Stargate Academy: Breaking Point

Oliver’s mind still ached from the shock it had received. All the new information was almost too much to handle. Aliens, spaceships, the Stargate. All of it. Plus his parents apparently already knew about it, and actually worked in this exact building. That was news. It made sense in a way. Never once had he been allowed to go to work with them or hear about their day until now. He always assumed they worked for the government. But this seemed just...unlikely.

Before the group of people he stood with - including his roommate Levi - the Stargate spun and hummed - breaking all pretenses he had about reality, with one loud whoosh. The ‘event horizon’ looked like water. But not actual water. Like water in a video game.

’This is real, Oliver,’ he reminded himself, as others began to walk into the puddle that would take them to another planet. Hearing Levi’s voice beside him, he glanced over and smiled.
“Just a bit…” he sighed before taking a deep breath and stepping through.

The sensation was impossible to describe. It was a bit like falling - but also spinning. As he stepped through the other side, he released the breath he had been holding. Oliver felt a bit disoriented - but continued to walk forward to move out of the way as the others came through behind him.

In reality he wanted to sit down for a minute to gather himself, but he kept standing - watching the others for their reactions to Stargate travel. He could see how one could get used to it - but no words could have prepared him for that.

His eyes jumped away from his team to the planet itself. This was an alien planet. Not Earth. Not another state. Not another country. A new world. Smiling to himself, he waited for the team to ready themselves in order to continue their lesson.

Well ... this was definitely different from what she'd dealt with.

In the eight months since she had started at Stargate Academy, Connolly had excelled.  Having a considerable jump on most of the other cadets when she was starting off (what with her familial relations to the Program in the form of her brother and father), Sky had attacked her training with a ferocity she had not possessed in a long while.  The second semester of her first year introduced her to wonders she never dreamed of, even after being 'in' on the concept of the Stargate and the personnel assigned to it.  The team structure when she had been on SGA-8 was quite rigid, with a clear chain of command and appropriate numbers on the team.

That went out the window with this new academic year.  The first month she had, likely the same with all the others present, been in and out of classroom assignments with no consistency.  It threw her off, and from the intelligence she had gathered on her own, the Group's Commissioned Training Officer had everything to do with it.  The first official candidate of the Stargate Academy, Jennifer Hailey had been a wild card, her brilliant intellect challenged only by her indignant nature.  Nearly thrown out of the Air Force Academy, Jennifer got a second chance when Samantha Carter pleaded with the Commandant to keep her going.  Hailey had now been an Air Force officer for over seven years, still finding unorthodox ways to get her missions accomplished.  This year, she had been approached and eagerly accepted the role of CTO with the 2nd Training Group.

Throwing people off their game was definitely her modus operandi, and tossing the team together for the first time on a visit to an off-world research station fit the bill.  From what Sky was witnessing, the Captain could have hand-picked some of these ... interesting people for the Academy herself.  Taking a deep breath and letting it out, the Army cadet shook a loose strand of hair from in front of her eyes before saying aloud in amusement, "Looks like Canada to me."  Smiling widely and squinting her bright blue eyes despite the darkness, the Cadet Sergeant First Class wondered to herself, What strange times await us?

0632 Hours
3 Klicks South of SGC Outpost
P3R-848

Riley stumbled out of the wormhole, trying to steady footing, only to go tumbling down the stone steps. That wasn't the most graceful entrance. West Point trained you for various different situations in life and in the Army - neither of which prepared you for this moment. They didn't have a class on how to gracefully step out of the Stargate, nor did the Stargate Academy for that matter. Catching breath for a moment, the brunette pushed into standing position, letting the legs stable themselves, while the eyes grazed around at the new surroundings. Samantha's comment brought a small smile to Peterson's face. Definitely was saying what everyone was thinking. This was the dream of a lifetime. How many kids grew up wishing to step foot on an alien planet. Now they were apart of the lucky few that got to experience just that. Even more so, they were lucky enough to learn about all of this.

The mind spun at the countless thoughts as Riley dusted of the pants, straightening up while grasping the handles of the backpack. Hearing the last part Samantha's question, the cadet glanced around at the personnel that was with them, already heading north. "Seems like we start following along. Personally, I want to stick with those who know more than I do," she commented gazing over towards Ezra for a moment, giving a small shrug and following into step behind the older personnel.

Heading down the path, Riley couldn't stop taking in the sights. This planet was unlike any other. Okay so yeah it was the first planet, apart from earth, she had seen, but it was beautiful. The colors were vibrant. The air was crisp and clear. Though a shudder ran down the length of the spine thinking of what horrors could be hiding on this peaceful looking planet. A scene from Independence Day ran through the Cadet Second Lieutenant's mind. Why that movie of all movies came to mind, Pyrex didn't know why. Maybe it was because she was walking down on a path in a strange planet.

"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." Riley muttered to no one in particular, taking a small deep breath. Hands grasped hard on the straps, knowing they would be slightly shaking other wise. Taking a look over the shoulder, the brunette gazed back at the others, trying to get a sense of exactly how they were handling it all. Back at the Stargate, it seemed everyone was feeling the same she had been - awe struck of where they were, and most likely, all they were about to experience. Who knew what was bound to happen. This was a whole new ball game. Everything West Point had taught the cadet only helped to a certain point now they were here. Oh yeah Toto, they definitely weren't in Kansas anymore. If only Auntie Em could see where they were now.

< tag: Ezra Gray, Levi Rosenberg, @oliver, Samantha "Thumper" Hathaway, Sky "Crystal" Connolly >