Session 1: The Mission
[Apr 10th, 2025]
Four military personnel are brought to Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado for a top secret mission with fake assignments under Space Force to study deep-space telemetry. Their real assignments is to be the first team to step into a stable wormhole generated by a piece of alien technology.
Major Augustus Payne is set to be the team commander. He has extensive combat experience and know how to command a squadron in dangerous situations. He has a serious, no-nonsense demeaner but is quite loyal to his crew.
Lieutenant Rudy Wilks is the Intelligence and Communications (IntCom) Officer, the second-in-command. He hasn’t spend much time out in the field and is a bit socially awkward. He is a master of electronics, engineering, physics, and computation. He prefers to spend time with devices and computers.
Lieutenant Jamie McCowick is the cultural and language specialist. He has spend much time traveling the world and easing world relations for his country. He had left the military to pursue an academic career, but has been called back in for his expertise.
Staff Sergeant Redrick Ironwulf is an experienced combat medic. He continues to take tours of duty to serve his country as a pararescue and keeps people alive in the most dangerous combat zones. He is eager to prove herself in this new venture.
The four officers have a briefing with the Stargate Command and learn about their new mission, to enter a stable wormhole through the alien device, called a stargate, and explore the world beyond. They meet the base staff, their Commander, General Francis Thompson and his second-in-command, the Duty Officer, Captain Luke Hunter. They also meet the other base staff, including the medical doctor, therapist, and chief scientist.
After a successful opening of the gate and dialing in the address to an unknown world, the base team sends a MALP (Mobile Analytic Laboratory Probe) to analyze the environment for safety. They find an arid but indoor environment on the other side, seemingly a temple complex of some kind. A few days later, they re-open the gate to send the team through to explore. They have a 24 hour window before the SGC will redial them to communicate, but they worry that the gateway is one-way and the team will have to find a way to dial back home.
The team suits up and heads through the wormhole. On the far side, they find an ancient Egyptian-like temple, with the other stargate. Wilks identifies a device that powers the gate. He and McCowick determine the 7th symbol they need to dial home with the device, but they do not know Earth’s home address. They decide to explore the temple complex, finding a statue to a Horus-like deity and language that suggests a tightly controlled society where language did not vary much overtime.
The team then exits the temple to step out into the harsh sun of a desert environment. They then see what is unmistakably humans gathering wooden crates to a center platform. McCowick notes their technology seems to be somewhere around the medieval era.
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Session 2: False Emissaries
[Apr 24th, 2025]
An elder man approaches and McCowick is able to somewhat understand their branch of Ancient Egyptian language. They believe that the heroes are “here early” and the elder wants to escort them to “the Queens”. Payne agrees and they follow the elder. On their way out, Wilks notices the ore they are gathering is not an element known to Earth with some strange energetic properties, but he leaves it be for now.
The heroes are escorted down a long road to a desert town surrounded by a high wall. A grand palace is on the far side near a large oasis lake. They then ascend to the palace and are taken to a throne room to meet the Triumvirate, three beautiful queens who seem to rule over these people. Lady Jezabella, Lady Elissa, and Lady Tanni. Payne and McCowick get through the negotiations and lie that they are indeed emissaries of their Lord Syssyr, the Lord of the Skies. The Queens wonder why they arrive early, before the “rising of the third moon.” The heroes pretend to be early to “observe” things in their kingdom for Lord Syssyr. The Queens want to meet with them tomorrow to discuss details about the shipment.
The heroes are each escorted to opulent bedchambers but then decide to explore. They first head out to where all the people are coming from with the ore. They find themselves many miles away at a slave mine where they seemingly mine the strange ore, called naquadah. The overseer seems hesitant to show their massive operation. The heroes then return to town and carouse with the townspeople, learning they have a great love for hospitality and drinking fermented beverages. Wilks is able to determine that the “rising of the third moon” is likely only a day or two away. The heroes then return to the palace to sleep.
The next morning, the heroes head back to the pyramid temple to try to find writing somewhere, hoping to find the address to return to Earth. They explore the lower chambers, finding them empty and untouched. But then a great tremor overtakes the pyramid and they find they are not alone. They hide to the side as all the lights come to life and armed guards march through the pyramids halls. They explore where they came from and see a large chamber where rings collide and a shaft of light shoots down. Numerous armed guards then appear out of nowhere. They immediately see the heroes and begin shooting at them.
A frantic battle begins with the heroes taking cover as the armed falcon-helmed guards fire their staves with bolts of pure plasma energy. Wilks and McCowick take a few of them out with lucky shots. Ironwulf fires a round to take another out. Soon McCowick and Payne are overcome by melee fighters and then Ironwulf is shot from afar and is barely holding on. The battle continues…
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Session 3: The Jig Is Up
[May 8th, 2025]
Ironwulf bares his teeth and charges in to fight melee with Payne. Wilks and McCowick fire at the enemies as they close in. Wilks takes a hit, but he and McCowick take out more guards. McCowick then tries to get the Elite Guard to surrender, but he is forced to kill him instead. The firefight continues for a bit, until McCowick gets the guards to stop fighting and they can talk.
McCowick chats briefly with the strangely armored guards, but they quickly realize that they are enemies and fighting resumes. However, Payne takes some of them out quickly with a grenade. But then Ironwulf is shot and goes down, and Wilks cauterizes his wound with the hot barrel of his pistol. The heroes fell the remaining guards and are able to capture and bound one of them. They drag him and the injured Ironwulf to the Stargate room where they interrogate him.
They learn that Lord Syssyr comes once a year for the naquadah ore that seems the be the energy basis of their technology. They also learn that Lord Syssyr himself will eventually come to greet the Tribunal queens. Major Payne kills the guard and the heroes are able to communicate with Earth. They send Lieutenant Pame to help with their injuries and provide additional support. But they cannot find the home gate address without some information on their side.
The heroes decide to wear the armor of the strange guards, with McCowick wearing the elite-guard’s falcon-shaped helmet. They are then able to step out of the pyramid and past the other guards. They head straight towards the city where they meet with Lady Elissa. McCowick is able to convince her that they are indeed Lord Syssyr’s servants. They overhear about rebels in the desert and the heroes “take over” the search for them. They gather supplies from the palace, pack up some draft animals, then head out searching for the rebels in the northeastern badlands.
After many hours, they come across some tracks that leads them into the badland canyons. Where they eventually find a small group of cloaked figures with a couple animals. They approach them in peace and the people admit they are rebels and bring the heroes to their leader, Elder Balthezar.
The heroes explain who they are and where they came from and the Elder tells the heroes of a prophecy that those from the stargate would liberate them. He tells them of an ancient palace with the forgotten history of his people, that they once came from Earth. He offers to show them the place, but warns that the queens have placed guards to keep them from it. The heroes decide to take a few days in the rebel camp to treat their wounds and attempt to learn Lord Syssyr’s technology.
An argument breaks out among the heroes, as through radio communication with Earth, Project Lazurus is mentioned. Pame backs the Major. McCowick and Wilks want to know more. Ironwulf eventually agrees with them too, wanting Payne to tell them more. However, Major Payne refuses to elaborate, only that it is to ensure the safety of Earth. Tension grows among the heroes as the stress of being stranded from Earth grows on them. After a few days, the heroes learn little about the strange technology, but at least Ironwulf and Wilks are in good shape, ready to travel and find this ancient temple.
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