Chapter 129

White House

Seated behind his desk in the oval office with a tumbler of scotch was President Henry Hayes. Also seated on couches around the room were General Jack O'Neill, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Davis, and a man and woman in civilian clothing. Due to the late hour of the evening normal protocol was being thrown out the window so decorum was casual.

"This should really be fun to watch" laughed Hayes.

"This is the part that's never fun. First the eyes glaze over, then the mouth just kind of hangs there for a moment or two, and in one case the guy started to twitch. Mr. President, this is something you never really know how the person listening will receive what you're saying" warned Jack.

"I have to agree with General O'Neill on this one Mr. President" conceded Davis.

"Jack, most diplomacy is just like that anyway" replied Hayes.

Outside of the White House at the rear portico a black Mercedes Benz came to a stop. Exiting the vehicle was the Papal Nuncio. As the official ambassador to the United States for the Vatican the Papal Nuncio was an accredited diplomat of significant standing on the world stage. Archbishop Pietro Martinelli had enjoyed the privilege of this assignment for the past three years, but longed for a return to the city of his upbringing; Rome. One perk of his current posting was relaxed screening when entering the White House, and this was a perk he valued highly.

Two Secret Service escorts quickly whisked the Papal Nuncio inside, away from any prying eyes that might be lurking in the distance. Right away the Archbishop knew something was awry. In every single visit since his appointment his arrival had been a much publicized affair, and far earlier in the day. These two changes in what was considered normal protocol made Archbishop Martinelli's hair stand slightly on end. Something was about to happen, he simply had no clue what it was.

Unknown to most people, the Vatican operated one of the more effective and proficient intelligence gathering efforts globally. From Cardinal's to the newest parish priest gathered sensitive information, to help guide the Holy See into the future. Whenever something of note was learned, it was immediately whisked to Vatican City. During World War II American code breakers acting under orders had attempted and failed numerous times to crack the complex communications codes the Roman Catholic Church normally employed. Smelling an opportunity in the wind, the Archbishop steeled himself to mentally record every mannerism and nuisance of the President in this most unusual of meetings.

Four minutes after his arrival at the White House Archbishop Martinelli was shown into the Oval Office. Looking around he noted two Air Force officers, and two civilians he did not recognize as important faces in Washington. Walking forward Martinelli raised his hand to shake that of President Hayes.

"Your Eminence, thank you for coming at such a late hour" began Hayes.

"It is always an honor to be of service Mr. President" replied Martinelli.

"May I introduce you to the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Martinelli" said Hayes to the gathering.

Greetings and introductions were exchanged between the military officers and Martinelli. The man and woman in attendance very politely shook his hand and greeted him with warm smiles, but did little in the way of introducing themselves. The Archbishop took this to mean the man and woman must clearly be members of the American Intelligence apparatus.

"May I offer you a drink Your Eminence" asked Hayes.

"The meeting is just beginning, I'm afraid I must decline" replied the Papal Nuncio.

"Are you sure? It really might make what I'm about to share with you go down a bit smoother" suggested the President.

"No thank you Mr. President. May I inquire as to the purpose of this meeting" asked Martinelli.

"Well Your Eminence, we've asked you here today to share some information with you. We're also hoping that the Holy See will be willing to lend his assistance in this matter. I must make clear to you though that this information is only to be shared with His Holiness and no one else" stated Hayes.

"You have my word that this will go no further than the Pontiff Mr. President" replied Martinelli.

"Please be cognizant of the fact that this information will alter the course of events for many generations to come. What I'm about to share will cause some to rejoice, and may very well polarize the views of others dangerously" hinted Hayes.

"As always, anything discussed in this room will be dealt with in the highest degree of confidence Mr. President. Are you finally wishing to discuss Vatican involvement in brokering a peace accord with certain Middle East nations" asked Martinelli.

"No, Your Eminence. The State Department has a handle on that. Paul, would you care to lead off on this" asked Hayes.

"Of course Mr. President. Your Eminence, in 1928 during an archeological dig in Giza, Egypt by Doctor Paul Langford a find of immense importance was unearthed. This object, being circular in shape weighed in at roughly twenty nine tons. The object was of unknown origin. It was later discovered this object was alien in nature" smoothly stated Davis.

"Could you repeat that Colonel? For a moment I thought I heard you say alien in nature" replied Martinelli warily.

"Yes Your Eminence, alien in nature. To avoid capture of the object by Nazi forces it was transported later to the United States" continued Davis.

"Colonel, simply because an object does not fit certain archeological theories does not mean it is alien in nature" countered Martinelli.

"On that point I agree fully with you Your Eminence. To be more precise it would be best if we referred to the object recovered as a device" suggested Davis.

"Young man, do you truly expect me to sit here and allow you to regale me with tales of alien devices being recovered in archeological digs" rebutted Martinelli with some amount of scorn in his voice.

"Your Eminence, the Colonel is briefing you on facts" interjected Hayes.

"It's a hell of a device too" added O'Neill.

"Approximately seventeen years ago after intensive study by a team of scientists the device was activated. When active the device creates an artificial wormhole that allows for near instantaneous travel to other planets in this galaxy and others that have a similar device" continued Davis.

"You've used this device haven't you" demanded Martinelli with a pale look on his face.

"Many times Your Eminence. On the first mission thought the device, which we call a stargate, the team encountered a somewhat primitive human culture toiling under the thumb of oppression by a parasitic race posing as gods from ancient Egyptian mythology. On a side note the use of religion as a tool of oppression is something we've found to be a fairly common theme in multiple galaxies" explained Davis.

"Stop right there Colonel. If this star gate as you termed it is alien in origin then please explain where the aliens who conceived and built the device are" asked Martinelli with a smug look on his face.

With an apologetic look on his face Davis slowly pointed his index finger at the man and the woman seated across from Martinelli. With an intense look the Papal Nuncio stared long and hard at the duo.

"Hello" said the man and the woman warmly.

For the next two hours the briefing continued. Martinelli was informed about past accomplishments of the program, technological achievements, and the current state of intergalactic affairs. Finally his eyes began to glaze over, and President Hayes opted to stop the meeting where it was. A Secret Service agent quickly escorted Martinelli to his vehicle for the ride back to Massachusetts Avenue. Sitting in the vehicle as if in a daze, Martinelli was silent as the driver began to worry.

"Just what the universe needs, reruns of Dancing with The Stars. What have the Americans done" Martinelli muttered to himself.

In the Oval Office the collected group sat and chatted about how they thought the meeting had went.

"At one point I really thought he was going to have a stroke. The last thing I want is a diplomat to die in my office" conceded Hayes.

"The Papal Nuncio handles it far better than you told us to expect" stated Melia.

"He was slightly concerned and beside himself though I admit" added Dorin.

"We changed a lot of lives tonight. All in all I think he took it pretty well" smiled Jack.