Episode Four - The Cult of Lillith

[Jason Conway]

1120
Gate Room
Stargate Command
Earth

Conway took a small delight in the familiar ripple the event horizon made as he stepped through and into the gate room. Ah, Stargate Command... Earth... Home. Pandora Banks had gone ahead with her bags along with several other Meropis personnel who had wished to either resign or transfer after the brutal Etruscan attack that had left one third of the city in ruins. He did not blame them whatsoever, they really didn't sign up to have enemies walk through the front door and attack them. They signed up in the name of science, medicine or to better humanity's intergalactic cause. Major Eastlyn was next through the gate, followed by the newly promoted Captain Evans with a smile on his face. The other members of the newly commissioned SM-1, Zachary Acker and Ahrima came through next, walking together. Finally, the Meropis Chief of Medicine Hamish Flanagan stepped through with two of his aides carrying kit bags full of reports and equipment.

The Brigadier General stopped at the bottom of the well trodden metal ramp as the Stargate shut off, disconnecting the wormhole from the Triangulum Galaxy. He saluted up to the control room. Major General Hank Landry returned his salute, "Welcome to Stargate Command General. Your team have been assigned temporary quarters, but first we need you in the briefing room, bring SM-1 and Doctor Flanagan with you. There's something you all need to see." Conway nodded his affirmation of the order and made his way through the bulkhead doors to his left, on his way up to the briefing room with SM-1 in tow.


1127
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

General Conway did wonder what was so urgent that it couldn't wait until after the team had settled into their quarters as he opened the door. He was greeted with the familiar setting of the SGC briefing room. His thoughts drifted back to Meropis and his recall to Earth. He had been ordered back for a no doubt intensive International Oversight Advisory review and would certainly have to sit and relay a play-by-play of the actions of the battle of Meropis to home world command. It would be a long and arduous process, but that didn't worry him, what worried Jason Conway was the possible outcome of these reviews. Those with the most money tend to have the most say in things, and in this instance they would be the IOA. But, if he had to do political battle with James Coolidge then that is just what he would do. He had earned his ribbon of medals and awards on the physical battlefield, Jason was just about finding his feet in the political one. He thought back to the decision to promote Captain Achilles Jones to base Executive Officer and leave him in command in Conway's absence. After the battle, he started to feel that Achilles may be just the man for the job, and again prayed to whatever deity may be out there that the Etruscans thought they had a fleet of city-ships at hand and wouldn't try their luck anytime soon.

General Landry entered the room and took up a seat at the end of the long rosewood table where a television set had been wheeled in and set up. The only items on the table besides two jugs of fresh water were a stack of classified files in front of Landry. Nothing on the table hinted at the nature of the briefing; no recently discovered Ancient artifacts, no ominous looking alien weaponry. Conway noted the rest of the team filing into the room and taking up seats around the table. The lack of a focal point only seemed to increase the apprehension in the room. A few seconds after his team took their places, Conway eyeballed James Coolidge sliding into the room. He slowly made his way to the back and sat on a chair away from the briefing table behind Conway. The expedition leader didn't dare turn to give the IOA member a quizzical expression. He suppressed the boiling distrust inside of him but felt the man's beady eyes boring into the back of his head. He knew what this was about, James had been trying to get the Atlantis command position for years, only to be snubbed by Richard Woolsey. Now the opportunity to command Meropis had arisen, he was upset that home world command had over ruled him and wanted to place a military commander in charge initially. He would no doubt be looking for a weakness in Conway, an excuse to get him out of the ancient city. Conway only hoped that the battle wouldn't give him just what he needs.

<Tag SM-1 and Hamish>

[Zachary Acker]

1120
Gate Room
Stargate Command
Earth

Zach took a deep breath as he passed through the gate, this was his first time passing through the gate and was amazed by what he had just experienced. "Alright... two things.." He turned around to look at the gate. "That was awesome. And why didn't we do that before?" He said counting off on his fingers. He fixed his glasses and straightened his fedora before following the rest of the team to the briefing room... But not without a healthy amount of stumbling to start it off. He fell into an old habit as they were being led down the halls, he began whistling the theme to Hogan's Heroes.

1127
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

Zach sat as close to the door as he could, it was another old habit from his school days, he started doing so thinking it would allow him to be the first outnof the room, but due to him being unorganized he was always the last one out. Another reason was because of the nice breeze that would flow in through the door. He looked at his fedora, which was now set on the table before him, he promised himself he would never take it on a mission that it was likely to get irreparably damaged on... But this was a simple trip to Earth... Nothing to worry about.

After a few moments sitting there he started bouncing his heel on the floor. He may not have been very vocal about it but he was worried about why they were here, after all.... Commanders don't leave their posts for just any reason... Right? Just then he heard two men enter the room behind him, turning around to look he recognized General Landry as the man who showed him the Stargate and brought him into this world. As for the other man he didn't recognize him but he got a strong politician vibe from him, good enough of a reason to be careful around him. Once everything seemed to be settled in Zach asked the one question he had been dying to ask. "Ummm... So, I have to ask... Sorry if I'm speaking out of turn but.... Why the urgency?" He had meant to let it come out on its own but he couldn't resist asking any longer.

