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Stargate: 2078

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Theresa let out a small sigh as she let a smartapp run over the NDA. Ten thousand Nuyen was above her former salary - but only if she didn't count all the equipment she would have to buy here. Never mind all the other benefits she might not get. And thirty thousand per mission would certainly push her income above what she had before - but it was also below the risk payments she had gotten on any expedition she had done before. Granted, these ones might be shorter, but she also had no idea what risks would be involved. And Ares certainly wouldn't pay finders fees or royalties to independent contractors.

A short beep from her audio-earrings interrupted her brooding. The program had finished analyzing the NDA. Most of it was standard stuff, she had signed dozens of those already. Taking in the unique clauses was easy, she would not have needed a program for that. But how those changed the standard clauses, and what it all meant together was rather important.

The food the augmented Elf had ordered made Theresas stomach grumble slightly. She wasn't actually hungry, dammit. She had eaten a little at the hotel, and before travel, and she didn't have to eat again. But some quirk of gene engineering had made sure that her body would signal that it wanted food often, even if it didn't need it as often. She'd love to the designer to see if that was an intentional safety measure or just an accident - but mostly to complain that it always interrupted her during important work.
Complaining to herself about stupid birth defects, Theresa skims over the menu. Her focus remains on the others and her new employer, and if she just orders some food that is not too messy or expensive nothing can go wrong on that front.

Theresa had seen how some of these NDAs were enforced. Even if you were a corporate citizen, it wasn't too pleasant. To outside researchers...well she had heard rumors at least. Not that she had plans on breaking it for profit, and if anything about this operation was too shady - well she had people she could tell that worked for Ares. With a few taps she makes her commlink print out a small piece of paper with the electronic signature of the NDA and her own signature. With a smile, she slides it over to Mr. Hadrian. "Signed. And I'm curious what language we'll need. Would you mind telling us more, Sir?"
 
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Miriam ordered a nice sounding steak dish, as she read over the NDA.
It's a draconian NDA alright, but it's not that bad compared to the one she signed when she married Hill. The money was good too, even if the base pay just about matched what she had made back at ITQ, and the mission pay would cover the cost of a Nanny and then some. The Language requirement just made her that much more interested.

"Alright," Miriam said as she signed the NDA. "What's this about a language?"
 
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The Reveal
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    • "Thank you all. Mr. Hadrian, I believe it's your time to leave now?" Lin said, and Hadrian stood up; smiling.

    "That it is, Colonel - do keep enjoying yourselves; everyone. I'll be downstairs, at the bar, if I'm needed." He said, taking his drink and popping his umbrella up. The rain had started to pick up now, and barely perceptible windows had rolled down over the sides of enclosed structure. The only easily visible part of them was the chrome-coloured door handle. A cold blast of wind and faint hint of moisture hits you as Hadrian leaves, and Line speaks once more.

    "Now that your pursemaster has left, it's time to get into the meat of the meet, so to speak." Lin said, pausing to bring out a folder full of paper files from a briefcase. Real paper, made from trees. The date was from the mid twentieth century, though these looked too new to be more than a hundred years old. "This is a copy of some files a UCAS special forces team found when on an... unrelated mission to Cheyenne Mountain. What they found there was enough to convince my government to buy the site and surrounds from the PCC at the cost of more than five billion nuyen. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Stargate." She holds up the first file, a black and white photo showing a large metal ring standing in an old underground base; connected to a bunch of thick cabling. She held up a second photo, showing what looked to be a pool of rippling water in the ring; only it was standing vertically upright. "It was found by an archaeologist in Gaza, Egypt, in 1928. The US Army experimented on it during the second world war, but whilst they got it to activate they lacked the technology or expertise to do much more with it. It, quite simply, allows travel to other worlds - and we think we know who built it." Lin said, and paused for breath.

    "In our few expeditions off-world so far, we have found evidence of a civilization known as the "Goa'uld". They seem to be the hegemonic power in much of the galaxy, and possess both magical power and advanced technology. Worse, it seems whatever condition has kept them away from Earth has recently begun to fade. We need to amass our own technology, our own fleet of warships and our network of interstellar bases or we may well face annihilation. Any questions?"
     
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    • "Holy shit."

    Sam had seen some stuff over the years. This... trumped all of them.

    It took her a few seconds to compose herself before she spoke again. "I, uh... holy shit, I see why you want to keep this under wraps. What sort of evidence are we talking about Colonel, direct contact with the subjects of these Goa'uld, or..."

    She pauses. "Also, while it's not directly relevant to the mission, how much of a chance is there of hostile Earth forces trying to take this... 'Stargate'?"
     
