2The Sackett Gate
by
Douglas Lloyd Hemmingway
A/N: I don't own either the Stargate Franchise or the Sacketts Franchise. The Stargate Franchise is the intellectual property of Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner created for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer based on the 1994 movie Stargate created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco. The Stargate Franchise debuted with Stargate SG-1 beginning in 1997. The Sacketts Franchise including the novels Sackett's Land (Sep-1974,) The Far Blue Mountains (Oct-1976,) The Warrior's Path (Jul-1980,) Jubal Sackett (Jun-1985,) Ride the River (Jun-1983,) The Daybreakers (Feb-1960,) The Courting of Griselda (May-1997,) Lando (Dec-1962,) Sackett (May-1961,) Booty for a Badman (Sep-1982,) Mojave Crossing (Jan-1964,) The Sackett Brand (Jun-1965,) The Sky-Liners (Apr-1967,) Lonely Men (May-1969 ,) Mustang Man (May-1966,) Galloway (Jul-1970,) Treasure Mountain (Oct-1972,) Ride the Dark Trail (Jul-1972,) and Lonely on the Mountain (Nov-1980) belongs to the Louis D. and Katherine E. L'Amour Trust and Bantam Books.
This story takes place post series for Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. It occurs during the events of The Sackett Brand. It is told through the eyes and experiences of William Tell Sackett IV the great grandson of William Tell Sackett. Once the story includes both men W. T. S. IV will be called Bill and W. T. S. will be called Tell.
Chapter 2
I got Tell settled after he drank the coffee. I had a spare woobie or poncho liner in my ruck so I let him cover up with that. I thought it best he rest for now. I looked out into the night through the lens of my night vision monocular scanning the darkness. So far nothing grabbed my attention. The night looked quite. I stood watch for about four hours then checked on Tell. He was sleeping lighter than I expected given his head wound. Though he likely had a headache that eclipsed his last hangover I'm sure. From what he said Tell got lucky out there along the rim of the nearby canyon. He had turned, heard the shot and felt the impact of the bullet then tumbled into the river below.
We were on the west side of the Verde River. The Army post and later town of Camp Verde was about two days southeast of us along the river down in the canyon. Where Camp Verde sat the canyon widened out enough for a flood plane of sorts to form. In the 21st Century Camp Verde was a city of a few tens of thousands. Here in the 19th it was a camp supporting a company of infantry and a troop or two of cavalry. In either time it was also home to an Indian reservation.
In the 21st Century Camp Verde the military post is a state historical park of the State of Arizona. If I am when I think I am now the post is an active military post and though I am from the future I need to talk with the Post Commanding Officer. If I remember correctly the current commanding officer is an ancestor of Major General Hammond Commanding Officer of Joint Forces Command Stargate. Captain George Hammond United State Army Commanding officer of Troop C 10th United States Cavalry (Colored) one two regiments of Cavalry consisting of Black soldiers and Non-Commissioned Officers under the command of White Commissioned Officers. I know that I will have to control my response to the racism of this time, but I will treat any Buffalo Soldier with the respect they deserve. First off I was also going to treat my fellow Cavalrymen with utmost respect anyways. After All before commanding SG-25 I after all was the Commander of the First Squadron of this very regiment in Iraq. These men were my units heritage and I was their legacy.
This I thought about as I watched the night. Getting up to heat myself some more water and make another cup of coffee I dug in my pack and recovered my Stetson Campaign Hat. "If I am going into a Cavalry Post I'd best make a first impression," I said to myself as I dusted it off and put it on after adjusting the load to accommodate my ballistic helmet, not a PASGT or even a MICH, but one of those skull cap ones that resemble a base jumper's or even a rock climbers bump helmet. "You served in the Cavalry?" Tell said looking at me laying on my poncho and liner by our little fire in my canteen cup stove. I looked at him and smiled, "Indeed son I am." I also dug out my spare dress uniform which I kept in the pack too. It was neatly folded and rolled and my cavalry boots were folded and lashed to the pack too. Before my team made the hasty assault to assist SG-17 we were slated to assist a diplomatic mission on another world. I was fortunate that my Dress Blues were styled after the officer's uniform of this time. When I unrolled the jacket Tell's eyes widened and he came to something resembling a seated attention. In his best Sergeant's voice he said, "Sir," just barely audible enough to be heard in our small camp. I looked at the shoulder boards of my jacket. There on each one embroidered on the gold braided field were two silver oak leafs, one on each end of each shoulder board.
I smiled at him and said, "Yes Tell I am a Lieutenant Colonel. At one time in my career I commanded one of the squadrons of a Cavalry Regiment. Now I command a special team that I hope will soon find me. Until then I have to survive here and I am going to help you find your wagon, Ange and then because I am a Sackett I am going to help you deal with those who attacked you. After all you step on one Sackett's foot you step on us all."
It took us awhile but we found his wagon or what was left of it a mile or so from where he had left it. Someone had burned it or tried to. They killed his mules and tried to cremate them too. The smell of rotting burnt flesh was unmistakable. I kept watch as Tell found his hidden strong box and recovered his important papers and some gold Double Eagles, the one ounce gold coin of the time and worth about $20 in 1880. When I saw the dates on his coins ranging from the late 1860s to the year 1878 I knew for sure I was when I thought I was. "Tell you may think this question is crazy, but what year is it?" Then before he could answer I added, "And what date is it?"
