Chapter 31
White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC
October 12, 2010
Secured in the basement of the White House accompanied by his secret service agents and other top military officials, President Robert Kinsey slammed his fists down on the table he stood in front of.
“Your analysts said O’Neill wasn’t a threat!” Kinsey roared at the NID director, two special agents, and five members of the Committee seated before him. “That his ‘resistance’ would amount to nothing more than grumblings and conspiracy theories in rags like The Enquirer!”
“We may have miscalculated his threat level—” NID Director Lawrence Black began but was cut off by Kinsey.
“May have? May have! Like heck one thousand one hundred ninety-two planets is just a ‘miscalculation’ of threat level! The Confederation doesn’t even have that many planets itself!”
“Are you certain that he was not just bluffing about the number of planets?” Committee member Harvey Gold questioned as everyone in the room had viewed the recording of the conversation between the president and O’Neill soon after gathering.
“The number doesn’t really matter does it Harvey?” Kinsey growled as he glared at the man. “The stargate and ’shipyards are all useless because of those damned Aschen tech killers. We’ve lost control of Area 51 to this mysterious Bravo and we can’t find a single resistance member or fighter that the yards’ saw anywhere. And do you see any Aschen on the planet?!”
Both civilians and military seated at the table all looked uncomfortable as they shifted uneasily in their seats. That had also been a point brought up in the briefing that all the Aschen had departed Earth three days prior to the invasion and no one had clued in on it.
“As for the number of planets O’Neill claims to have allied with him, you tell him Frank,” Kinsey waved his hand at Major General Simmons and sank into his chair, his face still glowering.
“As the technology and communication systems of the SGC were deemed obsolete from the influx of Aschen tech at the time of the Alliance’s signing, that technology remained in the old military instillation and was left in place as they were when the base was turned into a museum,” General Frank Simmons began to speak. “With everything still there it was simply a matter of establishing power to all systems and employing NID technicians and personnel to re-man the base.”
“Why not recall the old SGC personnel?” Don Mackay of the Committee irrupted to question. “Wouldn’t they be more experienced?”
“Given the fact that O’Neill is leading this, it was deemed an unwise choice to reactivate and recall all those who previously served with him,” Simmons said dryly, taking personal pleasure in making Mackay flush with embarrassment by pointing out that critical fact. “Seventy percent of the systems have been restored with priority given of course to the galactic communications and monitoring technology. Listening to those much like you would listen to and flip through analogue radio stations reveals that the galaxy is cluttered with transmissions about ‘O’Neill’ or ‘O’Neill’s resistance.’”
“You’ve actually been able to hear the resistance transmissions?” Dale Wilson, another Committee member, demanded to know.
“No,” Simmons replied sharply. “We’re hearing everyone else talk about it. And I have to say, from the sheer number of transmissions and location origins, even with NID technicians only really being able to understand the English or Goa’uld being said, if O’Neill has less than a thousand planets assisting him I would be surprised.”
“Why aren’t we hearing anything from O’Neill’s people?” Wilson questioned. “How are they securing their transmissions?”
“We have two hypotheses,” Special Agent Mark Devlin of the NID began, “either Samantha Carter has devised a secure galactic communications network or they are using Asgärd tech.”
“Asgärd tech? Why would they be using Asgärd tech? We haven’t heard from those aliens since, from before the Alliance was signed,” Gold demanded to know.
“Earth hasn’t heard from them, but that does not mean O’Neill has not,” Devlin said bluntly. “O’Neill’s command ship has been positively identified from different sources as an Asgärd vessel.”
All five Committee members looked stunned by that revelation while the rest at the table just looked grim faced.
“We are assuming that the access to Asgärd tech, as well as the fact that there is most assuredly an Aschen tech killer on the O’Neill’s property in Montana, is why our team was unable to locate anything during our search of the farmhouse, surrounding buildings, and land.” Black stated. “We still have agents on site as well as at O’Neill’s pottery shop in the nearby town of Turner in case the O’Neills or anyone of the resistance appears there.”
“You found nothing?” Mackay questioned incredulously.
“The only things there are two dogs, forty-eight chickens, twenty-four turkeys, six goats, and old Earth technology,” Black answered.
“Dammit, there must have been something!” Mackay growled and engaged in a staring contest with the NID Director.
“So we have none of the O’Neill family and have been unable to locate Jackson. Could we find and use some other individual that they were close to previously?” Gold questioned abruptly.
“Look into it,” Kinsey growled at Black before turning his attention to Simmons. “I want everything you can get about what is happening out there and get me back my ships and Area 51.”
“Of course Mr President,” Simmons affirmed as those military officers with him understood the nonverbal dismissal and nodding their heads proceeded to stand. The NID agents and Committee members watched the group of uniforms file from the room and looked back to Kinsey.
“Well?” Kinsey growled at Black, “What are you waiting for? Get me something I can use against O’Neill!”
“Yes Sir,” Black said stiffly as he too stood and exited the room followed by the two special agents that had accompanied him to the debriefing.
Kinsey and the five Committee members regarded each other from across the table that stood between them. The five businessmen were powerful men; their power initially gained from acquiring and analysing stolen alien technology for the purpose of finding commercial applications which made them billions by incorporating alien advancements into their product lines. Later they had controlled the influx of Aschen tech on Earth. But their power and influence was private, not political and that power they gained by financing politicians, like Senator, then President Kinsey.
This meant, as much as it grated on them, they needed what the other could offer. With some of the other unsavoury dealings between them, each thought they had a hold over the other. Also both were planning, with the current chaotic political situation which was likely only to escalate, to hold the other accountable to the public.
What they failed to grasp however was that for this the public would not be satisfied with sacrificial blood but would hold all of them accountable.