"Yessir. Come on Tate, sooner we get this toy up in the air," Lucky's face twisted into a smirk, "the sooner you can play with your joystick again." He could not help a slight chuckle.

In reply to Lucas Wheeler (msg # 464):

     "No-no-no, Lucky!" Kaspar calls out, "We'll lose radio contact once the drone is inside this massive pile of stone, remember?  No, just activate the drone -- turn on all the lights, start the recorders, that stuff -- then put it down in the middle of the ring platform."

     "Nasseem and Hecate then send it inside -- we wait thirty seconds -- then they bring it back and we see what it recorded.  If it all looks clear, we'll go in, next."

"Okay, yea, got it," Tate says.

"That brings up two questions, though, Major. One, it'll just give us a view at floor level; shouldn't we put it in the air a bit, though, so it can get a slightly higher viewpoint? We can put it in hover mode--doesn't need any signal for that for the time it's gone. That's assuming, of course, that the rings will transport it while it's in the air?"

"Two, can Naseem activate the inside rings from out here? I thought you had to activate them from the ring site itself. Not an expert, of course."

He helps Lucky set up the drone, though it didn't really need two of them. These drones just weren't that big.

In reply to Tate Ames (msg # 466):

     "Excellent idea, Tate." Kaspar nods, "Go ahead -- I don't think the drone will be out of contact long enough for any kind of draft to push it out of the rings.  Go ahead and set it up that way."

     "Heck, maybe have it slowly spin in place, while it hovers.  Can it do that?"

"The rings have to be activated from the ring site when there are only two in the network," Freyda responds to Tate's question.

"Up till now, neither the Goa'uld nor the Asgard were aware that the rings didn't need to be in a linear alignment and could thus be set up in a network. Had anyone with a kara'tesh encountered a network, they would have been able to tell that there was a network."

"There is probably a range limit on how far away from a ring network the kara'tesh can access it, but I am quite sure we are within range."

"I can set the drone for hover mode," Tate tells Lucky, "but do you know how to make it rotate?"

"We can make it rotate with the controller, but I'm not aware of any setting that will lock into a rotation... or let us control how fast it rotates."

"Naseem... how much time do you think we'll need before you bring the drone back? We'll need to time the rotation to match."

"You mean kick it to the side so it spins away?" Lucky replied with a shrug before smirking, "Tate, gimme a break, I'm not that old school, we had drones before I retired the first time, just not this fancy. Besides, it should have an observation mode of some sort that will put it into a slow rotational spin until we release it., right?"

"I skipped that class," Tate replies. "That's why I was asking you. So, you're saying the controller will let us put it into a rotational spin that doesn't need constant control?"

"Okay, then... let's see if I can figure out how to do that."

He fiddled with the controls for a minute before he got the drone to spin. And it kept spinning slowly when he took his hands off the controls.

"Got it! Ha! Okay, Naseem! Do your thing and get the drone inside!"

“You know last time I checked, referring to an officer by name is a quick way to dig yourself a hole Ames.” Lucky pointed out as he watched. “Major, if we have any extra cameras on the MALP, we could mount them in the opposite direction so we get a better look around.” He suggested, turning to Gorski

There weren't any extra cameras available; at least, none that were small enough to mount on the drone.

So, once the drone was set on the ring gate and put into hover mode with a slow rotation, Naseem activated the rings and the drone disappeared.

It was only going to take a minute for the drone to make one complete rotation, so they waited for two minutes before getting Naseem to reactivate the rings and bring the drone back.

Both surprisingly and not surprisingly, the drone reappears.

Lucky maneuvers it over to where he's at.

And then everyone starts looking at the video that the drone recorded.


It shows the corridor dimly lit from the light penetrating from the opening in the top of the pyramid. There are a couple of openings on either side of the corridor but none immediately where the drone was. At one end of the corridor is the computer console that Gavan saw when he phased through the wall.

"I guess all those quarters in the Tekken machines was worth it." Lucky said calmly as he maneuvered the drone so he could recover it. Once they reviewed the footage, he looked at the officers, "I suggest you send Ames and I in first with the rings before giving us a few minutes to make sure the position is secure before anyone follows us inside. If you want to split the team, at that time one of us can return to join the exterior team."

"That'd be great... if we could communicate back to the team and tell them the coast was clear," Tate responds. "If we go in first and get taken out, what's to keep the rest of the team from beaming in and also getting taken out?"

"Besides, that's like the worse scenario from every scifi horror movie ever!"

"I think the real question is whether we can all fit in the ring at once... it might make more sense to beam four in, clear the area, and then the next three beam in. And eventually exfil the same way. I'm pretty sure Naseem has to be in the last group either way since she controls the rings."

"Maybe Gavan and Freyda with us, the Major and Sarah with Nassem?"

"You and I are also the disposable ones here. But you have a point, however, I've got an idea for communications inside . We can't transmit through, but I'm thinking if the drone was hovering just above the hole up top, couldn't we use it like a relay?" Lucky replied, doing his best not to take the bait of Ames' dig about horror movies. He looked at Majors Gorski and Ansari, "Your orders?"

     "I think you may be onto something there, Lucas." Kaspar says, "I'm pretty sure that the drone does have a radio relay in it -- since it can be used for search-and-rescue operations directed from the other side of the Gate so, it has the ability to send back any weak signals it picks up."