[Ahrima]

1120
Gate Room
Stargate Command
Earth

As she stepped through the Chappa'ai, leaving Meropis behind, Ahrima soon found herself once again in the home world headquarters of the Tau'ri. Her eyes surveyed the area again. She could recall the last time she had stepped through the very same portal, arriving here on Earth for the first time. At that time, she was accompanying her mentor, who seemed to believe she would best represent Jaffa interests in the Meropis project. Ahrima believed it wise to contact her superiors and update them regarding all that had happened. Her own thoughts were disrupted by the sound of the Tau'ri historian marveling over something as mundane as stepping through the Chappa'ai. In all honesty, it was no more of a spectacle than stepping through a door. Some of the Tau'ri were clearly very... strange. Of course, the Tau'ri as a whole did conceal the existence of so much from their masses. Secrets ultimately led to the downfall of those that kept them. Had the Tau'ri learned nothing from the Goa'uld?

"Alright... two things... That was awesome. And why didn't we do that before?"

"It is simply a doorway, Zachary Acker, leading from one place to another," said Ahrima. "Will you have the same level of enthusiasm when you walk through this door?" She pointed at the door that General Landry had begun to lead them thorugh. She didn't wait for an answer, but began to follow the others.


1127
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

As she reached the briefing room, Ahirima paused to look at the table. She followed the lead of her fellow members of SM-1, and approached the table. She pulled out a seat and slowly sat in it. As she reclined against the back of the chair a bit, she felt it give. Yet, as she leaned forward for fear of breaking it, the back of the chair followed. She found herself leaning back and forward a bit as she tested the sturdiness of the chair. That phenomenon along with the cushion made her feel anything but comfortable. After a few seconds, she ceased her inspection of the chair and looked upon all the faces in the room. There was now another man in the room. He did not appear to be military judging from the uniform her wore... or was that a dress suit? Either way, he chose not to sit with the rest of them.

"Ummm... So, I have to ask... Sorry if I'm speaking out of turn but.... Why the urgency?"

Ahirma arched her eyebrow. Civilian Tau'ri were strange indeed. He clearly wasn't familiar with the chain of command. "If you are apologizing and uncertain of when to speak, it is likely that you are speaking out of turn," said Ahrima. Clearly, she would have to instruct Zachary Acker in military etiquette. She then turned to look in General Landry's direction. "However, Zachary Acker's question is one of merit. For what purpose have we been summoned here, General Landry?" Her eyes then drifted to the man in the rear of the room. "And who is this gentleman? Does your military no longer allow its junior officers to act as recorder of events?" At least that was what she had observed in the past. Military junior officers were generally seated in a similar fashion to act as recorders during such meetings. Had that much changed in protocol since she had been on Meropis?

TAG: SM-1, Hamish, Conway

[Maggie Lefebvre]

0700
Colorado Springs, CO
Stargate HQ

Maggie Lefebvre woke up abruptly, the incessent-and obnoxious-MEEP MEEP MEEP of her phone's alarm clock blaring in her ears. O, chere Christe,[/b] she thought to her self. Why the HELL was she up so early? She opened one blue eye, and when that didn't bring her any closer to an answer, she opened the other. She groaned. Stargate. With a long-suffering sigh, she lifted the itchy wool, government issued blanket-Goddamned Americans couldn't be bothered with ACTUAL fleece-and shuddered against the desert chill. She might as well get up, though she had several hours before she was set to launch, or gate out, or whatever the hell they'd called it. She closed her eyes against the pounding in her head-how much had she drank last night?! She couldn't even remember. All she could remember was Mike. Her now-ex boyfriend, and the ONLY commander in the world that she respected enough to listen to-mostly because he wouldn't sleep with her. He'd helped her back here, and into bed, sneaking out after tucking her in, and making sure she was safe. Thank god for Correlli.

She got a shower, and dressed in her new uniform-BDUs, which, of course, did NOTHING for her figure, and then set about doing her hair and makeup. She wondered how strict the Stargate program was with thier uniform reqs-she HAD a handbook...somewhere. She put her long blonde hair in a French braid, and did a smoky eye-not TOO much, but just enough to turn some heads. Hopefully eligible MALE heads. Finally, she was done, and she packed up her seabag and made sure she was ready to go. All systems checked out, and she headed for the chow hall. American military food made her positively ill, but since she hadn't been able to charm her way into a 24 hour leave, she was stuck eating fake eggs and beans on toast, a dish she was POSITIVE that the British had sicked on the American's as pure revenge.

