[mikeo80]

AS Promised, here is my version of the "dark" side of Stargate. Enjoy. Comments welcomed.

Different Type of Morrow

Version 2

1984 was the start of two very interesting decades for the United States. 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 a M1A1 Abrams tank 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. We also found that we could not send compound vehicles, such as trailers attached to other vehicles. 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. We could stay in touch with our exploration teams as they surveyed the new world.

The first order issued by President Reagan after he heard of the Stargate was to put the military in charge of the use of the "Gate". General Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded by moving the Stargate to the infamous "Area 51" base. The gate was placed in a huge, below ground complex for several reasons. First was to limit any outside knowledge of this new technology. Second was to provide a secure area from which to operate the project. Third was to perhaps the most original and sinister of all. The complex was equipped with a 50-megaton nuclear warhead that could be triggered if there was either an invasion through the Stargate or a "Wildfire" biological crisis.

During the first three years of exploration, the United States 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 U.S. started a colony on one of the worlds we had explored. The primary industry for this new colony was the production of food. This planet was determined to be very fertile and Terran crops were able to survive in the new environment. Within three years after the startup, the planet was exporting thousands of metric tons of grain.

The new colony was manned by both military personnel and by civilian conscripts. These civilians had no idea were they were. The military simply drugged the workers before they arrived at "Area 51" and woke them upon their arrival on the new world. These civilians tended to be the homeless or other "undesirables" whose presence would not be missed on Earth. These workers are well fed, have full medical care, good housing, clothing allotments and other necessities of life.

There were some necessary civilian workers who were needed to set up the equipment, lodging, water treatment, food services, and other facilities. This group came from industries that worked with the Department of Defense. They would also be drugged before their arrival at "Area 51", but these workers had the option of going home. The military tries to keep this group as small as possible.

The military personnel were usually part of our Special Forces groups such as the SEALS, Marine LRP's, Rangers or Green Berets

The military also constructed elaborate fortifications around the Stargate on the new world. These fortifications included anti-tank, anti-air and anti-missile defenses. They also included nuclear destruct mechanisms to prevent any hostile take over of the Stargate by "any un-authorized persons". There were always several military personnel present whose mission was to insure the destruction of the Stargate if there was hostile action. The Stargate has been reinforced with a closable iris of titanium. This barrier is closed at all times unless there is a coded radio message from an incoming team.

At the present time, the U.S. has five colonies located off world. The military has surveyed another ten worlds, but there have not been any decisions made as to future expansion of the colonization effort. These colonies represent the largest secret organization since the Manhattan project built the Atomic Bomb. The Prime Minister of Great Britain knows of the project. President Bush and Prime Minister Blair have discussed informing other countries about the Stargate, but there has been no decision made yet. There has been an exchange of information between the top levels of the militaries of the U.K. and the U.S. A company of the S.A.S. has worked with the U.S. military and has trained with our troops.

To date, there has not been any evidence of intelligence except for the Stargates. The planets that contain our colonies are very Earthlike with life forms similar to the U.S. at the time of the European discovery. There are many small to medium herbivores, a fair contingent of carnivores, and other life forms abound. There has not been any disease found that does not respond to anti-biotics. Life for our colonists on these planets is good.

There has been a small but growing industrial development of these colonies to serve other needs of the U.S. Oil has been found on two of the worlds. Iron ore, aluminum, and other minerals are now starting to be exploited. The potential influx of raw materials has promised to begin an industrial expansion for the U.S. How this will be accomplished while maintaining secrecy is an on going question.

The players will represent members of the U.S. military 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 loads.

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) One 5.56 mm mini gun in the turret. (Set up like 20 mm variant. 3000 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition. Two man crew.)
3) Stinger Anti-aircraft missiles mounted on the 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 military also uses 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 seven extra persons. The V-300 also has a range of 500 kilometers.

