potential foot hold situation in Chicago...
yes sir, Harry called it in... OK, I'll be right up."  Hanging up the phone she
grabbed her BDU jacket and quickly made her way towards General Hammond's
office.

===============================================================================

-*The Chicago Museum, Chicago Illinois*-

    "...OK Sam, that sounds good.  Daniel and I will meet you out front since god knows I'll never be able to find my way back to this office.  Hopefully Daniel will be done drooling over these artifacts soon enough for us to get some dinner!" Harry joked.  "See you in five."
    "That was Sam?" Daniel asked wondering why she was in town.
    "Yeah, she ended up having to drop something off in Chicago and thought we'd all grab some dinner.  She's looking forward to hearing stories from your sorted past Daniel." said Harry.
    "Uh, that's a surprise.  I wonder what brought her out here?" questioned Daniel.
    "No clue." Harry responded casually.  "Mind walking me out front to meet her?  I don't fancy getting lost in this maze."
    "Sure" Daniel replied before turning to Sarah, "We'll be right back ok?  Then we can head out to dinner if your still up for it?"
    "It will be nice to meet some of your friends Daniel." Sarah responded with a smile.
    As they made their way down the halls of the museum, Harry quickly checked to make sure they were alone and weren't being followed before he spoke.  "Hate to break this to you Daniel, but Sarah is infested with a Goa'uld."
    Daniel jerked after hearing that, wanting to immediately deny the accusation, the look on Harry's face immediately stopped him however.  "You sure?" he asked defeated.
    "99%," Harry replied, before continuing, "I called Sam from the bathroom during lunch.  She brought restraints as well as a ride back to the SGC.  I'm thinking a quick interrogation, find out why that amulet she was looking for is so important, then get in touch with the Tok'ra for help removing and destroying the parasite."
    Daniel seemed slightly relieved as he remembered that the Tok'ra would be able to help them get Sarah back.  As they made their way into the lobby to meet Sam who was carrying a back pack, a grim frown settled on Daniel's face.  He would be ok, Harry decided.  At least he won't lose her like he did Sha're.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing room*-

    "...after connecting with Major Carter, she confirmed she was a Goa'uld before we zatted her and signaled Colonel Reynolds and SG-3 to come in with the Ambulance and gurney.  We explained her collapsing on potential mold spoors in the artifacts, and just rolled her out of the building and into the ambulance on the gurney.  It all went pretty smoothly, however, Daniel has some slightly more disturbing news." finished Harry.
    Nodding to get his thoughts together, Daniel began by placing a white container on the table.  "After SG-3 and Harry left in the ambulance, while Major Carter was looking through the computer, I went down to the artifacts room to try and track down the missing amulet she was intent on finding.  While I didn't find the amulet, the curator down there did point this out.  This is the Isis jar.  hieroglyphs on the container identify the Jar as belonging to Isis, who was the Egyptian Mother Goddess."
    "A Goa'uld?" Sam asked.
    "That's possible." Daniel conceded.  "See, Isis was a consort of Osiris, supposedly the first Pharaoh of Egypt.  According to legend, he was placed in a magic box, and dumped into the Nile by his brother Seth."
    "Now, that name I recognize." commented General Hammond.
    "The Goa'uld symbols indicate that Isis and Osiris suffered some sort of punishment, or banishment." Daniel concluded.
    "Where to?" Sam asked.
    "Well, considering that Osiris now resides in Sarah Garner, and a similar Osiris jar was destroyed in the gas explosion, I think we can make an educated guess." Harry stated wryly nodding toward the jar on the briefing room table.
    "I want the contents of that jar identified as soon as possible, and take every precaution you would when handling a live Goa'uld." Ordered Hammond.
    "One thing before we leave General," Sam asked quickly, "while a lot of the information on the computer was wiped clean, I was able to recover some emails.  One of which was the results of the carbon dating analysis of the amulet that is missing."
    "And?" the general asked.
    "It appears to be more than 10,000 years old.  That combined with the Goa'uld's desire to obtain it likely indicates it's important for some reason or another.  Other than Dr. Jordan, Dr. Rayner received the email.  That combined with his ready access to the lab means he probably has it." Sam responded.
    "I'll send Dr. Jackson back to Chicago to track him down and ask him about it.  In the mean time, I want to know everything there is to know about that jar." Ordered Hammond.
    "General Hammond," Harry called out just before he was about to dismiss everyone.  "It will likely be some time before we hear back from the Tok'ra.  If possible, I'd like to have a talk with the Goa'uld to try and find out the importance of the amulet."
    "The likelihood of any interrogation baring fruit is not good considering the Goa'uld's tendency for lies and deceit." stated General Hammond.
    Harry, expecting that answer, placed a small vile onto the briefing room table.  The vile was filled with a clear liquid.  "That's why I'm planning to use this.  It's called Veritaserum.  It's the most powerful truth agent from my universe.  I did some tests on some lab rats and it is safe to use here so long as the antidote is given within an hour's time.  Two drops and a person can't lie." stated Harry, surprising many at the table.
    Hammond looked at Harry carefully, trying to determine Harry's confidence in the safety of a drug that, if it did what it claimed to do, was extremely powerful.  After seeing nothing but assured confidence in the younger man's eyes, Hammond nodded his head.  "Very well, but I would like Dr. Frasier present and monitoring the prisoner's vital signs for any sign of trouble."
    "Understood General." responded Harry.
    "Ok people, dismissed." said Hammond as he stood up and retreated into his office to make some calls, no doubt updating the higher ups to the situation at large and ordering the prisoner's movement to an isolation room for questioning.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Isolation Room 2*-

    When Harry arrived at the isolation room, Osiris was strapped to a chair, her head, arms, hands and legs all secured, and she was awake.
    "You will pay for this insolence!" stated Osiris.
    "Really?  With what?" Harry replied as he set a bag down, and continued in a thoughtful voice, "over my short life, I've been told that or something like that many times."
    "Sometimes they tell me my end is near, or that they will ensure I beg for death.  The more creative start talking about what they will do to the people I love." Harry's voice began to sound slightly board.  "This is the first time I haven't been the one trapped or captured and heard that though, so that's new." said Harry as he perked up slightly.  "Ironically, the people who made those statements have long since passed, yet I'm still here waiting for some sort of payment they told me would come due.  Too bad I can't ask them anymore, but we" Harry stated as he sat down across from her, "we have a few things we need to talk about before your impending death." finished Harry coldly.  Hammond and Daniel who were watching the interrogation from the observation booth were both surprised and thrown off at Harry's apparent sudden mood changes.  While both men knew he came from a war, both were starting to see the person who had fought in the war come out, not the kind, generous and thoughtful young man they had enjoyed getting to know over the last 15 months or so, but a dark and determined man.  They both shuddered slightly wondering what Harry would be willing to do to protect those he cared about.
    "Do your worst, I will never reveal what you wish to know.  Should any of you attempt to remove me I will kill this host.  I know Daniel cares deeply for her and will never allow that to happen so you have nothing.  Now release me from these bindings and bring me some food human." Osiris ordered.
    Harry was a bit impressed despite consciously trying not to be.  It took a lot of gall to be strapped down, at another's mercy and yet still be issuing orders.  "Well, it's a good thing I'm not planning on torturing you then.  Anyway, I'm just going to give you a few drops to drink and then we'll get the show on the road." said Harry.
    Unsure what the affects of potions would be in this universe, Harry had spent a lot of time testing them on several lab rats to ensure they weren't toxic.  He knew that certain potions couldn't be used by the mundane due to their lacking magic, but luckily for Harry, Veritaserum worked on the mundane, thought the dosage was about a third of that used for a wizard.  Because they didn't have any magic to battle the effects of the potion, they didn't need as much.  In fact, the standard dose on a muggle could poison them if they didn't weigh enough.
    Putting his words into action, Harry carefully removed the clear vile from his pocket.  After extracting the full dropper from the vile, he forced open the mouth of the Goa'uld and carefully laid a drop inside her lips, tilting her head back to ensure it went down her throat.
    The effect was immediate.  Her eyes glazed over and instead of looking at Harry with pure loathing, she was looking at the far wall as if it wasn't there.  Wanting to test to make sure it was working, Harry asked for her name.
    "I am your god Osiris." stated the Goa'uld in a flat tone.
    "How did you end up imprisoned in a canopic jar?" asked Harry.
    "Seth betrayed me and my consort Isis.  We were planning to overthrow Ra, and a few months before our plan was to be put into action, Seth presented evidence of Isis and mine's betrayal and then imprisoned us." answered Osiris.
    "What is important about the amulet that is currently missing?"
    "It is the key to a cargo ship I have hidden next to my temple under an energy dampening field." said Osiris, voice still flat, though her eyes began to show she was trying to fight the potion.
    "Why did you hide it there, and how is it accessed?" Harry asked.
    "It was meant to be my secondary means of escape should the Chappa'i not be accessible.  I had upgraded the hyper drive in the shuttle to enable me to make it to one of the closer worlds with a stargate within 1 week.  I can access the ship using the hand device hidden at the temple.  They control a set of ring transporters in the floor of the temple." Osiris finished.
    "Are there any traps or passwords we need to access and fly the ship?" asked Harry.
    "A combination is necessary to activate the ships power systems." ground out Osiris.  She was beginning to fight the potion, so he probably only had a question or two left.
    "What is the combination and what are the procedures to safely board, activate and fly the ship?" Harry asked.
    "The combination is 5-2-8-3-5, and one must lower the energy field from the main temple terminal before the ship can be boarded or powered." Osiris stated with some emotion in her voice.
    "Where is the terminal and how do you lower the field?" asked Harry.
    "Using the hand device one musssssssss... I will reveal no more scum.  Once I am free I will make you witness a thousand deaths for your crimes!" Osiris announced her eyes flashing as the Goa'uld finally reasserted full control over her faculties.
    "Well, I take it the serum wore off.  No doubt the parasite increased the body's ability to neutralize it.  Nevertheless, I believe we have achieved what was needed." commented Harry as he reached into his bag and pulled out a large syringe.  "Don't worry Sarah, when you wake up things will seem like they were just a terrible dream." As he finished speaking, Harry moved fast and quickly injected the woman in the neck with a large syringe full of sedative.  "Good thing Doc Frasier was able to put this sleep cocktail together from the sample in Isis's jar." Harry commented to the fading Goa'uld.  Not ten seconds after he finished speaking, she completely lost consciousness.
    Turning towards the booth Harry spoke up to Daniel.  "Daniel, what are the chances Steven noticed that the amulet was actually some kind of key?  And if so, what are the chances he would want to make the discovery himself?" Harry asked.
    Daniel didn't need to think hard on that subject.  "He's smart Harry, and good at what he does.  If he did recognize it as a key, he's just arrogant enough to make the trip on his own." stated Daniel somberly.  Harry could understand Daniel's disappointment.  Daniel was in the field of archeology to learn about past civilizations and cultures.  To him, a new discovery was a new learning opportunity, a new source of knowledge.  Steven, however, seemed to be more concerned with reputation and glory.  Harry knew such attitudes bugged Daniel.
    "Pack your bags then.  I'm sending you two, with Major Carter and Dr. Frasier as back up to intercept him before he stumbles into something better left buried." Hammond ordered.
    "If we can get him to sign a non-disclosure, should we partially brief him?" Harry asked.  "I know Daniel's department has had trouble finding good people.  And if Sarah is anything like Daniel, once cleared, you will likely have another competent member in that field, but the hat trick could save us a lot of trouble creating some kind of weak cover story for the confiscation of the amulet," finished Harry.
    "Take the necessary paperwork with you and I'll have the FBI run a discreet preliminary background check to see if he would be profiled as a security risk or not.  You are not to disclose anything until you get the ok from me.  Clear?" finished Hammond.
    "Understood" both Harry and Daniel chorused.

===============================================================================

-*Giza Plateau, Egypt*-

    "I think I know why this place doesn't get any tourists." commented Janet as the jeep Daniel was driving was once again rocked after it reached the bottom of a sand dune, only to start climbing the next.
    "According to the GPS, we've still got another 10 miles." Carter yelled over the sound of the jeeps stressed engine.
    After finding out the significance of the amulet, the four members of the SGC learned that Dr. Reyner had boarded a flight to Cairo.  Now, they were trekking much further south than most tourists go, in the direction of the temple the Stuart expedition found so long ago.  In addition to four zats, they were all armed with Berettas.  Doc Frasier also brought along two tranquilizer rifles, in the event the higher ups decided against bringing Steven into the loop or if it looked like Steven was going to give them a hard time and they didn't want to use the Zats in front of him.
    When they were about 5 miles from the temple, the Sat phone they brought with them rang.
    "Potter," Harry answered.
    "Harry, just heard back from the pentagon, they would like to avoid any exposure to Dr. Reyner if possible," said General Hammond.
    "Understood General, I think instead of a cover story, we should try to tranquilize him from behind, take the amulet and have a spotter watch from a distance to ensure he wakes up and can get home safely.  That way he doesn't even need to know we were here." Harry responded.
    "Do what you need to.  Hammond out," concluded the General.
    Seeing both Janet and Sam looking at him for news, Harry leant forward to make sure both them, and Daniel would be able to hear him.
    "The pentagon deemed Steven to be too much of a security risk given his psych profile, so unfortunately we can't do this the real easy way which would be to get him to sign and then explain." Harry yelled.
    Wanting to put his plan on the table since he believed it made the most sense, Harry continued, "So now I think we should do it the fairly easy way.  Take him out with the tranqu gun to lift the amulet, making it look like a robbery by taking any cash or valuables he has on him, see what the access to the hidden ship is like, and then once our business is done, watch from a distance to make sure he makes it safely back to his truck and leaves."
    Sam and Janet both liked the idea of both not having to come up with a cover story, or hurt someone.  Daniel looked a little torn, but the grimace on his face indicated he too believed that would be the best way since Steven would not willingly give up such a find considering the fame it could gain him.
    As they approached the temple, they noticed a jeep parked at the entrance.  -So he beat us here- Harry thought.  "Sam, you and I should approach with the tranqs since we're the better shots, Daniel, Janet, watch are backs just in case.  Put on your masks, don't want him to have a chance to get a look at our faces." Harry suggested.
    After his suggestion Harry was surprised at how much those sounded like orders.  He was further surprised when everyone started following those orders.  -It's so easy to slip into old roles,- Harry mused to himself.
    After putting his mask on, and seeing the others have done the same, He and Sam took the lead with the tranqu guns raised as they made their way into the temple proper.  Traveling down a long and narrow entrance corridor that would have bottle necked any type of offensive attack, they all listened carefully, and were rewarded by the sound of grinding rocks and the soft hum of energy.  As they cleared the hallway and entered the old place of warship, they noticed that the alter was raised and the red light of a Goa'uld interface was active.  In the raised shelf appeared to be a hand device that Steven was reaching for.  Seeing that now was as good a time as any, Harry quickly shot the man in the back with a tranquilizer dart.  The effects of the powerful sedative were immediate.  Steven fell forward, resting on the alter for a second before his legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor without seeing them.
    "How long will he be out doc?" asked Harry, as they all filed into the room.
    "About 4 hours, maybe five given the dose and his weight." answered Janet.
    "Ok, let's get to work.  He obviously found the hidden compartment, let's see if we can deactivate the energy dampening field and snag us a cargo ship.  While its old, it should still be a good piece for our people to study." commented Harry.  "Janet, check on Steven while Sam and I try to figure out the energy dampening field.  Daniel, can you see if you can spot a ring platform anywhere?"
    Everyone nodded and got to work.  After putting on the hand device, and a little coaching from Harry on mental control, Sam began to be able to interface the hand device with the computer that appeared to be in control of the hidden ship.  30 minutes after starting, Sam finally indicated she thought it was done.
    "Ok, let's give this puppy a try." said Harry wryly.  "Daniel, will you and Janet be ok here for a little bit while Sam and I check out the condition of the ship?  If it will fly, we will need to decide who will be the lookout and take the long way home and who will fly the thing back to base."
    "We'll keep an eye on things out here Harry.  See you in a little bit." responded Daniel, as he began to look at the writings on the walls of the room.
    "OK Harry, I think I figured out which button will activate the rings." said Sam.
    Harry and Sam made their way to where Daniel pointed, Sam pressed the button and instantly 5 transport rings jumped up around the two and they disappeared in a flash of light.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Harry Potter's Lab Level 19*-

    The previous two weeks have been increasingly busy for Harry.  After figuring out how to and then flying the shuttle back with Doctor Frasier, who happened to draw the long straw, his research group, or the group as he had begun to call them, descended on the old ship and soon had it in hundreds of pieces.  Already they were gaining more insights on the different types of sub light drives the Goa'uld used in their craft and more importantly, more insights into hyper drives.  While the hyper drive was a slow one, and seriously out dated, it still taught them much about how to build one of their own.  They were still some time away from completing a completely made Terran prototype but this find did advance the estimated completion time by over 6 months.
    Harry's short flight at the controls also caused Harry to be bitten by the flying bug once again.  It surprisingly didn't take much for Harry to convince Hammond to arrange for the pilots that shuttled Harry between the SGC, area 51 and the Prometheus site in Utah to start giving Harry instruction in the F-15 2 seater they usually flew in.
    Furthermore, after making so many contributions, and being so deeply involved in so many critical projects, Hammond was finally able to scrounge up some lab and office space for Harry and his group.  The space was by no means extravagant, but it was on the large side.  Dr. Lee and Harry both had offices that were on either side and attached to a large shared lab where their group usually met to work.  Master Sergeant Siler was able to convert a small room at the back of the large lab into a small office for himself.  The large lab had enough room to put in some desks for the others in the group.  While Melnek and Aven both thought such things were not needed since they were Urrone, both them, and their minders quickly came to enjoy having a workstation, desk area, space for their files, notes and any personal effects.
    Other than a desk, book shelves, drafting table and a small 6 person meeting table, both Dr. Lee's and Harry's office both had cots in it, which both men were thankful for.  Siler's office had just enough room for some book shelves, locker, a cot and a good desk.  The space for their offices and work room only recently became available since the last of NORAD had just vacated the top 10 floors of the mountain.  Now, many of the administrative offices, Archeology and linguistics department, on base personnel quarters, a few sets of guest quarters, the base's unclassified library, exercise facilities and a second commissary for the base were moved to the upper levels.  This move freed up much needed space for the expansion of the base infirmary, the in construction aircraft hanger, more team locker rooms, the new and secondary engineering sections which would house the Naquadah generators responsible for a majority of the SGC's current income, the yet to be finished garage and fortunately for Harry and Dr. Lee, more labs and offices for the sciences.
    At the moment, Harry and Dr. Lee were standing over the large drafting table in the main lab arguing over the need for so much redundancy in the x 303 plans.  "Bill, I'm not saying that the ships systems will fail often enough to be reliant on such redundancies, what I'm saying is that space, even if we defeat the Goa'uld in the future, is a dangerous place to be, and that only a single backup of, or single connection to, key systems will leave the ship vulnerable should it come under attack, be hit by some spacial anomaly or debris, or god forbid be sabotaged.  If I wanted to disable this ship as its designed now, all I would need to do is disrupt the only connection between the helm and the sub light engines.  We need backups, and backups for the backups.
    Imagine the tactical advantage being able to shore up your shields would be in the middle of a battle, or should the main bridge be destroyed, or the connections to the main bridge for that matter, that a back up control room be already ready to take over?  Yes while these systems will take space, and they will be costly and they will take time to build, they could also mean the survival of the ship in a time of crisis.  They could make it extremely difficult to not only defeat the ship, but to cripple it, giving the crew the chance to either escape if possible, or abandon ship before destruction.  We need to protect our people, and this is the best way for us to do that." Harry finished passionately.
    By the middle of his rant, Harry could tell he had sold his friend on the idea.  He could also tell he had impressed upon the Orbanian's the importance of secondary and even backups to the secondary systems.  The original x303 designers didn't even have a secondary power generator, so if something happened to the primary reactor, the ship would have essentially been crippled.  In Harry's mind, that made absolutely no sense.  So his, Dr. Lee and Siler's design had a primary and secondary main reactors, as well as a large number of the small Orbanian type naquadah reactors that could be used for emergency power for life support and thrusters or to provide an added power boost during times of crisis.  Yes his obsession with such redundancy means they are building a 430 meter long vessel instead of a 200 meter vessel, but if the 200 meter vessel can be disabled with a lucky shot, what was the point of building it?
    After getting back to discussing some ideas the group was interrupted by Major Carter's knock on their door jam since the retracted blast door that served as the lab's main entry way made no door available to knock on.  "Harry, can I pull you away for a few minutes?" Sam asked.
    "Sure, I'll be right back guys." said Harry.  After walking over to Sam, she started to talk to him quietly.
    "Did you hear that General Hammond decided to retire?" Sam asked, getting straight to the point.
    "No!" Harry replied surprised.  His exclamation drew quick looks from his friends on the other side of the lab.  Lowering his voice Harry continued, "when did this come about?"
    "He said that he just became tired of sending people out into harm's way, but something's not right about it.  Normally I would have accepted his explanation, but I'm not the only one that thinks something else is going on.  Jack thinks he's not telling us the real reason." finished Sam concerned.
    Harry didn't buy the General's stated excuse either.  Something just wasn't sitting right.  Hammond had been going to bat for this program since its inception.  He had been instrumental in pushing for the adaptation of many of Harry's proposals that were geared for protecting and ensuring the protection of this planet and the long term operation of this program.  Given his personality, Harry couldn't imagine anything short of a stroke or some other medical condition that would take Hammond away from this base.
    "This reeks of meddling, and while I want to do something, there is not much we can do unless he gives us some hint of just who's doing the meddling." responded Harry.  "I'll go talk with him, maybe he'll drop me a note or give me some kind of hint."
    "Thanks Harry, let me know if you need any help with anything." Sam replied before making her way down the hall towards her own lab.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, General Hammond's Office*-