    "So it does involve space travel. Neat." Miriam said, as she raised her hand. "So, if we're just going in to rob some aliens, why do you need me? I mean I get the whole Egypt connection, but I'm an anthropologist, and my specialization ends with the bronze age collapse."
     
    NothingNow said:
    "So it does involve space travel. Neat." Miriam said, as she raised her hand. "So, if we're just going in to rob some aliens, why do you need me? I mean I get the whole Egypt connection, but I'm an anthropologist, and my specialization ends with the bronze age collapse."
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    "Ah, well that brings up another point. The Goa'uld were lords of Earth for rather a long time, and transplanted many metahuman slaves to other worlds. In fact, metahumanity is the only species other than the Goa'uld - who are seemingly humanoid - that we have encountered or heard about. Many of those slave populations are no longer under the control of the Goa'uld, or only loosely so, and all trace their culture back to the homeworld. The Goa'uld have also kept many of their slaves in a cultural or technological stasis - and assumed the names of their gods. Thus, your particular set of skills attached to a powerful mage..."
    horngeek said:
    "Holy shit."

    Sam had seen some stuff over the years. This... trumped all of them.

    It took her a few seconds to compose herself before she spoke again. "I, uh... holy shit, I see why you want to keep this under wraps. What sort of evidence are we talking about Colonel, direct contact with the subjects of these Goa'uld, or..."

    She pauses. "Also, while it's not directly relevant to the mission, how much of a chance is there of hostile Earth forces trying to take this... 'Stargate'?"
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    "We have had limited contact with some former or current slave populations, and none with the Goa'uld themselves; though we have located some of their bases."
     
    "Well, that's all sorts of pleasant."

    Sam muttered under her breath as she thought, drumming her fingers on the table. "So, our job's going to be investigation mixed with... initial strikes against these Goa'uld once we actually encounter them, it sounds like?"

    Sam paused, as she shook her head. "It's sounding a lot like they've had magic for longer than we have- since the Awakening, I mean. I get why you're keeping this so under wraps, but part of me wonders whether any of the Great Dragons know anything about these guys."
     
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    More ideas run through Theresas head than through a matrix hub. "Way too many. Does it work via Turing-Eran annihilation? Did you do a meta-thaum analysis on it? Was it active during the Year of the Comet? How does it interact with astral echos? Why does it..." She stops and takes a few deep breaths. "Okay, I am obviously interested. I would love to see any research files you can release. Especially anything that relates to Astral Intrusion Theory. But it'd be best if I just get those in writing."

    She listens to the questions the others pose, and the answers the Colonel provides. "So I assume you want us to check out one of their bases? Well I can personally offer you astral reconnaissance and Herman-Wu topography impression maps...err, magic remote observation". Despite her excitement, she's clearly not eager to get too close to likely hostile aliens. "What else would our mission profile contain?"
     
    Tekomandor said:
    "Ah, well that brings up another point. The Goa'uld were lords of Earth for rather a long time, and transplanted many metahuman slaves to other worlds. In fact, metahumanity is the only species other than the Goa'uld - who are seemingly humanoid - that we have encountered or heard about. Many of those slave populations are no longer under the control of the Goa'uld, or only loosely so, and all trace their culture back to the homeworld. The Goa'uld have also kept many of their slaves in a cultural or technological stasis - and assumed the names of their gods. Thus, your particular set of skills attached to a powerful mage..."
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    "Well, I always wanted to play at being a god." She says. "And it's not like I haven't played interpreter and instructor before."

    "My ex would be so jealous if I could tell him. This is going to be so much more fun than I thought." Miriam says as she smiles genuinely. "What's our bonus if we manage to steal a spaceship?"

    horngeek said:
    Sam paused, as she shook her head. "It's sounding a lot like they've had magic for longer than we have altogether. I get why you're keeping this so under wraps, but part of me wonders whether any of the Great Dragons know anything about these guys."
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    "If they were around in the Fourth World, the dragons would know about them." Miriam counters. "How do we know if say, Hestaby or Ghostwalker decides to come wreck our shit because we just kicked over the beehive?"
     
    NothingNow said:
    "Well, I always wanted to play at being a god." She says. "And it's not like I haven't played interpreter and instructor before."

    "My ex would be so jealous if I could tell him. This is going to be so much more fun than I thought." Miriam says as she smiles genuinely. "What's our bonus if we manage to steal a spaceship?"
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    "That would depend on the spaceship."