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 the U.S. 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 crew compartment is also sealed from the science compartment with a positive pressure air lock. This vehicle can carry enough air, water, food and fuel for a 10-day mission with the addition of external tanks that contain the extra supplies. This vehicle has no weapons.

Stargate Command at "Area 51" has a regiment of troops available. Unofficially, this regiment has been called "The Star Guard". This group includes 3000 infantry divided into three battalions with five companies per battalion, five platoons per company and five squads per platoon.

In addition to the infantry, the regiment has a battalion of heavy weapons. This battalion has three companies. The first company has twelve StingRay II medium tanks. There is an artillery company assigned to the battalion. This company consists of four towed 155 mm cannon and eight towed 105 mm cannon. The third company is twelve Apache attack helicopters.

StingRay II Medium Tank

This tank was designed with mobile forces in mind. It is a relatively light tank, weighing only 22.6 tons vs. the 70-ton M1A1 Abrams. This means that it is an airmobile tank. A C-130 can drop or fast deliver one of these tanks to the battlefield. The StingRay is equipped with a 105 mm main gun and two 7.62 mm machine guns. It has a range of about 300 KM with a full fuel load. This tank is not designed to go head to head with a modern Soviet T-80, but it can provide good armor support for light forces such as airborne or air mobile infantry.

This tank posed some problems with the Stargate. The maximum weight that the Stargate can handle is 20 metric tons or about 44,000 pounds. At full battle weight, the Stingray is too heavy to go through the gate. So some compromises were made. During transit, the tank would have no ammunition, only the driver would be in the vehicle, and there would only be 10 liters of fuel in the gas tank. In this configuration, the tank CAN travel through the Stargate.

105 mm Artillery

This is the standard light artillery used by the U.S. military around the world. The Stargate poses unique problem for this and the 155 mm artillery. The Stargate does not permit "compound" vehicles or, in other words, nothing can be towed through the Stargate. However, there is nothing that prevents something from being PUSHED through the gate. The plan is to disassemble the 105 mm gun, pack the parts in wooden pallets with wheels on the bottom. These pallets can then be loaded onto a truck or pushed through the Stargate. The gun can be uncrated, reassembled, hooked to a vehicle, and taken wherever needed. This has been proven in tests, but never in actual combat conditions.

155 mm Artillery

This is the standard medium artillery in the United States Military. All of the comments for the 105 mm gun apply to the 155.

Apache Longbow Attack Helicopter

If you can't have an Air Force, then use an Apache. This is the latest version of the attack helicopter that did so much damage in Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. This helicopter comes complete with a 30mm chain gun, thermal night sights, laser designator, and all of the necessary electronics to use any of the modern "smart" missiles.

The biggest problem with the Apache is its' size. It is not a huge aircraft but very awkward in the confines of the SGC. The war plans call for the Apache to be "pre-packed", moved through the Stargate and reassembled on the other side. This has worked during drills, but how this will work during an actual emergency remains to be seen.

Typically there is an infantry company stationed at each of the off world locations. Five infantry companies are stationed at Stargate Command and the rest of the regiment is on R&R or in training. This allows for a rotation of the troops to and from Earth. The typical deployment schedule is four months off world, eight months on Earth.

The off world missions of the team are three types.

1) The Star Guard carries out all first missions to a new planet. A team sent on this type mission will typically have one V-300 and two V150's to escort three science variants of the V-300. The escort vehicles will not carry extra personnel. This allows for the consumables to cover a ten-day mission.
2) Exploration of the new world. Once a world was deemed safe, engineers and scientists would be sent to determine the best use of the new world. The team would accompany these scientists as guards. Due to the need for secrecy, these first two missions are very rare.
3) Guard duty on an existing world is the most common off world billet. This is a very boring but necessary job. The troopers are trained to take good care of the worker population. These people are not exactly prisoners, but they are not citizens either. They have received the best "programming" available to the military, but it is not fool proof.

The missions on Earth are very simple; either a group is on guard duty at the SGC, training for a mission, or on R&R.