Stargate Defense - season one

Chapter Two

Mal drummed his fingers on the briefing room table. The room was the same and yet not the same. Everything was as he remembered it, except the view from the window down into the Gate room. Because the Stargate Program was public the Gate was regularly used for travel by everyone and anyone. There seemed to be a constant flow of people in and out of the Gate room. Not only were there travelers but tour groups as well. It was insane.

"Well, Colonel, I've gotten hold of Dr. McKay and he's never heard of the 306," Vala told him as she took a seat at the table. "Can you explain how you got here? Did you escape whoever captured you?'

"Look, I got up this morning and test flew the X-306. I was supposed to test the new hyperspace drive, the window opened, I jumped and ended up in the same spot I left from. Only, the Helios was gone and everything is now screwy."

"What is the Helios?" she asked.

"One of the two BC-305 ships, the other is the Atlas," he replied.

"We don't have any 305 class ships. After the war with the Ori ended there was no need for a new class of ship to be built." She sat back in her chair and put her feet up on the table.

"That's where you're wrong. The Lucian Alliance is still out there. The mission you claim your SG-1 team didn't return from, my team came back. We were captured by the Lucian Alliance, they have a new leader and she's serious about making them a formidable military force. They're coming after Earth."

She dropped her feet from the table. "The Alliance was smashed apart, they are no longer a threat. I'm sorry, I don't know what happened to you out there or why you've invented this alternate reality, but the truth is, Colonel Hughes, I don't know what to do with you now. There is no SG-1 anymore. The designation was retired after your team was lost." She shrugged. "There is little use for the SG teams any longer."

"You don't explore through the Gate?" he asked in a stunned tone.

"We do, but not on as large a scale. There's only four teams now."

"This is ridiculous! When I left this morning none of this was here! Atlantis certainly wasn't a damn amusement park!" He stood and began pacing the room.

"It's an attraction, not a park," she corrected him.

"Whatever!"

"Vala, you wanted to see me?"

Mal spun. "Thank God, Dr. Kain!"

"Uh ... Colonel Hughes?" He went slightly pale. "Lee, where's Lee?"

"Not here apparently."

He scowled. "What does that mean? What happened to my sister, where is she? If you left her behind, so help me ..."

Mal shook his head. "I'd never leave Lee or Van anywhere. In this weird ass reality, I have no idea what happened to her, in my reality she's perfectly fine."

Oliver looked at Vala. "What is going on?"

She shrugged and stood. "I haven't figured that out yet. I suppose this would be a problem for one of you scientist types. Maybe Daniel. All I know is that it's out of my level of expertise."

"Um, okay then." He gestured to the table. "Colonel, would you like to explain to me what's going on?"

"I'll go put in a call to Daniel and see if he has any ideas. I doubt this can wait until we get home later," Vala said before she ducked out of the room into her office.

"Get home later?" Mal asked.

"Yes, they're married, what else do you expect?"

"Married? Vala and Dr. Jackson are not married. This just keeps getting weirder."