Chapter 229 - 228 (1/2)
Two hundred thousand miles beyond Earth's moon
Beyond Earth's lone moon, lay nothing but cold and empty space. Without warning, a blinding blossom of intense white light erupts from nothing. Lasting only three seconds, this light went dim just as suddenly as it had appeared. In its wake, it left not the empty space of before, but a far more familiar sight.
Powerful sensors at the SGC detected the abnormal energy anomaly, and the object left in its wake. Oddly, the object was transmitting an Identification Friend or Foe signal. This coded signal was vessel specific. In this case, it identified the object as the USS Daedalus. Normally, this would not be a cause for alarm. The inconvenient fact that at this moment Daedalus was just now entering hyperspace for the return voyage from Pegasus turned curiosity into panic. Before anyone at the SGC could even begin to think of a possible response to this new arrival, an encrypted video message was transmitted to Cheyenne Mountain.
”Star Gate Command, I am Colonel Sobel, commanding officer of the USS Daedalus. We represent no threat, and understand you will take action to intercept. We come with a message of the utmost urgency.” Sobel said formally.
Anderson Air Force Base, Guam
Within an hour of the arrival of the alternate Daedalus, the vessel found itself fully contained. Three Athena class vessels, two Improved Daedalus class vessels, and an array of F-302's had surrounded the craft. Following instructions, the alternate Daedalus had kept its offensive and defensive systems fully offline. Taking the vessel under tow, the German Athena class vessel Bismark moved alternate Daedalus to a new location. Placing her in orbit around Saturn's moon Rhea, alternate Daedalus now sat under the watchful eye of several units of the Tauri fleet.
Before alternate Daedalus was relocated, her crew was placed under quarantine in the bowels of the Canadian Athena class vessel Hugh Le Caine. There, the medical team had examined the quarantined crew, taking blood, hair, and saliva samples. These scans confirmed that those under quarantine were indeed human, free of contaminants, and unarmed. A day later, the crew was transferred from their quarantine zone to Jumpers for the flight to Anderson. That was eight days ago.
Genetic samples taken from those in quarantine were rushed to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, to the US Army Central Identification Laboratory. This facility plays a crucial role in the identification of remains suspected to be Americans that have fallen in battle, but never confirmed dead. Forensic anthropologists carefully analyze all remains to determine the s.e.x, race, age at death, and height of the individual remains they are investigating at the time. Lab scientists also are tasked with using a variety of techniques to establish the identification of missing Americans, including the analysis of skeletal and dental remains, and DNA sampling and comparison. Here the samples taken aboard the Hugh Le Caine were compared to genetic profiles of service members on file. While this worked well for service members serving in the armed forces whose alternates had arrived on Daedalus, unfortunately not all the individuals in this reality were members of the military.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations working around the clock had set out to find genetic samples for comparison. Oddly, in every case the result was the same. Every member of the alternate Daedalus crew should have had a counterpart in this reality. In each case, the counterpart was found to be deceased. This finding explained why those recent arrivals were not experiencing entropic cascade failure, which greatly satisfied the science staff at the SGC. Acting on Presidential authority, the located remains of each individual were exhumed. Once exhumed, samples of genetic material were taken for comparison. In cases where cremation had been used, the nearest living family member was found, and samples taken from them.
Once identities were confirmed, the mood of those guarding the new arrivals relaxed considerably. Though they were still sequestered away, a certain amount of leeway was granted. Enjoying the sunshine, the crew hardly took notice when their commanding officer was escorted elsewhere for consultations. Making their way to a secure meeting room, Colonel Sobel and her escort walked quickly. Entering the room, the Colonel saw a face she recognized well sitting at the conference table.
”Come on in Colonel.” General O'Neill began.
”Thank you General.” Sobel replies.
”I apologize for having you and your crew sitting here for so many days, but verification took time.” Jack says apologetically.
”What can I do for you General?” Sobel asks.
”As you can imagine, your message caused a bit of a stir in Washington. I'm here to discuss that with you, even though I've read the report atleast ten times in the last week.” Jack says.
”General, if I could be allowed a question before we begin, I would appreciate it.” Sobel states.
”By all means, ask away.” Jack replied.
”The Colonel Sobel of this reality, what is she like? Is she happy? Does she have a family?” Colonel Sobel asks.
”Are you sure you want to know the answer to those questions Colonel?” Jack asks.
”I've put a good deal of thought into that question. Yes General, I do.” Sobel replies.
”In this reality, Patricia Sobel was never a member of the armed forces. She did work for the SGC and the Air Force though.” Jack replies.
”Did?” Sobel asks timidly.
”Dr. Sobel was a researcher at Area 51. When the Wraith attacked Earth with a ZPM powered Hive ship, Area 51 was severely damaged by a kamikaze attack carried out by Darts. She died during the attack. I'm sorry to be the barer of bad news.” Jack says regretfully.