    Entering the office after hearing the response to his knock, Harry was surprised that the General already had several moving boxes out and was currently packing away some of the books.
    "I just heard sir, I'm sorry that we're going to lose you." Harry said as he made his way into the room.  Harry could immediately tell that this retirement wasn't his idea.  Neither was he officially relieved for any reason.  Something smelly was going on and Harry was going to get to the bottom of it.
    "I'm glad that I had the opportunity to work for you Harry.  I'll still be in the area since I plan on spending a lot of time with my grand children, so we should keep in touch." said the kind General as he held out his hand for Harry to shake.
    The man radiated stress when he mentioned his grand kids and Harry was beginning to see how Hammond was pressured to resign.  As he took the General's hand, Harry immediately felt the folded piece of paper there, and knew then that the general knew that someone else was listening in.  Harry deftly palmed the paper and nodded at the general before saying, "It would be my pleasure.  It was an honor to work for you, and I only wish I could have served under you as well sir.  Take care of yourself." finished Harry before he gave the General a parade ground worthy salute.  While his start date for Officer's Candidate School was pushed back because of some complications in the projects he was working on, Harry's Air Force start date passed last week.  So while not sworn in, or officially yet a member of the Air Force, Harry wanted his first salute to be towards an officer and man he greatly respected.
    Hammond appeared to understand the gesture behind his salute as he returned it.  "Don't worry Harry, when you finally get to and graduate OCS, I'll be there." the man smiled.
    "Have a good evening sir, I still have some work to get done." Harry started as he turned towards the door before pausing, "oh, I forgot to ask, I was hoping to take a few days off this upcoming week to sort out some finances and finalize the plans for the house I'm planning to build on that farm I bought.  Would that cause any problems?"
    Hammond seemed to be reassured by the fact Harry would likely be doing nothing related to house building during his time off.  "Sure, I'll list you on leave through Friday, would that be enough time?" Hammond asked.
    "Thanks General.  I'll see you later at the retirement party I have no doubt is being planned." said Harry before leaving.
    After Harry left, Hammond sat down heavily into his chair wondering if and how Harry might be able to help him.  He knew the type of people behind this situation would think little of killing someone that tried to interfere.  The NID was as powerful as the CIA, and acted in many cases, above the law.  But then again, Harry had come from a pretty nasty war in his universe.
    That last thought did nothing to reassure the General.  Hammond was slightly worried since he couldn't quite predict what Harry's reaction would be to threats against his close friends in this universe.  If the brief glimpse they witnessed during the Osiris incident holds true, he might have just given motivation and direction to a very capable and deadly individual.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Harry Potter's Office, level 19*-

    Harry didn't even glance at the folded note in his pocket until he was secured in his office.  Harry had built several detection devices that could be keyed to not only detect electronic listening or video devices, but also detect if anyone had even entered his office.  That combined with a couple hidden cameras to record anyone's entrance ensured his lab stayed clean.  Sam had helped him build the devices, and had a set in her office as well.  Another set had been in Harry's group's labs, Dr. Lees and Siler's Offices, General Hammond's office and the briefing room, but seeing as how the General's office was no longer secure, Harry guessed that the General kept the bugs there to confirm to the blackmailers he was keeping his end of the bargain.
    After sitting in his chair he took the note out and read it.  It was short, and obviously prepared in haste, and it confirmed that people associated with the NID had kidnapped his two granddaughters and returned them home as a threat to comply with their demands for access to off world technology.  No doubt they were probably set to maneuver someone that either worked for them covertly, or unknowingly supported their views, into Hammond's now vacated job.  That could prove disastrous.  Furthermore, it's one thing for an organization to go after adults, it's another to go after two little innocent girls to get to adults.  This above anything else enraged Harry.
    During the war, a good and loyal friend was forced to work for the other side because they had kidnapped her sister and baby niece.  After the deaths of many of her friends as a result of her actions, and the discovery of her sister and niece's dead body on her doorstep, she committed suicide, and Harry took the gloves off.  He ruthlessly hunted not only those responsible but those that knew it was going to happen, i.e.  their family members who had either known and participated, or known and not helped the innocents, and after draining them dry of information, executed them, sending their heads to their remaining family members.
    Harry had never viewed himself as a violent person.  In fact, he viewed himself as the opposite of violent.  Given the opportunity, he would prefer anything but violence.  But he knew he was also not a perfect man, and that some situations necessitated the use of violence.  Despite how much he detested it, sometimes a response needs to be quick, brutal and harsh.  When it came to family, especially innocent family, innocent children, Harry took no prisoners.  He knew many at the SGC would probably not be happy with the actions he was currently planning.  Some might actually fear him should they discover he was the catalyst behind the hell that was about to rain down on the NID.  Harry was hoping none of his friends would witness his darkness.  But he couldn't let such an overt threat to his friends, his new family, exist without resistance.  Maybe it was the result of having so many people he loved taken from him by those who were power hungry, selfish and downright evil, but Harry stopped keeping the gloves on in these situations after the death of Hannah Abbott.
    He made a vow on that day, after seeing her hanging from that barn's rafters and reading her note.  He took a vow to do everything in his power to keep innocents out of any struggles he fought in.  He took a vow to ruthlessly pursue and punish all those who would actively or even passively use unwilling innocents as chess pieces of power in any conflict.  And Harry was not about to violate that solemn vow now that he was in a new universe.
    As he started to shut everything down and gather his things, the last thought Harry had as he shut and locked his office was one he had hoped to never have again.  -The gloves are about to come off.


Chapter 10: Actions and Consequences

-*Denver International Airport, Terminal 2*-

    Standing invisible inside the terminal, Harry was preparing to board a
flight to Baltimore.  There was only one powerful individual that Jack and Sam
both thought might be involved with the NID that was not a member of the NID
itself, and that man was a United States Senator.  When both asked what Harry
was planning for his time off, Harry had been pretty vague.  Harry just handed
them a couple of hundred dollars and told them to take the team Cassie and the
Doc out to dinner tomorrow night on him.
    They immediately became suspicious but house cleaning, and planning was all
he would tell them.  In a way, he didn't lie.  He was cleaning house in a
manner of speaking, and he was doing a lot of planning at the moment.  Hammond
was scheduled to be out of the mountain on Friday in two days, and his
replacement was arriving on the following Monday.  That gave Harry 4 days
before the NID patsy was inside the mountain.  That should be enough time to
knock some heads against some trees to see what falls out.
    Leaning against the wall, Harry was once again glad he had convinced
Dumbledore to teach him this form of invisibility.  It didn't rely on a cloak,
and it didn't cause any type of detectable visual distortion like
disillusionment charms would have.  It basically took the body shield Harry had
learned to wandlessly project, and make it bend light and heat, rendering what
was in it invisible to both visual and heat sensors.  This definitely proved to
be an asset in shaking the 3 men that had been following him since his
departure from Colorado Springs.  All he had needed to do was go into a large
mall's busy department store, find a hidden corner that lacked any security
camera coverage, and become invisible.  That, and one of the 1100 doses of
Polyjuice potion he had in his trunk got him out of the mall and to the
airport, where the invisibility got him through security and would soon be
getting him on a red eye flight to Maryland.  It was critical for his travels
to be untraceable.  What better way than not even being seen?

===============================================================================

-*Maryland, BWI Airport, Taxi Stand*-

    Dressed as a businessman and disguised as a man that looked to be around 40
that shared a similar build to him, Harry grabbed a cab and gave directions to
a park he had looked up that was near the good senator's home of residence.
From the park, he planned to find a dinner for some food, then find a quiet
corner and get his little kit organized.  He was not looking forward to hiding
out in the Senator's house for the next 12 or so hours, but considering the
security system the man probably had installed, it made more sense to follow
someone inside during the day and hide out and wait for the best time, than to
try to break in at night while they slept.  Hopefully he would be able to find
a nice quiet rarely used room to catch up on a little sleep.

===============================================================================

-*Maryland, Residence of US Senator Robert Kinsey*-

    It had been a long and boring day, but the wait was worth it.  The wife was
downstairs watching TV, and his target was in the study typing away on his
computer.  It looked like he was communicating on some type of chat website.
Harry idly wondered if that was how the NID communicated with it's covert
assets.
    Using a syringe full of dreamless sleep potion on the wife had been easy.
In the morning she should wake up thinking she fell asleep watching TV.  After
making his way upstairs Harry quietly walked up behind the sitting senator
before placing his hand on the man's shoulder and willing him to be immobile.
    To outside appearances, the white haired man's entire body seemed to tense
for a second before it went completely still.  Using a device to scan for
surveillance equipment, he quickly found a hidden video camera and microphone
and quickly disabled it before he willed himself visible.  As he picked up and
moved the still frozen Kinsey from his desk chair to a couch, Kinsey got his
first look at his attacker.
    Harry was dressed in black and was wearing a black mask that had reflective
lenses over his eyes to hide them, and a speaker where his mouth would have
been.  That speaker was in fact a voice distorter.  After placing him down,
Harry immediately set up a small video camera, gave him a dose of truth serum,
freed him from is paralysis and after pressing record, asked his first
questions.
    "What is your name?" Harry asked in the highly synthetic voice provided by
the voice distorter.
    "Senator Robert Kinsey," said Kinsey in a flat voice.
    "Are you involved with the NID?"
    "Yes," was the man's flat reply.
    "What do you do for them?  And what do they do in return for you?"
    "I am a strong political ally for them and ensure they are allocated a
large indescretionary budget.  They in turn provide me with information about
my political enemies, finance my campaigns, and give me any information which
might aid in furthering my political career."
    Harry wasn't surprised by that response.  Kinsey wasn't the type of man
that gets his hands dirty himself, he's the type that asks others to do it for
them.
    "Did they give you any instructions with regards to the SGC?  If so, what
were they?"
    "They first wanted me to have them shut down so they could use the second
gate they had stolen to run their own operation.  Then when it looked like the
president would never approve a full shut down after Apophis's attack, it was
to help them maneuver a man into a position to step in and run the SGC.  The
man they supported would aid them in their goals while General Hammond would
not."
    "Who is behind the illegal actions of the NID and more specifically the
group of agents that the NID says are rogue."
    "Several powerful businessmen and the head of the NID are in control of
everything.  They use the NID to gain political power and aid in their
businesses."
    "What are the names of these businessmen?"
    As Kinsey listed 10 businessmen, Harry couldn't hide the surprise on his
face under his mask.  These 10 men were some of the wealthiest individuals in
the country, if not the world.  Taking these people down would be almost
impossible, and the odds were that whoever did try would end up dead pretty
quickly.  This had to be handled delicately.  Harry can't just go around
executing these men, let alone a United States Senator.  It wouldn't take
people long to connect his disappearance with the murders of so many prominent
individuals.  Even if he did that and got away without being taken out in
retaliation, like a hydra, 20 more businessmen would take their places, with a
dozen more dirty politicians.
    "Have you or these men ordered the deaths of anyone?  If so, who was
ordered killed, who gave the order, and who executed the order?" Harry asked,
almost afraid of the answer he would receive.
    The list was long, too long.  These people, using about 20 highly trained
agents that worked within the ranks of the NID, had assassinated anyone that
either looked too carefully into the actions of the NID, was in the way of one
of the businessmen, or had developed or had access to technology that they were
interested in.  After Kinsey had finished naming people, Harry asked a question
that might just solve many of his problems.
    "Have you or any of these men sold any classified information to enemies of
the United States, if so, what did they sell and to whom?" Harry eagerly asked.
    This list blew Harry away.  These people sold classified technology,
classified information and highly restricted materials to almost all of the
US's global enemies.  They even sold information on the stargate program to
Russia for a hefty fee and drilling rights to several oil fields in Russia.
They further had the nerve to sell a blasted live Goa'uld symbiote they
captured using their illegal gate operation.  The greed and corruption Harry
was hearing about simultaneously frightened and angered him.
    "What are the NID's current illegal plots, and are there any big plans in
the planning stages?  If so, what are they?" asked Harry.
    "We have just successfully forced George Hammond into retirement by
kidnapping and returning his grandchildren as a warning to cooperate.  After
the swearing in of Vice President Robert Russell, a plan to assassinate
President Bartlett will be put together.  Our hope is to suitably frame an
opponent of the NID to both maneuver a NID sympathetic man into the White
House, and to warn others off that are trying to get the NID disbanded," droned
Kinsey.
    Harry almost fell out of his chair at that announcement.  To actively plan
the assassination of a sitting US President was a line he thought even these
bastards wouldn't cross.
    "Who ordered the kidnapping of Hammond's grandchildren and who were the
operatives that carried out the mission."
    "Major Franklin gave the order, I do not know who carried out the task."
    "How do the head of the NID and the 10 businessmen you mentioned make
decisions, are there any records of their meetings and conversations, and how
do you all communicate?" asked Harry hoping to find the evidence necessary to
put the nail into the coffin of many truly dark and selfish people without
involving the SGC.
    "We use several secure roving servers on the internet to communicate.  The
head of the NID keeps records of the large meetings in a secure safe in his
office.  I do not know if the businessmen themselves keep records."
    "Do they have a name for themselves?"
    "They like to call themselves the Trust," Kinsey replied.
    "How do I access the online database without triggering any alarms?" asked
Harry.
    As Harry carefully listened to the instructions, and prepared the portable
hard drive he brought with him to download all of the necessary information,
Harry was putting the finishing touches on his plans for the good Senator.
Harry had the name of the person that gave the order to kidnap the little
girls.  Now he would engage one of his late godfather's favorite pranking
tactics.  The long distance prank.  The best way to insure you are not only not
implicated, but don't get splattered.  After downloading the entire online
database, thankful he had the modified Goa'uld crystal tech hard drive with him
considering the size of the database, Harry made his way back over to the still
glassy eyed Senator.
    "Well Senator, let's get you organized here.  Can't have you remembering
this conversation can we?  And I think it's about time you had a change of
heart and started truly serving your country... even if that change of heart
puts you in prison for life," concluded Harry as he removed the lenses from his
mask, made solid eye contact with Kinsey and easily slipped into his mind.
    While Harry really abhorred entering another's mind without permission, he
had a job to do, and a surrogate family to protect.  While erasing the memories
of this interrogation was more difficult than it would have been in his old
universe since he had to physically go into his mind and erase those memories,
being in the man's mind gave Harry the opportunity to enact his plan.
Ironically enough, he got the idea from the Goa'uld.  While he could no longer
cast strong compulsions with his wand, nothing prevented him from placing
suggestions and commands directly into someone's mind once already in there.
While he would never do this under normal circumstances, he wasn't about to let
some power mad group of businessmen and politicians take over the US
government.
    Placing strong commands to covertly gather all evidence he had of the
treason committed by these people, including the planning of the President's
assassination was easy.  Putting a qualifier to ensure the secrecy of the SGC
was a little more tricky, but not impossible.  Ordering him to produce two
versions of the evidence, was the hardest part of Harry's task.
    The first version was the complete version.  Kinsey was ordered to create 3
copies, one to be mailed to a PO box Harry had set up and rented for 3 years
under a false name in Washington, one to be couriered to General Hammond in
Colorado Springs, and one to be delivered to the White House and addressed
classified, eyes only, the president.
    The second version was to include everything except any mention of the SGC,
aliens, or alien technology.  Harry wanted to ensure that the secret behind the
important job the SGC does isn't compromised.  This package was to be delivered
to every major news organization in addition to the attorney general's office,
the head of the FBI, since the man hadn't been implicated by the Senator, and
the white house.  While a good deal of classified information would be released
to the public by this delivery, none of it would have anything to do with the
SGC, none of it would put any human lives at risk and such release might just
be a death blow to the NID since it will bring to light many of the NID's
illegal actions.
    Kinsey was then given a command to hold a press conference at noon on
Monday, just after the packages would be scheduled to arrive at their
destinations, confessing his crimes to the public, the involvement of the
influential businessmen, and the fact that after having a bad nightmare the
night before, realized his mistake in participating in the planning and
supporting the president's assassination.  Kinsey was commanded to say that he
had decided he should come forward with his information and evidence and had
consequently set up this news conference to do just that, in addition to having
copies of the evidence delivered to the attorney general, several reputable
news organizations, the President and the head of the FBI.
    Finally, Harry placed a strong compulsion in his psyche to call up his
various wet works teams he had access to on Sunday morning, and set them after
each other, and the other assassins the NID had employed to kill the innocents
he had mentioned in his previous disclosure.
    After making sure there would be no sign of his presence in the house,
Harry injected the Senator with a dose of sleeping potion and placed him in the
chair in front of the computer he had been working on when Harry had entered
the room.  Harry had a busy few days ahead of him.  He had three days to visit
10 of the most powerful business men in the world, who lived in 4 different
cities spread out over the US.
    He had to be sure these men wouldn't use their or any of their people's
knowledge of the SGC as leverage to escape prosecution.  Also, considering the
powder keg that was about to go up, maybe it might be a good idea to encourage
them all to put their final affairs in order before the big bang so that their
vast resources could be put to good use after their exposure.  Harry hated
influencing a person's free will.  He found such actions truly disgusting.  But
in this case, it was the lesser of two evils.  While Harry knew he would be
having nightmares for some time once everything was said and done, he was glad,
because so long as he had such nightmares, or such regrets, or such disgust at
his own actions despite the consequences he knew would occur if he didn't act,
he knew he still had his soul.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, The Gate Room*-