After breakfast, and a quick walk around base to work it off-yes, ok, so she was going a bazillion light years away, but that was no reason not to keep her figure-she returned to the Barracks and got a little more rest. She was a tiny bit hungover still, and figured it was probably NOT a good idea to show up for her first day with bloodshot eyes and last-nights perfume.

Finally, she pulled herself out of the throes of sleep, and straightened up her uniform. She was ready. She headed across base, to her new future.

1127
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

Maggie strode into the briefing room, an air of confidence surrounding her. Maggie operated on the premise that nothing ever really started until SHE got there, and of course, that would automatically translate to this Stargate thing. She took a seat across from a stern-looking woman, and smiled. As she spoke, she turned up the French accent, and the sex appeal, for the males gathered.

Allo! Maggie Lefebvre. I think you call it Lieutenant?! French Navy. What did I miss? She flashed a red-lipsticked smile, and then settled back. Grand entrances were her THING, and why stop now? She pulled a small, pink steno pad from her sea bag, and a feathered pen, as well, and settled in to take notes on this mission.

Tag:Team 1...(I think)

[Chicago "Roo" Eastlyn]

1121
Gate Room
Stargate Command
Earth

Stepping through the Gate and emerging to the familiar sight of the inside of the SGC in Cheyenne Mountain brought a soft smile to the Major's lips. She loved Meropis, but Earth would always be home. Making a mental note to try and call her uncle while they were Earth-side - or at least leave a letter to be posted - Roo was pulled from her thoughts of home as the voice of Major General Landry filtered into the Gate Room. Casting a glance back at her team and Dr Flanagan coming down the ramp behind her, she waited for them to make their way past her before heading through the doors herself and making her way to the briefing room.


1127
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

There were a few others already in the room when Chicago entered and took her place on once side of the table, next to Evans - her new XO - giving him a nod as she sat down and not hesitating to send a death glare at Coolidge when she saw him sidle in. More than a few people knew of James Coolidge and the tales that accompanied him.

Listening to the questioning of the historian - Acker, she was fairly certain - a small grin settled on Roo's lips at Ahrima's responding words and observations, but she raised a hand to brush her bangs out of her face and when the hand returned to rest on the table, the smile was gone. If there was one thing her years in the military had taught her, it was to keep herself in check. Plus, she was the leader of a team now (she still couldn't believe she'd been given the position) and people would be looking to her for more reasons than one soon enough and she needed to be able to keep herself together in any situation. Leaning back in her chair casually, Roo decided to let someone else explain the IOA's presence to the Jaffa and instead took a look around the table, wondering briefly who else was set to come in since they hadn't started yet. Pulling her long black braid over her shoulder distractedly, she hoped that whoever it was turned up soon - she wanted to get into those files, dammit. A new briefing meant a new adventure!

A young woman all made up with nowhere to go burst in soon enough though, and the Major quirked an eyebrow and spared a glance at the General. Far be it from her to question something as trivial in the grand scheme of things as team members, being a firm believer in "make it work", but if first impressions were anything to go by this would surely be interesting. Nevertheless, Roo kept a polite smile on her face, "Nothing yet."
Yeah, that was the best she could muster up at the moment.

------

Tags: briefing room, yo.

[Pandora Banks]

1127
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

She watched as the skinny, prettied-up French girl and hard-faced yet beautiful American girl disappeared one after another through the briefing room door. Pandora scratched one foot against the other, leaning against the wall outside, her head down. She peeked upwards to the glass window in the door, a distorted reflection. Through it, she could just make out indistinct voices, different accents, different tones, few she recognised. All hesitant, like they were waiting for something.

Right.

She twirled from the wall, strode confidently towards the door, extended a hand and...

...dropped it. She took a deep breath. And another. The briefing room seemed to be quiet, almost as silent as the corridor. Her mobile buzzed in her pocket. She glanced at the caller ID, and switched the phone off, shoving it hard back into her jeans.

She pushed open the door, and it made a slight slamming noise against the wall. She winced a little, but immediately set her mouth in a hard, professional line.

General Conway.

Banks.Good to see you.

The general gestured towards an empty seat near the head of the table. As she walked past all the staring eyes and vacant expressions, she slowed her pace. The door eventually clunked loudly to its frame behind her.

In the silence of the room, the scraping of the chair against the floor was almost painful. She sat quickly. Almost immediately, a rather crumpled piece of paper was handed to her under the table. She focused on retaining that strong gaze and calm eyes, straight forward into the middle distance. She didn’t even need to look at the paper. Knowing Conway, it was probably her cue.

OK. She paused a moment. OK, my name is Pandora. Pandora Banks. I, er, I left Meropis recently for Earth, as...

The eyes around her didn’t move, and neither did hers, for a few seconds. Quickly, she dropped her gaze to her fingers, toying with the piece of crumpled paper, twisting it slightly. Some unpleasant smell was drifting across the room, like strong perfume, but laced with something stale, reminiscent of a nightclub at 3am.

