Topic # 10: Introduction
I'm gonna assume that anyone reading this has security clearance. If you do, I'm sure it'll just be a review of what you already know from my file. If you don't and you're still reading, well I'm sure you'll find it interesting enough.
An introduction… Alright, I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard of the United States Air Force currently stationed in the Pegasus Galaxy on Atlantis.
Just over two years ago, I was stationed at McMurdo Air Force Base in Antarctica with the rank of major and the job of flying people from the base to a remote field operation. It was pretty much the last stop before I was kicked out of the Air Force. See, I've never been great at following orders and I crossed the line when I flew into enemy territory to rescue the lives of a few service men. I got them out but it was enough for my CO to transfer me out of his command and they sent me to McMurdo as a punishment. To be honest, I kinda liked it there so it wasn't much of a punishment. It was quiet and I got to fly, granted there wasn't much excitement either, but after Afghanistan I really wasn't minding.
Anyway, one day I was flying General O'Neill out to the research base when we were attacked by this drone thing. My security clearance was instantly raised to include the research base as a direct result. Once there I made the mistake of sitting in this chair, which reacted to a rare gene that I seem to be lucky enough have. And with a flip of a coin later, I found myself traveling thru a thing called the Stargate to a galaxy far, far away.
These days, most of this stuff, (drones, traveling thru Stargates, the Wraith) is pretty standard and part of the every day run of the mill, but at the time, it was pretty overwhelming. Sorry, I'm jumping ahead.
It turns out, that we found the lost city of Atlantis. Only, it wasn't on Earth. See, there was this race of people that we call The Ancients that lived on Earth ten thousand years ago. They built the Stargate system as well as the city of Atlantis and flew (yes, I did say flew) it to the Pegasus galaxy were they populated a great deal of the inhabitable planets there. Unfortunately, they got into a war with a great and powerful enemy and after a hundred years of fighting, the survivors sunk the city into the ocean and returned to Earth via the Stargate. So yes Virginia, the legend of Atlantis holds some truth.
So, we arrived on Atlantis, only to find that the city was still submerged but due to a power shortage the shield was starting to collapse, causing the city to flood. Colonel Sumner took a team, (along with myself) to another planet in the hopes of finding another power source. What we found instead was a race of primitive people who lived under the influence of a race called the Wraith. Every so many years these 'Wraith' would come and cull the people on the planets. Unfortunately, one of these culling happened while we were there, and Colonel Sumner along with several of our men was captured. Returning to Atlantis with those that remained (both military and the people of the planet); we arrived in time to find the last of the shields collapsing. However, instead of completely flooding, the city's fail safes kicked in and it rose to the surface of the ocean.
It took a bit of convincing, but we found these shuttle-like flying ships that we call Puddle Jumpers and with them we launched a rescue mission for our captured men. We were successful in rescuing all but one. See, the Wraith are like vampires, but instead of sucking blood, they suck the life energy of humans, using their hand instead of their teeth. When I found them, the Wraith Queen was demanding the location of Earth while slowly sucking the life out of Colonel Sumner. She had him aged beyond anything natural, and I did what I believed he wanted me to do; I shot him in the heart. Then I killed the Queen. Unfortunately, that was another mistake. When the Queen died, the rest awoke from hibernation, several hundred years too early and all very hungry.
With Colonel Sumner gone, I found myself in the position of the head of the military contingent on Atlantis; reporting only to Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the expedition leader. Due to the lack of power, we were unable to make contact with Earth. Along with my team, consisting of three others, (a scientist - Dr. McKay, the leader of the people on that original planet we gated to - Teyla, and a Marine - Lieutenant Ford), we travel to the different planets of Pegasus, looking for allies and trading partners.
We were cut off from Earth for a year before contact was reestablished. I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and amazingly left in charge.
Unfortunately Lt. Ford became addicted to an enzyme produced by the Wraith causing him to become mentally unstable and took off thru the Stargate. I still hope to find and help him one day. Ronin Dex, a military man from a planet decimated by the Wraith, joined our team shortly after we lost Lt. Ford.
A lot has happened in the last two years. I now have a deep hatred for bugs and a whole new respect for scientists, they've saved our lives more than I would have imagined possible. But, those are completely different stories and really not part of an introduction - especially not ones that I want to include in my own. However, what is here should give you a good idea of who I am. And to think, most people didn't think I was going to make it past Captain.