    Harry walked into the gate room and got in line standing in between Dr. Lee and Teal'c.  He had a lot of trouble keeping the yawn from escaping his lips.  It had been a long 4 days, but he had been able to reach all 10 of those that Kinsey had named.  They all had very strong compulsions planted into their minds to maintain the secrecy of the SGC and the stargate, so he knew that when the shit starting to splatter on them after it hit the fan at the NID, that they wouldn't try to use the gate as leverage.  Because time was tight, he couldn't spend as much time as he would have liked interrogating all of those men so Harry had to hope that the compulsion would encourage them to strongly discourage their underlings from compromising the SGC as well.
    When they saw him enter the formation, both Sam and Jack shot him questioning looks, wondering what he'd been up to over the past 4 days.  Harry just shook his head.  While they might have some suspicions of what he did, especially after the big press conference that was set to air at noon eastern standard time, Harry would never tell them the specifics.  That information would likely die with him.  The video of the interrogations would stay safely tucked away in his trunk if Harry had anything to say about it.
    "So what do we know about this new guy?" Carter asked O'Neill.
    "Not much." responded O'Neill
    "Lets hope he's not some sort of spit and polish, brass tacks..." Daniel trailed off, trying to find a tactful way to put it.
    "Hard ass?" Jack asked, having no such tact.
    "I was building up to that" said Daniel.
    "TEN HUT!" O'Neill announced to the room after seeing the new General approach the doors to the gate room.
    The way the man walked in, not even taking a second to appreciate the stargate was all that Harry needed to see to come to certain conclusions.  This man was a willing patsy.  He was probably hand fed information by his contacts that would provide the right motivation for the man to do exactly what the NID wanted.  While Harry hoped the man was not soulless, the General's greeting to the men and women that sacrificed their lives on a daily basis for the protection of the planet did nothing to reassure him.
    "My name is Major General Bauer.  I'll be your new commanding officer.  I'd just like to say I look forward to working with all of you.  Thank you." After finishing his dry greeting, the man continued to walk through the gate room and exited the door on the opposite side he entered from, his entourage of two diligently following him in silence.
    "Squadron at ease." ordered O'Neill.  "Always leave 'em wanting more." Jack joked to those around him.
    "I wouldn't be too worried Jack, something tells me he's likely to not be staying here very long." Harry commented as he made his way to follow Daniel and Sam as they exited the gate room.
    "What do you know Harry?" Jack called out to Harry's retreating back.
    "Nothing more than you do Jack" Harry replied over his shoulder with a look of complete innocence on his face.  "Honest." Harry threw in as he rounded out of the room.
    Harry caught up with them at the elevator and rode down with them to level 19.
    "Why do you look so disappointed Daniel?" asked Harry.
    "I don't know, I guess I was expecting someone a little more inspiring." responded Daniel as they approached the entrance to Sam's lab.
    "I guess when you spend that much time at the Pentagon it's easy to become a bureaucrat." joked Sam as they entered her lab.
    Harry almost had to choke back a snort when they saw General Bauer waiting for them in the lab reading from a manila colored folder.  Sam looked wide eyed at the General and quickly came to attention.
    "Or a diplomat.  Depends on where your interests lie." replied the General.
    "General, I..." Sam began before she was interrupted.
    "At ease Major Carter.  At ease.  I've been going over your research into naquadah reactors.  Yours too Mr. Potter.  Very impressive." the General commented.
    "We are really just beginning to scratch the surface of the incredible potential of this element." Carter responded with the light of exciting science in her eyes.
    "It also demonstrates some interesting properties when used in conjunction with nuclear ordinance." stated the General.
    This comment brought a frown to Daniel, Sam and Harry's faces.  "It does tend to increase the explosive effect, yes sir." Sam dutifully replied.
    "The Pentagon feels that the Stargate project, while exposing Earth to considerable danger has yet to produce any practical returns.  Now we've been working on a device designed specifically to take advantage of this Naquadah enhancing effect.  I'd like you to take part in the operation" ordered the General placing a folder on Sam's work bench.
    "I'm curious General." Harry opened, "is that the Pentagon's feeling or the NID?  Last I heard the Pentagon was quite happy with the strides we have made to not only protect this planet, but to the future construction of vessels, one of several modes we are working on to actively protect this planet and any future colonies we start." finished Harry in a challenging tone.
    The General frowned at the mention of the NID, and seeing the man's curiosity toward the bulk of Harry's statement, Harry decided to go for broke.
    "You do know that after numerous lapses in security, and almost being the catalyst for earth's removal from the Asgard protected planets treaty, not to mention their active stealing from some of our allies, the NID was forbidden access to the SGC and off world technology, don't you General?  Or did the people who gave you your obviously inaccurate information along with the plans for this rather destructive device fail to mention that?" asked Harry as he picked up and glanced at the designs of the device the General asked Sam to build.  Harry made a face after seeing the design and doing a quick calculation of the potential destruction such a weapon would cause.
    "I would watch your tone Mr. Potter.  It would be very easy for me to have you fired, let alone court marshaled once you enter the Air Force.  Don't think you aren't expendable." Bauer replied in an icy voice.
    Harry finally allowed a snort to escape his lips, to the astonishment of Daniel and Sam who were watching this tennis match with open mouthed fascination.
    "If you did such a thing, my friends on Orban would likely be very put off.  Not to mention all of the aid I've provided with my designs and insights with the x project, Prometheus and the SGC rebuild.  Lets also not forget the favor Air Force one told me he owed me for saving his life a few months ago, and the icing on the cake would be the several billion dollars I loaned the SGC, at a very favorable rate of interest, to fund not only the Prometheus shipyards construction but the SGC remodel while the SGC builds its marketable patent portfolio." Harry finished shaking his head and chuckling.
    Daniel and Sam's eyes had widened at the mention of the large loan.  Many had been wondering where the flood of funding for all of the construction was coming from.  Yes they were making a lot of money selling power, and they had several ideas for marketable technology and medical patents, but the money from the electricity sales couldn't have covered the massive projects currently ongoing in addition to ongoing operations.  And no one believed the previously stingy Pentagon had finally recognized the critical needs of the SGC.
    Bauer himself also seemed surprised.  It seemed his source didn't know where the money came from either.  -Not knowing probably really pissed them off too-, Harry thought to himself.  Looking at his watch, and not wanting to engage in a pissing match at the moment, Harry turned to Sam and Daniel, who still were staring at Harry and Bauer with wide eyes.
    "Anyway, I have some work to get done.  See you two at lunch by any chance?" Harry asked.
    Receiving stunned nods, Harry walked out of the room whistling a happy tune.  Things would hopefully work themselves out here rather quickly.  At least that was what Harry hoped.  Hearing Bauer's shout of POTTER!!!  brought another smile to his face.  -Looks like he finally came out of his surprise- Harry thought.  -Took him long enough.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    Harry had just turned on CNN in the briefing room when Master Sergeant
Walter Harriman, who had been walking up the stairs from the control room, saw
him.
    "Harry, this might not be the best place for you to hang out right now.
Word on the grape vine is that General Bauer is looking to have you thrown in
the brig," said Walter with a worried frown on his face.  Harry had always
gotten along well with Walter and was touched at the risk the man took by
giving him such a warning.
    "Don't worry Walter.  I think everything will work itself out," replied
Harry with a confident tone.  "Besides, a friend of mine from the Pentagon told
me that there would be an interesting press conference held at noon Washington
time, so I thought I'd tune in."
    Walter looked at Harry in confusion.  If a 2 star was out for his blood,
he'd be hiding, not sitting 15 feet from said General's office getting ready to
watch the news with what looked like a large cup of soda, package of peanut
M&Ms and a large container of popcorn.
    "You mind paging Teal'c down here?  I think he might get a kick out of
this, Jack too," Harry politely asked the confused Master Sergeant.
    The sergeant was a smart man.  He had been in the Air Force a long time,
and he quickly recognized the mischief in Harry's eyes.  Something big was
about to happen.  Something so big it was going to be on the news.  And Harry
knew about it ahead of time.  As the newscaster announced that the press
conference was set to begin, the picture changed to show Senator Robert Kinsey,
standing on the steps of the Capital Building, in front of a large collection
of reporters and News Cameras.
    "Ladies and Gentleman, I'd like to thank all of you for coming on such
short notice," the slimy Senator opened the press conference with a modest
frown on his face and solemn eyes.  "It is my greatest displeasure, this
afternoon, to bring to light several conspiracies perpetrated by influential
members of this government.  I am ashamed to say I was a willing participant in
many of these conspiracies, conspiracies that include such treasonous acts of
trading classified information and technologies to enemies of this great
nation, and the most heinous, and the reason I have decided to come before you
today, the planning of the assassination of President Bartlet."
    Stunned silence met this announcement.  Harry heard Walter's `holy shit'
before the sound of Walter's dropped mug of coffee breaking on the floor
reached his ears.  Harry turned to see Walter sprint down the stairs, obviously
to try and get as many TV's turned on as possible.
    Kinsey took advantage of the reporters, for once, stunned silence and
continued, "This morning, I had packages delivered to the White House, other
high government officials, and several major news outlets that contain the
evidence of my, and my coconspirator's crimes.  It is my hope, that by making
such information so wide spread will make it more difficult for my powerful
coconspirators to cover up their involvement with bribes, threats, blackmail
and in some cases, assassination, like we have done in the past."  Kinsey
paused, only to be assaulted by an onslaught of yelled questions from the
frantic press.  Hearing the sounds of a large number of people entering, Harry
saw Jack and Teal'c entering the room at a run, followed by what looked like at
least 50 people, all trying to squeeze their way into the room from all doors.
Those closer to the front sat on the floor to prevent their bodies from
blocking the projection.  Everyone caught the last sentence Kinsey spoke before
the reporters started shouting their questions, and everyone appeared to be in
a state of shock.
    At that point, General Bauer, stomped into the briefing room, and having
seen Harry began to make his way through the crowd toward him, not even
noticing the news conference taking place on the projection screen.  Seeing the
angry General, Harry thought of an idea that might buy him some more time until
this man was removed from the base.
    "Threats, blackmail and assassination..." Harry commented out loud,
grabbing everyone's attention.  Everyone saw Harry look right at Bauer before
he continued, "Is that why Hammond unexpectedly resigned?  Was he threatened?
Knowing the man, it probably wasn't him that was threatened, but his family.
Were you involved in this as well?  Considering your quick assignment, and all
of your `sources'," Harry air quoated.  "Did you know about all of this?" Harry
asked, standing up and setting his bucket of popcorn on the table.
    At hearing this, everyone in the room turned as one to focus their eyes on
the General.  All were angry, and all were trying to determine if this man
might have contributed to their old commander's hasty and unexpected departure.
    Seeing the open hostility in most faces that looked at him, Bauer turned to
leave, and caught sight of Kinsey standing in front of a podium, with the
message bar on the bottom of the screen stating "Kinsey came forward stating
involvement in massive conspiracies, admitted to using threats, blackmail and
assassination to accomplish goals with coconspirators.  NID thought to be at
the head of conspiracy."
    Everyone saw Bauer pale after reading the text since the loud shouting of
the reporters prevented Kinsey from continuing his prepared remarks.  As Bauer
made a hasty retreat, Harry sat back down, placed his tub of popcorn in his
lap, picked up his packet of M&Ms; he then turned to Teal'c who had taken the
seat next to Harry.  "Popcorn, M&M?" Harry asked his massive friend.
    Teal'c looked long and hard at Harry for several seconds, before he raised
an eyebrow, and the closest thing to a smirk Harry ever saw on the man,
appeared on his face.  "An M&M would be satisfactory.  Thank you Harry Potter."
    "Anytime, Teal'c, Anytime," responded Harry as he handed the man the open
package of M&Ms.
    Jack, who had taken the seat on Harry's other side reached for a handful of
popcorn and whispered, "what kind of trouble have you stirred up now Harry?"
while he shook his head and chuckled, thinking about the long time in prison
Kinsey was facing if just half the stuff scrolling on the information bar on
the TV was proven to be true, and knowing the man, it probably was all true.
    "Me?  Trouble?" Harry asked the Colonel in an innocent and slightly
offended tone.  "You are the one always getting into trouble Jack, not me,"
Harry concluded, turning back towards the screen.  As the reporters finally
appeared to be quieting down, realizing Kinsey couldn't continue to talk if
they kept shouting, Harry commented with a mouthful of popcorn, "This ought to
be good."
    "Indeed," responded Teal'c as he took his own handful from Harry's bucket.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, General Hammond's Office*-

    Harry knocked on the General's door and entered after hearing the General's
order of "Come."
    "General, good to see you back under the mountain sir," stated Harry as he
saw the General organizing some of the books on his back bookshelf.
    "Harry," the General smiled slightly at seeing the man that appeared to
have dropped the equivalent of a nuclear bomb in the middle of the NID and got
away without even the slightest bit of suspicion falling on him.  Last the
General heard, a good quarter of the NID went quietly underground 5 minutes
after Kinsey opened his mouth on CNN.  Another quarter were engaged in a bloody
battle with themselves, and with the other half of the NID who after seeing
what was happening, and putting two and two together, tried to capture those
that they thought might be implicated to show both their honesty and
willingness to cooperate in the soon to be coming investigation.
    The billionaires involved were all busy trying to deny all of the
accusations made against them.  Seven of the ten names that came out were
already in custody, the other three were wanted, and were suspected to have
fled the country.  Kinsey, who was in protective custody, had already escaped 4
assassination attempts.  Consequently, the shadier elements were on the run.
While the General didn't believe they were all out for the count, he hoped they
wouldn't be heard from for some time at least.
    "So how did you do it?" asked Hammond.
    "Is the room clean?" Harry asked.
    "Cleaned out the last of the bugs earlier this morning.  Cleaning out the
rest of the base, let alone all of the computers for possible infiltrations
will be a pain, but Major Carter says she should be done by the end of the
week.  Luckily, it looks like they weren't able to access and copy any of the
sensitive technologies or information we have on base," Hammond replied.
    "Good," said Harry before turning thoughtful.  Hammond saw the small frown
appear on the his friend's face and was wondering what the young man he was
beginning to truly respect was thinking.  "Having the ability to invade another
beings' mind is not an ability I covet, or enjoy having.  It's scary, and the
chance of losing your moral bearings should you engage the ability to often or
frivolously is high," started Harry, as the frown turned deeper.
    Hammond was trying to think of something to say, but still didn't quite
understand where Harry was going.  Hammond knew the young man didn't use his
abilities often, and when he did, he never used them for personal gain.  Him
losing 200 dollars to Colonel O'Neill in poker was one of a thousand situations
that highlight the iron clad control Harry exercises on his abilities when they
are not needed to protect himself or others.
    "I did several things that you might not approve of General, but I hope you
understand I did them for a very specific reason, and to counter a very real
threat to the people that sacrifice so much to defend this planet."
    Now the General was frowning, wondering where Harry was going with this.
    "In my old universe, the enemy kidnapped a good friend of mine's baby niece
and sister," continued Harry.  "She was told if she didn't cooperate, they
would be tortured, raped, killed and then delivered to her doorstep.  Not
knowing what else to do, she did as she was told, she gave up the information
that was requested from her, but nothing more.  That information led to the
deaths of many of her friends," continued Harry.
    Hammond could see that Harry's eyes were wet.  Thinking back, Hammond could
not ever remember Harry being this emotional over anything.  Yes, the young man
liked to joke and laugh, but it was always controlled, a bit like Colonel
O'Neill's joking and laughing.
    "After getting what they wanted, or I guess what they thought they could
get out of her, they had the mutilated and dead bodies of her sister and baby
niece delivered to her doorstep," stated Harry.  "I found her hanging from the
rafters of her family's barn the next morning with a note apologizing for her
actions."
    The bitterness and rage in Harry's voice was evident as he talked about his
dead friend, and Hammond could sympathize.  To do what your told, especially
when it is against your beliefs, and still have your loved ones killed in such
a brutal way could drive anyone to suicide.
    "It was at that moment that I took the gloves off in the war.  I made a vow
that day to seek out those who perpetrated the kidnapping, and those that knew
about it.  I showed the enemy the consequences of involving uninvolved
innocents in our conflict in the only way they would understand, with
violence," finished Harry.  Harry looked up at the General to see the man
looking at him with compassion and understanding.
    "After hearing about your granddaughters, I felt that this would probably
be only the beginning.  So many people working here have loved ones, and the
only reason anyone would betray this command is if those loved ones were
threatened.  If they succeeded with you, who would be next?  Doctor Frasier?
Walter?  Who?" Harry asked, his voice rising.
    "So I sought out the highest ranking person I could think of that might be
connected to this, got every last bit of information I could get from him using
truth serums and probing his mind, then implanted strong suggestions and
commands to gather evidence against his coconspirators, to protect the secrecy
of the SGC, and to come clean to the world about his sins.  You wouldn't
believe some of the things those people have done and planned..." Harry trailed
off shuddering slightly.
    "I loathe that type of telepathy.  To alter someone's mind in such a way as
to seriously compromise their free will?  I only did it to protect, but it will
never feel right," concluded Harry in a quiet voice.
    Hammond stood up, and walked around his desk to place his hand on Harry's
shoulder.  After Harry looked up at him, Hammond said, "Thank you Harry.  Thank
you for protecting my family, and for protecting the people on this base from
those people.  In war, we all do things we wish we don't have to, in the name
of protecting ourselves, our comrades, our country, our planet.  And while this
was not your typical type of war, it could be considered one of the most
important wars fought on this planet.  The covert war to control the stargate,
and the future of the SGC has real global consequences should we fail.  You
should know I think nothing less of you, in fact, I think more of you."
Hammond paused, as if trying to find the right words to convey what he wished
for Harry to know.  "Find comfort like I do... knowing that such actions
disgust you, not pleases you.  That such actions are your last resort, not
first thought," concluded the kind General.
    "Thank you sir," said Harry as he stood and wiped his eyes with his left
hand.  "Anyway, I better get back down to the lab.  Dr. Lee, Siler, Malnik and
Talon were arguing over an idea that could increase the output of our best
Naquadah Matrix reactors by up to 60% when I left.  They are all brilliant, but
all think very differently, and somehow, I act as a buffer for them most of the
time."  Harry sighed as he made his way to the door.  "I'm really glad to have
you back General.  And I think I speak for everyone when say we're not likely
to let you go again," joked Harry with a small smile as the General waved him
off in dismissal.
    "He'll be ok," Hammond commented quietly to himself.  "Now let's see what
else that pompous ass screwed up on my base," finished the General as he sat
back behind his desk and began reading through the reports he had the
department heads write up.


Chapter 11: Lights, Camera, Crystals!

-*Stargate Command, Gate room*-

    As Harry made his way into the gate room ahead of Sam and Jack, he couldn't help but chuckle over their debate.
    "So Sir, are you sure you'd rather take the weekend off than come with me to see this place?" Carter asked.
    "Ahh, you know I get that way when I work my ass off.  In fact, I'd have figured you and Harry would want some time off yourselves by now." Jack commented.
    "Hey, don't look at me Jack," Harry was quick to reply as they entered the gate room, "I'm only going to take a quick look, I'll be joining you at O'Malley's for steak and beer tonight."
    After Harry's comment, both turn to look at Sam.  "I do want some time off, but Daniel says that of all the..." Sam trailed off as a thought came to her.  "That was the bet?" She asked.  "Whether or not I'd go?  Don't you have anything better to do?"
    Harry was only half paying attention right now since First Lieutenant Barber was looking at the gate in a strange way.  As the gate was spinning to lock the final chevron Harry picked up a sharp spike of intention.  By the time the gate technician announced the locking of the seventh chevron, both Harry and Barber were running.  Harry tackled Barber at the base of the gate ramp, stopping him from jumping into the deadly vortex of the opening stargate.
    After getting off of the now struggling Lieutenant, Harry looked at Jack and Sam confused, wondering what the hell had just happened.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    SG-1 and Harry were sitting around the briefing room table.  Jack had called the rest of SG-5 and Daniel back after Barber's attempted suicide.
    "Did Lieutenant Barber show any signs of depression while on the mission?" asked General Hammond.
    "The opposite," responded a bewildered Daniel.  "He was fine."
    "How long had he been back?" asked Jack.
    "Well he hadn't even been Earth side for 48 hours," stated Sam.
    "What was he doing?" Jack questioned.
    "Awaiting the results of a translation with which I was assisting Daniel Jackson." responded Teal'c.
    "If you're asking me if he was suicidal, he wasn't.  He was better than fine.  Didn't anyone talk to him or like notice anything?" asked a frustrated Daniel.
    "Nothing" stated Teal'c flatly.
    "We were all taken by surprise.  If Harry didn't see him start to make a break for it, he would be dead." said Sam quietly.
    "We will continue to investigate what may have compelled him to do what he did, but it's been my experience that these questions often go unanswered." Hammond solemnly stated.
    "Yes Sir." Jack responded.
    "Dr. Jackson, perhaps you can tell us more about this Goa'uld palace you were studying?" asked Hammond.  Upon seeing Daniel's distracted look, the General prodded, "Dr. Jackson?"
    "Yes, ah, sorry." Daniel stated looking slightly confused.
    "Was there any signs of recent Goa'uld activity?" Teal'c asked.
    "No, I'm pretty sure no one has been there for hundreds of years, but there was this room where there was this pedestal which projected this light matrix hologram onto the ceiling and it was absolutely stunning." said Daniel, finishing his sentence in an awe filled voice.
    "Any idea to its purpose?" asked Hammond.
    "Ideas yes." responded Daniel, "But I was hoping this might tell me more.  It's kind of like a Goa'uld hand held computer.  When it's turned on it displays this Goa'uld dialect I've never seen before and there are similar writings all over the pillars of the palace.  I'm thinking or hoping, crossing my fingers actually, that these are instructions."
    "I would be happy to provide further assistance with the translation Daniel Jackson." stated Teal'c in his standard calm voice.
    "Thank you, I was counting on that." Daniel replied distractedly as he eyed the hand held computer in his hand.
    "Dismissed" Hammond said as he rose from his chair.
    "I think I'll spend a little more time in my lab before I head out.  You still up for steak tonight Jack?" Harry asked as they made their way toward the briefing room's door.
    "Yeah, I'll stop by in a few hours." Jack replied.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, infirmary*-

    Teal'c, Jack and Sam all arrived in the infirmary together being led in by General Hammond.  Noticing Harry sitting next to a sleeping Daniel's bed, they quickly made their way over.
    "What happened?" Jack asked.
    "Not quite sure, but he started going through serious changes in behavior late last night and then again early this morning.  Going from normal, to angry to depressed.  Something wasn't right so I brought him in here earlier this morning.  Doc Frasier said she might have found something in his PET scan." reported Harry as Janet walked up to the concerned team.
    "The PET scan reveals his neurological activity is slowing." The short doctor stated.
    "So?" asked Jack.
    "Neurotransmitters relay messages in the body.  Too many or too few of these chemicals transmissions can result in anxiety, depression or a number of emotional or physical disorders."
    "Does this have anything to do with Barber's thing?" Jack asked, seeing the possible connection.
    "The remaining members of SG5 are reporting almost identical symptoms.  Yes it seems almost certain.  Now the only good news is that it doesn't seem to be the result of a contagion." Janet responded.
    "We also can deduce something from the order of the appearance of symptoms." Harry commented.
    When Janet raised an eyebrow in question, Harry continued, "Neither Daniel nor SG-5 became symptomatic until after they spent a significant amount of time back on Earth.  Barber himself seemed fine for a time on Earth as well.  Considering they would have been exposed to anything at almost the same time, and that the appearance of symptoms didn't occur until after they came back..."
    "Something on that planet, what likely caused this in the first place, seems to prevent the symptoms from occurring." Janet finished Harry's thought.
    "Well if it's not a disease.  What?" Jack asked the two.
    "I don't know.  Such a drastic shift in levels is generally drug induced but all of their systems are void of any foreign substances.  Not to mention that preliminary MALP readings of P4X-347 have ruled out all the usual suspects, air, radiation."
    "So if we retrace SG5's tracks we may be able to come up with something?" Jack asked, forming a plan.
    Seeing the direction of the Colonel's train of thought, Hammond stepped in before it could go too far.  "I'm afraid Colonel, until we get a grasp on...."
    "General," O'Neill interrupted his commander, "we saw the shadow on the video.  Now something or someone is affecting these guys."
    "More than affecting them Sir.  If their brain function continues to fail they could be facing a worst case scenario." Janet chimed in.
    "So we go in M.O.P 2, and bring back samples of the usual suspects." Jack trailed off.
    "You've made your case Colonel.  Watch your step." Hammond conceded.
    "Thank you Sir." Jack responded as he turned to get ready.  Harry's voice gave him pause by the door.
    "Jack, be wary of that light show that Daniel mentioned in such awe last night.  One of the easiest ways to directly access the brain is through the eyes so don't discount it just because it's a bunch of pretty lights or something." Harry cautioned.
    Jack nodded and continued out the door.
    Twenty minutes after Jack left, all of SG-5 went into a coma.
    Seeing Janet walking by, Harry called her over.
    "Janet, I think it would be a good idea to send all of SG-5 back to that planet.  If it is the light or something associated with it that's causing this, maybe proximity with it might normalize their brain chemistry.  I know it doesn't sound ideal, but a temporary fix is better than nothing at all." Harry commented.
    Janet nodded after thinking about the suggestion for a minute.  "I'll give the General a call and suggest it.  I doubt he would want to send anyone else through, but maybe if we roll them through they can take it from the other end."

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Gateroom*-

    From the look of the General's face in the control room, he was having a
hard time raising SG-1 on the radio.  Finally, after about 5 minutes of trying,
it appeared progress was being made.  Harry and the nurses and airmen helping
to roll the gurneys, were given the signal to send the first of the 5 gurneys
through.
    It was shortly after the last gurney went through that they heard back from
Jack that everyone was beginning to wake up.  Now they just have to figure out
what the heck was going on on that planet.  Shaking his head and slightly
frustrated he would not be able to help out, Harry made his way back toward his
lab, glad that at least no one had to die before they figured out the problem.