Well, I couldn’t give up that easily. She cleared her throat. She straightened up, raised her gaze to the team around her, shoulders back, back straight, knees together, enunciating clearly. I heard...certain things, about...well, I’m sure the General will tell you that. But I’ve been asked back to the Meropis team, I think I can help with this, and...

Pandora ran out of words rather suddenly, and she slumped a little. The eyes were still staring, but at least Conway’s were kind, understanding. Or at least he thought he understood. Her proud, straight spine collapsed as she kicked the scattered pieces of fiercely ripped paper under her feet aside.

After another couple minute’s painful silence, Conway appeared to realise there was nothing more she could say.

---

Tag Anyone/Conway [Conway's line in this post approved by creator]

[Jason Conway]

1128
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

Last to enter the room, striding in and focused on the task at hand, was a familiar face. All heads turned as Doctor Daniel Jackson of SG-1 stepped into the room. General Landry had ignored the questions directed to the open room and instead looked to Jackson to take the lead and began sliding the classified files out to each member sat around the table as Jackson spoke.
"Hello everyone, my name is Doctor Daniel Jackson and yes, I am the guy who made the induction video. Now, to answer your questions Ahrima and Mr. Acker, the urgency is on account of the fact that we now face a threat that is capable of causing widespread panic, fear and worst of all death among the general population. With our usual wraith experts somewhere in hyper-space, General Landry made the decision to bring you guys into the fold." Jackson stood with one hand thrust into his pocket, focused on the television set and fiddling with the remote as he addressed SM-1s query. Turning to the General he continued,
"Doctors Lam and Flanagan checked in a few minutes ago. They are just getting underway in the lab and say to go on without them as they already know the basics."
"I have a feeling no one here will object to that." From the head of the table near to where Jackson stood, Landry gestured for everyone to open their files, "A rather unusual... situation cropped up a couple of days ago." He announced, making those sat around the table wonder just what the SGC's criteria was for 'unusual' situations. "In point of fact, it began a while back."
"That's certainly one way of putting it," Jackson continued, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Landry took a moment to carefully consider the next sentence and gestured to the IOA's James Coolidge sat at the very back of the room answering Ahrima's earlier question,
"This is the International Oversight Advisory's James Coolidge. For those that are unaware, he represents the best interests of the United States of America in Earth's overview of the Stargate program. Thanks to Mr. Coolidge here we're learning some details that are, to put it bluntly, disturbing. James, why don't you get us started?"

<Tag James Coolidge>

[Jason Conway]

1129
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

James Coolidge slowly rose from his chair. The tables had turned, no longer was he staring into the back of General Conway's head but the whole room had turned to stare back at him. He stood unnervingly still, as if he was a rabbit caught in the headlights, either that or he was genuinely very troubled by what he was about to say.
"The recording you're going to see was taken by a sleep disorder clinic. The patient is my cousin, Mark Payton. He'd been suffering from chronic fatigue for some months and eventually became desperate enough to consult a well-regarded clinic in Virgina. Because the clinic was backed up with patients, the specialist elected to set up an observation camera in Mark's apartment rather than bring him to the sleep lab. One of the nightly recording sessions captured this." James swallowed, his complexion had paled quite significantly. Jackson took his cue and pressed a button on the remote. The television screen at the other end of the table came to life.

Payton's bedroom was ordinary at best, although the green tint of the 'night vision' camera gave the whole setup a special ops feel. For the first few seconds the team were simply watching another man sleep, which was weird enough anyway. Five seconds in and the focus was snapped back by a movement in the corner of the screen.
"Somebody's in the room with him?" Conway volunteered. James' jaw twitched, "Mark lived alone." Conway had the impression James wanted to add something but didn't press the point as the recording continued. A shadowed figure moved across the camera's view. Too slender to be anything but a female, she crawled onto the bed with sleek cat-like movements and then stopped, poised above the still sleeping Payton. Long straight hair, pale in the unnatural light, hung down in a thick curtain, obscuring her face. A filmy skirt pooled around her legs while she slowly unbuttoned Payton's shirt. Captain Evans cleared his throat as the video seemed to be becoming rather private, but before it could get any worse, it happened.

The woman placed her hand on Payton's chest and threw her head back, a jolt of recognition raced through the minds of everyone sat at the table. Payton cried out, his arms thrashing feebly, though he seemed otherwise fixed to the bed... but the expected transformation from middle-aged man to a withered husk never took place. The woman- she had to be human, not Wraith- almost appeared to be treating him with care. When she'd finished, she brushed delicate fingers across his forehead and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the place where her hand had rested. The entire episode had lasted two minutes at most, and throughout it all Payton appeared not to have woken. He was breathing and outwardly unhurt when the woman slipped from the bed and then out of the room. Jackson turned the recording off, leaving SM-1 staring at a blank screen. This seemed to snap Coolidge out of his trance,
"This tape was made four months ago. Less than a week later, Mark died in that apartment when the dry cleaning store downstairs went up in an electrical fire. I found the tape recently among some of Mark's surviving possessions. When I called the sleep clinic for an explanation I was informed that it was probably a poor attempt at a prank and I would need to pay a fee for the late return of the camera. After that, I made the call I should have in the first place. We had the body exhumed and flown here for a full autopsy." He lowered his gaze and slowly sat back down, the room was dead silent for a few moments as everyone took in and tried to process what they had just witnessed.

