Emergency Contingency Planning Briefing Part 1/2

Posted on Tue Dec 17th, 2024 @ 7:39am by Major Troy Blackwell [GM] & Captain Cedric Shepherd

1,762 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Floodgate
Location: Stargate Command, Briefing Room
Timeline: July 2004 -- Preparations for Mission 1

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===Briefing Room===

The room is tense, filled with the quiet hum of anticipation. The leaders of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omega teams are seated around the conference table, their attention on General O’Neill, who stands at the head of the room. A ghostly image of the flooded gateroom in the city of Atlantis, shimmering in blue light coming from the stairs, is on the monitor behind him. O’Neill, dressed in his uniform, rests his hands on the edge of the table and surveys the room with a trademark mix of seriousness and irreverence.

“Alright, folks, let’s get this over with before my coffee gets cold. Atlantis—our shiny, ancient real estate in the Pegasus galaxy—is currently submerged in more water than your average ocean moon. The shield’s offline, the first expedition didn’t make it, and now it’s up to you fine folks to fix it. Lucky us, huh?”

He taps a button on the table's keyboard, and the monitor shifts to a ZPM glowing faintly.

“You’re the advanced party. Each of you has a job to do, and before anyone says it—yes, they’re dangerous. Alpha and Beta teams, you’re securing the Gate Room and whatever’s above and below it. Intel says it’s the central hub of the city, but for all we know, it’s an ancient broom closet. Either way, poke around, secure the area, and clear the path for the rest of the teams.”

After another button press the monitor switched to the only scan, the M.A.L.P sent back, showing Atlantis’ Gateroom layout, highlighting a few of the nearby waterlogged rooms.

“Gamma and Omega, you’ll be handling the heavy lifting—portable shelters, submersibles, and ensuring the tech works underwater without turning into a fireworks show. You’re our logistics backbone, so if anything collapses—literally or figuratively—you’re the ones holding it all together.” He glances at Delta Team’s leader with a smirk.

“Delta, you’re the wildcard. Your job is to take the shiny new ZPM and get it into the generator room, wherever the Ancients decided to hide it. Once it’s in place, fire up the shield and keep it online long enough for the city to start drying out. Oh, and no pressure, but if you drop it, we’re all in trouble. Figuratively, then literally.”

O’Neill steps back, folding his arms as his tone sharpens.

“Here’s the catch: you’re on a clock. The Daedalus, under Colonel Everett Grant—yeah, I know, another ‘Grant’—, will ferry in the rest of the second expedition in 18 days. That gives you just under three weeks to make sure Atlantis isn’t a glorified aquarium when they arrive. Power the shield, stabilize the systems, and secure the city.” His smirk fades as he drives the point home.

“This isn’t a walk in the park. Atlantis is deep underwater. The pressure will kill you faster than you can say ‘bad idea,’ and your air is finite. You’ve got deep-sea gear, shelters, and submersibles, but the quicker you get this done, the better your odds of coming back to brag about it.”

He pauses, scanning the faces around the table before letting his gaze settle on Delta Team’s leader.

“Delta, you’re heading to the ZPM room, so I’m counting on you to set the tone. No pressure, right? Meanwhile, Alpha and Beta can fight over who gets the glory of exploring.”

O’Neill pauses, scanning the faces at the table, lingering momentarily on Delta Team’s leader. With an arched eyebrow, he smirks faintly before turning to the other leaders. “Questions? Alpha, Beta—you wanna start us off?”

Lieutenant Shepherd looked over his men's listed gear then checked his own gear list one final time, nodding he looked back towards the General. "Beta team request permission to be first through sir." Cedric said. "Once the first team clears the gate room the following team can explore." Cedric continued to convince the General, "I believe it's practical to send Beta first anyway sir, I am a Navy Diver and I have experience operating in deep sea conditions. That experience should be used to secure base camp as soon as possible so we can begin recover of the first expedition should we not secure Atlantis."

O’Neill listened to Lieutenant Shepherd’s request, his expression a blend of mild amusement and consideration. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table as Shepherd made his case, then raised a hand to pause him just as he finished.

“Hold your horses, Lieutenant. You’re volunteering Beta to be first through—got it, noted, filed away. And I appreciate the enthusiasm, I really do. A Navy Diver? Fancy. I’ll admit, you’ve got the credentials for this gig, no doubt about it. But...”

He leaned forward slightly, fixing Shepherd with a pointed look.