===============================================================================

-*The United States Air Force Academy, Lecture Hall 3, Science Building*-

    While Sam, Jack, Daniel, Teal'c and SG-5 enjoyed their three week vacation
reducing their addiction to the machine with their new friend Loran, Harry had
spent his time commuting between the SGC and the Prometheus site and sleeping
in his office.  The pace of construction, especially with the aid of the
workers SG-1 rescued from P3R-118, had been frantic.  After being offered a
good wage, decent hours, and the opportunity to form relationships, all of the
workers had been working extremely hard to prove they were worth what they were
being given.  Due to their hard work, and the example they set for the other
construction workers, the Prometheus site was already 6 weeks ahead of
schedule.  Harry was working with Hammond to put together a citizenship
proposal for the workers should they desire it.  Harry had talked about moving
some of the workers to the SGC to help speed up the pace of the remodel since
they would have to temporarily move gate operations for between 3 and 4 months
sometime in the next two weeks, something no one was really happy about.  As
things stood, a temporary control room and gate room had been set up in what
will become the main Hanger on level 10.
    Since he had to be at the Academy earlier, Harry decided to stop by Sam's
lecture on theoretical Astrophysics.  Harry had convinced Sam to intentionally
put a mistake in a complex equation she was planning to lecture about.  When
she asked why, Harry just told her that anyone that had the brains to not only
find the error, but the guts to point it out, could be a valuable potential new
recruit for them.  Sam had looked thoughtful and nodded.
    Sneaking into the back of the lecture hall, Harry saw that Sam had listened
to his request.  He easily spotted a subtle error in the equation on the bottom
of the board.  Looking at the glazed looks of many in the room, Harry wondered
if anyone else had made the discovery, and if they did, whether they would
confront a well recognized leader in the field.
    "...So as a result of these modular functions, the unwanted variables are
always expressed as multiples of N minus 10.  Therefore if we assume the
existence of 10 dimensions in space-time, the variables are cancelled out and
the calculation suddenly begins to make sense," Carter lectured to the room.
    A cadet in the middle of the room hesitantly raised his hand, "Excuse me
ma'am.  Did you say 10 dimensions?"
    Seeing the cadets confused and board expression, Sam responded, "Yes I did.
Look, I realize these concepts are a little bizarre and that many of you cadets
would rather be somewhere else right now, jump school, flight training.
Believe me I know.  I used to sit in those chairs and listen to the same boring
lectures..."  Sam paused to turn toward the professor of the class.  "No
offense Professor.  But on the other hand, the aerodynamics that are one day
going to allow you to fly an F-22, started out as squiggles on a board just
like this one.  These calculations are the key to opening up the entire
universe.  Wormholes and hyperspace may seem like science fiction, but take my
word for it, the future is a lot closer than you might think," Carter
concluded.
    Harry clapped along with the rest of the students, and once the students
began to get up to leave, he slowly made his way up the side isle and stopped
just short of the lectern, waiting for Sam to finish packing her bags and
chatting with one of the professors that she had convinced to help tutor him.
Harry was both surprised and delighted to see a short and attractive female
cadet make her way past him to stare at the writing on the board with squinted
eyes.  -Yes!- Harry thought to himself, -I think she sees it, now what is she
going to do?-
    "Guess that wasn't so bad," Sam commented to the professor.
    "No, no you actually made the topological configurations of multiple
dimensions seem interesting," the professor responded in a friendly tone.
    "This is wrong," the Cadet quietly said, but not quietly enough to not be
heard by the professor and Sam.
    "What's that Cadet?" the professor asked, a frown appearing on his face.
    "I'm sorry Sir but the calculations are incorrect," the Cadet responded.
    Sam looked at the Cadet, and quickly spotted Harry standing next to the
wall wearing a triumphant expression on his face.  "I appreciate your
enthusiasm Cadet, but perhaps you should wait until you graduate before you
start criticizing the work of a leader in the field of astrophysics," the
professor commented.
    "Yes Sir, of course.  My apologies Ma'am," the cadet stated with a little
frustration in her voice then turned to make her way out of the hall.
    As he heard Sam ask the professor who the girl was, Harry pulled himself
away from the wall and started walking out of the hall with the girl.  She gave
him a look that seemed simultaneously cold, calculating and curious.  Harry
wasn't really surprised by the look considering he wasn't wearing an Air Force
uniform and he didn't look familiar to the girl.
    "You were right about the equation," Harry opened.  "And Major Carter knew
you were right as well," said Harry as he nodded back toward the front of the
room.  She turned slightly as they reached the lecture hall's exit, and saw the
Major explaining the mistake to the professor.  Harry swore he saw a look of
triumph on her face at her being shown as right.  That triumph was quickly
replaced by confusion after Harry's next statement.
    "She made the mistake intentionally, wanted to see if anyone would not only
have the brains to recognize the mistake, but the guts to point it out," said
Harry as he stopped walking just outside the lecture hall.
    "Why?" she asked.
    "If you're lucky, you just might find out someday Cadet," Harry stated as
he smiled mysteriously at her briefly before turning to make his way back into
the room leaving her standing in the hall wondering what the hell was going on.
    As he made his way back toward the front of the room, Harry couldn't help
but gloat a little.  "Putting in a mistake intentionally is pointless, you
said.  Everyone would notice right away, you said," joked Harry.
    "Yeah, Yeah, Harry, you won fair and square.  That is unless you planned
the whole thing?" Carter asked in a challenging tone.
    "I don't even know her name!" Harry retorted, then upon seeing one of his
favorite teachers walking up behind Sam smiling at their interchange Harry
greeted the man.  "So it looks like you have an aspiring physicist in your
class this term professor.  Does she have what it takes?"
    "She might, if she can just get rid of the chip she has on her shoulder,"
replied the professor.  "Come on, I owe you both a cup of coffee and a pastry.
My treat."

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    Harry and Melnik were on their way to drop off a report for General Hammond
before heading to the commissary for lunch, but upon setting eyes on the
nervous looking cadet standing in between the window that was blocked by the
closed blast door and the conference table, Harry and Melnek stopped at the
door.
    Harry almost broke down laughing when he saw Melnik give his hand a slight
wave in the cadet's direction and mutter, "There is much anxiousness in that
woman."
    "I never should have let Teal'c convince me to let you and Aven watch Star
Wars last weekend.  Yeah, that and Star Trek have given us loads of design
ideas and what not, but leave it to you two to try and become Jedi," Harry
muttered quietly in response.  Seeing Cadet Hailey turn towards them, Harry
turned to his friend, "I'll hand the report in and meet you in the commissary,
ok?"
    As the ten year old shook his head and walked away Harry could have sworn
he heard the young Urrone utter something about silly Earthers and their mating
customs.
    Making his way further into the room, Harry could spot Sam talking intently
to General Hammond through the window into the man's office.  Seeing the
General glance out the window at Hailey, Harry could safely assume the
conversation was about the nervous looking cadet that was now staring at Harry
in confusion.
    "Major Carter must have a great deal of faith in you, that, or you really
did impress her since you are under the mountain much sooner than I thought
you'd be," commented Harry.
    "What are you doing here?  Are you even in the Air Force?" asked Hailey.
    "Actually, technically I am, though I haven't been through OCS yet.  My
start date got pushed back due to complications in a research project I'm
working on.  As to what I'm doing here, well, I work here.  Now do you know
what we do here?" questioned Harry.
    "Major Carter said that we would be looking at some deep space radar
telemetry.  Who was that kid with you, isn't this a secure facility?"
    Harry's snort at her answer seemed to have pissed her off if her flaring
nostrils were anything to go by.  Deciding to push her buttons a little, Harry
commented, "Deep space radar telemetry.  Man, that stuff is fascinating.  I
might try to shift my schedule around to join you two if I can," said Harry.
    Harry could tell that Mount Hailey was about to erupt, only to be prevented
by the opening of the General's door.  Sam seemed slightly surprised to see
Harry there holding a folder, but she recovered quickly.  "Cadet, I was able to
get approval, so let's go get suited up.  It's time for you to see a glimpse of
your possible future in the Air Force," Carter stated as she ushered the cadet
out of the room.
    Harry could tell that the Cadet clearly didn't see what the big deal was
going to be about deep space radar telemetry, but was also extremely curious
about what was going on here, since even she, as green as she was, knew that
Deep Space Radar telemetry had to be a cover for something.
    "Harry," the General greeted him as he entered the man's office.
    "Just wanted to drop this report off for you General.  Nothing much changed
from last week.  Still progressing ahead of schedule.  We should have the first
ship berth sealed and the first hull laid down in 40 days," Harry reported.
    "Are you still recommending we lay down the hull for the large cargo vessel
first?" asked Hammond.
    "I believe that what we will learn on the first space frame will greatly
increase the speed of construction on the frames following sir.  Also, the
integrity of the following frames should be that much better.  Experience is
key with any kind of ship or aircraft building sir.  Besides, the second berth
should only be about 50-60 days behind the first."
    Hammond sighed after hearing Harry's response.  "Yes, I agree, and the
Joint Chiefs, while initially against the idea, decided to follow your
recommendation considering your track record.  Was there anything else?" the
General asked.
    "I see Carter decided to bring young Hailey down for a sneak preview,"
Harry commented with amusement.
    "Yes," Hammond chuckled.  "After she almost got herself booted from the
Academy, Major Carter thought if she knew the possibilities ahead of her, she
would come around.  While I trust the Major's judgment, and have given
permission for her to take the Cadet to meet up with Teal'c and O'Neill on 862,
I'm having trouble seeing that bitter cadet the same way the Major does."
    "Don't worry General," Harry responded, "that girl has a lot of potential.
I think her attitude will smooth out really quickly when she recognizes the
fact that the command she could join if she does well will put even her most
incredible dreams to shame.  Any chance I could convince you to let me go with
them sir?  The last email I received from Dr. Lee hinted that he was hoping for
some decent company soon."
    The General gave Harry a thoughtful look before shaking his head slightly.
"Considering the work hours you've been putting in the last few months, you
deserve the break.  Be back by Thursday morning since we have the Secretary of
Defense coming for a tour of the Prometheus site, and he wanted you there to
meet you again and for questions."
    "Thanks sir.  If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get everything
organized.  See you in a few days," said Harry as he made his way out of the
General's office.  He had a lot to do if he wanted to catch up with Sam and
Cadet Hailey.  He needed to grab a sandwich from the mess hall, let the rest of
the group know he was going to be off world for a couple of days, pick up some
stuff he wanted to show Dr. Lee and then secure his office.  -Yes, lots to do,-
Harry thought as he picked up his pace down the hallway towards the elevators.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Gate room*-

    He had made it to the gate room before Sam and the cadet, and Harry was
happy he was able to do so.  He had with him a digital camera and was hoping to
get a good picture of her reaction to the gate opening.  Considering what he
had noticed of her personality, seeing her flustered or surprised would be a
rarity, and something told him having proof of such an event would be a good
thing in the future.
    As the stargate engaged its fourth chevron, Harry saw the door to his right
open and both Sam and Hailey walk in.  Harry was outfitted similarly to Sam,
with a P-90 but with a zat instead of a Beretta.  Hailey appeared to be
unarmed.  Hailey was currently looking around the room, trying to take
everything in at once.  It only took her a second to notice that the spinning
stone circle was the focus of the room.
    "Ah, fancy seeing you two here," Harry commented with a smirk.  Sam gave
Harry a small smile but was prevented from replying by Hailey's question.
    "What is it?" Hailey asked, looking at the still spinning stargate as it
engaged its 6th chevron.
    Harry had just gotten out his camera and was waiting for just the right
moment for the picture.
    "It's your future.  It's called a stargate," answered Carter, as the
seventh chevron locked and the wormhole opened.
    Harry timed the picture perfectly, however the flash brought both woman's
attention to him.  Sam was smirking, knowing Harry was probably going to use
the picture in some prank or scheme, Hailey however, was looking at Harry with
her nostrils fully flared and ice chips for eyes.
    "What, thought you might like a little souvenir from your trip," said Harry
with a smile.  That comment brought Hailey's thoughts back to what she had just
witnessed.  As they began to walk up toward the gate, Carter continued with her
little introduction.
    "You're looking at the event horizon of a wormhole connecting this stargate
to another identical one on another world 42,000 light years from Earth."
    "That's where we're going?" asked Hailey.
    "That's the plan if you're up to it.  You're about to take your first step
into a larger universe."
    Sam snorted recognizing the similarity to a quote from Teal'c's repeated
screenings of Star Wars.
    "What," Harry protested to Sam.  "It's not my fault Teal'c got Melnik and
Aven addicted to it.  They've been quoting it all week.  Want to be Jedi, the
both of them.  It's no surprise that I might have picked up a few idioms."
    Sam was shaking her head while Hailey looked slightly amused at the
situation in general.
    "How are we going to get there?" asked Hailey as she studied the event
horizon of the wormhole.
    "That's the easy part.  Come on," said Sam as she put a hand on the young
Cadet's shoulder to urge her forward.  Harry followed the pair into the event
Horizon and stepped out onto their destination, M4C-862.

===============================================================================

-*M4C-862 Stargate Clearing*-

    "What happened" Hailey asked, looking around the clearing that held the stargate.
    "Your body was particlized in the matter stream and then reintegrated." Sam responded, taking her own look around the clearing.
    "So this is another planet?" asked Hailey.
    "It's a moon actually" responded Carter.
    "Doesn't look that different from home" commented Hailey.
    Harry pointed up toward the gas giant and other moons surrounding it that were visible on the horizon.  "Nothing like looking up to see a gas giant to throw off your perspective." joked Harry.
    Hailey gasped when she saw what Harry was pointing at.  It was a rather humbling view.  One of the other moons even looked like it might support life as well.  As the cadet was staring at the sky, Jack walked up.
    "Hey Harry, Carter.  Thought I'd come be your welcoming committee."
    "Thank you sir.  How are you?" asked Carter.
    Harry's response preempted Jack's reply.  "Let me guess, couldn't wait to get away from the scientists?"
    "Shut it you." Jack said in a mock serious voice while pointing a threatening finger at the younger man.  "Well, the back's acting up a little actually, the knees, you know, always." Jack finished looking at Carter.
    Smiling at Jack's antics, Sam introduced the cadet.  "Sir, I'd like you to meet Cadet Hailey."
    "Cadet.  Welcome to 862.  How was your trip?" asked Jack.
    "It was...a trip sir." Hailey responded, taking another look up at the horizon.
    "It always is." Jack responded before turning to Harry and Sam.  "I've got something you both should see."
    Harry saw Jack's demeanor turn more serious and replied in kind.  "Lead the way Jack."

===============================================================================

-*M4C-862 Base Camp*-

    Harry was not a happy camper as he carefully looked at the being that was being held in the container in the lab.  Carter and Hailey were both looking at it fascinated.  Harry however, was clearly picking up the distress the thing was broadcasting like a beacon and was doing everything he could to project reassurance and the concept that he was there to help the little guy.
    "What is it?" asked Carter.
    "We're not sure but we think it's some kind of energy based life form" replied Dr. Hamilton smugly.
    "That's impossible." stated Hailey in surprise.
    "Yeah, that's what we thought but one of them led us directly to the others, which suggests organization, some kind of intelligence.  They also appear to be able to phase through solid matter." explained Hamilton.
    "Yeah, Teal'c and I saw one zip right through a tree.  Didn't even slow it down." Jack commented flippantly.
    "That's so cool!" exclaimed Cadet Hailey, wide eyed.
    "That's exactly what I said." Jack responded looking mainly at Harry and Sam.  "I said that."
    "If that's the case, what's keeping it inside this cylinder?" asked Sam.
    "And why would you knowingly imprison an intelligent creature?" asked Harry.
    "That was Dr. Lee's idea.  The top and bottom plates are electrified.  The field seems to be holding it in.  The creature also has no physical body, I don't think its capable of feeling emotions.  Besides, we can learn so much studying it!" stated Dr. Hamilton passionately.
    "Yeah, and I could probably learn quite a bit by sticking you in a glass tube and studying you Dr. Hamilton.  You have endangered everyone here, especially if the little guy's friends take exception to the capture of one of their own.  You have as much right to forcefully detain a creature of unknown intelligence for study, than you do to detain a human for the same purpose.  Your callous disregard for the ethics involved in such a decision is appalling!" Harry shouted at the now wide eyed, and surprised man.
    "Hey!  Take it easy Harry.  No need to get so worked up." Jack tried to placate his friend.
    "I take great offense to this idiots indifference towards other forms of life especially when he doesn't even know if its sentient.  The fact that he himself said that they were intelligent, and that there was communication between the various beings further highlights his incompetence.  He's been in contact with these things for what, less than 12 hours?" Harry turned towards a guilty looking Bill Lee and received a nod at his estimate, "and he has been able to determine their level of sentience and intelligence in that time?  Able to determine how they communicate with each other?" Harry finished rather heatedly.
    While the others that heard his tirade understood the point he was trying to make, they didn't understand why he felt so passionate about it.  The NID gaining permission for forced experimentation on him was one of Harry's worst nightmares.  In fact, other than the future field and command opportunities, and the desire to serve his new planet as a protector, the protection being a member of the Air Force would provide him, should the NID decide to come after him, was an important factor in him joining the Air Force.  No one but those at the SGC and the few allies he had made in various positions would give a damn if the NID got permission to experiment on him against his will.  But other than a few unscrupulous bastards, any fellow member of the Air Force, hell, any service branch when the chips are down, will do everything they can to protect their own.
    "I think Harry's made his point.  Let this one go." Jack stated to Hamilton.
    "But we need to study it!" demanded Hamilton heatedly, not liking the fact he was just called incompetent by a man under 20.
    "Find another way." O'Neill ordered firmly.
    The look in O'Neill's eyes, and the steel in his voice, ended up being all the encouragement the man needed.  The second after the small ball of energy was free, it rocketed out of the containment vessel, shot threateningly toward Hamilton, before retreating more slowly toward Harry.  It flew closer to Harry for a second, before it made its way quickly out through the aluminum wall of the fabricated building.  Despite the energy being's apparent thankfulness towards him, Harry was still worried that there would be some serious repercussions to the incident.
    "You better prey they don't retaliate to the capture of one of their own.  Because if they do, anyone hurt will be on your conscience." said Harry ominously before making his way out of the building, satisfied by site of the blood draining from the pompous Dr. Hamilton's face.