<Tag Posting Group One>

[Zachary Acker]

1128
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

Zach looked around the room at the others that had gathered over the past few minutes. He certainly didn't think he'd ever be meeting a group like this in his lifetime. There was an alien.... Ahrima if he was recalling correctly. Who was now testing the stability of her chair "So, are you going to be as inquisitive about the Stargate the next time you use it as you are in that chair right now?" He asked with a playful smile across his face. Next there was the dark haired woman.... He hadn't caught her name yet but knew she was the leader of this merry little band. Then this woman all done up like she's going to a prom or some high society shindig. Not that doesn't mean she wasn't pretty, she was very much so, but it all seemed rather excessive. Oh yes... This is exactly what he thought he'd be doing when he got his degree.

He inclined his head towards Ahrima after his comment about his speaking out of turn. "Good point." He admitted, he wanted to be a respectful and helpful member of this team but sometimes he curiosity got the better of him. He watched as someone else entered the room, take a seat then begin talking. Zach couldn't help but feel she looked... uncomfortable but he couldn't place why. He was about to ask if she was alright or if she needed anything but he heard someone else enter the room. Zach looked up to see Dr. Jackson enter the room and take a seat at thehead of the table.

Zach opened the file that was placed before him and began reading it. He had his head resting in his hand as his fingers covered his mouth. He would glance up every now and again to see who was talking, but mostly he was lost in his own thoughts... At least he was at first

Somebody's in the room with him?

Zach looked up at General Conway quickly before glancing at the video playing. "wh-" his words died in his throat as he watched the scene being played out on the T.V. It all seemed very... unnerving was the only way he knew how to describe the feeling it gave him. There was something about the woman, well aside from the fact that she appeared to be able to go all Wraith on people. Without realizing Zach had leaned back fully in his seat with his arms crossed and he eyebrows knitted into a frown as he began to try and figure this out. "I'm sorry for your loss," He spoke respectfully to Coolridge before continuing. "Is this an isolated occurrence, or are there other accounts?"

tag <Posting Team One>

[Maggie Lefebvre]

1128
Stargate Command
Briefing Room

Maggie was sitting with one deck-booted leg under her, leaning against the table, perfectly pointed chin in her right hand, and a bored, tired expression on her face. She was TRYING to pay attention, but the combination of kinects and inability to understand certain American-English phraseology had caused her lose interest about 40 seconds after she'd come in. They- a bunch of men in suits, the kind that reminded her of her father, and therefore bored her-were prattling on about aliens and losses and faraway planets. She noted the IOA or IAB or whatever alaphabet-soup guy that had "recruited" her. More like show up at Mike's desk and make her a deal-she kept her bars AND her seniority in exchange for a year on a spaceship. Or something. She had readily agreed, but hadn't really paid much attention. Of course, that was coming back to haunt her. Oh, yeah.

She heard a phrase that caused her to tune in and STOP thinking about Mike's backside.

A rather unusual... situation cropped up a couple of days ago. Yeah, no kidding....she watched as the Suits prepared a movie. Maggie liked movies, particularly TRAINING vids-they were usually so hilarlously over-acted that she found them entertaining, if for no other reason than that it broke up the monotony of her days.

BUT two seconds in, she fast realized this was NO training vid, and it wasn't funny. She was oddly rooted to her chair, though she had the intense feeling of needing to run, FAST. After it ended, she looked around the room. They shared the same horror as she did, and, without thinking, she just blurted out, in tumbled English, what was on her mind.

And people say the French make terrible films. What does this have to do with ME?

Tag: ALL THE PEOPLE!!

[Dominic Evans]

1129
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

For the most part, Dominic Evans had sat quietly next to his commanding officer at the long briefing table, taking it all in and trying to adjust himself to the new combat gear the expedition had been issued. Chicago had briefly raised an eyebrow at him when he had extended his legs toward the table, he quickly realized his mistake and turned the movement into a stretch under the table. It may be half eleven but Evans had hit the gym this morning and would have loved nothing more than putting his feet up to rest. He'd paid a significant, silent interest in each and every person who had joined them in this room. He knew they were all here for a reason. Dom didn't quite expect Maggie though, his gaze was fixed on her as she took up her seat. He'd not read her file but had it summarized to him and he just didn't expect somebody so... His train of thoughts were derailed as Pandora had come in and taken up a seat. He noticed something being passed under the table, and a movement that was meant to be subtle always caught the eye of somebody of Dominic's background. He could only assume Pandora had just cancelled her resignation on hearing about whatever this mission was. Now he too felt intrigued by the television set and the classified files.