    "If they were around in the Fourth World, the dragons would know about them." Miriam counters. "How do we know if say, Hestaby or Ghostwalker decides to come wreck our shit because we just kicked over the beehive?"
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    "None of the Great Dragons seem to have reacted yet, but we will be moving the Stargate to a... more secure location soon. One rather more difficult to reach than Colorado Springs."
     
    "If one decides to react violently, it happens, and we can't really worry about that too much."

    Sam pauses. "I assume you wouldn't object to us bringing back as many samples of their technology as possible in general?"
     
    Tekomandor said:
    "That would depend on the spaceship."


    "None of the Great Dragons seem to have reacted yet, but we will be moving the Stargate to a... more secure location soon. One rather more difficult to reach than Colorado Springs."
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    Miriam just laughs maniacally for a few minutes, and then after a breath, speaks. "So, how are the schools at this new location?"
     
    Serafina said:
    She listens to the questions the others pose, and the answers the Colonel provides. "So I assume you want us to check out one of their bases? Well I can personally offer you astral reconnaissance and Herman-Wu topography impression maps...err, magic remote observation". Despite her excitement, she's clearly not eager to get too close to likely hostile aliens. "What else would our mission profile contain?"
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    "Retrieval of intelligence and technological artifacts, mostly."
    NothingNow said:
    Miriam just laughs maniacally for a few minutes, and then after a breath, speaks. "So, how are the schools at this new location?"
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    Lin laughs, before assuring you that they are of the finest quality.
     
    Hamid simply stares at the document, processing her explanation, not quite believing it. He lets the rest of the conversation wash over him, though he has visibly begun to pay as much attention to Tancho as he does to the rest of the group.

    "Unless I'm mistaken, we don't have a decker in the group. I'm assuming that that means we're operating off of digital paradigms far enough from each other that we can't hack them and they can't hack us?" he says, "How free can we be with Wireless tech, and how free is the enemy with it?"
     
    "Yes, speaking of skillsets and gaps, you mentioned occasional coordination with Firewatch and spec-ops teams. Just looking around the table ma'am I'd imagine we're not running missions as hot as they are, so what's our main role here?"

    Hitomi was forcing herself to eat slowly, but nevertheless had been going through her order like a machine. Local schools and the rest didn't really matter to her so long as she had somewhere to collapse at the end of a night, and surviving this gravy-train was going to be priority one.
     
    Havocfett said:
    "Unless I'm mistaken, we don't have a decker in the group. I'm assuming that that means we're operating off of digital paradigms far enough from each other that we can't hack them and they can't hack us?" he says, "How free can we be with Wireless tech, and how free is the enemy with it?"
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    "Our computer systems do not even follow physically simmilar principles in their construction. We believe that, short of a technomancer, hacking of any kind between the Goa'uld and us is likely a futile endeavour."
    Mina said:
    "Yes, speaking of skillsets and gaps, you mentioned occasional coordination with Firewatch and spec-ops teams. Just looking around the table ma'am I'd imagine we're not running missions as hot as they are, so what's our main role here?"
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    "Retrieval of artifacts from secured areas, and as magical support and insight. In addition to special tasks that may come up and not be suited towards... military methods."
     
    Sam nodded. "But on the other hand, they're unlikely to be able to hack our systems, so going Wireless shouldn't be as bit a problem as normal?"
     
    Tekomandor said:
    "Retrieval of artifacts from secured areas, and as magical support and insight. In addition to special tasks that may come up and not be suited towards... military methods."
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    "Mmmmhm. Yes ma'am."

    Well that perked her up a bit. You didn't pause like some overly dramatic trideo villain if the non-military tasks of a special nature were the type that didn't benefit from a liberal application of heavy ordnance and crushing force. No, that was the 'toss the rules of engagement out the window' kind of pause. Down and dirty, just the way she liked.

    "So, will we be running out of Cheyenne Mountain before you relocate or are we on hold until everything is situated? I just ask since I'll either need to get paid or have my travel covered. My work clothes are a little hot, not to mention the ware, and I'm just squeaking past checks as is."
     
    horngeek said:
    Sam nodded. "But on the other hand, they're unlikely to be able to hack our systems, so going Wireless shouldn't be as bit a problem as normal?"
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    "You have the right of it."
    Mina said:
    "So, will we be running out of Cheyenne Mountain before you relocate or are we on hold until everything is situated? I just ask since I'll either need to get paid or have my travel covered. My work clothes are a little hot, not to mention the ware, and I'm just squeaking past checks as is."
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    "Our timeframe for relocation is six to twelve months, with the actual physical transportation of the Stargate being our last step towards that. You will be running out of Cheyenne Mountain for some time, yes." Lin answered, and handed out security passes and fake SINs over wireless. These weren't like any fakes you'd ever seen before - not only did they have licenses for just about everything, they also listed you as agents of Homeland Security; technically giving you power of arrest over just about anyone. Of course, the quality came from the fact that these were essentially real SINs; because the people who'd made them had direct write-access to the UCAS SIN database.

