IST Stargate Command in the San Angelo Universe

[Mark Rand]

You knew this was coming, didn't you?

 

For those who came in late, Robert M. Schroeck wrote the IST book for GURPS Supers. Here's the URL of his timeline for the 1990s: http://www.eclipse.net/~rms/ist1990s.html.

 

The San Angelo is a slightly more realistic universe in which magic is reputed to not exist and aliens weren't known to exist. Of course, this was until the existance of the Stargate Project was made public.

 

President Bush, claiming national security concerns, refused to let the United Nations have any control over Stargate Command. Once Henry Hayes became President, all that changed.

 

The United States and the United Nations are working together on Stargate Command and the Department of Homeworld Security, which is headed by Lieutenant General George S. Hammond, the former commander of the Stargate Project.

[Mark Rand]

Re: IST Stargate Command in the San Angelo Universe

 

Amazons exist in this universe, however, they are Xena-style, not Wonder Woman style.

 

In 150 BC, according to their legends, 200 of them faced 2 Roman legions while their sisters disappeared into the world. All 200 died, as did half the Romans. The ones that disappeared into the world married and taught their daughters their way of life.

 

Currently, since there are Amazons in many countries, governing is done at the local level. The queen, currently Nancy Sterngood, a ceramist living in Perfection, Nevada, only gets involved when all Anmazons are affected.

 

In ancient Britain (which includes Scotland and Wales) the Archdruid was known as the Merlin of Britain. At that same time, a loch was believed to be the entry to Avalon, the realm of the gods. The loch was known as Loch Avalon and the temple beside it was known as the Avalon Temple. The priestesses there were known as the Maidens of the Loch and the High Priestess was the Lady of the Loch.

 

In the fifth century AD, Ambrosius Aurelianus commanded a force of Romano-British and Celtic men and women in a group of battles against theAnglo-Saxons. The last battle was at Badon Hill.

 

Assisting him in these battles were three leaders. They were Gwenhwyvar, a Celtic war queen who could take any lover she wanted, her father, Talisin, a bard and the Archdruid, and Vivianne, the Lady of the Loch. After the war, Ambrosius became king. He and Gwenhwyvar married and but a timber frame fort on Cadbury Hill.

 

Over the centuries, the stories about their battles grew. In the twelth century, they were written down by Geoffrey of Monmouth. In his works, Ambrosius became Arthur, an English king. Gwenhwyvar became Guenivere, whose affair with Lancelot ruined the Knights of the Round Table. Talisin became two people, Taliesin the bard and Merlin the Magician. The Lady of the Loch became the Lady of the Lake. The timber-frame hill fort became the stone castle Camelot.

[Mark Rand]

Re: IST Stargate Command in the San Angelo Universe

 

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked an airplane and flew it into one of the two towers of the World Trade Center. There were three other attempts made by terrorists that day. These, however, were stopped by various superheroes.

 

President Bush didn't have much luck getting the United Nations to back his plans against those he thought were responsable for the deed. He finally told the U.N. that, if they interfered, the United States would leave the United Nations and either, unilaterally recind the diplomatic immunity of the United Nations representatives or expel the United Nations from the United States.

 

The various "talking heads" said that Bush was just bluffing and that such actions would be against international law. Thay also said that by doing so, the United States would be considered an outlaw nation.

[Mark Rand]

Re: IST Stargate Command in the San Angelo Universe

 

In May of 2003, residents began an orderly evacuation of Sunnydale, California. As the last vehicle, a small school bus, left, an earthquake rocked the area, dropping the town into a crater that quickly began to flood.

 

In early June of the same year, it was revealed that a small herd of unicorns were on the Tipsy Q Ranch near Snowy Falls, Colorado, a town too small to show up on most maps. While the report was being aired, a local rancher, with the permission of the Snowy Falls Chief of Police, blocked the road above and below the ranch.

 

When the governer heard about the unicorns, he declared them a treasure and announced that he was going to take the ranch by emenent domain and make it a wildlife refuge, with the current ranch owners managing it.

 

The President tried to grab the ranch for use as a private hunting ground for himself and his wealthy friends, but the Colorado National Guard, ordered in by the governer, halted that.

 

The President called the governer a traitor. His calls were echoed by the Vice President, the Attorney-General, Senator Robert Kinsey of Indiana and Senator Roarke of Colorado.

 

The President's actions were denounced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, many of the other governers, and the heads of a number of Colorado military installations

[Mark Rand]

Re: IST Stargate Command in the San Angelo Universe

 

Angry that the governer of Colorado was standing in his way, President Bush ordered the closing of Peterson Air Force Base and the moving of the base's assets, the USAF Academy and the DSRT Project in Cheyenne Mountain to Southwestern Pennsylvania.

 

This decision was met with gasps of outrage, but Senators Kinsey and Roarke and head of the National Intelligence Department, a controversial intelligence agency that many believe is made up of bumbling idiots, supported the President's plan. Two days later, as they were driving in, explosions ruined their vehicles. The police investigated and discovered that M-80s had been placed in the mufflers and catalytic converters of their cars.