===============================================================================

-*Forests of M4C-862*-

    Hamilton, after getting some of his pomp back, ordered Dr's Lee and Thompson to search for the swarm of energy beings.  Harry had pointed out that it might not be the best timing considering how soon after the capture it was, but Hamilton, full of self importance, ignored Harry's warning.  Not wanting his good friend to get killed due to the incompetence of the person he was assigned to work under, Harry decided to accompany the men out.
    It was 5 minutes after entering the woods that Dr. Thompson proposed splitting up to cover more ground.  Despite Harry's verbal warnings that it wasn't a good idea, Thompson went off on his own.
    "Melnik and Aven baked you a pie." Harry commented to Dr. Lee.  "I have it stored in my pack.  Apple I think."
    "Why, and where did they learn to bake for that matter?" asked Bill.
    "Cassie when she was visiting them not long ago commented about not seeing you around lately, and both Melnik and Aven said that you were encouraged to go on this tour, but that they wished you hadn't, so Cassie told them that they should make you a cake or a pie or something and send it to you, and they just stared at her wondering what the point of it was.  Suffice it to say, Cassie made sure they learned how to bake after that, and after 2 weeks and several attempts, the results are in my pack.  Apparently the one before this one was quite good according to Teal'c so it should be a tasty treat for you." Harry said as he finished the little story.
    "I do miss tinkering around with those guys.  Them and their minders do a good job, and with all of the culture we've been shoving their way, they are developing into really interesting people." commented Bill.
    Harry just snorted.  "Well, that's because you're missing the Star Wars obsession.  Last weekend Teal'c and them watched the whole series in preparation for the release of the first episode.  Both of the little guys have now decided they're going to be Jedi after their Averium.  While I won't deny its amusing, it does get old after awhile.  Especially when they wave their hand slowly in front of you telling you your not interested in the cookie on your plate."
    Dr. Lee broke down laughing at the image of little Melnik trying to pull that stunt.  While both boys were really serious in the labs, their more childish sides have begun to come out during their down time.  It was refreshing for both men to see the kids enjoying themselves, especially considering the sacrifice they make for their people.  In a way their sacrifice is like death, since while your body lives on, and now, due to Earth, learns once again, their entire being is gone.  Both Harry and Bill thought it would be interesting to see how the personalities develop after the Averium.  Whether or not the new personality ends up being similar to the old.
    "How's work on the car coming along?" Bill asked, envy in his voice.  That was probably one of the things he missed most.  He had always been a bit eccentric, he knew that.  Consequently, he never had a lot of close friends, other than his war craft buddies and what not, though he didn't really know them at all in real life.  But the chance to get involved in such a big, and non game related project with friends was new to him and he didn't like missing a big part of it.
    "Don't worry, Siler and I have decided to hold off on it until you get back.  But the last pieces we were waiting for to finish the engine rebuild came in, so when you get back, things will probably move pretty quickly." Harry informed the man.  Both Harry and Siler knew how much he enjoyed participating in the rebuild, so decided to pause the project while he was off world.
    "That'd good news about the parts.  I'm really looking forward to getting back at it.  How about Prometheus, anything new there?" questioned Bill.
    "Not really.  Still about 6 weeks ahead of schedule do to the workers' from off world efforts.  Should be laying down the large cargo ship hull in about 40 days or so.  Also, the space frames for the prototype fighter and shuttle should be finished in the next week or so.  Because of the retractable pods on both craft, frame construction took a little longer to get right.  Also, we should be able to install basic shielding on both craft now.  While I doubt they would stand up to more than 2 big hits from a mother ship, I don't have to tell you how much of an advantage that will give them over both Glider's and Alkesh.  While massed fire from both will still be able to take the fighter's down in a prolonged engagement, the shield will definitely increase the survivability of our birds" finished Harry.
    "Wow, sounds like things are starting to move quickly." responded Lee.
    "Yeah, we still don't have a firm estimate on construction time due to all of the systems that need to be invented, reinvented, reengineered then installed.  I swear, nine out of ten times what those idiots at Area 51 come up with has to be completely reworked.  Yeah, they do a good job at building things when they have set plans, but ask them to create, and you'll end up with more bugs than windows, and that's even if the thing works in the first place.  You know one of those idiots actually wanted to try and adapt an already written operating system for ships operations?" complained Harry.
    Lee just shook his head at Harry's complaining.  He could see the advantage of adapting an operating system, mainly that it would be done faster, but an original operating system would give them so much more stability and adaptability.  "Let's just hope the operating system they develop for the systems turns out to be reliable."
    "Don't worry," consoled Harry, "I have been keeping a close watch on what they're doing.  It's going to be very similar to Linux in terms of stability and adaptability, but it will be specifically designed to operate on the massively powerful new computer cores we are developing for the various ships.  I'm also really pushing for an almost unheard of level of encryption.  If we're ever boarded, no reason to have all of the systems readily available for the enemy."
    One of the toughest aspects of building a new ship was designing the systems necessary to allow the various systems to work together harmoniously and efficiently.  What's the point of weapons if your sensors can't tell them where to shoot, or why even engage engines if you can't effectively see where you're going.  At this point in time, their major limiter on speed was not going to be the hyper drive engine itself, but how well the ships navigational and sensor systems can scan their course, process the scans, communicate and then make the adjustments necessary to avoid the gravitational disturbances that can effect hyperspace, like stars and black holes.  Pretty much all essential systems become useless if they can't communicate with each other, and Harry had to spend an entire week smashing that thought over the heads of the team at area 51 to finally get that fact lodged into their thick skulls.
    After hearing Harry's comment, and glancing around them, seeing none of the entities, Dr. Lee decided to check in with Bill Thompson.  "Hey Bill, come in.  Any sign of the swarm?" Dr. Lee asked into his radio.
    "Nothing yet.  Looks like they just disappeared." came Dr. Thompson's reply over the radio.
    "They gotta be around here somewhere.  Try checking for high frequency spikes." advised Dr. Lee.
    "You got it." was Dr. Thompson's muffled response.
    "I still don't think we should be out looking for them Bill.  We should be back at the compound, as a sign we mean them no harm, not traipsing around their home." Harry commented.
    While nodding at Harry that he agreed, Dr. Lee spoke into the radio.  "Bill you getting anything on the high frequency?"
    They didn't hear an immediate response, but when they did hear something, both men broke out into a run in the direction Bill Thompson wondered off in.  They quickly arrived at a clearing and saw dozens of the energy beings attacking Dr. Thompson.  From the welts on the man's face, it looked like the beings were burning him as they passed through his body.  Knowing they didn't have much time if they wanted to keep the man alive, Harry quickly broadcasted a feeling of peace, hoping that if he could feel them, they might be able to feel him.  While a couple of the beings stopped attacking Dr. Thompson, most continued.  Not sure what do to, Harry did the first thing that came to mind.  He fired his Zat.
    From the method Bill suggested to Dr. Hamilton, Harry knew these beings were effected somehow by electrical fields, and the only weapon he had access to that could produce such a field would be his zat.  Dr. Thompson immediately fell into unconsciousness when he was hit, and all of the energy beings seemed unwilling to get close to the man.  Harry, with Dr. Lee standing behind him began to walk towards the downed body that was surrounded by the swarm.
    Realizing that Dr. Lee was still behind him, Harry turned toward the man slightly.  "Bill, make your way back to the camp and tell Colenol O'Neill what happened and that I'm bringing Dr. Thompson back for medical attention."
    Not needing to be told twice, the man quickly took off in the direction of their camp.  Harry seeing his friend safely off, and that none of the beings appeared to be chasing the man, continued to make his way forward.  Upon reaching the body, all of the energy beings backed away slightly.  They were not being aggressive, but not friendly either.  After bending to check for a pulse, and releasing a slight sigh when he found a week one, Harry quickly picked the man up and placed him in a fireman's carry.  Before he turned to make his way back to the camp, he did his best to project a feeling of apology and of hope for no further hostilities.
    When Harry reached the tree line of the clearing the compound was located in, he almost bumped right into Teal'c and Jack.
    "He had a pulse last I checked, but considering we have no idea what those guys can do to the inside of a person, I think we should get him back to the SGC asap." Harry reported.
    "Understood, let's set him down to check him over again and then we can load him onto a stretcher.  Do you think this was an isolated incident?" Jack asked as they started making their way toward the compound.
    "I don't know.  It might make sense to leave the base for a week or so, let things cool off, then have a team come back armed with Zats.  It seems that the field a zat hit produces can ward them off.  If that's the case, it won't be too much trouble to come back and collect all of the equipment.  But all things considered, it might not be the best idea to keep this outpost running at the moment.  It could probably be used as an alternate gate to sight for off world teams, but other than emergency storage and such, I don't think we should push the little guys too far, in case they decide they really don't want us here." finished Harry as they reached the front door of the compound.
    When he entered the doors, he clearly heard O'Neill give the order to
evacuate.  Setting Dr. Thompson down on the stretcher that Teal'c brought over,
Harry was livid when he saw that Dr. Hamilton had the gall to complain about
the evacuation order, then try to start packing things up to bring with him.
    "Hamilton, look at him!" Harry coldly ordered the pompous ass, pointing at
Dr. Thompson.  "He could have been killed because of you.  He still may likely
die, because of you.  Take your head out of your ass, finish the evacuation
procedure that you were told must be completed in case an evac order was given,
and be ready to move out.  Or do you want to be responsible for other possible
deaths and injuries?" Harry asked ominously.  "If you are not ready by the time
we're walking out the door, we won't be waiting on you.  And because of your
involvement in this mess, you get to carry one end of the stretcher that now
holds a man who trusted you to protect him and look out for him on this
mission," finished Harry as he turned around to help Sam pack up the Naquadah
generator that had been used to power the compound.  Naquadah generator
technology was definitely one thing they don't want to just leave around for
anyone to pick up.
    Five minutes later, the group was walking to the stargate.  Harry could
sense many of the creatures hiding in the trees, as if to make sure they were
leaving.  Harry was taking point and both Jack and Teal'c were at the rear.
The middle of their procession consisted of the scientists that staffed the
base, Hamilton and another male scientist holding Dr. Thompson's stretcher.
    "Is it always like this?" Hailey asked Sam.
    "No, sometimes it gets really exciting," answered Sam with a smirk.
    "Will I ever find out which one of us is right?" Hailey asked.
    Wondering what they were talking about, Harry butted in.  "Right about
what?"
    "Hailey thinks that the behavior of the beings is due to the moon passing
over the magnetic pole of the gas giant," Carter stated.
    Harry thought about that theory for a moment before answering, "It's
possible, the only real way we could check is to come back in a few weeks and
see if they are still aggressive.  But considering many of them are watching us
in the trees right now, I think they might just be pissed at us."
    Both Hailey and Sam quickly started to look into the forest around them,
and both spotted slight movement about 50 meters into the trees.
    As they all walked into the clearing, Jack came up and started dialing the
gate.  Harry saw all of the energy beings depart the area and Harry thought it
might be because of the electric field the gate would produce when it was open.
    Thinking back to the cadet's earlier question, Sam decided to throw her a
bone.  "If you stick around long enough, you might just find out one way or the
other.  Besides, even if you don't like the answer, there's always other
planets."
    "It's a moon," chorused the Cadet and Harry, chuckling at Sam's
misstatement.
    "Okay, you're both right about that," conceded Sam as she stepped through
the stargate.

===============================================================================

-*Prometheus Shipyard, Somewhere in Southern Utah, Harry's Group's Lab*-

    An advantage to being part of the design and construction team of the massive shipyard structure was the opportunity to set aside prime office and sleeping space for his group.  While not even half of the offices, labs, residential quarters and other facilities that surrounded ship berth one were completed, Harry's area had been finished the week before, and he had immediately wanted to get his group moved in and their things settled, knowing that any delay would increase the probability of some self important hack invading their prime real-estate.  Their area, which consisted of a large communal lab area, 4 smaller labs for more sensitive experiments or projects, 6 offices, and 6 sleeping areas with ensuites adjoining those offices, were perfectly situated 200 meters above the floor of the ship berth in the middle of the long 500 meter wall.
    Harry had designed the large state of the art lab to be shaped like a T with a short stem, so that while the main lab did have a long window that looked into the ship yard, all of the offices and sleeping areas had equally long windows of what Harry believed would be one of the best views in the place.  While Harry and the group planned to work mainly out of the SGC, at the moment there was plenty of room in the Lab Complex, and lately they were being asked to spend more and more time at the Prometheus complex as they were preparing to lay down the first hull.  While Harry had no desire to work full time in the middle of the southern Utah desert, he knew he was probably going to end up spending about half his time there, and consequently decided that if that was the case, he and his group should have a decent place to work and sleep while there.
    As Harry and Melnik were setting up the advanced crystal based computers they developed, that they hoped to use as the foundation for developing a viable ship's computer core, the phone by Harry's lab station started to ring.
    "Potter" answered Harry.
    "Harry, its Jack." Harry heard from the other end of the phone.  Harry didn't like the sound of Jack's voice at the moment.  The man sounded strained, and the only reason Harry could think of that would cause the main such strain was if something happened to a member of SG-1.
    "What happened Jack?" Harry asked.
    "Some form of electrical entity has penetrated the base.  We originally thought we had purged it, but it hid itself in first a Malp, then in Carter.  I had to shoot her twice with a Zat..." Jack trailed off, making Harry sit up straight, hoping that Sam wasn't dead.
    "It didn't kill her thank god." Jack continued, "but it nearly did.  She's recovering in the infirmary, and should be up for visitors in a day or so.  She wanted me to give you a call since she said you were expecting to touch base over the phone on something or other later tonight, and knew she wouldn't be able to make it."
    "OK Jack, thanks for letting me know.  You should get some rest, you sound like hell.  Why don't you take Daniel and Teal'c out for a beer or something.  God knows they probably need it just as much as you do." said Harry.
    "You better keep rested yourself.  You only have a month left until your OCS start date, if you arrive half dead there is no chance you'll make it through." O'Neill commented ominously.
    "I'll be fine Jack, and thanks again for the call.  Take care."
    Harry heard a quick see ya from Jack before he heard the click of the line disconnecting.  Seeing the question on Melnik's face Harry told the boy what had happened.
    "It's a good thing both Aven and I were here.  There's no telling how that electrical entity could have affected our nanites." the young Urrone commented.
    "Huh, I never thought of that.  Make a note to get the gate address the entity originated from so you can be sure to give it to your leaders.  Don't want any Orbanians to go there without knowing the dangers." Melnik nodded as they both got back to work.  After setting up their lab mainframe, and their individual computers, they were going to start planning and building the complexes main frame, hopefully as a stepping stone to building a more compact but just as powerful mainframe for the ships.  As he had been setting up their computers he had come up with a rather interesting idea that should both provide a powerful main computer, and provide decent system redundancy.

===============================================================================

-*Prometheus Shipyard, Berth 1 Computer vault Alpha*-

    Harry was having the time of his life designing and building the massive
computer systems that would be operated in the complex.  He was currently
laying on his back under a massive construct he had designed, then built with
Melnik, Aven, Talon, Sobias and Dr. Lee.  Siler had wanted to help but things
at the SGC had kept him from making it out to the shipyard.  Instead of having
just one central computer core and many terminals, or many networked computers
individually, Harry decided on a hybrid system that was between the two
extremes.  Each ship berth would have 4 powerful computer cores.  In addition
to those 4 cores, each terminal would house a powerful computer in of itself.
Consequently, the combined computing power once finished, would put any other
super computer on the planet to shame since the system was designed to not only
utilize the primary cores but also any idle computer terminals.  Harry doubted
a thousand new Crays could compete with the system they were building at the
moment.
    Harry hoped to have a similar system developed for the ships themselves,
with the idea that if any one core was damaged, the other cores would be able
to pick up the slack instead of the ship being disabled.  These crystal based
computers were a work of art in Harry's opinion.  And with the help of the
Orbanians, and the Eurondan knowledge base, they had been able to grow much
more efficient crystals than what they had seen so far on Goa'uld ships.  It
made Harry wonder how much more efficient Ancient or Asgard crystals would be.
    Harry was startled from his work when he felt someone give his left foot a
good shake.  He let out a quite curse and started to rub his forehead where it
made contact with one of the cross bars of the crystal's support apparatus.  As
his head finally cleared the bottom of the construct, Harry saw that Melnik was
the one that was trying to get his attention.
    "What's going on?  I thought you all were hard at work at the Beta vault?"
asked Harry.
    "Things are almost done there, and Talon and Aven have already started on
Charlie.  We just got a call from the SGC, Jack said to..." here Melnik looked
like he was trying to decide whether or not he should quote the man directly,
"get your skinny ass back to the SGC since they just captured Cronus's
flagship."
    Harry did a double take at the message.  If they captured the flagship,
odds were that Cronus was dead.  It would also give them a great opportunity to
take the thing apart and to study modern Goa'uld based hyperdrives, Shields,
weapons, life support systems and computers.  Harry jumped up from the ground
and took off toward his office throwing back a hasty "Thanks Mel" to his small
smiling friend.


Chapter 12: Of Suns and Journeys

-*Stargate Command, Gate room*-

    Harry made it back to the SGC in record time and was ready to meet SG1 off world on P2X-729.  He couldn't wait to arrive and check out the SGC's newest acquisition.  While flying it would not be an easy proposition by any means, Harry was confident that his experience with the old cargo ship combined with the language lessons from Daniel and Teal'c, combined with the Goa'uld's need to idiot proof their technology since they refused to educate their followers, would give him a leg up on the ship's operations.
    Both Daniel and Sam had suggested contacting the Tok'ra for flying lessons, but Harry had convinced Hammond to give him a shot.  After reminding Sam and General Hammond of Jacob's attitude towards the study of the death gliders, they agreed it might be better to avoid Tok'ra involvement for the time being.  At least until they had the thing on the ground on a planet unknown to the Goa'uld and in pieces.
    The plan was to move the ship to a planet far outside of Goa'uld territory, and set up a research base and off world ship yard.  Harry had suggested keeping the address a secret from everyone with the exception of Hammond, Master Sergeant Harriman and a couple of other key personnel that don't go off world and therefore wouldn't be exposed to capture and interrogation.  Using the ancient stargate database that Jack inputted into the computer, they located a world on the very edge of the Milky Way, out at the edge of the Orion Spiral arm.  The plan was to use the mother ship as a base while construction of a small research base in the mountain was completed.  Once Prometheus was completed, Harry suggested they should think about constructing a duplicate shipyard and production facilities off world.  No reason to put all of their eggs in one basket.
    As the gate connected, Harry gave Hammond, who was standing in the control room a quick nod, before walking through and emerging in a forest.

===============================================================================

-*P2X-729*-

    Stepping into the forest, Harry realized that no one was around to meet him.  Not sure of the direction of the settlement, Harry keyed his radio.  "This is Potter.  Just came through the gate.  Any SGC personnel willing to give me directions?"
    "Harry," came Jack's response.  "Glad to see that you made it.  The settlement is about 3 clicks due south of the gate.  You should be able to see a trail off to the right of the gate that will lead you right to it."
    "Thanks Jack, see you in a bit." responded Harry as he made his way towards the trail head.
    It only took him about thirty minutes to make it to the settlement.  After passing many villagers who looked at him in suspicion, Harry arrived at the Goa'uld pyramid to find Jack waiting for him at the entrance.  "Jack, glad to see you made it out of this one without too many scrapes." commented Harry upon seeing the Colonel.
    "The team made it through, but unfortunately our robot copies didn't." Jack stated looking slightly uncomfortable.
    Harry could sympathize with the man's uneasiness.  Seeing a perfect duplicate of yourself die could definitely drive home one's own mortality.  Especially when your duplicate didn't have bad knees, or never got a sore back.  After hearing about the captured mother ship and the death of a system lord, Harry was really surprised that they came away without any major losses.  System lords were not exactly easy to assassinate, otherwise the Tok'ra would have won the war long ago.  Furthermore, capturing a Ha'tak would be the equivalent of a small group of people capturing a US aircraft carrier.  Basically, it would be suicide, but somehow they pulled it off.
    "We should get going on figuring out the ship's systems.  I have coordinates to the planet we want to take it too, and Hammond will start to send through provisions and some personnel for the trip.  Considering the estimated speed of Apophis' Ha'tak we should be able to make our destination in about 10 days." reported Harry as he and Jack made their way into the throne room that housed the planet's only ring platform.
    "Where are we taking it anyway?" Jack asked, curiously.
    "Can't say Jack.  I made the suggestion that the address should be very tightly held, and only known to a few people.  Considering Goa'uld torture techniques, and the fact that we're thinking of constructing a larger off world base and ship yard, its imperative we keep such a base hidden in case of an emergency, and to do that, it must only be known to a few people.  Hell, I only know the coordinates since I'm flying us there, otherwise I wouldn't know." Harry commented.
    Jack, originally looking a little pissed at not being told since he was Hammond's second, began to see Harry's point.  While it was important to have an alpha site for teams to gate to if they couldn't reach the SGC, it was equally important for earth to have a hidey hole to use for research and in case of a rainy day.  The more he thought about it, the more Jack believed such a hidey hole would be critical in the future.
    As they reached the center of the room and stood under the rings, Jack keyed his radio to request transport.  As the rings flew down from their opening in the ceiling, Jack looked at Harry innocently and asked, "So how is the young, and beautiful Cadet Hailey doing?  Anything new on that front?"
    By the time Jack finished the question they had already arrived in the ring room of the Ha'tak.  Sighing at Jack's question, Harry responded, "Jennifer is doing just fine Jack.  Other than that one dinner and the few emails Daniel told you about, nothing has been going on." Nodding to a smirking Sam who was at the control panel for the rings, they all made their way towards the Peltak.
    As they made their way onto the bridge Harry immediately removed his pack and settled it by the main control interface before stepping up and beginning to access the ships systems.  "We're lucky you guys.  Seems that there are command lockouts but they haven't been initialized.  And judging by the numbers, it shouldn't take us more than 8 days to reach the designated research base coordinates.  And that's with adjusting our course so every 2 to 3 days we can check in using a planet with a stargate if the Intel we have on the worlds in question are accurate." Harry commented slightly sarcastically as he stared at the heads up display the Goa'uld computer interface system projected in his mind's eye.  Harry wondered how they had developed such a useful technology.  Instead of projecting the information so anyone could see it, it was presented only so the person engaging the interface could view and manipulate the controls.  Harry could understand how such a technology would be useful in perpetrating their god image, but considering their parasitic nature, he wondered what civilization they stole the tech from.
    After several more minutes, Harry disengaged from the interface and turned to find that Sam was the only other person left in the room.  "We should be all set, I just need to move us away from the planet and engage the hyperspace engines.  We can learn more about the systems enroute.  Any word on the rest of our supplies?" Harry asked.
    "Jack and Teal'c left a few minutes ago to help the volunteers transport them from the gate to the ring room.  We should be good to go in about an hour." Sam commented.
    "Good good." commented Harry.  "I'm going to get more comfortable with the ships systems.  I brought a long a lot of the work my groups been doing.  I have a modified laptop and external drive in my pack if you get board."
    Sam nodded in thanks as she started toward the bag.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Gate room*-

    Harry stepped through the gate and back into the SGC with a smile on his face.  SG-1 was only a step behind him.  Taxiing the ship toward the research base had gone off without a hitch.  Harry, Sam, the additional personnel Hammond sent to help ferry the ship, and surprisingly Teal'c and Jack, had all spent the majority of the trip familiarizing themselves with the ship's systems and they had all learned quite a bit.  Furthermore, in addition to the death gliders they expected to find, they also found two Tel'taks and an Al'kesh nestled in their own shuttle bays.  Having all of these ships to take a part and figure out brought a big smile to both Harry and Sam's faces while the thought of using the knowledge gained from taking the ships apart to build their own brought an equally large smile to Jack's face and the light of satisfaction to Teal'c's eyes.
    As they made it down to the base of the ramp, they all saw General Hammond and Daniel waiting for them in the control room.  What brought a frown to Jack's face and a smile to Sam's was Sam's father, who happened to play host to the Tok'ra symbiote Selmac, standing next to Daniel.
    "Welcome back Harry, SG-1.  Get cleaned up and cleared by medical.  Briefing is in one hour." Hammond informed them all.
    "Looks like news of our success has spread quite quickly." Harry commented to the group as they handed off their weapons and began to make their way toward the infirmary.
    "Indeed" responded Teal'c while Jack mumbled under his breath about nosy snakes not getting their hands on his new toy.

===============================================================================

-*Stargate Command, Briefing Room*-

    "General, this isn't a good idea." Jack protested vehemently, "every time we agree to do something with them, something they failed to tell us always pops up to bite us in the ass."
    Sitting at the briefing table, along with the rest of SG-1, Jacob Carter from the Tok'ra, and General Hammond, Harry couldn't help but agree with Jack.  Relations with the Tok'ra have never been what one might consider jovial.  Yes, they could do quite a bit for each other.  Earth could provide a list of volunteers a mile long that have some form of terminal illness that would likely jump at the chance at surviving, even if that meant taking a Tok'ra symbiote.  Furthermore, earth could provide a bit of muscle for the Tok'ra when requested.  The Tok'ra on the other hand, could provide not only valuable intelligence, but technical advice on many of the technologies Earth had acquired and were now in the process of reverse engineering.
    Despite the treaty, relations between the two groups had become rather strained.  Maybe it was the aversion many in the SGC held for the idea of accepting a symbiote, which was quite a natural reaction considering the SGC's battle against the Goa'uld.  Maybe it was the Tok'ra's 'Don't call us, We'll call you attitude,' or maybe it was the fact that every time the Tok'ra asked earth's aid in an operation, something always seemed to come up that the Tok'ra knew about before hand, but chose not to disclose.  Nevertheless, relations had been turning more sour recently, and Harry really hoped that nothing significant happened in the operation the Tok'ra were proposing.
    "Colonel," General Hammond began with a sigh, "The Tok'ra have agreed to provide us with enough tunnel crystals to not only secure our Alpha and Beta site, but also to greatly speed up the excavation of both the Prometheus site, and Prometheus alpha."
    Harry had trouble keeping in his snort at the name for the proposed off world shipyard.  Whoever came up with it really should be banned from naming anything in the future.
    "The tunnel crystals, combined with the offer of technical assistance with understanding some of the underlying technologies we have acquired recently will provide a great boon to the program.  A boon that will only cost us the time to use our mothership to relocate the Vorash base to a planet completely off the Stargate map" concluded Hammond.
    "I know, I know..." O'Neill agreed.  "We're getting quite a bit in this deal, but that's what has me the most worried.  Name one time we didn't agree to help them with something where nothing they failed to mention didn't come back to bite us in the ass?" questioned O'Neill looking directly at Jacob Carter.
    Jacob Carter's head bowed, signaling that the Symbiote was taking control, before he responded, "Fear not, Colonel O'Neill, we only wish to use this opportunity to establish a base completely secure from Goa'uld detection on a planet not known by the Goa'uld.  We also wish to use this opportunity to remove Tanith from our ranks."
    That last comment caused Teal'c to raise an eyebrow and lean forward slightly in anticipation.  It didn't take a genius to see that Teal'c was looking forward to getting his revenge on the symbiote for his lover Shano'c's death.
    "Considering the time it will take to get things ready, we should be able to make it to Vorash in about 10 days time.  And considering the location of the planet you want to relocate to, transit time between the two should be about 6 days." Harry stated to the group.  "Considering the amount of time we'll have on board, I should have no trouble in helping Major Carter, Teal'c and some of the technicians from Planet Nowhere learn how to pilot the vessel since I need to be back here in 4 weeks time for my trip down to Maxwell Air Force Base."
    "Understood Harry," responded Hammond to his time frame, "but if Major Carter or Teal'c have any problems picking up how to operate the ship, we'll delay your trip through BOT another month."
    "We would also be willing to help instruct your people in how to pilot the vessel." offered Jacob.
    "Thank you for the offer Jake, but the location of the research base Harry has been calling Planet Nowhere is only known to a handful of people in order to reduce the risk of discovery.  Harry is currently the only person that spends any time in the field that knows its location and that is because he was the man who flew the ship there to begin with.  Considering the recent security breaches that have occurred with the Tok'ra, I have been instructed to ensure that the location of the research base remains as closely guarded a secret as possible." said Hammond to his long time friend.
    Harry could see that the Tok'ra was not exactly pleased not knowing the location of the base, but understood the need for the security of the information.
    "Ok, people, let's get things moving" ordered Hammond.  "Jake," Hammond turned towards the Tok'ra, "The ship should reach Vorash in 10 to 11 days.  We would like to avoid spending too much time in orbit if possible so if you can have your people and materials ready for a quick evacuation, that would be best."
    "Understood George, I'll head back in a few minutes to get started on the preparations." responded Jacob as he stood up to make his way back to the gate room.