Things really got interesting when the legendary Daniel Jackson had confidently strode into the room. Dom had heard about his work, in particular the ascending part, and he would always be in awe of the gentleman. As Jackson and Landry began to explain the situation, Dom began flicking through the file. Covert photographs, crime scene measurements and photographs, a full page of A4 writing down what was being verbally explained as he read. Then Mr. Coolidge had introduced himself, and the video had played. The hairs stood up on the back of Dominic's neck as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. When the video was done he looked back down at the file, "I'm sorry for your loss" said Zach, Dom shared a new respect for James Coolidge for having the courage to share that with a room full of strangers, albeit strangers he had read the files of. Dom briefly shared a glance with Chicago, this felt beyond him.

Captain Evans, as he enjoyed his new rank to be, felt this was certainly not something he could handle alone. Maggie's French accent caught his attention, "And people say the French make terrible films. What does this have to do with ME?
" And there it was. Chicago and Conway both looked to Evans, the new Executive Officer of the SM-1 off-world exploration team. Without uttering a word, he reached into his flack jacket pocket and retrieved a bundle of patches. Removing the elastic band he handed them around the table. One for Chicago, one for Ahrima, one for Zachery, one for Maggie and the final badge he made a point of attaching to his right shoulder. Proudly displaying the badge of SM-1 he then introduced himself to his new team,
"My name is Dominic Evans, and obviously you are all now members of SM-1 which will be the flag-ship team as far as Meropis goes. In case you hadn't worked it out I'll be your Executive Officer and..." he placed a hand on Chicago's shoulder, "this lovely lady has the unfortunate job of being our commanding officer!" Removing his hand he smiled at her, hoping he hadn't stepped too much out of line trying to be enthusiastic toward his new colleagues. He was sure he'd hear about it later if he had.
"The reason we've been called here as I understand it is to assist doctor Jackson in his inquiries and get to the bottom of this er..." really not sure of what to call it he went with the first word that came to mind, "... occurrence. With that said and done, if I may, I'd like to refer back to Zach's question. Is this a one-off? And what did the good docs in the lab find when they examined the..." he darted a quick glance at James Coolidge, careful not to use the wrong words in such a sensitive situation he picked something other than 'corpse', "the err, deceased."

<Tag Roo & Ahrima>

[Ahrima]

1129
Briefing Room
Stargate Command
Earth

As Ahrima sat there, her eyes began to focus upon Dr. Pandora Banks as she spoke. However, as emotion seemed to overtake the woman, it appeared that her initial motives for speaking... for leaving the Meropis project weren't as set as she may have previously been led to believe. Ahrima's thoughts on the matter were interrupted as she recognized the last man to enter the room. There were few Tau'ri that had established themselves as well-known amongst the Jaffa. Daniel Jackson was certainly such a man. Though, Ahrima certainly was now curious as to why he was here.

"Hello everyone, my name is Doctor Daniel Jackson and yes, I am the guy who made the induction video. Now, to answer your questions Ahrima and Mr. Acker, the urgency is on account of the fact that we now face a threat that is capable of causing widespread panic, fear and worst of all death among the general population. With our usual wraith experts somewhere in hyper-space, General Landry made the decision to bring you guys into the fold."

Ahrima listened to the man's words carefully. And at the announcement that there seemed to be a threat, she concluded that logically, their skills as warriors were recognized. Of course, if they had such great faith in the combatants from Meropis, she had to wonder how the Tau'ri had managed to defeat the System Lords with such little faith in their own defenders. It was a thought that she kept to herself as she continued to listen. General Landry then introduced the man that sat away from the table not as a recorder of events, but as James Coolidge, a member of the International Oversight Advisory. While familiar with the Tau'ri organizations name, it did little to impress Ahrima. She always believed that the Tau'ri had too much stake in titles. They were empty words that meant very little. Nevertheless, she gave the man her attention as he spoke and presented the video.

Ahrima watched the woman on the video. At first, she thought this was simply a recording of copulation. She honestly couldn't understand the reason for such record-keeping, but as the man began to flail about beneath the woman with her hand on his chest, Ahrima's eyes widened. There was a hint of familiarity to what she was seeing. Not firsthand, but there were whispers of such things. As Daniel Jackson ended the recording, Ahirma's eyes remained on the table before her as she was lost in her own thoughts.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Acker spoke respectfully to Coolidge before continuing. "Is this an isolated occurrence, or are there other accounts?"

"And people say the French make terrible films. What does this have to do with ME?" asked Maggie.

