[mikeo80]

I recently started fooling arround with the idea that the "Stargate" program was incorporated with Morrow Project stats and equipment. I Postulated two possible universes where this might happen. One universe was a type of "United Terran Federation" with a rather utopian startup. The other universe was much darker and more America centric.

The following is the "UTF" idea. I will post the dark side later. Enjoy. Comments are welcome.

Different Type of Morrow

1974 was the start of three very good decades for all of the people of Earth. During a routine exploration for oil on the North Slope of Alaska, a large circular object was discovered frozen in one of the glaciers. Upon further research, this disk was found to be able to create a two-way, inter-dimensional connection between Earth and other worlds. Engraved upon the disk was a binary number that was equivalent to 1031 x 4201 x 6120. This number was the Earths' "address". There was a keypad that was associated with the disk where the destination address could be entered. Because of a smart remark by one of the scientists examining this device, it became known as a "Stargate".

The Stargate allowed groups of explorers to travel instantly from Earth to many other worlds. We learned that everywhere we went there was a Stargate on "the other side". By entering Earths' "address", this Gate could then be set to connect back to Earth. We found that we could not transport large items like tractor-trailers through the Gate. There was some limiting factor in the Gate system. With some trial and error, we found that we could send vehicles that were in the 20 metric ton range. The V-150 and the Ranger became the vehicles of choice for transporting people and large U-Haul trucks were used to transport material.

We also learned that once the connection was made between worlds, radio and television signals could be sent between these worlds. This became the basis for the Great Trade Market. This market was set up in Geneva, Switzerland. Planets scheduled time with the Stargate Command Center to transmit information on the trade items and prices that were available from that world and receive lists of desired goods for import. The Trade Market acted as a convenient clearinghouse for trade between the worlds. Usually, each planet sent one representative to the Trade Market. This representative would contact his world every two to four weeks for the latest goods and their price that were available for trade.

During the first three years of exploration, the United States, Britain, Russia, China, France, Germany and Japan sent military units to explore this new universe. The possibilities were endless. Unlimited food, fuel, raw materials, and room to grow were the primary results of the exploration. The major powers started twenty-one colonies, three for each nation. The primary industry for these new colonies was the production of food. These planets were determined to be very fertile and Terran crops were able to survive in the new environments. Within two years, these planets were exporting thousands of metric tons of grain.

In 1977, the President of the United States held a top-secret meeting among the seven super powers of Earth. It was decided that for our home world to survive, the Stargate had to be made available to all. These leaders made the announcement of the existence of the Stargate simultaneously to the entire world.

Many hundreds of colonies were started. Raw materials were extracted; extra food was grown. The people of Earth were able to move away from the nightmares of war, starvation, lack of water and pollution. Over population became a problem of the past. By 2003, the population of Earth was less than three billion people. We were walking on planets that had never been seen by Man. We would identify a world that contained resources Earth needed, and a colony would be established.

In 1980, a political solution was reached to govern the wide spread colonies. The idea was to have each planet choose one representative to be sent to the Planetary Council of the new Federated States of Earth. This representative would be chosen once the population of the planet reached 25,000 or more. The planetary government would determine the term of office for the representative. The leaders of the seven major powers would chair the Planetary Council on a rotating basis. The term in office for the chairperson would be one year.

The Federated States Charter was a very simple document. The basic outline of the Charter was as follows.

1) All export trade would be unhindered by any planetary government. The planetary governments could set any restrictions they wanted to on imports.
2) The value of any trade would be based upon a new Federation wide currency called the credit. The credit was set up as a currency that was backed by precious metals. Each of the major powers set up a repository for precious metal. For example, Fort Knox, Kentucky was used in the United States. One hundred grams of platinum would equal one thousand credits. One hundred grams of gold would equal one hundred credits. One hundred grams of silver would equal ten credits. Any planet could set up their own internal currency, if they wished. All measurements in trade were to use the metric system. The individual planetary governments would set the value of any trade.
3) That there would be no restraint of travel between worlds. The laws of the planet being visited would govern any traveler. The only exceptions would be the members of the Star Guard and the Federated Tax Office officials.
4) That the Federated States would assist any planet that requested help. In case of an emergency, the Federated States could assume power. This Emergency Declaration had to be agreed upon by a two-thirds majority in the Planetary Council.
5) That the Federated States would not interfere in the internal affairs of a planet. The only exception to this rule was where Item 4 had been enacted.
6) That any increase in the tax rate for the Federated States would have to be passed by a two-thirds majority of the Planetary Council.
7) That any change in the Charter of the Federated States would require a two-thirds majority of the Planetary Council.
8) That it would be the responsibility of the Federated States to maintain a list of all populated planets, their co-ordinates, a copy of the laws of that planet, and a brief synopsis of the resources found on that planet. This information would be available to any one who requested it.
9) Each planet would be responsible of setting up a governing body whose sole responsibility to the Federated States was to enforce a one percent tax on all goods exported from that world. This income would finance the upkeep and repair of Earth and to provide for the Star Guard. The Federated States would set up a type of taxation office. Their job was to audit the taxation and the weights and contents of the export trade. The form of the government was left up to the people of that planet. Any other type of taxation or expenditure was up to the planetary government.