    "Now don't go arresting anyone too important, but we do have a suspicion that some Goa'uld may have stayed behind, or that they might send other infiltrators in the future. We still haven't vetted much of our intelligence services for this yet, and who knows what methods of insertion and turning the Goa'uld might have. Your first briefing is at oh-nine hundred tomorrow - simply present your passes at the checkpoint to the Mountain and you'll be told where to go."
     
    Tekomandor said:
    "You have the right of it."

    "Our timeframe for relocation is six to twelve months, with the actual physical transportation of the Stargate being our last step towards that. You will be running out of Cheyenne Mountain for some time, yes." Lin answered, and handed out security passes and fake SINs over wireless. These weren't like any fakes you'd ever seen before - not only did they have licenses for just about everything, they also listed you as agents of Homeland Security; technically giving you power of arrest over just about anyone. Of course, the quality came from the fact that these were essentially real SINs; because the people who'd made them had direct write-access to the UCAS SIN database.

    "Now don't go arresting anyone too important, but we do have a suspicion that some Goa'uld may have stayed behind, or that they might send other infiltrators in the future. We still haven't vetted much of our intelligence services for this yet, and who knows what methods of insertion and turning the Goa'uld might have. Your first briefing is at oh-nine hundred tomorrow - simply present your passes at the checkpoint to the Mountain and you'll be told where to go."
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    "In the interim, will you be providing housing or relocation assistance?" Miriam said, "I doubt my ex can take too much more leave, and I really don't want to have to juggle an international commute for a year along with finding a good nanny."
     
    "Mmm, near-unrestricted governmental power, dangerous and exciting jobs, space travel, new magical foes, a chance to play god, and a pay check," says Hamid, "I look forward to our briefing. However, on the note Miss Miriam raised, if the preliminary briefing is over and we're all on-board perhaps we should transition to pay and benefits negotiations?"
     
    Sam whistled slightly as she saw the new fake SIN, and scanned it over briefly. "Jeez, I didn't know you could get licenses for some of this stuff. That's pretty impressive."

    Sitting forwards, she nodded still the comments of her two... co-workers, she supposed. She didn't speak up just yet on that issue, however, instead looking at the Colonel's reaction carefully.
     
    Theresa glared at her UCAS SIN. "You better hope this is not permanent". She didn't really need most of those licenses, and she didn't want to lose her Ares citizenship due to some cockup.

    She nods at Hamids proposition. "Yes, I think I know enough. I will sign the contract once it is out of negotiation. I believe Mister Hadrian has the necessary information to start negotiation on it?" She hadn't exactly needed a specialized lawyer for this before, but Doctor O'Brien had offered the use of an Ares retainer for this.
     
    Serafina said:
    Theresa glared at her UCAS SIN. "You better hope this is not permanent". She didn't really need most of those licenses, and she didn't want to lose her Ares citizenship due to some cockup.
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    "I assure you, my government would like such an arrangement even less. You may of course continue to broadcast your normal SIN, when not in a restricted area. Though those of you with, ah, irregularly acquired SINs will probably find these more useful in day to day activities."
    NothingNow said:
    "In the interim, will you be providing housing or relocation assistance?" Miriam said, "I doubt my ex can take too much more leave, and I really don't want to have to juggle an international commute for a year along with finding a good nanny."
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    "Of course. Our partners at Ares are opening up parts of their A to AAA zone housing developments and hotels for use by freelancers hired on to the project. They should also be able to take care of relocation."
    Havocfett said:
    "Mmm, near-unrestricted governmental power, dangerous and exciting jobs, space travel, new magical foes, a chance to play god, and a pay check," says Hamid, "I look forward to our briefing. However, on the note Miss Miriam raised, if the preliminary briefing is over and we're all on-board perhaps we should transition to pay and benefits negotiations?"
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    "Yes, let's start on that. Our offer is a ten thousand nuyen monthly retainer fee, free housing, and a fee of thirty thousand nuyen a mission; with an added twenty thousand if you face significant Goa'uld forces. Finally, we will also pay out prize money for any extra pieces of magical, technological, or intelligence relevance."
     
    An AR message flashes in front of the rest of the group.

    "Offer 25% mission/go'auld pay boost, 40% monthly boost and negotiate to actual deal. Aim for 11K/Month. 35K/Mission. 22K Go'auld. Y/N?

    Who can Face?"
     
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