===============================================================================

-*The Vorash System*-

    The trip took a total of 8 days.  Harry, SG-1 plus about 15 others made the journey, spending most of their time learning about the ships systems, and for Sam, Teal'c and 5 others who were pilots, learning how to fly the ship, raise its shields and fire its weapons.  In an effort to hedge the risk slightly, Harry had half of the ships death glider compliment, one of the shuttles, and the only alkesh off loaded before departure, so that should something happen to the mothership, all would not be lost.  Furthermore, considering this was Cronus' flag ship, a copy of Cronus' personal data core was also made since any secrets Cronus had, would likely lie in the heavily encrypted core.  While they currently couldn't access the information there, Harry believed that over time, they would be able to break the encryption.
    Piloting the ship out of Hyperspace, Harry initiated a thorough scan of the system and raised the ships shields from the main control consul on the Peltek, or bridge.  Some might call him paranoid, but considering the ship's inability to actively scan for ships while in hyperspace, Harry thought it was better to be safe than dead.  The scans showed a system devoid of life, with 5 planetary bodies, only one of which was right at the edge of this sun's water zone.  The planet Vorash itself, was devoid of life according to the scans, but Harry knew that the Tok'ra tunnels were designed specifically to fool Goa'uld scanners.  As they approached orbit over the fourth planetary body, Harry sent out the appropriate identification code, and quickly received the coordinates for a ring platform.
    "We'll be in position to transport down in a few minutes you guys." Harry informed the group standing around the Peltak.  Looking over the scans one more time, Harry decided to voice a thought.  "What's going to happen once Tanith finds out the Tok'ra are on to them and of their plans to relocate?  I'd lay odds he'll try to inform those he serves, which will present us and the Tok'ra with a rather promising opportunity...."
    Everyone in the room looked at Harry as he trailed off, seeing that such misinformation could present a great opportunity, but not seeing how that opportunity could be utilized.  Finally, it was Jack who spoke, "Well, if one of the geeks you brought along can take care of things up here, why don't you come down with us to pitch whatever crazy scheme you've come up with this time."
    "They can handle it Jack, let me grab my gear." responded Harry as he walked over to his pack in the corner.  As he clipped his P-90 to his tactical vest, and made sure his Zat was still in its hip holster, Harry was trying hard to come up with a way to take advantage of the possible misinformation to hopefully put a dent into Apophis' dangerously powerful fleet.

===============================================================================

-*Tokra Base, Planet Vorash*-

    As the rings deposited Harry and SG-1 inside the Tok'ra tunnels, Harry had to hold in the snort that threatened to escape upon seeing Tanith's surprised face.  Jack on the other hand, had no intention of letting the opportunity to zing the Goa'uld pass him by.
    "Hey kids, we're not parked in a red zone are we?"
    Harry and Sam both let out snorts at Jack's comment, as Jacob Carter, suppressing a slight smile, approached them.
    "Sam," the man greeted his daughter with a hug.  "Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, Harry," Jacob nodded to the remainder of them after hugging his daughter.
    Seeing that Tanith, and those that were with them, had walked on, Harry approached Jacob.
    "Since he's still moving freely about the base, I take it Tanith doesn't know he's been made?" Harry asked softly.
    Jacob looked from Harry to Jack and the others, wondering why the youngest of the group was asking such a question.  Deciding to humor the young man, Jacob answered, "No, we plan on taking him into custody shortly, why?"
    "While you have been using the misinformation you've been feeding him to great effect, we had a bit of a brain storm on the trip over.  If we can stage a situation where he believes he's escaped us, I guarantee he has a method of contacting his masters, who, upon hearing of our imminent move, will no doubt send a considerable fleet.  Now, what if, instead of an active Tok'ra base, a very destructive surprise was waiting for them?  A surprise that had the potential of destroying said fleet?" Harry asked the man.
    Jacob's eyebrows both rose after hearing their idea.  It was ambitious, but there was still one major flaw.  "It's a good idea but we don't have anything that would produce a large enough blast to take out an entire fleet." stated Jacob.
    "If we could blow up this system's sun, the resulting shock wave would be enough, but the main problem I'm having right now is how we would blow it up.  I was kind of hoping the Tok'ra might be able to come up with the solution to that, since I'm at a loss of how to make it happen." commented Harry.
    Sam, who had been standing next to Jacob, started slightly in surprise.  Considering the widening of her eyes and her excited grin, Harry had little doubt she might have come up with a way to blow up a sun, which, as he thought about it, sent a large shiver down his spine.
    "I've got it!" Sam excitedly stated.

===============================================================================

-*Tok'ra Meeting Room, Planet Vorash*-

    As they entered the Tok'ra's main meeting room, they saw that most of the higher ranking members of this Tok'ra cell were present.  A dark skinned woman rose from her seat at the head of the table after seeing their arrival.
    "Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c, Allow me to welcome you and your team back to Vorash.  High Counselor Per'sus sends his greetings." The women intoned.
    "Always a pleasure." replied O'Neill rather flippantly.
    "I must say Colonel, I was most intrigued by your means of arrival" probed Tannith.
    Seeing Jack opening his mouth to respond, and slightly worried he might give away too much information considering the orchestrated escape, Harry jumped in.
    "We were fortunate enough to capture the ship from a minor Gou'ald several weeks ago.  While it is obviously no match for Apophis' current flag ship, she is at least something." responded Harry.
    Not wanting to be left out, and understanding Harry's unspoken warning not to give too much information, Jack chimed in with the usual sarcastic comments he's becoming well known for by many races, both allies and enemies.  "Yeah, it's a sweet ride.  A little rusty but it's still got zip."
    "Who was this Goa'uld that was vulnerable enough to be so easily defeated?" probed Tannith again, obviously seeking information that might benefit his master.
    Harry, not quite sure who he should name, decided to take a page out of Daniel's book when it came to creating a fictional Goa'uld.  "Vader." Harry responded.  "The Goa'uld called himself Lord Vader.  Frankly, we never heard of him before we came across him several weeks ago, so he is probably pretty small time especially since one of our men that is still in training named Skywalker was able to take him out." finished Harry in a serious tone.
    Teal'c took Harry's story in stride, only raising a single eyebrow at the mention of characters from his favorite film series, Sam had a slight smile on her face, that Harry knew meant she found his story hilarious but knew she would have to indulge in the laugh later.  Jacob kept his face stoic, but the faraway look in his eye was a good indication that he was probably explaining that statement to Sel'mak.  Jack however, was coughing as a cover for his laughter.
    As Jack straightened up after recovering his composure, and saw most of the Tok'ra looking at him, commented, "Sorry about that, been coming down with a bit of a sore throat lately."
    Jacob, wanting to move things along, stepped forward.  "Now that we have access to a mothership, we will be able to move our people and our Stargate , thereby establishing a completely new and secure base."
    Tannith, appeared to bristle slightly at this unexpected news.  "I don't understand.  Why have I been excluded from such important information?"
    Teal'c, taking some relish in taunting the Goa'uld who killed his lover, stated, "The Tok'ra did not wish Apophis to be informed."
    "We've been aware of your duplicity from the beginning.  You deceived and then murdered the Jaffa Shau'nac.  you took the host Hebron and you've been acting as a spy amongst us ever since" stated Jacob.
    Teal'c concluded, "You have been used to channel disinformation to Apophis.  He will be most displeased when he learns the truth."
    "This is absurd!" Tanith stated as he stood and tried to walk out of the room only to be surrounded by Tok'ra with Zats raised.
    Turning towards Teal'c and SG-1, Tanith stated, "You will never escape.  The System Lords will hunt you down to the ends of the galaxy."
    As Jack watched them take him away, he commented to the room, "That guy is a living cliche."
    Chuckling at Jack's comment, Harry turned to the rest of the Tok'ra present.  "You no doubt know we were lying about the origins of the Hatak, and the reason we did so is we have an idea for one last hurrah with Tanith."
    Looking curious, Counselor Per'sus' representative asked, "What is your plan?"
    "If we can orchestrate Tanith's escape from custody, he will no doubt use a hidden long range communications device to communicate our intention to leave this base.  His contact, undoubtedly in Apophis camp, will not wish to lose this opportunity to eliminate such a large portion of the Tok'ra, and will send a considerable fleet to not only ambush the Hatak in orbit, but to capture or destroy any personnel on the ground.  Once we detect the approaching fleet in Hyperspace, we turn the ambush around on them...."
    "How" the female Tok'ra asked curiously, "we do not have the power to destroy a fleet, even if we had the element of surprise."
    "We blow up the sun." Jack piped in, with child like enthusiasm.
    Sam, shaking her head at Jack's response, elaborated, "Every star is a delicate balance between the explosive force of the fusion going on in its core which tends to want to blow it apart and the gravitational force of its mass which tends to want to crush it into a little ball.  now if we could disrupt that balance by suddenly removing some of the star's mass we could create an artificial supernova.  The blast wave would expand at nearly the speed of light, destroying everything in this system in a matter of minutes."
    All of the Tok'ra, with the exception of Jacob, were staring at her in shock.  "How are we going to remove some of the star's mass?" One of the men toward the end of the table asked.
    Carter looked a little nervous for a second before she pulled herself together and stated, "well, this is going to sound a little crazy, but we dial P3W-451.  It's a planet that we encountered a while back that is in the system of a black hole."
    "We take the stargate in the mothership and bring it as close to the sun as we can.  Then we dial the black hole, enclose the gate in a force field and jettison it." Jacob continued for the group.
    "The suns gravity will pull it in, the force field will disintegrate and stellar matter will be sucked through that wormhole like water through a fire hose." Sam concluded.
    "This is going to take some fairly precise calculations to time right, but if successful, we could take out a significant portion of Apophis' fleet.  If we place a hidden tracking device in Tanith's host while he is unconscious before his escape, we will easily be able to locate him once confirmation is received from your agents of Apophis' response.  Most of the personnel and some of the supplies can be sent ahead to an alternate base, and the Hatak will pick up a stargate from another uninhabitable world on the way to the location of your new base and if this doesn't work for some reason, the only thing lost is the stargate used."
    "We will discuss the merits of your plan and let you know shortly.  Thank you for the suggestion, it does sound promising." responded Per'sus' aid.
    "You're welcome.  We will be on the Hatak helping to coordinate the storing of your supplies." responded Harry.

===============================================================================

-*In Orbit of Vorash*-

    So far, things had gone according to plan.  What supplies that couldn't be shipped through the stargate to an alternate site, were brought aboard the Cronus Hatak, and Tanith's escape and recapture had gone smoothly.  Apophis had quickly assembled a fleet of 15 ships, including his own flag ship, to ambush the Tok'ra.  Now they had to be sure to time the trap correctly.  Using the known top speed of Apophis' ships provided by the Tok'ra, they had the calculations completed, but there was still a small chance Apophis would have the time to get away.  So they needed a distraction.  They needed a way to keep Apophis occupied, because if he's occupied, he hopefully won't have enough time to give the order to jump out of the system once the shockwave starts.
    Harry was brought out of his thoughts by the entrance of Jacob and Dem'ar another Tok'ra Harry had met briefly during the loading of the ship.  After exchanging greetings with them, Harry voiced his concern.  "Considering the distance between the sun and Vorash, there is a chance Apophis will have time to jump to leave the system before being destroyed.  We either have to time the super nova just right, or somehow distract Apophis, and unless we can know to the second when Apophis is going to appear, which would mean knowing the exact position of the ships in his fleet, we're going to have to stick with the distraction..." Harry trailed off after sensing a spike in emotion from the two Tokra.
    "I was going to say that since these sensors are not good enough to track Apophis' progress so precisely we'll have to stick with creating a distraction, but you have a way of tracking their position don't you?" Harry asked the two Tok'ra.
    While looking at Demar, Harry sensed the man's unwillingness to come forward with the information needed.  Slightly pissed that the Tok'ra were once again about to with hold operationally important information from them, Harry pushed slightly with his legilimency to get a read of the man's surface thoughts.  What the man was thinking really lit Harry's fuse.
    "Please instruct us on how to tap into this sensor data so that we can properly time our trap." asked Harry politely, in an even voice.
    "Harry," Jacob began to deny before he was interrupted by Harry.
    "I have made a study of learning how to read the body language and facial reactions of people that are hiding something.  A rather useful hobby considering our line of work." Harry stated, as an excuse for the insight he gained from his passive legilimency.  "Consequently, I know that your denials are a pile of shit, and that if we find any hidden transmitters onboard this vessel, which you know would end up transmitting the coordinates of our most secret research and emergency evacuation site, I have no doubt that any alliance between our peoples will be promptly terminated.  Now, are you both going to tell me how to access the relevant data, or are you going to let the chance to kill Apophis, along with a large portion of his fleet, slip through your fingers.  Let's not even think about the consequences of the little locator beacon you hid on this vessel when we, as allies, were helping you to establish a secure base!"
    SG-1 arrived in the middle of Harry's rant, and were standing by the entrance with opened mouths as the last words from Harry's raised voice echoed around the room.
    Jacob looked ashamed, while the Tok'ra man with him looked defiant.  Harry's mentioning of the locator beacon proved to be enough to get the Tok'ra man to think about where said beacon was hidden, which was Harry's first priority after he uncovered the existence of their sensor net.
    "I'm afraid that we can't allow you direct access but can and will provide you with the necessary data to successfully complete the mission." said Jacob.
    "Fine" Harry responded giving the about to speak O'Neill a look that told the man to wait until later.  Turning back to Jacob, Harry continued, "after I have the data, I'll run through the calculations again to try to more precisely time the trap.  Is there any way to remotely control the death glider contingent aboard?  If we can set the contingent to ram Apophis' flag ship, they might provide the extra half second or so distraction necessary to keep Apophis from jumping out."
    "Why use the death gliders, why not someone in a shuttle to distract him, then jump out right before the blast wave?" Dem'ar asked.
    Taking a small amount of pleasure at the opportunity to one up the arrogant ass that planted a tracking device on his 'allies' ship, Harry responded in a tone he reserved for teaching children with a question of his own.  "Describe the process a vessel goes through to travel through hyperspace." Seeing the man's frustrated look at being patronized, Harry decided to answer his own question.  "A vessel uses a large reserve of power to tear open a hole in space, allowing the ship to enter hyperspace.  Since hyperspace travel is inertial, the power reserves a ship has, and can therefore pump into the hyperspace window generator, is directly correlated with the maximum speed a vessel can achieve.  Now what would happen if we introduced a second, and much more immense, power source to the process of generating and entering a hyperspace window."
    Sam's gasp brought her to everyone's attention, and Harry couldn't help but feel a bit of pride that she got it before everyone else did.  'so much for the Tok'ra's superior intellect,' Harry thought to himself.
    "The speed at which the ship would travel would likely be much greater than the ships capabilities, and consequently, the ship would likely exit hyperspace at an unknown destination if it was even structurally able to survived the trip.  A destination that's distance from the programmed destination in the navigational computer would be proportionally related to the additional power added to the process." said Carter as she puzzled through the issue out loud.  Turning towards Jack, knowing he was going to ask for a non techno babble based explanation, Carter stated, "Sir, any ship opening a hyperspace window in the vicinity of the shock wave would likely end up hundreds of thousands if not several million light years off course."
    Nodding in agreement with Sam's statement, and seeing that he had sufficiently cowed the Tok'ra agent from the look in his wide eyes, Harry concluded, "Consequently, the distractions we use to keep Apophis from jumping out need to be unmanned, and controllable from a distance of at least 1 light year from this system."
    "We should be able to remotely control the death gliders from that range.  I'll get working on that while Dem'ar obtains a more precise arrival time for your calculations.  Our current rough estimate puts Apophis' fleet in system in just under nine hours so let's not waste any time" finished Jacob.
    Nodding to both Jacob and Dem'ar as they left the room, Harry quickly waved SG-1 over so he could share not only the latest changes to operation 'big bang' as Jack had taken to calling it, but what he had discovered of the Tok'ra's most recent act of duplicity.

===============================================================================

-*Maxwell Air Force Base, Runway 15*-

    As the C-130 transport plane touched down, Harry couldn't help but feel like he was about to go on vacation.  Harry had made it back to Earth 4 days before his planned departure for Basic Officer's Training, or BOTs.  He had been planning to attend the 12 week course for quite some time but it had been put off because of the numerous projects he had a hand in.  If he successfully completed the course he would become what both Jack and Sam called a 3 month wonder.  Basically, after three months he would be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force.
    While some members of the palace guard in the Pentagon thought that a direct commission made more sense for him, avoiding the 3 month Officer's version of boot camp, General Hammond had convinced General Ryan, the chief of staff of the Air Force, and therefore its highest ranking member, that Harry could use the change of scenery, the chance to meet people outside of the program, and the opportunity to see the differences between how things were run in the SGC and other commands in the Air Force.  Furthermore, Harry believed, but had been unable to confirm, that Hammond's closing point had been the belief Harry needed to slow down soon or risk burn out.
    Harry did know Hammond pointed out that Harry's academic strength, and his prior knowledge and preparation would give the young man time to continue consulting from a distance on the various projects he had a hand in so long as secure facilities were organized, which was one of the reasons Harry, accompanied by Master Sergeant Siler, was arriving a day before his classmates.
    Considering the pace he had been setting over the past year, Harry had no doubt his time at boot camp would be like vacation.  That's not to say that boot camp wouldn't be a lot of hard work.  But he was already in top shape from his sparing with Teal'c and other members of the SGC, let alone his daily work outs on base.  Furthermore, he already had the Airman's Training Order, or ATO, and the Air Force Manual, otherwise known as the AFMAN memorized due to his eidetic memory.  That's not even including the many special forces manuals and command/military leadership text books he had borrowed from Jack, Sam and other SGC members he had become friends with.  Knowledge was not what prevented him from accepting the direct commission, his lack of practical experience in this world, and the strong desire to start things fresh from the beginning was what pushed him to engage in this new experience.  That, and the fact that the current state of the Galaxy allowed him to take a bit of a break.
    Harry quietly snorted at that last thought.  -`The state of the Galaxy indeed' -he thought.  Who would have thought not more than 2 years ago, he would have had anything to do with the state of an entire galaxy.  Sometimes the sheer magnitude of his recent experiences and the consequences of his actions surprised him.  The plan for the down fall of Apophis had gone off well.  And while sensors had indicated that Apophis had tried to run, the extra second of distraction provided by the unmanned kamikaze death gliders caused his ship to be destroyed as it attempted to jump into hyperspace.  After the excitement of blowing up an entire solar system passed by, Harry had to keep Jack from ripping into the Tok'ra about the tracking device they attempted to plant on the ship.  Nevertheless, the trip to the Tok'ra's alternate site was tense, and after offloading the supplies and retrieving the last of the tunnel crystals promised, they promptly departed.  Even the site of many more crystals than promised failed to satisfy Hammond when he found out about the Tok'ra's attempt to track the whereabouts of Earth's Hat'ak.
    Sitting in the uncomfortable bench style seat in the C-130, overlooking the crates of equipment he had to bring with him to BOTs to keep up to date on the many ongoing projects, Harry couldn't help but wish the respite provided to Earth from Apophis' demise could have come with a less bloody cost.  Considering the standard compliment of Jaffa present on a regular Hat'ak, let alone the size of crew and warriors on Apophis' flag ship, Harry felt some sadness over the massive loss of life he orchestrated.
    Having some trouble dealing with his own guilt, Harry had sought out Teal'c before he left the SGC.  The big man had listened intently to Harry's thoughts, not interrupting once.  He listened as Harry told him about the first life he took at the age of 11 and how it wasn't until years later, he even realized he had killed.  Teal'c listened to the young man tell of his decision to take the lives of his enemies instead of constantly seeking to capture them after the third time captured enemies were freed by their comrades.  Finally, Teal'c listened as Harry confessed that while he had no problem killing in self defense, or killing those who would seek to murder or otherwise seriously harm innocents, he was not quite sure how to deal with the sheer number of Jaffa his plan had killed, in addition to Apophis.  Harry would never forget the words of his large Jaffa friend, as they resonated through his mind and set his heart and conscious at ease.
    Looking extremely serious and somber, Teal'c had replied, "I to, feel sadness for the death I cause in battle, especially when battling my fellow Jaffa.  But understand this Harry Potter, the guilt we feel over these deaths is the one thing that separates an honorable warrior from an honorless murderer.  Yes, our actions have caused the death of many, both recently, and undoubtedly, more so in the future.  But we act to protect others.  Whether they be our comrades on the field of battle, or our loved ones at home.  We act to protect our freedom.  We act with honor.  And the sadness we feel is not for taking the lives of murderers, but for taking the lives of fellow warriors.  Misguided warriors, yes, but warriors nonetheless."
    Thinking back on Teal'c's impassioned speech, Harry couldn't help but feel the weight of the recent deaths his plan caused lift slightly.  He acted to prevent the deaths of many others.  He acted to stop a megalomaniac.  Some guilt and sadness was good for him.  Kept him human, kept him honorable.
    As he felt the plan jerk slightly as it locked its breaks, and heard the engines begin to shut down, Harry unbuckled himself from the uncomfortable seat and began to check over, and unbuckle his cargo.  It was time for him to start the next step on his path.

