New Dawn

Posted on Sat Mar 14th, 2026 @ 12:50am by Civilian Seth Cade & Colonel Brynn Hanley
Edited on on Sat Mar 14th, 2026 @ 12:52am

1,186 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Old Guard
Location: Atlantis Base, San Franscisco Bay, Earth
Timeline: Nov. 2010

In the gateroom of Atlantis, the air grew cold. Brynn Hanley shivered, despite the command center being air-conditioned. The moment that begins everything is also the end of something. A transition from the old into the new. She stood in the middle of the embarkation room, the Pegasus galaxy Stargate standing before her. Sunlight glistened through the stained glass window. Wearing the Air Force uniform with the colonel rank, her French-braided, dirty blond hair curled over her broad right shoulder. At her early forties, her combat-trained form stood erect. Waiting. A light formed in the middle of the gate. Her boots shifted, snapping together subconsciously without her knowing. A whining hum slowly increased as the bright light expanded.

The air currents changed, as time slowed for a few half-milliseconds, a person appeared. Tall, six feet, matched Hanley's height by an inch. Cropped, faux cut hazelnut hair. Chiseled features with a combat-trained form that nearly synced with Hanley's own. He wore the newly stitched charcoal-gray uniform with the red highlights, signifying command. A Canadian flag patch wrapped around his arm. Hanley dropped her stiff, rigid stance to a more casual form, speaking, "Cade. Welcome to Atlantis."

Seth walked forward, accepting her handshake. After a year of knowing her, he still felt awkward in a new place with a different vibe. He looked around, assessing. People in the gray-charcoal uniform walked around. However, the place felt stark. Empty. Slightly void of life. He replied, focusing his attention on her, "Thank you, Colonel. After a year of command training, it feels-"

"Weird?" Brynn added, offering a hand towards the steps to the control room on the balcony. She turned, walking in sync with Seth's pace, "I know the feeling. I was once a wide-eyed lieutenant colonel training under Carter, selected to command the SGC. Still feels like yesterday."

They walked in silence, climbing the steps towards the balcony. Before the control room, they turned left as the door to the patio opened. Cold wind gusted through as they walked through the doorway. It opened to a large, peaceful bay of San Francisco. In the distance lay the Golden Gate Bridge. Dotted along the coast were the buildings, the beaches, and the greenery. The breeze tasted salty as Seth inhaled, placing his hands onto the railing. His navy-ness brought out his nostalgia for the sea. The salt. The breeze. The pounding of decks below him and sailors bellowing. However, here felt different.

Brynn watched him. Crossing her arms, she scanned the horizon, looking at where he might be looking. Pointing, she replied, "There. This was where I met you, thirty miles from the bridge, on the courthouse steps where you walked out the door.

Seth nodded, leaning against the railing and pulling himself back, replying, "Yeah. I remember that."

Keeping his hand on the railing, he scratched his chin and gulped slightly out of embarrassment. Looking at her, he relayed the moment in his head, "I had come out through the door without a uniform. My ranks were stripped. I had become a civilian. You approached me in a full bird Air Force uniform. Didn't know who you were, what you represented. I was still in shock, feeling the loss of my navy commission."

Brynn nodded, with a slight smile curling her lips. She added, "What did you say then? When we first met. When I asked you a question."

Seth sighed, pausing before replying, "I never met you before, so I asked a question to your question."

She nodded again, amused and clearly enjoying herself, "Ah-huh. What did you ask?"

"Are you propositioning me?" Seth replied, the breezy air not so subtly attempting to lower the tension between them, "You've got to understand, Colonel. I was unfocused. Confused. I apologized if that was inappropriate."

Brynn shrugged, nodding, "It's fine. I would probably do the same in your shoes if someone stripped me of rank and approached by an air force colonel."

Seth, subtly rolling his eyes, nodded and returned to place his hand on the railing. Inhaling the sea salt again, he exhaled, "So. Atlantis? To the Pegasus galaxy? A whole new galaxy?"

Brynn nodded, uncrossing her arms and placing one hand on the railing. Tightening her grip on it, she loosened it and replied, "Yes. You don't sound ready? You have to be ready for this. Remember your training, your briefing. Remember the car? I handed you an NDA form before we started. Gave you two choices: a ride to your next stop or my next stop."

Seth nodded, placing his arms on the railing to lean against it. Looking at his new city, he noted the ocean quietly lapping against the port. Ahead of him, the surf raised and crashed against the beaches. He spoke, his voice heavy, "I remember. It's a lot of information to process after I signed it, of course."

She added, exhaling, "The universe is bigger than what you saw on the paper, Cade. I promise you. This? It is just the beginning. Once you walk through that gate, fly the city, whatever, the universe has a way of slipping the welcome mat from under your feet. You have to be ready. The IOA needed someone experienced. Someone who already knows the SGC existed. I chose you. I picked you, specifically, as a wild card. Someone who didn't know the SGC existed. Operation Starfall."

Seth turned, focused on her words. It somewhat had a calming effect on him. "I know."

Brynn shook her head, not done. She spoke, "Listen to me very carefully, Cade. The IOA has become unpredictable lately. They wanted control of this place. They still do. With Woolsely removed and Sheppard holding the line, you became the rock that stopped the drain from flowing towards the IOA. You were the one who paused their actions, for the moment."

Seth grew silent, nodding. Calculating. Thinking. Still scanning the horizon, he watched several kites fly across the sky, half obscuring the Golden Gate Bridge from a distance. The air grew colder, causing him to shiver. The sun slowly started to dip. He added softly, "I know. Don't screw it up."

Brynn nodded, easing the tension, "You won't. I believe in you. I know your history. Your previous reports. Your commanding officer's glowing reference of you. But it's still fresh. New to you. I want you to be ready. You need to be ready. No half assumptions. No half-guessing. Once you take command of the expedition team, you are there a full hundred percent. The moment you show weakness, they will smell it."

Gripping the railing, Seth exhaled, releasing the railing to snap his navy combat boots together and folding his arms behind him while straightening up, nodding, "I'm ready, Colonel. Bring them on."

Impressed, Brynn folded her arms across her chest and nodded, "Good. Let's head to your new office and discuss your new team. I already have a few selected for you to start with. It will be several months before we can start."

She turned towards the door as they walked in sync back into the city towards his office.

 

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