     "But I'd like to keep the drone operator out here, with the second group going in.  That way we can be sure of getting the okay from the first group inside, before we find out what happens when an active drone control device transitions through the rings -- which could interrupt the signal between the control device and the drone."

     Kaspar casts a meaningful glance at both Tate and Lucas,

     "So.  Which of you goes inside first, and which one stays outside to run the drone?"

     "So, I would like the first group to be myself, Gavin, Sarah, and Tate or Lucky -- which ever isn't operating the drone.  Major Ansari and Hecate will operate the Rings from out here, accompanied by Freyda and, again, Lucky or Tate."

     "After being Ringed inside, the first group will immediately try to make radio contact with the outside group.  Major Ansari, if you do not get a signal from inside within sixty seconds, pull us back.  Those of us going inside first will make no effort to leave the Ring circle until we have established contact."

     "When a secure arrival of the first group has been determined, then the second group will Ring in.  At that point, I would like Hecate to join Gavin and Freyda in examining that electronic-looking console mounted on the wall.  While it is likely to be of Alterran origin, there is a possibility that it may have been suborned by the Goa'uld."

     "This pyramid structure is a goodly distance from the Alterran defenses around the City Of The First -- so there is a chance that some Goa'uld could have stumbled upon it in the past -- which is why I'd like Hecate to join in examining that device on the wall.  In case it has Goa'uld booby-traps."

     "Okay, any questions?  Any issues?  If not, let's get that drone flown up to the top of the pyramid, and hovering over the central shaft."

While Tate and Lucky decide who goes first and who goes second to operate the drone, Freyda is the first to spot the approaching figure.

Once she calls attention to it and everyone looks, you can see the person appears to be a Human male dressed in a standard SG-X outfit and gear.

He does appear to be coming from the direction of the Henge.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:44, Sun 18 Dec 2022.

"Your choice, Lucky," Tate says. "I'm thinking you on the outside makes a bit more sense than me. But I'm good either way."

"What the hell? Hey! Who's that?" he asks as he looks in the direction of the approaching newcomer.

"Works for me." Lucky replied as he stops worrying about the drone for the moment and he raised his P90 to a ready position. "Are we expecting company?" He asked lowly, his eyes darting for sources of cover.

At the same time, he was kicking himself for not having his rifle at the ready.

Alex, still somewhat shaken from his first trip through the Stargate followed the directions he'd been given to meet with the team. One had stayed on the P90's grip to ensure the selector stayed set to safe. The other stayed in view to show it was empty, but he looked around for cover in case things went south. "Easy. The boss won't be happy if you slot the new boy."

In reply to Alexander Coltrane (msg # 481):

     Kaspar looks up -- and over -- at Freydas sighting of the approaching soldier.  After seeing for himself that it appears to be a member of Stargate Command -- and that he looks to be carrying a full load-out of gear, which some fast running messenger wouldn't be doing -- Kaspar turns an eyebrow raised, questioning look towards Sarah, before raising his right hand in a wave, and calls out...

     "Witam!  Hello there!" Kaspar calls out in both Polish and English, "I am Major Kaspar Gorski, and this is Team SGX-1.  Join us and, pray tell, what did you do to get sent out into this oppressive heat?"

"Major Coltrane, Royal Marines." Alex introduced himself, reflexively glossing over his most recent regiment. "What did I do? I got kidnapped, interrogated an' had my brain messed around with by alien tech. What are we on with here?"

Naseem was about to activate the Rings for the first group when the call came that another figure was approaching. She turned and moved so her body was bladed towards the incoming stranger, her staff weapon held at the ready but once she saw someone in an SCG uniform she relaxed slightly and raised the weapon at his approach.

"Major Ansari, United States Marines," she said in an RP so crisp you could cut it with a knife. Of note besides the accent was the fact that she had the dark skin, hair, and eyes of someone from the Middle-East, was carrying a Jaffa staff weapon, and one of her hands had the distinct gold and bejeweled webbing of a Goa'uld Kara'Kesh - the oddity of all being somewhat answered by her next words:

"And the Tok-ra."

Lucky lowered his P90 slowly as he looked at Ames, "Another Major." he said lowly before returning his focus to the drone. Within moments, the drone was flying up the structure to hover near the opening at the top, "And the drone is good to go for comm relay, Major Gorskii."

Alex shrugged off his backpack for the time being. The thing wasn't exactly light & the team didn't appear to be about to move out any time soon. "Good to meet all of you. Exactly how far from earth are we now?"

"Technically, Major, we're outside the galaxy now," Tate responds, not intending to step on Major Gorski's toes.

"One of the globular clusters at the edge of the galaxy. I'm sure the eggheads gave it a name, but I don't know what it is and probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things anyway."

"It's still the same old mission... find tech or allies that can help us against the Goa'uld. This planet was an Alteran site. The Alteran's are pre-schism Ancients. Yeah, I know. It gives me a headache, too."

"I'm Staff Sergeant Tate Ames, Army Ranger."

"We're about to use a ring gate system to explore the inside of this step pyramid. Hope you aren't claustrophobic."

Alex's mind boggled at the thought of being outside the milky way galaxy. He was certain that when the Royal Marines recruiting staff had mentioned "chances to travel" this wasn't what they'd had in mind.

Putting that in the "stuff to deal with later" box in his head, Alex decided to treat this as any other intel gathering mission and replied, "Can't be any worse than an SDV, can it?"