===============================================================================

-*Hanger 16, Parking pad Alpha, Maxwell Air Force Base*-

    Colonel Jack O'Neil had always prided himself on being a capable and
reliable Air Force Officer.  He had graduated from the Air Force academy in
1973, and completed two tours in Vietnam, the second as a squadron commander.
He and his unit had received several commendations, which saw his quick
promotion to first lieutenant, and then to Captain.  He spent the years
following Vietnam fulfilling the duties assigned to him diligently and
efficiently and when Operation Desert Storm took place, he was granted the
opportunity to command one of the Air Wings involved in the operation, with a
rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
    His wing's performance during the short conflict saw to his promotion to
Colonel in 1994, at which point he had high hopes he might make it to Brigadier
General should he obtain the right assignments and get exposure to the right
circles in the Pentagon.  He was proud of his career, and the only trouble he
ever had during his time in the Air Force was when someone mistook himself for
the name of another Colonel O'Neill, spelled with two L's to his one L, who,
from what he had been able to discover, was a bit of a maverick that had spent
most of his career in special operations and had a history of mild
insubordination.  Despite the black shadow this other O'Neill caused him
occasionally, he still had high hopes for his future promotion.
    He spent 3 years at the Pentagon making the right contacts and doing a
great job, in his opinion, and was then ordered to take command of the Officer
Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.  This put him in a good
position to take over as Commander of the Holm Center, when Brigadier General
Washburn either retired or was promoted.  While his current post did not have
the level of exposure to the big brass in Washington he had hoped for, he still
felt he was in a prime position for upward promotion, and was not in a dead end
assignment given to those who were expected to retire at the end of their
current tour.  The promotion of his predecessor, Brigadier General Kerrigan, to
commander of the Air Force Academy, gave him hope his career was on the right
track.
    That was why he was currently standing on the Tarmac of parking pad alpha
in front of Hanger 16, along with his aid, 1st Lt. Greenly.  Normally, he would
have just sent his aid to meet the expected arrivals, but considering the
source of their current orders, and their deviation from the expected norm of
operations of his training school, he had every intention of personally
overseeing everything involved.
    It began with a summons to the office of the Commander of Maxwell Air Force
Base.  Other than a brief meeting when he began his assignment as OTS
Commander, Colonel O'Neil had not had any interaction with Lt. General Holcomb.
So the reason for his summons was the cause of some internal distress.  To the
best of his knowledge, nothing bad had occurred recently that would require the
attention of the base commander.  On the alternate side, while the two current
OTS classes were solid, they were not exceptional, and therefore, would not
merit a discussion with a 3-star.  As he walked into that meeting he remembered
his shock at seeing General Ryan, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force standing
with General Holcomb.
    "Colonel O'Neil," General Ryan greeted.  "Thank you for coming.  General
Holcomb called you here because of some special circumstances involving an
incoming Basic Officer Training Cadet.  The cadet in question is currently a
highly valued civilian consultant.  So highly valued, that when he expressed an
interest in joining the ranks of Air Force Officers, many at the Pentagon
wanted to give him a direct commission," began General Ryan.
    The Colonel couldn't believe what he was hearing.  Generals Ryan and
Holcomb had called him into his office to talk about a cadet that hadn't even
arrived yet.
    "The chances of this cadet in question failing out academically, or
physically, is next to impossible considering the training he has participated
in at his current station.  Nevertheless, he wanted to complete the training,
and his current commander agrees that a change in scenery, and some exposure to
the Air Force outside of his home command, would benefit the cadet's
development as a member of the Air Force," Ryan continued.
    At the General's pause, Colonel O'Neil nodded to the two Generals,
accepting the point but not understanding why General Ryan himself was here to
discuss it.  On the one hand, he hated things that deviated from the norm of
his command's operations, but on the other, this situation gave him the
opportunity to interact with two very influential and high ranking members of
the Air Force, and the fact that the cadet in training preferred completing the
training as opposed to being handed a commission showed the man in question
knew the benefits of hard work.  Nevertheless, while General Ryan's involvement
pleased him, it also puzzled and worried him.
    "One of the reasons General Ryan came down here Colonel," General Holcomb
stated, "was because of the need to authorize and organize the set up of a
secure room."
    "That's right," General Ryan responded, nodding to General Holcomb.  "Cadet
Potter, the cadet in question, is involved in several highly classified
research projects, and to minimize the delay caused by his absence, he, along
with another technician, will be arriving a day early to set up a secure room
in one of the secure areas of this facilities command center.  Any time Cadet
Potter has free, regardless of the time of day, he should be allowed to come to
the work station he will be setting up to advise and assist his colleagues
still working on the projects in question.  Other than that, he is to be
treated like any other cadet."
    Colonel O'Neil could see the reasoning behind wanting a highly valued
civilian consultant as a full member of the Air Force, and he could see the
reason for not wanting the training of said consultant to interfere with
projects that serve the interests of the Air Force, but he couldn't see how the
cadet would be able to survive training if he didn't fully commit to the
rigorous schedule demanded of the cadets.
    Shaking his head slightly, the strait laced Colonel responded, "Generals,
while I can understand your points, and even understand that the work the cadet
is involved with is important, I don't see how he will be able to successfully
complete the course given the rigorous schedule and the steep learning curve
all Cadets are exposed to."
    The Colonel was glad to see that General Holcomb was nodding in agreement
with him.  Despite the fact Colonels were expected to provide straight answers
to Generals, providing straight answers that the Generals won't like is never a
pleasant prospect.
    General Ryan surprised both men by chuckling at the Colonel's point.  "I
think that Cadet Potter will end up surprising you.  When I mentioned he would
have no problems with both the learning and physical aspects of the training, I
may have been understating things slightly.  The man has an eidetic memory, and
has likely already read and memorized all of the training guides he's borrowed
from friends of his on post.  Furthermore," the general continued as he opened
the file he had been holding at his side, "his physical fitness scores exceed
those required for the Para-Rescue Specialty.  While I don't doubt
participating in all of the required classes and leadership exercises will be
time consuming, I have no doubt that he will have time, either during time
scheduled for self study, or early morning or late night, to do what he needs
to get done with regard to his ongoing projects."
    Both General Holcomb and Colonel O'Neil raised their eyebrows at General
Ryan's comment.  Physically qualifying for the Para Rescue specialty was
extremely difficult.  Many compared it to physically qualifying for the SEALs
or Delta Force.  But to have someone that fit with a photographic memory was
unreal.
    "Lastly, this is more of an administrative issue, Cadet Potter will have
already gone through all aspects of the medical examination so he will be
exempt from what is provided here.  He will have with him a sealed copy of his
most recent completed medical examination that was conducted at the Air Force
Academy Hospital, and that examination should be included into his new service
record," concluded General Ryan.
    Thinking back to that meeting, despite the face time with the head of the
Air Force, Colonel O'Neil felt uneasy.  The incoming cadet aboard the C-130
that had just began to shut down its engines worked on highly classified
projects that the head of the Air Force was seriously interested in.  The
influence the Cadet no doubt had due to his position and importance in these
projects completely contradicted his perception of how the Air Force should
operate.  No cadet should have influence over a Second Lieutenant, let alone a
general.
    Nevertheless, he had been ordered to make sure that Cadet Potter was
allowed access to his work station during off hours and to not treat Cadet
Potter any differently than any other cadet despite such free off hours access.
As the flight crew began to off load a number of crates from the plane, O'Neil
signaled the trucks he had requisitioned to move into position as he walked
towards the plane.
    "Siler, can you give me a hand with this one, it's not heavy but it's
awkward as hell."
    The voice was coming from a young man dressed in green BDUs with black
hair, green eyes and a funny looking scar on his forehead.
    "Sure thing Harry," replied an older man.  As both men stepped down the
rear ramp of the plane, O'Neil saw the rank on the older man's shoulder was
that of a Master Sergeant.  After the crate they were carrying was loaded onto
the back of the truck, both turned and saw him.  The Master Sergeant was quick
to snap to attention and salute.  The younger man, after noticing the gold
chickens on his collar points, snapped to attention and saluted a half second
after the Sergeant.  It was the Sergeant that reported.
    "Master Sergeant Siler reports with a detail of one, Sir!"
    "At ease," O'Neil responded after a moment of inspection.  "My name is
Colonel O'Neil, and I command the Officers Training School.  General Holcomb
has instructed me that during your stay here Cadet Potter, you be given access
to a secure room during any free time you might have to ensure the continuance
of your work, whatever that may be," O'Neil stated in a serious voice while
examining the two men in front of him.
    "While I have not been informed to the nature of your work, the fact such
arrangements are being made leads me to believe that whatever it is you did for
the Air Force before was important.  However, that does not mean exceptions
will be made should your work interfere with any aspect of your training here.
Is that understood?"
    "Sir, Yes Sir," responded Harry in a firm tone, believing that sticking to
the 5 basic responses with this straight laced Colonel would be best for the
moment.
    "Very Well," concluded O'Neil.  "Load up your gear, the driver knows the
location of your room."
    "Sir, thank you Sir," Harry responded, snapping off a perfect salute,
taking the Colonel's orders as a dismissal.
    As O'Neil watched both men coordinate the off loading of the plane into the
two trucks, he couldn't help but wonder what such a young man could be doing
for the Air Force that would capture the attention of General Ryan, and whether
or not finding out that information would help or hinder his coveted promotion.

===============================================================================

-*Maxwell Air Force Base, Building 1, Room 19*-

    When General Holcomb arrived at the room set aside for Cadet Potter's
workstation, he was greeted by a rather peculiar sight.  The room he had set
aside, had been completely empty, as per instructions, and now, the small room
contained a desk, an ergonomic desk chair, and some curious pieces of
technology on the surface of the desk.
    Right next to the door, a man wearing the rank of a Master Sergeant was
busy wiring some type of device into the wall next to the door, and after
looking at the door frame, the experienced General immediately identified
several long strips of some type of metal.  After a minute of taking in the
additions to the room, the General spotted the head of a young man pop up from
behind the desk.  "Ok Siler, I've got both the power generator and the main
computer hooked up."  The man started before he spotted the General standing in
the door way.
    Standing up quickly, Harry stood at attention and Saluted the General.
"Cadet Potter Reports as Ordered Sir."
    "At ease.  Both of you," the General stated, stopping Siler mid rise.  It
was at that moment that one of the devices on the desk, a half sphere
approximately 12 inches in circumference, began projecting images above the
desk.
    "General, do you mind if we close the door?" asked Harry, as he motioned to
the image of various computer codes being projected into the air above the
screen.
    The clarity and detail of the projection, not to mention the solid like
appearance of the blocks of code, caused him a second of shock before he
recognized the question.  "Of course."
    "Thank you sir," responded Siler as he motioned the General into the room
and closed the door before his gaping aid could pass through as well.
    "Sorry about that General, it looks like the protocols that shut down the
monitor when the door opens have not yet been enabled," said Harry.
    "That's the next on the list Harry.  The biometrics, surveillance
detection, intruder detection and intruder countermeasures are all ready up and
running, I just needed the main computer operational before the information
security protocol could be enacted since it relies on data from the main
computer," responded Siler.
    "As you can see, and have just heard General, things should be fully
operational here within the next couple of hours.  Thank you for being so
accommodating.  I doubt I could have pulled off attending BOTs without being
able to guarantee to the higher ups I would be able to maintain contact with
some of the other project leaders," Harry stated.
    "While I've not been fully briefed on your projects, I do know that they
are high priority, and considering the technology I just witnessed, I can see
why.  I just wanted to make sure everything is ship shape since in processing
over the next few days will prevent any trouble shooting should problems
occur," responded General Holcomb.  The man seemed to hesitate for a second
before he decided to ask a question.  "I'm curious though, the Master Sergeant
said that your instruments can detect surveillance devices?"
    "We're almost all set here General and once fully operational, should be
able to detect and counter any devices within a specific range sir," Harry
replied.  He leaned over and typed on what appeared to be a touch pad for a few
seconds which caused several status screens to be projected above the desk.
"The secure communications channel is online and the workstation's systems are
fully operational.  All that is left are some of the more comprehensive
security protocols.  We should be 100% operational within 2 hours sir.  And
this..." Harry reported, switching screens so a large map that contained the
base's command center, and several surrounding buildings with many moving white
dots, and several stationary red dots, "shows us the position of all nearby
humans along with all surveillance devices both active and inactive."
    The General looked at the map with shock.  "Incredible..." stated the
shocked man as he gazed at the detailed map.  He was in awe of all of the
detail and information provided in the projection in real time.  Any doubt to
the importance of the technology Cadet Potter was working on flew out the
window with just this small display.  After looking for a good minute, he
noticed the large number of red dots present on the map.  "All of those red
dots are surveillance devices?"
    "Yes sir.  But remember that this map does not distinguish from base
security cameras and what not from anything of a covert nature.  Once we are
all set up, I can provide a print out that your security people can look over
to compare with their own system.  That way they can ferret out what should and
shouldn't be present," responded Harry to the shocked General.
    "Good.  I've made arrangements for transport between here and the Holm
Center.  Just call this number and a SF jeep will come and pick you up and
return you back to OTS when ready," General Holcomb stated as he handed Harry a
sheet of paper from the portfolio he was carrying in his hands.  "Call my
office if any unforeseen problems come up."
    "Thank you General," Harry replied.  After the General closed the door,
Harry and Siler shared a brief look.
    "Well Harry, let's get this finished up, then I'll take you out to your
last good beer and steak for the next three months before I have to catch the
transport plane back to the springs," stated Siler.
    As they both got back to work, Harry realized Siler's comment meant the
very high food quality standards he had become accustomed to at the SGC might
be one of the aspects of the SGC that is not consistent with the rest of the
Air Force.

===============================================================================

-*Hanger 16, Parking pad Alpha, Maxwell Air Force Base*-

    As Harry watched the Colorado Springs based C-130 taxi away from the
parking area, he couldn't help but feel a touch of home sick already.  For
almost 2 years he had been in this reality, and the more he thought about it,
the more he realized he hadn't spent more than a few days without having some
form of significant contact with a member of the SGC.  Whether it was living
with Daniel, or tinkering with Dr. Lee or Siler on their restoration projects,
or becoming engrossed with his research teams in the lab, Harry realized he had
become very accustomed to spending time with his new family.
    To the side of Harry lay a large duffle bag and his laptop bag.  The duffle
bag contained all of the uniforms Harry required for the training, a joint good
luck gift from the members of the SGC, several training manuals he had yet to
read, and a couple of pairs of civilian clothes.  Picking up his bags, Harry
walked over to the SF that was waiting in a hummer and got in.  Tomorrow, he
would begin his life as a member of the Air Force.  Tomorrow, he would be
taking the next step in his adventure.  And while he had no doubt there would
be tough times ahead, he had a gut feeling that the step he was about to take
was a good one.
    Harry Potter settled into the front seat of the Hummer and a feeling of
contentment, a feeling he had only felt a few times in his short life, settled
over him.  His journey in this universe, while already grand, was just
beginning.


Chapter 13: New Experiences, New Lives

-*Officer Training School, Dormitory room 204*-

    Harry was just finished getting things settled on his desk when someone entered his new dorm room.  Standing up from the desk chair, Harry extended his hand.  "Harry Potter."
    "John Trimble" the man replied, giving Harry's hand a quick shake, then setting his bag on the other desk in the room.  "Looks like I'm your new roommate for the next few months."
    "Looks like.  So, are you a newbie to the Air Force, or are you former enlisted?"
    "I'm a newbie, you?" responded Trimble.
    "Never officially part of the air force, but have been a civilian consultant for just over a year.  Is there any specific track your gunning for?" inquired Harry.  The guy was a few inches shorter than Harry's 5'11", and while the man didn't look muscular, he did look like he was in shape.
    "I'm hoping to make it into a jet pilot billet, but isn't everyone?  What did you do with the Air Force before, and where do you want to end up?"
    "I worked out of NORAD with Deep Space Radar Telemetry.  Surprisingly enough I'm going to be going straight back there after this" replied Harry as he started up the laptop he had brought with him.
    "Harry, any idea how large the section is going to be?" asked John as he began to unpack his bag.
    "From what I've heard the Golden hawks, our squadron, only has 3 flights this round, while the other two squadrons have four.  No idea on how many to a flight though."
    "Good to know, thanks.  Hey, you have any good games on that laptop?" John asked with a smile as he finished storing his bag.

===============================================================================

-*Maxwell Air Force Base, Building 1, Room 19*-

    "Now that everything we needed to cover is out of the way, how is basic training going?"
    "Not bad Bill." Harry responded over the secure video feed.  "The workouts can be a little light sometimes, but that's necessary since the goal is to bring everyone up to a certain standard.  Granted there are times I and a few others that are a head of the curve can push ourselves, but otherwise we focus on encouraging our fellow flight members.  The classes are becoming a bit tedious though.  Other than the practical applications and leadership exercises, the lectures can be pretty boring since I already know the material.  On the bright side I did end up with a perfect score with the M-16 on the range, and only a couple of points shy of perfect with the pistol."
    "You know, I'm sure they'd still give you the direct commission if you told them that you were board.  I know the group, especially Aven and Melnik would love to have you back 10 weeks early." prodded Bill Lee.
    "No, I definitely don't feel like I'm wasting my time Bill.  Its good experience going through something like this with a good group of people.  Granted, a couple in the squadron who have been guaranteed pilot spots due to signing conditions can be a bit arrogant at times, but this still is giving me good experience for the future" finished Harry.
    "Alright, Alright, I had to ask." Dr.  Lee conceded.  "How's the roommate situation?  He getting curious yet about your trips here?"
    "Actually he's pretty laid back and cool about the whole thing.  Something tells me I got him as a roommate for his psyche profile.  I just told him that one of the conditions I conceded to in order to attend BOTS was that my attendance would not interfere with any projects I was working on, and he just said that it made sense the Air Force would want to ensure things kept to any established schedules.  By the way, everyone in my flight loved the pie and cookies sent, can you give my thanks to Cassie and the boys?"
    "Will do Harry." Lee responded then looked off screen for a moment.  "Looks like I need to sign off.  Just a quick heads up, it looks like there is going to be a high level progress report you might need to be available for.  Not sure on the specific dates yet, but I'll try to give you a heads up."
    "Thanks Bill.  Have a great weekend.  We'll talk again Monday evening.  Potter signing off." Harry finished as he disengaged the encrypted subspace link.
    As Harry began to shut down his work station and engage all of the necessary security protocols, Harry recalled his first two weeks in BOTs.  In-processing had gone relatively smoothly, with the exception of medical.  The medical officer in charge wanted to complete the full battery of tests on Harry, and it took a call from General Holcomb to make the Doctor accept the records Harry arrived with.  After things were cleared up and the doctor reluctantly backed down he asked why the tests were such a big deal.  Harry had to explain to the man that while he couldn't tell him the whole reason, he could say that it wasn't the tests per se, but the samples taken for the tests, and the security around those samples.  At the Doctor's raised eyebrows, Harry just pointed out that he was previously a civilian consultant on a classified project that did use various biometric methods to ensure the security of the project.
    Harry briefly felt bad at the feeling of amusement he felt when he spotted the wide eyes of the doctor as he came to some wild and probably completely inaccurate conclusions.  That guilt quickly passed since that situation combined with the minor complications that came with completing the security clearance questionnaire raised the eyebrows of many of his more curious flight mates.  While he knew the cover background the government had put together for him, he had been given very specific instructions with regards to how to fill out this form, or as the case may be, not fill it out.  With the exception of his Name, age, and basic physical characteristics, his only marks on the entire application were a note that he already had a clearance level, and had been instructed to defer any questions to Agent Jarod Pearle, of the Air Force Office of Special investigations.  Suffice it to say, the Intelligence officer who had been instructing the lecture hall full of people to fill out the form could have been more discreet when he voiced his displeasure at Harry's refusal to answer further questions on the matter.
    Needless to say, those two incidences, combined with his perfect academic record, top physical condition, marksmanship scores, and tendency to push his fellow flight mates had thrust him once again into an early position of leadership in his flight, if not his squadron.  As he opened the office door and greeted his escort back to the Officer Training School Harry snorted to himself as he thought -At least there not calling me the Chosen One.-

===============================================================================

-*Maxwell Air Force Base, Building 1, Room 19*-

    "Bill, Siler, good to see you both." opened Harry when he saw both men appear on the right side of the display.
    "Harry, congrats on the promotion!" Greeted Siler.  "OT Colonel is quite the accomplishment."
    "Thanks Siler.  It's definitely keeping me more occupied.  It's funny, my flight seemed to pick things up pretty quickly since we had myself and 2 former enlisted helping the newbies, but I never quite realized how much more trouble other flights with less helpful enlisted would have getting the basics down.  Anyway, I have to go organize a surprise inspection for the underclassman in an hour so we should get started.  Anything of significance to report?" Harry asked his two friends.
    "Nothing too significant," responded Bill.  "The new transparent and non transparent alloys have past final testing with flying colors.  The strength and resistance to impact damage, heat and explosion is phenomenal.  Furthermore, approval has been given for public patenting of the alloys that don't consist of any off world materials."
    "Yes, surprisingly, only a few of the alloys obtained from our exchange with the dome civilization require the use of non-earth based minerals.  Considering the wide variety of uses many of these alloys have, the boost to the programs patent income should be quite nice.  How are the hulls coming along for the prototype fighter and shuttle?" questioned Harry.
    "The test hulls are complete, and the mechanisms used to shift its flight mode from gate travel to flight have been tested and are operating better than originally expected.  The basic electronics and shield packages will be installed on their test hulls this week." answered Siler.  "Damage resilience testing should begin the following week."
    "Good." responded Harry.  "Considering our current time table, I'm hoping that the first prototypes will be ready for test flights within 6 months of completing the mountain's gate room and hanger remodels.  How has the testing gone for the new sensor units and ship mounted weapons?"
    It was Bill's turn to enthusiastically respond.  "The adjustments we made to the new sensor units have enabled us to detect the cloaked Alkesh and Cargo ship in testing but we're unsure as to the effective range of detection.  We're going to have to wait for space tests before we can effectively evaluate the resolution.  We're still encountering problems on the weapons front however.  Neither the Orbanian's nor our own people have found solutions to our scale problem.  The weapons for the fighter, which double as part of the point defense systems for the destroyer and cargo ship have tested well.  Quadruple the rate of fire of the standard staff cannon, with 8 times the punch considering its more refined plasma shots.  We're hoping that dismantling the weapons systems on the Hatak and Alkesh from Planet Nowhere will give us some direction."
    "Well, considering the leaps we've had in the past year, it's no surprise we hit a snag.  By the way, congrats on laying down the cargo ship's hull." replied Harry with a smile.  "I hear that the celebration was quite entertaining for some of the Urrone."
    "Yeah, apparently their minders really enjoyed the Champagne.  Rumor has it that they are planning to trade for several cases of the stuff, along with some instruction on making their own" laughed Siler.
    "Well gents, I'm going to sign off.  If I have any brain storms with regards to the ship to ship weapons problem I'll let you know.  Also make sure some of the best teams are on hand for the dismantling of the Hatak's power core.  The Goa'uld are not one for subtleties or innovation so something tells me there is probably a lot we can do to improve the efficiency and output of their designs." Harry finished.
    "Will do Harry." Bill replied.  "If we don't touch base Wednesday, we'll touch base on Friday.  Have a good week and good luck with the new responsibilities OT Colonel!"
    After a short wave at the smiling faces of Bill and Siler, Harry shut down the link.  BOTs was now half over and things had been going well.  His flight was top of the pack at the moment, and his squadron was doing well.  Harry was initially very surprised that he had been promoted to OT Colonel for the second half of the course.  Granted, he knew that ranks were handed out to the senior trainees so they could hone their leadership skills with the incoming junior trainees, but considering his extra activities, i.e.  his classified work, Harry didn't believe that Colonel O'Neil would want him to be at the head of the squadron.  Nevertheless, Harry felt that his new path was coming together nicely.
    What was truly surprising for Harry was how different the main body of the Air Force was from the SGC.  While he could see himself succeeding in the regular Air Force, he knew he would enjoy himself much more as a member of a command like the SGC and was glad that his place there was assured since his sarcastic sense of humor would probably make him very few friends in the Air Force outside of the SGC.