 

Aghast at the hostility to his planned closings, President Bush revealed, in September of 2003, that the DSRT Project in Cheyenne Mountain was really the Stargate Project. He then told the world about the it, and finished by saying that, as long as he was President, the United Nations would never get their grubby hands on it and that the discoveries from it would be distributed as the United States government saw fit.

[Mark Rand]

Re: IST Stargate Command in the San Angelo Universe

 

As the United Nations and many governments fumed about the United States government's announcement about the Stargate Project, Graham Miller went to the Secret Service to brief them on Slayers, Watchers, vampires, and such. At the same time, Riley and Samantha Finn went to New York to tell the United Nations Security Council and IST Command about the same things.

 

An NID agent tried to find out what they told the U.N. people, but were ignored. When the agent pulled a gun, Riley broke his neck. The NID tried to bring charges against them, but it was ruled self defense.

 

Kinsey claimed that the Finns were traitors to the United States. The Finns told the world about the old Initiative, which the NID created, their decision that supers weren't human, experiments on some, and the creation of Adam, which was against the edicts. The NID denied the charges.

 

Hearing that, Riley produced papers which the NID thought had been destroyed. The NID was in chaos. The next big thing that happened in DC was Henry Hayes announcing that he was a candidate for the Presidency.

[Mark Rand]

Re: IST Stargate Command in the San Angelo Universe

 

When asked if his family supported his decision, Henry replied "My wife, Kathryn, the head nurse of George Washington University Medical Center's eye clinic, supports me in this endeavor. However, I don't know about of married daughter, Holly, who trains the big cats at the Ross Brothers Circus." He paused, then added, "Kathryn plans to keep her job after my election and I think Holly will, too."

 

Someone else asked him about the Stargate Project and the NID. He replied, "The U.N. should be involved with the Stargate Project and the NID should be desolved. They are, after all, somewhat inept. According to news reports, le Chat Noir, France's famed cat burglar, knocked out, bound, gagged, and left for the police the four NID agents that were in the penthouse apartment she was burglarizing.

[Mark Rand]

Re: IST Stargate Command in the San Angelo Universe

 

A female Secret Service agent visited with Kathryn at her house four days after Henry's announcement. "I'd like to go over a few things with you," the agent said.

 

"Go ahead," Kathryn said.

 

"We're giving your husband protection now. If he's still in the race in July, we'll begin protecting you, too. We won't be able to protect Holly until your husband wins the election. We do our best to make sure our protectees are comfortable with our presence."

 

"Good to know," Kathryn said. "Right now, hospital security had a couple of officers in the eye clinic when I'm there. One's always with me."

 

"Good. What are the chances that Senator Hayes will visit Holly while he's campaining?"

 

"Pretty good," Kathryn replied, passing the agent two books. "Those are last year's route book and program from Ross Brothers Circus."

 

"May I borrow them?" the agent asked. "I'll make sure you get them back."

 

"Sure," Kathryn replied.

 

"Holly having any problems we should know about?"

 

"Just animal rights activists," Kathryn replied. "Oh, her father-in-law's mother has a few problems with her circus kin."

 

"What kind?" the agent asked.

 

"Paul Reese, Holly's father-in-law, was raised an Orthodox Jew. His mother doesn't like the fact that he's now a Conservative Jew, that he works seven days a week and doesn't go to synagogue, that his two daughters-in-law aren't Jewish, and that his legally-blind daughter shares her bed with her guide dog."

 

Both women laughed. Soon after, the agent picked up the books and left. The books were returned the next day.

[Mark Rand]

Re: IST Stargate Command in the San Angelo Universe

 

The Secret Service sent Agent Connie Wells to the Ross Brothers Circus's winter quarters for a short visit. They wanted to get a copy of the show's personal roster and route. She show gave them access to the password-protected part of the server.

 

While she was there, Mr. Ross explained that this was the show's last day at winter quarters. He then escorted her on a tour of the property. As they walked, she noticed Oklahome State Police officers patrolling the property.

 

She watched Holly working with her big cats. As she watched, she noted the cat grooms, each armed with a wooden pole, and Rumiko Yamamoto Reese, D.V.M.,the show's black-clad veterinarian, watching the session. When it ended, Holly sent her cats to their cages and Rumiko left for the menagerie.

 

"She's making her rounds," Holly explained. "She likes to know about problems with the show's animals the moment they happen."

[Mark Rand]

Re: IST Stargate Command in the San Angelo Universe

 

Connie continued her tour, meeting up with the medical team, Annette Campbell Valdez, M.D., Catherine "Cat" Campbell, R.N.P., and Rebecca Campbell, R.N. Their mother, Jane, ran the cookhouse, and, with the aid of her husband, David, the mechanical foreman, also ran the pie car.

 

She also found out that the Valdez family, who trained animals, and the Vasquez family, who were aerialists, were cousins and that Raul, one of the Vasquez sons, was engaged to Susan Reese, Holly's legally-blind sister-in-law.

 

"You have a big family," Connie said.

 

"That we do," Catherine said as someone knocked on the door. It was Gary, the general superintendent. He told them that someone had been hurt in the bunk house. Rebecca grabbed her bag and left.

 

"First aid supplies?" Connie asked.

 

"First aid and trauma supplies, diagnostic instruments, and protective gear," Annette replied.

 

"Should've thought of that," Connie said.