Prompt Community: fandom_muses
Cross Posted to: introtofandom
Topic #10 - Introduction
Word Count: 987
Rating: PG
An introduction… Alright, I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard of the United States Air Force currently stationed in the Pegasus Galaxy on Atlantis.
Just over two years ago, I was stationed at McMurdo Air Force Base in Antarctica with the rank of major and the job of flying people from the base to a remote field operation. It was pretty much the last stop before I was kicked out of the Air Force. See, I've never been great at following orders and I crossed the line when I flew into enemy territory to rescue the lives of a few service men. I got them out but it was enough for my CO to transfer me out of his command and they sent me to McMurdo as a punishment. To be honest, I kinda liked it there so it wasn't much of a punishment. It was quiet and I got to fly, granted there wasn't much excitement either, but after Afghanistan I really wasn't minding.
Anyway, one day I was flying General O'Neill out to the research base when we were attacked by this drone thing. My security clearance was instantly raised to include the research base as a direct result. Once there I made the mistake of sitting in this chair, which reacted to a rare gene that I seem to be lucky enough have. And with a flip of a coin later, I found myself traveling thru a thing called the Stargate to a galaxy far, far away.
These days, most of this stuff, (drones, traveling thru Stargates, the Wraith) is pretty standard and part of the every day run of the mill, but at the time, it was pretty overwhelming. Sorry, I'm jumping ahead.
It turns out, that we found the lost city of Atlantis. Only, it wasn't on Earth. See, there was this race of people that we call The Ancients that lived on Earth ten thousand years ago. They built the Stargate system as well as the city of Atlantis and flew (yes, I did say flew) it to the Pegasus galaxy were they populated a great deal of the inhabitable planets there. Unfortunately, they got into a war with a great and powerful enemy and after a hundred years of fighting, the survivors sunk the city into the ocean and returned to Earth via the Stargate. So yes Virginia, the legend of Atlantis holds some truth.
So, we arrived on Atlantis, only to find that the city was still submerged but due to a power shortage the shield was starting to collapse, causing the city to flood. Colonel Sumner took a team, (along with myself) to another planet in the hopes of finding another power source. What we found instead was a race of primitive people who lived under the influence of a race called the Wraith. Every so many years these 'Wraith' would come and cull the people on the planets. Unfortunately, one of these culling happened while we were there, and Colonel Sumner along with several of our men was captured. Returning to Atlantis with those that remained (both military and the people of the planet); we arrived in time to find the last of the shields collapsing. However, instead of completely flooding, the city's fail safes kicked in and it rose to the surface of the ocean.
It took a bit of convincing, but we found these shuttle-like flying ships that we call Puddle Jumpers and with them we launched a rescue mission for our captured men. We were successful in rescuing all but one. See, the Wraith are like vampires, but instead of sucking blood, they suck the life energy of humans, using their hand instead of their teeth. When I found them, the Wraith Queen was demanding the location of Earth while slowly sucking the life out of Colonel Sumner. She had him aged beyond anything natural, and I did what I believed he wanted me to do; I shot him in the heart. Then I killed the Queen. Unfortunately, that was another mistake. When the Queen died, the rest awoke from hibernation, several hundred years too early and all very hungry.
With Colonel Sumner gone, I found myself in the position of the head of the military contingent on Atlantis; reporting only to Dr. Elizabeth Weir, the expedition leader. Due to the lack of power, we were unable to make contact with Earth. Along with my team, consisting of three others, (a scientist - Dr. McKay, the leader of the people on that original planet we gated to - Teyla, and a Marine - Lieutenant Ford), we travel to the different planets of Pegasus, looking for allies and trading partners.
We were cut off from Earth for a year before contact was reestablished. I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and amazingly left in charge.
Unfortunately Lt. Ford became addicted to an enzyme produced by the Wraith causing him to become mentally unstable and took off thru the Stargate. I still hope to find and help him one day. Ronin Dex, a military man from a planet decimated by the Wraith, joined our team shortly after we lost Lt. Ford.
A lot has happened in the last two years. I now have a deep hatred for bugs and a whole new respect for scientists, they've saved our lives more than I would have imagined possible. But, those are completely different stories and really not part of an introduction - especially not ones that I want to include in my own. However, what is here should give you a good idea of who I am. And to think, most people didn't think I was going to make it past Captain.
Prompt Community: fandom_muses
Cross Posted to: introtofandom
Topic #10 - Introduction
Word Count: 987
Rating: PG