“This isn’t just about who’s got the best gear or the deepest resume. It’s about timing, coordination, and making sure we don’t send anyone into the abyss blind. I’m not saying Beta can’t go first, but if I give the nod, it’s because the plan supports it—not because you drew the short straw for volunteer of the day.”

O’Neill straightened, gesturing toward the rest of the team leaders.

“That said, you’re not wrong about base camp. Securing the Gate Room is priority one, and if you think Beta’s experience gives us the edge to do that, I’ll consider it. But keep in mind, this isn’t just a recovery op. If Atlantis is beyond saving, there won’t be much recovering to do. Your focus is on the living—our people and the second expedition. If you run into anything that jeopardizes those objectives, you pull back and regroup. Clear?”

He glanced around the room, giving a subtle nod to the Alpha Team leader as well.

“Alpha, any thoughts on this? You gonna let Beta steal your thunder, or are you two gonna play nice?”

O’Neill’s gaze finally returned to Shepherd, one eyebrow quirking upward.

“You’ve got my attention, Lieutenant. But let’s see where this conversation goes before I hand out tickets to the show.”

The Alpha Team leader, Captain John Reynolds (NPC), leaned back in his chair, a confident grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. His voice was calm but firm as he responded to O’Neill, glancing briefly at Lieutenant Shepherd before addressing the General directly.

“General, with all due respect to Beta’s impressive resume, Alpha Team’s mission is to take point. Securing the Gate Room and assessing the immediate area falls squarely in our wheelhouse. My team’s trained for rapid-entry scenarios, including underwater operations. We’ve run simulations on this kind of op, and we’re ready to lead.”

Reynolds (NPC) shifted his gaze to Shepherd, his tone remaining professional but with an edge of friendly rivalry.

“Lieutenant, I appreciate your confidence, but this isn’t just a deep-sea recovery. It’s a tactical entry into unknown territory. That’s where Alpha thrives. We’ll secure the Gate Room and make sure it’s safe for everyone else to do their job. After that, you and Beta can assist with the exploration and initial setup.”

O’Neill, leaning slightly on the edge of the table, raised a hand to pause the brewing debate, his tone laced with equal parts amusement and command. “Alright, hold on. Let’s not turn this into a who’s-the-best-at-diving contest. Reynolds, Shepherd—you’re both right, in your own ways. Here’s how we’re going to split this up.”

He gestured to the limited image scan of Atlantis behind him on the monitor, specifically the Gate Room and the adjacent areas.

“Alpha and Beta are both tasked with securing the Gate Room and the surrounding control room. Once that’s locked down, you’ll split responsibilities. Alpha, you’ll secure the nearby corridors and ensure there aren’t any surprises waiting for the rest of the teams in this... ‘mystery structure’ around the Gate Room. Beta, you’ll take point on the exploration of what looks like the central building—control systems, potential access points, anything we can use to stabilize the city.”

He tapped the table, zooming in further on the not-so-clear image on the monitor.

“Keep in mind: this isn’t just a ‘go first and claim glory’ kind of mission. You’re working together, not competing. I want clear communication between Alpha and Beta at all times. If either team runs into something you can’t handle alone, you call for backup. No Lone Ranger stuff, got it?”

O’Neill shifted his gaze between the two team leaders, pausing to let the gravity of the assignment sink in. Then, with a faint smirk, he addressed them directly.

“Reynolds, you’re covering the Gate Room and keeping a lid on any immediate threats. Shepherd, you and your divers will take the lead on exploring the structure and figuring out what the heck is down there. Sound fair?” His smirk widened slightly.

“Now, play nice, kids. Questions, complaints, or wagers I should be aware of?”

"No Sir." Cedric responded, "Like you said Sir, more eyes will let us deal with any immediate threats, once secure we can utilize both teams to rapidly secure base." Cedric nodded while glaring at Reynolds.

All the while Delta team leader, Major Troy Blackwell, watched the primary team leaders face off, he didn't like the fighting between teams as most often there were. Its human nature to be competitive, it went back to stone age. So he sighed as the General finished.

"General, I have no issues with Delta taking on the responsibility of getting the ZPM to where it needs to go. I just wish there was a more accurate map of the city that we could use." Troy said somewhat discouraged, "as you said the longer it takes the worse our situation will be. Though I am glad that there will be a shelter being built while my team finds the generator room, I'm assuming."

He had a brief moment of thought. "Perhaps some of the first expedition's gear is waterproof and we can use it? I guess we should work on setting up the shelter first and its habits then connect the control systems to Atlantis' control room."

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To Be Continued...

 

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