"My name is Dominic Evans, and obviously you are all now members of SM-1 which will be the flag-ship team as far as Meropis goes. In case you hadn't worked it out I'll be your Executive Officer and... this lovely lady has the unfortunate job of being our commanding officer! The reason we've been called here as I understand it is to assist doctor Jackson in his inquiries and get to the bottom of this er... occurrence. With that said and done, if I may, I'd like to refer back to Zach's question. Is this a one-off? And what did the good docs in the lab find when they examined the... the err, deceased."

As the patch slid in front of her, Ahrima's attention was recaptured by everything unfolding before her. She had been selected to be a member of SM-1. In the back of her mind, she felt that her superiors would be pleased with such a placement, but that hardly breached her thoughts at the moment. There was then speak of of Major Eastlyn commanding the team. She had a great deal of respect for the woman. Her eyes looked at the other recipients: Zachary Acker and the newcomer, Maggie Lefebvre. She knew nothing of their combat expertise, but assumed they would not receive such an honor lightly. It was then that General Landry spoke to answer Dominic's question.

"This isn't an isolated case," Landry responded. "We're starting to receive reports from our colleagues at the FBI of this occurring elsewhere in the United States as well." His eyes fell upon Ahrima once more as he narrowed his eyes. "Something you want to share, Lieutenant?"

As Ahrima looked up, she realized that he had been addressing her. It still wasn't a title she was used to, but it made things easier for the Tau'ri to understand. "I know of this," she said nodded towards the television. "There have always been whispered accusations of rival System Lords, many blaming the one I used to serve, Artemis, for the failing health of their greatest generals." Ahrima took a deep breath before continuing. "They believed she ordered maidens into their beds, that would seduce them and feed upon their souls." Her eyes moved around the room. "If I recall your literature correctly, I believe you call such a creature... a succubus."

Ahrima pushed the thoughts away. Such tales were nothing, but that: tales. Her eyes returned to Landry. "Do you desire us to neutralize this threat via termination, General Landry?"

<TAG: SM-1, Briefing Room>

[Maggie Lefebvre]

1129
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

Maggie crossed her arms over her chest, and settled back. Yeah, she'd spoken out of turn. These people might as well get used to it NOW. One of the guys...Dominic Evans (almost Burgoise, but not quite)...placed a patch in front of her. She reached out, and picked it up. She didn't have many-the French Navy didn't exactly send their biggest liablity out into the field very often. She had just four on her flight suit jacket, and all four she'd FOUGHT to keep. Maybe one day she'd get sick of fighting, and just do as she SHOULD, but for now...she liked it like this. Kept people on thier toes, and more importantly, kept HER from getting hurt.

She looked up again.

My name is Dominic Evans, and obviously you are all now members of SM-1 which will be the flag-ship team as far as Meropis goes. In case you hadn't worked it out I'll be your Executive Officer and...this lovely lady has the unfortunate job of being our commanding officer! She eyeballed the woman. Maggie had a bad habit of comparing herself to other women-she was pleased to find she was far prettier but a little older than the woman. What was she, twelve?! Maggie sighed. Not only was her attitude problem going to be a MAJOR problem, as Maggie didn't play well with teammates of the same gender, she was also going to be a babysitter. Fantastic. Kids had never been one of her strong points. Not that Maggie HAD any strong points, but still. Dominic continued.

he reason we've been called here as I understand it is to assist doctor Jackson in his inquiries and get to the bottom of this er... occurrence. With that said and done, if I may, I'd like to refer back to Zach's question. Is this a one-off? And what did the good docs in the lab find when they examined the... the err, deceased. Fan-effing-tastic. She was also going to space with a bunch of crazy people. Mike was SOOO going to pay for this.

This isn't an isolated case...We're starting to receive reports from our colleagues at the FBI of this occurring elsewhere in the United States as well. His eyes fell upon Ahrima once more as he narrowed his eyes. Something you want to share, Lieutenant? Maggie looked at the blonde woman. WHY was he looking at her? Then the woman spoke.

I know of this...There have always been whispered accusations of rival System Lords, many blaming the one I used to serve, Artemis, for the failing health of their greatest generals. Something hit Mags just then. She was an Alien. Here. ON EARTH. The woman went on. They believed she ordered maidens into their beds, that would seduce them and feed upon their souls...If I recall your literature correctly, I believe you call such a creature... a succubus. Maggie snorted. VAMPIRES?! Do you desire us to neutralize this threat via termination, General Landry? Maggie raised an eyebrow before opening her mouth. She just couldn't stop the flow of word vomit.

Hang on there, Mork. Let me make sure I understand. You mean that a Vampiric alien being is killing men? And *I* am part of a team expected to go kill the vampiress?! Gottabekidding. Did Maggie LOOK like Van Helsing?! She slid her badge to the middle of the table. Unless you've got Hellboy hiding in the wings, I am afraid you've got the wrong Frenchwoman. I hear that girl from Amelie is quite gullible, though...

TAGS: Ahrima, Dominic Evans, @roo, @all

(OOC: Haha. Landry. Maggie's F/C once played a character called Dahlia Landry...made me LMAO. Literally. I scared the cat).