The militaries of Earth were cut back to mostly symbolic levels. The individual major powers each had one armored division, two mechanized divisions, and four infantry divisions. Other nations were allowed up to one mechanized division and two infantry divisions. The Air Forces of the major nations were reduced to five air wings with twenty-four aircraft each. Other nations could have one air wing with twenty-four aircraft. The nuclear forces of the major powers were reduced to five hundred warheads each. No other country was allowed nuclear weapons. The major nations disarmed the rest of the world of nuclear weapons. The Navies of the major powers were reduced to five cruisers, five submarines, ten destroyers and twenty support vessels. The United States was allowed to keep three aircraft carriers with forty-eight warplanes each, but there were representatives of each of the other major powers on board each carrier to insure that these warships were not used offensively. The rest of the world's nations were allowed up to five destroyers and ten support vessels.

Most of the rest of the world's military were retired. A select few were formed into one unit known as the 'Star Guard'. They acted as a type of National Guard that was sent to help during natural disasters. The members of the Star Guard were sent to train on as many planets as possible so that the individual characteristics of the planet and possible problems could be noted and prepared for. The Star Guard members were trained in engineering, crowd control, first aid and other areas that might help others. Duty in the Star Guard became a great honor.

This cutback enabled the Earth to finally live in peace. Oh, there were still minor occurrences of terrorism. The solution in most cases was to set up a planet for each of the myriad peoples of Earth. If you wanted to practice a certain type of religion or government, there was a planet where you could do so without interference from any one.

Of course, the question remained, who built these Stargates? We never found any answers during our time of exploration. We knew that "someone" had to have built the Stargate network, but obviously, they were not present at this time. We never found any ruins or other signs of habitation. The only artifacts were the Stargate and the dialing device.

The players will represent members of the Star Guard and they will use the Morrow Project statistics, weapons, and vehicles. The team members will all have the same weapon load out. The weapons will typically be the M-16 or the Uzi. The team members will carry tear gas, vomit gas or "flash bang" grenades. The H.E. and W.P. grenades are available. But since the role of the Star Guard is more peacekeeping and disaster assistance vs. combat, the majority of the weapons that are carried are non-lethal. The V-150 and Ranger type of vehicles are NOT fusion powered. (Science has not gotten that far yet.) They are equipped with gasoline powered, turbo charged, high performance engines. They carry enough fuel for an effective range of 500 kilometers. (About 300 miles) Typically, the APC version of the V-150 is used, but all of the other variants are available if needed. These variants include the following.

1) 20 mm turreted gun
2) TOW launcher
3) Mortar carrier
4) Armored Recovery Vehicle

There are also three new variants of the V-150 for this universe.

1) Engineering (Two-man crew. Can carry four extra persons. 50-caliber machine gun. Bulldozer blade on the front and a scoop shovel on the rear.)
2) 5.56 mm mini gun in turret (Set up like 20 mm variant. 3000 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition. Two man crew.)
3) Stinger Anti-aircraft on turret. (Set up like 20 mm variant. Four (4) Stinger launchers attached to turret. Stingers can be launched from within vehicle. Radar with 8-kilometer effective range. Four full reloads available. Total twenty (20) stinger missiles. Two man crew)

The Star Guard also has the V-300 series armored vehicle with a 90 mm high velocity auto loading cannon, a coaxial 7.62 machine gun, and a 7.62 machine gun for use by the commander. Crew of three would include Driver, Gunner, and Commander. There is room in the V-300 for six extra persons. There was one variant of the V-300. This was known as the Science Vehicle. This vehicle has the most advanced detection equipment known to Man. It is designed to explore a new world and sample the air, land and water for possible pathogens. The vehicle carries a crew of two and two scientists who run the diagnostic equipment. The crew compartment is separated from the science area. The vehicle has full NBC protection with positive pressure seals on all doors. The main exit is also sealed from the science compartment with a positive pressure air lock. This vehicle carries enough air for a five-day mission. This vehicle has no weapons.

The mission of the Star Guard is two fold.

1) The Star Guard carries out all first missions to a new planet. A team sent on this type mission will typically have a V-300 to back up three science variants of the V-300.
2) The National Guard mission. 95% of all missions in this mode have used the ARV or Engineering variant of the V-150. There has been little trouble among the many worlds that man now inhabits.