He looked at me at first thinking it over a bit and said, "I'm not sure as to the exact date, but it's mid-April of 1879." Looking around the area I grimaced some and said, "I was afraid of that." "Why," he asked looking at me sternly now. I took in a deep breath and said, "Tell we're closer related than I first let on and you need to keep it a secret from your brothers or anyone else for that matter." He really seriously looked at me now. I looked him in the eyes and said flatly, "William Tell Sackett, I am William Tell Sackett VI. I am your Great, Great Grandson. Through an accident of nature I have found myself over a century and a quarter in my past. I'm still going to help you get out of here, find Ange, bury her, because I know we won't find her alive. And I will help you avenge her. I have to be careful not to alter the future anymore than I already have or be careful in my life here. I think I will be dying before I was born especially if my team can't find a way to find me."
"Bill I am not going to tell my brothers any lies, nor any of our kinfolk. You are who you say you are because I can sense it and see it in your eyes. Now boy, God it feels weird calling a man who looks older than me boy, we best be looking for Ange and a way down off the Rim," Tell said to me as he pocketed his gold and dug out from the same strong box an old 1860 Army that had been modified to take .44 Henry Rimfire cartridges. The pistol was in a holster on a cartridge belt with about forty of the old Henry cartridges in the loops on the belt. "Isn't that the pistol you carried when you served in the Sixth?" I asked as it looked just like the one in the old Daguerreotype. "Yes it is," he said strapping on the belt. I should have kept a spare set of clothes in that box too, but it was only big enough for the pistol, the gold and my papers which you put in your pack."
"Tell when it comes to telling my Great Great Uncles about me let's do it away from anyone not in the family or associated with us, please," I said as he picked up a spade and I found a pickax. He looked at me, smiled and just gave a curt nod of his head. We then cast about for several hours until he found Ange Kerry-Sackett's body stuffed in a crevice along the rim of a canyon's wall. We buried her up on the rim above the canyon where we found her. He said a few woods and I carved a marker for her afterwards. Then we left in the direction of Camp Verde. "Camp Verde is the nearest telegraph and possibly the closest doctor. He will be an Army Doctor, but out here that's possibly the best sawbones we'll find," Tell said.
CAMP VERDE, ARIZONA TERRITORY APRIL 1879
Captain George Hammond United States Army Commanding Officer Troop A Tenth United States Cavalry (Colored) stood on the front porch of the Post Headquarters just outside the door that led into the Orderly Room. He looked up the river along the flood plane as two figures came walking out of the haze and heatwave mirage that made the very air seem like it was liquid. One looked to have an Army Officer's uniform and was carrying some sort of pack over his shoulders. He was carrying some kind of carbine in his hands. The other man's clothes were torn to shreds and barely even gave him any modesty.
Capt. Hammond was in his forties and had served in a Texas Cavalry regiment during the late War Between the States having fought and being captured at Glorieta Pass during Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley's Campaign to capture New Mexico Territory. Like Sibley he had served at Fort Union in New Mexico Territory under then Colonel Edward Richard Sprigg Canby. Canby proved to be the better field commander than Sibley and Capt. Hammond found himself back in Union Blue, but paroled to fight in Wyoming and Montana against the Sioux and Blackfeet keeping the Oregon Trail and other pioneer trails open.
After the War Capt. Hammond had found himself promoted again to Second Lieutenant and assigned to US 10th Cavalry Regiment of the US Army, formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. It had been a long nearly two decades since he last was at his family's ranch in Texas. Here he was in Arizona Territory guarding a stage road and an Indian reservation from a lonely desert post along a river. Troop A Tenth United States Cavalry had been transferred here to a post that was home to a local company of mostly Mexican-American militia and a company of the 25th Infantry Regiment had just recently arrived as troubles in New Mexico Territory threatened to spill over into Arizona Territory besides Mexico and the State of Texas.
Being the most senior officer currently on post the duties of Post Commander fell to Capt. Hammond and George though he wondered if he was up to it did his best. Now he saw two strangers walking into the grounds of the Fort or rather camp. They almost looked like a father and a son their looks were so similar. The one in an officer's uniform was the older looking one. From here he could tell the older one in the officer's uniform wore the oak leaves of a Lieutenant Colonel. The pair walked up to the hitching rail by the porch of the Post HQ. and the officer began to speak. "Lieutenant Colonel William Tell Sackett," he said saluting the Post Commander though Capt. Hammond was actually the junior officer. The fact he was post commander put Bill Sackett as a visiting officer in the position of saluting him first. Hammond returned the salute and said, "Captain George Hammond Commanding Officer Troop A Tenth United States Cavalry, officer commanding Camp Verde. How may I be of service?"
LTC Sackett looked at CPT Hammond and then at Tell. He looked back to the Captain and said, "Captain Hammond I need quarters for myself and my cousin Tell here. Tell will also need the attention of a doctor." Then he noticed that CPT Hammond was looking him and Tell over with a lot of attention being paid to their conditions. "We'll need horses once Tell's fit to ride and supplies for two men for a week to ten days. Tell was ambushed and his wagon was raided." He waved his hands back in the direction they had came from and said, "Over there along the east rim of the Verde River's canyon Tell was shot and left for dead and his wife was attacked and from my investigation violated. She got a good swipe at her attacker. She had scrapings of white skin under her nails so she fought off her attacker he then strangled her. The one who strangled her did so with his bare hands leaving imprints so deep even days after the attack they were still visible. So Tell and I are looking for a strong man with scratches on his face."