[Zachary Acker]

1129
Briefing Room
Stargate Command

Zach looked at the patch as Evans spoke, he was being placed on the flagship team? Why? He wasn't a warrior, he had never fired a gun in anger before, never harmed anyone in anyway. He looked up at the man in confusion and asked the burning question he felt. "I'm honored, I truly am, but you should know I'm an educator, not a warrior." He may have been selling himself short he knew his way around a gun, and under ideal circumstances he was a fairly good shot but much to his father's dismay he never became a soldier. "That being said, I'll do whatever I can to help."

All questions about his new role were pushed aside when General Landry spoke. So this was happening elsewhere..... That can't be a good thing. He looked to Ahrima as she spoke, he thought that she seemed alittle distant while she was speaking, at least at first, which only made him pay closer attention. Zach leaned forward resting his head in his hand as he listened his thoughts racing as he tried to figure things out.

If I recall your literature correctly you call such s creature a... succubus

Zach's brow furrowed in thought. "A succubus?" He asked thinking aloud. Well that certainly explained the nature of the video. He was about to ask a question when the Frenchwoman spoke. "No, mademoiselle we're not facing a vampress, we're facing a succubus," He corrected by instinct not meaning any harm with his words. "They're not the same creature. A vampire could possibly create more of itself by feeding, where as a succubus would devour a man's soul..... Well.... 'in the moment' shall we say." He turned to Landry before continuing. "By elsewhere do we mean localized elsewhere or do we mean multiple states elsewhere?" Then another thought crossed his mind. "Also... Is there a way to protect us from any of her charms?" It was then that he realized he was rambling again another old habit of his. He glanced around at the others in the room before leaning back in his seat quietly. "Sorry..."

<Tag Briefing Room>

[Chicago "Roo" Eastlyn]

1130
Briefing Room, SGC

After the rather disturbing video, Evans had stood and said his piece and handed out patches, his hand resting briefly on her shoulder giving Roo the silent support she needed after realising the severity of the...issue.

She listened carefully to everything being said, not piping up to input anything herself just yet - her thoughts were still all swirling about her head and they needed to settle down into something cohesive if she wanted them to make any sense when she spoke them aloud.

The Frenchwoman's outburst had her unable to repress a chuckle though, and she glanced only very briefly at General Conway before turning all her attention to the woman with the fluffy pen, and raised an eyebrow. "Lieutenant, your assignment to SM-1 is an order, not a choice. However, if you feel the need to leave this room right now, I'd be more than happy to have yourself and the contents of your locker stuffed into a tiny 2x2 room and shipped back to France quicker than you can say au revoir." Leaning back in her chair slightly, Chicago continued nonchalantly, "But if you'd prefer to stick around and avoid any kind of fall out back home for going back on the deal y'all made, have an adventure or two with the occasional thrilling heroics thrown in here with us, you'd best be taking your patch back."

As she flipped her team patch around in her fingers, another questioning voice piped up from across the table. Chicago looked over at the historian and smiled gently, "Not everybody needs to be a warrior, Acker." The Major glanced from Zachary, to Dr. Jackson and then returned her gaze to Zachary again. "Not to pressure you of course, but...you're our 'him'," she said, punctuating her remark with a small gesture to the well respected Daniel Jackson. "You're a huge asset to the Expedition, Zachary. Don't doubt your place on the team, just embrace it. You'll do great. We have faith in you." She had no doubts that Acker would be absolutely fine, and she knew Dom and Ahrima would stand by her, no worries. It was just Lefebvre now who apparently needed to decide if she was on board or not.

Getting back to the issue at hand, the young woman thought for a moment, going back to something that twigged in her brain while listening to the various comments around the room after watching the video. "....It wouldn't be so completely out of character for a Wraith to control their feeding well enough to be able to stop the process before any signs of aging appeared. And I read something a while back about how some Pegasus planets had a Wraith worshipping culture...maybe the feeding process could be gentler if it's willingly undertaken on both sides? Belief can do crazy things to a person - if someone believed that the Wraith were some kind of divinity and letting one feed from them was some kind of holy reward or divine blessing or something of the sort, you'd be hard pressed to stop them."‏

Was there any way to protect themselves? Roo had no idea, it was most definitely not her field of expertise. "Don't go to sleep?" she jokingly muttered so that only Evans would hear her, seeing as the joke was probably inappropriate given the video they had just watched.

"At any rate, if one of...whatever this does in fact turn out to be be..is here, we should really assume the worst and run with the theories that A) she isn't the only one, and B) if she is a succubus, any others that are lurking around could be Incubi - the male counterpart to a succubus, or succubi or whatever the heck you wanna call them." One of her hands waved dismissively, the whole 'labelling' the entity issue was slightly confusing.


<tags: Maggie, Zachary, Evans, you all everybody >