===============================================================================

-*Maxwell Air Force Base, Building 1, Room 19*-

    As Harry was looking through the research, diagrams and progress reports
compiled from the recently dismantled shield generator, phased plasma cannon,
computer core and power core of their captured Chronos Hatak, he let out a low
whistle.  The large strides they were making in not only reverse engineering
the technologies, but in understanding and then improving said technologies was
literally out of this world.  Harry had no doubt that without the aid of the
Orbanians, Earth would have been lucky to have a tenth the understanding of the
technology recovered.  In the last few months, several teams of Urrone,
Orbanian and Earth scientists have stripped apart the primary systems of the
Hatak, and gained enough of an understanding of the underlying technology to
drastically improve the systems on the drawing board for the X project.
    If Harry hadn't been able to contribute thoughts and ideas based on what
his team had sent him, he would have felt a bit left in the dust, but as it
stood the joint chiefs were quite pleased with the progress being made.
Furthermore, the recently filed alloy patents have garnered quite a bit of
interest from the private sector.  What truly surprised Harry however, was
discovering the patents listed himself as one of the lead inventors, along with
several other scientists that have made significant contributions to the
program.  -At least they are getting the chance to get some recognition,-
thought Harry.  He knew that many scientists in the program, while brilliant,
had taken a lot of flak from other scientists in their field for not publishing
new work.  These other scientists were often similar to Daniel's old colleague,
Dr. Reiner.
    While Harry knew the scientists that were part of the SGC were not there
for recognition or fame, considering the classified nature of the project, he
was glad that they would at least have the chance to see some recognition for
their accomplishments from their uninformed peers.  Harry knew how much it
bothered Daniel to be seen as a crack pot in archaeological circles.
    Closing up the reports and securing his system Harry secured his work room
and met up with the Airman currently assigned to be his ride.  "Ready to head
out John?"
    "Yes Sir, All set," replied the Airman.  Airman first class John Schneider
had been one of 4 different Airman that was responsible for ferrying Harry to
and from the OCS compound.  At some point over the last two and a half months,
all four of the Airman, all being the same age or slightly older than Harry
himself, began to call Harry Sir instead of Cadet.  Even after over a month of
hearing it, it still threw Harry for a loop.  After hearing it the first few
times, Harry finally broke down and asked John why the change in address
considering such change wouldn't be necessary until he graduated.  The response
was both surprising and a bit touching.
    "Me and the other guys decided we might as well get you used to hearing it
sir since from the rumors we've heard, you will definitely make it through the
program," stated John.  It was the young Airman's next comment that brought a
chuckle to Harry's lips, along with a thoughtful look.  "Besides, considering
the way you treat the enlisted, it seems like you might be one of the few
second johns to come out of this class that might be able to find their ass
with both hands."
    After chuckling at the Airman's description of most second Lieutenants,
Harry turned thoughtful.  One critical lesson he learned as commander of the
order, and from observing the inner workings of the SGC, was that the success
or failure of any objective depended on the ability and determination of the
junior officers and enlisted personnel.  Many young officers believe that
because they are officers, they automatically are more intelligent or
knowledgeable than those that serve under them.  Harry learned long ago that it
is often the experienced enlisted personnel that have the knowledge and real
world experience necessary to greatly improve the chances of success in any
endeavor.  Consequently, he learned how important it is to treat those under
him well, as well as provide credit where its due.
    Sitting in the front seat of the Jeep, Harry was brought out of his
reflection by John's excited voice.  "Did you hear the big news?"
    Smiling at the man's excitement, Harry shook his head indicating he had no
clue what John was talking about.
    "There is a good chance the President himself is going to be on base and
present at your class's commissioning ceremony.  I just heard the news from my
friend stationed in the commissary who heard it from General Holcomb's steward.
Apparently the President is planning to stop by, time permitting on his return
trip from the west coast.  I sure hope I get to see him.  You know I voted for
him right?" asked John as he glanced at Harry.
    "No I didn't, but from what I've read about and heard about the guy, he
sounds like a great President."
    John shot Harry a quick glance at the lack of enthusiasm present in his
response.  "Sir, why so down, I'm surprised.  I'm sure the rest of your
squadron will be bouncing off the walls with the news."
    "In all honesty, while it will be an honor to meet him, the dog and pony
show likely to follow on his heals will be a nightmare.  The security will be
insane, especially for the families coming to the commissioning ceremony,
that's not even mentioning the press that will be around," responded Harry.
    "I guess I can see your point.  But I'm still excited," John commented to
Harry as he pulled up outside of his dorm building.
    "Hey John," Harry spoke after getting out of the car.  After seeing the
Airman's focus on him, Harry continued, "I'm happy your excited, and I hope you
get to meet him, but that doesn't mean the hassle surrounding his visit won't
be any less of a pain in the ass."
    John laughed at Harry's comment as he put the jeep into gear.  "See you
tomorrow Sir."
    Harry waved at the retreating car and made his way into the building making
sure his Colonel face was applied.  As squadron commander, at least when in the
presence of the underclassman, he had to present a certain command facade.
Making his way through the building, happy that he didn't see anything that
would require reprimand, Harry finally arrived at his dorm room.
    Seeing his roommate John Trimble sitting at his desk, they exchanged a
quick greeting as Harry booted up his laptop, and began looking over emails and
reports related to the squadron.
    "Did you hear the latest scuttlebutt?"
    Looking at John, Harry couldn't stop the small frown on his face as he
realized the latest gossip was likely about the possible presence of the
Commander and Chief at their commissioning.  "Does it have anything to do with
the President and the possibility of his presence at our commissioning?"
    "Why aren't you more excited then?" John asked with an incredulous look on
his face.
    "John, I'm honestly a fan of the president, but do you have any idea the
logistical hoops were all going to have to jump through for this visit?  It's
going to be a nightmare!"
    "I'm still hoping he shows up Harry," John replied after seeing the serious
look on his roommates face.  As he watched his roommate start sifting through
his emails John couldn't help but wonder what his friend and roommate did for
the Air Force before BOTS.  He, like the rest of his flight, and later, the
squadron, noticed how easily Harry seemed to breeze through the academic
sections of the program.  Furthermore, Harry's physical scores were at the top
of the class, much to the chagrin of several cadets who were athletes in
college.  Nothing seemed to phase the guy.  From being yelled at by a drill
sergeant, to being the one doing the yelling.  Furthermore, his performance on
the field exercises were just plain scary considering the evaluators really had
to look hard to find criticism.
    Now, he had just informed his roommate of the possibility of the President
witnessing their commissioning, thinking if anything, this might phase the guy.
But Harry's response made him wonder if he'd met the President before.
Finally, he decided to just keep his eyes open for any more clues regarding his
mysterious roommate and turned back to the book he had to memorize for the
upcoming military theory test.

===============================================================================

-*The Residence in The White House, Washington DC*-

    "Jed!" Abby Bartlett called to her husband who was currently busy shaving
in the bathroom.  "What's with the change in schedule?  A stop over at Maxwell
Air Force Base in Alabama?"
    Jed Bartlett sighed as the distraction his wife's question created caused
him to nick himself shaving.  He truly believed he had one of the best jobs in
the world, even if it was one of the hardest.  At times, being the President
was a lot of fun.  He was able to make a difference in the lives of his fellow
countrymen.  He was able to make the world just a little bit better.  He
wouldn't trade those small moments of accomplishment for anything in the world.
However for every positive moment, for every positive change, there were no
less than 10 impossible decisions to be made.  Decisions where no matter how
hard he tried, someone always ended up losing something.  Whether it was their
job, their healthcare, their retirement, or sometimes when it came to military
action, their very lives, the decisions he was sometimes forced to make weighed
heavily on him.  That's one reason why he always tried to make the most out of
those positive times when possible.  The times he could make life better for
his countrymen.  The times he could use his office to offer something special
to the people who put their very lives on the line to protect their way of
life.
    "Remember that young man I told you about from Colorado?  The one that's
around Zoe's age?"
    Abby frowned as she tried to recall the young man her husband was
mentioning.  She loved her husband dearly, but sometimes his thinking was
impossible to follow.  It was then she remembered the one time her husband had
ever spoken about both a young man and his daughter positively in the same
sentence.  Other than Charlie that is.  He had just gotten back from a quick
trip to Colorado.  He couldn't tell her what he was doing there, other than he
had the opportunity to meet some truly incredible people.  It wasn't until he
woke up from a nightmare for the second night in a row that she was able to
discover he had barely escaped an assassination attempt.  Apparently a young
man no older than Zoe, who worked at the facility he was visiting, saw what was
happening and tackled the would be assassin, getting shot through his side in
the process.  She knew her husband had invited the young man to dinner as a
thank you, but had not yet had the opportunity to meet this Harry Potter.  "Are
you talking about Harry Potter?"
    "Yes," Jed responded as he finished shaving and began wiping his face with
a towel.  Walking into the bedroom, and seeing his wife sitting on the sofa
reading over the new schedule for their trip in a couple of weeks, he
continued, "He's graduating from Officer Candidate School in two weeks time and
I thought since it was on our way back, a quick visit to Maxwell wouldn't be
too difficult to organize.  Other than that phone call once he woke up, I
haven't had the chance to thank him."
    Abby saw her husband walk into his closet as he finished his comment.
"Does this have anything to do with meeting Jean-Paul?" questioned Abby.  While
she didn't like her daughters new boyfriend, seeing him as a bit too arrogant
for her tastes, she would still be supportive of her daughter's decisions.  She
knew however, her husband would have no qualms voicing his displeasure.
    "That arrogant and pompous windbag is nowhere near good enough for our
Zoe," Jed stated as he began to tie his tie.  "You can't blame a father for
wanting the best for his daughter, and if Charlie is no longer in the running,
you can't blame me for wanting to at least expose her to young men who don't
view themselves as the second coming of God."
    Abby laughed at her husband's statement.  While she loved him dearly, he
could never be accused of being modest when it came to his intelligence.
Nevertheless, she was looking forward to meeting the young man who quite
possibly saved her husband's life.  The boy never took her husband up on his
dinner offer.  To her, it indicated that he saved his life because it was the
right thing to do, not because he was the president, which to her spoke volumes
of young Harry's character.  Nevertheless, she hoped Jed's decision to attend
his commissioning didn't cause too many problems for Harry's start in the Air
Force.

===============================================================================

-*Officer Training School, Dormitory room 204*-

    It was almost over.  The final tests have been taken, the final physical
evaluations completed.  The underclassman have been given their new ranks in
preparation for the soon to be arriving class, and his squadron, his class, was
preparing for the final commissioning ceremony.
    Despite Harry's best efforts, he could not confirm whether or not the
President was going to be present at the actual commissioning ceremony.
Granted, he knew the President was on base today.  It was kind of hard to miss
Air Force One landing this morning, or the drastically increased security.
However, despite how much he enjoyed his phone conversation with the President
after the assassination attempt, Harry was hoping for a nice quiet
commissioning ceremony where General Hammond, Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter
swore him in and affixed his new rank.
    Granted, his whole squadron, even those that didn't vote for the man, were
hoping the President would participate in their swearing in, but despite the
prestige a presidential ceremony would bring, Harry would always prefer family
and friends.  As he finished tying the knot on his tie, he heard a knock on the
door.
    At the sound Harry noticed his roommate John start for the door.  "I got it
Harry, it's probably my folks."
    As Harry was starting to slip his dress uniform jacket over his shirt, John
opened the door to reveal Leo McGarry, General Hammond and Major Davis.  At
seeing who was at the door, both Harry and John snapped to attention.  John's
eyes widened slightly when a member of the Secret Service quickly entered their
room doing a quick sweep before indicating the room was clear to Mr. McGarry.
    "As you were gentlemen," ordered General Hammond.
    As Harry made his way toward them, he made the introductions.  "Mr.
McGarry, General Hammond, Major Davis, this is my roommate, soon to be second
lieutenant John Trimble."
    "Congratulations on your success Lieutenant.  What line of service were you
assigned to?" asked Mr. McGarry.
    "I was able to qualify for one of the Jet Fighter spots sir," replied John.
    "Congratulations.  That's quite the accomplishment," responded General
Hammond.  "Do you mind giving us the room for 10 minutes.  We have a couple of
things to discuss with Lt. Potter."
    "Yes Sir."  John turned to Harry.  "I'll be in the day room, let me know
when you're finished."
    Harry smiled at his roommate to try and put him at ease.  "Will do John.
Thanks."
    Once the door was closed, Harry turned to his guests.  He was having a bit
of trouble believing that these three people were meeting him in his dorm room.
There was not exactly a lot of space, and consequently, everyone was left
standing.  "Would you like me to secure the room?"
    "Yes please Harry," responded Hammond.
    After logging onto his lap top and starting a program, Harry turned to the
men.  "OK, room's secure.  I'm a bit surprised to see you all here before the
commissioning."
    "I wanted to have a quick word with you beforehand to present you with the
medals you have earned as well as invite you to dinner," responded Leo.  "Both
the President and the First Lady were hoping you would accompany them back to
Washington on Air Force One for that dinner you promised to attend."
    Harry quickly noticed the slight grin on Leo's face when he extended the
dinner invitation.  Harry has had a lot of contact with Leo over the last 6
months when briefing the higher ups on various project milestones.
Consequently, after seeing Harry dodge the President's initial dinner
invitation, Leo realized that the dodge was not a slight against the President,
but an avoidance of the pomp that came with such a dinner and of the possible
blind date the President might try and initiate.  He could tell the kid liked
doing his job, and often enjoyed seeing the kid come up with excuses to avoid
what he viewed as the inevitable dinner.
    "Awards?" asked Harry, in clear avoidance of the dinner question.
    Smiling at the byplay, Hammond responded, "Yes Harry.  Considering your
start date is officially listed back in April, you qualify for several unit
awards in addition to the Air Medal you were awarded for your part in Apophis's
destruction.  Additionally, you are entitled to wear the two awards that were
granted to you when you were a civilian."
    That surprised Harry.  He had heard whispers of possible awards, but
thought that the classified nature of the program would ensure he would escape
them.  Well, considering they were being discussed in his dorm room, at least
he escaped the hoopla involved in the presentations.  "Which awards were
granted when I was a civilian?"
    It was Major Davis that responded, enjoying his part in ensuring Harry wear
his decorations for the commissioning.  "The Air Force Decoration for
Exceptional Military Service and the Presidential Medal of Freedom."
    Harry's eyes widened at the last award.  He knew Daniel received that very
same award for his part in stopping Apophis's first attack, and he knew that
such an award wasn't presented lightly.  "I don't mean to be rude, but how
exactly did I qualify for these awards?  I know for a fact some sort of
committee is required for the last one at least."
    "Harry, despite what you think, your contributions to the program and to
the protection of this planet have been extremely important," Leo began.
Seeing Harry about to object, Leo elaborated, "You identified a
misunderstanding that could have severely damaged relations with the Orbanians.
Now, instead of strained diplomatic ties, we have an ongoing full scientific
exchange, which may lead to a full mutual defense pact, that has greatly
accelerated our development of planetary defenses.  That's not even considering
the data module you recovered from the failed Eurondan negotiations, the break
throughs and inventions you developed during your time in the time loop, your
successful negotiations for both the release of SG-1 from the dome civilization
and for access to their metallurgical technologies, your getting shot diving
onto a presidential assassin, your SGC expansion proposal and financial loan
and let's not forget your space walk to rescue Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c from
that runaway Death Glider nor your success in blowing up a sun with Major
Carter," concluded Leo.
    Everyone in the room exchanged looks at the end of Leo's lecture,
attempting to process his full statement.  The still moment was broken by Leo
who after briefly making eye contact with everyone, let out a snort.  "I can't
believe half that stuff I just said actually happened."  Everyone smiled at
Leo's comment.  Turning towards Harry again, Leo asked, "You really blew up a
sun?"
    Harry, seeing the ridiculousness of the situation responded, "I did have a
bit of help."
    "Still," Leo finished.  "That's got to look good on the resume.  Anyway,
both the President and I are looking forward to seeing you wear those medals,
and to that meal in Washington, so if we don't touch base after the
commissioning ceremony, I'll see you on the plane.  Wheels up at 22:00."
    "Yes sir and thank you sir," responded Harry.  After seeing Leo exchange
quick goodbyes with General Hammond and Major Davis, Harry turned to the two
remaining men in his room.
    "Harry, here are the medals, I'll stick around to help you get them
organized properly on your uniform."
    "Thanks Major."
    "Harry," Hammond began, "I've already organized a team to dismantle your
work station here so just worry about packing up your room.  You have orders to
report to the Mountain at 08:00 on September 10th.  Enjoy your time in
Washington."
    "Thank you sir.  Are you, the Colonel and Major Carter still swearing me
in?" Harry asked.  Seeing the look on the General's face, Harry elaborated,
"While I do like the President, I would be truly honored if those who inspired
me to join the Air Force were the ones who inducted me into its ranks."
    Hammond took a second to respond.  "I'm sure I speak for both Jack and Sam
when I say we'd be honored."
    "Thank you sir," responded Harry as he shook hands with the General.  After
showing the General out, Major Davis helped Harry organizing the medals on his
uniform jacket before he to departed.
    After spotting one of his flight mates in the Hall and asking them to let
John know the room was open again, Harry sat back at his desk to begin shutting
down his computer.  Hearing Leo point out all of his significant actions since
arriving on this world was rather startling for Harry.  It was even more
startling for Harry to realize that these awards, this recognition was not done
for political need or for the positive press such actions could create.
Conversely, the covert nature of the project itself prevented such positive
political gain from such awards.  -No,- Harry thought to himself, -these awards
were given to recognize his accomplishments, to encourage him to keep up the
good work.-  The more he thought about it, the more he realized the importance
of recognizing the hard work and success of those working for him.  He just
wished those in his former world who truly deserved such honors were given the
opportunity to receive them.  -If the revolution was successful, they have.-
    "So what was that all about?" John asked as he made his way back into their
room.
    "Nothing too big," Harry responded.  "They just wanted to drop some stuff
off for me and also give me my orders."  Trying to move his roommate from the
subject, Harry threw out, "It looks like you'll get your wish though, that the
President will be at the Commissioning ceremony."
    "That's great, I can't wait to tell my folks," John responded as he headed
back to his closet to finish getting his dress jacket organized.
    As he began packing his pack for the upcoming trip, Harry finally realized
that BOTS was coming to a close, and that in just a few hours, he would get to
see all of his friends again.  Closing up his duffle bag, Harry turned to John,
"You know, I think the thing I'm looking forward to most after getting off this
base is a good beer and steak dinner."  Seeing John give him a funny look,
Harry continued, "If you ever make it out to Colorado Springs, give me a call
and I'll take you out to this great steak place."  Seeing John laugh at his
dreamy look as he talked of good steak, Harry chuckled to himself, yes, it will
be good to get home.

===============================================================================

-*Somewhere over Alabama, Air Force One*-

    As Second Lieutenant Harry Potter sat in the surprisingly comfortable chair
on Air Force One enjoying his first glass of single malt in over 3 months, he
couldn't stop himself from thanking the creator the circus was finally over.
Because of the President's attendance, the quiet commissioning ceremony and
celebratory dinner turned into a rather impromptu political event for the local
politicians hoping to get their picture taken and a little face time with the
President.
    Furthermore, he had to endure some rather pointed looks and questions from
his flight mates when instead of a formal greeting like everyone else, the
President greeted Harry using his first name like an old friend.  The man's
comment about hoping to read about even more of his success now that he was an
Officer instead of a civilian was not lost by most of his flight mates, nor
many of the President's closer advisors and aids.  The coup de grace was when
his wife, the first lady didn't shake his hand, but instead gave him a hug
along with a kiss on the cheek which she used to thank him under her breath,
and then inquired in a normal voice about his health.
    One of the more entertaining aspects of the evening was definitely Jack's
meeting the other Colonel O'Neil.  After a short and stilted conversation Jack
could unequivocally state that the rumors about the Jack O'Neill with one l
having no sense of humor could now be determined as fact.  Now though, it was
finally over.  He had one week until he had to report in, and he planned on
spending no more than 2 days in Washington before he made his way back to the
springs so he could supervise the laying of the foundation for his new Ranch
house.  If only the Goa'uld could continue battling each other over Apophis's
holdings forever.  -Well, at least their internal conflict is giving us the
time we need to prepare.-
    Finishing the last sip of Scotch, and tilting the seat back to get some
rest, Harry couldn't help but think he should enjoy all the downtime he could
get right now since he didn't think the Goa'uld would be so cooperative in the
future.
_______________________________________________________________________________